Back to Top

The Last Vhalgenn

The Last Vhalgenn: Colonies of Man by Kayelle Allen #SciFi #Fantasy #Romance

The Last Vhalgenn by Kayelle Allen

The Last Vhalgenn: Colonies of Man by Kayelle Allen #SciFi #Fantasy #Romance

The Last Vhalgenn

When you've sacrificed your life, what more can you offer?

Duty, honor, and ritual rule her life, but one of these may kill her.

The Vhalgenn is the last of her kind, a companion bred to serve the king. Duty and honor burn in her blood. When the queen begs for a secret blessing to save her newborn son, the Vhalgenn answers.

But when she takes the babe to the queen's homeland for the ritual, what she discovers could topple the kingdom and overthrow her beloved king.

To save the newborn prince, the Vhalgenn must abandon every last truth she holds sacred, and do the one thing that will destroy her own heart...

Books in this series include The Last Vhalgenn and Trailing Kaiwulf. Links below.

Where to Read This Book

Available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook

Review this book at no cost - join the Review Team

Support me by buying direct https://kayelleallen.com/buy-direct/buy-colonies/

Find this book on all available stores


Tropes include: Loyalty, Honor, Duty, Compassion, Ancient Customs, Old Ways, Woman Warrior, Forbidden Love

In this scene, the queen has called Raik to her bedside and presented her newborn son. The woman's dying wish is for Raik to perform a ritual, which must be accomplished in the queen's homeland.

Excerpt

I pulled the babe closer and crept backwards, muttering a prayer. I bumped into a wall, turned and threw aside the curtain. A barefoot wisp of a girl sat huddled in the corner, arms around her chest, knees up and skirt over them. Her huge brown eyes were wide and solemn. She unfolded herself and stood. Heavy breasted, she had a slim waist and thick legs. She opened her blouse and held out her hands for the babe. He rooted noisily and latched on to nurse with a satisfied grunt. She smiled down at him.

"A bit young, aren't you?"

She tossed her hair. "I've had seventeen summers, and this ain't the first babe I've e'er given suck."

"What's your name?"

"Estria Luvas."

"Luvas? Clan Ddumach?" My kin. I grunted. Would the women of my clan ever change? Rebels, the lot of us.

Queen Dahr's lady returned with a bundle of clothes. "Here. You'll need to dress and ride. I've a horse ready in the stables and the girl has all the prince needs."

The prince? Orix had been the prince when I was growing up. Even though he was weaned and a toddler when I was born, he'd insisted on trying out what seemed to satisfy his Vhalgenn. We'd shared my mother's milk until I was two and he was four. I wondered which female child of my clan would be given to Dahryc. Estria's perhaps?

I had no time for pondering it then, with the need to hurry prodding me. I stripped off my robe and dressed in the clothes they'd provided. At least they hadn't given me skirts. There was a black shirt, vest, and a coat of leather and heavy woolen pants lined with silk. My own boots, cleaned and polished, went on over clean socks. I strapped on my sword and the belt in which I carried my daggers. The other weapons I hid about my person, much to the amusement of Estria.

"A walkin' blade, you are."

"And don't forget it. Do you have shoes? And a cloak?"

"I'm not soft."

"Can you run over rocks with bare feet?"

She stuck one up. The bottom was more callused than my sword hand.

"Suit yourself, but you'll wear a cloak and no argument. It's cold in the hills and you'll need to cover the babe if it rains."

She growled under her breath. "But unly for 'is sake."

I grabbed up two thick cloaks, wrapped the heaviest around the girl, and tossed the other around my shoulders. In the dark stable yard below, I mounted up, putting the girl in front of me. Dahr's woman assured me we'd be met on the North Road with two fresh mounts and further supplies.

Reins in hand, I settled onto the horse. The animal tossed its head, hot breath sending clouds of mist into the night air.

Dahr's Lady in Waiting handed me up a packet. "Papers in case you need to cross at a border."

"Well planned for such a sudden thing."

"And who do ye suppose arranged for you to bring back dispatches? She feared she was dying and knew you, of all people, would serve the king's heir. She knew you'd let no harm come to him."

I reined in the impatient horse and steadied Estria with an arm around her waist.

"She even chose one of your clan, to honor you."

I had my doubts about that, but kept them to myself. It was our custom to choose a woman from my clan to bear the Vhalgenn for the heir. Just as it was theirs to pass their children through these cursed Gates that I was being sent off in the middle of the night to find.

I nodded to her. The woman stepped aside. We were off.

The Last Vhalgenn

This fantasy/scifi finaled for a Fantasy EPIC eBook Award (then called EPPIE) in 2008 in the anthology A Time To... Volume 1 - The Best of The Lorelei Signal 2006, from Wolfsinger Publications. That version is now out of print.

Colonies of Man

Colonies of Man #SciFi #Fantasy

Series: https://kayelleallen.com/scifi-space-opera-fantasy/

#SciFi #Fantasy #Romance

Sign up for my newsletter and claim your immortality

The Last Vhalgenn by Kayelle Allen #SciFi #Fantasy

Trailing Kaiwulf by Kayelle Allen #SciFi #Fantasy #Romance

Beneath the Gates – Fantasy, Archaeology, Science Fiction #SciFi #Fantasy #Romance

Any of my characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.


~ Copyright Β©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!


To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join my newsletter.