The Return of the Dragon Queen

by Farah Oomerbhoy

  Kildaren handed the fae queen the scroll, resignation in his eyes as he came to terms with his defeat.

  The queen of the fae spoke. Her gold eyes shone as they regarded Rafe and me. “This contract between Azaren and Petrocales is binding.” She glanced at Kildaren. “Aurora’s betrothal to Tristan was never valid.” She turned to her daughter. “If I had known about this earlier, I would never have forced her to become betrothed to Tristan.”

  “I would have told you, Mother,” said Elayna. “But we weren’t really on speaking terms after my marriage.”

  Izadora’s lips turned up into something resembling a smile as she clasped her daughter’s hand in hers. “Well, I’m glad we are now.”

  “Me too,” said my mother, flashing me a smile.

  I looked up at Rafe, squeezing his hand. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

  He drew me toward him, brought my hand to his lips, and kissed it. “I wanted you to be sure this was what you wanted, Aurora. I didn’t want to force you into anything.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “So if I wanted to marry Tristan, you would have let me?”

  He nodded, his gray eyes stormy as I gazed into them. His brow furrowed. “Yes.”

  I smiled at this and raised my hand to his cheek. “Well then, it’s a good thing I’ve only ever wanted you.”

  Rafe grinned and pulled me to him, tucking me in the nook of his arm. With his arm around my waist, we faced my parents.

  But it seemed Kildaren was not yet done. “I’ve heard a rumor,” he said, striding over to Penelope, “that I have another son.”

  Penelope’s eyes flashed with fury as she threw a glance at her sister, who looked away. My spine bristled as I glared at my grandmother. She must have been the one who told him, just as she had threatened to do. But it could just as easily have been Rhiannon, Tristan’s grandmother, who told her son about Kalen.

  “Is this true?” Kildaren pushed. His gaze stole over all who were gathered, finally fixating on Kalen. There was no way Kildaren would not recognize him. Anyone who saw them together could see he had the same features as Tristan and the Grand Duke of the Night Court.

  Kalen fidgeted. I could tell he was nervous, and I didn’t blame him. He had only just found out along with the rest of us that he was Kildaren’s son. But I also knew Penelope had tried to keep him away from Kildaren until he had learned to use his powers. If she had reservations about him, I did too. Penelope did not scare easily, but I could tell how uncomfortable she was when Kildaren was around. I had had my fair share of run-ins with Tristan’s father, and I knew how cunning he was. He valued power above all else, and if he thought he could get his claws into another son who he could shape and mold in his image, he would not let it go.

  Kildaren walked over to Kalen slowly and assessed his son. I could tell he was searching, probing to assess what kind of magic Kalen possessed.

  I held my breath. The whole room seemed to still. No one said anything while we waited for Kildaren to announce he would be taking Kalen with him. I tensed. My magic started to rise within me.

  Rafe squeezed my waist tightly and shook his head; he knew me too well. He knew if Kildaren tried to take Kalen by force, I would not let him. “Wait,” he murmured in my ear.

  Kildaren raised an eyebrow and turned to Penelope, a disgusted look on his face. “I expected more from you, Penelope. Your son has hardly any magic. He’s not even worth mentoring.”

  I was startled, and for a moment I couldn’t understand what had happened. But then I saw my grandmother and Penelope exchange a fleeting glance, and I knew. They had planned this. It was probably Rhiannon who told Kildaren about Kalen. But my grandmother, as always, was one step ahead of everyone else. Penelope knew the grand duke would be coming for Kalen, and the only way she would know was if my grandmother had warned her in advance. I smiled at Penelope and finally understood why she took the Amulet of Auraken for safekeeping. If it could suppress Kalen’s powers and help him escape his father’s clutches, then I was all for it. I let my magic settle down.

  Kildaren turned to leave. “Come, Mother. Our business here is done.”

  Rhiannon opened a portal.

  Kildaren’s eyes narrowed as he shot a glance at Tristan. “I presume you will not be returning to Elfi any time soon?”

  Tristan shook his head and took Ashara’s hand. “No, not for a while, Father,” he drawled. “Aurora still needs someone to train with. I think I will stick around here for a while.”

  “Have it your way,” snarled Kildaren. “I tried to help you. What can I do if you prefer to waste your time with rabble?” He flicked a dark look at Ashara and stepped into the portal.

  Rhiannon flicked a glance at Ashara, but she had the sense to look embarrassed by what her son had said. “Give him time; he will come to terms with it eventually.” She smiled at Tristan. “I will speak to him and see what I can do.”

  Tristan nodded at his grandmother as she turned and stepped through the portal to return to Elfi.

  My grandmother’s golden eyes flashed as she regarded the room, a lion surveying her pride. They settled on my father. “It is because of your bloodline that Aurora bears the mark of the Dawnstar. You are of the Ancient Fae line of Eos-Eirendil, even though you are—” she paused for a moment, “—a mage.” The word sounded distasteful on her lips. She inclined her head to my father in the only gesture of respect and acknowledgement he was going to get, but it was a start. “Considering this,” she went on, “you are welcome in Elfi as our guest, should you wish to visit.”

  My father nodded and gave his mother-in-law a short bow out of respect. He was chivalrous and a gentleman through and through. “I would be honored, Izadora.”

