Queen’s Kestrel 6

  Queen’s Kestrel

  Book 6

  Danny Rogan

  Copyright © 2026 by Royal Guard Publishing LLC

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  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

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  The End

  About Danny Rogan

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  Chapter One

  IVY

  As the devil mage who had reached across the Firmament burned to ash in her stolen body, Princess Ivy Anastasia Stansfield breathed a low sigh of relief... or, back in the safety of the Clarion Flight Academy, her body considered it. At the moment, Ivy was no longer in her body. She now possessed the intangible body of one of her summoned shadow servants.

  It was the only way to keep an eye on Trent and ensure no one murdered him today.

  Through the eyes of her shadow servant, Ivy lurked invisibly near the small outlook on which Emerald—the brave mageblade they had rescued from a rebel group of valkyries—and Trent, the man she had sworn to always protect, stood together. Each stared approvingly at the distant peak where Revca’s tiny form was visible... along with the ashes of the devil mage that had possessed Revca’s sister.

  Ivy had to admit, that had been an impressive shot. Emerald remained a vision in her tight green leather armor, which didn’t make Ivy jealous. She simply acknowledged the woman was attractive as one might acknowledge any other fact about the world. She also knew Trent had obviously noticed Emerald’s beauty... which did make her a tiny bit jealous.

  When Emerald’s long dark hair caught the light, the faint green that nestled within was barely visible. Ivy wasn’t sure if it was dye or some part of her enchantment, but it was striking. She was also a bit jealous of Emerald’s silky hair.

  As Trent said something Ivy couldn’t make out, Ivy drifted closer. As much as it felt wrong to eavesdrop on a conversation that did not involve her, she couldn’t very well protect Trent if she didn’t know what his plans were, could she?

  She was simply listening to keep him safe. Not because she wondered if he planned to add Emerald to his tribe. Or, as many in other nations would see it, his harem.

  Ivy knew all about how Windborne tribes organized themselves. A number of Windborne tribes, and other groups with similar practices, existed in Corrin. Before her father made a devil deal along with his counselors, Ivy had learned all she could about the many peoples of Corrin so she could reliably represent all her subjects one day.

  Not by leading them. Not by sitting on the throne. That was to be the role of her younger brother, Prince Narius, because Corrin was old-fashioned and backward in regards to who got to wear a crown. Even so, Ivy intended to be an advocate for all her people.

  And a strong voice in favor of finally making peace with Dalry.

  Despite decades of war between her nation and Dalry, Ivy found she still respected the nation and its people... and Princess Victoria. Victoria truly did seem to want the best for the people of Dalry, and more importantly, she wanted to forge a peace treaty with Corrin. Ivy saw no way forward but to ally with the princess of Dalry and lead her people out of the long war.

  Their fathers had failed to bring peace. Their counselors had become devil mages. But for the first time in decades, Ivy truly believed that peace was possible with Queen Victoria on the throne. All it would take was some diplomatic maneuvering and a royal marriage.

  For the sake of peace, Princess Ivy Anastasia Stansfield would marry Trent Marston, Victoria’s first knight. She would also share Trent with Bethany, Ruby, Revca, Kari, and, if Trent played his cards right, even Emerald.

  That wasn’t why she was eavesdropping, of course. But wouldn’t it be good to know what to expect in her new tribe?

  As Trent stared into Emerald’s green eyes, the woman answered his question with a warm smile that had a bit of an edge to it.

  “Oh, I took plenty of pleasure in killing her. Scylla’s Daughter, or whatever was inside her, cost me sisters and friends. She may cost me even more before we put an end to this civil war. She tore my sisterhood apart, and now she’s paid for her crimes. I’m satisfied.”

  Ivy would have nodded if she could, but her shadow servant lacked that capability. Back in the Clarion Flight Academy, the others believed she was meditating. Ivy would not correct their assumption until she was certain she had thwarted Lord Adon’s assassination attempt.

  When Xorumon, Belgor’s lieutenant, had come to her in the Firmament, he had been unequivocal in his message regarding what would happen if they traveled to Clarion to save Emerald from “Calla’s” forces. Ivy still felt guilty about not delivering the message to Trent and his wives in full, but she knew Trent well enough to know he would always make the decision that protected the most people... even if it meant he himself was at risk.

  Ivy still remembered Xorumon’s glowing yellow eyes boring into hers. As she had stood on a floating stone island in the Firmament in her dreams, Xorumon—a figure in dark red robes with his face hidden inside a hood, leaving only his glowing yellow eyes visible—had made his message... or rather, his prophecy regarding the future... clear.

  “If Trent Marston travels to Clarion with his tribe to save Emerald, he will die. Lord Adon desires Emerald and the many advantages he could gain in Clarion, but he also desires the death of my master’s most successful agent. Lord Adon’s assassin waits to assassinate Marston, should he set foot on Clarion soil. This agent cannot be stopped, only intercepted.”

