I bet you have no idea what today's blog post is about? I started to post about how I never post anymore. How my blog actually creaked like old lady bones when I signed in, but I thought you'd much rather see something super cool like Mary Waibel's latest book…DIFFERENT KIND OF KNIGHT.
This baby is my favorite book in the Princess of Valendria series. Not that I don't heart them all. This one in particular had me totally captivated by sass and swoon. Love me some sass and swoon.
Now I'm switching over to my non-smoking, but sounding like a smoker announcer voice:
Through a twist of fate, Princess Gabrielle became First Knight of the King's Elite Guard, a position always held by the second born male. She's spent years proving to the Minsters of Faldaera she is capable of the leading the king's Army.
When mythical creatures plague her kingdom, Rielle is sent to capture Captain Brody, the alleged culprit behind the attacks and the man who broke her heart four years ago.
Brody, Crown Prince of Delphine, is living in self-imposed exile, atoning for the sins of his father. But Fate has different plans for him. Tired, beaten down, and ready to give up on life, he is tossed into the path of the one person he would do anything for…Princess Gabrielle.
With a traitor in her ranks, and a mark on her head, Brody joins forces with Rielle, hoping to keep the woman he loves safe. Happily-ever-after is not guaranteed, and mythical creatures aren't the only danger the couple face. As battles rage, Rielle has the chance to prove herself a capable leader, but will doing so cost her the love of her life?
After that, you might want to take advantage of the coupon below, and as a special treat, check out the 1st chapter right here.
Have a great week, people!
Chapter
One
A motley group of
villagers stood in the field across the border, sunlight
glinting off the
tines of their pitchforks. Undeterred, Rielle urged her horse
forward, crossing
into the neighboring realm. Golden strands of hair escaped from
the tight braid she
had confined them in, and her honey-colored eyes stared straight
ahead, not revealing
any sign of fear.
Fifteen knights
followed close behind her, armor jingling with every step of
their horses. The air
was filled with a tension so thick she could taste it. One wrong
word, one wrong look,
could send this group of Lowenguilde peasants over the
edge with tragic
results.
As head of the King’s
Elite Guard, she settled border disputes between the
neighboring kingdoms.
Being daughter of the King of Faldaera usually made the
task easier, but
today she didn’t think that would be the case. The people of
Lowenguilde had
little regard for her king or her kingdom.
She clenched her
hand. The gauntlet protecting her fingers creaked with the
movement. Things had
been uneasy between the kingdoms of Faldaera and
Lowenguilde for
years, and the recent troubles made a bad situation worse.
If this had been the
only incident of trampled crops and dead animals, things
would be easier. But
this was the fourth attack, in the fourth village, in four days.
Rielle began to
suspect someone wanted to create more than tension between the
two kingdoms.
Ever since the
announcement of her twin brother, Gabriel’s, betrothal to
Princess Tatianna of
Lowenguilde, skirmishes and border disputes plagued the
neighboring kingdoms.
As the wedding day edged closer, the incidents between the
two kingdoms
increased.
An alliance meant to
build peace didn’t sit well with some of the ministers or
nobles in either
kingdom. Too many lives had been lost over the years, too much
blood shed, for all
to be forgiven by an arranged marriage and a peace treaty. But
the kings were
determined to see an end to all hostilities between the two
kingdoms.
With peace weighing
heavily on her mind, Rielle rode forward, stopping within
striking distance of
the villagers’ weapons. The pitchforks and staffs shifted
uneasily in their
hands, but she knew they would never land a blow. The cost
would be too high.
“I will speak with
your emissary,” Rielle said.
As she waited for the
man to step forward, a pair of village boys, hardly older
than ten, drew her
gaze.
“Go back where you
came from, you Faldaeran pig!” one of the boys yelled.
The crowd picked up
the cheer, but Rielle held her ground, keeping her face
blank, no matter how
deeply the words cut. She’d dealt with reactions like this ever
since her father
named her First Knight. The position was traditionally held by the
second son, but her
mother would never have a second son, leaving Rielle to fill
the duty.
Her father had
battled with the Ministers of Faldaera, forcing them to give her
a chance. She trained
with the men from the time she could walk, working harder
than the other
knights in training, knowing she was watched closely for any sign of
failure. In the end,
the ministers begrudgingly agreed to appoint her, as long as
they could choose the
knight who would be second-in-command.
Rielle glanced over
at Tavares, the knight chosen by the ministers. Handsome,
with brown hair and
friendly green eyes that sparkled when he laughed, his skill
made him an excellent
choice for the position. She knew the ministers thought he
would resent being
led by a woman, one whose abilities were below his. Instead,
he had pledged his
arm to her and the king.
Her gaze drifted over
the rest of her men―the best trained knights in the
kingdom. She would
trust most with her life, but there were a few who made her
skin crawl. Tavares
seemed to sense her unease and kept a close eye, always on the
ready to intervene on
her behalf, for which she was grateful.
A commotion at the
back of the throng reined in her wandering thoughts. The
crowd of foreigners
parted, and a man with grey sprinkled through his dark hair
stepped forward. When
he raised his hands in the air, the jeering died down.
