by Unknown
They opened again to find a cold cloth pressed against Lunaria's head. She heard her savior's mutterings from across the room. "I thought I recognized the voice of the princess... Luckily, I opened the door!"
Her eyes closed again, and she drifted back into unconsciousness.
The next time they opened, she found the blurry silhouette of an old woman standing over her.
“You'll be alright,” the woman's voice was soothing and peaceful. “They won't find you here. I swear to you.”
Her eyes closed again. That was the best thing she heard all day.
Chapter 1
The old woman sipped her tea, eyeing her princess in apparent dissatisfaction. She placed the teacup on the table. "Again," she commanded.
Lunaria huffed in slight irritation but did as she commanded. She grunted with a little effort but levitated the teapot over from its place on the stove. It shook a little on the way over, but she managed to control her magic enough to levitate it to the old woman's cup without spilling a drop. She carefully poured the woman a cup of tea and carefully returned it to its resting place on the stove.
The old woman picked up her now full cup and took another sip. “Something to say?” she asked with a knowing raise of her eyebrow.
Lunaria sighed, her irritation fading at the chance to speak. She walked to the table and sat across from the old woman. “I'm sorry, Subira,” she said softly. “I just... I just don't understand the point of doing this. If you want tea, I could just walk over and get it for you. My father always warned against the unnecessary use of magic.”
Subira hummed, processing Lunaria's answer. "I see," she said after a moment. She took another sip of tea, then put the teacup on the table. "Tell me, Princess. How did you survive the bomb attacks on Wizteria all those years ago?"
Lunaria crossed her arms. Subira knew the answer. Lunaria told her as soon as she awakened after Subira opened the door to rescue her four years ago. That meant she was aiming to prove a point. "I created a forcefield around myself as soon as the bomb made impact."
“Did it protect you fully?”
“No,” Lunaria answered. “I couldn't get it up in time for it to do that. The bomb hit my right side. It hurt my leg and my head—since of which have healed—and damaged my hearing. That has not healed. Nor will it ever.”
“If that spell was a bit faster, do you think you would have escaped the bomb unscathed?”
Lunaria glanced up at Subira with sheepish eyes and nodded. The old woman's point was starting to form. “Yes,” she said.
Subira hummed thoughtfully again. “So what if I told you Sonnian spells were up to three times faster than Wizterian spells?”
Lunaria averted her eyes to the table. "That would have been beneficial information to know."
“And what if I told you that Miranasian spells were completely untraceable to Titan eyes and technology?”
"You've taught me that already. But to your point, it is also beneficial information."
Right. While many dragons could use magic in Wizteria, the Titans swept the city in the days after their conquest and arrested everyone with a magic signature. Lunaria was still comatose in those days, and luckily, it was enough to suppress her powerful magical signature. According to rumors, the magic-wielding dragons were sold as slaves and pets to the higher class Titans that now resided in the city center. As the first heir to the Wizterian throne, she probably would have had a much darker fate.
Since then, Titans took over dragon businesses and reported anything that looked vaguely suspicious to them. They did not know the ways of magic, so everything looked suspicious. Having magic that they could not see was an instrumental skill.
"So, learning the combination of both magic types?"
"It would be extremely beneficial information," Lunaria said with a sigh.
Subira chuckled. She wagged one finger, and the teapot flew off the stove effortlessly. It poured tea into her cup, then the teapot teleported away and reappeared on the stove. "Imagine how useful it would be once you master it. You could show these people, Titans and Dragons alike, what a force you are to be reckoned with."
Lunaria smiled a little at the prospect. Subira was kind enough to provide her with a Miransian disguise for when she left the house. Although she did not go often, she heard enough of the whispers to know what the dragons thought. They did not believe in the prophecy. The entire royal family was
dead. That was the only way they would allow their people to live in poverty and despair like this.
They were starving. They were bitter. Families were torn apart. The royal family had better be dead, or else the people would kill them themselves.
Of course, they did not know the truth. Like theirs, the royal family was torn apart on that fateful day, as well. Lunaria was not starving, but she and Subira had their share of hungry days. Lunaria was just as bitter as they were. The King and Queen were practically dead. Lunaria's situation was not the bleakest, but it was still not good.
She escaped her thoughts and looked at Subira. “Alright,” she said. “You've proven your point.”
Subira chuckled again and sipped the last of her tea. She placed the empty cup on the table. “Good,”
she said simply. “Again. A few more times, then I will prepare dinner for us.”
Lunaria nodded her agreement, then concentrated on bringing the teapot over again.
