by Liz Delton
Her mother. She couldn’t help but picture her poor pregnant mother, falling into one of those fiery rifts—like the one in the mural at the bath house—that led to the Starless Realm. No wonder her mother kept them moving around all those years. She must have been looking for a way back. Tears threatened, and she took a sharp breath, willing them away. She wouldn’t cry in front of all these people.
And then shock swept the threat of tears away. Her father.
Her mother had said he was dead. Was he? Or was he still in Camellia, a realm away at the time?
***
It was dark the next night as they rode away from Heliodor, but Kira wasn’t afraid of the dark. In fact, she reveled in it. She could watch each blade of grass bend in the breeze as it ran its fingers through the hills. She could see a thousand stars above, radiating Light in their thousand cosmos. She looked back down and spotted a bridge.
A very familiar bridge, one on which she had almost died at the hands of a deadly water spirit. She shot a glance at Anzu. The knight offered her a knowing smirk.
Her first day in Camellia seemed so long ago. She had woken on the hill—this very hill. It could only be the one. She was not surprised to see the hill clear of any doors.
The door conjured at the Storm King’s castle had disappeared with this morning’s light.
Kira, Anzu, and Jun gave the bridge a wide berth and continued toward Gekkō-ji. Kira gave Meluca a reassuring pat as they rode by—more for Kira’s reassurance than Meluca’s. Anzu had easily tracked down Kira’s mount in the Spire’s stables. Someone even returned Kira’s bag and dagger, which she had quickly slid back into its accustomed place.
She missed Thistle, but undoubtedly he and Gekkō had returned to their mountain. She was sure she would see them again, considering she had decided to stay in Camellia, to return to Gekkō-ji. She just hoped it wouldn’t take her a whole ten years to become a Light knight.
“I wonder how long Master Ichiro and Mistress Nari will stay in Heliodor,” Jun mused as the bridge finally faded from sight.
“Not long, I think,” said Anzu. She held her horse’s reins one-handed, her bladed staff ready in her other hand. “I’m glad we didn’t have to stick around. It’s not going to be a pleasant talk. And it won’t take a single conversation to set things right between Light and Shadow. It’s a start, though.”
Jun turned to Kira, eyes wide. “So are you ready to tell everyone you’re from the Starless Realm?”
Mistress Nari had warned Kira before they had departed that Kira would be expected to present herself to Camellia as the latest visitor from the Starless Realm, now that they knew she wasn’t in danger from the Storm King. Finally, the lying was truly over. What would be expected of her now?
Kira grimaced. “But I’m not, not really.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Jun waved her words away. “People will still think you’re from there. I bet you’ll get that personal poet of yours any day now.”
They both burst into hysterical laughter.
“Come on, you two,” Anzu called from farther down the road. “We’ve got to get back to the temple before morning.”
“Why?” Kira wondered.
Anzu turned in her saddle and grinned. “You two pages have missed enough training, Mistress Nari said. You won’t want to be late for lessons.”
THE END
Acknowledgements
I must first thank my husband Jeff for always supporting my every dream, including this one. Thank you for being there for me from the day we met.
To my editor Toni and everyone at Limitless, thank you for your invaluable insight and support.
I’d also like to thank my writer’s group for all your help as I explored Camellia.
About the Author
Liz Delton writes and lives in New England, with her husband and amazing son. She studied Theater Management at the University of the Arts in Philly, always having enjoyed the backstage life of storytelling.
She loves reading and writing fantasy, especially the kind with alternate worlds. Liz is the author of the Arcera Trilogy, and the Realm of Camellia series, a unique Japanese-inspired crossover tale. World-building is her favorite part of writing, and she is always dreaming up new fantastic places.
She loves drinking tea and traveling. When she’s not writing you can find her hands full with one of her many craft projects.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/lizdelton/
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Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11364538.Liz_Delton
Website:
http://www.LizDelton.com
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https://www.instagram.com/lizdeltonwrites/
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Liz-Delton/e/B00RHANRH4
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