The Lost Nation by Raven Storm

Author:Raven Storm
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Raven Storm

Still irked, Zara left to sail that night without saying goodbye. It stung. No matter what I did, it seemed everyone around me was destined to leave. Was it me? I tried not to view it as a betrayal, but it was hard. Maybe the only answer was to have an arranged marriage like my parents had. If you never gave your heart away, it couldn’t be broken, could it?

To distract myself, I let my thoughts whirl with the possibilities Erik had presented during our long talk yesterday: ways to improve trade with Cantrada and stabilize them (and thus stabilize our own economy), and even sending scouts out west to see what lay beyond the great deserts. It was exciting and thrilling, but bold.

“If I suggest any of it, it will be dismissed. Coming from you however, it will have more weight,” Erik had claimed.

To test his theory, I watched during the next council meeting as he offered a suggestion for something small, such as having men in the royal guard assist the townspeople in cleaning from the flood. The idea was sound to me since it would help out with recovery efforts while giving my guard something to do.

“You win a silly contest and somehow think we care what you have to say?” A noble sneered. I think it was Lord Tybald.

My eyes widened, but I only gripped my chair harder. I wanted to see how Erik would react.

To his credit, his eyes only tightened at the corners, and he lifted a mocking brow.

“No, my queen has decreed that what I think has merit, or I wouldn’t be here. Unless of course, your issue is with her?”

Oh, well done. My advisors scoffed as one and turned pale, eyes nervously flicking to me as I made the water from my goblet rise and twist in little formations, right on cue.

I didn’t want them to be afraid of me, but it appeared it was the only way to get anything done.

“I like Erik’s plan.” I set down the goblet and stood, striding forward as they parted to allow me into their circle. “Our men need something to do now that open war is not likely, and the townspeople need it. See to it that it’s done.”

My eyes were cold and firm in dismissal. The nobles grumbled and muttered but left my receiving hall. Finally, only Erik was left and he said, “Now that performance I actually half believed.”

I rolled my eyes and shot tiny beads of water at his face. He swatted them away and turned to go.

“Where are you going?” I demanded, realizing that I didn’t want him to leave.

“My family home is in dire straits. The relief you authorized will help, but I’m on my way to help my parents continue their efforts. I have many younger siblings still living with them.”

My chest twinged at the thought of family. I felt off-balance by his admission. I hadn’t even thought to ask if he had any friends or family he’d left behind in the village.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.