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  Throne of Magic

  The Heiress of Magic Trilogy: Book 3

  H. D. Gordon

  Copyright © 2018 H. D. Gordon

  Published by H. D. Gordon Books

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and publisher of this book.

  Contents

  Throne of Magic

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  The End

  Dear Reader,

  The Halfling Sneak Peek

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  The Halfling, available now

  Also by H. D. Gordon

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  Throne of Magic

  Well-behaved women rarely defeat tyrants.

  The kingdom is in chaos, and as heir to the Sorcerer throne, Surah Stormsong has somehow found herself a public enemy along with the man she loves.

  Her beloved’s brother is a dark Sorcerer hell-bent on stealing the kingdom and ushering in a new rule, forcing Charlie to make a tough choice, and decide where his heart truly lies.

  With the help of her great tiger and loyal followers, Surah will defend what is rightfully hers, or die trying.

  Throne of Magic is the final book in the Heiress of Magic Trilogy.

  For my family

  Chapter 1

  Surah

  Chaos ran unchecked through the streets.

  Stacks of black smoke rose into the air, flames burning through the buildings below them.

  Alarms sounded, many having been set off when the surge of magic returned to their world. The cries of mothers, children, and men alike could be heard even from where Surah Stormsong sat looking down at the madness below, high upon the balcony of her father’s castle.

  Her castle.

  It was no longer her father’s. It was her castle now. She wasn’t sure she would ever get used to that.

  And, really, if things continued in the trend they seemed to have adopted, she might not have to get used to it. She was smart enough to know when the foundation of things was being threatened. If Black Heart and the crazy Fae Queen had their way, a new regime was already on its way in.

  Surah could feel his presence behind her even before his enormous head rested upon her shoulder, the soft fur there tickling her neck.

  “There will be no change in regime, love,” Samson told her, his deep voice sounding only in her mind.

  Surah answered aloud, but found she did not recognize the sound of her own voice. It was as if something essential had been lost. She supposed it had.

  “I am the last of the Stormsong line,” she said, voice inflectionless. “Not another soul walking this earth shares the same blood as mine.”

  Samson moved around to the front of her, blocking the worst of the view below from her sight with his large, black-and-blue striped body. His amber cat eyes met the violet of hers and held firm.

  “Yes,” he agreed. “You are the last of the Stormsong line, and rightful heir to the throne. You are the daughter of kings and scholars, the blood of the highest men. You have suffered, my dear heart, and lost more than most could stand. On your shoulders rests the fate of your people, a weight too much for most to bear. You are not most. You are Queen Surah Stormsong, and that is your city down there, and your people tearing it apart.”

  Samson paused, licking her hand with his warm, rough tongue and nuzzling his head against the thick velvet of her cloak.

  “So tell me, my queen,” he continued, “what do you intend to do about it?”

  Surah’s head lifted, and the broken pieces of her heart seemed to shiver in her chest—not quite beating again, but warmed by the faith of her best friend. Yes, she had lost her family, her father, the faith of her people… and Charlie.

  But she was indeed Queen Surah Stormsong, first of her name and rightful heir to the Sorcerer’s throne, and whether they liked it or not, those were her people down there.

  Surah stood, her chin lifting and shoulders squaring, and released a deep breath, thanking her giant tiger with a rub behind the ears, which Samson accepted happily.

  “I’m going to get control of my kingdom,” she said. “And then I’m going to lay my father to rest… After that, I suppose I have a Sorcerer and a Fae Queen to attend to.”

  “And what about Charlie Redmine? What are you going to do about him?”

  Surah sighed and shook her head. If she spoke on that matter, she was afraid she just might cry. And there was no time for that. There was no room for weakness. War was upon them, and war called for warriors.

  Samson’s mouth opened wide in a yawn, and he stretched his lean body, running his tongue out over his face. He knew her well enough to know when not to push something.

  “First things first, then”, he told her, “we need to pay the council a visit. We don’t know what Theodine Gray has told them, and the death of both your father and your uncle will soon spread. We don’t want the council members even entertaining unseating you. “

  Surah nodded, grateful for the change in subject and happy to feel something through the numbness that had befallen her, even if it was just a burning hatred for her late uncle, Gregory Brightstar, Head of the Royal Council.

