Kellinar’s eyes drifted over the many Mallay men strewn across the field. Did he cause all of this? If so, was it worth the cost? His eyes strayed to the pile of ash that had been Anevay and Latia. He had no answers. Deep down, he knew the price of freedom from the Shadow Riders, though tragically high that day, had come nowhere near being paid in full.
The future and the knowledge of the many battles to come, the many heartaches to visit them, weighed heavily on him. Anger slowly started to simmer in his blood as he looked up at the walls of the Trilene. No one walked them now. The cowards in the Trilene hadn’t even sent their own soldiers out and now they cowered behind their walls in silence. They should burn for what they did. For everything they had done.
Abruptly, he let go of Taela and stormed to Shryden’s side, grabbing for the catcher strap. Shryden turned a big, sad eye on him. “Your pain is my pain; your sorrow my sorrow. Nobody understands what you are feeling at this moment more than me.” The dragon hesitated then continued, “However, this is not the way Kellinar. I will not assist you in this.”
Kellinar sagged against the dragon’s side. “They should burn, Shryden. They should…” His eyes swept the field and the piles of ashes. The numbness and anger fell away as everything crashed down on him. “I have to get out of here.”
“I will fly you home. Paki will bring Taela.”
He pulled himself slowly into the saddle, fastening the safety straps by rote. The blue launched himself into the air. Kellinar didn’t look back as they left the battlefield, and the ashes of those he had loved, behind.
Maleena focused through the sorrow in her heart and the tears in her eyes as they slowly returned allies back to their homes. The overwhelming grief from the loss of her friends and from those on the battlefield made her head feel as if it were breaking apart. Women and children wept for husbands, brothers, and sons lost. Even sisters, aunts, and daughters had been lost. Her first taste of battle had left its mark in the form of a deep scar on her heart.
Smoke choked the air, the smell of burnt hair and feathers billowed out of the Mallay from the animals that had failed to escape. It mingled with the reek of death and the sickly scent of blood soaked, scorched earth. Bile rose in the back of Maleena’s throat and she gagged, coughing several times in an attempt to clear it.
Kalila and her guards waited patiently for the survivors. For now, the people of the Mallay and the surrounding villages would be taken in by Markene.
What was to be done with the prisoners from Turindar and Hanover had been decided by the dragons. A large swath of ash marked where the prisoners had been.
No enemy left behind to bite you in the tail later had been their reasoning. Though many had pled that they only followed orders, the dragons had informed them that their actions were their own to decide. Their path had been their own to choose and the blame could be laid at no feet but their own.
Dragon justice was swift and hard.
Kirynn and Syrakynn opened a Slide for Kalila, the people of the Mallay, and the survivors from the Trilene and Dellar Districts that had fought for them. Galdrilene would have to help Markene with its new burden of people.
Maleena shook her head. That could be dealt with later.
As the last of the allies were returned, Maleena stared across the field. So much lost. The dead of both sides beyond the dragons and their riders would be left. Maleena hoped the stench of rotting corpses would haunt the Trilene and Dellar Districts for weeks.
Mckale stopped behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Everything is done that can be done here. Jocelynn, Varnen, and Serena took all of the healers home.”
Maleena swallowed the heavy lump in her throat. “I want to go home to Galdrilene for a little while.”
“I think that is what we all need for now.” He laced his fingers through hers as they walked to Nydara and Tellnox.
Maleena sat at the edge of the caldera, staring out at the glittering waters of the bay. One hand rested on her swollen belly while the other absently stroked Cat’s fur. Galdrilene mourned its losses. The hold felt empty, even with everyone home. The gaping hole of five lost riders and four lost dragons remained a raw and open wound.
Wiping the fresh tears from her eyes, Maleena contemplated the future without Emallya, Bardeck, and Mernoth. How would they go on without them? They all still had so much to learn. Could the Guardians make it through the coming war without the wisdom of the older couple and their dragon?
The view of the bay offered no answers.
Please note the following preview is an unedited, early version of the prologue from the exciting conclusion of the Dragon’s Call series, Ashes and Spirits. In the final version, the prologue will be fully edited and its content may slightly change.
Maleena stood in the middle of a blackened field. Ash floated through the air like snow. Tears streaked her face as she slowly turned and a fist closed over her heart. Tellnox lay still and crumpled on the burnt ground, his brilliant green scales charred. A long, jagged tear laid his neck open from jaw to shoulder. Mckale lay not far from Tellnox, his silver eyes staring sightlessly at the sky.
With a sob, Maleena turned away. Her eyes fell on Kellinar’s body. Next to him, Shryden’s now white scales were evidence of a dragon that died after his rider. Taela wandered lost and screaming through the battlefield. Paki’s body lay partially submerged in the perfectly round and still lake.
