Page 124 of A Kingdom Restored

The dragon’s expression was faintly amused as it rested on Heath. “Do not exaggerate your own role in my decision, Heath. The choice had been growing in me for some time. In fact, it hardened near to the point of certainty when we stood on this very island a short time ago and experienced the memories left by the dragons. I did not act rashly. I am nothuman.”

“What choice?” Merletta demanded.

But it was Heath who answered, his eyes on the dragon. “You just solidified your decision,” he said slowly. “You chose immortality. You’ll never be able to have offspring, but you’ll never die.”

Reka dipped his head in a nod. “That is correct.”

A lump rose in Merletta’s throat, the rush of emotion surprising her. “But…you’ll never have dragonlings. Doesn’t that make you…sad?”

Rekavidur considered her. “All emotions have their place,” he said gravely. “There is sadness, yes. But it sits comfortably alongside its fellows, such as excitement for the possibilities ahead.”

“But…why now?” Heath asked, seeming to struggle to get his head around this development. “Where did that magic come from?”

Reka sighed. “I forget at times how little humans know of dragons’ ways,” he commented. “When a dragon chooses mortality, a reserve of great power burrows inward, lying dormant, ready for when it will be passed to that dragon’s offspring. When a dragon chooses immortality, that same reserve bursts upon him or her, available for the dragon’s purposes. It is an amount of power exponentially greater than what is generally available to a dragon as young as myself.”

“I’ve never heard of that,” Heath said suspiciously. “What’s it usually used for?”

Reka considered him for a moment, then smiled. “You are shrewd, my dragonfriend. It is customary to use that burst of power to divine the dragon’s heart magic. But it was mine to access. I was free to use it as I chose, and I chose to use it for this purpose.”

“Does that mean you won’t have a specific heart magic?” Heath demanded, aghast. “Or that you’ll have less power for the rest of your endless life?”

Rekavidur gave a guttural chuckle. “Of course not. What an idea. It will just take additional time for me to identify my heart magic. That is no issue—now my decision is made, I have a century or two to spare to the task.”

Merletta blinked, totally unable to comprehend such a view of time.

“I don’t know what to say, Reka,” Heath said, his voice a little choked.

Reka stretched his neck up, in a gesture Merletta could only describe as preening. “I believe thank you is conventional.”

Heath’s eyes slid to Merletta’s, and they shared a moment of suppressed mirth.

“Thank you, Reka,” Heath said meekly, and Merletta added her voice.

“Thank you, Rekavidur.” She stepped up to him, throwing her arms around his scaled hide as best she could. “You’ve changed our short lives for the better.”

“I am glad,” Reka said regally. With a satisfied nod, he loped back to the water’s edge, laying himself once again across the rocks.

Merletta turned to find Heath watching her with a look that made every nerve tingle.

“What now?” he asked softly.

“Now,” she said, stepping in and fisting her hands in his tunic, “we start making our own history. One where our paths never have to diverge again.”

He let out a low chuckle that sent a thrill down to her toes as he once again lowered his face to hers, the kiss setting a seal to their promise of forever.

Epilogue

Six months later

“Merletta.”

Sage’s exasperated voice caused Merletta to look up, her arms wobbling under the strain of the cleanly cut stone she was hauling onto the unfinished wall before her.

“Merletta,whatare you doing?”

Merletta stared blankly at her friend. “I’m helping build this wall,” she said. “It’s going to be a public records room.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that,” Sage said, unimpressed. “I helped you trawl through the plans, if you recall. What I meant was, why are you still here? You’re supposed to be getting married in two hours!”

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