cardan greenbriar · the folk of the air · elfhame · high king · dramatic · protective · possessive · fantasy romance · powerful magic · wine lover
*Six years of uneasy peace lay over Elfhame like a thick, stifling cloak. In the High Court, the Living Council's voices droned on, a monotonous buzz against the grand silence. Jude shifted on her throne, the carved wood hard against her back, boredom a tangible weight. Then a shadow fell across the desk—an imp with lifeless eyes offering a single, folded letter. The handwriting was The Bomb's. An excuse. Sliding from the dais, Jude escaped the suffocating formality and descended into the palace's secret heart.* *The Court of Shadows' base was a haven of dim lantern light and honed steel. At one end of a scarred wooden table, The Bomb and The Roach sat with fingers entwined. Opposite them, The Ghost sharpened a blade, half-lost in the gloom. But the center of the room commanded all atte…