The Kengr Gate

Leah's thighs ached. No, scratch that. Her entire body ached. She was from rural Indiana and no stranger to riding horseback for hours on end. She'd grown up around horses, even competing in dressage. That was before everything had fallen apart. Her old life felt like eons ago, like it belonged to someone else, someone she hardly knew anymore.

Flying on the back of a dragon wasn't like riding a horse. The motions were different. They were more magnificent but also far more uncomfortable. You couldn't simply stop your dragon and hop off for a break. Landing took time. Getting on and off took strength. Being in the sky was cold and empty, even though it was thrilling. Her skin was wind-chapped and sunburned, despite the sunscreen she applied in vigorous amounts. And she was always thirsty, her throat always dry.

They took infrequent breaks, just enough to relieve themselves, or catch a few stolen hours of sleep. She was exhausted, both mentally and physically. So, when they finally descended towards the gate that would take them into Dragonwall, she nearly wept with relief.

Jovari had been their guide. He'd come this way before, with Claire, the first time she'd traveled to his kingdom. Despite what Leah had witnessed thus far, her mind wanted to deny it. Her best friend had lived an entire life in another world. Dragons existed. Magic was real.

They were somewhere in the Canadian wilderness. An entire day had sailed by with out a single sign of civilization. Soon, she'd leave her life far behind and start a new one. Something about that had her heart racing with equal parts of fear and excitement.

The gate was deep in the forest, and they'd landed at the nearest clearing, then muddled their way through the dense growth. "Before we pass through, I'd like a word alone with Leah," Jovari surprised everyone by saying. "You lot go on ahead. Give us a few moments."

Her hackles raised. She knew immediately what this was about. Still, her answer was the same.

Claire gave her a questioning look. "Go on," she said, reassuring her. "I'll be right along."

Irelia eyed the gate, her shoulders set, then walked purposefully through. Leah blinked, staring at the point where she'd just vanished. Talon offered Claire his hand. They shared a look before walking through.

Leah blinked again, then turned towards Jovari. They were alone. "I know what you're going to say."

He crossed his arms, eyeing her. "I'm not going to dissuade you from coming along."

"You're...not?" Her brows pulled together.

"No." His admission sounded more like a scoff.

"But you want to, don't you?" He blew out a breath, looking up at the canopy of trees. "Yeah, I thought so. Go ahead, then. Tell me how dangerous it is. Tell me that I ought to stay behind."

"You think I would have you stay behind and leave you here all alone?" He waved a hand at the wilderness surrounding them.

"I'm sure I could find my way home just fine." She lifted her chin. It was a lie. She knew very little about survival. And here, so far from civilization, she'd be lucky to last a couple of days. Assuming a bear didn't eat her first. Or a moose didn't trample her. Or...whatever else.

"I'm sure you could," he said, looking her up and down, his eyes burning a path over her body. Her skin heated. Shockingly, there wasn't any sarcasm in his voice. He honestly believed she'd make it out here alone, if she had to.

Damn it!

Why did he have to be so infuriatingly handsome? With his auburn hair and perfect cheekbones and warm eyes. It didn't help that he stood a full head and a half taller than her. Didn't help that he was corded with muscle. It especially didn't help that whenever he turned into a drengr, he was the most beautiful shade of sapphire blue she'd ever seen.

"Fine," she said. "Then why are we having this conversation?"

"Because, I want to make sure you're okay with this." Now he just sounded exasperated. "It's not too late. I can turn around and fly you home, if you ask it of me."

"Oh, my—! So you are trying to dissuade me?!"

"No. I'm offering you an out, if you've changed your mind. If you want it."

She sniffed. "I haven't—changed my mind that is." He gave a rough nod, his gaze never leaving hers. "In case you didn't know, I have nothing here. My parents are dead. I have no siblings. My aunt is a bitch. Her husband and kids are even worse. Claire is my best friend. No—my sister. Her parents were my second parents. She's the only family I have left, and now, she is on the other side of that..." She waved a hand toward the gate. "So, no, I'm not leaving her."

Even if I am scared, she thought.

"Very well." His throat bobbed. "That's good, because you need to be brave for what we're walking into."

"I can be perfectly brave," she said, pulling her shoulders back.

"Then let's not waste another minute."

"You're the one wasting our time, dragon man." There wasn't any rancor in her voice. Perhaps it was because she was mildly touched by his thoughtfulness. Unless it was all packaged as a disguised attempt to keep her here. She really didn't know.

Jovari snorted and offered his hand. She stared at it. When he didn't drop it, she reached out and took it. His skin was warm, his palm firm against hers. She ignored the way her heart jumped at the contact. He pulled her forward, stopping just before they passed through the markers.

"Ready?" he asked.

Her heart lifted into her throat. She was no stranger to stressful situations. No stranger to fear, either. She nodded and took a step forward.

They passed into the beyond together.

There was only darkness. The cold pressed in around her. Her heart skipped irregularly, beating in a fit of starts and stops. Jovari was no longer with her, and that scared her more than she cared to admit. She opened her mouth to call for him—

The nothingness disappeared. She was greeted by a dark sky lit with stars. She gawked. It had been late afternoon just moments ago.

