by J.A. Clement
head, and lay hollow, but there was a glimmer around him, and his last note did not fall silent as had the rest. It swelled to a hum, a chorus, a great scintillation of sound, and the glimmering light became a brightness that hurt his eyes. Out of it, two sparks of fire coalesced into the eyes of Ghed, oldest of Dragons.
“Jorr.” In that one word was all the love and acceptance that Jorr longed for.
“Please,” he whispered. “Take me with you. I don’t deserve it, I know. I was bad and greedy and selfish, but I know better now, and I am sorry. I will do anything you ask. Please, take me with you.”
Behind Ghed stood another dragon; Marr, Jorr’s mother. “Come,” she called, and with her the whole Colony hummed.
“Jorr?” A voice echoed across the Council chamber. A younger woman, who looked very much like her mother, helped Rosa down off the litter, and she struggled across to where the dragon lay. “I’m sorry it took me so long. My family thought I had gone mad, and only my youngest daughter here would help me. You found them? Your Colony?”
Jorr laughed, with such happiness as she had never heard before. “They found me.”
“Then go.” There were tears in her voice, but she was smiling. “Go to them. You will not forget me?”
“Never, my dear.” Jorr gave her the most delicate of dragon kisses, and the same to her youngest daughter. “Thank you for believing her. I would not have liked to go without saying goodbye to my friends.” Speechless, the girl curtsied to him, for he was now a very large dragon indeed.
Jorr laid his head down and closed his eyes. The glimmering enclosed him, growing in brightness till Rosa had to shut her eyes. The humming grew intense, and then faded. The light was gone, and there was only a circle of standing stones where the dragon had lain.
“Goodbye Jorr.” Rosa patted the stone sadly. “I will miss you, but not for long, I think.” They took her back to her own bed, where she fell easily and painlessly asleep for the last time.
Rosa’s daughter travelled widely, leading her people to a realm where they could live peacefully. Wise and blessed, she became the first Mother of the Shantar, and the virtues of dream-walking and wisdom bestowed upon her by the dragon’s kiss were given also to her daughter, and to the oldest daughter in the line thereafter. So it has continued down all the generations to the present. That is why the Shantar walk paths not known to other peoples. It is because the line of the Mother was chosen by the last Dragon in the world to guide her people in the Dragon’s absence.
Before You Go...
Hello readers! JAC here.
When you bought this story (and thank you for doing so), I bet you had a quick look at the reviews or ratings before you did. Everyone does – they’re so useful. I wondered if you’d consider leaving a review of your own?
When you leave a review it helps to guide other people with similar tastes to yours to a book they might like, or to avoid a book that probably won’t appeal. That’s pretty powerful, if you think about it... and whether you loved it or hated it, your individual opinion really counts.
Your review doesn’t have to be lengthy; you could just say what worked well, what didn’t work so well, and whether or not you would recommend anyone else read it.
Thank you; every review is appreciated.
JAC
About the Author
J.A. Clement lives with her partner in the South of England. She absolutely loves having the opportunity to share her stories with real live readers, and is working to finish the next book rather faster than the first...
Blog: https://jaclement.wordpress.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/ondarkshores
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jaclementwriter
You can also sign up to her mailing list to be the first to hear news and gossip (when there is some). It takes one click in two successive emails, and in the final confirmation email you will get a vouchercode to download a free copy of Song of the Ice Lord, from which this story came. You can sign up via the link on her blog, or simply by filling in the details in the form at https://eepurl.com/WLfLH.
Lastly, if you have comments, she’d love to hear from you - please feel free to mail her on [email protected].
Other Titles Available from Weasel Green Press
J.A. Clement
On Dark Shores
1. The Lady & 2. The Other Nereia
3. Mother of the Shantar (due)
Parallels
The Black-Eyed Susan
A Sprig of Holly
Song of the Ice Lord
Flight from Shantar (due)
From Song of the Ice Lord:
The Scarred Artisan
The Last Dragon
The Widow’s Son
Jo Edwards
Work-Wife Balance
Potbound
A Mixed Reception
Foggy’s Blog
A Very Foggy Christmas
Dulcie Feenan
Christmas Comes to Oddleton
