After drying myself, I found a spot on the sand under a tree.
Betheka’s journal was a leather-bound book, a buckle keeping the yellowing pages from springing free. I opened it, taking care not to damage it. Her familiar handwriting was comforting somehow, as if she was still there, talking to me herself.
The journal seemed to be one of the more recent ones—the first entry was dated around the time my father started attending the Academy. Her entries were often detailing her day, most of which revolved around alchemy.
I got to one that had me wanting to cry all over again. It told the story of how she felt when she first met my father and realized that he was her son.
Over the next few minutes, I devoured Betheka’s journal. It felt like a front row seat into her mind, but also, I was experiencing my father all over again through the words written on the pages. In this book, my father was alive, Betheka was alive. They were happy, they were purposeful, they were whole people, not just pieces of my own thoughts.
“Thanks for leaving me these, Beth,” I whispered, running my fingers along the tattered edges of the page I was reading.
It was one of the last few entries in this book. Had I known they would be this interesting, I probably would have brought another.
This entry was short.
Branton visited me today to tell me about his plans for Pyralis. I worry that they may get him killed, but when that boy sets his mind to something, he refuses to give it up.
His plans for Pyralis?
In his letter to me, my father seemed certain that he was going to die. Did what he told Betheka on that day cause his death like she thought? Suddenly, I was skipping through the pages with more urgency. The answers to my questions were in these pages, I could feel it.
No wonder Betheka had left them for me.
What Happens Next?
This story continues in
DRAGON WAR
Book three of Devonnie Asher’s Dragon Tamers of Pyralis series.
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Thanks for Reading!
I hope that you enjoyed this book. Writing Dragon Guard was a completely different experience from writing the book before it. Kaos and Ignimitra’s story has quickly become my favorite to write! Look out for Dragon War, coming September 2020. Follow me on Amazon to get new release notifications straight to your device.
—Devonnie
About the Author
Devonnie Asher is the author of the Dragon Tamers of Pyralis series, an edge-of-your-seat fantasy adventure set in an idyllic island paradise, much like the country she calls home. She loves to write immersive stories with young adult characters that explore themes like coming of age, heroism, love, and the thin line between good and evil. When she’s not writing from the messy desk she told herself she would clean a week ago, you can find Devonnie watching anime while sipping a dangerously hot cup of tea. She lives in Jamaica with her husband and an ever-growing collection of books.
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