Authors: Daniel Arenson

Pillars of Dragonfire (31 page)

Her baby gurgled in her
arms, and Elory opened her eyes. Little Liora reached up and tugged at Elory's
hair.

Tears streamed down
Elory's cheeks. She gazed around at her homeland, at the forests of Requiem,
the distant marble columns rising from among the birches, the blue mountains in
the north.

"It's beautiful,"
she whispered, tasting her tears. "It's beautiful here, Liora. I did this
for you. I fought for this land for you, for all the babes born here. This will
never be my kingdom, Liora. My home will always be in Tofet. That is a land I
cannot escape, that I cannot wrench out from within me. But you will never know
such pain, Liora. I promise this to you. This will always be your home."

Liora smiled and
giggled, a beautiful, innocent babe.

Elory kissed her.
"May you know nothing but joy, sweet child. May you know nothing but
peace. May your life be full of light, of family, of hope. May you always find
Requiem's sky."

Footsteps sounded
behind her, and she turned to see Lucem walking up the hill, wrapped in a warm
cloak and holding a basket full of bread, cheese, and wine.

"Thought you'd be
here," he said. "Figured we'd have a little meal, and . . ."

His voice faded when he
saw her tears, and he hurried toward her. She embraced him. They stood
together, holding each other, a family, watching the forests sway and the
dragons fly above.

Find more Requiem novels at . . .

DanielArenson.com/Requiem

New Requiem novels are coming soon! To learn when they're released, sign up to the Daniel Arenson mailing list (you'll also receive three free ebooks as a gift):
DanielArenson.com/MailingList

AFTERWORD

Thank you for reading the
Flame of Requiem
trilogy. I hope you enjoyed these novels.

I've written several other trilogies set in Requiem, and I'm writing new ones all the time.

You can find a list of existing Requiem novels at:
DanielArenson.com/Requiem

Want to know when new Requiem books are released? Here are some ways to stay updated:

* Join my mailing list at (and receive three free ebooks):
DanielArenson.com/MailingList

* Like me on Facebook:
Facebook.com/DanielArenson

* Join our Facebook group:
http://tinyurl.com/kg472wy

* Follow me on Twitter:
Twitter.com/DanielArenson

And if you have a moment, please review a Requiem novel or two online. Help other fantasy readers and tell them why you enjoyed reading. And please help spread the word! Lend a Requiem novel to a friend, talk about Requiem online, and help others discover the books.

Thank you again, dear reader, and I hope we meet again between the pages of another book.

Daniel

NOVELS BY DANIEL ARENSON

THE MOTH SAGA