Burning Fate: The Moonburner Cycle, #0.5

By Claire Luana

Azura, heir to the throne of Miina, is resigned to her fate. She must marry her mortal enemy in the hopes of ending a centuries' long conflict. But when a handsome and enticing stranger appears on the horizon, she is swept up in an illicit but undeniable romance.  

When a false accusation puts her new love's head on the chopping block,  Azura must give up all she knows in a daring and desperate plot to save him.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Live Edge Publishing
• Release date: Sep 19, 2016
• ISBN: 9780997701807

Claire Luana

Claire Luana grew up in Edmonds, Washington, reading everything she could get her hands on and writing every chance she could get. Eventually, adulthood won out and she turned her writing talents to more scholarly pursuits, graduating from University of Washington School of Law and going to work as a commercial litigation attorney at a mid-sized law firm. While continuing to practice law, Claire decided to return to her roots and try her hand once again at creative writing. Her first novel, Moonburner, was published in 2016 with Soul Fire Press, an imprint of Christopher Matthews Publishing. She is currently working on the sequel,Sunburner. In her (little) remaining spare time, she loves to hike, travel, run, play with her two dogs, and of course, fall into a good book.

Book preview

Chapter One

Azura, the building is on fire.

Hmm? Azura said, pulling her gray eyes up from the lock of silver hair she was examining to meet those of her tutor.

Master Vita stood with his hands on his hips, eyebrows raised above his half-moon spectacles. That was a test to see if you were listening. You failed. What was I lecturing on?

Azura wracked her brain. She had drifted off into a daydream about thirty minutes into his lecture on the importance of maintaining a stable currency. The treasury? she ventured a guess.

And what was I saying?

Azura flashed what she hoped was a rueful smile. Something about money?

Master Vita sat down at the large wooden table with a sigh, running his hands through his shock of balding hair. He was beginning to look…old, she thought guiltily. Maybe serving as her royal tutor was too stressful for him.

Azura flopped her head on her crossed arms before her. I’m sure you were saying something incredibly important, and I’ll be a truly terrible queen if I don’t listen.

You won’t be a terrible queen, Master Vita said. Just uninformed. At this point, I believe Lyra knows more about the working of the Miinan currency than you do.

Her seishen Lyra, a silver lynx with white tufted ears, chuffed in laughter from her stretched out position on the floor.

Azura lifted her head and kicked Lyra softly with her slippered foot. Traitor, she muttered.

Master Vita’s scowl softened and he patted her arm. He had been tutoring Azura since she was a small child; in many ways Master Vita was more a parent to her than her actual father, whose identity her mother refused to reveal.

I know this isn’t your first choice of pastime, Master Vita said. But your mother has asked me to prepare you to rule as best I can. And I intend to do so.

But Mother is young! Azura protested. She could be queen for decades! I don’t see why I have to study all the time.

You forget that we are at war, my dear. The last few years have been relatively quiet, and I am hopeful that the sunburners’ upcoming visit will result in a permanent cease-fire; but something could happen to your mother at any moment…Tsuki help us…and if it did, you would need to be ready.

At the mention of the upcoming visit, Azura’s already foul mood blackened considerably. It didn’t help that at that moment, her younger sister Airi breezed into the library, her dragon seishen in tow.

Are you helping my sister decide what to wear when she is whored out to the sunburner king? Airi asked, with a smirk on her face and a half-eaten red apple in her hand.

Airi! Master Vita’s voice cracked like a whip. Must the first words out of your mouth contain such language? You know better than to make such a joke. At your sister’s expense no less.

Lyra was standing now, her silvery hackles raised. Azura glared at her sister, her stare as sharp as daggers, but any snappy retort soured on her tongue. It was true. Her mother, Queen Isia, her royal highness, Daughter of the Moon, and Protector of Miina, was trading her to the king of Kita in exchange for a permanent cease fire between their two nations. Azura was to be married to a man she had never met.

Master Vita continued his defense of the queen’s plan. It is an honor for Azura to be considered for a political alliance that could bring an end to centuries of war. Few people have the opportunity to make such a difference with their life. You would be so fortunate.

Airi took a bite of her apple, her dark eyes glittering. Yes, I suppose I am resigned to the sad fate of marrying who I want, when I want.

Maybe, when I am queen, Azura said, fury building, I will make a decree that all second-born royal daughters dedicate themselves to serving our goddess Tsuki through a life of chastity. Or perhaps there is some fat old sunburner you can marry to further cement our ties to Kita.

