I gave brief bios on both these characters in last week's post. This scene is taken from early in the novel, when Rishona's plans for invading Moisehen and claiming its crown are just getting under way. I hope you enjoy this sneak peek of the novel. Next week, we'll continue our countdown to the release day with a look at Eolyn's friends and allies: Renate, Adiana, and Sir Borten.
~*~
High Maga
Excerpt from Chapter 6
Once they were
alone, Rishona unclasped her cloak and flung it to the floor at Mechnes’s feet. “You are not to question my wisdom or my will
in public. Ever.”
Mechnes could
not help but smile at the sight of his niece, now a grown woman pretending to
give him orders. “With all due respect, San’iloman, I am your military advisor.
It is my duty to speak my mind when the weight of my experience contradicts
your rather naïve instincts.”
She moved to
strike him, but he caught her wrist and forced her arm until she gasped. “It is
a little early in the day to start with these games, my Queen. But if you
desire a spark of conflict to brighten this weary morning, I am more than
willing to please you.”
Rishona kept
her eyes hard as stone and her voice taut with menace. “Speak your mind, Mechnes, but do
so with discretion. I will not have our disagreements heard by those who would
use them to spread malicious rumors against me. Nor will I have our men, who
have struggled long and hard up this wretched pass, fall victim to any
suspicion that our unity of purpose is wavering.”
He brought her
body tight against his, let his breath fall upon her silky skin until he felt a
shiver pass through her, followed by the softening of her shoulders and the
almost imperceptible tilt of her face that always preceded that ardent kiss.
Before their
lips met, he released her. “We must open up this road if we hope to bring a
proper army through it.”
“We cannot
bring down any more trees,” she insisted. “We are undermining the power of this
forest. We need its magic for everything that is to come.”
“This is a
very big forest.” He drew out one of their maps, passing his hand over the moss
green crescent of impenetrable woodland that swept north toward East Selen and
south along the foothills of the Paramen Mountains. “And a very small pass.”
Rishona stared
at the map, lips protruding in that familiar charming frown. She rubbed her
arms to ward off the damp chill. Noting her discomfort, Mechnes retrieved a dry
cloak and placed it about her shoulders.
“I hope you
are right,” she said. “It is just that every time we bring down one of those
trees, I feel strength torn out of the earth. I fear I went too far by clearing
the valley where my parents died.”
“You are
Syrnte, Rishona. Your magic derives from the air.”
“Yes, but
these creatures were not banished to the Underworld by Syrnte magic. They were
imprisoned by the mages and magas of Moisehén, and they must be summoned by the
same powers. I will need the air to anchor my spirit when I summon them, but
without the earth I cannot control them.”
Mechnes
narrowed his eyes. “If you have doubts regarding your ability to manage these
beasts, you should have mentioned them before now.”
“I have no
doubts.” She looked up at him, defiant. “I know how to gratify the Naether
Demons and bring them into our service. But there are many elements involved,
and they must be integrated carefully. No one has attempted this before, uncle.
Or if they have, they failed miserably, and hence we know nothing of their
fate.”
“Are you ready
to summon these beasts or not?” He did not bother to hide the threat in his
tone. Already he had poured tremendous resources into this conquest. He would
show no mercy if she had deceived him.
Rishona
straightened her shoulders, expression resolute. “Yes, I am ready. For tonight,
I am most ready. And for what is to come, I have time to prepare.”
~*~
