Dragon Moon E-Book

Johnson ID

• Herausgeber: ID Johnson
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Find the jewel, save the kingdom--and the dragons.

Princess Nya Gould fears the Dragon Moon, the night each year when one young person in their kingdom is sacrificed to a dragon to keep him from destroying their lands. When it is her friend who is taken, she creates a plan to get him back.

But when Nya discovers the dragon isn't feasting on the sacrifices and is actually using them to retrieve a missing jewel, one that can save his kind and restore his kingdom, she is torn between helping him and using this knowledge to the advantage of her own kingdom.

It doesn't make things easier when she finds herself attracted to the dragon shifter when he's in his human form. Slate is a sexy beast of a man, with dark smoldering eyes and rippling muscles. Can he see her as anything more than the annoying, spoiled human princess who has infiltrated his lair?

As Nya and Slate work together to find the jewel, their relationship grows, and Nya is left with a choice:

Find the jewel and save the kingdom--or the dragon?

Leseprobe

Dragon Moon

ID Johnson

Copyright © 2021 by ID Johnson

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Cover by Sparrow Book Cover Designs

Created with Vellum

For Liz

Contents

1. Run

2. Ceremony

3. Blame

4. Goodbye

5. The Point

6. Trainer

7. Training

8. Unexpected Change

9. Soldiers

10. Lack of Confidence

11. Sacrifice

12. The Girl

13. A Morsel

14. Escape

15. Horsing Around

16. Into the Night

17. Scoping Out the Location

18. Attack

19. Slate

20. Shifty Business

21. Lair

22. Steps to Understanding

23. Friendly Face

24. Donation

25. Choices

26. Negotiations

27. Discussion

28. Relax

29. Negotiate

30. Proof

31. Decisions

32. The Plan

33. Flight

34. Waking

35. Launch

36. Leap of Faith

37. Surprised

38. Trust

39. Reaching

40. Magic

41. Power

42. Thunder

43. Traitor

44. Stoned

45. Arrows

46. Fallen King

47. Reunion

Epilogue

A Note from the Author

Also by ID Johnson

Run

Lungs burning, Princess Nya Gould of Frindom tore through the forest, her feet flying as her eyes oscillated from the tree branches in front of her that reached to grab her white blonde hair to the roots that threatened to trip her. The trees were thick, creating a canopy above her, making it easier to find shadows that would conceal her, once she settled on a hiding place. For now, the footsteps behind her thumped close by, and she knew if she were to hesitate for even a moment, the one who chased her would be behind her.

Seeing an opening in a thicket to her right, Nya darted that direction, circling back slightly, and then, once she thought there was enough time to do so, she found the darkest shadow in her line of sight and shot for it, hunkering down and making herself as small as possible. It wasn’t difficult for her since she was petite. At sixteen, she had yet to take on the womanly shape her older sister, Princess Eru, and her mother, Queen Shu, naturally developed which made them the talk of the entire kingdom. Nya hoped someday she would have a curvy figure with large breasts, but for now, she used her tiny frame to her advantage and folded herself into the shadows, trying to calm her thundering heart before her hiding spot was given away.

He would be by soon; she just knew it. Gavin Cross was a talented hunter, as was his father before him. Someday, Gavin would be a fierce warrior, too, just like his father, Xaver. Though King Zar refused to appoint Xaver to a post higher than King’s Commander for reasons Nya didn’t understand, everyone knew that Xaver was the best warrior in the army and had more kills than anyone else, even King’s General Rok Phin.

The thought of Rok Phin made Nya’s blood run cold. With dark hair, thick facial hair, and black eyes, he looked frightening enough, but then there was the awful scar that marred the entire right side of his face. He claimed it had happened in a battle against the kingdom to their south, Davendwar, but everyone knew the truth. He’d gotten a bit too close to the visitor during the Dragon Moon a few years back and had paid the price.

Nya had lost her concentration as her mind went to the Dragon Moon, which allowed Gavin the few seconds he needed to sneak up on her. When his hand came around the tree trunk and clamped down on her shoulder, she screeched and then they both erupted in a fit of laughter.

“Zans! You found me, vile creature!” she shouted as they both collapsed on the forest floor.

“Of course I did,” Gavin replied, once he caught his breath. “You were breathing like a war horse!”

“I was not!” she shot back, but he was probably right. Her lungs were still burning from the run. Again, as she thought of burning lungs and inhuman breath, her mind went to the Dragon Moon, and Nya stopped laughing all together, her face going serious.

