A FATE OF WRATH & FLAME K.A. TUCKER CONTENTS Also by K.A. Tucker Author’s Note Map Pronunciations Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Acknowledgments About the Author ALSO BY K.A. TUCKER Ten Tiny Breaths One Tiny Lie Four Seconds to Lose Five Ways to Fall In Her Wake Burying Water Becoming Rain Chasing River Surviving Ice He Will Be My Ruin Until It Fades Keep Her Safe The Simple Wild Be the Girl Say You Still Love Me Wild at Heart Forever Wild This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Copyright © 2021 by Kathleen Tucker All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For more information, visit www.katuckerbooks.com ISBN 978-1-990105-14-2 (ebook) Edited by Jennifer Sommersby Cover design by Hang Le Published by K.A.Tucker Manufactured in the United States of America To Paul, for taking care of “what’s for dinner?” every night these past three months. AUTHOR’S NOTE I published my first book ten years ago, in May 2011. It was a young adult fantasy called Anathema, the first in a series. A few years later, I switched to writing contemporary romance and suspense (two genres I love), but in the back of my mind, I’ve always known I would dive back into a fantasy world. In 2015 I began plotting a new fantasy story. Every year, I opened that file, added more, and wondered if that would be the year I actually wrote it. But it was never the right time. Then 2020 happened, and it rolled into 2021, and this book became my escape from it all when we weren’t allowed to go anywhere. For those who read Anathema, you will notice a few things plucked from that story—a lot of the magic and world-building, the fates, the non-humans, even some of the names. The first scene has some literal copy-and-paste sections. I wanted to take concepts that I loved from that world and see where I could go with them. That is where the similarities end, though. This story goes down an entirely different path. For those who haven’t read Anathema, I’ve removed that series from the marketplaces. My writing skill has grown tremendously since those early days. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate a decade of publishing novels than by releasing A Fate of Wrath & Flame. It is an adult (not YA, though I don’t think there’s anything too scandalous) passion project, and a wild escape for me, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Click here to see color map Pronunciations: Romeria—Row-mair-E-a Romy—Row-mE Sofie—So-fee Elijah—Uh-lie-jah Zander—Zan-der Wendeline—Wen-de-line Annika—An-i-ka Corrin—KOR-in Elisaf—El-i-saf Boaz—Bow-az Dagny—Dag-knee Bexley—Bex-lee Saoirse—Sur-sha Kaders—Kay-ders Malachi—Ma-la-kai Aoife—EE-fuh Aminadav—Ami-na-dav Vin’nyla—Vin-ny-la Ratheus—Ra-tay-us Islor—I-lor Ybaris—Yi-bar-is Cirilea—Sir-il-E-a Seacadore—See-ka-dor Skatrana—Ska-tran-a Kier—KEY-er Mordain—Mor-day-n Azo’dem—Az-O-dem Za’hala—Za-ha-la Caster—Kas-ter daaknar—day-knar caco claws—kay-ko claws PROLOGUE 1 739 “It is time for me to die.” Sofie’s delicate hands slid up Elijah’s chest to slip behind his neck. “And if you are wrong …” Unable to finish the sentence, his voice trailed off. “I am not wrong!” she snapped. The copper-haired spitfire was always quick to temper. He pulled away and moved to stand at a nearby window, to gaze upon the bustling nightlife beyond the castle walls. Rarely did he envy the commoners. Tonight, though, as he watched horse- drawn carriages roll along cobblestone streets, shuttling passengers home from frivolous celebrations and too much ale so they could hump their partners with reckless abandon, his jaw tightened with resentment. Why couldn’t his problems be so trivial? Briefly, Elijah allowed his attention to stray to the square where the pyres beneath the charred remains of three women still smoldered. It had been the largest culling in the region yet, the flames stoked by the bishop in his fervent quest to save humanity from witchcraft. This time, the church cited the plague of vole that ravaged the year’s harvest as evidence of these women’s guilt. Next time, they would find proof of Satan’s wicked hand in a contagion that stole children, or a flood that drowned crops. There was more truth to it than the portly bishop realized. But Elijah knew the church was motivated not by rooting out the cause of evil as much as its bid to maintain power in a time when a new house of worship was rising. And this lunacy was spreading. As Count of Montegarde, Elijah’s influence over the church was limited. Still, he could have stopped today’s massacre. He could have slipped into the yawning shadows of the bishop’s residence and snapped the neck of that sanctimonious prick leading the charge. But his untimely death would only stir inquiry and embolden the masses. Another would quickly ascend into his place, more women would perish atop a bed of flames, and soon attention would turn to these stone walls and the peculiar