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Chapters (75)
  1. Cover
  2. Also By K.A. Linde
  3. Kinkadia Map
  4. Alandria Map
  5. Pronunciation Guide
  6. Tribes
  7. The Celebration
  8. The Murder
  9. The Hangover
  10. The Journey
  11. The House of Shadows
  12. The Princess
  13. The Ball
  14. The King
  15. The Wall
  16. The Court
  17. The Masquerade
  18. The Light
  19. The Plot
  20. The Healing
  21. The Training
  22. The Masters
  23. The Problem
  24. The Meeting
  25. The Assassin
  26. The Testing
  27. The Course
  28. The Season
  29. The Lord
  30. The Star
  31. The Dragons
  32. The Protest
  33. The Library
  34. The Bond
  35. The Night of the Dead
  36. The Camp
  37. The Celebration
  38. The Suspect
  39. The Smoke
  40. The Martyr
  41. The Arrest
  42. The Probation
  43. The Holiday
  44. The Estate
  45. The Flight
  46. The Confession
  47. The Village
  48. The Hot Springs
  49. The Geivhrea
  50. The Winter Party
  51. The Heart
  52. The Blackouts
  53. The Symptoms
  54. The Council
  55. The Rally
  56. The Aftermath
  57. The Shift
  58. The Sickness
  59. The Spiritcaster
  60. The Awakening
  61. The Crux
  62. The Negotiations
  63. The River
  64. The Boats
  65. The Shadows
  66. The Battle
  67. The Defeat
  68. The Treaty
  69. The Trial
  70. The Execution
  71. The Father
  72. House of Curses
  73. Also By K.A. Linde
  74. Acknowledgments
  75. About the Author

She hated the words that were about to come out of her mouth. This wasn’t what she wanted out of this trip, but if she stayed in Rosemont, she’d be stuck with March the entire time. There’d be no escape.

“I’m going home.”

His eyes rounded. That was the last thing he’d expected. “To Corsica?”

“Yes. To Waisley,” she whispered. She hadn’t uttered that word in twelve years. Couldn’t even think about Waisley without a fresh pang of despair. And now, she was committed.

“I didn’t think that you still considered the House of Cruse home.”

“It’s the first time I’ve been back. I’d like to see the estate and train on my own lands,” she told him, her heart aching at the very thought.

“I could… accompany you.”

They both knew it wasn’t proper for him to even suggest it. Courting had rules. Seeing her here was one thing, but returning home with her when they were betrothed without an invitation from her father was something else entirely.

“You could write to Kivrin,” she said easily. “If he’s there…”

He nodded. “I’ll do just that.” He bent at the waist once more, bringing her hand to his lips. “I look forward to seeing you again in your home. I have many fond memories of Waisley myself.”

She shivered as he departed. Yeah, she remembered him skinning live squirrels and tormenting her. He didn’t seem like that boy any longer, but she couldn’t shake the feeling. She needed a way out of this engagement and fast. Perhaps her father would be home at Waisley, and they could correct this egregious error.

38

The Estate

“We can’t train here,” Kerrigan told Fordham the next morning as she threw all of her clothes back into her traveling bag.

He blinked at her in confusion. “Why ever not?”

“Ashby March.”

“Ah. And what does your fiancé have to do with this?”

“He wants to court me. I had to think of a way to get rid of him.”

Fordham was quiet for a moment before asking, “And what did you decide?”

“I’m going home.”

“All the way back to Kinkadia?” he asked in confusion.

She sighed and looked back at him finally. “No. I suppose you will get to see my home, as I saw yours. We’re to go to Corsica, where the heart of the House of Cruse is. My father’s estate, Waisley.”

Now, his eyebrows rose, and he crossed his arms. “All this to escape Lord March? Couldn’t you just break off the engagement?”