Prince Sylvian noted the reaction with evident satisfaction, cast a swift glance around the room, then pushed the head slowly across the table. “Do you recognize her?” he whispered.
Elroth's face turned to stone. Prince Sylvian slid the dagger soundlessly back into his boot.
“Of course you do. Her name was Rayla.” His voice dropped to a murmur. “You lay with her. In Irkaar. Not long ago—certainly not long enough for you to have forgotten.”
Elroth recoiled as if struck. His breath caught, his stomach clenching as he battled a rising wave of nausea. “What… what happened to her?” he forced out, scarcely audible.
Prince Sylvian answered without warmth. “I had her executed. The foolish girl returned to Marnog Jar, because she was heartbroken.” His gaze was unyielding. “I do not tolerate betrayal. I do not tolerate Mist Elves who abandon their homeland. And least of all do I tolerate young women who give themselves to corrupted men such as you.”
Elroth's eyes did not leave the shrunken head. His breath seized in his chest. He placed both hands on the table, as if steadying himself against a weight that pressed invisibly upon him. A faint tremor passed through his shoulders.
That desire had poisoned him from the start. It had not been a thought, nor a mere longing. It had been something else—something alien that had taken root within him and altered him from the inside. And he had allowed it.
His jaw clenched.
End of Reading Sample
What price will Elroth pay for his transgressions? Experience the gripping continuation in Volume 2 of the Guardians of the Seven Artifacts!
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