Remnants of Power by H. F. Cunningham
Pub. Date: June 1, 2023
Publisher: H. F. Cunningham
“You’re sure about this?”
“Absolutely not, but let’s do it anyway.”
Banished from the only home she has ever known and still reeling from the knowledge of what she truly is, and just how many people want to kill her, Tannin has no choice but to ally with dangerous figures from her past to survive. In a stronghold ruled by wargs, Tannin must learn to step up and claim her blood heritage. As her own monstrous abilities develop, Tannin finds that she likes the taste of power. But she isn’t the only one hungering for it.
Desperate to correct her past mistakes, Ava – along with Tannin’s old friend Flint – leaves the safety of Armodan to follow the wargs. With her fledgling skills as a druidic healer, Ava strives to prove herself useful and earn her place in Tannin’s new life. Finally free of the constraints of royal life, Ava discovers that she has only scratched the surface of her own darker powers.
But power never comes without a price.
The rise of a queen.
A cruel betrayal.
And a nation on the brink of tearing itself apart.
Schemes and treacheries are brewing and boiling over on all sides. Unravelling them seems impossible. Perhaps surviving them is too.
Exclusive Excerpt
Tannin made a disgusted noise as she picked a fat, oozing slug off her shoe. She was so over camping and the creepy crawlies that seemed to appear out of nowhere and get into everything.
Tannin rubbed her eyes. She’d slept like shit again and could feel a bad mood hovering over her like a storm cloud. Inside the tent behind her, Ava snored in her sleep. She’d snored most of the morning, even when Tannin kicked her.
There were…complicated feelings where Ava was concerned that she’d rather not deal with, and it was only made worse by the fact they had to sleep next to each other. The tents they slept in were nothing fancy. Just a sheet of water-proofed canvas, wooden pegs and thin cords that somehow held it all together. She’d tried every negotiating tactic she knew to try and get out of sharing a tent with the princess, but with Adair and Flint sharing one and Dana solidly refusing to give up hers, there was little choice. Ava knew that Tannin needed her, and it made her insufferable. Worse than that – she kept trying to talk. Like really talk. About what happened in Armodan. Tannin did not want to talk about it, and she refused to accept Ava’s apologies.
Maybe if they did talk it out, it would be better than this horrible stalemate they were in, but Tannin was bitter about the whole thing, and Ava lording it over her while she was at her weakest wasn’t doing anything to improve her attitude.
“What’re you scowling at?” Flint asked as he emerged, tousle-haired, from his tent. His long limbs unfolded as he yawned and stretched out his cramped muscles. It must be a tight fit in the boys’ tent, Tannin thought. Flint was long and lanky, and Adair was even taller, and quite frankly, built like a house.
Tannin was about to reply when she was interrupted by a shriek from inside her tent. Ava came barrelling out, wild-eyed and holding a slug at arm’s length.
“Did you put a slug on me while I was sleeping?!” she demanded, brandishing the slug at Tannin.
“No,” Tannin replied innocently.
Ava glared and scoured her face for any trace of a lie. When she didn’t find one, she threw the poor slug aside and stomped off in the direction of the river to wash the slime from her clothes.
Tannin chuckled and poked at the fire she was trying to get going. Flint leaned forward, chin on his hand, and gave her a hard look. She glanced at him slyly out of the corner of her eye.
“Tannin,” he said sternly.
“Yes?” She gave him her most angelic face.
“How many slugs?”
She grinned evilly just as another shriek came from the river.
“TANNIN!”
About the Author
Hello! I’m HF Cunningham; a queer YA/NA fantasy author who likes puns! My debut novel Remnants of Blood is launching 14th September 2021 and is perfect for lovers of fantasy, intruiging characters, enemies to lovers, monsters, scottish accents and witty banter! Follow me on instagram hfcunningham.author or twitter hfcunningham or check out my website www.hfcunningham.com
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