THE QUEEN'S CHOICE by Cayla Kluver - Chapter 1 Excerpt

7/27/2019 THE QUEEN'S CHOICE by Cayla Kluver - Chapter 1 Excerpt

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chapter one

PREDICTION

I stood at the end of the Road, feeling the frigid breeze and

watching the leaves rustle in their dizzying patterns. I had a

jerkin and cloak to keep me warm, a long-knife to protect me,

but I knew how many souls haunted this place, and it was im-

possible to feel at ease.The path and trees were white with snow, but in my mind

I saw them red with soldiers blood. It ran down the trunks

like sap and f looded the walk. There was a legacy burned into

the core of this place, and the passage of years could not see it

forgotten. Fae and human alike were reluctant to set foot here.

It was not my first time traversing the Bloody Road, the

site of the historic battle between human and Fae, so some of

its mystique was lost on me. But as my legs were stroked by

the hands of the lonely and the angry, of those who could not

leave this place, a chill seeped into the marrow of my bones. I

walked on, passing into the Realm of my people, for though

the lonely and the angry of this Road had taken many, they

could not capture me. The power of the elements that ran inmy blood spared me.

Despite my long journey, my exhaustion fell away once the

city came into view. The human world, though fascinating,


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could be wearying, whereas Chrior, the ancient cradle of Fae

magic, was rejuvenating. Nothing had been destroyed to makethese homes possible; centuries ago, when the Faerie race had

been even closer to the elements, the trees had been manipu-

lated by Earth Fae, the ground had been raised and dropped

where necessary, and a city had been constructed while the

forest had been allowed to go on living.

Snow shimmered around me, falling and filling my foot-

prints. I dropped my magical shroud and unfolded my mem-

brane wings, which glinted green, gold, and ice-blue like oil

in sunlight. Hovering skyward, I let the thin cold air of win-

ter test them as I f lew to the Great Redwood, which had long

ago parted its trunk for the royal Fae who protected and in-

habited it, calling themselves the Redwood Fae. The ancient

trees orangey bark was coated with icicles, but I felt warmth

radiating from inside. I ran my fingers over the love-carvings

that surrounded the entranceartistic tributes left by Fae, tiny

designs across the surface of a bark that ran deepand con-

tentment filled my soul. It was good to see the world. It was

better to come home.

Far beneath me, on the ground inside the Redwood, theQueens Court was in session. Revelers with wings in myriad

colors feasted and danced, their laughter, music, and conver-

sation bouncing joyously around me.

On her throne of twined roots, Queen Ubiqua presided, and

on both sides she was joined by her closest followers: my father,

Cyandro, who served as her Lord of the Law; the eight mem-bers of her Council, among them my grandfather, the former

reigning Prince; and Davic, the young man to whom I had

entrusted my heart. Three chairs in addition to my own stood


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THE QUEENS CHOICE 11

empty, but one most glaringlythe throne that belonged to

Ubiquas husband, who had never occupied it before his death.

I straightened my jerkin and handed my cloak and pack to

a member of the royal guard, who would see that they were

sent to my quarters. Then I hastened downward, following the

spiraling ridge that ran along the inner walls of the tree until

at last I came to the f loor.

Almost immediately after I pressed into the midst of the

Courta jostling body of heat and fresh-spiced winter scents

arms were f lung around my waist from behind, nearly knock-

ing me into another Fae. I craned my head around and saw

exactly who I expected to find embracing me. My best friend

Ione, her blond waves adorably woven through a headband of

scarlet berries, had playfully ambushed me.

I was hoping youd be back tonight, she exclaimed,beaming in her modest way. The entire Court was. May the

Queens reign f lourish!

The cry was echoed by the Faefolk who now surrounded

me, and I managed to return Iones hug before shouts of Sale!

floated from the crowd. A bark mug was thrust at me, and I

happily accepted the drink that ran from our trees and nour-

ished the Faerie kind more powerful ly than any food.

Once Id finished sharing greetings and toasts, I abandoned

my empty goblet and approached the Queen. A long queue,

monitored by the Queens Blades in their bedazzling tunics,

led to her throne of gnarled and ancient roots. My aunt smiled,

kind and patient, as every member of her Court endured the

procession to greet her and extend their respects. I drew upbeside the line and walked its length, nodding to the Blades

I passed.

