Oath Taker (Kingdom of Runes, #1)

by Audrey Grey

THE CURSEPRICE Forged in heartbreak, set in bone, cast in blood, carved in stone. A thousand years will my curse reign, unless I have these six things: The tears of a fairy from a wood so deep. The fig of a vorgrath from his mate’s keep. The scale of a selkie burnished gold. The bone of a wood witch a century old. The midnight sliver of a Shade Queen’s horn. The sacrifice of two lovers torn.

“Told you I’m quite useful. When I want to be.” She brushed by him, whispering into his ear in rough Solissian as she passed, “I think that solidifies our deal, no, pretty Sun Lord?”

“Magick is not free, Mortal. It always takes something of equal value in return. But it is an ancient master, with a mind of its own and desires we can only begin to fathom. And that makes its price unpredictable, sometimes ruinous—particularly for mortal flesh. Be glad mortals cannot harness dark magick. That price you cannot pay.”