“What is it?” Gavin asked, no longer laughing either. He was seventeen. This was his last year to have to worry about the Dragon Moon. As the princess, she never had to worry about it. Except for him and her other friends. She didn’t have many--only a few of her ladies’ daughters--but every time the annual festival drew near, she became nervous, afraid the name that would be called out by her father the king would be a familiar one.

“Nothing,” Nya said quickly, sitting up and brushing her long hair over her shoulder. She’d have to make sure she carried no leaves back to the castle. Her mother didn’t like it when she went running about the forest. She said Nya was too old for such ridiculous behavior, and she was probably right. But running about in the woods was the only opportunity she had to be free of all of the eyes of the castle, and she always felt safe in this forest. It was completely contained within the castle walls. Her eyes went up to the patches of blue visible between the tops of the trees. Dragons could fly here, and that would be dangerous. But she knew they would not bother her kingdom so long as they made their yearly sacrifice.

Last year, it had been a small girl named Priska Pinge. She was only ten and only a sliver of a thing. The dragon hadn’t been happy. Some might think it impossible to read a dragon’s expression, but Nya could tell he’d hoped for something more substantial. She figured the small girl wouldn’t hold his appetite over for the month it would take before the next Dragon Moon. The next month, it would be Davendwar’s turn to supply the dragon with a sacrifice. If they failed to do so, the entire kingdom would pay the price as the dragon would destroy village after village until the king relented and brought forth a prize.

While a refusal to bring a sacrifice had never occurred in Nya’s lifetime, she’d read a book in the library of her home, Castle Redrock, that said one of the twelve kingdoms, Windon, had refused to give the dragon their sacrifice many years ago, and the raid on their kingdom had been merciless until they’d given in and supplied the dragon with the required youth. All of Nya’s ancestors had been wise enough not to tempt the dragon and had done exactly what the powerful creature had asked of them. Her father said, “One life is a small price to pay for the peaceful existence of our kingdom.”

And for the most part, it was peaceful. There were occasional skirmishes with the kingdoms around them over borders or resources, such as the one Rok Phin claimed to have earned his scar battling in, but for the most part, the twelve kingdoms had a common enemy--the largest empire in all of the lands, the dark kingdom to the west, Beelzanborg.

Even the dragon had to fear the empire of Beelzanborg because he did not require a sacrifice from the enormous kingdom, even though its borders were well within the dragon’s ability to reach in a single flight. Surrounded by large jagged peaks, with thick forests and swamplands, Beelzanborg had claimed many a warrior over the centuries as the neighbors had attempted to push the empire back and put some space between their thrones and the evil one, but Beelzanborg would not budge, and most of the time, the battles only resulted in Frindom and other kingdoms losing territory--and many lives. When Beelzanborg chose to attack, villages on the fringe would be destroyed. Men, women, and children would lose their lives. Their warriors made the dragon seem kind.

Nya’s eyes settled on Gavin. He was giving her a skeptical look. It was clear he didn’t believe her when she said nothing was bothering her. He was right not to. She just wanted the Dragon Moon to pass so everything could be back to normal and she wouldn’t have to worry about him or his friends being claimed by the dragon.

Gavin reached over and settled his large palm on her boot. He was a good foot and a half taller than her, with a head of shaggy brown hair and large brown eyes. Many of the girls in the castle thought he was handsome, but to Nya, he would always be more like a brother. He was her best friend, but nothing more. Still, she couldn’t bear to think of losing him. “It won’t be me,” he said, his voice wavering slightly, as if he didn’t believe it.

“I know,” she said, but in her mind’s eye, Nya had a different idea. It was almost as if she could see it happening, and it frightened her. She could see her father pulling a small scroll from the large pot and reading one name aloud, “Gavin Cross!”

The images made her shudder. She swallowed hard and tried to get a grip on herself. It was just her imagination, after all.

Gavin stood and offered her his hand. “Come along, Nya. We should get you home,” Gavin said.

She nodded, knowing he was right, and let him pull her to her feet. Nya brushed off her brown pants and made sure her tunic was covering everything. Her mother would be even more upset if she knew she was running around in pants.

