“You shouldn’t even be able to speak his name.” I dug my fingers into the dirt. “You shouldn’t be able to talk about anything to do with Trollus.”
“He released me from those oaths. And he told me to give you this.” He dropped a folded letter onto my skirts, its golden embossed seal glittering under the sun. Tentatively, I picked it up and pulled it open, the sight of Tristan’s familiar script causing a pain in my stomach.
Cécile,
There is much I wish to say to you – so much, that if I had hours, even days, to write this letter, it would not be enough. All the words in this world and the next are not enough. But even as the ink on the page dries, you are dying. I have no more time than to tell you that I love you, and on the hope that you survive to read this, to warn you. You must never return to Trollus. Only death awaits you here…
My eyes skimmed the rest of the page, and then again, the page shaking between my fingers.
“He’s giving you the chance to start over, Cécile.” Chris knelt next to me and pushed the trembling page down into my lap. “You can have a life here, if that’s what you want. Here, in the Hollow.”
I knew what he was thinking, though the words remained unspoken. With dull eyes, I watched my family hurrying towards me. Chris was right: the right decision – the safe decision – would be to stay in the Hollow. To one day get married and have children and forget about Trollus. To forget about magic. To forget about Tristan.
You must never return to Trollus…
My eyes turned southward, towards the ocean and towards Trianon. Trollus might be forbidden to me, but there was no power on this earth that could make me forget. Or make me give up. I wasn’t powerless – far from it. I had witch magic in my blood strong enough to stop a troll, and that had to mean something. Who knew what I could accomplish with a little practice. And while I was learning, my hunt would begin. I wasn’t certain where I’d find her or what I’d do when I did, but there was one thing I knew for certain.
The witch must die.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this novel would never have come into existence without the love and support of my family. Thanks Dad, for reading fantasy novels to me before I was old enough to write a sentence, and then for editing those sentences when I was finally wise enough to write them. Thanks Mom, for being supportive when I made the unexpected and inexplicable decision to become a writer – you’ve been my #1 cheerleader. And thanks Nick, for keeping my ego in check – no one makes fun of my characters quite as well as you.
A very special thanks must go to my tireless agent, Tamar Rydzinski, who plucked me from obscurity based on a logline and two hundred and fifty words. You helped make my dream a reality, and for that I will be eternally grateful.
To my editor Amanda Rutter, thank you for falling in love with my trolls and giving me the amazing experience of seeing my book on the shelves. I’m looking forward to working with you and the rest of the Angry Robot / Strange Chemistry team over the coming years.
My endless gratitude goes to those who have stuck by me during my journey to publication. To Donna, for buying me countless lunches at Earl’s and always listening to my drama; to Lindsay, for your ceaseless enthusiasm and salesmanship; to Carleen and Joel, for kindly feeding and employing the hermit who lived in your basement for five months; and to all my friends who kept dragging me out of my writing cave so that I could still claim to have a life.
And last but by no means least: Spencer, thanks for discovering – much to your own surprise – that you’ve a penchant for somewhat crazy writers who can’t cook. My heart and my stomach would be in a much worse state without you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Danielle was born and raised in Calgary, Canada. At the insistence of the left side of her brain, she graduated in 2003 from the University of Calgary with a bachelor’s degree in finance.
But the right side of her brain has ever been mutinous; and in 2010, it sent her back to school to complete an entirely impractical English literature degree at Mount Royal University and to pursue publication. Much to her satisfaction, the right side shows no sign of relinquishing its domination.