A special thanks to Laurie Ford and Anna Brown for reading every version of this book—including the very first one, which started in a totally different place and included characters that aren’t even there anymore. Thank you to my other very early readers: Crystal Frost, Rebecca McKinnon, Britney Bird, Stephanie Granado, Alex Essig, Jonnie Morgart, Rachel Wilson, Craig Manning, Michalla Holt, Elyce Edwards, Amelia White, and Cynthia Ford—thank you for your edits, conversations, encouragement, and for sharing this book with so many others!
Thank you to all the reviewers and librarians who helped spread the word about Royal Decoy. And lastly, a very special thank you to all my readers—you are the best people in the world! Thank you for holding this book in your hands, writing reviews, and sharing this book with others. Your love and support keeps me going. Thank you!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Heather Frost writes mostly YA fiction and has a soft spot for tortured characters, breath-stealing romance, and happy endings. She is the author of the Seers trilogy and the Fate of Eyrinthia series. She has a BS in Creative Writing and a minor in Folklore, which means she got to read fairy tales and ghost stories and call it homework.
When she’s not writing, Heather likes to read, travel, and hold Lord of the Rings movie marathons. She owns two typewriters,sings in the car, and dreams of living in a castle someday. Shecurrently lives in Utah, in a beautiful valley surrounded by towering mountains.
To connect with Heather and learn more about her books, visit www.HeatherFrost.com.
Want more books by Heather Frost?
Don’t miss the Seers Trilogy
Seers are not just spectators, they are also prey
When Kate Bennett survived the car accident that claimed her parents' lives, she knew her world would be forever changed. But her life is more dramatically altered than she first realized. Not only is she able to see auras on the people around her, she's even started seeing invisible people with no colors at all. And no matter how attractive the new addition to her American Lit class is, Kate sees what no one else can—the dangerous truths this mysterious boy threatens to pour into her life.
Patrick O'Donnell was killed in the Irish Revolution in 1798. He's here now to try and keep Kate alive, and stop her life from spinning out of control. The one thing he's not going to do is fall in love with her.
But plans change, especially when Demons are involved . . .
Kate is about to enter the world of Seers; where immortals are at war with each other, and unfortunate mortals like Kate are in over their heads.
Prologue
June 4, 1798
Wexford County, Ireland
I was lying on the long grass, only distantly aware of my surroundings. I could feel the light breeze rushing across my still body, but other than that outward sensation, I felt nothing. I heard nothing. I saw nothing. I was nothing.
Deep in a remote corner of my mind, I knew that I was dying. But that knowledge was not frightening at the moment. For now, I could think of nothing but the last conversation I'd had with my father. If it could be called a conversation.
It had been weeks ago, but I could remember every detail. My mother's worried face, my brother’s hunched shoulders, the pulsing vein in my father's forehead.
“My sons are cowards!” He'd shrieked, his Irish accent thick and forceful. “They tell me they know the truth, but they do not fight for it. They refuse to dedicate themselves to a cause greater than themselves!”
I could clearly remember sitting in my chair at the kitchen table. I kept stealing glances at my younger brother, but his head was always ducked. I couldn't blame him. Ever since father had become involved with the United Irishmen, he'd been seized with passion. Quick to fits of anger and frustration.
I realized the strain he was under. He was a rebel, a member of one of the greatest uprisings Ireland had ever known. He was completely dedicated to resisting the British rule. He wanted freedom for his beloved country, and he was willing to sacrifice everything for it.
He hadn't always been like this. At one time, he had been one of my greatest friends. He had been my wise mentor, my confidant, the anchor to my beliefs. But last year everything had changed. He'd gone from calmly tending his Parish to becoming one of the most dedicated rebels Ireland had ever seen. The change had been from one day to the next, though his temper flared more hotly now than it had in the beginning.
I understood him and his desires—it was what I myself desired. I was hardly a man, just barely eighteen, but I under-stood several things about the world. With my countrymen I had first looked to America's revolt against the British Empire, and more recently, the French Revolution. It seemed that the time for freedom was now.
I understood all of this, but the thought of joining the United Irishmen had hardly occurred to me. My entire life I had aimed to attend Trinity College in Dublin. I wanted to be a painter. I wanted to capture the beauty of life with just my hands and my paint. I didn't want to fight a war.
But then my father had joined