Gavin plucked a few leaves from her hair, and they headed back to the castle. Two days until the Dragon Moon. Two more days to worry about Gavin and her other friends, and then, Nya could breathe a sigh of relief and go on about her life for another year. And by then, Gavin would turn eighteen and not be eligible for the drawing. She held his hand in hers as they walked along, wondering what she would do without him. She didn’t want to find out.

Ceremony

The beating of the drums was loud, and Nya’s small body shivered with each boom. It wasn’t cold outside, but as she stood on the dais overlooking all of the residents of the kingdom, she felt like it was the dead of winter. All of the blood seemed to have left her body. She felt fragile, frail. Cold.

Smoke billowed in the air from the torches that lit the area. The stars lit the sky overhead, but in order for the thousands of people assembled to see her father, the king, the flames were necessary. Plenty of guards held the torches as well. Off in the distance at The Point, the place where the sacrifice would be secured and await his or her fate, more torches dotted the landscape. It was a little over a mile’s trek from where she stood to the place where the unfortunate soul who was about to find out their short life was over would be tied up to await the dragon’s talons, but she could see the lights as clearly as she could see the ones on the perimeter of the dais.

The last two days, Nya had been sick to her stomach every time she thought about the ceremony that was about to take place. For some reason, she knew things would not go well. It had all unfolded in her mind thousands of times. Over and over again, she’d see her father pull the small scroll from the large clay pot and read the one name she didn’t want to hear. She’d rather he read her own.

She’d confided in her mother, letting her know that she was worried sick over poor Gavin. Queen Shu had patted her hair and assured her that all was well. “The chances of your friend being chosen are so slim,” she’d reminded Nya. “I wouldn’t worry about it, dear.”

She knew that her mother’s words were true, and yet, Nya was worried. Standing there now, dressed in a green gown, its silky fabric confining as the long sleeves wound around her arms and the full skirt dragged along the wood of the dais, which towered over the ground a good ten feet in the air, she felt like she might vomit all over the intricately embroidered gown, perhaps splatter the first row of onlookers with the remnants of her lunch.

To distract herself, she let her eyes wander across the stage. Her sister didn’t seem worried at all. She’d proclaimed long ago that she could care less who was taken by the dragon since she knew it would never be her. Princess Eru was the exact opposite of Nya. Her long dark hair was braided neatly, her blue gown catching the light and glistening. She was tall and graceful and wore the gown as if it were a second skin, not a cage that had her legs imprisoned and twisted beneath her. She was next in line for the throne and spent most of her time studying how to be a good leader. Nya couldn’t be bothered with any of that. Since she was second-born, she knew she’d never rule anything and preferred to spend her time running through the woods. She was naturally drawn to the sword and fighting, but her mother kept a damper on that. Any practice Nya had with weapons was done in secret, usually with Gavin as her sparring partner.

Along the back of the stage, his father, Xaver Cross, as well as many other military leaders, such as Rok Phin, who had Nya’s muscles tightening, preparing to run, just from looking at him. His dark eyes landed on her for a moment, and she had to look away.

The king and queen were standing in the center of the dais, her mother’s gown even larger and more ornate than the one she wore. Mostly white, with large blue sapphires affixed to it, the gown had to weigh at least fifty pounds. Since her mother was almost as small as Nya, she had no idea how she was wearing it, let alone smiling. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head, the large queen’s crown surrounding it.

Her father was wearing his royal red robes, as well as dark green pantaloons and a tunic. He had a sash across his chest, and a large golden bejeweled crown on his head. His hair was a dark blond, which didn’t explain Nya’s near-white hair. The small frame she shared with her mother was the only physical attribute she shared in common with either of her parents.

The drum beats continued to echo through the night sky as her father surveyed the crowd for a few moments. Nya did the same. There were so many people there, but then, that was to be expected. All families with youths aged between six and seventeen must be present. Anyone else who cared to attend was permitted to, but if someone’s name was called, and that person was not present, not only would the sacrifice be hunted down and taken to The Point anyway, the entire family would be sacrificed.

As far as Nya knew, that had never happened. Most people were compliant. Her father sent seasoned soldiers from door to door to make sure that everyone who was required to come was there. Anyone who was caught hiding or refused to come would be fined, and the penalties were stiff. The people of Frindom were not poor, for the most part, but no one wanted to pay a hefty fine when they didn’t have to.

The chances of any one child having his or her name called was about one in ten thousand, according to her mother’s calculations. There were about ten thousand eligible children in the kingdom at any given time. While there was no doubt all of the parents with eligible children were nervous, as were those that were eligible themselves, Almost no one would ever experience losing a member of their family to the dragon.

