The Silver Queen and Other Dragon Tales
Page 3
Transfixed by the magic she had never known was inside her all along, Faye only returned to her senses when she felt the touch of a small hand on her right foreleg. Turning around, she saw that the child’s tears had vanished and a smile had appeared on her face.
“I’m Flora.”
No longer afraid, the silver dragon turned her gaze to the child’s dress. She could see Flora’s skinned knee through the tear in the fabric, and suddenly she knew what she had to do. The moonlight had given her much more than the color she had always wanted: it had given her a purpose.
The moon’s magic flowing through her veins, Faye lowered her head and exhaled a soft breath over Flora’s leg. The fine silver mist tickled the girl’s knee, causing her to giggle. In seconds, the injury vanished.
Flora squealed and threw her arms around the dragon’s head. Faye’s heart began to race; she hadn’t expected such a warm display of gratitude and affection. Maybe humans weren’t so bad after all.
After a moment, the girl released the dragon, then placed a hand on her head and looked into her eyes.
“I wish to go home.”
Fairy queen.
Faye smiled, then stepped back and bowed to let Flora climb onto her back. With the child’s arms wrapped around her neck, she spread her multicolored wings and took off toward the village south of the forest.
The rest of the night passed in a daze, yet there were a few clear memories that Faye would cherish forever. She would always remember standing at the edge of the forest while Flora hugged and thanked her, the way the child had looked back to wave one last time before running into the village, how her heart had soared as she flew back to the Crystal Cave, and the grin that refused to disappear even as she fell asleep, still in disbelief that her wish had come true.
I am special.
* * *
A week later, the white dragon watched the magic competition from a high rock in the fields, a smile on her face through the whole day. Faye was not surprised to find she had no desire to join the solar dragons anymore. What did surprise her was feeling so confident in her new self that she didn’t even bother to reveal she was a lunar dragon when the name-calling started.
“Monochrome!”
“Colorless!”
“Pale-face!”
But the white drake no longer cared. She knew someday she’d have her moment to shine—literally, she thought with amusement. Maybe one of her peers would suffer an injury on the next clear night, or maybe she would still have to wait some years until the elders summoned the youth for the magic trials when they came of age. Perhaps she might even make a habit of sneaking out to the clearing every full moon, in case any other human children should wander too far from home.
Yet even if she had thought she would never get a chance to prove herself to the other dragons, Faye wouldn’t have given up being Achromatic for all the colors in the world, now that she knew how special she really was. She may have been ordinary in the eyes of the world, but in her heart, she was a queen.
Bonus Short Story
Not All Dragons Breathe Fire
Despite his best efforts, Fintan has never been an ordinary dragon. Breathing fire, battling knights, and kidnapping humans just aren’t his strengths.
But when he crosses paths with a princess one day, he’s surprised when she begs him to kidnap her.
Now Fintan finally has a chance to prove himself a real dragon, but he’ll soon find that being a real dragon may not be everything he always wanted…
Join my author mailing list and read this short story for free today!
The Stories Continue!
Want more of the mother dragon, Alexander, and Faye? Their stories continue in The Lunar Dragon and Other Dragon Tales, another collection of short dragon stories!
Flight (sequel to Defender): When an old enemy returns, the mother dragon must decide if she’s willing to trust a human to help her save her children.
Deathly Fire (sequel to Beastly Pains): Alexander is the only one who can save the life of the one he loves, but the cost would be his friendship with Severoth—a price he’s not sure he’s willing to pay.
The Lunar Dragon (sequel to The Silver Queen): A desperate plea from an old friend forces a devastating choice on Faye that could cost her the one thing she’s worked her whole life for: a chance to finally earn her place in the Dragon Clan.
Can our heroes make the right choices, even when they aren’t the easiest? Find out in The Lunar Dragon and Other Dragon Tales, now available to read on Kindle!
Letter from the Author
Dear reader,
Thank you so much for reading my short stories! The Silver Queen and Other Dragon Tales is the first book I’ve ever published and every single one of these stories was written from the heart, so the fact that you chose to set aside a little time in your day to read them seriously means the world to me.
If you enjoyed my short stories, here are two things you can do right now to support my writing:
Scroll to the back of this book and leave a review for it on Amazon and/or Goodreads, and
Join my mailing list for updates about my writing and upcoming books, many of which will also feature dragons and other mythical creatures. (You’ll get a free bonus short story when you sign up!)
Even if you choose to do only one of these things, it will really make my day!
Thanks again for reading my stories! I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Sincerely,
Naomi Lastrucci
Acknowledgments
Thank you to everyone who helped make this book possible!
Thank you to my parents, Marjorie and Luca, and my sisters, Chelsea and Tiffany, for reading almost every story I’ve written since I was nine years old, always encouraging my dream to be an author, and doing everything possible to help me achieve my goals.
Thank you to everyone who’s ever told me they loved one of my stories and made me believe in my talent as a writer.
Thank you to my beta readers, Allison, Jennifer, and Kim, for giving constructive feedback on early drafts of these stories to help me make them better.
And thank you to my significant other, Brent, for always supporting me, listening to my ideas, making an effort to respect my writing time, putting up with my writing rants, and believing in me no matter what, even when I don’t always believe in myself.
Thank you all for your contributions to The Silver Queen. You’re all awesome!
About the Author
Naomi is a fantasy author living with the love of her life in Los Angeles, California. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master of Science in Ecology from a university in southern Brazil, which she spent a total of seven and a half years working toward before realizing she’d rather pursue her true passion of writing stories. Naomi now works as a freelance writer and proofreader and spends her free time writing and reading fiction, playing video games, and feeding her endless obsessions with dragons, mythology, and language.
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Also by Naomi Lastrucci
The Lunar Dragon and Other Dragon Tales (The Silver Queen, Book 2)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BY73J9S
Would you trust an apparent enemy to rescue your family? Would you save someone you love if it meant losing your best friend forever? Would you sacrifice your only chance at happiness to help a friend desperately in need?
The stories from The Silver Queen and Other Dragon Tales continue in these three new adventures that pit their heroes against fresh challenges and impossible choices.
- When an old enemy returns, the mother dragon must decide if she’s willing to trust a human to help her save her children.
- Ale
xander is the only one who can save the life of the one he loves, but the cost would be his friendship with Severoth—a price he’s not sure he’s willing to pay.
- A desperate plea from an old friend forces a devastating choice on Faye that could cost her the one thing she’s worked her whole life for: a chance to finally earn her place in the Dragon Clan.
Can our heroes make the right choices, even when they aren’t the easiest? Find out in The Lunar Dragon and Other Dragon Tales, the second book in The Silver Queen series of short dragon stories!