  A smile tugged at the fae queen’s lips as she looked over at my mother. Still stern, still the fearsome, unyielding fae queen, but her eyes shone with a light that could only be described as happiness as she gazed at her only daughter. “You are all invited to Elfi for the harvest festival feast.” She glanced at Rafe, who stood beside me, his arm still around my waist. “You too, King Rafael,” she added, using his title. “Aurora can portal you there.” Her gaze settled on me. “It is expected for my heir to attend. Don’t be late!” she snapped. The queen of the fae stepped into the portal, shutting it swiftly behind her.

  I turned to Kalen, who sheepishly pulled out the Amulet of Auraken from beneath his shirt, the only thing that could have hidden his powers from Kildaren. This way, Kildaren would never suspect Kalen’s magic was stronger than that of most High Fae and steadily growing. With the proper training from Penelope and Tristan, he would become a formidable warrior one day. Then Kildaren would find out about him, but not before.

  Kalen took off the amulet from around his neck and handed it to me. “Thank you for letting me borrow it.”

  I closed my hand around his, the amulet still clutched in his palm. “Keep it, Kalen.” I smiled at my oldest friend. “At least until you have adequate control over your powers.”

  Penelope stepped forward and put an arm around her son, who didn’t pull away this time. “Izadora warned me Kildaren was coming for Kalen, and I knew the only way to get him to leave Kalen alone was to make Kildaren believe he had no magic. The spell I had put on him earlier to hide his magic will not work anymore now that he has accessed and used it. Only the Amulet of Auraken could have hidden his powers from a High Fae as powerful as Kildaren.”

  I smiled at Penelope. “It was a good idea. But you could have told me why you needed it.”

  Penelope raised her eyebrows, but she was smiling. “You are not the best person when it comes to keeping secrets, my dearest Aurora.”

  My eyes narrowed, and I scowled as Tristan solemnly nodded his head at this, as did Kalen, while Rafe chuckled beside me.

  My father came up to me and put his hand on my shoulder. “Now that this unpleasantness is over—” he looked at Rafe, “—we can announce your betrothal to Rafe at the harvest ball in Elfi, if you wish.”

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nbsp; My mother came forward, clasping my father’s hand in hers. “Even now, you still have a choice, my darling. We will not uphold the contract if you don’t want to wed. We always intended for the two of you to be together.” She eyed Rafe warmly. “But it seems you beat us to it.”

  I looked up at Rafe. “The harvest ball is a good time to announce the betrothal,” I said to my parents. “But there will be no wedding just yet.” I squeezed Rafe’s hand and he understood. We had already decided we were not going to marry immediately. We were still young, and there was so much for us to do. Rafe had to sort out his kingdom, and I had to help my parents rebuild mine. Morgana had destroyed whole parts of our world, and it would take time and effort to restore and heal. And now that Illaria Lightbringer and the ancient queens of Elfi had made him immortal, we had all the time in the world.

  My father beamed from ear to ear. He seemed happy he wasn’t going to lose his only daughter just yet, especially since we had all just found each other again. We needed to be a family again, to spend time together. There were so many years to make up for, and I wasn’t going to waste another moment.

  I knew Rafe and I would be together eventually, of that I was sure. Whatever happened and wherever I went, in this world or any other, my heart would know.

  And I would always choose him.

  Every single time.

  Acknowledgments

  It has been a long journey to reach the end of a series that I have been working on for nearly ten years. I couldn’t have done it without the help and support of so many wonderful people.

  I would like to thank the extraordinary Kate Tilton, who has been a pillar of support throughout the whole process, and without whom none of this would have been possible. I am so grateful for her unflagging enthusiasm and tireless work to bring this series to its completion.

  To my superb editors, Amanda Rutter and Christie Stratos, for their keen insight, patience, and guidance, which have helped me grow as a writer and produce the best possible version of this book.

  To the awesome team at Wise Ink Creative Publishing, especially Laura Zats, for believing in me and my books. Thank you for all the work and expertise you have put in to bring this series to readers and for helping me realize my dreams.

  To my amazing cover designer, Steven Meyer-Rassow, for capturing the essence of the book and creating two spellbinding covers.

  To the talented Joshua Stolarz for creating a beautiful, detailed map of the world of Avalonia.

  I would also like to thank the talented team at Findaway Voices for helping me create the audiobooks for this series, and the wonderful Fiona Hardingham for bringing my characters to life with her incredible performance.

  And finally, a big thank you to all my wonderful readers and fans who have supported The Avalonia Chronicles from the very beginning. You are the reason I write.

  About the Author

  Farah Oomerbhoy is the international bestselling author of The Avalonia Chronicles. Her first book, The Last of the Firedrakes, was originally published on Wattpad where it gained over two million reads and a Watty Award. Since publication, The Last of the Firedrakes and book two The Rise of the Dawnstar have gone on to win numerous awards, including matching silver medals in IBPA’s Benjamin Franklin Awards. Wielding her master’s degree in English literature and her love of the fantastical, Farah spends her creative time crafting magical worlds for young adults. She lives with her family in Mumbai, India but can often be found checking closets for magic portals to Narnia.

  FarahOomerbhoy.com

  Farah@FarahOomerbhoy.com