"There you are," King Talon's voice rang out. She looked up to find Dragonwall's king eyeing them. She dropped Jovari's hand, hiding hers behind her back like a guilty child.

Claire was seated in the grass, arms braced behind her, gazing up at the night sky. She looked comfortable, like she'd been here a while. Irelia was beside her, in much the same position.

Jovari scrubbed a hand over his face. "Finally," he muttered, glancing around, clearly more relaxed than he had been moments ago.

Talon walked over and squeezed his shoulder. "Good to be back, hmm?"

"Indeed. Claire? Has she—did it—?"

"No. I already asked. Nothing so far."

Jovari's shoulders fell, as if he'd been counting on a miracle and was vastly disappointed. Perhaps he'd hoped that passing through the gate would unwrap her memories and magic.

Magic. She let the thought invade her mind again. A small seed of longing burst open in her chest, roots shooting outward to wrap around her heart. How often had she wished for magic? A way to save her dying dad? A way to bring her mom back? A way to fix it all?

She clenched her teeth, glancing around, taking in her surroundings. "Are those..."

"Mountains, yes." Jovari surprised her. When had he crowded in so close?

"They're so tall."

"Taller than anything I saw in your world, yes." He sounded proud of that. She could only snort. She went to Claire, taking a seat beside her. Their shoulders bumped and Claire gave her a soft smile.

"What's going on between you two," her bestie asked.

"Not sure what—"

"Oh, come on," Claire teased. "I'm not blind. There's...tension and whatnot."

Leah snorted while Irelia merely chuckled. "I already told you before," she said. "Nothing. He just wanted to make sure I was okay with coming here. He offered to take me back, if I wasn't."

"And...are you?" Claire's gaze was a weight. "I realize I didn't exactly give you much choice."

"Where you go, I go." She bumped their shoulders again. "I missed out, last time. If you hadn't come back..." Her throat closed up.

Claire's features softened. "But I did come back."

She didn't want to think about the alternative. What it would've been like to live without the only person she really loved. To watch Claire's parents grieve her as the years passed. To grieve with them. To wonder and never know where she'd gone, if she was alive.

"Now that we're back," King Talon announced, we don't have to rush. Time passes normally here.

Claire snorted, craning her head back to see him. "Or maybe time passes normally in my world, and it's just fast here."

The king pressed his lips together and smartly didn't argue.

"What our king is trying to say," Jovari said, ever the one to step in, "is that we don't need to sacrifice comfort for speed. It's dark out. We can make camp and rest here, if you'd like?" He looked between the three of them.

Irelia harrumphed. "These old bones hurt no matter what we do, so it makes no difference to me."

Claire shot a look towards the gate. A shudder went through her. Talon immediately sensed it. "What's wrong, mih cralla?"

Leah had heard the endearment before, but she didn't know what it meant.

"I...I don't now," Claire said, wary. "I don't like that thing."

Leah frowned, looking towards the onyx pillars. Besides their obvious use, they looked rather harmless. Still, she came to Claire's aid and said, "Maybe we can fly a little further and make camp elsewhere?"

So they did.

An hour later, Jovari and Talon descended. The landscape was wide open. Prairie as far as the eye could see. There wasn't any firewood, but it was warm enough to go without a fire. They set out bedrolls in a row and went straight to sleep.

***

It was still dark when her eyelids fluttered open. The night air was filled with the drone of chirping insects. She lifted her head. Claire was on her left, softly snoring. Talon was on Claire's other side. She half expected to find them spooning. Instead, Talon was wide awake, gazing adoringly at his sleeping mate.

The sight made something painful twist in her chest. What would it be like, to have that kind of love? To have someone adore her so much, they traveled across worlds to find her?

She met Talon's gaze for a brief moment. He gave her a small nod of acknowledgment. A snoring-snort shattered the quiet. Irelia was sleeping on her right. She grumbled and flopped over.

Jovari's bedroll was empty.

Leah caught sight of his silhouette in the distance, keeping watch. He must have traded shifts with Talon. That was probably what had woken her.

She clumsily got to her feet, barefoot, stepping carefully through the dirt and grasses to meet him.

He glanced over his shoulder at her approach, then turned back towards the open land beyond.

"You should sleep while you can." His voice was low and rich. She liked the sound of it, even if he did annoy her sometimes. It wasn't fair that everything about him was...pleasant.

"I'm awake now." She shrugged. "I can keep watch if you'd like to get some sleep. You're the one doing the flying."

He grunted but didn't retreat. They gazed silently out over the horizon. Minutes passed. Jovari said, "What happened to your parents? You mentioned that they were dead." She flinched. "Apologies—"

"No. It's...fine." She exhaled. "I don't mind talking about it, you just caught me off guard, is all. My mom died when I was nine—head on collision. A driver fell asleep at the wheel and drifted into her lane. She was coming home after a twelve hour shift. It wrecked my dad. He was never the same. Then...he got sick when I was sixteen. Colon cancer. I'm not sure if you know what that is? Anyway, it's super aggressive. He fought it as long as he could but...he died three months before my eighteenth birthday."

