Epilogue
Galadon
Nineteen years later…
I stepped from the portal and crossed the silver ring with carved stones onto solid ground. Inhaling deeply, I breathed in the familiar scents I hadn’t encountered in many years. The dry grass, muted-green trees, and soft blue sky had once been all I’d known, but now, they seemed foreign to me.
Rayna joined me, with her hands clasped to each of our two sons. The eldest, twelve years old, had her hair and skin coloring, but he’d eclipse her height before long and likely grow as tall and large as me. The youngest, at eight years old, had my black hair, muted olive skin, and a look in his yellow eyes like he already wanted to take on the world. I suspected it wouldn’t be long before he could fly, despite most shifter children needing a few more years to build up wing and body strength. His older brother had begun flying early and already had impressive endurance.
“I can’t believe we’re back,” Rayna said, gazing around her.
I frowned at the area where the artifact had been that still flourished with alien plant life. “Little has changed.”
“Boys,” she said, glancing between them. “This is Earth, where your father and I once called home.”
I almost laughed at the unimpressed expressions on their faces. They’d asked to see their parents’ home world many times, but unfortunately, the fairy circle didn’t open to a more interesting location on Earth. It also appeared we’d arrived in late summer when the plant colors were rather dull.
“There is nothing here,” our eldest said.
My youngest son wrinkled his nose. “The magic is weird, and there are no people or homes.”
“There are.” I put a hand on his shoulder. “By necessity, the fairy ring needed to be in a remote location, but we will travel to more interesting places and visit friends.”
Titan and my mother finally appeared through the portal, having also chosen to return for a visit. They blinked, taking in their surroundings the same way we did. It wasn’t only the sights and smells that were different on Earth, but also, the magic. Here, it was wild and less tangible, as if it still hadn’t fully sunken into the planet and didn’t know if it should.
The realm where Rayna and I had settled was thick and vibrant with power—so much so that it was easier to control and manipulate. Of course, that planet had its unique disadvantages, but we knew soon after arriving there that we’d come to our true home, despite it being far from Earth. It had felt right.
We’d only returned this once to keep a promise.
Three more figures emerged from the still-glowing portal. Aella, a female with light golden skin, pointed ears, and golden-blond hair in multiple hues, took the lead and stepped onto the wilted grass. Behind her, a male and female elf with a mixture of black and brown hair followed. Their skin was a light sand color, and they had pointed ears with dark tips. All of them had wary looks on their faces, though they’d been here once before, long ago. Despite that, Earth must have still felt particularly foreign to them with its thinner, untamed magic. I could hardly blame them.
Movement in the sky caught my gaze, and I spotted a group of red, orange, and gold dragons flying toward us. The largest among them, Aidan, was the easiest to recognize, especially as he held his mate in his arms. To my surprise, several smaller dragons of various sizes flew with the adults.
I’d expected Lorcan to appear soon since he’d have guards along the border who would alert him if the ring activated, but I hadn’t anticipated anyone from the Taugud would greet us as well, considering the distance. It had been even less likely that they’d bring their offspring, except perhaps the eldest, who’d be young adults now.
“Friends?” the male elf asked, flexing his hands in case he needed to act quickly. Zorya help anyone who got in the way of Darrow. His sword skills and magic were lethal, which I’d witnessed many times over the years.
“Yes, and they’ve trusted us enough to bring their children, so please do not do anything to put them on their guard,” I said. As a parent now, I would react ruthlessly to any threat to my offspring.
Darrow nodded and relaxed his posture. “Of course.”
A moment later, the dragons landed and began shifting. We moved away from the ring and waited patiently as, one by one, they transitioned to their human forms. Bailey, of course, could make her way over and greet us right away.
“Took you guys long enough,” the slayer said, giving us a hard look before it transformed into a broad smile. “But better late than never.”
Rayna rushed toward the slayer and embraced her. “I missed you. It’s just that we wanted to wait until the boys were old enough to travel before bringing them.”