Airi’s smug smile faltered. You wouldn’t.

Azura smiled at her sister with more teeth than was strictly necessary.

Girls, girls, enough. Master Vita said with exasperation. Airi, is there something you need? Or are you just here to make cruel jabs at your sister?

I’m bored, Airi pouted. I thought I’d join your lesson.

Azura’s eyes opened wide and she tried to signal NO to Master Vita with a shake of her head. But it wasn’t necessary.

Airi, you know these lessons are tailored to Azura specifically; to prepare her to be queen. I would be happy for you to join us another day when we cover more general topics.

Airi sighed dramatically. I didn’t want to join your stupid lesson anyway.

Perhaps you could find Mistress Adiru and work with the koumoris a bit, Master Vita suggested, referring to the huge black bats used by the moonburners as mounts.

The koumoris smell, Airi said.

Or work with Headmistress Lakota in the armory.

I don’t want to get sweaty.

Maybe you could work with the other novices on your moonburning technique, Azura suggested, knowing even as she said it that her comment was petty. Her sister didn’t have any friends among the novices. She had played one too many pranks at their expense, and now they avoided her whenever possible.

Airi’s small perfect mouth tightened into a straight line for a moment, before her look of carefree nonchalance returned. She took another bite of her rapidly disappearing apple. "I’ll think of something. Enjoy studying," she said, emphasizing the last word like the name of a contagious disease. Airi turned on her heel and strode from the room, her seishen floating behind her in the air.

Master Vita turned his disapproving gaze to Azura.

What? she asked, feigning ignorance.

You know what. You’re better than that.

She brings out the worst in me, Azura admitted. She makes me so furious!

She’s a troubled young lady. She will push your buttons, but your job is to rise above it.

I’ll try, Azura grumbled.

Master Vita took pity on Azura and released her early from her lesson. Azura and Lyra walked out of the library into the warm night air, reveling in the unexpected freedom. It was a clear night and the stars twinkled cheerfully above them. The lightening of the sky in the east hinted that the sun would rise soon and it would be time for bed.

Azura stretched, the muscles in her back and neck protesting. I swear after a few hours in there, I feel like a caged animal, she complained to Lyra. In a very small cage. Only the bars of her cage were invisible. And they had names like duty and honor.

Do you want to go for a ride? Lyra asked, sensing Azura’s mood.

Yes, she said, the word like a sigh. Will you go and sneak a little something from the kitchen, maybe some spiced buns or honeycakes? Azura suggested. I’ll meet you in the stable.

On it! Lyra said, darting off across the courtyard. Lyra had a devious streak and relished any rebellious mission Azura gave her.

I wonder where she got that, Azura muttered under her breath.

Lyra had been Azura’s constant companion since Azura had first started to mature five years ago. When a moonburner began transitioning from girlhood to adulthood, the changes started. A young moonburner could sense the moon and begin pulling its power into herself, harnessing it. Her hair turned to pure silver, and for a few, the lucky few, their seishen companion appeared. Lyra could walk through walls, communicate telepathically with other seishen, and find just about anything or anyone by closing her eyes. Lyra was a magical, mysterious, talking extension of Azura, with two paws in the spirit world and two paws on the earth. But more importantly, she was the only thing that kept Azura from vaulting out a window and running until the bright lights of the citadel were far behind her. Lyra was Azura’s life preserver in a life that pushed down on her with relentless pressure.

---

Hello, Ash, Azura said, stroking the equine head that popped out of the stall door at her approach. Would you like to get out of here for a bit?

Her horse, Ash, whinnied and nosed her shoulder with his velvet head.

Me too, she said.

She grabbed his tack and began saddling him. She had to stand on her tip-toes to throw the saddle over his tall back.

As Azura finished, Lyra leaped onto Ash’s stall door, a cloth napkin clutched in her mouth.

Any trouble? Azura asked as she relieved Lyra of her burden, tucking the food into her saddlebag.

Smooth sailing, Lyra said, jumping onto the saddle. Ash flicked his ears backwards in annoyance, but didn’t react otherwise. He was used to Lyra’s presence.

Azura grabbed her navy cloak from its nearby hook and led Ash out of the stall by

Reviews for Burning Fate

[nx74defiant · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pretty standard romance. They meet and are in love and want to marry after one day. The Queen's actions and reason came as a surprising twist.