Page 36 of The Lost Princess

My wings flared in irritation. “Nonsense,” I rebutted, “you may always stay with me, and together we would seek on Lyoness.”

Her head snapped up to look at me, hope in her eyes.

My soul ached at the look she gave me. I cleared my voice. “You see? There is nothing to fear. Whether your father accepts you or not, I will be here.”

I will always be herewas what I wanted to say, but I held back. Her lip trembled as she struggled to keep from crying. I averted my eyes, not wanting to intrude on her moment. In a way, I understood. I knew what it was like to lose everything.

Lose everything …

Memories flashed before me, vivid and bright.Singing. The females were singing. It was one of the ritual songs to welcome in a new spring and a new harvest. My mother was dressed in her ceremonial robe, and I watched proudly from the side. I was too young to join the males in the war, which was where my father was. My young chest stuck out proudly at seeing my mother performing. She was one of the best at voice magicks one of few officially deemed as a siren by King Fane. Only the very best females were given that nickname.

The ground rumbled below me. A few of the smaller draklings grasped their mother’s legs, afraid. I couldn’t because my mother was down on the rocks among the waves, singing. Not that I would reach for her. I was nearly a grown draken, not a little baby.

That didn’t stop my heart from beating wildly against my chest in fear.

It rumbled again, louder than any thunder I’d ever heard. I even could have sworn the ground shook. I willed my mother to notice what was happening—to stop the song. She couldn’t feel it in her feet like I could. The adults near me shot each other wary looks, but nothing further happened.

I relaxed.

Our island was on a volcano, but it wasn’t active. It hadn’t been active in thousands of years, and the blood enchantments we renewed every few decades ensured it stayed that way. Usually toward the end of any draken’s life, they voluntarily added to the blood wards after a grand ceremony to celebrate their lives. The island was safe. I was safe.

The ground rumbled again.

And again.

The drakens around me turned with worried looks toward the peak of the volcano, gasping as smoke and fire spewed forth. The crowd scattered, screaming and pointing. There was no one to tell us what to do, and no one to organize the chaos. Our king and his son were gone. Where was our queen? She was the only member of the royal family left behind. Then again, she’d been distraught ever since our princess was captured by the Overlord.

I jumped off the cliff and flew down to my mother, to safety. I had to tell her what was happening. She had to stop singing!

The mountain exploded, raining fire and brimstone down around us.

Screaming. It was all around us.

As I dove off the cliff, other drakens did the same around me. Young mothers with draklings in their hands and those too old to fight in the war. All of them dove toward the ocean. It was too late for anyone still left in the center of town. Near the mountain. How many were dead just from the initial blast?

I missed my mother’s rock and landed in the water next to her. The cold shock of the ocean hit me like a physical blow. I shot up toward the surface and broke through, gasping. The waves were high and rough now, and I was barely able to hang on.

“Mother!” I cried, reaching out to her. If she could pull me up to her rock, it would be ok. I’d be safe.

She didn’t reach for me. She was still above me in the same position, arms outstretched, wings flared high, and her eyes pointing at the sky as they all kept singing. Loudly. All around her the other sirens remained frozen in concentration, stubbornly continuing to sing.

But it wasn’t a chant about spring.

I couldn’t make out the words, not with the devastation and chaos raging around me. I clung to the rock near her feet, my claws digging into the stone. I caught a few words here and there. Shield. Safety. Protect.

They had switched mid-song to a protection ritual! They were trying to save us!

But how many could be saved? How many were already dead?

“Mother!” I cried out again, terrified. The smoke raced toward us like a blanket about to smother our entire race. She had to duck out of the way, to dive under the water with me in order to avoid it.

“MOTHER!” I begged, no, pleaded. Her eyes opened, glowing white as they glanced down at me. Her smile was sad, and in that moment, I understood.

“NO!” I screamed, trying to claw my way up the rock to her.

“I love you,” she whispered, and my world exploded in a ball of light.

“Nasi.Nasi!”

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