As you might know, there’s only ONE DAY LEFT until I officially release and publish my second book, In the Frigid Ruins! I’ve been so blessed to have so much support from the past few days on this, and I cannot wait to hear from you what you think!
With that and more exciting announcements coming soon, I wanted to share one more sneak peek with you before publication — this time from Jasper’s perspective (potential spoilers for A Return to the Ashes included). Read it below, comment what you think, and if you like what you see, stay tuned for updates and links to order the new book!
“Spit it out boy, we do not have all night.”
The former Lieutenant took another breath, pausing before continuing. “Lady Atora has not been around the castle. I thought she was mourning her betrothed, but I noticed that she was not at the funeral, either.”
Miran furrowed his eyebrows. “Now that you mention that, I have not seen her either.”
“She has gone missing, sir. None of the attendants have seen her for a few days.”
“What?” The Duke erupted from his calm demeanor, standing up in disbelief. The King’s eyes widened and the room fell entirely silent, as if the three Sergeants were holding their breaths, waiting for whatever would happen next. “How could we have let this happen?”
“I do not know, Your Grace,” Jasper admitted, speaking a bit faster as his palms started sweating, especially with the eyes of both noblemen trained on him. “We should have taken note sooner, but I suppose the funerary arrangements had left us too preoccupied.”
“When was the last time anyone had seen her? Did you investigate that?” Miran stood up, mimicking the Duke’s motions, his hands on the table with that desperate look back in his eyes, one that Jasper now regretted inducing in the both of them.
“Of course, sir.” Jasper took a breath and tried to remain calm. “It was the day after Anghel was found...” His palms grew even more clammy. “The attendants reported that she went to see a play. The guards in attendance had offered to accompany her, but she turned that down and has not been seen since.”
The Duke’s bushy, scarlet eyebrows furrowed, and he looked down for a moment incredulously before looking at Jasper. “So she has been gone since before I arrived?”
Jasper, his heart heavy, could only say: “Apparently so, Your Grace.”
“And it took you three days to realize it?” The fury burned in his eyes. “My gods, the way you handle your women, I am not surprised our Queens do not last long in the Capital.” The entire room went silent, and Jasper’s heart hammered in his chest. Not even Anghel, in his rebellious moods, spoke to Miran that way.
Miran stood back up, moving close to the Duke. “You may want to be careful with your words, Aurel. Remember to whom you speak.”
The Duke, although Miran stood slightly taller than him, did not cower. He turned and stood with a thinly-veiled surface of calm on his face. “You remember, Your Majesty, to whom I also entrusted my little girl. Measure my words accordingly.”
If you liked this excerpt and want to read more, stay tuned for the next day when I’ll release the info about where and how to order my new book, In the Frigid Ruins!