Helen Scheuerer

true man won’t cut you down as you fight your battles, nor will he fight them for you. A true man will help sharpen your sword, guard your back and fight at your side, in the face of whatever darkness comes.’

In the shadow of a fallen kingdom, in the eye of the storm

A daughter of darkness will wield a blade in one hand

And rule death with the other

When the skies are blackened, in the end of days

The Veil will fall

The tide will turn when her blade is drawn.

A dawn of fire and blood

‘Well, there’s nothing so fragile as a bruised male ego.’

‘Beware the fury of a patient Delmirian…’

‘First, keep your trust tightly leashed. Your secrets close.’

‘Lesson learnt there,’ Thea muttered. ‘The second?’

Wren’s celadon eyes mirrored her own, bright in the moonlight. ‘The second is this… A true man won’t cut you down as you fight your battles, nor will he fight them for you. A true man will help sharpen your sword, guard your back and fight at your side, in the face of whatever darkness comes.’