Farrow led us from the castle in record time, but we didn’t escape unnoticed. About the same moment we made it outside, a warning trumpet blared from the towers, beckoning more forces to help in finding the escaped felons. In finding us.“We left our horses this way,” Indigo started, but Farrow grabbed his arm.“No. That’s too close to the main entrance. They’ll spot us immediately. Let’s go this way,” he urged, leading us in the other direction. “Maybe if we make it to the stables without being spotted, we can steal some horses and get out of town.”But we no sooner darted in that direction than we found our way blocked.“Whoa!” Indigo grabbed Farrow’s arm, halting him. “Guards.”“Shit. This way, then.”Farrow tried to lead us to a side alley.More guards.They closed in on us from every street and angle, creeping stealthily forward on foot, weapons raised.“We’re surrounded.”I glanced around desperately, only to spot a weathered old man sitting in a two-wheeled cart that w

I fell asleep before Farrow did that night, thank God. Though we’d only shared a handful of dreams together, his always left me disturbed, feeling heavy and despondent afterward.I didn’t like seeing how gray life had left him, either. I mean, had the man never been given a sweet treat or hug in his entire life? It was a miracle he’d turned out as well as he had. With the kind of hopeless existence he’d been given, I would’ve imploded by now.I wanted every night to be full of my dreams, so he could at least experience some warmth and brightness.When I appeared in the village of Mandalay, a smile lit my face.“Oh, thank God,” a voice said from behind me, echoing my thoughts. I turned, beaming at Farrow. He lifted a shoulder almost bashfully, admitting, “Your dreams are better.”“They are,” I agreed, going to him.Needing my hands on his skin, I made his tunic disappear and put that leather and fur-skinned kilt back on him. Purring my approval, I smoothed my palms up his bare che

So, the headcount in our expedition more than doubled. Farrow was adamantly against the idea of letting Roloff join us, but the soothsayer defended his case quite handily, if you wanted my opinion.“They had an axe to my head,” he sobbed. “What was I supposed to do? Besides, destiny was whispering in my ear, telling me you needed to be caught there, sneaking into the castle.”I glanced toward a glowering Farrow. “You really can’t argue with destiny, you know.”“If destiny meant Sable had to die and your life was put into jeopardy, then the hell I can’t.”“It had to happen that way,” Roloff insisted, tears spilling down his cheeks. “I loved Sable, too. She kept me sane while we lived in those dungeon cells together. We watched a tongue-less man starve to death. Rats swarmed in. I would’ve lost my mind without her. But destiny said…” He paused to dab at his wet eyes. “Destiny said it was to happen this way. The results will cause peace among many and—”“You call this peace?” Farrow

“You want to know what I don’t understand?” Indigo said as he peeled a grumpacker in the seat across from me.Turning my gaze from the window of the carriage I’d been staring out to watch the Far Shore landscape pass by, I lifted my brows in amusement as he kicked back lazily on his cushion and hiked his boots up onto the padded bench next to me.“What’s that?” I asked.“Why…” he wondered, “is a woman who marries a king labeled a queen, but a man who marries a queen a mere prince?”Sending him an odd look, I answered, “You tell me. You’re the one who insisted it had to be that way in the first place.”He scowled in irritation. “Only because that’s how Bison said it’s done on Earth. Or at least how he thinks it goes. Apparently, he’s never followed royal order that closely before.” He wrinkled his nose. “Strange, that.”“Well, we certainly don’t have to follow Earth’s rules,” I decided, “as we’re not earthlings ourselves.”Farrow gasped at such a suggestion. “Yes, we do,” he argu

Linda writes romance fiction from YA to adult, contemporary to fantasy. Most Kage stories lean more toward the lighter, sillier side with a couple meaningful moments thrown in. Focuses more on entertainment value and emotional impact.Published since 2010. Went through a 2-year writing correspondence class in children’s literature from The Institute of Children’s Literature. Then graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, English with an emphasis in creative fiction writing from Pittsburg State University.Now she lives with her hubby, two daughters, cat Holly, and nine cuckoo clocks in southeast Kansas, USA. Farm girl. Parents were dairy farmers. Was youngest of eight. Big family. Day job as a cataloging library assistant.Harry Potter House Gryffindor, Patronus White Stallion, character match Hagrid. Supernatural Team Dean. Game of Thrones Team Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister. The Walking Dead Team Daryl. Outlander Team Jamie Fraser. Teen Wolf Team Stiles. Avenger Team Thor...or Hulk (can’t