The Queens face lit up when I drew near, and I fell to one


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knee, placing my forefinger upon her earthen perch. When I

removed it, a droplet of dew was left in its place among hun-

dreds of others frozen there in her honor, for tonight marked

the twenty-fifth anniversary of my aunts coronation. The

droplets were gifts from Water Fae, sparkling amidst leaves and

berries from Earth Fae, glowing embers like rubies from Fire

Fae, and clearest crystals filled with whispers of fog and cloud

from Air Fae. The elemental offerings would dissipate within

the week, allowing room for the citys general public and not

just the Queens Court to pay tribute to her.

Anya! How was your journey? Queen Ubiqua effused,

leaning forward to be heard above the revelry. Having her

gaze upon me, as always, was like meeting Timethere was

something incomprehensible about her, something infinite.

She didnt suffer the same worries I did because her wisdomtranscended them.

Enlightening, I replied, rising, but I could not keep my

eyes from drifting toward Davic. It was proper to acknowl-

edge the Queen before the others around her, but it was he

who was foremost on my mind. His gray-blue eyes muted the

bedlam in the trunk, drawing me in as though nothing existed

beyond the landscape of his elegant jaw, the black hair pulled

into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, and the parting of his

lips, an aphrodisiac in itself. He grinned at me, gripping the

arms of his chair like he might propel himself upward at any

moment and f ly to my side.

Go to him, Ubiqua laughed, tipping her head in Davics

direction, aware that she no longer held my attention. Youand I can talk later.

In need of no convincing, I hurried to my promised. Hed

come to his feet, and he snatched the hand I extended to haul


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me onto the dais and into his arms. I laughed, wrapping my

legs around his waist when he picked me up and holding his

face for a lengthy kiss that was continually disrupted by our

smiles.

I almost forgot what you looked like, he teased, pushing

our foreheads together. Our pose, somewhat unseemly for a

royal and her partner, nevertheless charmed the assembly and

drew a few shouts. We both turned scarlet and hid our faces

in each others shoulders, then Davic returned to his seat, tak-

ing me with him.

I missed you, too, I murmured, settling against him and

twining our f ingers together. Soon I felt the heat of someones

gaze; I turned and exchanged a warm nod with my father, then

took his hint that I should move to my own chair. I kept Da-

vics palm snug against mine while I scanned the empty seats,making note of who else was missingZabriel, the long ab-

sent Prince of Chrior; and my cousin Illumina, the orphaned

daughter of Queen Ubiquas brother.

Leaning close to Davic, I asked, Where is Illumina?

Though I could have guessed his answer from his resigned

look, I waited for him to confirm it.

She only stayed for an hour, maybe less. At least she was

here for a while. Lets not dwell on her tonight.

I nodded, for Illuminas lack of participation was not unex-

pected. Quiet, studious and easily overshadowed, she avoided

crowds to whatever extent possible. Still, I would have liked

for her to be here. Not only was she a niece of the Queen, she

was also heir to the throne due to the Princes defection, andlearning to connect with the people was an important part of

her future.

Davic and I did not have much opportunity to talk during


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the festivities, and we were glad when Ubiqua called her Court

to a close and we could fly to the branches of the Great Red-

wood where I made my home. Davic also had an alcove in the

mighty tree, though his family had no interest in Court life

and lived far on the other side of Chrior. There was only one

section of the Redwood that was unoccupied, a place where

the branches were dry and dead and could hold little weight.

The destruction was viewed as a tragedy and rarely discussed,

but from what I understood, a fire had defiled our peoples

ancient refuge.

My residence was a small place, but practical. Davic walked

the perimeter of the main room, focusing on the energy inside

himself as he ran his f inger along the love-carved indentation

to spark and ignite it. Finished, he fell onto the sofa, putting his

hands behind his head. The house warmed at once, and I curledup beside him, breathing in his familiar scent, musky with an

undercurrent of Tanya f lowers, which only grew on this side

of the Road. The whole evening I hadnt given a thought to

how truly tired I was, but now I relaxed, the heaviness in my

limbs a reminder of how little I had slept the past few days.

