Read more
Zusatztext Praise for the Novels of the Half-Light City “Had me hooked from the very first page.”— New York Times Bestselling Author Keri Arthur “[A] fantastic tale of love! betrayal! hope! and sacrifice.”—National Bestselling Author Devon Monk “This is one urban fantasy series that I will continue to come back to.…Fans of authors Christina Henry of the Madeline Black series and Keri Arthur of the Dark Angels series will love the Half-Light City series.”— Seeing Night Book Reviews Informationen zum Autor M.J. Scott Klappentext First in a new fantasy series from the author of the Novels of the Half-Light City. Entangled in a court ruled by tradition and intrigue, a young witch must come to terms with newfound power and desire—and a choice between loyalty and survival.... The royal witches of Anglion have bowed to tradition for centuries. If a woman of royal blood manifests powers, she is immediately bound by rites of marriage. She will serve her lord by practicing the tamer magics of the earth—ensuring good harvests and predicting the weather. Any magic more dangerous is forbidden. Lady Sophia Kendall, thirty-second in line to the throne, is only days away from finding out if she will be blessed—or perhaps cursed—with magic. When a vicious attack by Anglion's ancient enemies leaves the kingdom in chaos, Sophia is forced to flee the court. Her protector by happenstance is Lieutenant Cameron Mackenzie, a member of the royal guard, raised all his life to be fiercely loyal to the Crown. Then Sophia's powers manifest stronger than she ever imagined they would, and Cameron and she are inextricably linked in the process. As a witch unbound by marriage rites, Sophia is not only a threat to the established order of her country, but is also a weapon for those who seek to destroy it. Faced with old secrets and new truths, she must decide if she will fight for her country or succumb to the delicious temptation of power.... PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF THE HALF-LIGHT CITY ALSO BY M. J. SCOTT ROC ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Deep the earth Its harvest life Bright the blood Sharpest in strife Swift the air To hide and fool False the water The deadly pool CHAPTER ONE “Milady, please pay attention.” It was precisely the last thing she wanted to do. For a second, Sophie Kendall rebelled, lingering where she was, hands pressed into the pale gray skirts of her dress, no doubt wrinkling the silk. She had a sudden wild urge to bolt through the half-open glass doors and flee. But then her good sense, or at least her sense of resignation, returned, and she forced herself to turn away and smile apologetically at her tutor. “But they’re playing so well.” She looked back over her shoulder at the two teams of young men playing roundball on the Indigo Lawn outside the doors, envy biting. Oh, to be so free. Here in the palace she wouldn’t be able to join in the game. Proper young ladies, let alone ladies-in-waiting, didn’t play roundball at court. But she could, at least, sit and watch. Or she could if she ever had the luxury of nothing to do. Just an hour or two to herself in the sunshine. Was that too much to ask for? She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a spare hour or two alone. And right now she couldn’t imagine when she might next do so. Captain Turner’s bushy white eyebrows drew together, but his expression was kind. “Milady, your twenty-first birthday is in two days. There will be plenty of time for frivolity then. But now you need to learn this.” He gestured to the large leather book on the table in front of him. “Your Ais-Seann is not a trivial matter. Do I need to remind you that you’re—” “Thirty-second in line to the throne, about to ...
