Cruel King: Horn Sworn, #2

By Taylor Haiden and Angela Kulig

The Collector has all the magic,  holds all the cards, leaving the Cruel King with nothing but blood on his hands. 

For Wren, her only hope of saving her people now hinges on the one person she can never trust. 

Calen has regained his horn and all the old debts have been called in. This time there's more than just his horn on the line. 

They escape the Collector's clutches by fleeing to the beautiful Realm of Unicorns. But will they find a welcomed homecoming or an inescapable prison?  

Can Wren and Calen kill two kings without destroying themselves and their tenuous love? Or will the lies and deceit be too much to overcome?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brian S. Ference
• Release date: Mar 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393304289

Book preview

Cruel King

Horn Sworn Book Two

A Unicorn Shifter Novel

––––––––

Taylor Haiden

Angela Kulig

Copyright © 2019 by Cave Creek Publishing, LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of very brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Table of Contents

Calen

Wren

Calen

Wren

Calen

Wren

Calen

Wren

Calen

Wren

Wren

Calen

Wren

Calen

Wren

Calen

Wren

About The Authors

Prologue

Calen

A mountain of burnt wood and twisted metal lay above me, crushing my bones and breaking my body. I had lost a lot of blood—too much. What skin remained on my flesh was blackened and every breath I took was agony.

I smiled despite it all. It was a trivial matter—for wrapped inside my fingertips was my horn. It thrummed with power and I absorbed it back into my body with a thought. The nearly unlimited power—denied to me for so long—rushed once more through my veins.

Searching with my magic, I willed Wren to be alive—she had to be. I knew I would never forgive myself if anything had happened to her. I had to trust that Thackery had kept her safe. There! After escaping the Collector, she was wisely moving away from this accursed place.

I summoned my wings, unfurling them in an explosion of magic that sent the burning wreckage flying high above me into the air. The brilliant white feathers of my wings were as hard as armor and shone like the sun. My body was immediately healed, stronger than it had ever been before. I walked through the now-dulled heat of the Eternal Flame without a second thought and ascended into the sky. The fire was nothing to me, for I was born of lava and gold.

Chapter 1.

Wren

King Darren’s castle was built from stone, sand, and lies.

Tiny flecks of white clung to everything, reflecting the light bouncing off the waves like mirror shards churning in a sea of glass. The sun was three shades too bright and far too hot for my liking. My long auburn hair was a mess, frizzy from the humidity and gritty with sand.

It must have been a beautiful place once—faded blue florets could be seen among the whitewashed pillars, hinting at a time when the seaside stronghold had been ornately decorated and clean—but now it was an aging mausoleum streaked with green slime and layers of barnacles from years of neglect. The castle unnerved me more than any place ever had, worse than a graveyard, or even Hashir the Collector’s eerie warehouse of treasures.

The price of our victory had been too high. Honoring my vow to recover the Heart of Spellshallow had cost me everything. The prize we sought had been retrieved, but it had been broken—drained of its magic. I’d strung the Heart of Spellshallow on a piece of leather cord and it now dangled lifelessly upon my breast. The source of magic for my entire realm was lost. It was now nothing more than a tarnished bauble worn around the neck of a Princess without a Kingdom. Without it, my family, my friends, and everyone I had ever known or cared about was doomed.

I had lost far more than that. Calen, the smoldering, icy-haired drunken unicorn without a horn, had been killed during the battle with the Collector. I realized now that I was falling in love with Calen. Now it was too late to even tell him how I felt.

We’ll fix this— Thackery said from behind me, his blonde curls somehow untouched by the damp air. —one way or another. 

I met his shining brown eyes for a moment, then I looked away. There was nothing he could do. We were both helpless—little more than refugees in a world that could cease to exist at any moment—all at the whim of a man who was as powerful as he was evil. The Collector was likely cursing my name at this very moment. His magic had saved him from being burned alive, a fate that would have befallen any other Mage.

If only we hadn’t failed. Calen had nearly recovered his horn and his power, when the burning ceiling collapsed all around us. Now nothing was right in the world and never would be again. If the darkness came to swallow me up, I wouldn’t fight it, I would welcome it.

Despite the Sea King’s word that he would help us, we were instead his prisoners—guards formed a loose ring around us. They hung back and tried to appear like they weren’t watching our every move. None of them wore armor or carried a spear, but these were the Sea King’s men—hardened by lives of violence that a simple fisherman’s garb alone couldn’t disguise. The sharpened swords at their sides and unflinching eyes marked their true purpose.

Our stores of magic were dried up. We had been relieved of our weapons and our horses. Now we waited on the Sea King’s pleasure.

The sun pierced the clouds in the sky into two halves as it blazed overhead. I would have sought out the breeze from the ocean, but the stink of the endless seaweed rotting in the harbor kept me away. The tangled mess kept the fish away and drew flies. It was almost as annoying as the ever-present sheen of sweat that clung to my back.

A rusted, metal lattice gate opened at the far edge of the courtyard and Darren the Sea King appeared, surrounded by a half dozen of his personal guard. Thackery’s tall figure bowed respectfully as I merely nodded my head in distaste—a privilege only a Princess was entitled to.

How are my two favorite guests doing this afternoon, King Darren asked.

Enjoying the ocean views nearly as much as your hospitality, your majesty. Thackery said, tightening his already hollow cheeks.

The Sea King’s eyes narrowed.

It’s a trifle hotter than I am used to, I replied, willing Thackery into silence with a glare. I was wondering when you might deem it safe for us to return to my kingdom?

King Darren smiled. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see you safely returned home. If only it weren’t so dangerous right now with the Collector’s creatures patrolling the roads.

Maybe if you sent some guards to accompany us, we could fight our way through? I asked hopefully.

The Sea King sighed. That would be a needless waste of life. Come. Walk with me.

He extended his arm and I looped my hand through his elbow. Thackery followed behind us as we made a loop around the dilapidated courtyard.

It shames me that you should see my home in such a state, said King Darren. The magic in these walls protect us from the Collector’s gaze, but we dare not venture out, even for fresh paints or lumber. Even fishing the sea to feed my people is a calculated risk.

I had heard these excuses before.

So you see, my friends, why I must keep you here—for your own protection. He stopped, removing my hand and kissing it. His lips lingered a few moments too long. I couldn’t help but notice as his eyes traveled the length of my slender hips and settled on my partially exposed breasts. Perhaps in time, you will come to see this as your new home.

I distrusted anyone who too easily called people my friends, but King Darren’s desires were plain. He meant to keep me here until he could take me to his bed—maybe even make a wife of me. I could feel the back of my neck reddening under his gaze and the familiar anger began to rise in my gut.

You’re too kind, I said, trying not to show my true feelings, but my father is old and sick. I really must get back to him.

Soon, King Darren said and turned to lead us inside. 

His throne room was an embarrassment by any standard. It had been repurposed and was now filled with rows of cots in every available space. All the surrounding nobles, the fishermen, and the townsfolk had crowded into every available building, seeking protection inside the magic imbued walls that surrounded the castle. It might have been honorable to take them all in, if the Sea King hadn’t also levied a heavy tax on every man, woman, and child under his protection.

I know you’re worried, said the Sea King, "but you needn’t be. No other is better suited to protect you. I have learned that there is no bargaining with the Collector. Every deal he’s ever made has