Subira was worth listening to. She was a dragon, but she spent most of her life in Miranas. She knew the ways of their ninja-like magic. She used it successfully four years ago to hide from the Titan's purge of magic-possessing dragons. She used it ever since to keep the Titans at bay. They could not even see the house, let alone the dragons in it. Of course, it meant that they had to use side entrances to come and go to not be obvious, but it was a minor sacrifice if it meant their safety.
Lunaria looked at Subira's cup. The last few times, she brought the teapot over without being told, filling the teacup as soon as the old woman emptied it. When Lunaria tipped the pot for the countless time, and only a single drop dripped into her cup, she finally sat the teapot on the table. "Are we done for the day?"
“Tell me,” Subira said between the last sips of her tea. “What have we learned over the last four years?”
"Sonnian controlled energy blasts, Miranasian concealment spells, Miranasian disguise spells, Miranasian time spells," Lunaria went over the mental list of spells that Subira taught her over the years, "Sonnian agility spells, and now, Sonnian and Miranasian levitation spells.”
The old woman chuckled and stood. She collected the teacup and teapot and shuffled to the kitchen.
“Sounds like you have enough knowledge to survive the night,” she decided. “Very well. We are done for the day. Wash up. I will have dinner ready soon.”
Lunaria smiled and nodded. She walked to the bathroom to wash her hands, then returned to the common area. By the time she returned, Subira was already preparing the dish she planned for dinner.
Lunaria walked over. “Do you need any help?”
“Tell me, child,” Subira said, eyes still on the pot of food. “What bread do we have?”
Lunaria walked to the pantry and opened it to look inside of the breadbasket. "None," she answered with a sigh. "I'll go pick some up."
Subira hummed in agreement. She reached in her apron and pulled out a single Titan coin. She closed her hand around it, then her hand glowed with power. When she opened it again, there were twelve coins.
Subira picked three of the coins out and handed them to Lunaria. “Be swift. Be discrete.”
Lunaria accepted the coins and nodded. “Of course,” she agreed. She ran her finger against the edge of her face. With a soft glow, the Miranasian disguise appeared.
She gave Subira a parting smile, then left the house out of the side door.
Once outside, Lunaria kept her head down. It was almost night, but she still did not risk drawing any unnecessary attention to herself.
At one time, this particular bakery was her favorite in the kingdom. She would come all the way from the palace to the outer ring of the city just for a hot bun from there. Since the conquest, though, Titan bakers were in charge. They either destroyed the recipes or simply refused to use them.
They baked the Titan equivalent of bread. It was disgusting and hard, but if soaked in a soup like Subira was likely planning, it was edible and filling enough to get them through the night without
waking from hunger.
She stepped into the bakery and inwardly missed the scent of freshly baked bread that used to hit her nose on the way in. Now it just smelt like Titan and stale, old food.
She walked to the counter and placed the coins on it. "One bun, please," she mumbled, keeping her eyes and her head low.
The Titan behind the counter was an Earth Titan. He was burly and slow, but Lunaria knew better than to upset him. His earthy arm packed quite a punch. His stone features hardened (even more than they had already), and he picked up the coins.
Lunaria's heart always raced at this point. It was rare for dragons to have coins in this day and age, and many resorted to forging them. It did not take the Titans long to catch on. Still, her counterfeit coins were made with Miranasian magic. Hopefully, that would be enough to trick the giant behind the counter.
She bit back a sigh of relief when he grunted and dropped the money into the cash register. He slowly disappeared into the back of the bakery and returned with a single bun in his hand. He shoved it into a paper bag and held it out to her.
“Thank you,” she said softly, accepting the bread. “Have a nice evening.”
The Titan gave a grunt in response. She did not know what it meant, nor did she ask. She left the bakery as quickly as she could.
Mission accomplished, Lunaria started her trek back home. Like before, she kept her head down and spoke to no one. She was almost there. She could see the magical cloak outlining her secret home. All she had to do was lay low, keep walking, and do not stop for anything—.
“Stop right there! I know you have magic, you trash dragon! Use it!”
Lunaria stopped and inwardly said a Wizterian curse.
She looked around for the Titan that was trying too hard to get her attention.
She frowned because, despite looking for the Titan, she was alone on the street. "They weren't
talking to me," she whispered her conclusion.
Perfect. She was in the clear. She could go home.
So why was she looking around to find out precisely who they were talking to? Why was she scurrying to the nearby alleys and peeking inside until she spotted the older man being cornered by two Ice Titans?
“Please!” the man begged. “I didn't do anything! I'm just trying to go home. T-the alley was a shortcut!”
