Donnel's Promise

Out Now!

Who betrays her?

Who fears her?

Who is she wrong to trust? 

As war between the Five Duchies threatens everyone Risha loves, the hidden truth of Cattra’s legacy is finally revealed – but for Risha there is no time to learn to use her arcane talent, even less to save those sacrificed in her name.

In the murky world of politics, how do you know who to trust, when to fight, when to run?

Donnel's Promise was released 4 July 2014. 


Sneak preview:

Above the harbour a sprawl of buildings reached like a lapping tide for the pale stone towers that crowned the hill. The colour of the walls, the orange roof tiles, the proud pinnacles of the castle: it all looked exactly as it should. And yet, it was not quite the city Risha had been expecting.

At her side Timon leant forward on the ship’s rail, bringing his head level with her own. ‘They’ll be waiting at the dock. There’s bound to be formality.’

The western arm of the harbour, sliding past on their port side, felt like a door poised to swing closed behind them. ‘I wish Donnel was here.’

He gave an impatient shake of his head. ‘Better you stand in your own right than in Donnel’s shadow. As Donnel’s shadow.’ He studied her, doubtless seeing the sleeplessness of her nights written across her pale skin. ‘It’s what your mother would have wanted.’

Risha’s fingers curled around the rail, the sea’s lift and surge vibrating up through the smooth wood.

Sunlight scattered across the water like spinning coins. The crossing had been calm, unlike her previous passage, but still she would be glad to leave the ship. Even in easy water her stomach felt unsettled — though perhaps that was for less obvious reasons. Heir to the House of Havre she may be, but she was a stranger to it, as to her mother’s memory. ‘Which will change once you’re there,’ Cantrel, her father’s seneschal, had assured her.

She glanced at Timon, impeccably dressed, his dark hair somehow unruffled by the wind, his face a courtier’s mask. Above the blue of his eyes his eyebrow hooked into a question. ‘Ready, my lady?’

His eyes still startled her, as they had the first time she’d seen him, a prisoner in Caledon. ‘Would it make a difference if I said no?’