Curses and Thunder by April Gaisford EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available for Free Download
- Author: April Gaisford
- Language: English
- Genre: Fantasy Romance
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 2 MB
- Price: Free
Jasmin
“This really is the best option, milady.” Lord Thurston insists. He
holds the paper in my direction again, encouraging me to read it. I take the
paper, looking it over with a sigh, frustrated with this new edict.
“How will this work? How will I find my true love from 1 or 2 men
from each village? How can they love me if they are forced to be here?
How could I love them knowing they aren’t here willingly?” I toss the
paper back, anger rising.
“Princess, they will come willingly. Men will want to be here.” Lord
Thurston is relentless. The others sit quietly, watching this interaction. Lord
Thurston governs the largest village in the kingdom. Vadried is wealthier
and has more people than the other five villages. He stands to lose the most
if the kingdom collapses. This is the first meeting he’s attended without
multiple young bachelors. His hope has always been that I would break the
curse quickly.
It has been eight years since the curse began. After three years, I
stopped holding regular meetings with the village lords. The villages could
govern themselves. I only met with the lords to discuss taxes or an
occasional problem they needed my oversight on. I hate the politics of it all.
For all my mother tried to instill in me, I would love nothing more than to
disband the entire royal court.
The kingdom is failing, though. The lands aren’t as fertile as they
used to be. There is still some life in them, but the fields will be barren
within a matter of years. Our cattle aren’t reproducing fast enough to keep
up with the demand. The villagers are locked inside the kingdom, unable to
leave or find other resources. Despite the curse, things have been going well
until this past year. Nothing drastic has occurred since the curse settled, but
we are seeing the effects of it now. The curse has minimally affected most
of the people of my kingdom, for which I am thankful. Even I haven’t seen
many terrible outcomes due to it. We have reached a turning point where
stagnation will worsen the quality of life.
The location of this meeting is bright and airy. The windows allow
the late evening sun to shine through while a breeze cools the area. I look
around the large table, taking in the ornate details of the room. This castle
has been around for centuries. This room is where my father always held
court. It’s not the space I would have chosen to work in, but the council was
already accustomed to it. The start of a curse, a sudden shift in powers, and
near chaos isn’t the time to insist on meeting in a new room. Since then,
I’ve grown accustomed to the room. My father’s presence can still be felt in
this space.
“Have we spoken to every witch in the kingdom? Every aspiring
witch? What of the scholars? Have they found anything?” If we are going to
enact this new edict, I want to be sure every stone has been overturned.
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