“Tracks?”
“No, ma’am.” The woman shook her head. “This looks like it was once an ancient home.”
Camilla froze. This was a place where their ancestors had lived? Why hadn’t they known that long ago?
Raheem glanced over at her suddenly paling face. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The ancients are a group of people who lived before us. The oldest of the Beastkin and the originals. They know more than what the Beastkin now know. They’re like…”
The other Beastkin woman answered for her. “Gods, sir.”
Camilla didn’t want to wait. She couldn’t handle more gods in this world when her dearest friend had already claimed to be one.
Striding after the girl, they raced through the halls of the keep and down into the cellars. They hadn’t really investigated this place much when they came here. What use did Beastkin have for root cellars?
Now, one of the walls had been knocked down to reveal dulled paint on the other side. The yellow Beastkin pointed through them. “Thought you might want to see that.”
Taking a torch from the wall, Camilla brandished it up at the paintings only to gasp in fear.
“What is it?” Raheem asked, out of breath from running after them.
“The end,” Camilla replied.
She held the torch up, illuminating the prophecy hidden behind the wall.
Two dragons flew up into the sky. One was white as snow, the other red as blood. The male dragon, for it had to be male, blew fire into the sky with a maddened look in his eye. The female stared back at them, sadness in her gaze.
“What is this meant to mean?” Raheem asked, stepping up to the painting and pointing at a single moment in it. A moment where both dragons stood on piles of bodies with flames surrounding them.
“It’s an old Beastkin legend, my mother used to tell it to me.” Camilla swallowed hard. “In the old days, there was a sickness. Beastkin wouldn’t be able to change back. They descended into madness and had to be killed before they would destroy everything they loved.”
“So this is predicting… what? That Sigrid and Nadir will come down with this sickness?”
“The sickness was eradicated years ago. It’s just a story told to children to make them behave. The last dragon queen destroyed the sickness,” she shook her head and met his gaze. “This is predicting they will bring it back.”
Afterword
I hope you enjoyed their story as much as I did! Nadir and Sigrid are quite possibly my most favorite characters I’ve ever written.
However, this story is not completed just yet! Look out for another book up for preorder soon.
After all, Gods don’t just disappear.
About the Author
Emma Hamm grew up in a small town surrounded by trees and animals. She writes strong, confident, powerful women who aren't afraid to grow and make mistakes. Her books will always be a little bit feminist, and are geared towards empowering both men and women to be comfortable in their own skin.
