by Morgan Rice
“And why should we believe that?” a man said.
Sebastian pointed out to where Rupert was probably beating some poor person to get answers.
“That’s my brother out there, and I know what he’s capable of. I need to make sure that Sophia is safe. I… I love her.” Sebastian knew that it was no kind of argument, but it was the only one he had.
Astonishingly, it seemed to be enough, because one of the serving girls there nodded.
“She was in here talking to Captain Borkar. His boat is the one with the seahorse figurehead.”
“Thank you,” Sebastian said, and ran for the harbor.
He ducked into a doorway while one of Rupert’s men passed, then ran on, not wanting to stop for an instant longer than he had to. He tripped on the cobbles, forced his way back to his feet, and kept going.
The boats were just ahead, and now Sebastian found himself looking for the one with the seahorse figurehead. He was still looking around when he heard the sounds of some kind of fight ahead. Following the sound, he spotted the seahorse at the far end of the harbor, running for it as fast as he could. There was no gangplank down now, but Sebastian didn’t care. He leapt, his fingers finding the rail as he pulled himself aboard.
He found himself facing a large, bearded man who stared at him as if he were an enemy to be repelled. Again, Sebastian had the sense of how he must look, and again, he didn’t care. All that mattered was getting to Sophia.
“I told your master, there’s no one aboard but—”
“I’m not with Rupert, and I know Sophia’s here.”
“Then you need to die,” the big man said, reaching for a bill hook.
Sebastian hit him, not wanting to go for a weapon when it was obvious that the other man was only trying to protect Sophia. The big man stumbled, and Sebastian hit him again, sending him down to the deck. He would probably have to apologize in a while for that, but as long as he did it by Sophia’s side, it didn’t matter.
He looked around, trying to work out where she would be. There was a cabin toward the stern, so Sebastian headed for that. When he got to it, the door wasn’t locked as he tried the handle. This was it.
“Sophia,” he called out before opening it, “it’s me. It’s Sebastian. I’m here because… because I love you, and I want to be with you, even if that means going with you to Ishjemme and leaving my family behind. Sophia?”
There was silence from the other side of the door, and Sebastian hoped he hadn’t been declaring his love to an empty room. He pushed it open, and immediately found himself faced with a creature that arched its back, hissing as it stood ready to pounce.
“It’s okay,” Sebastian said, using the most soothing tone he could muster as he looked around the room. “I’m not a threat.”
Why anyone would keep a forest cat in a cabin, Sebastian didn’t know. When the cabin appeared to be empty except for the creature, he made to shut the door again and look elsewhere on the boat for Sophia.
Then he saw the legs, just visible on the far side of the bed.
Sebastian’s heart caught in his throat as he rushed forward, ignoring the forest cat for now. If that was Sophia, if the creature had hurt her…
He burst around the bed, trying to get to Sophia, trying to help her. She lay there, still and ashen, her chest not rising or falling. There was blood on her, spreading out in a pool from her chest to stain the wooden boards on which she lay.
“No,” Sebastian whispered. “No.”
He spun back toward the forest cat, drawing his sword, and that was when he saw the fine-bladed stiletto at the heart of the wound in Sophia’s chest. Sebastian drew it out, the numbness of panic telling him that it was the first step to trying to help her. Blood oozed from the wound as he did so, and Sebastian could feel it covering his hands as he tried to hold it in by sheer force of will.
“Don’t be dead,” Sebastian begged, feeling tears springing into his eyes. “Please don’t be dead.”
Silently, he begged more than just Sophia. He prayed to the Masked Goddess, pleading and bargaining, offering his life in Sophia’s place, silently cursing whoever had done this.
Mostly though, he held to Sophia and cried. If he’d loved her more, this wouldn’t have happened. If he’d only ignored what she was, they could have been married by now, and safe. If he’d only gone with her when she’d left, they could have been in another place, far from the reach of this violence. Instead, he was left kneeling over her body, leaning forward to try to catch any hint of her breath, but unable to feel it against his skin.
Beside him, Sebastian heard the forest cat starting to yowl its upset, and he felt a matching howl of anguish building within him, all the pain of the things he’d lost building up until he just couldn’t contain it anymore.
He cried out his pain, not caring who was listening, not caring if it brought every sailor on the ship to this cabin. What did any of it matter when the only woman he had ever loved lay there, still in a way that could only mean one thing:
Sophia was dead.
NOW AVAILABLE!
A DIRGE FOR PRINCES
(A Throne for Sisters—Book Four)
“Morgan Rice's imagination is limitless. In another series that promises to be as entertaining as the previous ones, A THRONE OF SISTERS presents us with the tale of two sisters (Sophia and Kate), orphans, fighting to survive in a cruel and demanding world of an orphanage. An instant success. I can hardly wait to put my hands on the second and third books!”
--Books and Movie Reviews (Roberto Mattos)
From #1 Bestseller Morgan Rice comes an unforgettable new fantasy series.
In A DIRGE FOR PRINCES (A Throne for Sisters—Book Four), Sophia, 17, battles for her life, trying to recover from the wound left by Lady D’Angelica. Will her sister Kate’s new powers be enough to bring her back?
