Wicked is the Reaper by Nisha J Tuli EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available for Free Download
- Authors: Nisha J Tuli
- Language: English
- Genre: Fairy Tales
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 2 MB
- Price: Free
Twenty-three potential suitors stalked into the forest, each with the
promise of a crown and a bride in their sights. They were an adequate,
if uninspired, lot.
Standing at the tree line next to my sister, our mother and father flanked
us on either side, our castle at our backs. They had forbidden us from
entering the forest when we were children. The tales of the Reaper who
haunted the trees pierced our dreams, leaving us lying awake and blinking
in the dark. As we grew older, we still kept our distance, fearing the evil
that rooted in its soil.
“Ellis looks so handsome today,” my sister said in a wistful voice as she
clung tightly to my arm. Two years my junior, Margaret would never share
my fate. “You’re so lucky, Rowan.” My answering smile was tight as we
both watched the man in question disappear into the dense trees.
For twenty-five years, I’d awaited this day. From the moment I’d been
old enough, I understood the Hunt would be the arbiter of my future. Today
I’d be bound by fate, by circumstance, by the order of my birth, to the man I
would marry and the man who would rule as king of Aetherus.
When the Fae had colonized our kingdom centuries ago, they’d left
behind not only the blemish of their rule, but a decree—the Hunt would
decide the betrothal of any royal first-born daughter. It was the way they
had always done it in their own world, and we were to follow the same
archaic rules that would see me handed over to a man without my say.
It had never been clear to me why the Fae cared at all, but I suspected it
was to remind everyone who held the balance of our lives in their
hands. Now, we’d wait here for hours as my stable of potential grooms
hunted, killed, and delivered the largest stag to the feet of the king.
My father reached over and squeezed my hand, his smile gentle. “Don’t
worry, my love. Ellis will have this.” Still clinging to my tight smile, I
turned to my mother, who clasped my other hand in hers, her expression
meant to be reassuring. We all bore the same dark hair, light brown skin,
and deep brown eyes. My mother, Margaret, and I were near images of each
other.
Everyone knew Ellis was the best hunter in Aetherus and though it
wasn’t a guarantee, today’s odds swayed mostly in his favor. We’d been
friends since we were children and had both understood this wasn’t just my
fate, but his as well. Ellis was handsome and kind and patient. I couldn’t
have asked for a better match. What we lacked in passion, we made up for
with respect, friendship, and a mutual desire to do right by the people we’d
rule.
Anyone in Aetherus was eligible to participate, but the resources and
training needed were the privilege of only the wealthy. Despite the
confidence in the Hunt’s outcome, every eligible noble-born son in the
kingdom had, nevertheless, arrived to throw in their lot. After all, their prize
was a princess and a crown to go with it.
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