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Back Golden Age Save as PDF
Chapters (70)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. CONTENTS
  5. MAP
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. 56
  62. 57
  63. 58
  64. 59
  65. 60
  66. 61
  67. 62
  68. 63
  69. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  70. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

‘I see the wisdom,’ Nikolas said. His voice was filled with sadness and regret as he spoke. ‘I must mourn my beloved wife and son, but as king I must also think about the future. My brother is gone and may not return, nor do I think it right that he should. He is certainly not fit to be my heir.’

Chloe turned pleading eyes on her father, but he carefully kept his face turned away from her as he gazed at the new king of his neighboring nation, the man who had saved Phalesia.

‘First Consul,’ Nikolas said. ‘When I have finished grieving those I have lost, I will marry your daughter.’

Chloe whirled away, her chest rising and falling and her gaze fixed sightlessly on nothing, nothing at all.

The prophecy of the Seer of Athos thrust itself into her consciousness. The words, spoken in a sibilant hiss, burned as they entered her mind.

You will kill a man you pity.

She remembered Tomarys, her loyal bodyguard.

You will marry a man you do not love.

Chloe couldn’t fight the inevitable. The Seer had prophesied the sun king’s death. Her own fate was sealed. Nikolas was to be her husband.

You will desire a man you fear.

She thought of Dion. He had given everything for his homeland, and now he had lost everything he’d fought for. Out of two strong nations, he was the only one who came for her.

Chloe heard a soft voice behind her. ‘Chloe, are we safe now?’

Turning, she saw little Sophia staring up at her with wide eyes. She bent and pulled her sister into a close embrace, rotating so that Sophia wasn’t looking at the gruesome scene at the harbor.

Chloe’s own vision misted as she watched the waves crash into red foam on the shore.

63

63

North of Xanthos, in the land called the Wilds, a tall, lean man with silver hair entered an emerald glade.

The music of creaking insects and tumbling water mingled with the crash and roar of a distant waterfall. The glade was at the base of a valley, near a clear river that flowed over smooth white stones. Grassy banks at both sides gave way to an encircling perimeter of evergreens that swayed in a gentle breeze.

The eldran, clad in deerskin and bearing a crescent scar on his cheek, entered the clearing and stopped. The blue sky overhead was clear and bright. The sun’s slanted rays glowed on the high branches.

Despite the beauty around him, Zachary sighed as he resumed his soft tread.