  Her heart wrenched when she thought about how she’d found her traitorous uncle standing over her father’s dead body, and how she had taken her own daggers to her uncle for his treachery.

  It had been righteous, the killing of Gregory Brightstar, but righteous or no, a king and the head of his council were now dead, and Gods only knew what Theodine Gray and the council members were planning on doing about it.

  Everyone who shared her blood h
ad died within this legacy, and she would be damned if they would take it from her.

  “Let’s go put some people in their places, Sam,” she said.

  The giant cat’s mouth twitched in a way that Surah knew was his feline version of a smirk.

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Chapter 2

  Surah

  Sure enough, they were holding a meeting without her.

  Surah’s violet eyes narrowed as the doors to the council chambers swung open with a flick of her wrist.

  It felt good to have the magic back. For that, at least, she was thankful.

  But she would not forget that the death of her father was the price paid for its return. And that those who had caused its disappearance in the first place needed to be dealt with.

  Surah walked smoothly over to the head of the long, wooden table in the center of the room, Samson trailing at her side. A thick silence had fallen over the gathered, and all eyes swiveled her way.

  Another flick of her wrist and the chair where her father had once presided over these meetings slid out from the table. The scrape it made against the hardwood floor was the only sound in the room.

  Everyone present—including a very alert Theodine Gray, whom Surah did not fail to notice had taken her uncle’s previously held seat—seemed to be holding their breath.

  Surah met their eyes in turn and took a seat, the look on her face somehow both inscrutable and challenging.

  Theo spoke first. “My lady,” he said, “should you not be resting? You’ve been thro—”

  Surah held up a hand, cutting him off. Something in her violet gaze had him shutting his mouth. “You will address me by my proper title, Hunter Gray—as your queen,” she said, pausing to meet the gazes of everyone in the room. She was met with slightly wide eyes and silence. “And as queen, I’m not pleased to find my council meeting without me.”

  “It’s true, then?” said Lord Nightborn, Head of the Treasury. “King Syrian is dead?”

  Surah’s voice was inflectionless as she spoke. “My father was murdered by Gregory Brightstar,” she said. “And for his treachery, Lord Brightstar has paid his debt.”

  There were gasps all around, save for Theo, who was watching Surah very closely. He seemed to come to some kind of decision, giving a nod of agreement.

  “I can confirm this,” Theo said. “I was witness.”

  Surah hid her surprise at Theo’s backing, thinking that maybe bringing things to order in her court would not be as difficult as she’d anticipated, but when Theo spoke next, her heart sank down in her chest and settled somewhere on the cold floor.

  “Lord Brightstar met justice, but we mustn’t forget the root of his treachery,” Theo said. “There are those who oppose the kingdom, and who seek to see a new face upon the throne.”

  Surah did not miss the veiled challenge in Theo’s eyes as he said this. Her jaw clenched, but her tone registered as even.

  “And they’ve got a new face for their throne, Lord Gray,” she said. She looked to the rest of the council, five members in all now, with the loss of her uncle—one from each of the six royal families. “I need to know that I have your loyalty,” she told them. “If I’ve got opposition, tell me now, or accept me as your queen.”

  There was a moment of silence where Surah was sure time stopped along with the beating of her heart.

  Then, slowly, one by one, the council members began to rise from the table. Now Surah’s heart felt as though it was jammed up in her throat.

  She realized she was holding her breath when each member took to their knees, kneeling before her.

  Lady Nightborn and Lord Lancer—the mother of Merin Nightborn and the father of Cynthian Lancer, both of whom had been murdered by Black Heart when this whole mess had started—were the last to kneel.

  Surah found she could breathe again when they, too, finally bent knee, though she did not miss the fact that they were merely following suit, and were obviously more than reluctant.

  An enormous weight settled down on her shoulders as she recalled that beyond the stone walls of the castle, her kingdom was in a state of emergency.

  “Please, rise,” she said, and waited as the council members reclaimed their seats.

  Again, it was Theo who spoke first. “We are at war,” he said, opening the floodgates.