Well? Davic asked after a bit. How was the human world

this time?

I made it to Tairmor before you called me back, I replied,

offering him a smirk. Youre impatient, Davic.

He brushed my auburn hair behind my shoulder and kissed

my forehead. How long would you have been gone if I hadnt

called you?

I wanted to see Sheness, the port city. A few more weeks.His countenance grew wary, lips pursing and eyes slightly

widening. He was the worrier of the two of us, and his ex-

pression was endearing in its predictability.


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Anya, your father has warned against Fae traveling that

far west. He says theres been a resurgence of piracy over the

past year.

Im aware of my fathers warnings. I gave his hair a play-

ful tug, making it difficult for a scowl to emerge. But pirates

surely dont lurk around every corner in Sheness, waiting to

attack. They have their business, and I would have had mine.

I do know what Im doing out there. Anyway, it doesnt mat-

ter now. I didnt go near the port.

Youre not invincible, you know. He was looking at me

sideways, not yet pacified. This was a variance wed had be-

forehe meant well, but he had a hard time trusting anything

if it was beyond Chriors borders, including me.

I chuckled. Of course Im not invincible, but Fae aremore

powerful than humans, and we have our elements to protectus. Anyone who tried to hurt me would be swept away by a

wall of water before they could blink, while I f lew away to the

rooftops. My point stood even though that wasnt exactly how

Fae connections worked. We had to rely on physically present

matter that we could move and manipulate rather than conjur-

ing our elements, but for me that matter could include blood

and mist as easily as rain or river water, leaving me with a lot

of power at my disposal. Try not to be such a killjoy when

everything is, at present, perfect.

He rolled his eyes, but I felt his body relax against mine.

I plucked at the fabric of his shirt, nervous about the confes-

sion I was about to make. I was a little worried, though, that

something might be wrong when I felt your call.Davic and I had been promised by a mage, the same mage

who had wed my aunt and her husband, and the aura that

bound us let us reach out to one another no matter how far


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apart we were. Id felt the tug from Davic in Tairmor, the cap-

ital of the Warckum Territory, and had started home at once.He chewed his lip, looking adorable as he made a bid for

clemency. Are you annoyed? I was thinking about you, and

next I knew Id signaled you before Id even decided whether

or not I should. If youre upset with me, Ill say Im sorry it

happened. Really.

Aww, youd say whatever Id like to hear to save your own

hide? Youre so sweet. I shoved him, not upset in the least.

Our bond was still fresh, and it would take time to adapt to

its intricacies.

He let out a relieved breath, then played with my hair.

His thoughts traveled over his face in what he believed to be

a private course, though his ultimate expression told me he

had landed on the matter Id hoped hed leave alone until the

morning at least.

Do you ever get homesick out there? I mean, you stay away

for so long. I just wonder ifyou dont like coming back.

Without fail, this conversation followed my returns and pre-

ceded my departures. Unlike me, Davic was content in Chrior,

with no interest in journeying. He hadnt even been on hisCrossing, the traditional rite of passage for young Fae. Follow-

ing my Crossing, Id developed a taste for the human world, a

wanderlust that not even my promiseds pleading could over-

come, and certainly one that he had trouble understanding.

The fact that I enjoy being in the Territory doesnt mean

I dont enjoy being here.You spend more time in the human world than you do

here. Preempting my response, he added, Im not trying to

stop you from traveling, but it seems to me that spending time


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with me and your friends, with your father, is something you

just tolerate until you can leave again.

Why couldnt we have a pleasurable reunion and leave it

at that?


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T H E QU E EN S CH OI CE

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If you purchased this book without a cover you should be awarethat this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold anddestroyed to the publisher, and neither the author nor thepublisher has received any payment for this stripped book.

ISBN-13: 978-0-373-21092-3

THE QUEENS CHOICE

Copyright 2014 by Cayla Kluver

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization ofthis work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or othermeans, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopyingand recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbiddenwithout the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited,

225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either theproduct of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblanceto actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales isentirely coincidental.

This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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THE QUEEN'S CHOICE by Cayla Kluver - Chapter 1 Excerpt

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