The Master and the Sorceress Read online

  THE MASTER

  AND THE

  SORCERESS

  WILDECOAST SAGA BOOK 4

  Bernadette Rowley

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  Master and the Sorceress, The

  Rowley, Bernadette

  Copyright 2018 Bernadette Rowley

  License Notes: Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite ebook retailer.

  Cover design by Katrina Joyner, www.ebookcovers4u.wordpress.com

  Dedicated to my husband and three sons who lift me up, so I can fly free in my fantasy world of Thorius.

  Contents

  Glossary

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  The Lord and the Mermaid - Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Other titles by Bernadette Rowley

  (in suggested reading order)

  Princess Avenger- Brightcastle Saga Book I

  The Lady’s Choice

  Princess in Exile- Brightcastle Saga Book II

  The Lord and the Mermaid- Wildecoast Saga Book I

  The Elf King’s Lady- Wildecoast Saga Book II

  The Lady and the Pirate- Wildecoast Saga Book III

  Glossary

  Kingdom of Thorius- the kingdom of men which encompasses the King’s seat of Wildecoast and the prince’s seat of Brightcastle

  Wildecoast- city perched on the top of a cliff overlooking the sea on the east coast of Thorius; climate is mild but windy

  Costa- coastal town around two days ride south of Wildecoast

  Crystal Cave- a cavern on one of the Pinnacle islands, which lie off the coast south of Costa; it was the site of a treasure hunt but when Katrine broke through the magic protection, no treasure was found except one opal ear ring; she was almost killed disarming the magic trap

  Brightcastle- large inland town surrounded by forests, around four days ride west of Wildecoast

  Lenweri- the elven people who are tall and elegant with black skin and pointed ears; live in mountainous forests north and west of Thorius; also known as dark elves

  Sis Lenweri- the faction of dark elves that wishes to take the kingdom of Thorius back from men

  Princess Alecia Zialni- the King’s niece and daughter of Prince Jiseve Zialni who once ruled in Brightcastle and was next in line to the throne

  Vard Anton- the love of Princess Alecia’s life and a shapeshifting Defender

  Defender- a race of shapeshifters who are created to defend those in danger; they sense those in need of their help; a Defender can shift into animal form and the ability is inherited through family lines

  Night hound- a beast the size of a wolf, with short gray hair, heavy snout, and stumpy ears; the eyes are red; there are six toes on each paw and the back feet have retractable cat-like claws, huge and razor sharp; have not been seen in Thorius for at least fifty years

  Esta Aranati- Katrine Aranati’s older sister; she is head of the Aranati estate and was once a smuggler known as Lady Moonlight; heroine of The Lady and the Pirate

  Samael Delacost- once a pirate, was captured by Nikolas Cosara, admiral of the King’s Navy and is now sworn to obey the admiral or spend the rest of his life in prison; hero of The Lady and the Pirate and now married to Esta Aranati

  Nikolas Cosara- admiral of the King’s Navy; hero of The Lord and the Mermaid; half-brother to Samael Delacost- they share a mother, Vitavia

  Reid Vetta- Master goldsmith in Wildecoast; once engaged to Esta Aranati; best friend of James Tomel, hero of The Master and the Sorceress

  Master Anza- the master jeweler in Wildecoast to whom James was apprenticed

  Queen Adriana- wife of the King in Wildecoast; is a patron of James Tomel

  Chapter 1

  (Kingdom of Thorius, the road between the King’s seat of Wildecoast and the coastal town of Costa)

  Katrine spurred her black stallion into a reckless gallop, the flinty coast road between Wildecoast and Costa disappearing beneath Demon’s hooves. She was careless of the danger. There was little enough excitement in her life, and happiness was a condition she no longer recognized. Her gut clenched as it had on waking that morning and a familiar foreboding took its place. Nothing good would come of this day.

  Katrine had experienced such a warning on three past occasions. The first was the day Papa died, changing all of their lives. The second time her sister’s ship had sunk, almost taking Esta with it. The third was two days later when she had all joy of life seared from her in the Crystal Cave. She fingered the opal ear ring that was all they had recovered from the treasure hunt. In disarming a magical trap, Kat had come close to death and the silver flecks in her blue irises were a legacy of the near-disaster. Most days she wished she had died in that chamber. Death would be preferable to living each day in deep melancholy, waiting for a moment of happiness that might give her some respite.

  Charging around a blind corner, Katrine failed to see the man on the side of the road until she was almost upon him. He flung himself aside as she dragged on the reins. Demon wouldn’t thank her tomorrow when his mouth was sore.

  The man fixed her with a stormy gray gaze from the ditch he had landed in. Oh, he is magnificent! She tore her eyes away from his and allowed herself a leisurely exploration—from long dark hair tied in a ribbon at his nape to his olive complexion to the taut muscles of his bare chest and abdomen. Something dark and primitive passed between them, and then she remembered she shouldn’t be staring.

  “I’m sorry, but why are you stopped on a blind corner?” she asked, patting Demon’s neck to soothe him.

