Page 49 of Dragon Blood

‘We can. They can’t stop us, Astred. They never could, unless we let them.’

Charmaine Shea, Heidi’s friend and lead warden, approached Astred.

“Princess Astred Arakkil, heir of the Aeleftherian throne and Oracle of the Mother, do you consent to this journey into the Nexus?”

Breath stalled in Astred’s throat.

Oracle of the Mother.

Raw fear spread throughout her body in icy blooms.

I can’t. She… I am not worthy.

‘Worthy or not, we must and will protect her.’

Her dragon pushed the words through her constricted windpipe. “I consent.”

Chapter 17

Thepowerofthearea pulsed through Kai’s body, forcing him to focus on his breath. A group of women approached; the one in the lead carried a carved wooden box.

He had expected the wardens to come dressed in flowing robes and cloaks.

They weren’t. They were all dressed as though they’d just come straight from their day jobs—farmer, librarian, shopkeeper, banker, tattooist, teacher, homemaker carrying an infant, and one he guessed was… a socialite?

Back home, in the tiger domain, a temple enclosed a place such as this, and the keepers dressed in full regalia for a journey ceremony. Especially for one of royalty.

This group embraced the sacred in the mundane. A different way of protecting.

The shortest woman, with a cloud of graying auburn hair, who held the intricate box spoke to Astred. “Princess Astred Arakkil, heir of the Aeleftherian throne and Oracle of the Mother, do you consent to this journey into the Nexus?”

Astred’s wide-eyed gaze flicked to Kai, her lips parted, pulse ticking in her throat.

Her dragon glinted in her eye as she held his gaze, growling, “I consent.”

Kai’s own dragon rumbled in his chest, rising to her bait.

He closed his eyes, controlling the inner beast to settle.

He’d witnessed two other ceremonies such as this and Astred didn’t need his dragon interfering. Since their encounter outside the bathroom the previous night, his dragon had kept Kai awake, urging him to knock on Astred’s door during the wee hours.

“Who will act as her guardian?” The warden’s straightforward gaze slid from Astred to each witness in the clearing.

“I will.” Kai stepped forward without a second thought.

She’d need the patient protection of his tiger. Silent and watchful, guarding her back. Just in case.

The older woman nodded her head, accepting this, then strode toward the center of the clearing. She set the box on the ground between clumps of long, wild grass. From it, she withdrew two etched silver cups, handing one to Astred, the other to Kai, murmuring instructions as she reached for a matching ornate decanter. “This potion is the reason for the three-day delay.” She poured it equally into the two cups. “It will soften the barrier between your body and your spirit, enabling the Nexus to absorb your essence for the duration of your journey. This potion will bring you into the right frequency, and your blood offering will allow it to know you.”

“Blood offering?” Astred grimaced at the bitter contents in her cup.

“It won’t require much. The tools you’ll need are already in place.” She nodded toward the river. Cups emptied, she returned them to the box, then took one of each of Astred’s and Kai’s hands. The rest of the wardens formed a circle. The two on either side of Charmaine laid a palm on her shoulder, closing the formation.

The potion churned in Kai’s gut as his head slowly lightened and his vision wavered.

Color surrounded every living being in the clearing and intensified, drifting with the breeze. A ring of gold light flowed back and forth between the wardens, who stood connected, eyes closed, while Astred blazed indigo.

Astred grasped his hand.

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