  Ivy’s chest tightened as she considered Xorumon’s words. She refused to accept that Trent’s death was inevitable. There had to be some way to stop this.

  “There’s no way to save him from the assassin? No way to ensure he lives?”

  “There is one, but it is not one that you will readily accept.”

  “Don’t make assumptions about me when I’m standing right here. How do I save him?”

  “You must offer your life in exchange for his.”

  Ivy blinked. “You’re saying I must sacrifice myself to keep him from being assassinated?”

  “I am saying that is one option you have to prevent Lord Adon’s assassin from completing his mission. I am not instructing you to do anything. My master sees many paths forward, and this is but one. But if Trent Marston goes to rescue Emerald, this path is set.”

  “He dies or I do.”

  Xorumon simply nodded.

  “Is there any chance you’re mistaken about this outcome?”

  “We do not believe we are. Yet our projections are based on what we see, and what we know, and what we can intuit. None are set in stone. I can only say that both Lord Belgor and I believe that this is the most likely outcome if Marston travels to Clarion.”

  Ivy nodded calmly. “I suppose I’ll simply have to prove you both wrong, then.”

  Her memories of her dream in the Firmament came and went in the space of a breath. As she focused once more on the man she intended to protect and the powerful mageblade who was now watching him with fresh interest, she also felt the tiniest hint of regret.

  Regret that she had not spent more time with the man she intended to marry.

  Ivy had kept a distance between herself and Trent precisely because she couldn’t allow herself to be driven by emotions instead of logic. She had avoided any chance to grow closer with him because she wasn’t certain he would survive until the day of their marriage. She had kept herself apart from Trent and his wives because it seemed proper and logical.

  Yet her heart still fluttered in annoyance at the way Emerald was now smiling at the man Ivy fully intended to marry some day... if they both survived till tomorrow. She almost felt like the other woman had cut in line, even though she herself had made the choice to keep her distance. As Ivy’s shadow servant form drifted closer to her future husband, Emerald raised an eyebrow.

  “Do you think Revca will be cross with me?”

  Trent smiled the warm, comforting smile Ivy had so often found reassuring. “No. She gave the order herself.”

  “Too bad we couldn’t catch and interrogate the Daughter first. Alas.”

  “I doubt she would have told us much. However, we do now have a name for our foe.”

  “Oh? What is it?”

  “Lord Adon. That’s the devil mage who wants our realm to descend into war. Calla... the Daughter... made mention of him when attempting to recruit Revca to his cause.”

  Again, Ivy’s breath would have caught in her throat if she had one. Trent finally knew about Lord Adon! Ivy had known the name of the devi
l mage opposing Lord Belgor for years, of course, but she had taken an oath never to reveal that name to anyone back in her world.

  It was the least of the unreasonable demands devil mages like Xorumon had made upon her, once she approached them as so many others in Corrin had. Not to offer her soul. She had been clear she would never make a deal for that. But to offer the devils an alliance.

  To this day, Ivy remained proud to have discovered what her father, her father’s counselors, and others had failed to understand. The devil mages that existed in worlds beyond the Firmament were far from united. Just like the nations of her world, like Dalry, Hesia, Corrin, Clarion, the Cridor Republic, and Pasharal, all devil mages had their own goals and aims.

  Ivy had not sought to ally with Lord Adon in exchange for the power to end the war with Dalry. She had instead sought to ally with those who opposed Lord Adon in hopes of finding allies who would aid her to accomplish their own goals. That was how she had first come in contact with Xorumon, and why he had arranged for Trent to help her defect.

  Emerald smiled proudly. “Well, I simply can’t wait to disappoint Lord Adon again.”

  The woman brushed back some of her long dark green hair, then eyed Trent with an appreciative look that further annoyed Ivy. Couldn’t the woman at least pretend she didn’t want to push Trent down and ride him in the middle of the forest? Ivy had never been so bold.

  Though today, she almost wished she had been.

  Emerald took a deep, chest-swelling breath. “So, Sir Marston? What are your plans now that you’ve saved Clarion from a civil war? There’s an academy full of nubile women who will no doubt be absurdly grateful.”

  Trent smiled in the self-deprecating way he always did when he felt someone was pushing too much praise his way. On another man, it would have been a turnoff, but Trent’s desire to credit others felt sincere instead of hesitant.

  Trent was confident enough in his abilities that he didn’t need to claim credit for everything that happened under his watch. He also trusted the women in his tribe to shoulder the same burdens he did. He trusted Ivy to handle herself, unlike her father and brother.

  Her future husband smiled. “You put an end to this war, not me.”

  “I simply fired the bow you placed in my hands, and none of my sisters are talking about me. Now that it’s known you’re open to having multiple women, you should hear the gossip going around. Some even made me blush. Is it true you did all five of them in the same night?”

  Ivy mentally rolled her eyes. So far as she knew, that had never happened. For one, they had put at least two people on watch every night. Also, Emerald was obviously hoping the rumor was true. Trent simply maintained his calm, reasonable smile.

