Amara's Legacy
by
E H Howard
The riches of Broadfields, the largest estate in Garalandia,
prove an irresistible bauble to the usurper, Mordacai. The lands could be
claimed by force, or more simply acquired by his son marrying the female heir,
Gemma.
Fleeing a match she considers to be a fate worse than death,
Gemma has a choice: seek anonymity in the guise of a mercenary warrior, or to
fight back.
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Book #2
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Her Serenian upbringing ensured training in deadly combat
from birth. Gemma can survive where others would die. She has no intention of
becoming a trophy bride and any man hoping to subdue her had better know the
consequences.
Gemma has a plan. Even if she has to bathe in blood, consort
with magic and face the impossible, her secret alliance with Merrilina, witch
of the Wizard Council, means the head wearing the crown should rest uneasily.
Let battle commence …
Chapter One
Gemma wiped away her
tears with the back of her hand. What the hell did Frona and her mother expect?
Whenever she won, they told her she was too cruel. If she lost, they mocked her
as too soft. Thrippas, she was fighting the best warriors the arena could
offer. If she didn’t win, the whole plan would fail.
The bitter wind dried her cheeks. She tugged her woollen
cloak tight, burrowing into the fur collar. Behind her, silver moonlight
glinted off the slate roofs of the town. Resting her elbows on the granite crenellations
of the city wall, she stared out.
A single road of hard-packed earth carved across the
pastures. Far out of sight, the track would rise, winding through the
mountains, dipping through the only viable land route out of Serenia, The Gap.
It was the only way home, but home was the last place she wanted to be. She corrected
herself, the place she couldn’t be.
Too maudlin! A sprinkle of Baran stardust would sort her
out. Her stomach churned. She glanced around, instantly feeling guilty and
hoping nobody had witnessed how easily she’d given in to the craving.
She’d promised to stop using the drug. Since stardust had
crept onto the scene, too many had been lost to its snare. She still had a
stash, a small number of the pouches Torrin had slipped to her. She flushed at
how she’d paid for them. A ring of her mother’s and … the memories of that
night remained chopped up; a tangle of limbs, giggling, kissing and caressing
in darkness.
He was nice. If only Torrin had the power to help her.
She scurried down the steps, slowing to marvel at how quiet
the streets were. If she hadn’t paused, the scuff of a leather sole on cobbles
would have gone unnoticed. Under pain of death, visitors to Serenia weren’t
allowed edged weapons, but not all weapons are edged. Reaching into her
waistband she slid on her knuckleduster.
“At least you’re alert,” Frona’s blocky figure stepped from
the shadows. “You dusted?” Her mentor stared into Gemma’s eyes, obviously
trying to see if she’d already indulged.
“No!” Hoping to hide her blush, Gemma forced Frona back into
the alleyway. She wrapped the older woman in a fierce hug, tracing her tongue
up her neck before sealing her mouth with a kiss.
Resting her head on Frona’s shoulder, she inhaled the scent
of leather, perfume and the unique musk that combined to create Frona’s
exquisite aroma. “I’m such a fool,” Gemma admitted.
“Passionate, maybe stubborn, but not a fool.” Frona drew
Gemma back into the kiss. Her other hand loosened Gemma’s cloak, allowing their
bodies to mould against each other.
Gemma’s voice became a husky whisper. “A fumble in an
alleyway?”
“I’ve done worse.”
“We’ve done worse.”
Grabbing handfuls of Frona’s hair, Gemma surrendered.
