A War for Truth

by M. Lynn

  “I’m not an idiot, Davi. As soon as I learned who Lorelai truly was, I started putting the pieces together. I assumed Calis wanted the Tri-Gard in his possession. We knew he’d sent us to find Briggs in Sona. Lorelai set us on that path. I even suspected there was something we didn’t know about you. But, after we got the magic back?” Trystan shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense. Why would he want us to have our power?”

  “Because everything you’ve done, every action you’ve taken was orchestrated, planned. You’ve been playing his game since before you knew it.”

  “More than just finding Briggs?”

  Davi met his gaze. “Lorelai was first sent to your father when we were five-years-old. She told him a man would rise to defeat the darkness. He took that to mean you. Lorelai also placed me in your household at that same meeting. For the next fifteen years, my father used blood magic to watch you through my eyes.

  Davi scratched the back of his neck. “This is where Briggs Villard comes in. He’s always worked for my father. His job was to stay close to the palace. He lived in the village. His proximity to you and Rissa is the reason Ramsey did many of the things he did. When the time came, Briggs relocated to the swamps of Sona where he released a bit of his magic, suddenly making him traceable by all seers.”

  Davi paused, but when Trystan didn’t say anything, he continued, “So, Lorelai reappeared. She told us of feeling the magic.”

  “What about the curse?” Trystan leaned forward. “The one she placed on me. Was that Calis’ doing?”

  Davi shook his head. “It wasn’t a curse that was placed on you. Lorelai saw it come to pass. Those words were a reading of the future.” He smiled slightly. “But you were able to change it.”

  “I had to,” Trystan said.

  “So, Briggs joined you and he was able to lead you to Lonara. The unit of soldiers who attacked when I… died.” He gulped in air. “They were supposed to capture us all and take us to Dreach-Dhoun. Briggs released too much magic. He’d never been good at controlling it. One of the guards told me my father was livid with him. Then Eisner went after you, and I’ve never seen my father so angry. You weren’t supposed to die yet. Not until you were reunited with Ramsey. You had to reunite all the Tri- Gard. Only you could get them to willingly do what Calis has wanted them to do for years. Once you were captured in Dreach-Dhoun and Ramsey had his crystal, he allowed you all to think you escaped.”

  “But why? Davi, why does Calis want us to have our magic?”

  “Think about it.” Davi ran a hand nervously through his dark hair. “The people of Dreach-Sciene have their magic back, but they’re untrained and weak from years of suffering. They don’t know what to do with the magic they now have. If Calis had brought his army across the border before, then he wouldn’t have magic either. Calis’ army wouldn’t have stood a chance in hand-to-hand combat with Dreach-Sciene’s massive army. Now that the magic is back, Calis’ army has the upper hand. They know what to do with it. Your people do not.”

  Davi sat back on his heels as Trystan’s expression grew angrier with each passing moment. For a second, he allowed his mind to retreat into the false memories of Trystan and his father. Their treatment of him. Their scorn. It hadn’t seemed any different from the questions before him now.

  But it was different. He pushed out a breath. It hadn’t been real. This was real. He couldn’t fear the man who’d been more like family to him than his own father.

  “Everything we’ve done.” Trystan shook his head in disbelief. “This quest. Finding the Tri-Gard. Why me, Dav? Why did Calis choose me?”

  Davi rocked back and pushed himself to his feet, his eyes finding Rissa once again. She blocked Avery’s sword as Alixa cheered her on. He’d never seen her fight with a sword, only her bow. His father had been right. Women like her were dangerous. Once you loved them, you’d do anything they needed you to do. Anything.

  The answer was so simple. His father hadn’t told him why Trystan was important or why it had to be him, but it didn’t take much to figure it out.

  He looked back down at his friend. “Because my father loved your mother, and she chose someone else. Because Ramsey loved his daughter and spent the past twenty years doing everything he could, everything he was against, to keep my father from going after you. Because Lonara loved the girl she trained, and only for that girl’s children would she come out of hiding. Everything comes back to you, Trystan. You and Rissa.”

