Page 107 of Dragon Blood

I never thought I’d hear its song again, feel its power.

The Princess studied her for a long moment as the battle continued to ravage Aeleftheria.

“Release my mother from your spell.”

Zadora nodded, “She’s safer as she is for now. If I die, you won’t have to worry about the spell.”

Astred’s scowl increased, but she seemed to accept this. “How long do we have to prepare?”

“Not long. I was present when the seal spell was cast. The trigger boundary lay just beyond the archipelago tip. Ironically enough, where Kymri’s fate crash-landed on our soil and turned our world inside out.”

“I know it.”

The little plane that Jori Mountainside had flown to find myths and legends still lay wingless and belly up.

“This,” Astred waved her hand toward the sky, “is not Jori’s doing. If it weren’t for his arrival, we’d be alone in this fight you brought upon us.”

“Perhaps,” Zadora said, uncommitted to admission. “Perhaps not. But we’ll never know.”

Astred shook her head.

“Whomever cannot flee beyond that point should seek sanctuary underground. The Citadel and village entrances are in accessible. You’ll have to seek the beachside and jungle access points.” Zadora turned her gaze out to sea and swept the sky. “There isn’t much time.” Zadora’s eyes dropped to the scaled patch of Astred’s chest, the most likely location the stone was hidden. “Give me the star, Astred, lead the others to safety. I will keep the enemy at bay for as long as I can.”

She ignored Kai’s tense step forward, hands curled at his sides, darkening as though he drew nearby shadows into them.

Astred lifted her hand to her chest as the scales retracted into her flesh, turning the amulet over into her palm amid a thin layer of swirling shadows.

Zadora’s pulse tripped, her hands reaching for it as it sang to her, muffled and distorted by the dark buffer, but still audible. Its trill called to her, lifting her as nothing else ever had.

At Astred’s nod to Kai, he dismissed the shadow protecting them from the star’s song.

Zadora closed her eyes against the sudden rush of tears, reveling in the melody that burrowed into her being. She lifted her cupped hands to Astred, waiting.

The Princess placed the amulet, warm and light, into her waiting hands.

On contact, the stone’s song rang through Zadora, amplifying everything that she was. Her body, soul and potential were bound to this gleaming chunk of star steel. Her namesake.

She opened her eyes, unable to believe she truly held her beloved star again. Her thumbs swept over its polished face and looped setting.

The tension in Kai’s body told her that he heard the call, too.

And he’d resisted it. Impressive. Perhaps he’s much like Kolina, after all.

She shunted away any sense of regret before it could form.

Wasting no more time, she pressed it against her own chest so that her scales would slide through the loops, holding it in place. With the amulet fully pressed against her breastbone, power surged through her, the surge sweeter than any other rush in this life. Not even the bliss of love making could compare to the connection she had with this little star that lived through her. It had consumed her long ago, formed her character, and altered her nature.

It made her the Dragon Star. She would be again, if only for a short while.

She looked at Kolina’s male offspring. “Your mother loved you.” She ignored the subtle tightening of his features, the clench of his jaw. “I don’t know if you held any affection for her in return. I don’t care. But if you have affection for our heir, you will ensure her safety at all costs. The survival of our people depends on her. She will be a formidable queen and fierce protector of the Great Mother.”

Kai nodded, not offering any words, but his eyes held a warning.

If Zadora betrayed Astred…

He’d have a hell of a time prying the stone from my chest.But he would try. For her.

She turned to Astred, bowing her head. “Your Highness. Please ensure Zayli’s safety, daughter of my lost daughter. She is loyal to Aeleftheria. Never doubt that.”

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