The Duke's Daughter

By Kristen S. Walker

When a deadly plague threatens Korinna’s home and the duke won’t come to her aid, what will she sacrifice to save her people?

Korinna is the daughter of the duke’s mistress. She and her mother were sent to a farming estate in the country to avoid political complications for her father. Her mother hopes that someday, the duke will bring them to the capital and marry her at last, but he keeps putting them off with excuses. But he has his own plans to arrange a marriage for Korinna when she comes of age.

When a magical plague threatens the countryside and her mother’s life, Korinna takes up the responsibilities of leading the estate. She begs the duke for help, but none comes, leaving her with difficult choices to save her mother and her people.

She must sacrifice many things to survive: the safety of her childhood friend who is now a handsome squire in her guard, her mother’s most cherished possessions, maybe even her own life. Being the duke’s daughter won’t be enough to save her now. Can she find the strength to be something more?

This novella is a prequel to A Flight of Marewings. It can be read as a standalone or an introduction to the Wyld Magic series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kristen S. Walker
• Release date: Jun 21, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310839894

Kristen S. Walker

Fantasy author Kristen S. Walker dreams of being a pirate mermaid who can talk to sharks, but she settles for writing stories for teens and adults. She's proudly bisexual, Wiccan, a liberal feminist, and lives in northern California with her family and two rescued pets. To find out more about her stories, please visit kristenwalker.net.

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The Duke's Daughter

The Duke's Daughter

Wyld Magic #0

Kristen S. Walker

Kristen S. Walker

The Duke’s Daughter

Copyright © 2016 by Kristen S. Walker

Cover Design: Daniela Marquez of MV Covers

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

© Kristen S. Walker and kristenwalker.net

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Contents

The Duke's Daughter

Thank You

Also by Kristen S. Walker

About the Author

The Duke's Daughter

Everything must be perfect, her mother’s voice echoed through the manor. We can’t let a single detail displease the duke.

Korinna had spent days working on that perfection: scrubbing every surface both inside and out of the humble country estate, slaving in the kitchen to prepare the finest foods, making over her best dress to match the latest city fashions. She was exhausted, and only hoped for a few minutes’ peace to sit down. But her mother, Pherenia, was relentless with her demands and went over everything a dozen times.

Pherenia was always anxious and overexcited every time Duke Basileos came to visit them in Anoberesovo, which was only a few times a year. As the duke’s mistress, she enjoyed a certain elevation in status, but when Korinna had been born, the duke sent them both away from the city to a small farming estate where they would not offend his wife. They had everything they needed from the farm and the nearby village which tended their fields, but Korinna knew her mother missed living in Kyratia’s capital city. The duke’s rare visits were like holidays, with a shower of gifts and a flurry of activity in their otherwise routine lives, so Pherenia looked forward to each one eagerly—and when she was younger, Korinna had been swept up in the excitement too. But now that she was fourteen and almost a woman grown, she saw the visits and gifts as nothing more than cheap bribes, poor substitutes for having a father who actually took care of them and cared about their lives.

But her mother promised that this time would be different, and that was why her usual frantic preparations had reached a fever pitch. A few months ago, Duke Basileos’s wife had died of some complication. The duke’s mourning period had just ended. Pherenia was convinced that his timely visit meant he would finally take them back to the city to be with him—perhaps even marry Pherenia and legitimize Korinna’s birth.

He should have put that woman aside years ago, Pherenia said, an old familiar complaint. She was obviously barren. But if the duke marries me now, I’m still young enough to give him a son for his heir, and no doubt he’ll find a good marriage for you, too. He’ll make up for lost time now that she’s gone—you’ll see.

Korinna smiled thinly at her mother, then bent her head to finish polishing the silver. She wasn’t going to get her hopes up for anything from her father.

By evening, everything was in order, even to Pherenia’s critical eye. Dressed in their finest clothes, Korinna and her mother waited in the hall with a roaring fire in the hearth. Pherenia’s gown was dyed a deep yellow with costly saffron and seemed to glow in the firelight, and her favorite sapphire jewels sparkled at her throat and ears. Watching her mother from the corner of her eye, Korinna wondered if this is what Pherenia would look like all of the time if they lived in the city, a fine lady holding herself apart—not the hard worker who toiled in the fields beside her own servants each day.

Then a guard announced the arrival of a traveling party, and they heard a commotion out in the courtyard. Pherenia waved aside the servants and rushed to open the front door herself.

Korinna joined her mother’s side and looked out at the visitors. The duke traveled in disguise when he came to visit them, but he was still obviously a nobleman by his traveling party, which included several members of his personal guard in plain clothes. There was also a handful of servants in his train and a donkey-drawn cart to carry all of his luggage.

Pherenia craned her neck to look through the crowd and her eyes lit up when she saw Basileos. My lord! she cried, running to meet him like a young girl.

Basileos laughed when he saw Pherenia and swept her up in his arms. Although he’d been walking all day to reach the estate, he picked her up as if she weighed nothing and spun her around. Then he set her down and dipped her backward in a passionate kiss.

Korinna turned her face aside, allowing her parents a moment of privacy. After all these years, the two were still as much in love as any young sweethearts. If he had been anyone but a duke, they could have been happily married and Korinna would have a normal family. But his duties as a ruler came first—and political necessity had chosen his first wife. Maybe now that the last duchess had died childless, the duke would be free to follow his heart.

Basileos finally released Pherenia from the kiss and laughed again. By the Gods, Phera, it’s good to see you again. The walk from the capital seems to get longer every year. He turned and saw Korinna still waiting in the doorway. And is that my little Korinna? I thought you would have grown by now.

Korinna blushed at the mention of her height since she was the shortest girl her age in the whole village, but she hid her embarrassment by dropping into a curtsy. Welcome, Father. Will you come inside and take refreshment?

Basileos came to the door with his arm still around Pherenia. "Why, you’re