Title: Raven's Eye
Author: Adam Gowans
About the book:
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| https://amzn.to/2xpilOq |
Ever since magic caused his mother's death, Ha-Neul, crown prince of
Balhae, hates witches and the magic they wield. He has instituted harsh laws
against all magic users.
Lisa is a
young witch working undercover as a servant in his palace, hoping to gain
freedom for her people. The last thing the two expect is to fall in love. But
when Ha-Neul learns that Lisa is not only a witch, but the daughter
of the Prince of Vires, land of witches, he banishes her. Distracted by
heartbreak, he is caught off-guard by a military coup.
In hiding and on the run, Ha-Neul swallows his pride and travels with
his siblings to Vires, planning to beg Lisa's aid, only to learn that she has
mysteriously vanished.
Now his only hope in reclaiming his kingdom and reuniting with Lisa lies
in the remote Northern Mountains, a country no one has ever penetrated and
rumored home of a powerful magic source. There, Ha-Neul learns that a being
powerful beyond comprehension has been carefully guiding his destiny. But if
Ha-Neul can't let go of his hatred of all things magic, and accept the new path
offered to him, it will mean the destruction of his entire world.
About the Author:
Adam
Gowans is the youngest of five Air Force brats, out of which his siblings have
voted him the weirdest. He loves anything that deals with stories, including
movies, novels, television dramas, music, video games, manga/manhwa, and
webtoons.
In his mid-twenties, he lived and taught English in South Korea for four
years before returning to the States to live, like many LDS authors, in Utah.
His first novel is On Angelic Wings, which has a planned sequel, but the
sequel will be released after two other novels that are calling for his
attention.
Excerpt:
“Follow me. The wang wishes to speak with you.”
Lisa nodded, and they walked
as fast as they could without appearing to rush. Neither of them spoke as they
entered the palace and made their way to the wang’s suite, adrenaline sweeping
through Lisa. When the elevator opened, Evan greeted them. He bowed to them and
led the way to the door. He knocked twice and waited for an answer before
opening it.
“Please go in, my lady,” he
whispered in Common.
She went in and found the
wang standing in front of her with a pleasant smile.
“Please sit, Princess,” he
said in Common as well, indicating an armchair in the middle of the room while
blatantly ignoring the astonishment on her face. They both sat, and he took a
few moments to study her. “Do you love him?”
“Wh-what?”
“My oldest son, Geum
Ha-Neul. Do you love him?”
“I apologize, Wang-Mama,
I—”
“Don’t apologize—you
shouldn’t apologize,” he said. “I should be apologizing.”
She looked at him with her
mouth slightly agape as he genuinely seemed remorseful.
“I know who you are,
Vasilisa Aleksandrsdöttir. I’ve known you your whole life.”
She sucked in a deep
breath. He knew, yet he had still allowed her in the palace even though he had
banished Rosalina. Lisa remembered her father saying he and the wang had
attended school together as teenagers and interacted, but with his words, she
now wondered if they had been friends.
“I’ve been hoping you could
help change Ha-Neul’s mind about spellcasters,” the use of the correct term for
witches surprised her for a moment, then she realized that his family situation
would have allowed him to know the correct classifications for magic users,
“which is why I personally placed you near my children from the very beginning
of your employment and allowed you to become their nain. Then, when I
learned about Ha-Neul’s feelings for you, I took full advantage.”
All of her interactions
with the wang began to make sense. “That’s why you told me to tell him what I
know about Vires, why you had me stay with him during the party.”
He nodded. “I, Geum Dong,
Wang of Balhae, have done many things I am not proud of,” he paused, his eyes
blinking rapidly, “especially toward my own people—your people—and I fired
Rosalina when Ha-Neul found out about her situation.” He took in a ragged
breath and slowly let it out. “It was all to appease my tortured son.”
“I assume you mean the incident
that killed your wife?” she asked.
The wang nodded and wiped
tears from his eyes for a few moments. When he seemed calm, he continued.
“Ha-Neul needs to heal, and I believe you are the person to help him.”
“But—”
“No.” He lifted a hand.
“No, please listen.” He leaned toward her, touching his fingertips together,
pointing them at her. “I know your feelings no matter how hard you try to hide
them. You know who sees past all the façade, don’t you? You know who is a
clairvoyant.”
She nodded, not daring to
speak the secret out loud.
“I want you to love him,
and I want him to love you; however,” he became grave, “you must tell him who
you really are, and soon.” His whole demeanor became kinder and more
empathetic. “You know that, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she breathed out,
tears forming. “Ha-Na and I talked about it last week.”
“Our families have kept
your secret from him long enough. It’s time he knows the truth.” He watched her
carefully until she nodded. “I know it will be hard for both of you, and I know
you know that as well. It will be worse the longer you wait.”
“I know,” she breathed out.
He held out his hand and
waited. She placed her hand in his, and he covered it with his other hand.
“No matter what happens, I
want you to know that I am grateful for everything you have done for my family,
Vasilisa,” he said. He patted her hand and withdrew his. “It is late. You have
a long day ahead of you tomorrow, so you should go to bed.”
They both stood, and she
bowed to him, and he bowed to her in return.
“Sleep well, Wang-Mama.”
She left the room to find
Irene waiting, and all of the emotions she had held in check finally
overwhelmed her. She collapsed into the outstretched arms of her aunt, who held
her tightly and whispered comfort into her ear as her body trembled with silent
sobs.
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