"It's also our territory, Dragon," the bigger Ice Titan taunted. "You were all brave and strong when you walked in here. Where's that attitude now? Let's see you use some magic so you can be my pet!"
Just to add another layer of insult to (actual) injury, the Ice Titan sent a punch to the man's stomach, making him double over in pain.
Lunaria felt her heart race. She heard rumors of juvenile Titans ganging up on vulnerable dragons, but this was her first time witnessing it.
She gripped her bread bag tightly. They did not notice her yet. She could still leave, and they would not know the wiser. Sure, the man would be beaten, but if they caught wind of who she was, she would have a worse fate than that. Wounds heal. Beheading, not so much.
She knew that. So, why were her eyes narrowing? Why was she bubbling with righteousness? Why was she using magic to levitate the bread bag and dashing towards them? And why did she see fit to jump in the air and deliver a powerful kick to one of the Titans' head?
She landed safely on the ground, faced away from them, and let out a low growl. She could feel her disguise faltering from the sudden show of energy.
The Titan gripped his head in pain and let out a growl of his own. “You've got some nerve, you dirty dragon!”
“You want a fight?” the other Titan taunted. “We'll give you a fight!”
Lunaria felt her face to make sure her disguise stayed in place and then returned her attention to the
Titans. It was time to see what this Sonnian magic could do. She spun and swept her hand out in one quick move. "Miasditi!" she shouted.
A fast-moving energy blast spread from her fingers to the Titans, blowing them into the brick wall behind them. They grunted as they unceremoniously hit the ground.
The larger Titan bounced right back up. He was excited.
She knew why. She displayed magic. If they won, they could keep her as a pet or turn her over to the Titan government for a generous reward.
That simply meant that she could not let them defeat her. She looked over to the man she rescued.
"Get to safety," she commanded calmly.
“W-What about you?” the man asked with wide eyes. “There's two of them!”
“Yes,” Lunaria agreed, turning her attention back to the Titans. “It's almost an unfair fight. They're terribly outnumbered. Miasditi!” She launched another attack at them.
She could tell they were not used to such a fast and powerful brand of magic. They could not dodge, taking the attack for the second time head-on.
Using the spell she learned that morning, she levitated them into the air. Unlike with the teapot, her magic did not falter. She was sure of herself. She supposed she had adrenaline to thank for that.
These Titans were juveniles. They came for a laugh and to pick on someone weaker than them. She could tell they were not prepared for a fight, especially with a magic wielder of her skill. Their excitement was gone. They knew this was a fight they could not win. She could practically see them shaking with fear.
She powered herself up again, her hands glowing with magic. “You live in the second ring, right?”
she growled at them. “Those were warning shots. Leave and never return. You will tell no one what you saw, or I will finish you off myself.”
They gulped but did not reply.
“Got it?!” she snapped.
“Y-yes!” the smaller one cried. “We won't come back! We swear!”
Lunaria released the spell, and they dropped to the ground for the second time. They scrambled to their feet, then rushed out of the alley.
Once they were out of sight, Lunaria let out a sigh of relief. She turned back to the man. “I thought I told you to leave,” she said, arm outstretched so her bag of bread could float to her.
"I couldn't leave, young lady," the man explained. "Even if I couldn't do much, I'd rather fight than leave a dragon alone to face those...savages."
She gripped her bag. With her adrenaline levels finally calming, she could feel her disguise failing again. She gasped and turned away.
Apparently not in time, though. The man's eyes widened. “Your eyes!”
She kept her head down and started to walk away before he could come to any conclusions. “Get home safely,” she said as she walked. “Stay there for a few days, in case they try to retaliate.”
Just as she walked to the front of the alley, he called behind her. “There's only one dragon in the entire kingdom with those pretty pale eyes. Thank you! I'll never forget what you've done for me...your highness.”
The Dragon Chronicles: Lunaria on sale July 10, 2020.
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The Dragon Chronicles: Lunaria (Coming Soon: July 10, 2020)
The Not Even If Series
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ne: Not Even If: You Told Me I Was Chosen (Available Now)
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Two: Not Even If: The Gods Give Their Blessing (Available Now)
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Three: Not Even If: Danger Was Clos
er Than We Thought (Available Now)
Book F
our: Not Even If: We Meet Someone New (Available Now)
Book F
ive: Not Even If: We Have A Breakthrough (Available Now)
Book Six: Not Even If: We Go To A Wedding (Available Now)
Book Seven: Not Even If: We Meet the Predecessors (Available Now) Book Eight: Not Even If: Our Families Know (Coming Soon!)
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