Inker and Crown

Inker and Crown

Megan O'Russell · Completed · 119.1k Words

391
Hot
391
Views
117
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

Ilbrea: A magnificent country that offers fame to those brave enough to seize their place among the Guilds—no one has worked harder to find their scrap of glory than Adrial Ayres. But being a prodigy and the Lord Scribe’s heir won’t be enough to find the secrets the Guilds would kill to hide. Adrial can’t face the dangers of hidden magic alone… A sailor with a taste for adventure.A soldier whose heart has been claimed.A beauty they will never suspect.A map maker with secrets of their own.An inker who will change Adrial’s life forever. The Guilds offer glory. The truth promises death. Adrial might be the only one who can save Ilbrea—if he can survive the shadows long enough to discover his true enemy. For film and TV rights inquiries: Megan@MeganORussell.com

Chapter 1

1

ENA

There is a moment when the first spark of a fire appears and it is still possible to ignore the coming blaze.

There is no smoke tainting the air. No damage has been done.

Just a little flash that seems harmless and beautiful.

You can’t see the raging power of the fire, but it is there, hiding its danger and waiting for its moment to ignite.

That one spark will consume the world.

It does not care if you are too blind to see the destruction racing toward you.

We will all burn in the coming blaze.

I perched in the rafters above the crowd, wondering if any of the people below could see the spark or sense how near our doom we stood.

“The paun will starve us.” Cade stood on a crate, looking out over his followers. His eyes gleamed as he took in the silent horde. “They will watch our children die and not raise a hand to save them. For too long, we have let the Guilds build their glory on the corpses of our fallen brothers. Their time is coming to an end. How many of you will be brave enough to stand with me when the battle begins?”

A rustle of murmurs fluttered through the crowd.

“Watch and see what decrees the King sends down for Winter’s End,” Cade said. “He won’t order the healers to stop letting those who can’t pay die. He won’t order the soldiers to put down their swords and help the common farmer in the field. The King cares only for glory and riches. We are worthless rodents to the Guilds.”

He stood still for a moment, basking in the crowd’s rapt attention. With his curly, blond hair, handsome face, and broad shoulders, he looked like the hero the common folk had been waiting for. The savior of the tilk standing on a crate as he made grand plans to change Ilbrea.

Cade looked up at me.

My heart stuttered, but I didn’t shrink back into the shadows. I held Cade’s gaze as he spoke.

“A new day is dawning. The blood of the Guilded paun will slick the streets. Fire will consume anyone who stands in our way. There is only death or freedom. There can be no other path. Who will answer when I give the call to fight?”

“I will!” a voice shouted from the back of the crowd. The same voice that had shouted first the last time Cade held court.

“I will fight with you!” A man stepped up to the front of the horde.

“I’ll fight!”

“I will!”

I stood up on the rafters and made my way back to the open window at the front of the stable. The shouts of the horde were still growing as I grabbed the thick rope hanging off the side of the building and swung myself down to the street.

The people passing by paid no attention to the roaring shouts in the stable. It was Winter’s End, after all. A day of celebration for everyone in Ilara.

Cheering, dancing, drinking, a raucous mess would swallow the streets by nightfall. Why should anyone care if some started their celebrating before midday?

I forced my shoulders to relax as I followed the crowds toward the cathedral square. But even as I pressed a careful smile onto my face, I couldn’t drive the horrible images of blood and fire from my mind.

Cade wanted a rebellion. He wanted blood to slick the streets of Ilara.

It would be easy to cause chaos and death in Ilbrea’s capital city.

It would be impossible to protect the innocents of Ilara if Cade got the battle he craved.

“Mama, mama, look!”

I nearly tripped over the little girl who had stopped in the middle of the street to point at me.

The child gazed up at me, her eyes wide with wonder. “Are you a fairy?”

“There is no such thing as fairies.” The girl’s mother frowned as she eyed me.

I bent down to be level with the girl and pulled my hair over my shoulder, letting her touch the technicolor strands. “But it is Winter’s End, so I suppose anything’s possible.”

The girl giggled as I winked and strode away.

I could feel others staring at me, but it didn’t bring me any fear or make me blush.

I wanted them all to stare.

A dozen colors streaked my hair. More decorated my skirt. I offered them all a grand display as I fluttered through the streets of Ilara.

Armor comes in many forms. Mine is forged of pigments and beauty. Better to know why I drew the gaze of those around me than to wonder if they’d discovered the secrets I’d hidden in the shadows.

