Key of Living Fire (The Sword of the Dragon) (56 page)

She stepped down on the other side of the moat and glanced into the shadows. Only one guard stood watch, yet he kept his hands busy carving a block of wood and his sword relaxed at his side as he sat on a bench. She crept past him, walking between heaps of unfinished building stones, wood planks, and tools. The cylindrical base of the keep stood behind the materials.

She hardly glanced at the tall structure, instead making her way to the doorway in the keep’s base. As she stepped inside and drew her rusted sword from beneath the folds of her skirt, the blade glowed orange. The modest light painted the high wall of stone and the columns that buttressed it, as well as the broad stone steps leading into the darkness above.

Climbing the stairs took a lot of energy, for the stairway proceeded up fifty feet before leveling off in a chamber. Another stair rose on the room’s opposite side. She walked up to it and knelt. With one trembling hand, she pulled the oblong package from under her cloak and laid it on the floor. She opened its box top and gazed upon the beautiful sword laid therein, then drew an envelope from her pocket.

Her tears fell on the envelope, and the sword glowed softly. She pricked her finger on a needle and held her finger over the envelope. Her blood dripped off her finger, pooling on the envelope with her tears. When she lifted her finger, she closed her eyes and the wound very gradually healed. She breathed heavily and gripped the nearby steps. Her vision blurred as she touched her sword to the envelope, half-closing her eyes, focusing on what she wanted to accomplish. The blade touched her pooled blood and tears, sizzling. When she removed her sword from the envelope, a seal had formed.

She wrapped the envelope around the sword’s handle, tied it with a ribbon, and closed the package, sliding it under the step where no one would find it. “God be with you, my love,” she whispered. She ran to the stair and descended to ground level.

The Warrioresses waved from the deck of the
Maiden Voyage
as the wind snapped her sails and turned her into the waves of the Sea of Serpents. Ilfedo stood on the wharf, a mere few feet away from the ship’s deck. Caritha waved to Ombre and bit her lip. Then she let out a little cry and ran across the deck toward Ilfedo, an envelope held in her upraised hand.

“Take this, Brother!”

The ship lurched a couple of feet farther, and he reached out, snagging the envelope from her grasp as she held a rope and swung herself back to the ship’s deck. “Are you certain you wish to go?” Ilfedo glanced at Ombre, then back at her. “We could start by making a southern search, instead.”

“If we find what we are looking for, we will return quickly,” she shouted back. “But if not—”

“Do not risk your lives in this endeavor.” He pointed at the mass of people along the sun-bathed seashore. “They need you . . . and I need you. We will wait for your return. If you find this dragon, then good. If not, then return to us swiftly.”

Oganna ran up beside him and blew a kiss to the women. The Warrioresses waved back, Caritha and Evela blowing kisses in return.

The captain of the vessel shouted, “Heave to! To lands unknown for our country and our kin! We will return.” His voice laughed over the water as the
Maiden Voyage
’s hull cut a wave and she pulled east toward the broad horizon of blue. A single white cloud hovered high in the sky as the ship’s crew shouted their jubilation.

Ilfedo watched the ship shrink into the distance. The people on shore cheered four times, and their chatter filled his ears. But as the sisters became waving specks on the rolling sea, he hugged Oganna to his chest and hung his head. “I pray I have done the right thing, my daughter. I pray I have not sent them into peril.”

“Someone has to do it.” She leaned her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around him. She smelled like flowers in springtime. “Farewell,” she whispered across the water.

The End

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Sword of the Dragon story has only begun! There will be four more books in this series; a series that I have been working on now for about seven years. I’ve become attached to the characters and the places. I’m both ecstatic about what is to come, and dreading a little bit what I must do to some of the characters in order to bring about the conclusion to this series.

Thanks to the people at AMG/Living Ink Books for their continued support of this series.

I would like to thank my ever-supportive wife, Kelley, for continuing to have faith in me as I pursue a sometimes-difficult career. It has required a lot of sacrifice in time and money for us but God is blessing it.

My in-laws graciously allowed us to live with them for a while as my career launches. For their support I am forever grateful.

Thanks to all my wonderful fans! You have made this journey a lot more fun than it would have been alone. I look forward to giving you more imaginative tales. Don’t forget you can keep updated regarding the series via my website
www.TheSwordOfTheDragon.com
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