Mirror, Mirror
‘Gwannyn’s Song’ by JM Landels tells the story of Allaigna’s grandfather’s second wife, Gwannyn Doristi. When asked why she chose to write this piece, JM told us, “Gwannyn was cast in the role of wicked stepmother against her will. She wanted me to tell her true story.”
Look for more stand-alone stories of life in the Ilmar, in future issues of Pulp. And see where it all began, with a FREE digital copy of Allaigna’s Song: Overture!
For now, watch love and loyalty collide, in this excerpt from Issue 35.
Gwannyn’s Song
by JM Landels
It has been a colder than usual winter, and the late Bera wind that blows up the river Krone chills Gwannyn Doristi’s reddened nose and cheeks, bringing stinging tears to her eyes.
She should have no more tears left in her. She thought she had wept them all in the two clearmoons since her mother, the Kingfisher Queen, and her red-eyed father, the Royal Consort, accepted the formal offer of Chanist Brandis’s hand. Her sister Cyrnan, twelve years her senior, stroked her hair as Gwannyn cried onto her shoulder.
“He is a good man, Gwannyn, kind and handsome.”
“And he loves another.”
Cyrnan nodded. “And he has set her aside for the good of the nations. Do you think it was easy for him? I’ve seen the looks those two share across the dinner table. He was foolish to marry a Leisanmira, but he has taken the brave step to correct his folly.”
Cyrnan pulled away and held her little sister at arm’s length. “You must be as brave as he. Did you think that because you are not Mother’s heir you could marry as you please? Naz is a commoner — Mother would never approve. Be thankful you’ve made a match with a handsome prince — of Brandishear, no less — rather than with one of our dreadful dukes.”
Gwannyn has made the most of her time since then.
The wind lessens as she descends into the shelter of Caella’s lower streets, and she pats her face dry, warming already as Nazzedh’s workshop at the bottom of Rose Alley comes into view.
Find out what happens next, in Issue 35, Summer 2022!
And join us for the launch of Issue 35, live on YouTube, on Saturday, August 6, from 10 to noon PDT! Listen in as JM Landels reads from ‘Gwannyn’s Song’.
Available now for preorder, the eagerly anticipated finale in the Allaigna’s Song Trilogy: Allaigna’s Song: Chorale by JM Landels!
In the six years since Allaigna left home, killed her betrothed, and joined the Brandishear Rangers, she has hidden her family name and her ability to sing music into magic. Confronted with the dire implications of her grandfather’s exploration into long-forbidden arcana, Allaigna must swallow her pride and summon her courage to return home with the ashes of her cousin to prevent yet another war, or worse, an arcane catastrophe to rival that of the legendary Cataclysm.
And visit our bookstore for Allaigna’s Song: Overture and Allaigna’s Song: Aria.
JM Landels is torn between travelling the world to teach writing and swordfighting, and never leaving her idyllic farm in Langley, BC. Her debut series, fantasy bestseller Allaigna’s Song: Overture, and the sequel, Aria, are available from Pulp Literature Press and Amazon. The third book, Chorale, is due out soon. You can find @jmlandels on most social media platforms and at jmlandels.stiffbunnies.com.
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