The pace of the crowd slowed as we neared the cathedral square and the people packed more tightly together.

I weaved through the throng, offering smiles to the men who let me pass, winking at the women who glared disapprovingly.

“Keep moving forward.” A soldier stood on the steps of a shop, waving the horde onward. I caught his gaze, and he smiled down at me. “Happy Winter’s End, miss.”

He was young and handsome. He had a glimmer of hope in his eyes as he smiled at me, as though speaking to a pretty girl might bring evening enjoyment.

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. I tucked my chin and hid behind the curtain of my hair, hoping the soldier would think I was shy rather than disgusted at the thought of ever letting a filthy paun touch me.

The line of people stopped as we reached the cathedral square.

“We should have stayed home,” an older man grumbled.

A woman smacked him on the arm. “We should have left home when I wanted to.”

I ducked around them and dove deeper into the crowd, aiming for the statue of the seven-pointed star that rose up in the center of it all.

A hand grazed my waist as I climbed up onto the statue’s pedestal. I didn’t bother looking for whoever had been so brazen. The crowd nearest the cathedral had already begun cheering, and I hadn’t the time to spare.

The bottom two arms of the star were set into the white marble of the pedestal. The next pair up had already been claimed by men.

“Give a girl a hand?” I reached for the man sitting above me.

“I don’t mind the company.” He grinned, wrapping his callused hand around mine as he helped me up.

As soon as I got a toe onto his arm of the star, I let go and climbed onto the level above him.

“I thought we were going to be friends,” the man called up to me.

“I only asked for a hand.” I gripped the center arm of the star and looked toward the towering, white cathedral.

A line of soldiers in black uniforms stood in front of the cathedral steps.

Fear flickered through me. Only a chivving fool would be brazen enough to climb above the crowd in front of so many paun soldiers. But it was Winter’s End. I would no more be whipped for climbing the statue than a fiddler would be for taking coins for their songs.

And, even if the soldiers wanted to get to me, they would have to slog through hundreds of others to reach me.

I forced myself to breathe.

The crowd at the front gave a fresh round of cheers as the Lord Soldier climbed the cathedral steps. Two lines of men in black uniforms marched behind him.

The golden doors of the cathedral opened before the soldiers reached them and closed as soon as they’d passed through, keeping the common folk from peering into the Guilds’ precious sanctuary for too long.

The sailors in their blue came next. They didn’t march in neat columns as they entered the cathedral. A young man with black hair moved at the center of their unruly pack, and even the Lord Sailor laughed at whatever joke the young man had made.

I tried to find a bit of sympathy in my chest for the sailors. They looked almost like common men, like they’d rather drink ale with you than see you dead.

But the healers started up the steps, and any flicker of pity I might have felt vanished.

The Lady Healer turned and waved to the crowd as though she actually thought herself to be a savior of the common folk.

I gripped the star, biting back my urge to scream that the healers were no better than murderers. How could anyone be grateful for a healer who left the poor to die?

The Lady led her red-clad killers through the golden doors.

The map makers in their green entered next. At least the Lord Map Maker didn’t stop to wave at the people. He led his flock straight to the doors. A girl with red hair wore the same map maker’s uniform as the men. She walked taller than the rest, though she was the shortest among them. She kept her shoulders thrown back and her chin held high.

At least there was one paun I could feel true pity for. Poor thing had lost herself to the world of men and didn’t even have the sense to revel in the power it gave her.

The doors shut again. I squinted through the sunlight glinting off the metal but couldn’t see the fancy carvings in the gold from my place on the star.

I’d only been near enough to see the carvings once, when I’d come by late at night and offered a smile to the soldiers guarding the cathedral in exchange for a chance at a closer look.

A soldier had tried to tell me about the scenes and saints the images honored, but all I’d been able to think of was the number of children that could have been fed off the gold the paun had molded into a door.

I’d run away from the soldier and been sick in an alley.

The crowd cheered again as a flock of white-robed scribes climbed slowly up the steps. At the front of the group, two men clasped each other’s arms. The older had a shining bald patch. The younger, dark blond hair so neatly groomed I wished the wind would give a great gust just to muss it up. I thought the younger man had been helping the older up the stairs until they reached the top and the hint of a limp marred the younger man’s stride.

I had heard of that scribe before. Born on the bastards’ island of Ian Ayres and now the heir to the Scribes Guild. Too young for the position, too talented to be unseated―even the common folk liked to chatter about the Ian Ayres-born scribe. The whispers in the shadows called him the Guilded Cripple. I wondered how many in the crowd were disappointed to see a young man with a limp rather than a mangled beast.

