The Thirteenth Summer

By Artemis Greenleaf

In a time when power was absolute and dissent could mean death, Fria is an expendable pawn in her father's power games. When his treachery nearly costs Fria her life, a strange forest girl teaches Fria the skills to claim her own power. And not a moment too soon, because there's something lurking in the woods that is even worse than any human tyrant.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Black Mare Books
• Release date: May 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781941502723

Artemis Greenleaf

Artemis Greenleaf has devoured fairy tales, folk tales and ghost stories since before she could read. After watching many ghost hunting television shows, she wondered what the ghosts’ point of view toward ghost hunters might be. Artemis did, in fact, marry an alien and she lives in the suburban wilds of Houston, Texas with her husband, two children and assorted pets. She writes both fiction and non-fiction and her work has appeared in magazines, including Nature Friend and Stories for Children. For more information, please visit artemisgreenleaf.com.

Book preview

The Thirteenth Summer

By

Artemis Greenleaf

SMASHWORDS EDITION

PUBLISHED BY:

Black Mare Books

Houston, Texas

www.blackmarebooks.com

ISBN: 978-1-941502-72-3

The Thirteenth Summer

Copyright © 2014 by Artemis Greenleaf

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

The Thirteenth Summer

By

Artemis Greenleaf

A Blackthorne Universe Short

I told your father you were too young for this, Kel said as he unbuttoned his leather doublet.

Fria held her tongue. She huddled in her bridal gown, shivering in the shadows of Kel's large canopied bed.

Come here, he said.

Swallowing hard, Fria complied. She did not see a well-developed, potent man shedding his clothes, but a towering male who outweighed her by at least two fold and was orders of magnitude stronger than her. A threat.

You're hardly more than a child. He lifted her chin and studied her face, his meaty hand warm against her throat. Sit over there, he told her, gesturing to an overstuffed chair by a fireplace large enough for four tall men to easily stand abreast.

Again, she did as she was bidden. Vicious beatings at her father's hand had trained her to be compliant.

Kel peeled back the brocaded silk bedspread and pulled the top sheet off the bed. Then he rolled up his sleeve, drew a dagger from his boot, and