The Crown of Oaths and Curses (The Mortal Fates #1)

by J. Bree

I know the path ahead of me, and I have no doubt that the Fates will see me through safely. I'm not the naïve little witch who left the forest anymore.”

I’ve long since suspected my own mate is a Seelie princess, and if she’s half as loyal, capable, and beautiful as the Outlands princess was, then the Fates will have blessed me beyond measure.

Idiot Soren, he had no idea what was coming.

“Your people will wither and die, all while you're busy pouting about your fate. When you realize your mistake, you’ll have to beg me for my help, and still, I'll refuse to give it, because you're nothing but a useless, arrogant male. The regent might be drinking and dancing his way to ruin, but you're right alongside him, riding a horse with a sword into the very depths of darkness and taking your whole kingdom with you.”

Queen!!!!

Kharl sneers, curses falling from his lips before he snaps, “The Ravenswyrd are dead, I killed them all! That is not my fate anymore.” With one hand, steady and sure, she lifts the scepter and points the raw jewel directly at him, only the shield between them, and his eyes fill with horror at the sight of the relic. “You missed me.”

So badass!! This is one of the best moments in the book. Such a queen!

Alone and with no regard for her own safety, the witch fights for Yregar.

I bet Soren felt like an idiot in that moment.

My robes spin and twirl as I become nothing more than the force of retribution, my sword swinging elegantly as I perform an old dance. One I can never unlearn, and I thank the Fates for that.

Though my heart clenches in my chest at first, the mate I waited centuries for fighting alone down there, as she moves confidently cleaving through our enemies, my throat closes over at the sight. Something close to awe begins to bloom in my gut, warmth spreading through my limbs with every passing moment of the display before me. She is a sight to behold.

The wall is silent as we stare, the shock at her skill and defense palpable amongst the ranks. Even Tauron has nothing to say as he gapes at the scene before us, and when the anticipation becomes too much for Roan, still in the saddle keeping command over the soldiers in the courtyard, he sends Reed up to see what's happening.

Choke on that, Tauron!

“Why didn't the witch just tell you her fate,” Roan mutters. Reed doesn't say anything in reply to his prince, but his jaw tightens and his chin lifts just a fraction, a reaction that speaks loudly enough. There’s no point in lying, the truth undeniable as the witch fights before us. “We wouldn't have believed her. We barely believed that she was fated to me.”

Reed’s eyes narrow as he watches the witch walk through the village, ensuring none of the enemy have been missed in her efforts, and when he speaks, it's with a carefully neutral tone. “Maybe you should start making your peace with her by calling her by her name. Perhaps then she won’t keep her word and force you to beg her to marry you.”

I hope she makes him beg and makes him suffer for it, the blithering idiot sure deserves it.

One on one, we see the true power of the witch’s sword technique, the perfect dance as their swords clash and part and clash again. The male she faces is desperate as he hacks at her while her sword moves almost lazily through the air; she’s comfortable in the way only a true master of the art can be.

All of these females are one and the same, each a facet of the same witch, driven out of the Southern Lands long ago by a war and a fate that terrified a child of the forest who’d known only peace and neutrality. My Fates-blessed mate.

Now she's blessed....idiot Soren.

A ripple of irritation breaks through the protective haze clouding my mind at his dismissive words towards my mate, the witch who has saved us all today and proved just how obedient to the Fates she’s been all of this time. She chose to stay in the dungeons and endure our treatment, she chose to leave the iron cage behind to break the curse and save the baby, and then again she chose to come out here and fight for Yregar. She didn’t deserve the mistreatment or scorn then and she certainly doesn’t deserve it now.

I want her out of here and away from this scrutiny. I hold out a hand to her with the intention of carrying her behind me on Nightspark for the trip back to Yregar, but she stares at my hand like it's a death curse. When her eyes flick up to meet mine, she grimaces. “That doesn't look like begging to me. I'd rather walk until my feet bleed.”

Queen!!! Make him suffer!!