Before the door had closed behind the scribes, a golden carriage stopped in front of the steps.

High up on the cathedral walls, horns blared, welcoming the King.

He stepped out of his gilded carriage and smiled for the crowd, waving at his people like the benevolent ruler he pretended to be. His clothing glinted gold in the light, and sour rolled up into my throat.

The Queen stepped out of the carriage next, her gown sparkling like her husband’s coat, though she did not smile as the King had. Her face was pale, and the King gripped her hand as though keeping her on her feet.

The King helped the Queen up the steps, leaving the young Princess to face the crowd on her own. The girl was beautiful, and her silver gown made her look like something out of a fairy story. But her smile flickered away as she watched her brother abandon her to the crowd. She nodded to the horde and followed her brother up the steps.

Last to arrive were the purple-robed sorcerers.

The Lady Sorcerer led her pack. She didn’t look to the common crowd or to the soldiers as she climbed the steps and sauntered to the door, completely secure in her position. Completely certain that no danger could touch her.

The purple lady was above us all, her power made untouchable by the strength of her magic. She held the throat of the Guilds in her hand as the paun crushed the common folk beneath their fancy boots.

The golden doors closed behind the sorcerers, and the soldiers tightened their ranks around the cathedral.

All the most powerful people in Ibrea packed into one place. They’d spend hours locked inside, plotting new ways to grow Ilbrea’s might.

If a fire could start, flare to life right in the middle of the cathedral, then the paun would burn and Ilbrea would be free.

But only the gods could set a fire like that, and none of them have ever seen fit to be so kind to the common folk.

A fiddle started playing on the far end of the square. A pipe and a drum joined in.

Men rolled out barrels of ale and frie, and the whole square turned to chaos as the celebration of Winter’s End truly began. The common folk would dance, and drink, and sing, and laugh while the Guilds decided what new torments to unleash upon the people of Ilbrea.

I could see the spark of the fire that would devour Ilara hiding beneath the celebration. It was in the leering of the soldiers and the red faces of the men who drank to forget their troubles.

The inferno would not come quickly, but it was beyond my power to stop.

I was not strong enough to save the people dancing below from the coming flames.

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

Soulbound Mark

Soulbound Mark

4k Views · Completed · ngocvynguyen985
Vampires are her worst fear, but what if one of them turns out to be her soulmate?
Elena is a witch who adores flowers and plants, possessing a gentle kind of magic that is tied to nature. She leads a quiet life with her family—until one day, the peace is shattered. After a ruthless vampire kills her parents to obtain their magic, she barely escapes and is forced to go into hiding.
From that moment on, she lives in constant fear and does all she can to avoid vampires, afraid that her past may catch up with her one day.
However, Elena can’t escape her fate, and it leads her straight into the arms of yet another vampire. Their encounter throws her life into disarray—not only is Ryder her enemy, but he is also her destined soulmate.
Accardi

Accardi

966.7k Views · Completed · Allison Franklin
“I thought we discussed this earlier, Weakness? I warned you. His death is on your hands.”
“I thought you said you were done chasing me?” Gen mocked.
“I am done chasing you.”
Before she could formulate a witty remark, Matteo threw her down. She landed hard on her back atop his dining room table. She tried to sit up when she noticed what he was doing. His hands were working on his belt. It came free of his pants with a violent yank. She collapsed back on her elbows, her mouth gaping open at the display. His face was a mask of sheer determination, his eyes were a dark gold swimming with heat and desire. His hands wrapped around her thighs and pulled her to the edge of the table. He glided his fingers up her thighs and hooked several around the inside of her panties. His knuckles brushed her dripping sex.
“You’re soaking wet, Genevieve. Tell me, was it me that made you this way or him?” his voice told her to be careful with her answer. His knuckles slid down through her folds and she threw her head back as she moaned. “Weakness?”
“You…” she breathed.


