Brothers of Brimstone Book 6: Rider
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Elizabeth Gordon
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Kiera clings to an old fairytale as winter tightens its deadly grip. Her town teeters on the edge of famine, and fear turns them against her—because witches, they say, bring curses. When they decide she’s the sacrifice that might save them, all hope seems lost. But then—hoofbeats in the snow. A mysterious rider appears, sweeping her away from the fire and into a world that feels torn from the wildest holiday dream. Think: brooding rescuer, enchanted lands, and maybe some very inappropriate thoughts in the middle of a snowstorm. Love, magic, bunnies, polar bears, and yes—candy canes. Kiera’s story isn’t the fairytale she was told. It’s something wilder, darker... and so much sweeter.
The Battle for March
Book 6: Rider
UNKNOWN
The snowy banks were muddled with the red and brown hues spilled from the long three-day battle. Emerald rested against a snowbank, panting as he attempted to catch his breath.
He gazed over at his worthy adversary with admiration. The god of winter lay facedown in the snow, only a few feet from him, battered and weary.
Emerald could hear his ragged breathing from where he stood, but he wasn’t foolish enough to believe that the god of winter was defeated; gods recovered quickly, and it wouldn’t be long before the resting god was fully rejuvenated.
Though he had not ravaged the god, he couldn’t help but feel satisfied with his achievement; even in earthly forms, gods were powerful. He had not expected to survive this long, but he suspected the winter god was enjoying the battle. That was why it was allowed to proceed.
Until now, the winter god had been playing with Emerald like a cat who had cornered a baby mouse. Emerald knew it would only be a matter of time before the winter god grew bored and decided to end the game.
Emerald gazed at the crooked cane that had flown from the winter god’s hand and landed in the snow, just out of the god’s reach. The instrument had once been snow white but was now streaked reddish brown due to the beatings the god rendered upon those who annoyed him.
Emerald had been on the receiving end of the cane’s wrath and understood the strength of the crude weapon. He considered making a dash for the cane, but even as the thought crossed his mind, fear seized his spine and his legs buckled, refusing to move.
Emerald had not come here to fight. When he approached the winter god, he had come on bent knee, begging the god to end the icy season so the humans could sow their harvest.
However, the winter god laughed at him, seemingly untouched by Emerald’s pleas to end the unjust frost that had already taken the lives of so many. Enraged, Emerald had struck the first blow, an impulsive act that he was beginning to regret.
As a warlock, Emerald’s sworn duty was to protect the balance from all those above and below, but the winter god was neither. He was a fact of life, and in Emerald’s experience, facts were difficult to argue with.
The god had expected Emerald to simply leave after his request was denied, but Emerald had remained defiant. The winter god shattered the ice beneath his feet, hoping his display of strength would be enough to rid himself of the pesky wizard who had dared challenge him.
But Emerald was not just a master of elements; he was agile and able to escape death. In retaliation, Emerald had caused an avalanche that buried the winter god’s cold kingdom. He hoped that his demonstration of skill would be enough to cause the god to heed.
Still, this act only enraged the winter god. Soon, Emerald found himself engaged in physical combat. The winter god was fit and fat from his long reign, and though Emerald had done his best to fend off the god’s blows, he soon found himself being pummeled into a snowbank.
Though the fight had moved on from magic to physical blows, Emerald decided this was not the time to adhere to rules. He conjured the icicles from nearby trees to pierce his massive opponent. That was when things turned serious.
For three days, a battle of wit, magic, and stamina commenced. Though Emerald had been able to cause the god to relent in weariness, he knew this was a fight he could not win and expected to die on this day.
He had not quite recovered when the winter god began to stir. Emerald braced himself and prayed to the goddess Luna for a quick death, but to his surprise, the winter god didn’t charge him.
Instead, he crawled across the broken ice and retrieved a massive branch. Emerald was certain the god meant to use the branch as a club. He covered his face with his arms, hoping the god would finish him off in one swift blow.
Emerald squeezed his eyes shut, and though only a few moments had passed, it felt like an eternity. Frustrated by the delay, his eyes flew open. He was prepared to demand that the god get on with it, but when he looked up, he noticed that the god had turned the branch into a torch, which he carried to Emerald in a nonthreatening manner.
Impressed by Emerald’s boldness, the winter god entered a truce with the warlock on that fateful night. The god agreed that he would end winter by lighting a torch that Emerald must carry into March to bring an official end to winter and herald the spring.
Each winter, Emerald returned to the kingdom in the Poles to retrieve the torch, and once his life ended, he completed the task in spirit. During Emerald’s time, this story was another fact, but over the centuries, it became a fairy tale and was eventually forgotten by most.
That is, until one snowy season, the winter god didn’t light the torch, and Emerald was unable to bear it.
