Prologue

“This will do,” the Lady Morgana smiled as she turned this way and that, inspecting her hair in the mirror. “Yes, this will do nicely. Go now, get out of here.” The maid scurried from the room as quickly as possible, angering the Lady of the Mountains of Rain and Night would be a mistake.

Morgana smiled wickedly at her reflection, her white-blond hair was now covered with a dye that had darkened it to a deep brown color. Hideous color she thought with a scowl, but it would help to hide her identity. She rose gracefully and crossed the room, stopping to stare up at the portrait that hung above the mantel of the fireplace. It was a portrait of her and her brother from many years ago when they were much younger, two teens who believed their father would one day be king and their worries would end.

She snorted at that thought. Their father had been a fool, leaving too much to chance where the Ranger Corps was concerned. He had wholly underestimated the cloaked warriors and it had cost him his life. She paused, not entirely true she supposed since it had been the then novice knight, Sir Horace Altman, who had ultimately murdered their father. Still, he worked with the Rangers; it was much the same difference.

With a small sigh, she exited her chambers, strode down the corridor toward what had formerly been her brother’s office, and was now hers. In the end, her brother had underestimated the Rangers as well and died, killed by a mere apprentice Ranger. “Fool,” she muttered as she entered the office and sat down in the big leather chair behind the desk.

It was time her family took what was rightly theirs, time for her line to sit on the throne of Araluen.

She would be the one to make it happen. Those fools would never see it coming. After all, they wouldn’t expect her. A woman and a warrior of exceptional skill who controlled her brother’s army to march through their gates and fire the first shot.

Nor would they expect her to do so in the manner she had planned. “They’ll be dead on the floor before they even realize I’ve struck.” Humming quietly to herself, she shuffled papers around on the surface of her desk. She needed a few items she’d left in here and then there were a few final details before she left in the morning for Castle Araluen.

“Ahhh, here we are.” She lifted the papers she’d had forged and grinned. “Perfect. The Lady Monica Reynard of Caraway Fief will be a shining jewel at the court of Araluen, one I’m certain the princess will enjoy having around.”

Rising, she left the room with the papers still clutched in her hand and made her way back to her room to finish packing her things. 

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