Genevieve loses a bet she can’t afford to pay. In a compromise, she agrees to convince any man her opponent chooses to go home with her that night. What she doesn’t realize when her sister’s friend points out the brooding man sitting alone at the bar, is that man won’t be okay with just one night with her. No, Matteo Accardi, Don of one of the largest gangs in New York City doesn’t do one night stands. Not with her anyway.
Timeless Us

Timeless Us

2.2k Views · Ongoing · Jennifer Cooper
A strange traffic jam hurls Chloe twenty-three years into the future.
The world she knew is gone.
Her husband, Nathan, is no longer the young man she left behind—he’s successful, respected, and living with a new family.
But when the woman who disappeared twenty-three years ago suddenly returns…
can love survive the years that were lost?
Alpha VS Omega' Twin VS Twin (A Dark Werewolf Romance)

Alpha VS Omega' Twin VS Twin (A Dark Werewolf Romance)

1k Views · Ongoing · June Calva
Callum Brennan was born to lead London's most powerful werewolf pack. Then his twin brother framed him for murder.
Stripped of everything, Callum is thrown into the Rookeries, where packless wolves go to die. But he survives. He builds a pack from the broken and the damned. He falls in love with Valentina, a dhampir hunted by the same vampire Parliament that destroyed his life.
In a city ruled by immortal aristocrats and controlled by ancient dragons, Callum learns the hardest truth: individual virtue cannot defeat systemic evil. But small victories matter. And some fights are worth losing everything
The Shattered Moon King

The Shattered Moon King

1.5k Views · Ongoing · Hannah Kalu
In a world shattered by monsters, the only thing more dangerous than a lost memory is a forgotten identity.
Lena is a survivor. For years, she has weathered the harsh, post-apocalyptic landscape by following one rule: trust no one. But when she finds an amnesiac man near death in the wilderness—a man with kind eyes and a strength that is anything but human—she makes a choice that will unravel her solitary existence.
She calls him Cain, but the shattered-moon tattoo on his back brands him as Kaelen, the long-dead Alpha of the powerful Sky-Fall pack. His return triggers a brutal civil war with the usurper who stole his throne and his fated mate. Hunted by Lycan assassins and a fanatical human commander desperate for the secrets locked in Lena's own past, their only hope lies in embracing the very power Kaelen can't remember and Lena has always feared.
As they uncover a conspiracy that threatens not just the pack, but the future of every living thing, Kaelen must fight for a kingdom he doesn't know and Lena must confront a legacy she tried to bury. In a world of broken thrones and fated bonds, they will discover that the greatest choice is not between love and duty, but between who you are told you must be, and who you choose to become.
The Vampire Prince's Hybrid Bride

The Vampire Prince's Hybrid Bride

48.8k Views · Ongoing · Riley Above Story
As a wolfless orphan, Joanne had been abused by Alpha Anthony ever since she was a child. She devoted her entire life to surviving in his pack—until one day, she returned home to find an injured vampire lying in her house, his whole existence luring her in. Taking the risk of bringing him in, Joanne never expected Alpha Anthony to discover it the very next day and finally seize the chance to kill her. Just as Joanne was about to be executed, the vampire she had saved arrived, with his army. And Joanne realized that he was the Prince Alexander, heir to the vampire throne…..
Glimmerdrop: The Crownwake Series

Glimmerdrop: The Crownwake Series

2k Views · Ongoing · Rafaella Dutra
"Tell me you don't feel this... Just say the word, and I'll walk away."
"This is your last chance to push me away."


At the fiercely hierarchical Haldorian Academy, magic-less commoner Hettie just wants to remain invisible. But Zadok, the academy's most untouchable elite, backs her into a corner she can't escape.
His fatal obsession sparks ruthless revenge: Dana, a high-tier wind mystic, turns paper into deadly blades during combat class, nearly blinding and disfiguring Hettie in a bloody attack .
The massive class divide and brutal bullying force Hettie to draw a line, demanding their romance be kept strictly underground .

That forever unattainable golden boy pinned her against the tree trunk, his scalding and aggressive kiss accompanied by a hopeless surrender: "You're going to be my doom ."

Worse still, Hettie discovers her parents’ dark secrets are dragging her into a deadly conspiracy of betrayal . Survival clashes with forbidden desire. In this deadly, cross-class temptation, whoever gives in first is doomed!
The CEO's Unspoken Love

The CEO's Unspoken Love

193.2k Views · Completed · Lily Bronte
"You want my forgiveness?" he asked, my voice dropping to a dangerous timbre.

Before I could answer, he moved closer, suddenly looming over me, his face inches from mine. I felt my breath caught, my lips parting in surprise.

"Then this is the price for speaking ill of me to others," he murmured, nipping my lower lip before claiming my mouth in a real kiss. It began as punishment but quickly transformed into something else entirely as I responded, my initial rigidity melting into compliance, then active participation.

My breathing accelerated, small sounds escaping my throat as he explored my body. His touches were both punishment and pleasure, drawing shudders from me that I thought he felt reverberating through his own body.