But that didn’t matter to Nya as she stood there, feeling the beat of the drums reverberating in her chest, smelling the smoke that choked the air from her. In a moment, her father would signal for everyone to be quiet so he could begin the ceremony, the one that would end with one name being called. And as if it had already happened, Nya had seen it time and time again and knew what name her father would call.

King Zar signaled for the drums to stop, and the crowd quieted as well. The moon was full overhead, and a cloud passed over it, leaving Nya feeling a shiver down her back that had nothing to do with the warm weather. “Ladies and gentlemen,” the king began, “thank you for joining us here this evening.” His piercing green eyes surveyed the crowd, his weathered skin giving him a distinguished look that let everyone know he had many life experiences to draw upon. “Tonight, we choose one esteemed youth to serve our kingdom in the holiest and most distinguished manner possible. Though our soldiers fight to protect our lands, our leaders work hard to provide for our every need, it is this individual who will keep our kingdom safe for a full year from the savage and barbaric infiltration of our deadliest enemy--the dragon.”

At mention of the dragon, the crowd groaned and moaned in fear. Nya kept quiet, more frightful of what her father was about to say than the dragon himself.

“As all of you know, every eligible youth between the ages of six and seventeen have had their names written on a scroll and dropped into this jar.” He gestured at the large clay pot, the same one that had been used since the ritual began, over a hundred years ago. “While I take no pleasure in drawing and reading the name, I know that the youth that is selected, and the family who will lose a loved one tonight, understands the honor that is about to be bestowed upon them.”

Nya kept herself from making a face. That simply wasn’t true. It wasn’t an honor. It wasn’t a privilege. It wasn’t something to be proud of to lose a child to the dragon. It was a dreaded catastrophe, one she wished she could eliminate.

How many times over the years had she wondered why they didn’t simply march out to the mountain where the dragon lived and kill it? Certainly, it would be difficult. Perhaps they would lose many soldiers in the process. But… wasn’t losing soldiers who had volunteered to fight and die better than losing innocent children who had done nothing wrong and were completely blameless?

Of course, her questions had been ignored, and she’d been told she was a foolish child, one who should be happy that her name would never be placed in the clay pot. She wasn’t happy, though. She’d rather have her own name called than listen to her father read the familiar name she somehow knew he was about to pull from that jar.

“And now… it is my task to read the name of the sacrifice,” King Zar said. He moved to the clay jar, and pulled off the lid, sitting it aside on the table next to the menacing object. Reaching in a hand, he pulled out a scroll and unrolled it. Nya sucked in a breath and held it.

When her father’s words met her ear, it was like she was daydreaming again. But this time, it was real. “Gavin Cross!” King Zar’s voice rang through the crowd. Nya’s stomach tightened, and her eyes flew open wide as she stared at her father. His dark eyes met hers, and he slid the scroll into his pocket.

The scream loosened itself from her mouth as the crowd began to cheer and the drums started to beat again. Her cries were not completely drowned out as Nya moved toward her father in disbelief. That couldn’t be right! She needed to get that paper from his pocket, to see it herself.

Before she could take a step in his direction, arms surrounded her from behind. The stage was a whirl of activity as the royal family bowed, curtseyed, and waved, making their way off of the stage. But not Nya. She was still struggling against whoever had her in his clutches, trying to claw her way free so she could reach her father.

She knew who it was that was pulling her backward off of the stage. The stench of Rok Phin’s breath on her cheek would’ve given him away even if she hadn’t looked down to see his familiar uniform and thick, hairy knuckles. When he spoke in her ear, it confirmed it, even though she still hadn’t turned her face to look at him. “Come along nicely, Princess. There’s no reason to get hurt,” he growled.

The idea that he would dare hurt her and face the wrath of her father entered her mind, but then, hadn’t her own father just delivered the death blow?

Frantic, she searched the crowd, looking for Gavin. He would be brought up to the stage and escorted back to a small room where he’d have an hour to say goodbye to his family. She didn’t see him anywhere, but she did see his father.

Xaver Cross, hardened military man, faithful servant to the king, and one of the most trusted officers in the entire army, stood at the back of the stage, weeping.

Blame

Though she was small in stature, Nya was strong. By the time Rok had dragged her backstage, she’d managed to work one arm free, which she jabbed into his eye. The army officer growled in pain and let go to grasp his eye. Nya took the opportunity to jab her elbow into his gut and stomp on his foot. She whirled around, her arms ready to protect herself.

