Kingdom of Ash and Briars by Hannah West (100-page Excerpt)

Galgeth. I thought only immortal creatures could go there. I broke her elicrin stone. How could she make the journey?”

“Performing a curse like the fate-binding ritual leaves a mark and might help her cling to her power. Even the ancient elicrin stone that she found—the one that still burns— is like a severed lizard’s tail, useless but still squirming long after its master’s death.”

“I wish we had known what she was planning. Maybe we could have stopped her.”

Brack sat on the edge of the windowsill and crossed his arms. “Regret will do no good. You did your duty. Tamarice kept me from doing mine.” There was a swift knock at the door. “Veil yourself as the fairy. We cannot afford to intimidate them further at the moment, and you resemble Tamarice.”

I did as he asked so that he could admit a servant with trays of food. After washing the blood from my face and hair, I sat down to eat. Though I felt empty, I found I had no appetite and picked at the roast duck on my plate. Brack drank one sip of tea and set the cup on the saucer with a brisk clank. I wondered if he ever even tasted food and drink or if consuming it was to him just a compulsory chore of being alive, an unwelcome distraction from his thoughts.

When we reached the meeting hall, King Errod, Queen Lucetta and three royal ministers were arranged around a long table in varied poses that betrayed their anxiety.

“Why can’t you undo the curse?” Errod demanded.

“I would have to use black elicromancy. That I will never do, not even in the most hopeless of circumstances,” replied Brack.

Errod tossed up a hand. “You do nothing but meddle until we need you, and then you are utterly useless.” b 92 c