Syrakynn raised her voice in keening sorrow as she dragged herself across the ground to her fallen rider. With each passing moment, more of the red washed from her scales.
Loki leaned against Merru. Both of them bled heavily from too many wounds. Serena sat next to her dead Miya, her eyes filled with loss and desperation as she stared off into nothing.
Maleena turned, frantically searching for Nydara. The silver lay behind her, both wings shattered beyond repair and one back leg useless. It was too much. Too much sorrow, too much devastation, too much…
The screech of a Shadow Dragon spun her around. More Kojen charged over the battlefield. Maleena grabbed a discarded sword, maybe one of Mckale’s, and braced herself to meet them. Despite the pain in her wings, Nydara pulled herself forward. Using the last of her strength, the silver sent fire into the sky to hold off the Shadow Dragon while Maleena met the wave of Kojen.
There were far too many, but Nydara could no longer fly. Maleena fought with her last breath to defend the Silver. Pain exploded in her head as a hard swung Kojen sword connected. Darkness closed over her as she fell to the ground. Nydara’s grief filled roar echoed in her ears as the world faded…
The image shifted…
Maleena worked a weave she had only used once before under the direction of a much older dragon. Mckale and Tellnox tried to keep the Shadows at bay while Nydara made defensive moves as Maleena wove. It was nearly finished, two more threads…
A black dragon crashed into Nydara and the weave fumbled. A wave of white light burst away from Maleena, ripping apart and destroying everything in its path. The concussion from the exploding wave stunned Maleena and knocked Nydara from the sky. The still lake rushed up at them.
The last thing Maleena saw before the not-quite-water of the lake closed over her was the wave tearing her friends from the sky. Then the lake claimed her and the silver and their souls fled…
The image shifted…
And again ended with the deaths of her and those around her. Over and over the images shifted each one different and yet each one ending the same. The Shadow Riders won. The Guardians and their dragons were all killed.
Until the last image…
This one saw her friends mostly intact, the Shadow Riders and their dragons dead along with the Kojen. What she saw in the sky stunned her. As the image faded, Maleena saw herself in Mckale’s arms as he wept into her hair. Nydara lay nearby, her silver scales slowly fading.
A fading, familiar voice whispered through her mind. “The unfinished weave is the only way.”
M
aleena shook her head slightly and reached for the voice, desperate to hear it one more time, but it was gone. She turned the images over, examining them for any information that could be gleaned. Each one had ended in her death. The last one though showed her friends still alive. Her life for those of everyone she loved. If Nydara was willing, it would be a fair exchange. Either way, it looked like she would likely die anyway. She would rather do so saving her friends and their dragons.
“I will make the sacrifice with you and we shall go together into Maiadar. It will be a worthy death,” Nydara sent.
Maleena sent a wave of gratitude to the silver. “Then we will do what we must do to ensure the lives of the others.”
Mckale and Tellnox would live; they would be there to raise the baby. Tears stung Maleena’s eyes as she pulled her hand back from the glass smooth surface of the lake, allowing her magic to dissipate. She swallowed the sorrow she felt, knowing Mckale would sense it and leaned back just as the sun broke the eastern horizon.
The unfinished weave… there was only one way to get it.
“Maleena?” Mckale’s gentle voice reached through the horror of the images as he knelt on one knee next to her. “What did you see? I feel your grief, is there no hope at all?”
She rested one hand on her large belly and took a couple of deep breaths to help steady her emotions and focus her energy on cleansing her heart of the lingering sadness brought on by the images, thankful Mckale could only read her emotions and not her thoughts. The images she’d seen would be forever burned into her mind.
Maleena looked into Mckale’s eyes. “There is hope. It is small and still everything won’t end happily for everyone, but its hope nonetheless.”
He ran his hand down the side of her face, gently brushing her hair back. “How will it end? What will happen?”
She shook her head and laid her palm on his cheek. “I have no way of knowing for sure, my love. The lake only shows what could be, what might happen in the future. It gives no solid answers. That is why Emallya said it was so dangerous. Too many people forgot that it only offers maybes.” Maleena didn’t plan to tell him that she had gone through all of the possible maybes the lake had to offer. It would do no good. The future would be what it would be.
Maleena placed her hand in Mckale’s. “Help me up; it grows uncomfortable to sit here for too long.”
Mckale’s large, strong hands helped her gain her feet. Her ever expanding belly made getting up from the ground difficult. She placed her hands on the small of her back and arched slightly to stretch. “I need to speak with Kellinar and Taela.”
“They are still in New Sharren. I think they feel if they keep busy enough with helping to build and resettle the Mallay people there, then they won’t have to think about Anevay.” Mckale frowned. “Why do you need to speak with them? And do you think you should be going that far at this point?”
