Page 1 of Bride of Ash & Dust

Chapter 1

Lilias

CHOSEN

“Excuse me?” I ask.

My father scowls like he doesn’t understand the words coming out of my mouth. Or like he’s thinking of wiping the floor with me.

But that’s ridiculous, of course. Kings don’t wipe the floor.

My hands are shaking. I knit them together in my lap and press hard on the satin covering my thighs. Then, I look up and smile.

“I’m terribly sorry, Father,” I say. “But I’m not sure I heard you correctly.”

“I said I’ve chosen a husband for you,” he grunts.

I blink and smile. My chest feels tight, like someone’s wrapped a rope around my rib cage and then yanked on it.

I am already betrothed. I’ve been betrothed since I was born. My father chose the prince of Ethiria to be my future husband the day I was born. Control over his family is one of the few royal powers left to him, as he frequently complains. So why would he need to announce a decision he made almost three decades ago?

“From the Kingdom of Vsenrog,” he continues.

A sharp little gasp slips through my lips. I bring my hand to my mouth to cover it.

Vsenrog? The kingdom that controlled us for hundreds of years and caused the summer of misery? The kingdom we barely defeated three generations ago?

“It’s a good match,” he declares. “A brilliant match. We need powerful allies. Especially now.”

This must be about the new gold mine. Our kingdom survives by being invisible. We’re not worth invading, as my brother sometimes whispers under his breath. And the new gold mine threatens our invisibility. Of course, the other kingdoms notice us now.

But Vsenrog? Why would a kingdom as powerful as Vsenrog care about that mine? Yes, we found gold in the western mountains. If you believe the rumors that swirl around the palace, a dragon appeared at dawn and led the first prospectors to that rugged mountain ridge on our western border, where they found the gold.

But I don’t think the mine is even operational yet. And Vsenrog is rich already.

I clear my throat in as ladylike a way as possible. My father looks annoyed.

“If I may, dear Father?” I ask.

He waves his fingers in the air, like he’s indulging me.

“Won’t this risk offending Ethiria?” I say.

Ethiria, home of my late mother and the prince I’ve been betrothed to since the day I was born. Ethiria, the kingdom of mountains and sea, where I’ve been planning to live for my entire life.

My father snorts, then claps his hands together.

“Your brother will clear that up,” he announces. “And the women will take care of the rest of the details. Your marriage happens in a fortnight. In Vsenrog.”

I gasp again. This time, I don’t even try to hide it. The whispers behind me sound like the ocean crashing against stone.

Two weeks? That’s all the time I have left?

“And Elrick?” I ask, with the breath I manage to catch.

It’s bold of me to mention my brother’s name, but I’m suddenly feeling rather desperate. A voice inside my skull screams that Elrick won’t be happy about this, that my brother wouldn’t want to hand me over like meat on a platter with just two weeks’ warning. Not to mention breaking the betrothal agreement with Ethiria.

There’s something cold about the smile my father gives me in return.