  “Let’s leave the gossip for the others. I’d like to focus on our next move.”

  Emerald tut-tutted softly. “That’s not nearly as fun.”

  “Even so. Given the difficulties we still face, you could be a tremendous help to us in Dalry. Ruby and Sapphire would be overjoyed to have you with us. Yet I know you also have deep connections to your sisters here, and this academy. So what do you want, Emerald?”

  Ivy’s heart melted at Trent’s sincere question. Of course, even when confronted with the chance to have this woman in his life or on her back, Trent was focused on what was best for Emerald. What she wanted. Just as Ivy thought he’d focused on what was best for herself, too.

  Emerald turned to stare at the sky. “I haven’t decided yet.”

  “Your talents would be invaluable in our quest to unseat Tallun.”

  “Oh, I’m aware. Plus, killing a king sounds fun. I’ve had three hundred years, and killed a number of people, but I’ve never killed a king.”

  Trent frowned. “That’s... well, me neither.”

  “I also can’t wait to see the monastery again. I will at least visit, if for no other reason than to swim in the reservoir beneath the surface. Naked.”

  Ivy again mentally rolled her eyes. The reservoir was nice, but still. She could tell from the faint blush that colored Trent’s cheeks that he was now enjoying the exact mental image Emerald had intended to put in his head with that comment. He was thinking about it.

  “It is rather peaceful.”

  “And so relaxing, especially with a friend! Even so... I’m not sure yet.”

  Emerald strode to the path that would lead them back to the main road, and Trent followed. Ivy drifted along behind them in her invisible shadow servant form. The two of them fell silent as they descended from the perch they had used to murder Scylla’s Daughter. Ivy moved silently, of course; but then again, she didn’t have any feet.

  Trent and Emerald moved like ghosts, even in physical form. It was yet another fact about which Ivy found herself unreasonably jealous. She couldn’t keep up with Trent in the forest, let alone move so quietly even a deer would fail to hear her approach.

  Unless, Ivy supposed, she was in the body of a shadow servant.

  They soon reached a field beside the wide road Revca had taken earlier today to meet with Scylla’s Daughter. They had all agreed that having Revca confront her sister—or the devil mage posing as her sister—was the best way to stop Clarion’s budding civil war from spiraling into something much more bloody. Revca hadn’t hesitated to risk herself to stop it.

  Which was one of many reasons Ivy respected her so much.

  Revca might not be a princess, but she had grown up as a primal conjurer with the hopes and dreams of her entire tribe riding on her shoulders. And while she had not abandoned her tribe by choice, she was still alone in the world... just like Ivy. All Ivy’s friends, family, and trusted retainers were back in Corrin, where she might never see them again.

  Finally, Revca understood power, both how to wield it and the cost of doing so. Ivy had found something she liked about every one of Trent’s wives, but Revca remained the only one of them Ivy felt might truly understand her own goals and her motivations.

  Bethany was focused on growing her husband’s tribe to the point where it was almost comical. Ruby seemed too naïve and innocent to plot any strategies at all. Kari was a kind and talented life mage, but she was also blinded by her time at the Primal Academy and the Cridor Republic’s limited beliefs about the workings of ether and inborn natural affinities.

  And Sapphire? Sapphire continued to walk around with a chip on her shoulder that Ivy would never truly understand. At least the big woman had relaxed after she and Trent went walking in the woods a few days ago. Ivy had not eavesdropped then.

  There was no need to protect Trent when a woman like Sapphire was with him.

  As Ivy took up a protective position in the bushes to the side of where Emerald and Trent crouched together, Emerald smiled at Trent.

  “Seems your wife may be a while.”

  “Yes.”

  “She’s not a trained hunter?”

  “No, but she can find her way down a goat path.”

  A brief cloud over Trent’s expression suggested he had mentally debated whether to remind Emerald that Revca was not someone to underestimate. Ivy approved of him instinctively defending Revca. For her part, Emerald simply relaxed and looked at the road.

  “Good. She’s safe?”

  “Yes. She’s on her way.”

  “Glad to hear it. So, while we’re waiting, can I ask you a few more questions?”

  Trent smiled calmly. “You can ask.”

  As Emerald quizzed Trent about how he had come to lead a Windborne tribe and had then come to be with each of his wives, Ivy focused instead on their surroundings. She had heard all of this before. She had asked many of these same questions herself.

  Yet even though Ivy was only halfway listening, the sudden shift in Emerald’s tone from playful to seductive caught her attention.

  “So you’d take me to this remote peak, and... what? Have your way with me?”

  Ivy mentally ground her teeth. Yet Trent’s answer was genial and pleasant.

  “We could look at the stars. It offers the sort of view you might enjoy, and the hike out is as challenging as they come. It’s a good test for anyone who enjoys the outdoors, and I think you’d enjoy the challenge. If we were lucky, we might even get to kill a chaos wolf.”

  Emerald looked back at the path and grinned. “Gods, that’s a good answer.”