Excerpt!
The hush lasted, and neither Rosalie nor Silence dared speak in his presence. As lord, Basil was the highest power in the Western Cliffs. He commanded unwavering respect from everyone, especially his children.
Rosalie once heard that the only person who had ever made Basil smile was his wife. Since her death eighteen years earlier, he’d maintained a stern expression. His hair was starting to gray, and disappointment was etched into his cobalt eyes.
Rosalie loved him dearly.
“Father,” she spoke up tentatively, “I brought some books along with me. I thought I could read more about our history.” Her voice faltered when Basil didn’t even look up at her. Despite his indifference, she pressed on. “I figured I could be of more use regarding the war if I understood it better.”
“How would you be of use in war?” he asked.
Rosalie looked at Silence, but her friend was just as timid around Basil as everyone else was. “I just thought it would be a good time to start assuming more responsibilities.”
“You’re in no condition to take on any responsibilities.”
“I haven’t had a fit in three months,” Rosalie said. There were many consequences to her illness. She had suffered the condition since birth, but the pain and treatment from others never got easier. “I thought it was a good sign—”
“Rosalie, I’ve had it with your insolence,” Basil interrupted with a sharp look over the papers. “All you must do in this life is listen and obey. It’s simple, and you should be grateful you don’t carry the burdens your brothers and I do.”
Sheepishly, Rosalie bowed her head. Her eyes found the bag resting by her feet. One of the books poked out as if jeering at her. Her bookmark was already resting among the pages filled with Seity’s complicated trade relations. Whenever she read the boring paragraphs, she imagined herself impressing her father with her newfound knowledge.
Basil let out a frustrated sigh as he flicked through another pile of papers. “I don’t know why you have to question every little thing I say.” Although his eyes weren’t on his daughter, he kept speaking. “Rosalie, understand that this is your place in life. You are not meant to have power over anything. You must live with the circumstances you were born into.”
Rosalie knew when a conversation with her father was over, so she dropped the subject to spare herself further embarrassment. Across the way, Silence snuck her a sympathetic look.
Rosalie turned her head to meet her reflection in the window. A fragile girl peered back at her. A girl who yearned to be strong.
Author bio:
Jillian Eagan is an indie author from Massachusetts. She received her BA in Creative Writing from Emmanuel College. Currently, she lives in Cape Cod, where she reads and writes on the beach.
The nation of Seity.
Four ruling families.
One merciless tyrant.
When Eldon Durane executes a noble family and extinguishes all magic, he ignites a war that spans generations.
Two decades later, Lady Rosalie Yorke and her best friend, Silence, are uprooted from their comfortable lives to escape the spreading war. But Rosalie’s world shatters when ruthless raiders kidnap her—only for her fate to collide with Crowe, the notorious pirate captain of the Deceit.
Crowe wants nothing to do with Seity’s political turmoil, but the thirst for revenge leads him to Rosalie. Hoping to change his luck, he decides to extort Rosalie’s father for a ransom.
Rosalie refuses to be anyone’s pawn, and Crowe has no patience for nobility. As the two bicker and dodge danger, Seity’s long-buried secrets begin to emerge from the shadows.
With Eldon’s deadly plan looming, Rosalie and Crowe must set aside their differences. Should they fail, Rosalie may lose everything.
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Jillian Eagan is an indie author from Massachusetts. She received her BA in Creative Writing from Emmanuel College. Currently, she lives in Cape Cod, where she reads and writes on the beach.
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