The ship sails with the sisters to the distant and exotic lands of their uncle, their last hope and only know connection to their parents. Yet the journey is treacherous, and even if they find it, the sisters don’t know if their reception will be warm or hostile.
Kate, indentured to the witch, finds herself in an increasingly desperate situation—until she meets a sorceress who may hold the secret to her freedom.
Sebastian returns to court, heartbroken, desperate to know if Sophie is alive. As his mother forces him to marry Lady D’Angelica, he knows the time has come to risk it all.
A DIRGE FOR PRINCES (A Throne for Sisters—Book Four) is the fourth book in a dazzling new fantasy series rife with love, heartbreak, tragedy, action, adventure, magic, swords, sorcery, dragons, fate and heart-pounding suspense. A page turner, it is filled with characters that will make you fall in love, and a world you will never forget.
Book #5 in the series is also now available!
“[A THRONE FOR SISTERS is a] powerful opener to a series [that] will produce a combination of feisty protagonists and challenging circumstances to thoroughly involve not just young adults, but adult fantasy fans who seek epic stories fueled by powerful friendships and adversaries.”
--Midwest Book Review (Diane Donovan)
A DIRGE FOR PRINCES
(A Throne for Sisters—Book Four)
Did you know that I've written multiple series? If you haven't read all my series, click the image below to download a series starter!
Books by Morgan Rice
THE WAY OF STEEL
ONLY THE WORTHY (Book #1)
A THRONE FOR SISTERS
A THRONE FOR SISTERS (Book #1)
A COURT FOR THIEVES (Book #2)
A SONG FOR ORPHANS (Book #3)
A DIRGE FOR PRINCES (Book #4)
A JEWEL FOR ROYALS (Book #5)
OF CROWNS AND GLORY
SLAVE, WARRIOR, QUEEN (Book #1)
ROGUE, PRISONER, PRINCESS (Book #2)
KNIGHT, HEIR, PRINCE (Book #3)
REBEL, PAWN, KING (Book #4)
SOLDIER, BROTHER, SORCERER (Book #5)
HERO, TRAITOR
, DAUGHTER (Book #6)
RULER, RIVAL, EXILE (Book #7)
VICTOR, VANQUISHED, SON (Book #8)
KINGS AND SORCERERS
RISE OF THE DRAGONS (Book #1)
RISE OF THE VALIANT (Book #2)
THE WEIGHT OF HONOR (Book #3)
A FORGE OF VALOR (Book #4)
A REALM OF SHADOWS (Book #5)
NIGHT OF THE BOLD (Book #6)
THE SORCERER’S RING
A QUEST OF HEROES (Book #1)
A MARCH OF KINGS (Book #2)
A FATE OF DRAGONS (Book #3)
A CRY OF HONOR (Book #4)
A VOW OF GLORY (Book #5)
A CHARGE OF VALOR (Book #6)
A RITE OF SWORDS (Book #7)
A GRANT OF ARMS (Book #8)
A SKY OF SPELLS (Book #9)
A SEA OF SHIELDS (Book #10)
A REIGN OF STEEL (Book #11)
A LAND OF FIRE (Book #12)
A RULE OF QUEENS (Book #13)
AN OATH OF BROTHERS (Book #14)
A DREAM OF MORTALS (Book #15)
A JOUST OF KNIGHTS (Book #16)
THE GIFT OF BATTLE (Book #17)
THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY
ARENA ONE: SLAVERSUNNERS (Book #1)
ARENA TWO (Book #2)
ARENA THREE (Book #3)
VAMPIRE, FALLEN
BEFORE DAWN (Book #1)
THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS
TURNED (Book #1)
LOVED (Book #2)
BETRAYED (Book #3)
DESTINED (Book #4)
DESIRED (Book #5)
BETROTHED (Book #6)
VOWED (Book #7)
FOUND (Book #8)
RESURRECTED (Book #9)
CRAVED (Book #10)
FATED (Book #11)
OBSESSED (Book #12)
About Morgan Rice
Morgan Rice is the #1 bestselling and USA Today bestselling author of the epic fantasy series THE SORCERER’S RING, comprising seventeen books; of the #1 bestselling series THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, comprising twelve books; of the #1 bestselling series THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY, a post-apocalyptic thriller comprising three books; of the epic fantasy series KINGS AND SORCERERS, comprising six books; of the epic fantasy series OF CROWNS AND GLORY, comprising 8 books; and of the new epic fantasy series A THRONE FOR SISTERS. Morgan’s books are available in audio and print editions, and translations are available in over 25 languages.
TURNED (Book #1 in the Vampire Journals) ARENA ONE (Book #1 of the Survival Trilogy) and A QUEST OF HEROES (Book #1 in the Sorcerer’s Ring) and RISE OF THE DRAGONS (Kings and Sorcerers—Book #1) are each available as a free download on Kobo!
Morgan loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.morganricebooks.com to join the email list, receive a free book, receive free giveaways, download the free app, get the latest exclusive news, connect on Facebook and Twitter, and stay in touch!
