Page 76 of Bound to the Orc Warrior

Two smaller ones stand in front, one green, and the smallest one purple. They must be Drake and Bella, the friends of Ashley and Selena. They’ve been off visiting with family, so I haven’t met them yet.

“New witch,” a deep alto booms, “I am Sheevora the Magnificent, and I’ve heard great things about your magic.” A massive dragon fills the space behind them, the same green as Drake. She’s as big as a house, with huge wings like sails folded on her back.

“Hi!” I give a wave. “I’m so excited to meet you. I can’t wait to find out how to use my magic.”

“Did you not do so only the evening before?” Sheevora cocks her head and stares at me, the vertical pupil of her amber eye opening into a wide oval. “Because I’d love to have some explanation as to why I suddenly became a biped!”

“Oh!” I glance at Zephyr and Shadow. “Did that happen again?”

“It lasted even longer than the first time,” Zephyr grumps. “It was horrible.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Shadow says. “I accessed my dual form and looked glorious.”

“Dual?”

“It’s halfway between elf and cat sith. I was a werepanther. So I was a biped, but I had lovely fur.” He holds up a paw and extends his inch-long claws. “And even lovelier claws.”

“If we could get back to the matter at hand?” a deep voice says. An orc steps forward. He’s as tall as Wranth and similarly built with the first touches of gray silvering his long black hair at his temples. He wears the same kind of clothes as the other orcs, the only difference being his shirt is a deep purple I haven’t seenon anyone else. That quiet air of command Wranth sometimes shows is dialed up to eleven with this guy.

“My king.” Wranth tips his head.

This is Aldronn. My mouth drops open as my eyes ping-pong back and forth between them. Looking past their identical coloration and build, I see more specific similarities. They share the same firm jawline, the same regal nose. They’re so clearly related I’m surprised no one’s ever noticed.

Aldronn turns to me now. “Did you open a door to another realm yesterday eve?”

“Yes.” My eyes flick to Wranth. “I opened the door to Avalon.”

Pandemonium breaks out.

“How is this possible?” A resounding bass voice booms from overhead like a deep rumble of thunder.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Wranth

My head snaps back with a growl.

A massive red dragon hangs overhead, wings spread like sails that blot out the sky, throwing the entire clearing in shadow.

“Who is this, Sheevora?” Aldronn asks. “And why did he hide?”

“This is Lukendevener, the premier dragon scholar specializing in all the various types of traveling magic. I was about to introduce him.” She waves a taloned hand at the trees that surround us. “And he did not hide as much as attempt to make himself less of a distraction, since there’s no place for him to land.”

“He’s testing Stenoverlar’s new invisibility crystals, isn’t he?” Bella says, her purple head bobbing with excitement. “They finally work!”

“Why didn’t I know about these crystals?” Drake asks, staring at his sister.

“It’s not my fault you’ve been too busygrowingto keep up with common knowledge.”

The young green dragon gives an angry squawk. “How dare you? I’ve been learning! I’ve been learninglotsabout the humans that you don’t know.”

As the siblings continue to bicker, Naomi tugs on my arm, and I lean over so she can whisper in my ear, “What’s going on?”

“Bella’s older but is growing more slowly than her brother, and his larger size is a sore spot for her. And dragons prize knowledge above all else, so to accuse him of neglecting his studies is a grave insult.”

“We have a bigger problem,” King Aldronn says, his voice ringing out with the snap of command. “And I do mean that literally. Where can we meet with room enough for all? The village’s unicorn meadow?”

“Don’t you dare,” Zephyr says. “If the dragons set down, all the grass will be smashed flat for a week. Idespiseeating smashed grass.”

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