by Amy Bearce
She could barely choke the words out. Being vulnerable wasn’t easy, but there was a time for armor and a time to set it aside. She left her heart open and exposed there on that cliff, with magic at her fingertips and hope thrumming like rising music in her soul.
He took the flower with a hand that shook just a little. “I fought to stay with you through the pain of his dark magic. I see things I couldn’t before, but I’ve always loved you as you are. You’re like your own weapons―strong, beautiful, and dangerous if needed.”
Tears trickled down from her cheeks, and she let them. Twice in one day. It was a record.
Corbin smiled. “Will you marry me, Nell Brennan? If we need to live here, or travel the whole world, I’ll follow you anywhere.”
“If you mean that, I’ll say yes,” she warned. She laid her hand over his, covering the flower, uniting them both.
“You’ll never be alone,” he said again, joy lighting his face.
“Nor will you,” she replied. Her heart would break if she lost him, but she’d no longer keep her heart safely locked behind walls. She wouldn’t live a life of fear.
We are, all of us, never alone even in our darkest moments, the voice whispered clearly through the sword. Her life would be shared with that voice because of her calling, and she was glad for it.
Nell swallowed the lump in her throat and smiled at all the friends who had gathered around, including them in the special moment. Corbin kissed her lightly and then held her tight.
“About time!” Phoebe whooped, and everyone clapped and cheered.
“The mark of the guardians,” Corbin murmured with a smile, running his fingers along the silver tree on her arm, tracing down to her fingertips where the branches reached. “It suits you.”
“You know they’ll be calling you a goddess now, Nell. Lighting yourself on fire? Nice trick. Makes my fairies look like child’s play,” Sierra teased.
“Oh, I think we all know I’m no goddess.” Nell smirked, and everyone laughed.
“What are you then, Nell?” Micah asked, his voice low, gently challenging.
She held Corbin’s hand but raised her sword. Her windsteed stood behind her. Her power gathered within, rising to his question, demanding an answer. This was the magic that would lead her, give her purpose, and bring her joy all the rest of her life and beyond.
Her voice was strong and completely her own when she answered, “I’m the one who’ll stand between the magic of Aluvia and its enemies. I’m the one who’ll train others to heal and protect our world. I’m a warrior, the sky’s champion. But at the heart of it all, I’m Aluvia’s guardian.”
Her proclamation and Corbin’s answering, proud smile healed any last kernel of doubts she had about the path her future would take. She laughed out loud. Flames flew up the sword and into the clouds, but they weren’t nearly as bright as the fire burning inside her.
Thank you to the wonderful staff at Curiosity Quills Press, to include (but certainly not limited to) Lisa, Eugene, Andrew, Nikki, Clare, and Tanya. I’ve loved working with all of you!
A special thank you goes to my editor, Krystal Wade. I am a better writer because of you.
The beautiful map is courtesy of Ricky Gunawan, and the cover art is by Amalia Chitulescu, who has beautifully represented all three of my books. I’m forever grateful.
Heartfelt thanks also go to my friends who have given feedback on my work over the years: Lara Barrett, Ann Miller, Jeannine Johnson Maia, Christina Nelson, and Stacy Webb. Thanks also to Heidi Boyd, Valerie Collins, and Elizabeth Arroyo for their valuable input into this book. And to Carol Pavliska, friend and author, who believed in me even when I couldn’t quite believe in myself.
To my parents, sister, and mother-in-law: thank you for believing in me and cheering me on.
To my daughters and my husband Jonathan: thank you. For everything.
Finally, thank you so much to those who read the first two books and told me how much you loved Nell and wanted to hear her story. I actually drafted Dragon Redeemer in 2015, so it’s taken a long time to reach this final point, but I hope you enjoy it!
With love,
Amy
Amy writes fantasy for tweens and teens. She is a former reading and English teacher with a Masters in Library Science and a school librarian certificate. Prior to writing novels, she spent ten years writing short stories, articles, and poetry for state standardized reading tests on a freelance basis.
As an Army kid, she moved eight times before she was eighteen, so she feels especially fortunate to be married to her high school sweetheart. Together they’re raising two daughters in Texas, after a lovely few years spent in Germany. A perfect day for Amy involves rain pattering on the windows, popcorn, and every member of her family curled up in one cozy room reading a good book.
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Emma and the Banderwigh, by Matthew S. Cox
(http://bit.ly/1Iya5u3)
Ten-year- old Emma doesn’t believe in faerie tales or monsters that secret children away in the night–until she meets one. One morning, a sickly older girl reappears and sets the entire town aflutter with whispers of a child-stealing monster lurking in the forest. Nan tells her of the Banderwigh: a dark soul who feeds on sorrow and feeds from children’s tears. Darkness comes calling on her happy home, the impossible becomes real, and Emma must find the strength to believe. Her family depends on it.
Broken Dolls, by Tyrolin Puxty
(http://bit.ly/1FWlsMl)
Ella doesn’t remember what it’s like to be human – after all, she’s lived as a doll for thirty years. She forgets what it’s like to taste, to smell…to breathe. The professor’s obsession with turning sickly girls into dolls is starting to mess with Ella’s head – and it’s time for her to break free.
The Code of Magic, by David D. Hammons
(http://bit.ly/1OSZTwh)
There’s a monster in Alex’s backyard. He doesn’t know how it got there, but with his parents refusing to help, Alex must capture it on his own. When he does, a monster hunting Keeper comes to claim it. Alex follows the Keeper to the world of Edin, a preserve for monsters run by magic-wielders. Aboard the Keeper’s airship, and with his giant socket wrench-wielding monster companion, Alex must learn the art of magic if he hopes to stay in this wondrous world. But as he trains with the other children in the fortress of Babili, rumors begin that the Heretic Pharaoh has returned, and Alex’s new home is in danger.
Broken Branch Falls, by Tara Tyler
(http://bit.ly/2ixCFVd)
Doing homework for bully ogres and getting laughed at as the butt of pixie pranks, Gabe is tired of his goblin life. When he and his friends step out of their nerdy stereotype and pull a prank of their own on the dragons at the first football game, it literally backfires, bringing a High Council vote to dismantle not only Gingko High, but the whole town, too!
The Book of Ages–hidden handbook of the High Council, filled with knowledge and power–may be Gabe’s only hope. With the help of friends old and new, can Gabe complete his quest to find the Book in time to save Broken Branch Falls? Or will he remain an outcast forever?
Appetizer:
Book Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Map of Aluvia
Main Course:
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 Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Dessert:
Acknowledgments
Closing
About the Author
Copyright & Publisher
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