Fort Kastali

Leah took in Fort Kastali through wide eyes. It was just nearing dawn, the first vestiges of light spilling over the horizon. They entered through a portcullis beneath a thick stone wall. She'd never been inside a castle, though they frequented books she read. This one smelled like rock and musk, and it was more a fortress than anything. The cobbles beneath her feet were a better alternative to mud.

She'd caught a glimpse of the vast city of Kastali Dun a mile or so away, looming. It sent a shiver of excitement racing down her spine. None of this felt real.

The fort was already filled with activity, people rushing to and from their duties. Servants, she supposed? Never mind the number of dragons she'd seen coming and going. It looked like the kind of place that stories were written about.

She kept to the back of the group, not wanting to get in the way. It allowed her to observe everything silently. Claire walked up front with Prince Feowen and the spriten spy they'd met, Tasar. They'd been talking nonstop. She'd listened out of curiosity, tucking every bit of of knowledge away. She wanted to learn as much as possible about this new life she was close to beginning.

Jovari dogged her steps. Were it not for Saffra's presence by her side, which was both a blessing and a curse, she might have said something to him. As it was, there hadn't been a moment alone to discuss the elephant in the room. Four days of flying with him, four torturous days alone with her thoughts, trying desperately to avoid touching him. He never transformed, choosing to stay a dragon because, conveniently, dragons couldn't talk. She wanted to say it was on purpose, but the others hadn't either. Still, it felt a little like he was avoiding her.

Were they going to continue ignoring it?

As they strode through the fort's massive courtyard, they caught the attention of passersby who stopped to study them. Dressed as they were, no one seemed to recognize the king and queen. That was fortunate. According to Tasar, Kane had spies in all the forts to ensure the drengr behaved.

They continued through a maze of corridors lined with torches before reaching a set of double doors. Talon knocked and they were immediately ushered into a large receiving room.

"Thank the gods!" someone cried. A female. She must have been a rider. A male appeared beside her, greeting Talon warmly. They looked to be in their fifties, at most. The others gathered around them while she hung back.

"That's Karanth and Eva." She jumped at the sound of Jovari's voice, so close to her ear. She could smell the smokey scent of him and tried to ignore what it did to her. "They're Fort Kastali's leaders."

"Oh," she managed, swallowing. A quick glance showed the two of them were relatively alone. Her heart kicked up a notch. "Are we going to talk about us?"

"Do you really think now is the time?"

His words made her muscles tighten. She didn't turn to look at him. Hopefully he couldn't see the heat flushing her cheeks. "Right. Well, you've obviously been avoiding me."

"I'm not—"

The doors behind them flew open and she whirled. Jovari's expression softened and he strode forward. "Mother, Father."

Her lips parted. His parents?! Jovari hugged them in turn.

He'd mentioned parents, that he had a good relationship with them, but she'd never expected to meet them. Before she could process, he reached for her, taking hold of her wrist and pulling her forward. She sputtered in surprise. "We picked up an outsider on our trip through the gate, would you like to meet her?"

She blinked.

"Oh, my!" Jovari's mother studied her. Her stomach squirmed under the scrutiny. She was vaguely aware of the others gathering behind them. She cleared her throat and managed a weak, "Hello."

"Well, I've never seen hair quite like yours. Is that natural? Do people have pink hair in your world?"

She patted her hair, suddenly self conscious. "No it's...fake. I died it."

"Well, it suits you—very much. Welcome to our kingdom. I'm Nieven and this is my mate, Durlan."

"Leah," she said, finding her courage and offering her hand.

Nieven grabbed her forearm instead, then pulled her into a hug. It made her warm all over. There were some people you couldn't help instantly liking, and Nieven was one of them. "I'm sure it's hard to leave your home behind. You'll let us know if you need anything at all?"

Her eyes burned. "Of...of course."

She'd been terrified that Jovari's parents would dislike her for whatever reason. As she pulled away, she noticed the way Durlan's gaze darted between her and his son, a suspicious gleam in his eyes. Eyes the same brown as Jovari's. A laugh burst from her chest and her shoulders relaxed. He might have been intimidating but— "You look like you could be brothers. You definitely don't look like you're his father."