“You may speak with
me.”
Rielle looked down
into a face lined with deep creases from years spent toiling
in the sun. “And who
is it I am addressing?”
The man spat at the
ground, barely missing the hoof of her horse. “You may
call me Jerome. And
you are?”
“I am Gabrielle,
Princess of Faldaera, First Knight of the King’s Elite Guard.”
She held her chin
high, the breeze teasing more golden strands free from her braid.
A murmur of laughter
rippled through the crowd, and Jerome grinned. “I have
heard the Faldaerans
have strange customs, but a princess leading an army of
men?”
Rielle tightened her
grip on her reins, tired of the same old reception of her
status.
“Do you not see the
crest she bears?”
Rielle glared at
Tavares, the quelling look silencing him. She didn’t need him
playing big brother
right now. It would undermine her authority, and she couldn’t
afford that.
Jerome stared at the
crimson bird, outlined in gold, emblazoned above her
breast. The crimson
griffonvul―the symbol of Faldaera, and the insignia that
marked her as head of
the King’s Elite Guard.
Rielle waited for the
man to lift his gaze back to her face before continuing. “I
am here concerning
the truth of the attacks on the animals and crops in this area.”
“The truth?” Jerome
asked, sweeping a hand downward. “The truth is your
people have violated
the peace treaty. They have crossed the border to kill our
cattle and steal our
crops.”
“My people have not
broken the treaty.”
“The dead cows in the
field over there tell a different tale, Princess.” He spat
her title as if it
were a curse.
The stench of death
tickled the air, and even without her animal ability, she
knew what she would
see. Rielle looked to where he pointed, watching the large
carrion birds circle
overhead. With the head of a vulture and the body of an eagle,
the griffonvul was
known to devour the carcasses of animals.
Taking a deep breath,
Rielle focused on the closest bird. She stared into the
sky, letting her eyes
widen and her vision go hazy. Just when everything became a
swirl of color, she
pushed the connection, seeing the world below through the
bird’s eyes.
Cows, or what
remained of them, lay on the ground. From the marks crisscrossing
their hides, it was
clear they had been attacked by a creature and not a
man. The bird turned,
and Rielle surveyed the damage to the crops in the fields, an
uneasy feeling
settling over her. She closed her eyes, released the link with the
bird, and turned to
face Jerome.
“No man has harmed
these animals or these fields,” she said.
“How do you know
this? You haven’t even looked at them.”
Rielle raised a brow.
“I looked through the eyes of the griffonvul and saw
enough to know there
was no man involved in this incident.”
“Of course you would
side with the Faldaerans,” Jerome said.
“I am not siding with
anyone.” She fought to keep her tone even, not wanting
to argue with this
man. “The Faldaerans made the same claims against you as you
make against them.”
“We have done nothing
to their beasts or food.” Jerome puffed his chest out.
Rielle turned and
pointed to another flock of circling birds. “That is what I told
my people when they
showed me their dead cattle and trampled crops.”
Jerome followed her
gaze as a muttering swept through the crowd. “Then what
has caused all this
damage?”
“If I had to guess, I
would say a hippogriff,” Rielle said.
He scoffed. “There
have been no signs of hippogriffs in the area. We would
have known if that
was what had attacked.”
“Nonetheless, the
evidence indicates a hippogriff was responsible.” She flexed
her fingers on her
reins. “My men and I have set up camp nearby. We will remain
there and watch
overnight. If we see the beast, we will take care of it so it will not
cause any further
damage.”
“And what if there is
no hippogriff? What if there is proof your people are
behind these acts of
vandalism?”
Rielle glared at him.
“Whoever the responsible party is will be found and dealt
with.” With those
words ringing in the air, she turned her horse and rode back to
their encampment.
“That went well,”
Tavares said as he rode up beside her.
“It certainly could
have gone worse.” Rielle pressed fingers to her temples,
hoping to remove the
pain plaguing her head. “You should have remained silent.”
He arched a brow at
her. “And let him treat you so poorly? I think not.”
“I could have handled
him. Would have handled him. One of these days your
interference is going
to ricochet and make things worse for all of us.”
He grinned, his eyes
sparkling, and her headache eased slightly. “I doubt that
will ever happen,
Princess.” He looked back at the birds circling in the air, his
smile fading as his
gaze turned serious. “What made you think a hippogriff is in
the area? Did you see
one?”
Rielle shuddered at
the thought of seeing the strange creature. Half giant eagle,
half horse, the
creature would stand out in any crowd. Given the rolling fields they
stood in, it was no
wonder the villager questioned her assessment. A hippogriff
would have nowhere to
hide here, yet the marks on the dead cattle and crushed
crops screamed
hippogriff.
“No, but there were
claw marks on the cowhides and hoof prints in the fields,”
she said.
“Just because you saw
both marks there, doesn’t mean they were made at the
same time,” Tavares
said, his frown deepening.
“Are you questioning
me?” Rielle teased.
