Epilogue
Qatu’anari
Gin’s favorite place was on the roof of the Qatu palace in the early morning. Watching the sunrise on the water had become a ritual of hers since Khujann was a cub, and she was his nanny. It centered her and calmed her mind, and she could just sit in the silence and watch the sunrise followed by the awakening of the Qatu city. This particular morning was no different, as she sat on a reed mat, cross-legged and meditating. The tingle from just behind her heart had continued, and each time she felt it, she would rub her slightly swollen midsection affectionately.
“You’re going to love it here, little one.” Gin looked back to the west and imagined that she could almost make out the coast of La’al Drygyr in the distance. “And one day, when you’re older, I will take you there to meet the Guardian of the Dragons and his daughter.” She felt a tingle on her neck and recognized it to be Sephine initiating a bond with her.
That child pleases me, my Nature Walker. Do not forget your duty, that she will grow in the knowledge of your tradition and become the next Nature Walker. She will know what it is to be a druid and a Guardian, yes?
Yes, of course, Mother, she—Gin paused a moment, her mouth forming a perfect O of surprise. She? It is to be a daughter?
Yes, little one. You are carrying a female child. Raise her well.
With that, Gin felt Sephine’s presence withdraw from her slowly, leaving her warm and happy. She sank back to her seat on the mat just in time for Sath to come bounding up toward her. “Hey, there you are! We need to tell Khujann our news and—what is it? Are you all right?”
“It was a message from Mother Sephine: a reminder that our daughter will be the next Nature Walker.”
“Well, of course she will be, because—wait, daughter?” Gin grinned at Sath and nodded, and he scooped her up in his massive arms. “We’re having a daughter!”
“Are you happy, Rajah?” Gin raised her eyebrows at Sath, and he planted a kiss on her forehead, indicating agreement. “Qatu’anari will have a new Princess Royal.” He looked down at her, his eyes hooded, yet beaming with pride.
“Qatu’anari needs a new First Wife, and then they can have a Princess Royal. What do you say?” Gin nodded and then threw her arms around his neck in a hug. He held her close as the sun rose high in the sky—over a safe and peaceful Orana.
Sephine materialized into the Void to find Isona and Indarr arguing on either side of the large table where they would all gather from time to time. Kildir was in one corner of the room, and he stood and held out his arms to her as soon as he saw her. “Is it done, my love?”
Sephine nodded. “Yes, she carries the child. Once the next Nature Walker is born, we will have the leverage we need to keep the ancestors of the Qatu from interfering. We will see our plans realized, and we will once again walk the surface of Orana as we were always meant to do.” Isona stopped her barrage of her twin and looked back at Sephine.
“Indarr and I will never agree to release the Ikedrian’s magic back into the world, Sephine. Itar agrees with us, though he remains with his children under the mountains and will not return to live here in the Void.” She smoothed her hair back from her face as her brother walked around the table to stand by her side. “We are happy here. You are a fool to want to return to Orana.”
“We will see who is the fool, Isona. Who of us has an empty temple? My children still need me and call out to me—unlike you and your brother’s followers. Perhaps your time has passed.”
“And if none of us return?”
“Then Kaerinth will grow restless, and the Guardians will have no defense against her.”
Isona scoffed. “Indarr and I will consider your words.”
They disappeared into a ripple of air, and Sephine sighed as Kildir wrapped an arm around her waist. “They will see reason, and the world is again peaceful, thanks to you, my love.”
“For now, at least. For now.”
About The Author
Nancy E. Dunne
Nancy E. Dunne is an avid gamer, adventurer, reader, language nerd and all around geek. The Orana Chronicles is a love letter of sorts to the various worlds in which she has found herself immersed over the years, and the lifelong friends and memories that have come along with them. When not writing, Nancy is an American Sign Language/English interpreter and an accidental rennie, and spends her free time drawing inspiration from her dogs, her husband, and her second home, Yorkshire.
Check out her photo blog, Our Daily Bryn, for more Bryn (and Willow-Pickle) as well as Isn't The Lettuce Brave? (her main blog).
Nancy loves connecting with her readers, so make sure to follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok @nancyd_writes as well as on her website, http://nancyedunne.com.
Books By This Author
Ignite: Tales of the Forest War, Book One
THE WORLD WAS ALONE - AND THEN THE DRAGONS CAME. “The humans have named them dragons, but I do not think that they have ever seen that many. They are the children of one of us, not created by your work at all but by Kaerinth, the Progenitor. She is the mother of all of those you see now, and has until now only come above ground to find food for her many young.”
Orana felt that Rumerus