  “You don’t say,” Lady Nightborn muttered.

  “We can’t afford a war,” chimed Lord Goldday.

  “We’ve been at war since my daughter was murdered,” thundered Lord Lancer.

  “The Fae are the ones we’ve got to deal with first,” Theo said. “The Fae Queen has clearly aligned herself with Black Heart.”

  “Why would that mad fairy do such a thing? What could she want?” asked Lady Rain.

  Lord Lancer scoffed. “Territory and power, of course. It’s what the races have always gone to war over.”

  Lady Nightborn, who had only been listening since her first utterance, spoke out above the voices now. “Is anyone going to address the elephant standing in the middle of this table, or not?”

  Silence fell once more, and Surah’s shoulders tightened a fraction as Lady Nightborn turned toward her.

  Lady Nightborn began, “I’m very sorry for the loss of your father, our king. Syrian was a great man, a man who truly believed in doing what was best for the people. I believe he passed that trait on to you, and I’ve loved you like family since you were a little girl.”

  Surah said nothing to this, only waited.

  Lady Nightborn placed her hands on the table, leaning forward. “But what is your involvement with Black Heart’s brother?” she asked. Her eyes scanned the rest of the party. “Does no one else find it suspicious that Lord Brightstar publicly accused her of treason, and now he has died at her hands?”

  The first thing that popped into Surah’s head to say was that she could see to it that her uncle wasn’t the only one who died by her hands, but she bit this response back.

  Threats rarely made good solutions in such situations, and she reminded herself that Lady Nightborn was a grieving mother. Grief was something Surah could more than relate to.

  Samson’s deep voice sounded in her head. He’d been so silent thus far she’d nearly forgotten he was there.

  “Grieving or no,” he told her, “remember there are places these people need to be put back into.”

  The enormous cat took to his feet, moving around to the back of Lady Nightborn’s chair, making her shift uncomfortably.

  Surah had to suppress a smile. Maybe she would hold off on threats, but she made no promises of her Great Tiger. He needed only to be near for one to feel the pressure.

  “I’ll ask once more,” Surah began, meeting Lady Nightborn’s eyes, “and then we’ll be done with this… If there is anyone who doesn’t wish to call me Queen, leave this room and don’t return.”

  Lady Nightborn let out a small huff, but said nothing. Neither did anyone else present.

  Surah nodded. “Good, then as such I will not be questioned on my personal affairs,” she said. She turned to Theo, eager to be done with the subject of Charlie Redmine. “Hunter Gray, have all available hands on border patrol. We can’t afford to have the Fae entering our Territory again.”

  “The magic protecting the Territory is back in place, my queen,” Theo said. “Do you not think they would be of more use here in the city, protecting the castle and controlling the citizens?”

  Surah shook her head. “We can’t leave the rest of the kingdom unprotected. That’s what Black Heart wants. He wants to show the common people that when it comes down to it, we don’t care about their safety as much as ours, that we think our lives have more value than theirs.”

  There was a moment of silence where none of the royals spoke the two words that popped to the forefront of their minds. Surah could practically read them on their foreheads: We do.

  For the first time, she wondered if Black Heart did not have a point in his madness. If her own counc
il felt far superior to those they were supposed to serve, how could they be expected to do anything but put their own interests first?

  “You are queen now,” Samson told her. “You may rebuild this world in any manner you see fit.”

  “A queen is nothing if not the champion of her people,” she replied silently.

  “Then champion away.”

  “Extra Hunters are to be sent to every border station,” Surah said, her tone allowing for no argument. She stood from the table, her chair sliding back with a loud scrape. Samson took to his feet as well, towering over those seated and making them shift uneasily in their seats.

  “May I ask where you’re going, my queen?” said Theo.

  Surah’s violet eyes were hard enough to make a lesser man shiver, but Head Hunter Theodine Gray was not a lesser man.

  “Since I’m now queen, a new Keeper must be named, and there’s also a city to be tamed. Do you have any more questions, Hunter Gray?”

  The way he looked at her seemed to convey so much, and in the silent space between them, she could practically read the thoughts in his head. She wished she could take that last part back, because Theo had asked for her hand in marriage, and she had not given him an answer.