Secrets & Swords Read online

  Roguelyn made her way back to the cliff top to practice with her sword the following morning, hoping for some time alone, to think through all the events that had happened in the last year.

  She started slowly, and once her muscles were warmed up she began to move faster, her sword becoming a silvery flash in the morning sun. So caught up in her exercise was she that she didn’t notice when a figure came up to stand near her, watching. Abruptly, Roguelyn caught sight of a man out of the corner of her eye and she stumbled, almost dropping her sword on her own leg. She caught it at the last second and took a few awkward steps before regaining her balance. She looked up. The man standing before her was very tall, with a dusting of freckles across his face. His red hair stood out in a shock on top of his head and his blue eyes twinkled. Roguelyn gasped and dropped her sword.

  “Will!” she squealed and leapt towards him. He enclosed her in a huge hug and swung her around laughing. Finally, he placed her back on the ground and she looked at him incredulously. He had grown into a man since they’d last seen each other. He’d filled out and didn’t seem quite so naive and boyish as he once had. “Last time I saw you, you were just over the border in Gadel.” Will’s face fell.

  “You were there? I am so sorry about that, Rogue.” Roguelyn smiled sadly. It wasn’t his fault. He’d been taken in by Cole and then forced to betray her. The more time that had passed and the more she’d thought about it, the less his betrayal mattered. Cole’s death still haunted her, as did all the deaths of those she’d killed, but it was her burden to manage, not Will’s.

  “Oh, Will. It wasn’t your fault. You did nothing wrong.” Roguelyn patted his shoulder.

  “But I did!” he insisted, taking Roguelyn’s hand, his face twisted in sadness. “I told Cole about you, and I led them right to you. I told the captain that I thought you’d run towards your father, not away. I ruined it all.”

  “But don’t you see? You didn’t ruin anything. Yes, telling Cole was a bad idea, and I deeply regret killing him. But if none of that had happened, then I would never have crossed the border, and I never would have been brave enough to try a rescue attempt on my own.”

  “Yes, you would have. You would have found a reason or a way eventually.” Will winked at her.

  “Yea, maybe you’re right.” She looked out over the ocean, now beginning to grow stormy with the wind, white caps forming on the waves. “Either way, it seems to have turned out the way it should have.” Will agreed with her, and together they sat and enjoyed the waves crashing far below.

  The End

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  About the Author

  R.A. Lewis is a debut fantasy author and Secrets and Swords is her first published novel. She lives in Oregon with her husband, two dogs, four cats, and hundreds of fish. R.A. Lewis has two degrees from the University of Oregon in Psychology and Sociology and loves to address mental illness, trauma, and the human experience within her writing. When she’s not pulling her hair out writing, she enjoys reading, daydreaming, spending time with her husband and dogs, watching zombie movies/shows, swimming, and napping.

  You can visit her on Facebook (R.A.LewisAuthor), Instagram (@author.r.a.lewis), Pinterest (authorralewis), her blog (Authorralewis.wordpress.com), or Twitter (@RALewis10).