“I’m glad you never considered me cursed,” I told my mother. Unlike Hendon. The unspoken thought hung in the air between us, punctuated by the occasional sounds of laughter and the tinkle of a fountain nearby. We were sitting on a low stone bench under the warm, late summer sun. There was a decided chill in the mornings now; fall was on its way.
“I would never have thought that of you, my darling,” she reassured me. “If anything, I think it’s a boon for the kingdom. A ruler who could take down an invading army single-handedly? Why, think of the money you’d save by not having a standing army! Fewer taxes, too... your subjects will adore you.”
I laughed. “Speaking of adoration... I think it’s going well with introducing Joichan to the people, don’t you?”
We looked over to where Joichan was, crouched low to the ground in the town square. He barely fit, but the children loved it. Some were shy of the great dragon in their midst, but a few of the braver ones were climbing on or over my father like he was a giant horse.
My mother had decided, before the honeymoon, that the best thing to do was to visit the nearby towns and see her subjects face-to-face in a long overdue meeting. Hendon had always insisted on an aloof distance, something that my mother had never agreed with. She also thought a more personal touch was needed to gain the trust and acceptance of the people for her new husband. After all, their first impression of him was of a ferocious, fire-breathing beast.
Although, watching the curious townsfolk and their carefree children, I thought the people of Calia were just fine with a human-turned-dragon for a new king.
In the crowd, I spotted Rufan standing with his sister Taryn and another woman, his wife Patrice. Their two little girls finished weaving a garland of flowers and presented it to Joichan, placing it on his nose as a present. He sneezed, and the majority of the flowers went up in a quick snort of fire. The ashes slid off the dragon’s nose as he said to Rufan’s children, “Sorry about that.”
Instead of shrieking in fear, the two girls giggled. One piped up, “Don’t worry, we’ll find you more!” And they ran off, in a fit of more giggles. Joichan’s eyes sparked in alarm.
An anxious dragon is quite a sight. Mother and I shook our heads, unable to contain our laughter. Joichan heard us and looked at us reproachfully.
A young mother with a baby on her hip rushed after a little boy. The boy clambered on top of Joichan, nearly stepping on my father’s eye with his eager little foot.
“Be careful!” the mother called. “Don’t play so rough with the dragon!”
Don’t play so rough with the dragon. Now that was something I never thought I’d hear. I laughed even harder.
Wiping the tears from my eyes, I finally calmed down enough to say, “I’ll miss you both while you’re gone. But I know you’ll have a wonderful trip.”
“We’ll miss you too,” Mother said. “But you’ll have a lot of things to keep you busy while we’re gone.”
“That’s true. Research takes up a surprising amount of time.”
“Have you learned anything new?”
“A few things. We’ve narrowed it down to the southeastern part of the Gifted Lands. We’ll start at Annlyn and work our way out east from there. We contacted Pazho and Denaan and they’re delighted to have us visit again. The messenger said that while Denaan could barely speak after discovering my true identity, Pazho took my message with surprising calmness. Like he had known all along I was the princess of Calia.”
“From what you and your father have said about this Pazho, that makes perfect sense. It’s a fine plan. And you’ll be in good company. I’m not worried about you.” My mother looked out in the distance.
I followed her gaze. Beyan was walking toward us. “Who better to help me find the other members of my dragon family?”
Beyan smiled as he reached us, bowing to the queen. She nodded back in acknowledgement. “Beyan, you’ll have to be ready to leave the minute Joichan and I return from our honeymoon. Jennica won’t want to wait one second longer to start her search.”
He laughed as he sat down next to me. “I know, it’s all she talks about. Finding the rest of her family.”
I laced my fingers through his as Mother stood up and joined her new husband. Sighing, I smiled as I watched the happy couple, thinking of Taryn, Rhyss, Farrah... and of course, Beyan, sitting right beside me. “In some ways, I already have.”
Dear Reader: YOU ARE AWESOME. Thank you for reading this book.
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Read on for an exclusive excerpt from the next book in the Kingdom Legacy series
IT HAD BEEN FOUR MONTHS of sleepless nights and anxious dreams.
Every night, the dream replayed in my mind in the same way, coming in sharp fragments.
Bowing over the lovely young woman’s outstretched hand as I agreed to assist her. Seeing the sunlight halo behind her head as we rode together. Hearing her sweet laughter and hopeful smile, knowing that the world was full of possibility.
And then, as always, the change.
Her tears. Not the restrained, dignified sniffles that would have been expected of someone of her standing, but instead great gulping sobs that racked her
