Page 1 of Heir of the Autumn Queen

Chapter One

The clanging of swords rings out in the clearing, the wildlife of the forest long gone to avoid the clamor.

My opponent and I circle one another, observing each other’s movements with care. My muscles ache, but I welcome the burn. The man across from me smirks before raising his sword to slash at me, but we’ve fought enough times for me to know how he moves, how he thinks. The smirk is a telltale sign that he’ll come at me from the left, allowing me to block before promptly sweeping his legs out from under him. I hover my blade just above his throat, triumphant.

“Okay, okay, you win!” Killian huffs, dropping his sword and holding up his hands in surrender.

Satisfied, I help him up from the ground before leaning my sword against a nearby fallen tree. I pull my arm over my head in a stretch, breathing heavily. We’ve been sparring since dawn, even though Killian would rather be sleeping in. When he asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I knew he would quickly come to regret his request.

“So, aside from kicking her older brother’s sorry ass, what other plans does theindomitableAurelia Elwood have today?” Killian walks to the small stream to get a drink and splashes his face with the cold water.

Following him, I lean down and cup some water in my hands, drinking deeply. It quenches my thirst and cools me down, and I exhale in contentment. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I contemplate his question. Besides my chores and a tutoring session with one of the girls who lives on the farm adjacent to ours, I don’t have much else to do today. But knowing Briar, I’m sure my best friend has planned something wild for this evening.

I shrug, smiling to myself.“I’m sure Bri will want to take me to the tavern.”

Killian laughs dryly.“Yeah, I’m sure she will.”

Raised by her aunt, and with no siblings of her own, Briar has spent more time with my family than anyone. We’ve all grown up together, but as we’ve gotten older both Killian and Briar insist that the obvious sexual tension between them is non-existent.

I give him a knowing look and wiggle my eyebrows playfully.“We’ll probably just hang out and have a few drinks,” I say, walking back over to my sword and sheathing it at my waist. The blade is dull and the hilt is rusting, but it works fine for practicing swordsmanship techniques, all of which we’ve learned from trial and error.

“Mmhmm. Sure,” Killian says sarcastically, stooping to pick up his sword from where he dropped it and sheathing it on his back with the kind of fluidity that makes me question if he let me win.

“You’re welcome to join us,” I say.“I’m sure it will be very low-key.”

My brother throws his head back and laughs outright at that.“When’s the last time Briar didanything‘low-key’?”

I don’t answer, but I smile, knowing he’s right. Before we start walking back toward our house, I take off my muddied boots and worn stockings, tucking them under my arm so I can feel the grass on my bare feet. As summer comes to an end, the grass is drying out a bit, but I don’t mind. With the spongy earth padding my feet, we walk in amiable silence, admiring the changing of the seasons. The leaves on the trees are still green, but the morning air is crisp and the breeze is cool. Although I love the late sunsets and warmer temperatures that Summer brings, Autumn has always been my favorite season.

Life in Staghorn Forest is simple. Our town of a few thousand people has everything one could need. A tavern, blacksmith, school, and a temple to honor the seven gods and goddesses of Iaselion. Tucked away in our corner of the continent, many never leave Staghorn, and visitors are even rarer. Because the seas to the north are too rough to sail on, the only way in or out of the forest is through the Nevoa Mountains, a journey so perilous that only a select few ever come or go. Some of the older witches in the village claim that the mountain pass is protected by magic, with powerful spells that date back to the War of the Seven.

As we near our property line, the path is so familiar that I could navigate it with my eyes shut. I’ve spent most of my childhood in these woods, insisting from a young age that Killian teach me how to throw punches so the neighbor boys wouldn’t pick on me. Even though he’s technically an amateur since we have no use for an army here, we’ve practiced with just about every weapon we could get our hands on.

I may not be a real warrior, but by the time I could string a bow, I knew my weapon of choice. Lately, though, I’ve been trying my hand at close-range weapons and brushing up on my hand-to-hand combat.

While my mother doesn’t exactly approve of her only daughter sparring every chance I can get, she’s long since given up trying to stop me from knowing how to defend myself.

Killian bumps his shoulder into mine, breaking me out of my thoughts.“What’s on your mind, kiddo?”

I give him a death glare since he knows how much I loathe that term of endearment. One would think that turning twenty would finally get your older brother to stop referring to you as his kid sister, but I guess not.

When I don’t answer, he tries a different approach.“Can I ask a favor of you?”

I sigh; usually, his favors involve me taking on some of his chores around the farm, but I don’t expect him to ask me to do extra work on my birthday.“What.”

“Just… be careful tonight.” His brows are furrowed and his eyes don’t lift from the path.

“Seriously?” I ask, annoyed. Staghorn is just about the safest place in the Four Kingdoms.

“We both know Briar can get kind of crazy.” His tone is full of genuine concern, which is completely misplaced in my opinion.

“Kil, I’ll be fine. I’m a big girl.” I roll my eyes, but he reaches out and grabs my arm, stopping me on the makeshift path.

“Don’t let her convince you to do anything reckless.” His blue eyes stare down at me relentlessly.

“Such as?” I gesture with my hand, waiting for him to elaborate.

“Like going to the seer.”

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