“I wouldn’t dream of
it.” Tavares laughed and shoved a lock of brown hair
behind his ear.
It still amazed her
he didn’t object to being her second-in-command, rather
than First Knight.
After all, he was three years her senior and certainly stronger
than she. And he
possessed incredible leadership skills. Of all her men, he stood
toe to toe with her,
kept her striving to better her abilities. Truthfully, she didn’t
know how she would
have succeeded without Tavares, and she thanked the gods
every day that the
ministers had assigned him this post.
He was her best
friend and confidant. However, their closeness caused gossip
throughout the
kingdom. Some hoped the two would marry. Secretly, Rielle found
it amusing. Not that
there was anything wrong with Tavares. He was a very
handsome man. But he
was like a brother to her, it wouldn’t feel right to marry
him. There was no
spark, no romance. Besides, it was customary in Faldaera for a
princess to marry a
prince, and there were still a few unmarried princes in the
nearby kingdoms,
although none had come courting.
Not that she looked
to be married soon. No, marriage was the last thing on her
mind. Right now, she
was only focused on catching a hippogriff.
After turning the
care of her horse over to a page, she headed for her tent,
Tavares keeping pace
with her.
“Make a watch for
tonight and inform the men. Those up first should rest
now.” She paused in
front of her tent and pulled off her gauntlets. “I will stand at
mid-watch.”
“As you command, Your
Highness,” Tavares said. He gave a short bow and
hurried off.
Rielle pulled open
the flap as a squeaky voice called out, “Message for you,
Your Highness.”
She dropped a hand to
the sword at her side as she turned to face the speaker. A
young boy, dressed in
the red and gold of Faldaera, stood before her, a parchment
in hand. His mud
spattered clothes told her he had ridden hard and fast to find her.
Her stomach clenched
as worry of bad news filled her.
“Thank you,” Rielle
said, pleased her voice and hand were steady, not shaky as
she felt. She took
the paper and frowned at the black wax. No one she knew used
that color to seal
letters. “You may wait here while I read it.”
She stalked inside,
her finger rubbing over the trident seal. They’d seen the
same emblem on the
shackles of the creatures they killed. It reminded her of the
kingdom of Delphine,
but something about the trident seemed wrong. She just
couldn’t place what
it was.
Frowning, she sat
behind her makeshift desk―a plank of wood held up by two
tree stumps―and
dropped her gloves on the rough surface. She pulled a dagger
from her boot, sliced
through the seal, unfolded the paper, and read the unfamiliar
script.
More
than a hippogriff will keep you entertained,
While
your men to the north are maimed.
She threw the
parchment onto the desk, her eyes narrowing and fingers
drumming over the
plank as she contemplated the boldly scrawled words.
The tent flap opened
and Tavares ducked inside. “I have the watch list ready
for you.”
“Double the shifts,”
Rielle said as she stood.
“Double? Has
something happened I don’t know about?” He gestured at the
door. “There’s a
messenger outside. Did he bring bad news?”
“Yes. Have you word
from the north?”
Tavares shook his
head. “No, the only things I hear are from you.”
Rielle laughed, the
sound carrying no mirth. “If only that were true… I am
certain you see and
hear things from many sources, and you damn well know it.”
“I haven’t a clue
what you are referring to, Your Highness.” He said the words
with a straight face,
but the twinkle in his eyes told her he was lying, and he knew
she knew it. “May I
see the message?”
Rielle handed him the
parchment, waiting while he scanned the words.
“You believe this
threat to be real?”
She nodded. “Given
the creatures we have seen the last three days, all with the
same trident markings
on them, this isn’t a coincidence.”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you see the
seal and the signature?”
Tavares turned the
parchment around and studied it. “What does Delphine
stand to gain by
causing strife between Lowenguilde and Faldaera?”
“It isn’t Delphine.”
“But the seal—”
“Look closer. There’s
something wrong with the trident. It isn’t Delphine’s.”
Tavares shrugged. “If
you say so. I’ll add men to the list, but I hope you’re
wrong about it.”
“Me too,” she said as
she watched him walk out of the tent.
Rielle sat back down
at her desk and penned a quick message to her father,
telling him of the
hippogriff and the veiled warning of attacks to the north. She
folded the parchment,
then held a stick of red wax near her candle, letting it drip
over where the edges
of the paper met. A quick press of her signet ring and her
message was ready.
She stalked to the
tent flap, flipped it open, and focused on the messenger
waiting there.
“Take this directly
to the king.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The boy stuffed it
into his satchel and hurried off. Rielle sighed, wishing she
could speak to
animals as her mother did. It would certainly cut down on the time
it took to send
messages.
She cast a glance at
the setting sun. The last few days had left little time for
rest. Between
traveling and fighting creatures, Rielle had pushed herself past her
limits. Her nagging
headache became a constant reminder she needed sleep. With a
shake of her head, she
slipped back into her tent and lay down on the blankets she
had tossed over the
lumpy ground. Mid-watch would come soon, and Rielle knew
for certain she would
need all the strength she could muster.