“What are you doing, you little bitch?” Rok barked at her. “I was only protecting you! You should know better than to hurl yourself at the king. There are troops stationed around the dais, ready to fend off an attack from anyone!”

Nya knew he was lying. He’d held her back because he’d wanted to, because he thought it was entertaining to hold her slight body against his when he knew how badly she wanted to get to her father to check that scrap of paper, the tiny scroll he’d shoved in his pocket, and loved to see her in such misery.

“Who are you calling a bitch?” she shouted back at him. “You’d better pray that I am never the ruler of Frindom, or else you will find your head overlooking the northeast gate!”

His eyes narrowed as he took in what she was saying. “Don’t threaten me, Princess! You will never rule this kingdom, and if you were to be left in charge, you would run the entire land into the ground!”

Nya could only stare at him for a moment. She hated the man almost as much as she hated her own father at the moment. He had been the one to sentence Gavin to death after all. Realizing she was wasting valuable time, she took off, running for the king, who was disappearing down a corridor, his work here finished.

“Father!” she shouted, but he did not turn around. Her mother, who had hold of his arm, stopped, pulling on her husband. He dropped his head and shook it slowly as Nya came flying up behind them.

“Oh, dear one,” Queen Shu said, letting go of her husband to wrap her arms around Nya. The princess hugged her mother quickly but then shook herself free. She needed to speak to her father, and she wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to sneak away while her mother distracted her.

“Father! I want to see that scroll!” Nya demanded

The king looked her in the eyes, his dark brows raised. “I know you are upset, Nya, but I do not take orders from you. Besides, I no longer have it. I have handed it off to one of the members of the army. It is all in their hands now.”

“I don’t believe you!” she shouted. She’d only been gone for a few moments. It was likely still in his pocket.

The king took a step toward his daughter, his expression shifting from sympathetic to angered. “Be careful, dearest daughter,” he said through clenched teeth. “It seems as if you are making accusations against your king. While I am willing to accept that your disappointment at losing your… friend may have words coming out of your mouth you do not mean, I am not about to let you call me a liar or a cheat!”

Wasn’t that exactly what she was accusing him of, though? Didn’t she believe he had announced Gavin’s name when the scroll, if she were able to find it, would say something else? Somewhere, out in that crowd, was a young man or woman who should’ve been preparing to meet their fate with the dragon, but instead, that person was headed home with their family while Gavin was being escorted to a room to wait to see his parents, say goodbye, and then be taken off into the night to be eaten by the dragon.

None of it was fair!

Tears blinded her as she stared at her father, not sure what to do. The rage inside of her boiled up, and she didn’t care what became of her. She had to save her friend. “Send me instead!”

“Oh, Nya!” the queen said, reaching for her again. Nya shook her mother’s grip from her hand.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” The king turned back around and began to make his way down the hall again. “You are ineligible and even though there are moments when I wouldn’t mind feeding you to a dragon, it will not happen.”

“Then… I’ll go and fight him off!”

The king spun back to face her and closed the distance between them quickly. “If you do not stop your ridiculous fit right now, you will spend the rest of the night locked in the tower! Then, you will not get a chance to see your friend or say goodbye to him. Is that what you want?”

Nya took a step back, the tears that had threatened to fall from her eyes since she’d heard Gavin’s name called finally spilling over. She shook her head. She couldn’t imagine not getting a chance to say goodbye to him, to tell him she was sorry, to say she wished it had been her and not him.

The king shook his head slowly and then turned again, grabbing the queen by the arm he headed off, and dragging her a few steps before she broke her gaze where it lingered on her daughter’s tear streaked face, and headed down the hall.

Behind her, she heard weeping and spun to see Gavin’s mother making her way down the hall. She knew what room Gavin would be held in. She rushed off, thinking she’d go in with his family but stopped when Mrs. Cross’s icy eyes fell on her. His mother, Vera, had always been so kind to her, treating her like she was her own daughter. But now, she saw Nya as the enemy. And who could blame her?

Nya stopped at the end of the hallway, thinking she’d give Gavin’s parents some time to see him. She would find a way to get inside of that room before he was taken away, though. She had to tell him how horrible she felt about the entire situation. Somehow, though she wasn’t sure exactly how, she felt to blame.

