Heart of the Forest (Arwn's Gift Book 1) by Christina Quinn

Author:Christina Quinn [Quinn, Christina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy
Publisher: Loose Id LLC
Published: 2016-07-24T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

That beautiful creature of light and silver extended its hand to me. I stared at it for a time. The hand was masculine, the nails short, and the fingers thick. While he stared at me, those eyes were the same color violet as mine. Those lovely lips curled into a grin, and I turned my gaze from him to Aneurin, who was glaring at the unicorn in human form.

“Is this where you tell me I should give her up for my duty?” Aneurin’s voice was flat. “I realize your duty is to assure my place, but I don’t want it if it means giving her up.”

“You assume much, Aneurin ap Aeon. But no, I am not asking you to give her up. On the contrary…without her you will never rise. But my loyalty and my duty is to her before you.” He turned to me and grinned. “Ask yourself this… Have you ever seen a human with violet eyes before?”

“You’re mistaken. I’m nothing important.”

“You have the last of the old blood, Valentina. The very last lingering drops of Arwn’s Gift flows through your veins. Swynwr or no, he should consider himself honored to be allowed to touch you.” I narrowed my eyes at the unicorn. He was certainly spinning a web of pretty lies. Covering my face, I stifled a yawn. I was too exhausted to deal with it.

“So what does this mean exactly?”

“It means you are more than just Dy’ne. Arwn’s Gift can be awoken, and you can take your place beside him.”

“And the catch?”

“The catch?”

“Yes, what would I have to give up to do this?”

“Nothing.”

“Why don’t I believe you?” I stepped around him, and Aneurin followed my lead. The three of us continued up the stairs.

“You’ve played chess, haven’t you?” he continued, as he quickly picked up his pace to walk beside me, his robes gathered in one hand.

“Yes.”

“How does the queen move? Does she move one square at a time like a pawn or king? Or can she move like all of the other pieces?”

“Queens can’t move like a knight.” I rolled my eyes as we reached the top of the stairs. Yorwrath, Grwn, and Islwyn were waiting for us. Yorwrath glared at me as he worked his tongue across the wound on his lip.

“In elven chess the queen can move like a knight.” Aneurin spoke softly. I turned and looked at him.

“Don’t tell me you believe this nonsense too?”

“I’m keeping an open mind.”

“It means nothing. So I can trace my lineage back some odd amount of generations to the Otherworld. I’m still human, I’m still without magic.”

“The last known link to Arwn’s Gift was Iuliana Voretti, your great—”

“Great-great-great grandmother. Yes, I do know my own plowing lineage, thank you. She didn’t come into her power until she was well into her fifties. Then, thirty years later, they burned her at the stake and murdered every member of her family, except for a girl of eight that the neighbors took in. She died in childbirth, a sheep farmer’s wife.

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