Warrior of the Isles Read Online Free

fair and considerate leader. He’d always been kind to her, and she thought he would protect her from Bana and Erwn, but perhaps he had changed. She hadn’t seen him in a very long time, not since the day her mother had faded. Syrena had remembered thinking he grieved more for Helyna than her father did. But the brothers had fought, and that was the last she’d seen of her uncle.
    â€œThat will be unnecessary, Morgana,” Uscias said. “King Rohan has no desire to take over the Isles. His only concern will be that a strong leader is in place. Until such time, I will see to the needs of the kingdom. As to the four of you, I suggest you take the opportunity to prepare yourselves for the contest.”
    While the others took their leave, Syrena stayed back to ask Uscias, “Do you think my uncle knows?” Since word traveled quickly in the Fae realm, Syrena didn’t wish her uncle to receive word of his brother’s death from a servant.
    â€œNo, I—” Uscias came to an abrupt halt. His gaze drifted and his lips moved as though he was talking to himself, then he nodded. “Princess, do not worry about King Rohan, I’m on my way to the Seelie court now. I know how difficult this has been for you, my dear. Why don’t you go down to your sanctuary in the woods?”
    Since Uscias’s stone cottage was not far from Syrena’s secret hideaway, it was understandable he would know where it was, but nonetheless disconcerting.
    She nodded.
    â€œYou will see, princess, things have a way of turning out for the best.”
    Uscias was a wizard, but Syrena didn’t think he had the gift of second sight. If he did, he’d know, at least where she was concerned, that things would not turn out well. In fact, they were bound to get worse.

    â€œAre you certain you do not wish me to remain with you, your highness?” Evangeline asked once she had transported Syrena from the palace to her refuge in the woods.
    It was no different than anytime before, but today Syrena’s inability to transport herself from place to place with the same ease as the other Fae left her feeling more inept than usual. “No, I will be fine,” she assured her handmaiden.
    Once Evangeline had departed, Syrena sat upon the sunwarmed moss at the base of the old oak and let the beauty and familiarity of her secret place soothe her. It was here she came to escape ridicule, to hide her sorrow, and dream of the day the Fae would hold her in high regard. It didn’t look like that would happen anytime soon.
    Trying to alleviate her fears of what would transpire in a week’s time, she inhaled the sweet fragrance of bell flowers and gazed out over the azure waters lapping gently along the rocky shore. She allowed the rhythmic ebb and flow to lull her turbulent emotions, hoping in the quiet of her mind to discover an answer to her problems.
    A dark shadow loomed over her, blocking the warmth of the sun, causing her to shiver.
    â€œHiding, you’re always hiding.”
    She blinked, then blinked again.
    It couldn’t be.
    She rubbed her eyes with the backs of her hands. The vision didn’t disappear. King Arwan shimmered before her in a golden light so bright it hurt her eyes.
    â€œFather . . . but how? They . . . they said you faded.”
    â€œFaded,” he bellowed, his voice a blast of hot air that shook the leaves from the trees. “And you believed them, you foolish chit? Only the weak fade. I was murdered.”
    Syrena came unsteadily to her feet. “Murdered, but how? Who would do such a thing?” Using the oak for support, she tried to control the trembling that began at the top of her head and moved to the tips her toes, but it did no good.
    â€œJuice from the Rowan tree.” He spat out the words as if they were the poison he’d swallowed. “The angels forbid me from telling you who did the deed, but my death will be avenged, of that I am