  “Me and Rissa. He’s coming for us.”

  “Not just you this time, Brathair. He’s coming for Dreach-Sciene.”

  Davi turned without another word and walked toward the three women. When he stepped up beside Alixa, he motioned to the sword in her hand. “Mind if I borrow that?”

  She raised one dark eyebrow. “I still don’t trust that you’re not evil Davi.”

  “Evil Davi?”

  She shrugged. “That’s what I’ve been calling you in my head. Evil Davi and annoying Davi.”

  “What about ridiculously handsome Davi?” He smiled.

  Alixa smirked. “Guess that answers that question. Evil Davi was a dick, but he didn’t have the ego of annoying Davi.”

  Neither noticed Trystan joining them until he spoke. “Say it again, Dav.”

  “Say what?” He didn’t take his eyes off Rissa and Avery’s fight as he spoke. Even as she got her butt kicked, Rissa was beautiful. Her hair flew out behind her as she spun and then ducked under Avery’s blade, holding hers high to block it.

  “The ridiculously handsome thing.”

  Davi finally tore his eyes away from Ri to look at her brother in amusement. “That’s kind of an odd request from a fancy king… or from anyone, really.”

  Trystan shook his head with a laugh. “It’s just… that was the first time you sounded like yourself. We get that you need time. We all do. It’s only been a few days, but before this morning, you’ve barely spoken to us and when you have, there was a formality to it.”

  Davi understood what he meant. He’d separated himself from them through their days of travel and their nights among the trees.

  He shrugged. “Admit it, you’ve just missed seeing this ridiculously handsome face.”

  Trystan slapped him on the back. “Thank you.”

  Alixa held out her sword to Davi hilt first, and he wrapped his hand around it before stepping forward. Rissa and Avery ceased sparring immediately and looked to him in question.

  “You’re gripping the sword too tightly, Ri.” He reached her and Avery joined the others.

  Rissa stared at him, distrust in her eyes. He’d put it there. She’d been through hell and he’d avoided her. Offering her a smile, he reached forward and touched her sword hand. “Loosen your fingers. The sword should be an extension of yourself, and if you use too much strength just to hold it, you’ll tire quickly. Let it swing freely.”

  He put distance between them and demonstrated with Alixa’s sword, letting it fly in a controlled arc.

  Rissa watched him for a moment longer. “Sometimes you have to hold on to things to keep them from flying out of your grasp.”

  She wasn’t talking about swordplay.

  He froze. “Every battle is different, but they all come down to one thing. Not strength. Not power. Endurance. You can’t give every part of yourself in the beginning because there’ll be nothing left when it really matters.”

  She swung her sword, and it met his in a crash of steel. “I should have fought harder for you.”

  “You didn’t know I was alive.” He advanced, and she met his movement with more ease than he’d been expecting.

  “But then when I did, I gave up on you.”

  “If you’d tried to fight for me in Dreach-Dhoun, I would have destroyed you.”

  She flinched, but he wouldn’t hide the truth from her.

  “Endurance is key, Rissa. You’d have given everything to save me. No one is worth that.”

  She lowered her sword, chest rising and falling rapi
dly. “You are.”

  “And then where would Dreach-Sciene be? They need their princess. You did the right thing.”

  Her chin quivered, but she stopped it by hardening her jaw. “I left you.”

  “That wasn’t me. It was…” He glanced at Alixa. “Evil Davi.”

  Rissa closed her eyes, trying to even her breath. “Not evil. Never evil. Confused. Broken.” Her eyes snapped open and trapped him. “Lost.”

  Davi’s sword slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground. “I was so lost.” His shoulders shook.

  Rissa discarded her blade and stepped in front of Davi. Raising her hand, she paused as if asking for permission.

  He nodded, and she cupped his cheek. He leaned into her.

  “You’re not lost anymore.”

  Her words permeated his skin, seeping into him and sending warmth throughout his body.

