~Raius

  Raius stood outside for the first time in his life. He had been too large to fit through the crumbling remains of the opening the humans had carved through the side of the mountain, so he had needed to climb up and up and up all the way through the opening high at the top.

  Thankfully, there were several perches where he could rest along the way, but there was no water, for it had not rained recently. That was his primary concern at the moment.

  Raius was thirsty.

  The blood from those human males (the thought of which still made his nose scrunch with disgust) hadn’t been nearly enough to slake his thirst. Normally, dragons hatch much younger than he did, and they hatch surrounded by other dragons ready to offer food and water and other items of comfort. A hatching is a day to be celebrated—after all, hatchlings were rare.

  But he was alone. He was an old hatchling. He had been left to mature far longer than necessary, all to protect him from those who would harm him.

  Though at times he had felt he was about to go mad inside his shell, had he hatched even a few years earlier, he doubted he would’ve been able to defeat the pack of humans he had taken on down below alone. He might not have had any fire at all, and he would’ve been smaller and weaker.

  Could he even protect his mate with this feeble body?

  Sweat trickled down his ridged brow. Raius grunted with effort as he hauled himself up yet another stretch of sheer rockface.

  There had been a dozen humans left after the first two. What if there had been more?

  In the ?ther-mind, Raius had seen memories of battles with hundreds, maybe thousands of humans, with horses, birds, and sometimes other creatures enslaved into battle. He had seen one of his ancestors, enormous with age, swoop down upon a field of men and spit a river of fire so immense that there was nothing left but a pool of molten earth in his wake.

  It was both awesome and terrifying, knowing he had the potential to grow into something so devastating.

  Raius knew it took decades to grow that large, decades he did not have if he wanted to be able to protect Florence from armies of humans like the ones he saw in the ?ther-mind. If they came for her, if they came for his mate…

  He growled, then panted with the effort of clinging to the rockface. There was another lip he could rest on within sight; he just had to keep climbing.

  Climbing, and climbing, his claws, limbs, back straining with an effort his body had never known, until he finally breached the summit—an opening, probably large enough for Aurora to slip through.

  The top of the mountain was barren. No vegetation, no sign of life. Raius inhaled deeply, his first breath of fresh, outside air in his life.

  It was almost too much.

  Since it was night, he unfurled his wings and glided down the side of the mountain, close to the ground, in search of water. He breathed deep as he glided, trying to catch any scent of it—but he ended up hearing it first.

  A trickle. Instinctively, he knew exactly where to turn.

  He landed with a thud, loose rocks scattering, in a little, stubborn area on the side of the mountain, where a spring of water had worked its way out of the side of the rock and down, until a little pool had formed. The pool had grown larger and larger until it, too, had spilt and travelled further down. Scraggly moss clung near the water’s edge.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Raius dipped his head and drank and drank the cool, clear water.

  Inside the shell, he hadn't needed sustenance in this manner. But out of it?

  This will be bothersome, he thought.

  ?????

  ~Ursula

  Ursula and her sister, Adeline, had grown up in Dorandia, enjoying the delights afforded to them as young ladies in a noble house. Just one year apart in age, together they had spent their adolescence in Doran City, their beauty the subject of much admiration amongst the young men…and envy amongst their fellow young ladies. Each sister had a healthy share of suitors, some even daring to court both sisters at once.

  Hágan had been a visiting dignitary from Kirva. He had taken up temporary residence in the palace, being of royal blood himself, and was the object of many young ladies' affection. He had an austere air, a cool detachment from his surroundings that made him stand apart from the young Dorandian men…which drew the eyes of many hopeful maidens. Ursula, too, had fancied herself a princess; therefore, she'd set her sights on Hágan as soon as she could.

  In the end, Adeline had done well enough for herself and had married a duke—Duke Claude LaVelle, and Ursula had snagged her foreign prince (though some would say he was actually the one who had done the snagging).

  Both were married off quickly, before any hearts or minds could change, and the two sisters were separated. Adeline went on to become a Duchess, and Ursula moved north with her new husband to a new country, where she was a stranger in a strange land.

  The appeal of becoming a foreign princess quickly wore off.

  Unlike Dorandia, where young noble ladies were not encouraged to pursue their magical talents, Kirva provided a liberating environment for Ursula to explore a side to herself she had painstakingly kept hidden. She was a sorceress: after her aptitude was discovered as a girl, she was taught just enough to keep her magic under control, and not a single spell more.

  Hágan had encouraged her to study. He thought if his wife were an accomplished sorceress, perhaps it would help elevate and secure their status within the fringes of the royal family. He may have been a prince, but he was far down in the line of succession—there were so many Kirvan princes and princesses that the title hardly weighed more than that of a duke. Besides, it kept Ursula occupied while they tried for children.

  But time passed, and no children arrived, despite their regular attempts.

  Ursula learned she was an aunt—one, two, three times—while her own womb remained empty.

  She threw herself into her studies, devoting entire days to learning and honing her craft. Was there a spell she hadn't discovered that would aid her fertility? Could she ripen her womb with magic? Would that go against the laws of nature?

  Adeline would send sketches and portraits of her nephew and nieces with her letters, which Ursula received with bittersweet joy. Ursula would reply to her sister occasionally, since she was often too absorbed in her studies to reply to each and every letter.

  Such was her life, until a certain day at the archives revealed something unexpected. It was not uncommon for the texts she read to have notes scrawled in them. However, a scrap of ancient paper had fallen out of the book she was reading.

  A prophecy.

  Prophecies were not uncommon—each Kirvan family had one or two of their own they could lay claim to.

  But it was the specifics on this scrap of paper that had made Ursula's blood run cold.

  It triggered a vision of her youngest niece, Florence.

  How?

  Why?

  Did it matter that she knew?

  Ursula was lost in her memories, recalling the years leading up to what had happened with Florence.

  "It was around her birthday, I think, when it happened. I had mailed a pile of gifts for the end of Lissus*, late as usual, and amongst them was a special gift for Florence…a spell. A sleeping spell. I had intended to go south to her, to weave proper protections against the prophecy, so I sent a letter with the gift, explaining everything to my sister. Obviously, things didn't go according to plan."

  Russo sat across from her, listening to this strange story.

  "Before we could travel south, someone murdered our nephew—the king's younger brother. We were framed. I can only guess what went wrong, but obviously, my sister didn't read the letter I sent, explaining why I did what I did. The spell worked. Too well, in fact. It was only meant to keep Florence safe until I could get to her personally…

  "Seven years," Ursula whispered. "Seven years…"

  ?????

  orn on the cusp of Edall and Memeyr (the 2nd and 3rd months) which is why she is said to have all four traits-- Edall is the month of Wisdom and Knowledge, whereas Memeyr is the month of Justice and Love. There are 13 months in the calendar year, and Dorandians tend to place considerable meaning on their birthdates! Fun facts ??

  xo??kb