Song of Sorrows and Fate (The Broken Kingdoms, #9)

by L.J. Andrews

“What is it?” Tor grumbled. The man was still a bear who grunted and groused, even with his consort, even with fatherhood, even with peace all this time.

didn’t care what the fish creature was. She could be a goddess of the deep, and if she returned to threaten my son, I’d pluck out those bulging eyes and wear them around my damn neck.

This couldn’t be a dream. It was too tangible. Even his scent was real, a tantalizing combination of woodsmoke and mist.

“Why did you stay hidden from me?” “It was not by choice.” He stiffened. “You are my thoughts that rise with the sun, and my fears that come with the night.”

A song of sorrow and fate tied us together and kept us apart in the same breath.

Damn the hells. Arousal was harsh and cruel with her sweet body straddling mine. Gods, how did a man keep control when the fiercest desire of his heart rocked against his damn length? Was it even possible? Or did every male in existence lose control in his bleeding trousers? Did she know she was destroying me? Perhaps that was the whole bleeding point.

A song of blood keeps life for the one you love. Trust and let it be, in this a tale of land and sea.

Silas, my phantom, my whisper, he wanted me to decide if my heart ached for him. It didn’t ache for him. It lived for him.

“You were my only friend, Calista Ode. You are still that, but you became the beat of my heart. To touch you is my greatest honor. It is the dream that has kept me living.”

we huddled close together, three differing kingdoms. Royals, warriors, thieves, it didn’t matter what we were.

From the royal ship, a man descended from the gangplank, a boy was by his side. The boy kept his face pointed down, and the man would occasionally stop and swat at the boy’s head if he stepped too close. Atop the man’s head was an odd hat, made of three points, likely stitched in leather. He approached Davorin and muttered something. The battle lord hardly looked away, but the sea fae glared at the burning gap between us.

gloomy tune rose from the royal ship when another boy, taller than the first, emerged. He paused at the top of the gangplank, taking in the broken Row. It was too far for me to gauge his expression, not to mention his head was covered in another one of those funny hats. But he was dressed in a black tunic, a thick belt on his slender waist, and the golden hilt of his sword caught the gleam of the morning light. Crewmen shuffled around his back like a sort of shield. The crewmen were the source of the gloomy tune. Their voices were ghoulish and dreary. Almost a touch mad. I tilted my head, catching a few words. . . . a man he’s not, we work we rot . . . “Gods,” Stieg said with a small gasp. “That boy there. He’s . . . he’s the prince of the Ever Kingdom. Erik. That’s Thorvald’s son.”

There was a connection here, some pull to my own seidr, and something told me this boy king had a part to play in it.

“I remember you taught me how to be afraid and fierce, all at once.”

“Four kingdoms have united this day to fight common enemies, but we have always been united. We all know the truth of our world. We all know what has brought us here. Alvers, Night Folk, blood fae, mortals, we all stand together to fight for our kingdom. One land. One people.”

This war would end long-fought battles, no mistake, but I wondered if the end of one tale would open new ones.

Livia leaned around her father, watching the boy. More curious than the princess’s stare was when Bloodsinger glanced over his shoulder. Whether he sensed the eyes of another on him, or something else, he quickly found the Night Folk princess. Livia peeled her gaze back to the table, cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Erik narrowed his eyes, almost confused, before he was dragged out of sight.

“The man who tried to slaughter my father, the man who nearly slaughtered my entire family,” Valen said, “I despised him. I sought revenge against every descendant of his line. If you think I do not understand your anger, you’re very wrong.” “Then why are we speaking?” “Care to know how it ended for me?” “No.” “Well, you are in chains, so I’m going to tell you whether you want to hear or not.” Valen crouched, holding the Ever King’s stare. “I took vows with a direct descendant of my enemy’s line. My queen was the best choice I have ever made in all my many turns.” Erik snorted. “There are no queens of the Ever. You’ve nothing to offer me. Might as well save your breath, earth bender, I’ve no interest in your tales.”

Then, Erik’s sneer returned. He lifted his voice loud enough we could hear. “The Ever will never be at peace with the earth fae. I will never stop, never cease fighting against this realm, until I hold the heart of my father’s killer. Until everything he loves is in the hands of the Ever Kingdom.”