A turncoat assassin holds the key to her ultimate triumph. Yet the destruction of her village and the brutal slaughter of Maelis's family lies on Joran's hands. Can she overcome her hatred in order to fulfill the Prophecies and channel the ultimate element -- Love?
Anger rose up like bitter bile in her throat. So much had changed, both within and without. Where once she knew joy, only sadness remained. Her jaw muscles clenched. She knotted her fist around the pouch in her hand. Her fingers curled so tightly that her knuckles whitened and her fingernails dug into the flesh of her palm. Blood welled up, soaked into the blue velvet, but Maelis didn't care. She couldn't. She could scarcely hold herself upright; her spirit besieged, her battered body threatened collapse. Only her will kept her moving, a will that spun with savage speed into a fury every bit as heated as the flames she'd only just escaped.
Maelis cocked her arm back, fist raised high. No prophecy could soothe her pain. Nothing that this pouch could contain is worth so many lives, she thought.
She inhaled a deep breath and readied herself to heave the bag and its culprit contents. Then, her grandmother's face rose in her mind?her grandmother holding the very pouch she held, and telling Maelis to take it and hide. Maelis had followed Niomi's directions, and in doing so witnessed her grandmother's murder. She died to protect me, Maelis mourned . My grandmother died so that I might live to harness the power this Talisman controls.
That truth struck her brutally, with a nearly physical force.
Her grandmother, the only family that she had ever known, had died to protect Maelis from the armies of Lord Nemenon. The entire village had shared Niomi's fate. The fires, meant for Maelis, had taken them all while she herself remained unscathed. The fires, meant for her, had taken them all. Her furious resolve failed, trickling away like the rivulets and streams feeding the pond by which she stood. She fell to her knees in the mud. Memories, so fresh and painful, deluged her mind.
“They were peaceful!” Maelis cried into the night air. She collapsed to her knees, tears blinding her vision, heartache blinding all else.
In silence Maelis vowed that she would avenge Niomi's death. The cloaked men would feel her wrath. In the pouch hidden close to her breast was the magick talisman to destroy them all. Maelis would discover its contents and harness its powers.
I will bring retribution.
* * * * * * *
Someone watched Maelis.
A man with great inner torment looked down an arrow's shaft and deliberated. Joran Tohknar had his orders, and they were only partially complete.
The village lay in ruin, yet he was still to kill the Witch.
Another assassin, Daysen Shuluad, had murdered the old woman. The younger man had trained under Joran for years; Joran still regarded him as a pupil as much as a friend, and yet, Daysen had summoned the will that Joran had found himself inexplicably lacking.
Why did I falter then? he wondered. It should have been so simple. The old woman hadn't answered his questions. He should have forced replies from her lips through any number of painful inducements. He should have clamped his hands about her throat and squeezed the life from her. He had reached out to do so, been poised for it, in fact, but something within him had forced him to stop.
Why do I falter now?
His knuckles whitened as he held the bow string taut and arrow at the ready. He tried to steady himself but was unable. His heart pounded within its bone cage, his mind awash in conflicting quandaries. If he let the shaft fly, its poisoned point would put an end to everything?his fears, his questions and the threat that the woman embodied.
This girl whom he watched was the last survivor in the line of green-eyed Witches, and Joran's Master, Nemenon, had sent him to kill her. The magick she possessed would be their undoing; the legends written on the Stones of Nuermar said as much. It should have been simple, just as killing the old woman should have been. And yet now, as then, he found himself uncertain and torn.
I will let her live…at least for now, he thought. It is a poor shot from this angle, anyway. I will wait for one that is better.
His personal predicament solved, the assassin lowered his long bow and sheathed the arrow. He slid the bow over his shoulder, resigned to inaction. He would wait, and he would watch. Joran was well trained; the Witch would never know that he stalked her. He retreated into the shadows, allowed the darkness to swallow him whole. She will not know .
Reviews for Nuermar's Last Witch
"A. E. Rought delivers an exciting and intriguing fantasy tale which will capture the reader's attention from the very first paragraph and refuse to let it loose. The world-building is excellent and the story left this reviewer eager for the return to this world with the next in the series!"
Ecataromance
"Nuermar's Last Witch is reminiscent of a great epic fantasy. But what makes this story more enjoyable for me, is that at heart, it is a romance. Although filled with strife, and suffering, particularly when describing the tortures Joran endured when forced into Nemenon's service, the story was touching as Joran struggled to become the man he should have always been. A protector. I am interested in seeing where A.E. Rought plans to take this series next."
GottaWriteNetwork
"A spellbinding fantasy, Nuemar's Last Witch by A. E. Rought is an exciting action-packed adventure that will enthrall the readers…Nuermar's Last Witch is a wondrously magical adventure in a battle against good and evil, A.E. Rought has created a fantasy world that opens the door to love and passion. Readers will be able to experience a world like no other filled with amazing creations that will leave them in awe."
The Romance Studio
Nuermar's Last Witch blends second chances and forgiveness with a fantastic fantasy plot. Both Joran and Maelis are very complex characters, well drawn and multi-layered. It was a full read that was very fulfilling. I really rooted for Maelis' emotional journey and her determination to save everyone. Due to the past emotional baggage of the characters, the romance plot was very fulfilling and I felt as if I'd been on a very full journey with the author. I'm very interested to read any upcoming books in this series.
Two Lips Reviews
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