  James Tomel stared at the wild woman who had almost trampled him. She was stunning—ebony tresses swirling in the fresh breeze, long muscular legs in black breeches, and piercing blue eyes that were fixed upon him. He couldn’t look away, as if a cord of senseless magic ensnared him. And then he shook his head. What had she said?

  “Blind corner?” he snapped.

  The woman dropped her eyes. Perhaps he had imagined the silver flecks prominent in her irises.

  “It’s nothing of the sort!” James said. “If you had not been galloping as though all the hounds of hell were after you there would have been plenty of time to avoid me.” He pushed up from the ditch and brushed himself off, then grabbed his shirt from the cart.

  The woman climbed down from the horse, a scowl on her face as if it were his fault.

  “What were you doing, anyway?” She combed long violet nails through her hair. “Is there something wrong with your cart?” Her eyes, which so unnerved James, swept over the conveyance he used to dash between Wildecoast and Costa. It was a small cart pulled by a pony. It suited well when he needed to make a business trip and doubled as a racer at the Costa trap races which were held four times a year.

  “Not that it’s any concern of yours, m
adam, but I felt a wheel wobble and investigated.” He shrugged into his shirt while the temptress crawled beneath the trap. James hurried to secure his pony so there was no movement while the woman was under the vehicle. She felt her way along the axle, inspecting the joins. “Are you an expert in such matters?”

  “I’m from a farm,” she said. “I know my way around an axle.”

  She paused, and the hairs stood up on James’s neck, a worm of unease wriggling in his belly. He shook it off as the woman emerged from under the cart and stood.

  “I can’t see anything that would cause a wobble, sir, but I advise you to get the wheelwright to see to it when you reach town.”

  “Of course,” he said, sarcastically “I would never have thought of that.”

  The sound of an approaching vehicle caught his attention. A fancy older coach appeared, the pair of chestnut horses pulling it breathing hard. “Seems everyone is forcing the pace today.” He turned to the woman, surprised to see her chewing her lower lip. Distracting…

  The coach stopped. The driver jumped down and strode up to them. “Lady Katrine!” he said. “You know how it worries me when you pull ahead like that!”

  James stared, first at the red-faced coach driver and then at the raven-haired woman who stood, hands on hips, her expression a mix of defiance and regret.

  “Lady Katrine?” Was this wild creature really a member of the aristocracy? He had met no one like her before. And I would have remembered.

  She turned to him and the force of her smile punched his gut. “Lady Katrine Aranati,” she said, shoving her right hand at him. “My friends call me Kat.”

  James took her smaller hand in his, not surprised to find calluses brushing his palm. A chill ran up his arm at her touch. “James Tomel, Master Jeweler, at your service, lady.” He bowed, mesmerized by the force of her presence.

  “I’m pleased to meet you, Master Tomel.” Her eyes dropped to where he had failed to button his shirt and he released her hand to tidy himself up.

  The driver cleared his throat. “Miss, I think we should be on our way, if you please. We’ll lose light soon.”

  Lady Katrine nodded. “Yes, Mason, let’s go.”

  Heat rippled through James as she again looked over his body.

  “It was nice to make your acquaintance, sir.” She stalked to her mount and vaulted into the saddle. “I’m sorry for earlier.”

  “Wait! I’ll ride with you. We’re heading in the same direction and, with my trap in need of repair, it would be stupid of me to travel alone.”

  Katrine smiled. James had no way of knowing she had used forbidden magic to mend the crack in his axle. She watched him tuck his shirt into his breeches, climb aboard his vehicle, and gather the reins. Man, he is fine! How did a craftsman stay so fit when he must spend day after day at his sedentary occupation? Her fingers itched to test out those stomach muscles to see if they were as hard as they appeared. Then she would loosen the ribbon that restrained his dark hair and run her hands through it. Kat realized both men were frowning at her while she sat unmoving on Demon.

  She cleared her throat. “Yes, Master Tomel, of course you must travel with us.” She clucked to her horse and set off with her coach by her side.

  For the first half hour, Kat tried to focus on the countryside, ignoring the man trailing her coach in his small conveyance. She planned the task she had been sent to complete - that of moving Samael Delacost’s parents to the Aranati estate. Eventually, however, James drew his vehicle alongside her.

  “Excuse me, lady, but your name sounds familiar. I’ve been trying to remember where I’ve heard it.”

  Kat tried to keep her expression bland. The whole of Wildecoast was still buzzing with the news of her sister, Esta, and her scandalous marriage to the pirate Delacost. Esta was expecting his child, due to deliver in four months. Kat tried to be joyful for Esta’s sake, however, a baby would only make things worse when Sam returned to his thieving ways. True, he was trying to mend his life—the King had handed him over to Admiral Nikolas Cosara, who was Sam’s half-brother, and responsible for keeping the pirate on the right side of the law. Yes, their family name was dirt right at this moment and it was Esta’s fault. She didn’t wish to burden James with the sordid details.