Durlan smiled, transforming the hard lines of his face. His hair was auburn, too, just like Jovari's. "I'll take that as a compliment. It is an absolute pleasure to meet you, Leah. Welcome to Dragonwall. I assume you're a friend of our queen's?"

"Her best friend," she said, lifting her chin. "Basically sisters."

"Good. Good!" He was utterly genuine. She felt a pang of jealousy. Jovari's parents were wonderful people. No wonder he had a good relationship with them. It made her wish, now more than ever, that hers were still alive.

King Talon stepped forward, arm outstretched. "Durlan, Nieven, it's good to see you again. Your son got me through a pretty difficult time. I'm lucky to have him." They exchanged cordial greetings before Jovari facilitated introductions with everyone else. It was obvious that the other shields already knew his parents, but Claire, Taylynn, and Saffra did not.

"They moved down here from Fort Edge when he became a shield." Koldis appeared beside her, keeping his voice low. "So they could be closer to him."

"Okay?" She wasn't sure why he bothered to tell her, even if she did find his information heartwarming.

"Just thought you'd want the extra intelligence," he said, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "You know, seeing as you're his—"

"Enough, Koldis." Taylynn appeared beside her mate, jabbing him in the side.

Koldis only grinned.

Leah let out a loud sigh and turned away from them, only to find Claire watching her intently. They shared a silent look and Claire mouthed, "You okay?" To which she nodded, chewing on the inside of her cheek. For all intents and purposes, she was physically okay, even if the inside of her mind was a chaotic mess of feelings and confusion.

"Well," Talon said, interjecting, "As much as I love a good reunion, there are matters of grave importance awaiting. Planning that must be done. Karanth, Eva, if you will show us to your meeting room, we can get started."

"Would you like us to remain?" Durlan asked.

"No, Durlan, but thank you. Inner circle only." Talon clapped Durlan on the shoulder.

The older male didn't look the slightest bit put out. Actually, he looked relieved. "We'll leave you to it, then," he said.

Leah caught Nieven's gaze and the woman offered her a wide, inviting smile. She took a step towards her, then blurted, "Can I go with you?"

Nieven's blink was her only show of surprise. "I would love that. We can better acquaint ourselves. I've always wondered what the queen's homeland is like."

"Oh, I have plenty of stories."

"She's needed here," Jovari interjected, his voice turning a shade possessive.

"Nonsense," Leah said, throwing him a glare. "I'm hardly part of the inner circle, just because I'm Claire's best friend." It was a poor excuse. The truth was, she was a touch wary to be in Jovari's company, especially right now.

He opened his mouth, then closed it. She waited for him to say something—to announce that they were mates, and therefore she had every right to join them, but he only looked uncomfortably between her and his parents.

Right.

Well, that was answer enough.

Jovari's father shrugged. "How about a tour of the fort, Leah? There's a good view of the city from the fort's walls."

Her chest felt immediately lighter. "I'd love that."

Claire stepped up beside her. "Are you sure?" she asked in a low voice.

"Positive. I doubt I'll be much help for any of this. I'm sure you'll fill me in on everything you need me to know."

Claire nodded, wearing a look of understanding. Like she knew exactly why Leah would rather be out in the fresh air than holed up in a room with Jovari for hours. She reached over and gave her best friend's hand a quick squeeze, then added in a whisper, "You got this."

Claire smiled. "Thank you. I'll see you later."

She followed Jovari's parents out of the room, imparting a final glare on him before disappearing.

***

Dinner was held in the fort leaders' private chambers. It was a warm affair. She sat beside Jovari's parents on one side and Saffra and Bedelth on the other. Jovari sat on his father's other side, just far enough that they could continue avoiding each other.

"How was your tour?" Saffra asked, scooping out a healthy serving of roast chicken and potatoes.

