Page 6 of King of Pride and Talons

“Of course,” Breya’s squeal made the men glance back at them, and she lowered her voice. “It is. It’s an amazing opportunity to work for a king and serve in a castle, but isn’t that selfish of me to leave the people here to do something that benefits only me?”

A smile crossed Anya’s face as she put a comforting hand on the conflicted sister’s shoulder.

“It’s not selfish at all. You have been selfless your entire life. It’s permissible to do something for you, especially something like this because others will benefit from it. It’s a chance to share your gift and expand on it in a way you can’t get here.”

Breya felt the excitement build up, only to crumble at another thought.

“But that means that I’ll have to leave you again. I was gone at the academy so long, and only recently have I felt close to you again.”

Anya pulled Breya into a hug. “You need to do this for you. I promise we’ll write and visit as often as we’re allowed. Don’t worry about us.” She took a step back and forced Breya to meet her eyes.

“Do this for you. You’ll regret it for the rest of your life if you let this opportunity pass you by. Besides, who said you couldn’t return once or twice a week to attend the village healer’s patients?”

Feeling the strength of her sister, Breya nodded and took a deep breath before walking out the door and into her unknown future.

THREE

BREYA

The castle was absolutely massive.

Breya had an idea of the grandness she might encounter, but the powerful sight still caught her off guard.

She knew the moment that they had entered into the king’s territory. The whole scene had changed from one of the village with man-made structures and planted trees to one that grew hot with the sun and stretched out far with sparse vegetation and an open savannah.

The castle blended well with the environment. Far away, it seemed like a modernized stone castle, but up close it was much larger with stonework as intricate as Greek statues. And yet, it still looked very natural.

“He has this whole place to himself?” Breya asked, stunned as the carriage stopped in front of the massive stone steps.

“This is the home of every king, his family, and servants,” one of the men answered matter-of-factly.

“How does all of this stonework look so natural and not custom cut?”

The two men shared an annoyed look, but Breya didn’t care. She knew they weren’t much for conversation since she sat in agonized silence the entire journey.

“You’ll be escorted to your rooms by Sarielle. She will be your guide and confidant upon your stay here,” the short dark-haired one said as they exited the carriage.

Breya took in the view as she stood in stark contrast to the castle that she was possibly about to call home.

By this size, I bet even the servant quarters aren’t too shabby. Nice. Breya was starting to feel more excited than nervous as she was overcome by the positive feeling she was making the right choice.

“Breya?”

She turned, startled by the woman walking toward her.

“Yes.”

The woman smiled warmly. “I’m Sarielle.”

Her grip was firm. Breya’s magical energies tingled, telling her that Sarielle was a lion shifter.

“Hi. I hear you’re the lucky one to show me to my quarters.” Breya offered a nervous laugh as she grabbed her bags from the dusty ground.

Sarielle seemed nice enough. Breya just wasn’t sure what to expect because she still hadn’t been told why she’d been brought there.

As they began their way through the castle, Breya tried to make conversation. She was eager for some kind of chat, especially given her last two escorts.

“So, do you stay in the servant quarters too?”

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