Dragon Force 1: Invisible Born
Page 17
“Wait, what about Jore?” I asked. “Are we just going to leave him here?”
“You know what, you have a good point. I figured he’d be out long enough to give us the time we need, but better to take more time than less.” Dean moved back to the emissary’s side, and rolled him through the trapdoor. Jore landed with a loud, painful-sounding thump. Dean pulled the trapdoor shut and latched it closed. “That’ll buy us time to gather what we need and get out of the village.”
“Who we need, you mean,” Shula said.
“That too.”
The charmers marched purposefully ahead while my brain struggled to catch up. When they noticed I wasn’t right behind them, and so neither was Rosie, they stopped. Dean said, “Don’t worry, we saw this coming. We’re ready for it.” Even though he couldn’t see me, he must have sensed my concern. I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was oozing off me in tangible waves.
“You are?”
“Absolutely. We’ve got this. Now come on. We have to move.” Dean successfully brought an arm to my shoulders, and led me as he walked, Rosie immediately behind me. “Just trust and believe in your faithum.”
It seemed as if I was being given little choice. It was either quake in my boots with fear, just as the chieftain would want, or believe in faithum—something that had been forbidden to me all my life.
Even if I hadn’t planned it, I’d already made my choice. Each step forward brought me closer to a future free of the chieftain’s tyranny and a constant threat of death. Each step brought me closer to understanding myself and why I was the way I was, so different from everyone else, even my twin.
For the first time in my life, I felt as if I might soon be ready to be seen. After a life lived in the shadows, I was ready to step into the light. And as I walked next to the dragon charmers and a small dragon that was as unique as I was, I glimmered, and for the briefest of moments, my invisibility fell. I walked as a member of the Ooba tribe, strong and proud, ready to take on the world and my role in it, for all to see.
Only no one noticed my moments of visibility. Our eyes were trained forward, toward the path that would deliver us somewhere unknown, but toward the honoring of who we were (the only path ever worth walking). Together, Dean, Shula, Rosie, and I were a force to be reckoned with, even if Pumpoo didn’t know it yet.
I might not have known where I was going, but finally, I was moving forward with strength. I wasn’t a mistake, I was a gift. I wasn’t a burden, I was a weapon in taking on Pumpoo and setting right all he’d done wrong.
Pumpoo claimed he wasn’t afraid of anything, but he should be afraid of me. Because I was finished being afraid. I wouldn’t cower any longer. I was ready to be all I was capable of becoming.
Invisible Bound - Book 2
Continue Anira’s adventures in book 2 of Dragon Force.
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Acknowledgments
I’d write no matter what, because telling stories is my passion, but the following people make creating worlds (and life) a joy. I’m eternally grateful for the support of my beloved, James, my mother, Elsa, and my three daughters, Catia, Sonia, and Nadia. They’ve always believed in me, even before I published a single word. They help me see the magic in the world around me, and more importantly, within.
A big thank you also to my Musketeers, Malcolm, Debbie, and Leslie, who were the first to love Anira’s story, and who continually encourage me to write more magical books.
I’m thankful for every single one of you who’ve reached out to tell me that one of my stories touched you in one way or another, made you smile or cry, or kept you up long past your bedtime. You’ve given me reason to keep writing.
Read more by Lucía Ashta
THE WITCHING WORLD
(Young adult paranormal fantasy - a complete series)
Magic Awakens
The Five-Petal Knot
The Merqueen
The Witching World Omnibus, Books 1-3
The Ginger Cat
The Scarlet Dragon
Mermagic
Spirit of the Spell
MAGICAL ARTS ACADEMY
(Young adult paranormal fantasy - a Witching World spinoff series)
First Spell
Winged Pursuit
Unexpected Agents
Improbable Ally
Questionable Rescue
Sorcerers’ Web
Ghostly Return
Transformations
Castle’s Curse *
Spirited Escape *
Dragon’s Fury *
Magic Ignites *
Powers Unleashed *
PLANET ORIGINS
(New adult space fantasy)
Planet Origins
Original Elements
Holographic Princess
Planet Origins Omnibus, Books 1-3
Purple Worlds
Planet Sand
Holographic Convergence
Mowab Rider
THE LIGHT WARRIORS
(Visionary fantasy - a complete series)
Beyond Sedona
Beyond Prophecy
Beyond Amber
Beyond Arnaka
DRAGON FORCE
(Young adult space fantasy - a complete series)
Invisible Born
Invisible Bound
Invisible Rider
POCKET PORTALS
(Young adult paranormal fantasy)
The Orphan Son *
(Paranormal fantasy)
Huntress of the Unseen
(Time travel romance)
A Betrayal of Time
(Magical realism)
Daughter of the Wind
(Superhero satire)
The Unkillable Killer
(Magical realism)
Whispers of Pachamama
(Science fiction)
Immortalium *
(* coming soon)
About the author
Lucía Ashta, a former attorney and architect, is an Argentinian-American author who lives in Sedona with her beloved and three daughters. She published her first story (about an unusual Cockatoo) at the age of eight, and she’s been at it ever since.
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Lucía on the web:
LuciaAshta.com
luciamashta@gmail.com