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The Warder's Leprechaun |
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A Warder, a
leprechaun and a bargain for exchange of services, any services, is
just what is needed to united two souls parted by magic. When Asha's cousin Elhara is
struck with a memory-eating spell, Asha knows just who can help. She
travels to the leprechaun city, deep in the woods, and faces the man
she has been dreaming of for over a decade. Tuartha has undergone a few
changes since he first kissed her in the forest and now, she has to
negotiate with a male who blames her for her desertion and agrees to
help her cousin under one condition. She is to give herself to him,
body and soul. Asha isn't sure which part of her will give in first, but she hopes they are in private when it does. Excerpt: She fought the occasional smile as
the references to leprechauns and charms from her home rang through her
head. If only the humans knew that it referred to the green men’s
ability to get into the pants of just about any female they laid eyes
on, it wouldn’t be a common reference for a children’s cereal. “Warder, the council has convened
and will see you now.” The guard from the forest had returned to his
post. This new fellow was not wearing armour but rather a hood that
threw his face into shadows. It was a common-enough look for leprechauns
in the forest. They were not fans of direct sunlight. He had green hair instead of green
skin. It was common enough, all of the leprechauns had one or the other,
few had both. The forest warriors were chosen for their birth-related
camouflage. Those with the green hair and bronze skin served their
community within the city. She got to her feet and walked
beside her guard. There was nothing to be said until they arrived in the
council hall, so she simply enjoyed the changes in the city. The pathways were lined with the
same silence-inducing moss that covered the entire leprechaun territory.
Each building was a work of art--carved, shaped, hammered to the
owner’s specifications. Every generation built their own homes, the
magic of their predecessor fading and turning their creation to dust at
their passing. Any wives or daughters had to move in with a male
relative, join council housing or create their own building. A few buildings had a distinctively
feminine touch now, far more than she had seen the first time she had
been in the city. Asha grew distinctly nervous as they
reached the council hall. She had a sense of the familiar when she
walked into the centre of the round council chamber. The same faces were
older, but some were locked in time. At the centre of the council was
the face she had been dreading. Tuartha watched her approach, his
forest green eyes in shadow and the long flow of his black-green hair
confined by the hood that did not conceal his features. “What is your
business here?” His voice was cold. Perhaps she
shouldn’t have run the moment that she could, but she was a child at
the time and home was where her parents or grandparents were. A stray
wish had landed her in the forest of the leprechauns and another had
sent her home. She twisted the invisible ring on
her left hand. “I have come to beg a boon, an object of magic.” His eyes focused on the slight
motion of her hands. “We are not in the business of handing out magic
to just anyone. Why did you choose the leprechauns out of all the races
in Realm?” Asha breathed deeply. “I chose you
because you of all races have enough power to help my cousin.” He leaned back and drummed his nails
on the table. “What do you need?” She bit her lip. “My cousin has
been affected by some sort of memory charm. The goblin healer has
suggested that it was a spell to remove a memory and my cousin is
fighting it.” “If a Warder is fighting a charm,
how can we do better?” “My cousin is in a coma. She may
be carrying on a fight in her mind, but her body is not participating
gladly. She will weaken and she will die if there isn’t some kind of
intervention. I beg you for help.” Inhaling, she dropped to her knees
in front of the leprechaun council. “Ask what you will, but help me to
help Elhara.” The leprechauns murmured in shock at
her humble pose. She remained on her knees, her head
high and her gaze locked with Tuartha’s. She wasn’t sure that he
knew who she was, but she was sure that this was the same man who had
taken care of a lost girl and locked her heart to his.
To catch up on this odd family, find them at Extasy Books Or...get them all in paperback at Amazon...The Warder's Collection
Viola Grace Copyright © 2009 All rights reserved |
