A tale of murder, betrayal and comeuppance.
King Theodicar of Borgund needed an heir. When his wife, Queen Piacenza, became pregnant, he’d hoped for a boy. His wife, along with her nurse, Salvagia, had other plans. With each cast of the runes, Salvagia’s trusted divination tools yielded the same message: “A girl child must rule or the kingdom will fall to ruin.” As such, the women were convinced that the child would be a girl.
When the queen finally gives birth, the nurse and the king are equally surprised. The king is faced with a terrible choice, and his decision will determine the fate of his kingdom. Will he choose wisely, or will he doom Borgund to ruin?
King Theodicar of Borgund needed an heir. When his wife, Queen Piacenza, became pregnant, he’d hoped for a boy. His wife, along with her nurse, Salvagia, had other plans. With each cast of the runes, Salvagia’s trusted divination tools yielded the same message: “A girl child must rule or the kingdom will fall to ruin.” As such, the women were convinced that the child would be a girl.
When the queen finally gives birth, the nurse and the king are equally surprised. The king is faced with a terrible choice, and his decision will determine the fate of his kingdom. Will he choose wisely, or will he doom Borgund to ruin?
From the reviewers:
An absorbing novella of sinister high fantasy,
An atmospheric tale of secrets and power lust
Best Soup You'll Ever Read
Great for a quick fantasy fix
Couldn't put it down
An atmospheric tale of secrets and power lust
Best Soup You'll Ever Read
Great for a quick fantasy fix
Couldn't put it down
Kelly A. Harmon is an award-winning journalist who used to write stories about authors and thespians, senators and statesman, and movie stars and murderers. Now she writes lies, which is an infinitely more satisfying job, but lacks the convenience of doorstop delivery, especially important on rainy days.
She found reporting to be by turns exciting (for example, covering a murder trial) and excruciatingly boring (for example, covering itty-bitty town council meetings). Most other stories managed to fall in between those extremes on a sliding scale of interesting.
Eventually, she moved away from full-time reporting and editing owing to extreme boredom of the routine. Stories were still interesting, but the rote mechanics of the job became anathema.
Nonetheless, she still writes non-fiction...because she can't seem to leave it alone.
When not crazed with the need to freelance, she writes fantasy and dark fantasy with the occasional science fiction piece. Her story, "Lies," was short-listed for the 2008 Aeon Award.
Her other short fiction can be found in several anthologies: Black Dragon, White Dragon, Triangulation: Dark Glass and Bad @ss Fairies 3: In all Their Glory.
And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is your free sample:
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