Soot & Cinders (Evenloch Tales #1)

Prologue

SAGE

The Bellegrave family lived a happy life.

They settled in a large farmhouse near the bluffs of Evermoore Haven’s castle.

Cedric Bellegrave and his wife, Graciella, were both in very high standing.

He was a wealthy merchant, and she, the niece of a Duke.

Together, they doted endlessly on their only child, their miracle baby.

Little Cyprien was denied nothing, yet was very loved and well-behaved.

The servants loved him and his tutors always sang his praises.

The young boy was a credit to his name, earning the pride of both of his parents.

Unfortunately Cyprien’s idyllic life was turned on its head when his father died of a heart attack.

His mother remarried quickly, and Cyprien gained two new brothers.

Octavius, his stepfather, was a stern man who believed in discipline and order above all things.

He also had no head for business, and spent well beyond his means, causing them to downsize to a small home in the country.

The Bellgrave legacy died just a few years later, along with Cyprien’s mother.

Cyprien was young, but old enough to understand what was happening.

He knew that his inheritance was gone, squandered by a man who cared nothing for him.

Soon, Cyprien was left with a difficult choice: Act as a servant to his stepfamily for room and board, or be thrown out to fend for himself. He’d never survive on the streets, but being a servant wasn’t ideal either. Still, a servant’s life was better than whoring himself out just to survive.

With that, Cyprien made his decision.