God against Gods. King against
King. Brother against Brother.
Mordred Pendragon had once said
that the sons of Lancelot would eventually destroy each other, it seemed he was
right all along.
Garren du Lac knew what the
burning pyres meant in his brother's kingdom — invasion. But who would
dare to challenge King Alden of Cerniw for his throne? Only one man was daring
enough, arrogant enough, to attempt such a feat — Budic du Lac, their eldest
half-brother.
While Merton du Lac struggles
to come to terms with the magnitude of Budic's crime, there is another threat,
one that is as ancient as it is powerful. But with the death toll rising and
his men deserting who will take up the banner and fight in his name?
Excerpt
It had been a long time since
Guinevere had last ridden a horse. She had loved galloping with the wind in her
hair when she was a young girl, but youth was far behind her now. And yet, when
she had first looked upon Alden du Lac, the years had rolled away and she was
that shy young girl again, looking into the face of the man she had once loved.
Alden looked so much like his father that it hurt her eyes and broke her heart
to look upon him. Sister Agatha had once told her that time heals all wounds.
But that was not true… A heart, once broken, can never be mended. You just
learned to live with the pain.
Fate had been cruel, but Guinevere had
tried her best not to become bitter. She had been made to marry a Pendragon,
but her heart had always been faithful to the House of Du Lac. “Lancelot,” she
whispered the name of the only man she had ever loved under her breath. Alden
was what she had foolishly once imagined her own son would look like. Only
there had been no son, just as there had been no future with the man she had
loved. In the end, it was the Church that had saved, not only her life, but
also her sanity. No one could stop her from loving God, and God would never
stop loving her, no matter what.
And yet, here she was once again
choosing Lancelot over God — choosing Lancelot over everything. The child
whimpered, and she held onto him a little tighter.
“Shh, be brave,” she soothed.
“I want my Mother,” Jowan, Alden’s
six-year-old son and heir, said as he sniffed back his tears.
“I know you do.” Guinevere wanted to
reassure the child, tell him that he would see his mother soon. But she would
not lie to him. She had been lied to as a child. She had been told that her
mother had gone away for a few days, and then when her mother had not returned,
she had been told that her mother had been delayed. Only she had not been
delayed. She was dead. Guinevere may have been young, but she would have rather
been told the truth from the start than to live a lie for two years before her
father thought her old enough to understand.
Guinevere kicked the horse on again,
and the child fell silent. Guinevere knew what she had to do, but that did not
mean she did not have grave misgivings. Guinevere did not know how she would be
received, but for the sake of Lancelot’s grandson, she would put aside their
differences and ask… No, she would get down on her knees and beg this knight
for help. It was the only thing she could do. It was that, or run away. Guinevere
had been running for too long. She had been running from her past for years. It
was about time she stopped.
Where to Buy
About the Author
Mary Anne
Yarde is the multi award-winning author of the International Bestselling Series
— The Du Lac Chronicles. Set a generation after the fall of King Arthur, The Du
Lac Chronicles takes you on a journey through Dark Age Britain and Brittany,
where you will meet new friends and terrifying foes. Based on legends and
historical fact, The Du Lac Chronicles is a series not to be missed.
Born in
Bath, England, Mary Anne Yarde grew up in the southwest of England, surrounded
and influenced by centuries of history and mythology. Glastonbury — the fabled
Isle of Avalon — was a mere fifteen-minute drive from her home, and tales of
King Arthur and his knights were part of her childhood.
Connect with the Author
