Free A Dragon's Honor by Dahlia Rose Page A

She
looked around in amazement. She was in Greenland on a cliff with the sea
breaking against the rocks. The smell of the salt water was strong in the air
along with the crisp, unpolluted fresh scent of nature.
    “Holy
crap. That was freaking amazing!” She jumped up and down like she was a little girl
again.
    Raul
shifted and he gave her a grin. “It gets better yet.”
    He
pulled her close and whispered words she didn’t recognize. He was right; his
language would not be recognized in any form of archeological research known to
man. She wanted to learn it all, and could see herself sitting and poring over
their history, learning their language. The air in front of them seemed to
shimmer and ripple like the surface of a lake when you threw a pebble and broke
its surface. Then, suddenly, it parted and she saw the world beyond and it caused
her to gasp. She stepped through with Raul and felt as if an electric current
was passing over her skin. It was not unbearable, but a little uncomfortable.
People stopped and waved as they came through, but then went on their way. Raul
shifted and was offered clothes by someone standing close to where they came
through the portal. Raven assumed the man was kind of a gatekeeper for the
dragons as they come back and forth.
    She assumed they were accustomed to the
warriors coming in and out of their world and it was an everyday thing for
them. Raven, on the other hand, was speechless. She looked up to a sky that was
as blue as home, but this sky was filled with dragons of all shapes and
children ran and played on cobblestone streets. It was breathtaking and she
tried to take it all in. The bright and vivid colors and the entire scene reminded
her of a Norman Rockwell painting. Buildings were made of stone and there was
even an outdoor marketplace and a blacksmith that left her speechless. But, as
they walked, the massive columns of the Paladin court came into view and she
was even more amazed as they went up the stairs and into the stone structure.
Everything was huge like Pantheon size and she felt like an ant as their steps
echoed in the halls. She saw two figures, a man and woman, coming down the hall,
and the woman was holding a child.
    “Raul,
this is unexpected and you’ve brought a guest,” the man said. He was tall
enough that she had to crane her neck. He had bright blue eyes that were
mesmerizing.
    Raul
clasped hands with him. “Orin, it is good to see you, my friend, and Valencia
you look beautiful. This is my friend Raven.”
    It
stung to hear him call her his friend, but she knew what she was getting into
when she told him no pressure.
    “Friend,
hmm?” Valencia said. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
    “You
as well, and it is…amazing here,” Raven said.
    “I
felt the same way when I first arrived. It definitely captivates you,” Valencia
replied.
    “This
boy is growing much too fast. When is his naming ceremony?” Raul asked.
    “He
is only five months old,” Valencia said with humor. “His naming ceremony will
be in a few weeks. I hope I will see you and your friend Raven there.”
    Raul
bent to kiss her cheek. “Of course, my princess.”
    Valencia
snorted. “I wish you would stop that. It makes me uncomfortable.”
    “Well,
you are the princess, darling, and when it is my time to rule, you shall be queen,”
Orin reminded her fondly.
    In
her arms, the baby gurgled and Raven asked, “May I hold him?”
    “Of
course.”
    Valencia
handed her the baby who looked at her with his daddy’s blue eyes and his
wonderful light chocolate skin tone.
    “Will
he be a dragon as well?” Raven asked.
    “Yes,
he will. When our children are born with the eye color of their father it means
the dragon gene has been passed on to them,” Orin explained. “Even if he didn’t
have my eye color, I couldn’t be more proud of my son.”
    “There
are so many questions I could ask,” Raven murmured.
    “And
maybe you will get the answers to all of them eventually,”