Aella, the blonde female elf, cleared her throat and moved closer. “It is also my fault. Opening a portal to another world requires a massive amount of energy I do not innately have, in addition to a great deal of preparation. Our planets must be in perfect alignment for a set period, which is rare. I told Rayna I would happily do it one time when she was ready to visit, but I’d rather not make a habit of it.”
In fact, there were only three previous opportunities when we could have made the journey, but other circumstances prevented us, such as Rayna being pregnant during one of them.
“How long will you have here?” Bailey asked.
Aella smiled kindly. “Twelve days is the window we have.”
“It’s longer than last time,” Rayna added.
We’d had to make a lot of decisions quickly when the elves visited before.
Aidan finished his shift, along with another young male beside him, it took me a moment to recognize Orion. He was fully grown now—twenty-four years old by my calculation—and had a sturdy warrior build, though his gaze reflected the wisdom of a centuries-old seer.
“Welcome,” Aidan said as we clasped arms.
I gave his forearm a gentle squeeze before letting go. “Thank you for being here to greet us.”
Orion gave me an apologetic look. “I tried to time it, so we’d be here shortly before you arrived, but the younger dragons required more breaks from flying than I anticipated.”
“I’m surprised you brought them this far at all,” I said.
Aidan glanced to a point behind me. “They desperately wanted to see this place and how the ring works. We barely flew into view before it closed.”
A young female with long black hair and a lithe figure finished her shift next. She wore camrium clothing similar to her slayer mother, but her eyes were distinctly yellow with slits like a shifter. The last time I saw her, she barely reached above my knees. Her older brother stepped in front of her in a protective gesture since we were practically strangers to him, but Bailey’s daughter shoved him with enough force that he almost fell over.
“I’m not a child anymore,” she said, glaring at him.
Aidan sighed. “They used to get along well, but the last few years have been especially difficult.” He looked back to where Lorcan, Ozara, Phoebe, and several others I didn’t recognize had finally finished their shifts. “Our youngest son is there next to Phoebe’s son. He gets along fine with his older siblings, but he causes the rest of us nothing but trouble.”
I laughed, noting the boy with short, black hair and a roguish gleam in his golden eyes. By the looks of him, he was around eight or nine years old—the same age as my youngest. “How so?”
“He began being able to teleport about six months ago. Not very far, but enough that with his already mischievous mind, things can disappear and then reappear elsewhere in the castle. Last week, he even managed to relocate his mother to the middle of the bathing pool while she was fully clothed.” Aidan shook his head. “We have had our hands full.”
Rayna and I had our fair share of difficulties with our sons since they, too, had magic, but hearing about the pendragon’s youngest child made me feel marginally better about my own offspring. My mate gave me a look that said she was thinking the same.
“Aside from unruly offspring, how have things been?” I asked. The only thing that made us hesitate to leave this place was worrying if we might be needed here more.
Bailey and Aidan both grinned.
“It’s been almost annoyingly peaceful,” the slayer said, glancing at Aidan. “The Kandoran are long gone, and we have good relationships with the neighboring clans.”
I mulled that over. “Who do you hunt?”
“No one at the moment. Javier improved the potion for us, so it lasts about a month now, and it doesn’t weaken us as much as before.” She clenched her fists. “I still hate that I lose half my strength, but it’s worth it to stay close to home. When I really get the urge for battle, we go visit one of the other shifter clans on the coasts and find plenty of opportunities to fight along the way.”
I laughed, imagining that to be true.
“So what about you all?” Bailey asked, running her gaze past Rayna and me to our sons.
I introduced them. “They give us their fair share of trouble, but they are quite the novelty on Paxia as shifters. There were only extraordinarily large pure dragons there before we came. It’s difficult for the boys to do anything without us finding out quickly since they stand out.”
“But they are well accepted,” Rayna reassured them, glancing at me with a smile.
Bailey ran her gaze across our group. “Where’s Titan and Ujala?”
“They sent their regards, but they preferred to stay back with their mates.”
Aidan lifted a brow. “Mates? That is a story I’d like to hear.”
“Well, they…” I began.
