A bowl of steaming stew sat before Nya, a goblet of some sort of wine within reach. The dining room was crude, lit by a candelabra in the middle of the ruggedly hewn table. She poked around in the bowl with her spoon for a few seconds, contemplating whether or not she should eat it. Slate was sitting at the far end of the table, a good ten yards away from her, already nearly finished with his own portion, which had to be twice what she’d been served. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that it had been a while since she’d eaten a meal, but since she had no idea what kind of meat this was, where it had come from, or where the vegetables that floated around as she stirred the brown broth might’ve come from, she was leery of putting any of it into her mouth.
“It’s beef,” he assured her. “The vegetables come from the farm fields of our old territory. There are humans th
The warm water soaked into her aching muscles as Nya sank deeper and deeper into the heat of the tub. The servants had graciously filled the basin with steaming hot water that smelled of lilacs and rose petals, and when Nya had climbed in, she’d sank up to her chin. It was delightful to be so completely consumed by the warmth of the floral scented water. Not only did her muscles feel soothed, she felt her mind clearing as well.She hadn’t been completely honest with Slate about what she’d seen. But then… this newfound ability of hers, to see the future. It wasn’t necessarily one hundred percent accurate. After all, she’d just realized she had it a few months ago. Even then, she wasn’t sure she was actually seeing the future. The only times it had really served her had been when she’d been fighting those idiots in the military barracks and when she’d ta
Breakfast was hardier than what Nya was used to eating. Rather than just some buttered bread and fruit, the table was spread with meat and thick rolls, as well as the normal fruit and cereals made of grain.She got her fill of bacon and rolls, as well as a few strawberries and grapes, and washed it down with some of the sweetest, coolest water she’d ever tasted, which Slate had told her had come directly from the ice caps on the mountainside. It was refreshing and woke her up more than even the sweetness of the berries or the savory flavor of the bacon.Once she was finished, she wiped her hands on the cloth napkin supplied by the servants and waited for her host to finish. He took his time, putting away more calories than even the top four of her father’s warriors combined might do at any given meal. She watched in awe, not sure where all of
“Gator, this is Nya,” Slate, the dragon king, said as Nya followed him over to where the others were training. The fellow in question, a ginormous man, only an inch or so shorter than Slate himself, with massive, bulging muscles, was dressed all in black, a similar outfit to the one Slate always wore, except there were no red accents.Gator eyed Nya for a moment, his eyes traveling from her head to her toes and then back again. He nodded, his dark, shoulder-length hair swaying slightly with the movement of his head. “Nya?” he questioned.“Yes. That’s me,” she said, taking a deep breath and brushing her own hair over her shoulder. She was dressed in the same outfit she’d worn when she arrived but it had been cleaned. She knew she could move in it well since it was what she’d worn to ambush Slate. Still, fight
“Well, that was not at all what I was expecting,” Slate said, standing inside of one of the buildings near the training field. He had his arms folded across his massive chest, and Nya stood a few feet away from him, trying to figure out what this building was used for while still paying attention to what the dragon king had to say.From the looks of it, they were in some sort of a lounge. There were a lot of seats in this large room, a bookshelf with a few hundred titles, and a large container sitting on a counter with a bunch of glasses next to it. She wondered if this is where the people came to take a break from their training, but she wasn’t in a position to ask at the moment.Returning her attention to Slate, she asked, “What were you expecting?”“I don’t know,” h
The library had a large map spread on a table over by the window where there was more light, even though the red glow from outside didn’t help illuminate the parchment drawing much. Slate lit several lanterns, including a low chandelier hanging from the ceiling. He would have to be careful not to hit his head on it as he leaned over the table, he was so tall, and it was so low over the map spread out for them to look at, but then, Nya had the feeling he had maneuvered in this position many times before. At her height, there was no risk of her hitting her head or catching her hair on fire from the multiple candles, the melted sides showing they’d been used for many years.Slate hovered above the map, looking down at it for several minutes while Nya’s eyes oscillated between the map and the man staring at it. It was clear to her that the map showed all of the surrounding kingdoms from the m
Flying on the back of a dragon would never get old. Even though Nya was slightly nervous at being so high up in the sky, with very little to hold on to, by the time she’d been situated on Slate’s dragon’s back for a few hours, she’d gotten used to the thrilling feel of soaring over the forest and mountains below her. She squeezed her legs tightly around his neck, usually holding on with her hands as well, pressed against his slick scales, but from time to time, she couldn’t help but let go with one hand at a time and feel the air moving around her. Long blonde braids billowed out behind her, and the feeling of the wind blowing through her hair was invigorating like nothing she’d ever experienced before.The stars above her seemed even brighter this close to them than they ever had from her bedroom window at the castle. The moon was low in the sky, and she had a feeling S
“Princess! Wake up!”A dream world where she was running through the gardens outside of the castle where she’d grown up with Gavin beside her faded away as Nya shot up off of the ground with a start and a gasp. She looked around--realizing she was meant to be awake and keeping watch--and realized the sun was high in the sky, meaning she’d been asleep for a long time.Slate stood beside her, his expression a mix between annoyance and amusement. “Zans!” Nya muttered, brushing her hair back from her face and wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. “I fell asleep!”“You certainly did,” the dragon shifter said. “Hours ago. Luckily, I woke up not long after, due to your snoring, and was able to make sure no one snuck up on us and killed us while we
Night had fallen hours ago. Still, they waited, hoping that the rest of the world would fall into a deep sleep before they took to the skies and attempted to sneak up on the slumbering castle that housed the Heart of Magic.Nya shifted beneath the tree she’d been sitting beneath for most of the day, anxious to get on with it already. While she still hadn’t made up her mind what she would do if she had the opportunity to use the magic contained in the stone herself, she reminded herself that this was meant to be a reconnaissance trip. There was a good possibility she wouldn’t get a chance to find the stone this time anyway. Slate would likely want her to stay with him the whole time. Perhaps the visions she’d seen of him in chains and her holding the Heart of Magic were from a future trip.“It’s time,” he finally said, s