Prologue
In another time on another world called Aerthlan, there are five kingdoms. Four of the kingdoms extend across a vast continent. The fifth kingdom consists of two islands in the Great Western Ocean. These are the Isles of Moon and Mist. There is only one inhabitant on the small Isle of Mist—the Seer.
Twice a year, one of the two moons of Aerthlan eclipses the other, or as the people call it, embrace. Any child born when the moons embrace will be gifted with a magical power. These children are called the Embraced, and traditionally, the kings on the mainland have sought to kill them. Some of the Embraced infants are sent secretly to the Isle of Moon, where they will be safe.
For many years, the Seer predicted continuous war and destruction across the four mainland kingdoms. But not anymore. Now he claims a wave of change is sweeping across Aerthlan—a change that will bring peace to a world that has known violence for too long. And it is happening because of five young women from the fifth kingdom—Luciana, Brigitta, Gwennore, Sorcha, and Maeve.
The women were hidden away as infants on the Isle of Moon, and there, they grew up as sisters. They knew not where they had been born, nor if they had any family. They only knew each one of them was Embraced.
Chapter 1
Sorcha lunged into an attack, but with a swift kick, her opponent knocked the weapon from her hand.
“Ouch.” Sorcha rubbed her wrist as the dagger clattered onto the wooden floor of the castle roof. “That hurt.” She aimed an injured look at her cousin.
Annika waved a dismissive hand. “If this was a real battle, I would have stabbed you a dozen times by now. Then you could complain about being hurt.”
“I don’t think she could,” Dimitri muttered. “She’d already be dead.”
“Oh, thanks. My confidence is now soaring.” Sorcha shot him an annoyed look, but he merely shrugged.
“Pick up the knife,” Annika said as she widened her stance. She was dressed in the brown breeches and green shirt of the Norveshki army uniform. For this lesson, she’d loaned Sorcha one of her spare uniforms. “We’ll try again.”
“Must we?” Sorcha motioned to the assortment of weapons that lay scattered upon the wide planks of wood, weathered gray from years of exposure to sun, rain, and snow. “You’ve disarmed me ten times in a row. I’m obviously not any good at this.”
“Obviously,” Dimitri agreed, ignoring the face she made at him. “But the king ordered us to teach you self-defense, so we must persevere.”
“Don’t worry,” Annika assured her. “You just need practice. I was bad, too, when I first started.”
“Not this bad,” Dimitri grumbled.
Sorcha whipped a dagger off the floor. “Can I stab him, please?”
Annika’s mouth twitched. “You don’t want Dimitri for a sparring partner. He would break some of your bones.”
He stiffened with an affronted look. “I would never injure Her Highness.”
Sorcha groaned at the title she wasn’t yet accustomed to. Life had been so much simpler at the Convent of the Two Moons, where she’d grown up with her adopted sisters. There had been no fancy titles, no uncomfortable gowns or pinching headdresses to wear, no long, boring banquets to endure, and no need to learn how to defend herself. “I’m not sure I could actually plunge a knife into somebody.”
Dimitri gave her a stern look. “If an assassin is trying to kill you, then you must.”
“Is it really that dangerous now?” Sorcha asked. “Didn’t Silas sign a truce with Woodwyn?” Her brother, Silas Dravenko, the new king of Norveshka, was doing his best to live peacefully with the elves on his border.
“We can’t trust the elves to abide by the truce.” Dimitri scowled as he folded his arms over his wide chest. “Besides, danger could come in many forms. The Chameleon could make himself look like someone you know and take you completely by surprise.”
Sorcha groaned. That much was true. In the past few years, the Chameleon had proven himself a formidable enemy. Not only was he a gifted shifter, but he was a vicious murderer. And he had proved impossible to catch, since no one knew what he really looked like.
“I bet we haven’t seen the last of him,” Annika muttered. “We foiled his plan to take over Norveshka, so he’s probably looking for revenge.”
“And we also have the Circle of Five to worry about,” Dimitri added. “We’re fairly certain they’re in league with the Chameleon, but we don’t know who the members are, so danger could strike at any time.”
“Exactly,” Annika agreed with her husband, then turned to Sorcha. “If the Circle wants to conquer Norveshka, they could target you since you’re the heir to the throne.”
“You’re an heir, too,” Sorcha muttered. Her cousin was currently second in line.
“I can defend myself. You can’t.” With a sigh, Annika planted her hands on her hips. “If a man attacks you, just remember this: Stomp on his feet. Go for his eyes. Then kick him in the balls.”
Dimitri winced. “She wouldn’t have to resort to that if you taught her how to properly wield a knife.”
Sorcha snorted. “You sound like you’d rather be stabbed than emasculated.”
Dimitri shrugged. “A man has his priorities.”
“So does a woman,” Annika declared. “We do what we must in order to survive.” She smiled sweetly at her newly wedded husband. “Perhaps you would help me demonstrate?”
Dimitri’s eyes narrowed.
Sorcha suppressed a grin. “That’s right. I need to know exactly where to kick.”
When Annika crooked her fingers at her husband, he arched a brow.
“If you attack me,” he said softly as he took a step toward her, “I will be forced to retaliate in a manner that you might consider overly . . . aggressive.”
Annika lifted her chin with a defiant look, even though a blush was sweeping across her cheeks. “I can handle whatever you dish out.”
He stepped closer. “Are you sure? You have yet to experience the full extent of my . . . wrath.”
Annika bit her lip. “Try me.”
When he leaned forward to whisper something in her ear, her blush flared red-hot.
Ick. Sorcha grimaced. Newlyweds. At any second, she expected them to pounce on each other. “Don’t mind me. I’ll just throw myself off the nearest turret, shall I?”
Annika nodded. “That sounds lovely . . .” Her voice faded as Dimitri stroked a finger down her cheek.
With a groan, Sorcha turned away to give them privacy. Not that they needed it. Her two instructors had forgotten she was there. And if this wasn’t bad enough, she had to endure the same sort of behavior from Gwennore. She and Silas kept disappearing to their suite of rooms. Even in the middle of the day. They’d been married for six whole weeks. Weren’t they tired of each other by now?
Sorcha glanced back, and sure enough, Annika and Dimitri were kissing. A pang reverberated through her heart as she looked away. A small part of her was worried she would never find the gloriously passionate kind of love that her cousin and older sisters were enjoying.
But a much larger part of her was afraid that she would. And it would be an utter disaster.