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  “So, I have learned over the last week. Nole has made me read all of the histories that Phillip appeared in. It is funny that the coloured lock is the most obvious thing to inherit.”

  Her mother tutted, “You are also a dragon, child.”

  “Oh. Right. Thank you.” Aeli smiled and took the rose that a child handed to her.

  “Are you a princess?” The girl had to be around four.

  “No, lass. I am a dragon. Didn’t I see you climbing on me in the council hall with your nursery school?” She wrinkled her nose at the little girl. “I was watching.”

  The little girl’s eyes got wide, and she shrieked and giggled, running to her mother for comfort.

  “You will be good with your own children.” Her mother was smiling.

  “They will come in their own time. I am not rushing things. There is plenty to do.”

  “Good attitude. When I left you with Norman Warrok, I quickly installed myself in his garden. I waited over twenty-five years to see you properly again and hold you in my arms. Time has been on my side.”

  She took more flowers and smiled at the young women who handed them to her. “So, the oasis that my father found was an illusion?”

  “Of course. It worked on Phillip as well. I followed him from the old world to the new, and it took him years to see me. That is how dryads live. We bond to our mates, and the soul of our trees follow.”

  “I felt that. I felt the trees around me.”

  “I am the last of my sisters from that original copse. The others have faded or gone into the endless lands.” She smiled sadly. “I am the last of the dryads of my family, and you are the last of our line. I am eager to see you continue it.”

  They continued their walk as Aeli murmured, “I am not rushing it. The next generation will come in their own time if they do at all.”

  “Good. I will teach them about their dryad heritage.”

  Aeli blinked. “You are so certain.”

  “My kind does not see into the future, but we are very good at the present. Presently, you and Nole are an excellent match in all ways. You simply need to take action. Why haven’t you, by the way?”

  Aeli chuckled and hefted the armload of flowers. “Father is staying under the same roof. He is remarkably nimble for a man of his age.”

  “Relief is rejuvenating. He finally feels loved and respected by the community he has sacrificed so much for over the years.”

  They were approaching the central garden, and Aeli’s arms were once again weighed down with flowers. As the sun had risen, so had the population, and everyone on her route had come out with offerings or good wishes. Apparently, a year as a wooden statue was the key to goodwill.

  She followed the designated and flower-strewn path as folk arrived, and she walked to the aisle where her dragon waited at the other end.

  Aeli was never sure if she actually floated to Nole’s side, but when she was there, holding his hand and vowing to share her mind, magic, and body with him, she wanted the moment to freeze in time and rush past all at once.

  Her mother stood in as her bridesmaid, with curious looks at her from all sides, but Norman gave one long shocked stare and finished the vows and declarations. “I now pronounce you mated mages. You may now kiss the bride and then buckle up. The party is about to start.”

  Aeli turned to Nole, and he grinned at her. Their kiss was made awkward because of the laughter, but for the first time in a week, Norman wasn’t scowling at them.

  Aeli sobered and tried the kiss again, and this time, with the flowers bruised into a heady mix of scents, the magic between them rising, Aeli remembered the days of reception that loomed before they could sneak away and experiment with their new freedoms.

  When they parted, they faced the barrage of photographers who were taking images of them for papers and news reports around the world.

  She nudged Nole with her hip. “Now, on to the reception. If your sanity remains intact after that, you will deserve to learn as much magic as you can manage.”

  “I will manage it but not for magic. I will manage it for you.”

  She blinked and saw Mirbella waiting. “I think I am going to have to stop trying to cry. I am constantly under threat.”

  “I have one more thing for you. Don’t worry, it will shift when you do.”

  To her shock, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring made of what appeared to be wood but felt like metal.

  “Ironwood. Your father helped me pick it out.” He slid the ring onto her ring finger.

  She flexed her hand, and the ring warmed rapidly. “I didn’t prepare anything, but perhaps this would work for you.”

  She took his left hand and focused, twining a thin vine around on his ring finger until it was woven into a thick green band. “It will darken with age, but it will shift with you. The enchantment will hold.”

  He kissed her again, and she could see the flashes go off, even though the silencing spell kept their noise away from the newlyweds.

  When they parted, it was time to get ready for the reception. The ordeal was going to begin.

  Aeli’s voice was broken, and her head was on the table. “Seven days. It never lasts seven days.”

  Nole rubbed her shoulders, surprisingly fit after their endless workout of food, dancing, drinking, and short naps.

  “You just need to give the final gift, and we can go. The entire mage guild has promised.”

  Aeli looked at him with what she knew were bloodshot eyes. “Right. Let’s do this.”

  She pushed herself upright, and Nole stood behind her. She cleared her throat, and she spoke as clearly as she could. “Thank you to you all for participating in our joy. Some have left early and taken their gifts, but for those who remain, I offer harbingers of hope for this world. Each of these has the potential to become a dryad if it finds a tree that speaks to it.”

  Nole held her hands, supporting them.

  “Simply let them fly, and they will find their way to the nearest suitable tree. It might take the dryad three or four hundred years to grow, but your being here has ensured the survival of magic for four centuries.” She knew she was rambling, so she focused and gave the world the possibility of dryads once again. Silver and gold butterflies burst out of her palms, fluttering upward, and each one alighted on one of the vast crowd who had made it through the entire reception.

  When the cascade of creatures was over, she slumped against Nole and whispered, “Please take me home now.”

  He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Gladly.”

  He lifted her and sprouted wings, crouching and launching upward, taking her home as quickly as he could.

  She smiled and nodded off, safe and headed for bed.

  She bolted upright at the contact on her skin. She looked over, and Nole was lying there, naked except for the sheet. She wasn’t wearing anything either.

  “Come back to bed, Aeli. You have just gotten to sleep.”

  She carefully moved in bed, and he turned to his side, hauling her into his arms. She didn’t know what was going to happen, but he simply breathed deep and then resumed his rest.

  Their first time alone together and sleep was more important than anything else. Aeli grinned and settled in, matching his breathing. A curse, a spell, an emergency, a rescue, a dormancy, and a wedding had all come right in just over a year. When they were finished with their honeymoon, she was going to be the mediating voice on the council, and the study of their karro’s load of books and presents that had been offered were about to take all of her time.

  Her mother was going to have to wait for the next generation, there was no time for kids while there was studying to do.

  Aeli grinned as she dozed off. Nearly blowing up her potential husband wasn’t a normal way to kick off a courtship, but then, she had always done things the hard way.

  It was a good thing that they had a very long time to get things right.

  Author’s Note

  So, now we begin to discove
r random dragons in the new world. Some in cities, some living wild, and all concealed from the gaze of others. Aeli was one Covert Dragon...

  The next book, Dragon Defiant, is in the works with the cover art ordered.

  Thanks for reading,

  Viola Grace

  About the Author

  Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.

  An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around, and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.

  In real life, she now is engaged in beekeeping, and her adventures can be found on the YouTube channel, Mystery Bees Apiary. Just look for the cartoon kittens.