  “Blood doesn’t matter. You’re one of us. Family. And you’re finally home.”

  He crushed her to him and took her lips as if he needed them for survival. She wound her hands around the back of his head and kissed him back.

  “I never thought I’d get to do that again,” she whispered, resting her forehead against his.

  He leaned in for another kiss when Trystan cleared his throat. Davi had forgotten they were there.

  Rissa laughed and pulled her face away, but remained in his arms.

  Trystan moved toward them and wrapped his arms around them both. It had always been the three of them since they were children. Marcus was gone, but he’d raised them to follow in his footsteps.

  Lonara’s voice drifted out to them as she and Ramsey appeared. “Are you all ready to start the day? We should reach Aldorwood by nightfall and then the palace by early next week.”

  The palace. Home.

  Davi released Rissa and studied the faces surrounding him. It wasn’t just the three of them this time. He clasped Trystan’s shoulder.

  “We did it, didn’t we?”

  “Did what?” Trystan asked.

  “We set out to do the impossible, bring magic back to our dying kingdom.”

  “It wasn’t impossible. You said it yourself, Calis planned this.”

  “Trystan.” Davi shook his head. “That doesn’t change the fact that you united the ancient Tri-Gard and brought back the power you once told me you didn’t believe in.”

  Trystan’s smile spread across his face. “Yeah, then I guess we did. I only wish my father could have been here to see it.”

  “Me too.”

  Alixa spoke up. “The only reason you boys accomplished anything is because Rissa and I forced you to take us along.”

  Trystan was about to argue, but he met Davi’s eye and laughed. “Probably true.”

  Davi bumped Trystan’s shoulder with his own. “He’d be proud.”

  “Yeah, I think he would. For a moment. Then he’d tell me to get back to work because this was the easy part.”

  Davi arched a brow. “Easy? You think me dying and coming back to life while you were chased across Dreach-Sciene was easy?”

  Davi’s words were lighthearted but Trystan heard the underlying fear. “I think, my friend, that this is only the beginning.”

  Get the epic Legacy of Light conclusion in A War for Love: https://michellelynnauthor.com/warforlove or keep reading for a sneak peek.

  Claim your free copy of Memory of War, the story of Marcus and Marissa Renauld, here.

  What’s Next?

  A princess wanting to fight. A warrior willing to die. And an enemy haunted by his deeds.

  * * *

  There is no going back to a time before the truth came to light, and Rissa can’t unsee the man she loves standing above her brother with his sword drawn. The sharp edges death and grief carved into her won’t be softened. So, she prepares. To fight a battle she’s told she has no place in. To save her people one last time.

  Tortured by the memories of everything he’s done, Davion doesn’t know what’s real and what his father forced into his mind. Has he spent his life as a well-cared-for ward or a prisoner? Was the prince his brother or his enemy? The only thing he knows for sure is his father must be defeated.

  Thrust onto the throne, Trystan finds himself leading a people gearing up for a fight. They flock from villages across the kingdom to army camps, knowing it will take every sword, every bit of their newly recovered magic they can control. And it will take a king who is willing to sacrifice anything, anyone to save everyone.

  The war is no longer coming. It’s here. And this final battle might just be the end of everything.

  * * *

  Prepare to lose yourself in this wickedly exciting epic fantasy romance with intricate world building, dark secrets, and deliciously forbidden romance.

  A War For Love is book three in the Legacy of Light series.

  * * *

  Get your copy here!

  Sneak Peek of A War For Love

  They were coming.

  The only thing louder than the horse’s hooves beating into the packed dirt of the forest path was the pounding of Trystan’s heart as he ran. A branch whipped him in the face, sending a sting of pain across his cheek. But he didn’t slow.

  He veered off the path where the horses could no longer follow him and ducked behind the mossy base of a tree, colliding with someone as he came to a stop.

  His hands flew out, and he gripped his sister’s shoulders, hauling her to the pine-covered ground where they hid from the men on horseback.

