Free Sorcha's Heart by Debbie Mumford

from a perspective of never-before-possible understanding.
    “ Take me to the king,” she commanded. “I must fulfill the destiny the Heart of Fire has laid upon me.”

Chapter Eight
    Ambassador of Peace

    King Leofric regarded Sorcha with distrust and distaste. “You expect me to believe that necklace transformed you into a dragon?”
    “ I do, Sire,” she replied. The icy calm that had gripped her soul since Caedyrn returned to their clutch allowed her to bear the King’s obvious disbelief with equanimity. “I have witnesses to my transformation. Your own knights will verify my tale.”
    She saw his eyes flick to the other side of the hall where armored men stood in uneasy silence.
    “ Yes, very well.” He sighed and rubbed his stubbled chin. “Assuming I accept your statement, what is it that you expect of me?”
    “ I expect you to listen to me as I explain the peculiarities of a dragon’s hearing. I expect you to appoint me ambassador and allow me to help you negotiate with their representative when I invite him to return. I expect you to forbid your knights and subjects to harm a single scale of a dragon’s hide while we hammer out a truce.”
    Leofric stilled, his expression cold and stiff. Grumbling erupted from the men behind her, and she ignored them with effort. Her ears no longer retained dragon sensitivity, but she had grown disused to physical sound. The echoes in this stone hall worried her nerves. Even the tapestries lining the walls couldn’t provide the dampening effect she longed for. When Caedyrn returned, negotiations would need to be held in an open meadow. Someplace where sound could dissipate and not bounce around to assault his delicate hearing over and over again.
    “ Be careful, young woman,” Leofric growled. “I think you forget to whom you speak.”
    She doused the flames of anger and retreated behind a mask worthy of the aerie’s ice. Bowing her head, she said, “Forgive me, Sire. This has been a very stressful time for me.” Taking a deep breath, she tried again. “Sire, I remain in contact with the flight of dragons. If you will guarantee his safety, I will request that my, uh, my colleague join us for negotiations.”
    “ And who will guarantee my safety?”
    “ I will, Sire.” Her pulse raced with the magnitude of the lie she was about to utter. But alien or not, she trusted dragonkind far more than she trusted humans. Her time with the flight had shown her little in the way of deceit or treachery. Traits she knew well on the human side of the equation. “The Heart of Fire has magnified my powers. I am fully capable of protecting you from human and dragon alike.” She paused and turned to face the king’s knights. “I am also capable of exacting a terrible price from any who breaks the king’s peace.”
    Leofric remained silent for a moment and then said, “So be it. You will act as my ambassador. You will be present at all negotiations to augment my understanding and guide my decisions, but make no mistake. They will be my decisions.”
    He clapped his hands and cried to the room at large, “Let the dragon ambassador return under my personal protection.”
    He paused, narrowed his eyes and stared directly at Sorcha. “Be warned, Wizard. If this dragon breaks my peace, your life will be forfeit.”
    Sorcha bowed and murmured, “As you wish, Sire,” before turning to leave the room.
    Upon reaching the safety of her assigned chamber, Sorcha barred the heavy wooden door and collapsed on the bed. She took several calming breaths before touching the link to Caedyrn’s mind. The golden thread sizzled and sparked, and she felt the familiar warmth of his presence.
    “ Welcome, my love,” he murmured. “Are you well?”
    She laughed, giddy with relief at the concern in his thoughts. “I am well. The King is suspicious of my request to allow a dragon at court, but I am in no danger. How are our children?”
    “ Keeva dedicates herself to their care. She blames