"Oh, wonderful! I got to see where the drengr take their meals, where they train, the archery range—one of the riders let me shoot my first bow!—the cookery, and the fort's walls. The city looks incredible. I can't wait to see it up close."

"We'll definitely give you the grand tour, take you to the market—when we reclaim the kingdom, that is."

"Right, about that. How did the meeting go?" she asked in a lower voice.

"Oh, you know." Saffra sighed. "Lots of back and forth about the Oshean forces and how we plan to confront Kane. Trust me, you were better off not being there."

"I figured." A small pang of uselessness tugged at her gut. She was under no misgivings. As a human and an outsider, there was very little she could do. She was here for Claire, but she was also here for herself. She'd help in whatever way she could, but so far, no one had needed her for much of anything.

In a way, it felt good and was even a massive relief. She'd been her father's crutch during much of her life, even if he hadn't wanted it that way. Being needed—especially for critical care of a cancer patient—carried a heavy weight that she knew all to well.

Now, she felt freer than ever.

Once the food was cleared, they said their goodbyes. She gave Durlan and Nieven hugs. They promised to visit her in the city once Kane was removed from power. "Take care of my son," Nieven whispered, almost like she knew they were mates and just wasn't saying it.

"I will," she managed, not bothering to deny that there was something between them.

Their group made their way through the fort and descended to an unused corridor leading into a storage cellar. Tasar and Feowen guided them around crates and sacks of foodstuffs, to the corner where an invisible latch opened a space in the wall. "Took us months to find it," Feowen explained to King Talon as they disappeared into darkness. Claire and Tasar followed, then the others.

She stood at the rear of the group, watching as everyone disappeared.

A tug on her wrist made her hesitate. Jovari's eyes glittered with seriousness in the torchlight. They were alone—finally alone. She glanced around, wondering if she should just bolt. "You all right?"

"Fine," she said, taken aback by his soft question.

He hesitated then said, "We'll talk. When there's a free moment that affords it, we'll talk."

A lump formed in her throat. "You mean that?"

His expression softened. "Yes. I... I have just needed time, that's all."

She understood, she really did. "Me too, I think. It's a lot."

He dropped her wrist and lifted his hand, hesitating. When he brushed his fingertips over her cheekbone, she shivered. Her eyes fixed on his lips, and she remembered exactly what it felt like to kiss him.

He cleared his throat. "We should probably..."

"Oh, yes, right." She stepped forward, then allowed the darkness to swallow her up. Jovari followed behind her, taking up the rear of the procession. He mutterd a word and the section of wall move back into place, sealing them in.

Ahead, she spotted the glow of several mage lights as the others traversed the narrow passage. A warm pressure at the base of her spine made her breath catch. "Just me," Jovari said. He was nearly pressed against her, coaxing her forward.

"Is it bad—that I'm excited?"

Jovari made a thoughtful humming sound. "It's not bad."

"I really can't wait to see the city. I know...I know it will be a while but..."

Jovari's lips were close to her ear as he said, "Promise me...?"

"Promise you what?" Her heart drummed against her chest.

"Promise me you'll let me be the one to show you the city. Not Claire, no matter how much she wants you to. I want to show it to you."

"Oh." It was the last thing she'd expected. Her knees turned weak and she forced herself to keep walking, following the glowing light ahead. "I promise," she managed.

And she meant it. 

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

Happy Friday Bookdragons! And Happy New Year!!!

One of my biggest goals of 2024 was to finish writing Jovari and guess what?! I DID IT!!! I wrote the final chapter on December 31st just in time to meet my goal. There are 45 chapters total, which means we're nearing the end of the story. I will definitely need to add a couple of additional POV chapters that will probably appear during edits and go into the final published editions (for those of you who plan to purchase them). 

In the meantime, I'm going to surprise you all with some chapter bonuses over the next week! Yay!

Also, I have started loosely plotting the 7th and final book. Can you believe we're nearing the end of Claire's journey?! All good things much come to an end. I've been working on this series for nearly 10 years. A whole decade of my life devoted to Dragonwall. Phew!

All my best,

Mel