Sela and Tallin glanced at each other and laughed.
“No… not really. We were having a conversation that can wait,” said Tallin. “We needed to take a break anyway. What do you need?”
Holf reached out and handed Tallin a scroll sealed with purple wax. “This just arrived for you by messenger.”
Tallin recognized the stamp—it was the official seal of Balbor. “Who left this?” he asked, trying not to sound concerned.
Holf shrugged. “I didn’t recognize her—the woman rode off as soon as she left it.”
“A female messenger dropped this off?” he asked.
Holf nodded. “It was a woman, I could tell from her voice, but her face and body were completely covered. At first, I thought she was a nomad. She didn’t say much—she just dropped it off in the receiving room and left. Why… does it matter?”
“No… it doesn’t matter.” He broke the seal and scanned the scroll’s contents. As he feared, the message was from Skera-Kina.
“Dear brother, I hope this letter finds you alive and in good health. I would have written earlier, but my schedule had been fairly hectic lately. I’m pleased to inform you that Druknor Theoric has been permanently dispatched—he will no longer trouble either one of us. I rarely find pleasure in executions, but this one was actually quite enjoyable. Now that Druknor is gone, however, I have realized that Balbor has lost an important source of goods and labor. Because of this, I would like to propose a pact of amity and commerce between my people and yours. This agreement would benefit us equally. It would be of great assistance in stemming the famine on Balbor and would strongly encourage me to stop sending assassins to the mainland. Consider my proposal and let me know your answer before the next full moon. Signed on behalf of the High Priestess of Balbor, Her Grace, Skera-Kina.”
“What does it say?” asked Sela, growing concerned as Tallin’s brows knitted together.
He handed her the scroll. Her eyes widened when she read it. “We cannot accept a treaty of this kind. Not with Balbor.”
Tallin raised one eyebrow. “An open refusal would be deemed a horrible insult. Skera-Kina would never forgive the slight.”
“That may be true, but we’ll just have to deal with the problem when it arises… as we always do,” she replied. “The war is never over for us. The fighting never stops.”
They both looked up into the sky. It was full of stars, and the moon was rising.
Tallin gazed into the desert and added quietly, “When I was in hiding during the Dragon Wars, I didn’t know what to think or believe. The future seemed very dark back then. But now, I have hope. I realize there will always be challenges, but they don’t need to be seen as obstacles. We can overcome them all. And one day… we will have peace among all our lands. I’m certain about that.”
The Dragon Stone Saga Continues:
THE SHADOW GRID TRILOGY (forthcoming)
The Shadow Grid Returns
The Fall of Miklagard
Sisren’s Betrayal
About the Author
Kristian Alva was born into a family of writers and teachers. She worked as a staff writer and a ghostwriter before publishing her own manuscripts. She now writes young adult and middle-grade fantasy full-time.
She currently lives in California with her family. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading all genres, especially epic fantasy. Find out more about the author and sign up for email alerts at her official website: www.KristianAlva.com.
Kathir's Redemption (Book 6) Page 20