The courtyard was full of the nobility who had spilled out to watch, and at their head stood the Regent and Lady Marie.
“Anushka is dead and the curse broken,” Tristan said. “The trolls are free, and our immortal brethren are returned to this world.”
He hesitated, and no one said a word, the nobles, guards, and servants all waiting to see what he would say. Some few knew about the trolls, but all had seen the dragon, and that was enough to lend truth to his words.
“I am Prince Tristan de Montigny, and my father is King of the Trolls. In his mind, King of the Isle of Light, and in his heart, the future ruler of all the world. He is coming; and mark my words, he will show no mercy to those who do not bend their knees before him.”
“And you are his forerunner.” The Regent’s voice was bitter. “Here to prepare the Isle to receive its new king.”
Tristan shook his head. “I’m here to fight with you, and with your help, to take the crown from my father. To find a way for your kind and mine to live in peace, and to protect you from those who would see a return to the days of old when humans were our slaves.”
I watched as the crowd exchanged worried whispers, and my heart sank. We didn’t have time for this – the trolls were free, and too few of those here understood the magnitude of their threat. Roland, Angoulême, and Lessa – they were coming…
“Why should we trust you?” the Regent demanded. “I know your kind. I know your ways.”
“Because I am your only hope,” Tristan replied. “You are not fighting for dominion over this Isle or even for your own sovereignty. When they come, you will be fighting for only one thing – survival.”
In the distance, the horns blared once more.
They were coming, and I had no idea how we’d stop them.
Acknowledgments
Completing a novel is often considered a solitary pursuit – success and failure attributed to what occurs in those long hours where a writer is alone with her keyboard. Far less consideration is given to the impact of the hours spent away from the manuscript, which means the individuals who influence those moments are rarely given their due. The fact of the matter is, none of my books would have been written if not for the support of those who are part of my non-writing life. The majority of Hidden Huntress made its way onto the page while I was working out of town, and as a result, I was reliant on a somewhat different group of people than I have in the past. Endless thanks to Carleen, Joel, Cohen, and Camdyn for being my family while I was away from mine. To Brenda, for keeping me employed and for teaching me a whole new set of text message acronyms. To Bob, for always making sure there was Starbucks waiting on the island for the hermit in your basement. To my friends at Campus, especially Shannon, Katie, Jessica, Melissa, Kathyrn, Meaghan, Shaylea, Amber, Sunme, Kaitlyn, Carolyn, Destiny, Brianne, Shelby, Precious, and Kelvin, thanks for the endless entertainment. You guys rule! And for the moments I was in Calgary, so much gratitude to Donna for all the lunches and for listening to my drama.
A thousand thanks to my amazing agent, Tamar Rydzinski, for your endless support and hard work – I’d be lost without you! To Laura Dail for being there when things went sideways, and interns Cassie Homer and Emily Motyka for finding my typos. To the crew at Angry Robot – Caroline, Marc, Phil, and Mike – thanks for keeping me around and for all the work you put into this book; looking forward to going for round three with you.
Hidden Huntress wouldn’t have seen the light of day without the ceaseless support of my family. Huge thanks to my mom for being the greatest book-pusher (though not as good as Sandy, Brenda, and Edith!) a daughter could ask for – I’m not nearly as ungrateful as I pretend. To my dad, for endless editing and not complaining when I ask you to do it last minute. To my brother, for selling my books to your coworkers like they are Girl Guide cookies. And to Spencer, for making sure my life never suffers a dull moment – love you!
Finally, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the book bloggers and readers who supported Stolen Songbird. It is very much thanks to you that Hidden Huntress is hitting the shelves too, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
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.