A Special Look at Cursed Queens Four - Just for You!
In the Shire YOU Get Gifts on my Birthday!
Okay, so I don’t live in the Shire, nor am I a hobbit. (Sadly.) But that doesn’t mean I can’t shower my friends with gifts anyway! In the Shire, when it’s someone’s birthday, they’re the ones who give presents to everyone else instead of receiving one themselves. So, in honor of my birthday (today!), I wanted to give you all a gift of a sneak peek at book 4, The Ocean’s Queen! In this snippet, you’ll see Finley and Ai ten years prior to the events of The Cursed Queens series and when Finley was first given the sleeping curse.
Please bear in mind, it’s still a work in progress and hasn’t gone through any edits yet. So, this could change between now and publication. But, you all have been so supportive and patient as I work on book 4 and for reading The Solstice’s Bride and Turning Hearts, I wanted to show you how grateful I am!
A Peek into The Ocean’s Queen
Finley and Ai sat in the hall outside of her parents room where they met with various priests of Stula and Colma. It was a common ritual for them, sneaking about the manner and listening in on conversations they had no business being a part of. In this case, they should have been in the room with them. It was Finley’s life they were discussing after all.
“The fae will be her best option for safety,” one priest Finley didn’t know said. “They will be sure to protect her, and maybe even find answers.”
“But this is one of your spells, isn’t it?” Mother asked, her voice a high pitched tone usually saved for scolding the girls when they’d gotten into another bout of trouble. “How can you not know the cure?”
“There are some spells even unknown to us,” another priest answered. “There are dark and ancient magics we do not study.”
“Perhaps it would be for the best,” Father finally said. “She can be protected, and maybe find answers, and be away from here. She’s already a challenge to control, a change of scenery could be good for her.”
Water bubbled and swirled beneath Finley’s skin and she had to fight to keep it from bursting forth. She stretched her fingers and curled them again to ward off the emotions. “If they think I’m going to run off and hide with a bunch of fairies in Eral Forest, they have another thing coming. Don’t they care about what I want?”
Ai patted her on the shoulder and she could feel the warmth of magic Ai tried to share to help them remain calm. But even Ai’s magic was only a year or so old and not powerful enough overpower Finley’s raw emotions. “They want to protect you.”
Finley brushed her off and scoffed. “Just because I’m hiding it doesn’t mean that the curse won’t get to me.” She shook her head. All of her plans. She was going to see the world and go on adventures. Now all of that was gone. Her chest tightened. “I shouldn’t be hiding, I should be doing the opposite. If this thing is going to take me, then I should be out there seeing the world and doing what I can now before it’s too late.”
Ever since Mariah cursed her, Finley had been turning over plans in her head. This was a mysterious spell, yes. But there were more mysteries out in the world than any of them could ever imagine. There had to be answers out there.
Her whole life, Finley wanted to see the world. There were adventures to be had, people to meet, and places to see. She and Ai had been dreaming and plotting where they would go for years, now all of it was slipping away like sand. They wanted her to hide. Ignore the problem. Gloss it over. Just like they did everything.
Well, enough was enough. It was time Finley took her life into her own hands.
Before Ai could respond, Finley stood and turned on her heel to stomp toward her room. “Come on, Ai. I have a different plan.”
Finley left without Ai, but after a few moments she could hear her best friends soft footsteps behind her.
They crept through the manner to be sure no one noticed they’d been eavesdropping - again. Luckily, they knew all the shortcuts, creaky boards, and hiding places that were the best to use and avoid while roaming the large house on their various escapades without being caught.
The moment Finley got to her room she got to work. She threw open the wardrobe and trunks to find what they would need. Clothes, maps, favorite items she’d want to keep, and stuffed them all into a large cloth sack. She grabbed a pile of parchment and maps off her desk and shoved them inside. If one didn’t know better, it would be easy to confuse Finley’s room with a sailor’s quarters. It was filled with globes and maps and models of ships and brimmed full of the adventures and dreams she had of seeing the world and experiencing everything it had to offer.
“There’s a ship leaving and we’re going to be on it,” Finley announced.
Ai choke back a gasp. “Um… we?”
Finley went back and forth all around her room to gather the things she wanted as Ai stood there watching with wide eyes. “Of course I can’t go without you,” Finley said. “And come on, do you really want a life here? Your parents have been talking about arranging some deities awful boring marriage to a stuck up lord or lady for ages. Do you want to just be a simple wife used for your family’s power, or do you want adventure and to see the world?”
She tried to hide her fear. The nervousness that Ai might say no. The two of them had planned all of their adventures together. Going alone had never been an option. Frankly, Finely wasn’t sure what she would do if Ai didn’t join her in this outrageous plan. She’d have to go, because hiding wasn’t an option. Finley wouldn’t let it be an option. But what would she do without Ai? The thought sent a cold shiver down her spine.
But Ai stood there watching Finley as she packed. Her eyes darted back and forth as though she was weighting out her options.
“I know we’ve talked about it, and you know I want to, but… do you think this is the best time to sneak out and escape?” Ai asked.
For half a moment Finley paused her frantic packing and her breath caught. She could feel her eyes start to water and her hands shook. But she blinked it away and took in a deep breath then returned to her task.
“This is as good of time as any. I just received my powers and what better place to learn to use them than on the sea? I can’t go off hiding in the Eral Forest with the fae. I just can’t. And who knows? Maybe I’ll find the cure for this curse.” Finley hid her face behind her long golden locks in a poor attempt to hind her trembling chin. Maybe Ai wouldn’t come. Maybe Finley really was alone in this. It was a lot to ask for Ai to leave her family and home on such short notice. “But if you don’t want to come, I understand.”
Ai stepped further into the room and looked at all the maps tacked to the walls where fine paintings and art should have been. All of their dreams and adventures waiting for them like treasures waiting to be taken if they were brave enough to do it. And maybe… just maybe… they could find the cure.
“What time does it leave?” Ai asked.
Finely raised her head, her blue eyes shining. “Dawn.”
Ai nodded. “I’ll go get my things. What was the name of the ship?”
A smile so gleeful and clever a demon would have been jealous spread across Finely’s face. “The Mystic.”
And don’t forget, if you need to catch up, all three of the first Cursed Queen books are available now (including on kindle unlimited!)
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