The Hunted Heir

Verena is the lost princess of Marmoris, the person the narrator and his people have searched for all their lives. He had her in front of him and let her go. Now he hunts her, alongside half of a rebellion.

The story is told in first person by the rebel who knows her true identity. He revealed that knowledge to her, and the memory of her blue eyes widening in shock follows him through his days and nights.

Both feel betrayed, and he admits his own betrayal tasted bitter. She was hiding secrets, and they turn out to be more dangerous than he guessed.

The stakes are personal on both sides. Verena is heir to the kingdom and the daughter of the cruel king who caused the death of the narrator's mother. She is also the key to the rebellion winning.

His father has given a clear order: the rebellion takes her, or the gods will. The narrator cannot say which outcome is worse, and he does not trust what his father will do if he reaches her first. Torn between his vow and his wish to keep her out of his father's hands, he keeps searching.