The King of
Anavrea - Book Two of the Theodoric Saga
(currently in
editing)
A fantasy romance by Rachel Rossano
Introduction
-
The climax has passed and all has been resolved, sort
of. I can’t give details without giving away the book’s whole plot. Lirth
Theodoric, Queen of Anavrea, suffered some abuse over the course of the story.
She is blind.
Excerpt -
Lirth woke to the sound of hushed voices
and muffled movement. Someone dropped something with a heavy thump.
“Don’t wake them,” a voice hissed. “They
need their sleep.”
The transgressor didn’t reply, perhaps to
avoid risking another reprimand. Instead the two moved out of Lirth’s range of
hearing. Other sounds crowded into the stillness. Someone slept close by. She
recognized the rough breathing of deep, exhaustion induced slumber. Considering
her memories of her last waking moments involved Ipore, the Royal Healer, she
suspected that she lay in the ward of the healers’ tent. The sleeper in the
next cot was probably another patient.
Carefully, she tried to sit up. She only
managed to raise herself onto her elbow before she had to stop moving and catch
her breath. The pain in her ribs ached worse than yesterday. The person in the
other cot shifted in his sleep with a grunt and fell into soft snoring.
She moved again, more slowly this time. She
managed to get upright and one leg dangling over the edge of the cot when the
agony stopped her a second time. In the silence, she realized that her
companion no longer snored. He was unsettling still.
“Are you awake?”
“I have been watching you a few minutes.”
The low, husky voice thrilled her heart. Heedless of the consequences, she
lowered her other leg over the side and slid off the edge of the cot.
“Whoa!” Ireic leapt out of his cot.
Her legs buckled beneath her weight. He
caught her as she went down and then set her on his lower cot. “Where are you
going so fast?”
Reaching up, she found his cheek. The
beginnings of a beard caught her fingertips. She smiled up at him. “I was
trying to get to you.”
He laughed. The sound deadened the
piercing agony of her ribs. She couldn’t remember the last time she heard that
sound. Winding her fingers into his hair, she tugged gently.
“You are still healing, Lirth,” he said
suddenly serious. “You are not allowed on your feet until Ipore says so. Promise
me.”
“Only if you come down where I can touch
you.”
He complied by kneeling before her. The
action brought his head even with hers. He caught her head gently between his
hands.
“Is the rebellion put down?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” His
thumb caught her bottom lip.
“Answer the question and I will drop it.”
Leaning his forehead against hers, he
sighed. “Yes, all is under control. Now answer my question. Can I kiss you? Will
it hurt?” His thumb brushed her lips again. The cracked surface was tender, but
Lirth found she didn’t care.
Slipping her hands up through the circle
of his arms, she pulled his face to her and kissed him instead.
Why I love
this scene -
After all the two of them have been
through as a couple, they still stand at the beginning of their relationship.
New love, fresh and innocent despite the bruises, pulls at my heart. They have
so much before them. Their hope and joy in each other will make their journey
together all the sweeter.
