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

“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

The leap from the rocks above the castle to the closest turret was quite a span. As Nya stood on the precipice, looking down over the dark, gaping hole between her current perch and the closes man-made stone structure jutting out of the ground, she knew i would take a precision step to clear the chism and land safely on the top of the castle. While she was quite certain Slate could make a leap like this with next to no effort, probably with his eyes closed, her legs were much shorter, and she would need more space to take a running leap, but she didn’t have that luxury, so she’d have to try something else.“Do you want me to shift and fly you over?” Slate offered, his large, warm hand on her shoulder.Nya’s eyes fixated on his fingers and how she felt comforted by the lightest touch from him. She pulled her eyes away before he noti

“Which way do we need to go?” Slate asked Nya as the troops they’d been tailing got far enough ahead of them that he could safely ask without being overheard. They were at a crossroads, where another hallway entered into the corridor where they were walking, and she’d have to decide whether or not they should keep going down the path where they were headed or turn off and take this other route.Nya moved so that her back was against the wall and closed her eyes, feeling out into the future using her mind’s eye to determine which was the most direct route to the Heart of Magic.If they continued down the path they were headed down now, she saw them coming to another stairwell that headed up, which is where the soldiers were going. They’d end up on a different part of the roof, which would do them no good. If they took the path

Visions flashed in front of Nya’s eyes as she tried to rectify what she’d been seeing for the last several days with the scene before her now. All along, she’d thought she’d been seeing Slate in his dragon form in chains, but that wasn’t what she’d been seeing at all. It was this other dragon, the one rising up in front of her now. He looked anything but happy as his nostrils began to flare, and it was quite obvious this dragon’s duty was to protect the Heart of Magic, which Nya could no longer see as it was hidden behind the dragon’s large back.“Hi there,” Nya said, her voice quivering as she moved slowly in front of the door. She’d planned to bare it, but now she felt it would be better to leave it open. Something told her anyone who knew exactly what was guarding the gem would think twice before coming into the room. “Take it easy