A deep pang of sadness struck her heart at the mention of Anevay. Only two months had passed and she still found herself ready to ask her lost friend something only to remember she was now in Maiadar. Just as the pain of losing Emallya and Bardeck had yet to ease, she still felt the loss of Anevay. “I must talk with them because Anevay’s unfinished weave is the only hope I found.”
Mckale shook his head. “Taela already tried to figure out what Anevay was creating and has been unable to.”
She snorted. “Taela spent less than an hour in the records room. She didn’t really try and we won’t know for sure until she does.”
“As you said, the ability to read the book doesn’t equate to creating new weaves. That was Anevay’s talent alone.”
“I know.” Maleena nodded. “Still, I have to talk with them. Taela can try again—really try. She and Kellinar are going to have to face the loss of Anevay eventually. The rest of us have.” She sighed and glanced at the glass smooth surface of the lake. “If she can’t finish what Anevay began, there might be another way to get the rest of the weave. But it will be a huge risk to them both.”
“What way?”
“I’m not sure it can even be done yet. I will have to speak with Taela first. Until then, I’m not entirely sure of all the possibilities.”
“Fine. If you must talk in circles then you must. Sometimes you sound like Emallya with these enigmatic explanations.” Mckale shook his head. “We will go to the border, tomorrow.”
Maleena frowned at him. “No, I will go now.”
“Maleena, please. You need to rest more now. This alone,” he motioned toward the lake, “has drained your energy enough. If you want to argue about it, then I will speak with Nydara. See how fast you get to the border without a dragon.”
Nydara huffed a rumble of agreement. Maleena shot a glare at the silver, knowing the dragon would take Mckale’s side. “Alright, tomorrow then.”
She turned and walked toward the silver dragon. Mckale would have to help her into the saddle again. It seemed grace and ease of movement would continue to be a thing of the past until the baby was born. With a sigh she stopped next to Nydara and looked up at the saddle. Even with the second, lower stirrup added to this side, there was no way she could reach that with her belly in the way.
With mirth in his eyes, Mckale stepped to her side and held out a hand. “My lady.” He bowed slightly.
Maleena laughed. “You are really enjoying my lack of mobility aren’t you?”
“Of course, it means our child grows well and healthy. Besides, you look beautiful pregnant.” He bent and brushed a kiss across her lips.
She shook her head and rubbed a hand over her belly, feeling the baby kick strong. Now if only the child would quit propping his or her foot in Maleena’s ribs at night, she might get some sleep one of these days. She sent a mock glare at Mckale. “Don’t lie, Mckale. I look like a bloated cow. My stomach makes me wider than I am tall.”
Mckale threw his head back and roared with laughter; the deep timbre of it floating across the still and silent lake. When he regained control of himself, he looked at her with warm amusement dancing in his silver eyes. “You hardly look like that, my lady. I remember my mother’s belly getting much larger than yours when she was pregnant with Sonja.”
Maleena waved away the comment. “From what you have said, your mother was almost as tall as Sonja. I highly doubt a large, pregnant stomach made her look as unwieldy as I do.”
He chuckled softly. “You can look into my mind and see that I’m not lying. You are beautiful like this.”
She rolled her eyes and chose to ignore that comment. He very well may think she looked beautiful, but she didn’t feel it. She felt huge and uncomfortable. “Let’s get back to Galdrilene since you insist that I rest. Tomorrow I have to speak with Taela. If what I’m thinking is possible, there will be much to prepare for.”
Born in Kansas, I spent a lot of my childhood moving around. I’ve lived in Kansas, Oklahoma, Washington State (around Seattle), and southern California. I had many great adventures growing up. Right now I reside in Kansas again with my husband of 19 years, my three children, assorted cats, and my wonderful dogs Roxie and Abby. One of these days I will escape the plains and make my way back to my beloved Pacific Northwest.
I’ve been an avid lover of fantasy since I was a young child. Dragons, elves, fairies, dwarves, and other denizens of the fantasy world as well as magic have always fascinated me. As I grew up, I developed an interest in vampires, zombies and my interests branched out to take in paranormal and urban fantasy.
I don’t have any special writing credits to my name other than a wildly active imagination and the ability to form that imagination into written stories. Beyond writing and reading, I also have a deep love of neat stairways, doors, doorways, and gates. I’m also convinced chocolate is a food group.
Table of Contents
Praise for “Embers at Galdrilene”
Also by A.D. Trosper
Title Page
Copyright Info
The Design Team
Visit th
e Author
Dedication
Acknowledgements
The World of Dragon’s Call
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Tears of War Glossary
Ashes and Spirits Preview
Give A Little Magic...
About the Author
Table of Contents
Praise for “Embers at Galdrilene”
Also by A.D. Trosper
Tears of War Page 43