Prince of Fire

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue

"Bewitching... a fabulous climactic romantic fantasy ... filled with fascinating twists, beguiling "

—Midwest Book Review

"A fantastic denouement... For an action-packed and thrilling romance,
The Star Witch
is just what the doctor ordered."

—
Romance Reviews Today

"I can hardly wait to find out how she will [entwine] all the threads she has created!... This series is just too good to miss."

—
The Romance Reader

"An enjoyable romantic fantasy that grips the audience ... Action-packed."

—
The Best Reviews

"A unique and imaginative realm ... Prepare to be swept away!"

—
Rendezvous

"[W]ill enthrall... Lushly imaginative."

—
Publishers Weekly

"Entertaining and imaginative, with a wonderful blend of worlds and technology and magic. The characters are different and engrossing, the villain is fascinating."

—
New York Times
bestselling author Linda Howard

"Charming ... Winsome ... The perfect choice when you want a Hghthearted and fun, yet sensual romance... with all the magic of a fairy tale."

—Bookbug on the Web

"Fabulous ... The story is spectacular and this author is unforgettable."

—
Road to Romance

"Let the fireworks begin! This whimsical, entrancing tale will satisfy the romance fan demanding something unusual and wonderful. With a skillful blend of the fanciful and the mundane, author Linda Winstead Jones weaves a marvelous tale of love and happy-ever-after, with a twist. Remarkable in imagination."

—
Word Weaving

"Amazing adventures unfold... marvelously captivating, sensuous, fast-paced."

—
Booklist
(starred review)

"Hot."

—
Affaire de Coeur

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responiibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

PRINCE OF FIRE

A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author

PRINTING HISTORY

Berkley Sensation mass-market edition / April 20O7

Copyright © 2007 by Linda Winstead Jones.

Excerpt from
Prince of Swords
copyright ©2007 by Linda Winstead Jones.

Cover art by Danny O'Leary.

Cover design by Lesley Worrell.

Handletlering by Isfcra Johnson.

Interior lent design by Stacy Irwin.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions. For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York. New York 10014.

lSBN:978-0-425-21481-7

BERKLEY SENSATION®

Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,

a division of Penguin Group (USA)
inc.,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

BERKLEY SENSATION is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

The "B" design is a trademark belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as "unsold and destroyed" to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this "stripped book."

For Linda Howard and Beverly Barton, two remarkable and talented women who have become sisters of my heart.

A darkness creeps beneath Columbyana and the lands beyond. This darkness grows stronger each and every day, infecting those who have an affinity for evil. As it grows stronger, it will also begin to affect those who are of weak mind, and eventually it will grow so strong no one among us will be able to defeat it. If this darkness is allowed to grow to this point, the world is doomed to eternal shadows, where evil will reign.

Only the firstborn children of three fine women
[later translated as Fyne]
have the power to stop the darkness and restore the world to light. These firstborn will be the warriors who lead the fight. Our fate rests in their hands, and in the hands of the armies tfiey will call to them.

Of the three fine
[Fyne]
warriors who are called to this battle, one will find and wield the crystal dagger. One will betray love in the name of victory. And one, the eldest, will die at the hands of a monster who will hurtle a weary soul into the Land of the Dead.

Many monsters will rise from among us in this unholy war, soulless monsters such as the world has never seen. Heroes will be born and heroes will die. Death and darkness will threaten all those who choose to fight for the light.

Scribbled in the lefthand margin, in an almost illegible hand:

Beware Serrazone

and beside it,

He who walks through fire may show the way.

Scribbled in the righthand margin:

Those who are called must choose

between love and death,

between heart and intellect,

between victory of the sword and victory of the soul.

The remainder of the prophesy is illegible scribbling and indecipherable sketches. A scraggly tree; a bird with wings too large; a flower; a heart; a dagger
[The crystal dagger, perhaps?].
Do they have meaning or are they simply a dying old man's insignificant doodles?

1

Shaking, trembling to her bones, Keelia lifted her head and studied her own hands—pale hands which were pressed against a chilly gray stone floor. Tangled strands of red hair fell past one cheek and pooled against the rough stone. A hint of panic welled up inside her, but she did not reveal that panic in any outward way, other than the tremble which she could not control.