Betrayal

One must be careful when choosing a partner for an evening of harmless infidelity. Especially when one is a king who rules over a vast kingdom and is locked in a sham marriage with a queen who wants him dead.If caution is not heeded, a king in such a situation might find himself assassinated. But he also might have his fondest desire fulfilled.A beautiful young dancer’s performance at the royal banquet has pleased her king. To show his gratitude, he offers her the fruits of his kingdom. She may have anything.Anything her heart desires.The King cannot refuse when the dancer asks for a night in his bed. Though it is the first time he will betray his marriage, he feels no guilt for he knows the Queen is, at that very moment, in the arms of another.But this tryst is not as it seems, for the Queen and her lover lust only for the reins of the kingdom. That night, they have set in motion a plan to murder their ruler and steal his throne.The King learns of this plot, but far too late to stop it. The assassination might succeed, but for the actions of a surprising ally, his new bed mate.The beautiful dancer, too, is not as she seems. She alone holds the power to save her king from the traitors, and to restore his kingdom to him. She will do this by presenting him an offer of her own. He may have anything.Anything his heart desires.Originally written as a single chapter in the Wither the Waking World novel The Death You Deserve, Betrayal is a glimpse into the origins of the cursed land of Illengaard, known as the Kingdom of Teardrops.