  “Dammit, Ri.” He rolled off her as soon as their pursuers were gone. “I told you to stay with the others.”

  She set her jaw and jumped to her feet. “Since when do I obey you?”

  Never. That was the answer. She’d never listened to him.

  He shook his head and ran a trembling hand through his sweat-soaked hair. “You could have been seen.”

  “So could you.”

  He let out an irritated breath, turning to walk back into the woods with its canopy of red and gold leaves. He’d left the rest of the group hidden off the main path, Ri included. He should have known she wouldn’t listen, but that did little to ease his annoyance. They were so close to home now, but if they were caught, it would have all been for nothing.

  Rissa’s shoulders dropped. “I was worried about you. It’s getting dark and you’ve been gone a while.”

  He couldn’t fight with his sister any longer, so he swung an arm over her shoulder. “That was the third group of Isenore soldiers we’ve seen in these woods. We can’t be more than half a day’s ride from the palace. They’ve grown bold.”

  “We’ll be safe behind the palace walls by tomorrow.”

  “Safe.” Safety was an illusion. With Calis sitting across the border and Eisner still roaming the mountains, there was no such thing as safe in Dreach-Sciene.

  “Stop,” Rissa hissed.

  Trystan froze, afraid even one crunch of the leaves underneath his feet would give them away. “They’re coming back.” He looked down at his sister’s empty hands. “You followed me and didn’t bring your bow?”

  “I wasn’t thinking about anything other than getting away without Davi seeing me.”

  “Next time,” he said. “Think.” He released her. “Come on.” He took off, only glancing back once to make sure his sister followed behind. “You’re prepared to use your magic?”

  His sister hadn’t seemed to need training in magic. She knew instinctively what to do, unlike him, but it still wasn’t the first mode of protection that came to her mind.

  “Yeah,” she whispered.

  The horses neared and the shouts from their riders grew louder. “Halt!” one ordered. “You are under arrest.”

  Trystan swerved and jumped over a fallen tree. His eyes flicked back over his shoulder, but Rissa wasn’t there.

  “Trystan,” she yelled.

  He reeled around and charged back the way he’d come. Four men on horseback surrounded Rissa. Trystan reached for his swor
d, but there was no need for his protection.

  Rissa dropped to the ground and set her hands upon it. Color rose in her cheeks and a breeze blew her brilliant red hair away from her face. None of the soldiers moved in as she stood and spun, a flash of white light ripping from her hands. It struck each of them, stunning them and sending them flying from their horses.

  Trystan’s lips quirked up. The magic didn’t touch the horses. That was his sister.

  “Stop,” another voice entered the fray as the rest of their group appeared, pulling up at the sight of Rissa. Eyes flicked from her to the unconscious men until finally finding Trystan.

  A young man jumped from his horse and tore his helmet off, throwing it to the ground in haste. He dropped to one knee. “Your Majesty.”

  Trystan released a breath. “Thank the earth.” He laughed as he rubbed his forehead. “Wren.”

  Rissa lowered her hands, her eyes scanning the green fabric stretched across their chests. “You’re wearing Isenore colors.” She shook her head and turned away from the men she’d hit with her power.

  Wren stood quickly. “Yes, Princess. The woods of Aldorwood have been plagued by bands of Isenore soldiers. It isn’t safe for travelers in Dreach-Sciene. These men have been terrorizing the villages at the edge of the forest. Our task is to hunt them.” He rubbed the chest of his uniform. “No matter what we have to do to get it done.”

  “Oh.”

  Wren nodded to one of his men. “Check the injured.”

  “They aren’t dead.” Rissa bit her lip. “Only knocked out.”

  “I’d ask how you have mastered control of your magic, Princess, but it’s the Tenelach, isn’t it?” Wren asked.

  Rissa nodded.

  “We need to get the others.” Trystan walked forward. “I’d like to return to the palace as soon as possible. Wren, come with us. Have your men load up the injured and be ready to leave when we return.”

  Wren jerked his head toward one of his men in silent order before following the king and princess.