Release date: May 31, 2016
Subgenre: Epic fantasy
About The First Chill of Autumn:
Llassar is an occupied country– but nobody seems to know it.
Fae began to filter slowly into the land shortly after the birth of the crown princess, Dion ferch Alawn, supposedly fleeing a dark threat in Faery known as the Guardians. But that was fifteen years ago, and now there isn’t a town in Llassar that isn’t populated by or under the control of the fae.
Smaller, weaker, and less talented at magic, Llassarians are quickly finding out that there’s no fighting the invasion that crept in so quietly and politely. Even the castle isn’t free of fae: those closest to the king and queen are faery advisors.
When Dion ferch Alawn returns from a carefully sanitised tour of Outer Llassar, the most exciting thing she expects from the near future is the present her twin sister Aerwn promised for their seventeenth birthday.
Then her carriage breaks down, and Dion gets a taste of what the real Llassar has become: desperate, enslaved, and ripe for rebellion. Getting home safely is just the first problem she faces: the real struggle begins when Dion returns to the castle. Her new knowledge is inconvenient and unwelcome– to declare it, treason.
Excerpt:
Until she reached the age of seventeen there were four certainties in
the life of Dion ferch Alawn.
The first was that her parents were always wise,
always right.
The second was that her life would always fall
into the same orderly rhythms as it had thus far.
Thirdly, she had no doubt that she would one day
be queen.
The fourth thing of which Dion ferch Alawn was
absolutely certain was that the tall, ebony-skinned man she often saw in her
bedroom mirror meant her no harm.
As it turned out, this was the only thing in which
she was entirely correct.
Dion was three when the Fae arrived. She didn’t understand much about
it at the time, except that these tall, graceful people with their beautifully
tragic faces were exotic and exciting. She wasn’t allowed to be excited about
it, of course: Crown princesses were expected to be sedate and regal at all
times, and even a three year old heir couldn’t gape in excitement. Dion’s twin
sister Aerwn wasn’t similarly restricted: she gaped and gasped and bounced to
her heart’s content.
The Fae came in small numbers at first, fleeing
from a peril in Faery that was talked about in hushed tones. They each asked
for and were granted an audience with the King and Queen, and most were settled
in Harlech. Dion heard, but didn’t understand the mutters around the castle
when it became known that the Crown—and by proxy the people—was paying for
their resettlement and daily food.
Before long there was a steady stream of Fae
arriving every day. Some of them were settled in Harlech, some in other
Llassarian cities, and still more of them seemed to settle right in the castle
itself. Soon the maids were all Fae, swiftly and gracefully performing their
duties. The footmen morphed from a group of well-trained and orderly men, into
a regiment of perfectly starched, perfectly beautiful Fae.
By the time Dion and Aerwn were five, their tutors
were all Fae. Aerwn, naturally graceful and quick to learn, blossomed
beautifully under their tutelage. Dion, who always felt clumsy and awkward
around the Fae, became stiff, careful, and silent. The Fae had a great deal to
teach, however; and though Dion grew neither more graceful nor more
silver-tongued, she did gain a remarkable proficiency in magic.
Dion had become so used to the constant presence of the Fae in her
life that when the tall, black Fae first appeared in her oval dressing mirror,
she didn’t think more of it than to feel in a vaguely embarrassed way that she
was intruding. She had only recently turned seven, and her Fae instructors had
taught her so well that she knew not to question or challenge the Fae rudely.
Fae thoughts are high
and wise,
she knew. A Fae always has a reason for
what the Fae does. It is not for mortals to question or upbraid.
Amazon
About W.R. Gingell:
W.R. Gingell is a Tasmanian author who lives in a house with a
green door. She loves to rewrite fairytales with a twist or two--and a
murder or three--and original fantasy where dragons, enchantresses, and
other magical creatures abound. Occasionally she will also dip her toes
into the waters of SciFi.
W.R. spends her time reading, drinking an inordinate amount of tea, and slouching in front of the fire to write. Like Peter Pan, she never really grew up, and is still occasionally to be found climbing trees.
W.R. spends her time reading, drinking an inordinate amount of tea, and slouching in front of the fire to write. Like Peter Pan, she never really grew up, and is still occasionally to be found climbing trees.
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