My nightgown had ridden up, his hands discovering more of mine with each caress. We were both lost in sensation, rational thought receding with each passing second...

Three years ago, to fulfill the wish of his grandmother, I was forced to marry Derek Wells, the second son of the family that had adopted me for ten years. He didn't love me, but I had secretly loved him all along.

Now, the three-year contractual marriage is about to end, but I feel that some kind of sentiment has developed between Derek and me that neither of us is willing to admit. I'm not sure if my feelings are right, but I know that we can't resist each other physically...
Mates: Regrets and Redemption

Mates: Regrets and Redemption

1.5k Views · Completed · Oniella Lawrence
I thought I had it all figured out. I rejected my destined mate for the love of my high school sweetheart, Curtis. But everything shattered when Curtis met his mate and chose to lie to me instead of rejecting her.

With my heart in pieces, I sought solace in the last place I expected—my Alpha's arms. One night turned into a dangerous entanglement, and now my Alpha refuses to let me go. As the Alpha’s obsession grows, I'm caught in a web of desire and fear.

Curtis, the boy I once loved, still holds a promise I made, but the Alpha’s powerful presence pulls me deeper into his world. Should I forgive Curtis and keep my word, or should I risk everything for a chance at something wild and unpredictable with the Alpha who won’t take no for an answer?


“There are no limits between us,” he chuckled, the mirth sparkling in his gorgeous eyes. “And all of this stems from the night you gave me both pain and pleasure. I’m simply returning the favor.”

He took two steps forward, and I stepped back. “But…” The memory of what I had done filled me with fear, and I knew I had to get out of there. “I…”

“No, Firecat.” He placed an index finger on my lips. “This will take your mind off that son of a bitch.” His strong hands pulled me by the waist until I felt his hard manhood.
The Hunter and The Hunted

The Hunter and The Hunted

5.1k Views · Ongoing · Sashalouise Prior
My skin heats with each thrust of his fingers, and each forceful lap of his tongue, and i cannot stop the moans of pleasure tearing through my slackened jaw. My hand is wrapped in his hair, giving the impression that I have control, but I don’t. I control nothing, and I like it.
Mihai’s hand slowly slides up my stomach, his fingers wrapping around my neck as he cuts of my ability to breathe, black spots clouding my vision, and yet, I am not afraid. I want more. I want everything that he can give to me.
He slowly inserts a third finger, the intense fullness that I feel teetering me over the edge of a cliff I cannot even see, and then he sucks and pulls at my clit. Sparks erupt throughout my body, the orgasm shaking my soul, and destroying what was left of my resistance.


She was the Daughter of a Hunter, he was one of the creatures that her family had sworn to destroy, what could possibly go wrong?
When their worlds collide, who will be left standing, will it be the hunter or the hunted, and which is which?
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother

Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother

2.8m Views · Ongoing · Harper Rivers
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother.

"What is wrong with me?

Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?

It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.

He’s my boyfirend’s brother.

This is Tyler’s family.

I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.

**

As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.

Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.

When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.

I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.

**

I hate girls like her.

Entitled.

Delicate.

And still—

Still.

The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.

Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.

I shouldn’t care.

I don’t care.

It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.

It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.

I’m not here to rescue anyone.

Especially not her.

Especially not someone like her.

She’s not my problem.

And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.

But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.
Game of Destiny

Game of Destiny

1.2m Views · Completed · Dripping Creativity
Amie's wolf hasn't shown herself. But who cares? She has a good pack, best friends and a family who loves her. Everyone, including the Alpha, is telling her she is perfect just the way she is. That is until she finds her mate and he rejects her. Heartbroken Amie flees from everything and start over. No more werewolves, no more packs.

When Finlay finds her, she is living among humans. He is smitten by the stubborn wolf that refuse to acknowledge his existence. She may not be his mate, but he wants her to be a part of his pack, latent wolf or not.

Amie cant resist the Alpha that comes into her life and drags her back into pack life. Not only does she find herself happier than she has been in a long time, her wolf finally comes to her. Finlay isn't her mate, but he becomes her best friend. Together with the other top wolves in the pack, they work to create the best and strongest pack.

When it's time for the pack games, the event that decides the packs rank for the coming ten year, Amie needs to face her old pack. When she sees the man that rejected her for the first time in ten years, everything she thought she knew is turned around. Amie and Finlay need to adapt to the new reality and find a way forward for their pack. But will the curve ball split them apart?