“This is all my fault,” she muttered, shaking her head, staring down at the floor, her satin slippers not even visible beneath the large, wide skirt.

“You’re right. It is.”

Nya looked up to see her sister, Eru, standing next to her, her hands clasped in front of her. Shocked to hear anyone agree with her, Nya asked, “But why?”

“Because… Father thinks you’re in love with him. He wants Gavin out of the way.”

“In love?” Nya repeated. “But… we’re only friends.”

Eru shrugged. “It’s better for him to be safe than sorry.” She put her hand on Nya’s shoulder and patted her but then turned and walked away, not much more than a small trace of regret left behind with the unsympathetic touch.

Nya found herself blinded with tears again as she stared at the door before her. There had to be some way to stop this from happening, some way to save Gavin. He was her best friend in the world--but that was all. She had no romantic feelings for him whatsoever, and it was ridiculous for her father or anyone else to think that she did.

Determined to find a way to get him out of this predicament she had, apparently, put him in, Nya fisted her hands and moved to the door to the room where they were keeping him.

Each step carried her closer to her objective, though she had no idea how in the world she could rescue Gavin when there were armed guards all over the hallway, and she was dressed like a pretty princess in a giant gown. She wished she had time to go to her room and change clothes, but she didn’t have a second to spare.

She’d almost reached the room. She was so close, she could hear the sobs of Gavin’s mother through the door, heard his father crying as well, quietly saying, “My son! My dear son!” Two guards stood outside of the room.

Swiping at her tears, Nya ordered them, “Open the door. Now.”

The two guards, dressed in the royal silver uniforms of her father’s guard, exchanged glances before one of them said, “Family only, Princess Nya.”

She opened her mouth to protest when she heard a deep voice behind her say, “Let her in.”

She turned to see Rok Phin standing behind her and almost struck him again before she realized what he had said. Her face softened. What had brought on this change? Why was he being so friendly? “Thank you,” she said.

His black eyes were narrowed. “King’s orders. But she does not exit that room until I say.”

Nya’s scowl returned as she realized what he was saying. He was letting her in to say goodbye because her father had ordered him to do so, but he would make sure she did not leave that room with Gavin. As the soldiers opened the door, and she stepped inside, she stilled herself, knowing she’d have to find a way to get Gavin out of harm’s way.

Goodbye

The sobbing quieted as Nya walked into the room. Gavin had his arms around his mother, her head on his shoulder. His father was standing with his hand on his wife’s back, patting her, tears streaking his face. Gavin was the only one whose face was free of tears.

Nya wasn’t sure what to do or what to say. She took a few steps into the room but then stopped. She knew his parents had to be mad at her because she was part of the royal family that had just sentenced their only child to death, but she prayed they’d understand that it wasn’t her fault.

“Nya,” Gavin said with a smile, raising a hand to beckon her over. His mother raised her head and glared in Nya’s direction, her eyes swollen and red already but so small in the shadow of Gavin’s embrace.

“I don’t want to intrude,” Nya said. It was true--she didn’t want to take any of the time his family had left with him away, but she also needed to see him, to say that she’d do whatever she could to save him. She knew what he would say, that he would try to talk her out of doing anything dangerous. That this was all fate, and there was nothing Nya or anyone else could do to prevent it from happening.

Gavin’s mother stepped back into her husband’s arms. He held her head against his chest, wrapping her up tightly, and then took a step back, giving Nya a bit of room. It wasn’t clear to her whether or not Gavin’s father understood that this was not her fault, but he seemed to see that his son wanted a moment with his lifelong friend.

Nya did her best not to cry as she approached him, trying to believe that this wouldn’t be the last conversation they had together. She’d find a way to keep him from the dragon, find a way to get him safely away. After that, she wasn’t sure what would happen. He wouldn’t be able to come back to the kingdom. On top of that, the dragon was likely to attack the villages until he got his sacrifice.

But then, if she took Gavin’s place, if she could hunt the dragon down and let him know that she was the sacrifice, maybe he’d let the others live.

She wasn’t about to try and explain all of that to him when there was a possibility that others could be listening in to their conversation. Instead, she took both of his hands and said, “Gavin… I am so sorry.”

“No, Nya. It’s okay.” He gave a little chuckle, like it wasn’t the end of the world. “It’s not your fault. It is what it is meant to be.”

“No!” she said, forcefully. “It’s not! I’ve got to find a way to… undo this.”