roared, throwing his sword down. “What’s the point? If you weren’t my heir, it would be some other clown. You can still father children at your age, can’t you?”
Draston nodded as if his life depended on his answer. Because it most certainly did.
“You had better give me a grandson to succeed me,” Hamvok growled. “At your age, even if I die tomorrow, you won’t last too long after me.”
“True,” Draston squealed. Thank Sampton, his hair had prematurely turned gray. If Hamvok realized that his genealogist was only thirty-five years old…
Hamvok pounded Draston’s shoulder. “You’ve not let me down yet, I suppose,” he said cheerfully. “And we are friends after all. I wonder what epithet you might take if you were king. Draston the Wise, perhaps.”
The Fate Healer had used the same phrase at her temple. Did it mean—?
“Escort me out of the castle, Draston,” the Fate Healer said.
Draston nodded. “Of course.” Anything was better than staying with Hamvok.
They walked in silence until they had crossed the drawbridge.
“What will happen to Gormranth?” Draston asked.
The crystals in the Fate Healer’s eye sockets sparkled as she smiled. “What happens to any pig? I’m partial to bacon.”
A panicked grunt came from the pig.
“I’m only joking,” she assured it.
Draston glanced around to confirm that he could not be overheard. “And the new book. Where did it come from?”
“Hissimir created it while he dealt with the threat posed by your deceased apprentice,” the Fate Healer said. “He also fixed a few errors you made in other documents. Your additions are now as genuine as anything in creation.”
“Am I going to become king?” he asked.
“A token of the gods’ appreciation for all your endeavors,” she said.
“Thank the gods for me,” Draston said.
The Fate Healer emitted a tinkling laugh. “Thank them with your prayers,” she said. “I serve Fate, not them.”
“Then thank Fate,” Draston urged.
The Fate Healer grinned and shook her head. “But Fate doesn’t care.”
She and the pig disappeared, leaving Draston, the future king of Hamvoksland, alone.
A Word From The Author
I hope you enjoyed The Fate Healer. Please check out my other fantasy stories.
It would mean a lot to me if you left an honest review wherever you purchased it, and/or at Goodreads.
If you want to keep up with my future projects, join my email list at https://eepurl.com/OVUjf, follow me on Twitter (@noel_coughlan) or Facebook (Noel Coughlan - Writer), or check out my blog at https://photocosm.org/.
Feel free to email me at
[email protected] to ask any questions or comments you have about this book.
Best wishes,
Noel
Acknowledgments
I want to thank the good people at Finish The Story for all their work—Bryan Thomas Schmidt (developmental and line editing), Claire Ashgrove (copy editing) and Alicia Dean (proofreading). I also want to thank Pamela Guerrieri-Cangioli from Proofed To Perfection for her additional proofreading. I also want to thank Mags Murphy for her comments.
About Noel Coughlan
I live with my wife and daughter in Ireland.
From a young age, I was always writing a book. Generally, the first page over and over. Sometimes, I even reached the second page before I had shredded the entire copy book.
In my teenage years, I wrote some poetry, some of which would make a Vogon blush.
When I was fourteen, I had a dream. It was of a world where the inhabitants believed that each hue of light was a separate god, and that matter was simply another form of light. Thus, the world of Elysion was born.
I tinkered with the idea for a couple of decades, putting together mythologies, histories, maps, etc., but world-building isn’t worth much without a gripping story. Finally, I discovered a tale so compelling I just had to write it—The Golden Rule Duology.
I also write other fantasy, science fiction, and horror stories.
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