  “We are an old farming family,” she said. “Our estate lies south of Wildecoast.”

  James frowned as if this shed no light upon his mystery.

  Of course it didn’t! She turned to Mason. “How much longer until we reach Costa?”

  Mason looked around at the landmarks. “About an hour, Lady Katrine. We’ll be just in time to drop you at the Delacosts’ and I can bed down the horses at the nearest inn.”

  Katrine flinched. He had to mention the Delacosts!

  James didn’t appear to have heard. He was still riding, lost in his own thoughts, a frown on his handsome face.

  I wonder if he likes to dance. She imagined being held in his arms and instinct told her he would be her master in the dance and in life. Where did that thought come from? I don’t even like dancing! Kat needed no man to order her life and keep her safe. A man would only clip her wings as Sam Delacost had done to Esta. She didn’t seem to mind now, but she would when she was saddled with children while he roamed the oceans, free as the wind.

  Kat picked up the pace a little and Mason went along with her. He must be keen to get to the inn. Perhaps he knew a serving girl there? She ground her teeth as James clucked to his pony and brought his rig up alongside again.

  “Aranati, you said, my lady?”

  Kat glanced across at him and noted his gray eyes had turned flinty. Oh no! He has made the connection! “That’s right, we farm crops, pigs, lambs, and cows. We’ve even bred horses from time to time. In fact, perhaps I will try my hand at that again. I’m looking for a project!” She was rambling, she realized, and James scowled at her.

  “I beg your pardon, my lady,” he said, “but there is no need for you to be so long- winded. I know exactly why your name is familiar now. Your sister destroyed my friend, Reid Vetta!”

  A thousand big-winged moths battered at Kat’s stomach as his words drove at her—not just the scandal then, but real damage to a loved friend. Kat knew Reid had been devastated when, two weeks before their wedding, her sister ran off after Samael Delacost. However, her feelings on the matter were irrelevant; this was family and she must defend it.

  “Yes, my sister is Esta Aranati and she was betrothed to Reid Vetta.” Kat held her head high as she confessed.

  “Do you have any concept of the damage your family has done to Reid?” Fury blazed from James’s eyes and he drew himself up, appearing much larger than before. He stopped, forcing Kat to do the same. She swung her horse to face him.

  “It must have been terrible,” she said, “but in time he will come to terms with his loss and be glad he never married a woman who didn’t love him.” To Kat’s ears her words sounded unsympathetic, so how must they sound to James? Damn Esta! Why isn’t she here to defend herself instead of leaving me to explain her actions?

  “Oh, lady! It’s so easy to say those words. This is a man who lost his first wife last year.” James jumped down from his trap and paced as if the anger inside him needed a physical release. “Hasn’t he suffered enough? He had convinced himself to try again, only to have your sister steal his heart then dump him two weeks later. And he injected funds into your estate which he will never see again.” He stopped before her, the torrent of words dying, his fists opening and closing, shoulders hunched.

  Kat dismounted, and Demon danced away from the angry man. James was a head taller than her and broad across the shoulders. Furious, he was more than a match for her. But she couldn’t allow him to dominate.

  “Esta tried to repay Reid, but he has said he doesn’t want reimbursement.”

  “He wants to be done with the whole sorry mess.” James turned and strode to the side of the road and back. “Your sister has ruined his chances of a family. Do you think he wi
ll ask another to become his wife after this debacle? He has thrown himself into his work, creating more amazing pieces than ever before, but who will enjoy the fruits of his labor?”

  “Reid will work himself into an early grave,” Kat breathed, imagining the master goldsmith alone and exhausted, afraid to sleep for fear of dreams of her sister.

  “I won’t allow him to do that,” James said. “I’ll lure him out of his workshop and persuade him there are better women than your sister in this world.”

  Kat’s eyes snapped to his. “That’s enough! You will not cast aspersions on Esta! She fell in love and followed her heart. I regret that Reid was hurt, however the alternative would have been much worse.”

  “Love! Reid loved your sister. She would have been happy as his wife. He would have given her everything.”

  “Esta might have been content for a while,” Kat said. So much had been happening back then, she reflected. Esta had lost her ship and almost her life, the estate finances were exhausted, and Katrine had faced a crisis of her own—still faced it. She didn’t blame Esta for not knowing which way to turn. “But, in time, she would have resented her marriage of convenience and then Reid would have paid dearly.”

  “You don’t know that,” James said, hands on hips.

  “There is no happiness in a loveless marriage.”

  He threw up his hands. “Why am I arguing with you? You will always defend her. Let’s just say I’m getting an interesting insight into the morals that exist in your clan.”

  Kat put all her strength and frustration into the slap, leaving a bright red hand print on his cheek.

  “How dare you?” she spat. “You know nothing, nothing of me or my family. If I never see you again it will be too soon.” She shoved him out of the way and mounted Demon. Digging her heels in, Kat went from standing to a gallop in seconds, leaving her coach behind again.