A group of green dragons appeared in the distance, across the border in Takaran territory. My old wards were no longer active, so there was nothing to stop them from crossing. I could only assume that the shock of magic from the portal opening drew them. As I watched, more joined until there were almost a dozen.
“How are relations with the Takaran?” I asked Lorcan.
He’d been standing next to his son and daughter, both young adults now. Ozara also had a boy next to her that appeared to be about eleven or twelve years old. It seemed that at some point, she’d decided to have one more child. Phoebe was next to them as well, though frowning at the incoming dragons.
“The Takaran had an internal struggle a few years ago,” the Faegud pendragon replied as he watched the border with a troubled look. “They split in half. The new toriq to the east has been fine and peaceful, but the western half close to here are troublemakers. I suspect we’ll need to do something about those dragons as soon as they get the courage to cross the border.”
I looked at Orion. “I’m surprised you didn’t see this coming and keep the younger ones away.”
“Why would I worry?” he asked, nodding at Rayna. “Her instincts are coming back, and she needs to fight. Between her, you, and your friends, I’m sure you can handle those dragons without a problem.”
There wasn’t a hint of doubt in his voice.
Rayna cleared her throat. “He’s right. My old urges are coming back fast, and they’re focused on those Takaran.”
Darrow strode forward. “I was hoping for a fight while we’re here, and it seems I’m in luck.”
The others who still lived on Earth couldn’t understand his words since he spoke a different language, and unlike Aella, he’d never shown an interest in learning English—even through magical means. As he continued to speak on battle strategy, I translated for them.
“There’s no time to shift,” I said, pulling my sword. “Rayna, Darrow, and I will take care of this.”
Aidan frowned. “Are you sure? We are happy to help.”
“Oh, I remember this elf from before.” Lorcan laughed. “This will be fun to watch.”
We jogged toward the border. I noted the gleam in my mate’s eyes as we moved and didn’t mind at all that she’d get a chance to hunt while here. Rayna appreciated having choices about whether to fight or enjoy time with our children, but when she found a chance to do battle, she was always a little happier for a while.
The dragons crossed before we made it to the border and headed straight for us, thinking three people in human form versus twelve of them would be an easy win. Darrow waited until they were a hundred feet away, lifted his arms high, and clenched his fists. The Takaran shrieked as they froze midair. The elf brought his arms down, slow at first as he struggled with the weight of his prey, but then sped up to slam them into the ground. A cloud of dirt filled the air above where they struck.
Rayna and I held hands and began shooting lightning at any that tried to rise. Once we came closer to them, we separated and pulled swords. I chose the ones on the right that were attempting to rise, taking pleasure in avoiding their sharp teeth and talons as I cut through their necks with a special blade I’d acquired during my travels.
Rayna did the same with the ones on the left, working her way across the field. She smiled and laughed when one tried to swing his tail at her. The slayer played with him a little before thrusting her sword through his chest, into his heart.
Darrow had changed from magic to blades as well. The fierce warrior plowed through the middle, showing no mercy toward these dragons, though one would have never guessed if they saw how he behaved toward the ones in his world. There were so many differences between the breeds that seeing the pure dragons on Earth again was strange.
After all the Takaran were dead, I moved swiftly toward my mate and pulled her into a tight embrace. She breathed hard with excitement. Even after almost two decades, I never tired of seeing her beautiful face or the happiness reflected in her hazel eyes.
“I admit I miss these kinds of battles sometimes,” she said.
It was beyond me to resist kissing her despite the audience. When I pulled away, I stared down at her. “Whatever you want to do while we’re here, I’ll support it.”
“I know,” she said, brushing her fingertips over my face. “You’ve never broken your promise to keep me as happy as possible, and I don’t expect you to fail now. Let’s enjoy time with our friends while we can before it’s time to return home for good.”
It sounded like the perfect plan to me.
***
Thank you so much for reading Galadon. I hope you enjoyed this novel and will consider rating and reviewing it. This helps authors so much. Be on the lookout for Oaths and Vengeance. The first novel in the Realm of Zadrya series, featuring Aella and Darrow as the main characters.