Her throat closed up. Even though it was the same toneless, robotic speech she'd made countless times, it never got easier. Jovari swore under his breath. "That's awful, Leah. I'm sorry." She lifted a shoulder—an automatic response she'd grown accustomed to giving. "So, before, when you said that you learned how to take care of yourself, you weren't lying."

"Unfortunately not. My dad became a single parent. When my mom passed—she was a nurse—our income was cut in half. Dad had a landscaping business, so he doubled his working hours to make up for it. We both gave up luxuries we'd grown accustomed to. There was some life insurance money, but my dad put it away for my college fund. In the end, I ended up clearing it out to pay his medical bills. I...I never got to go to college."

The darkness hid the flush that crept up her neck. The embarrassment. Seeing many of her classmates go off to earn degrees while she continued to wait tables.

Jovari made a humming noise. "I learned from Claire that attending college is common in your society?"

"It is. If you want a decent wage. College, or at least a trade school, is necessary. Is that not the case here?"

"It's not. Our ways are very...different."

"I figured as much."

"Higher pursuits of education do not exist here," he explained. "Scholars are patrons of the library. Elsewise, people of trades receive training during their apprenticeships."

"That's kind of a relief," she admitted. "I've always felt like such a failure, not attending college when many of my peers did. But here, it's the norm."

"Young adults are expected to begin work or apprenticeships around fourteen or fifteen, depending on the kind of family they come from. Working class, obviously. Those of nobility, on the other hand do not need to work."

"What does—did—Claire think about all that?"

"About how our society functions?" he asked. She nodded. "As you might guess, it took time for her to adjust, but there are things she disagrees with. Things she wants, even plans, to change. Especially where women are concerned."

A soft smile touched her lips. "I'm not surprised. What about...does she have friends? Or just you and the king?"

"Oh, she's done a fine job making friends."

For as long as she could remember, she'd been Claire's best friend. But what if now, Claire had found someone to replace her? A little kernel of jealousy took root in her chest, but she stopped it from spreading. "What are they like?"

"You'll love them," he said, his voice warm with promise. "Desaree was her first, I think. She's now her lady in waiting. Desaree is involved with Verath."

"Verath?"

"One of the king's shields—like me."

"Oh." That made her perk up. "A fancy guard."

"Yes," he chuckled. "A fancy guard."

She had wondered if the king's shields took lovers. Mostly because she couldn't help it when she looked at Jovari. Even if she ignored the budding feelings in her chest.

"Then there's Saffra," he continued. "She's the king's prophetess—his seer. She foresees events, past, present, and future, when the gods will it." Her lips parted. "You will like her, too."

"She sounds...important."

"Very. Then there's Jocelyn. She's Saffra's handmaiden. And there's also Jeanine—one of Claire's queen's guard. Plus others in Claire's guard. I think even Princess Taylynn could be considered a friend, even though they are distant cousins."

"Wait, Claire has a queen's guard?" she whisper-shrieked.

"Indeed." Jovari's mouth twitched.

"Wow," she breathed, throwing a glance over her shoulder at Claire's sleeping form. "It sounds like...like she has everything."

Her words came out choked. She was happy for her bestie. She really was. But, it also reminded her of how wrong everything had gone in her own life. Claire had always had stability, a good family, a college education. Had always had a bright future ahead of her.

She wanted that, too, so, so badly.

She lifted her chin. This was a chance at a new life. She wouldn't squander it.

"I'll let you take over watch, since you offered," Jovari said, sensing the change in her mood. Perhaps he realized that she wanted to be alone. "Wake me if you spot anything concerning."

She swallowed, nodding. That he trusted her enough to sleep wasn't lost on her. "Thank you," she said, for more reasons than one. Their eyes met in the darkness, holding for a brief moment. He understood and nodded, then walked off.

She turned her gaze back towards the wilderness. Towards Dragonwall. Towards her future, and took up watch. 

💕❤️💕Don't forget to heart this chapter!❤️💕❤️

Hi Bookdragons!

Ahhhh, I love Leah's character. It was so fun introducing her to the cast of characters in this book. One of the things that inspired me to write this series a decade ago, was the thought of leaving behind a crappy life in search of something better. Not that my life is crappy or anything, but there are always times when life gets difficult, that we find ourselves imagining "What if??" What if I could just escape? What if I could go somewhere else and just start over. What if. What if. What if. 

I grew up with the Harry Potter books, which heavily shaped my childhood. I was in the 2nd grade when the Philosopher's Stone released. The idea that a magical world might exist beyond our own, isn't new for me. It's a trope that people love. We all have struggles and sometimes, we need an escape.

While she isn't stuck in a cupboard under the stairs at no. 4 private drive, I love the idea of Leah getting a second chance at something. I think Dragonwall is going to be that second chance for her! Don't you?

Next week's chapter is from Talon's POV!!!! See you then! 

--Mel