Tempest (28 page)

Some months before, I’d knelt on a damp forest floor, a metal prong digging a burning star onto my wrist while Kye’s hand rested on my shoulder.

Now, as Cadeyrn suddenly ripped the part of the tunic he’d used to clean the tattoo and folded it before standing to place it in the box along with his other moments, I knew this was it. This was my moment. It wasn’t a brilliant moment like it had been with Kye and the rebels. No one went down on their knees as we took the marks of the mage and scribe. No one cheered or asked what was going to happen next. There was only myself, a prince, and grief.

And in that moment, I learned something.

I learned that sometimes moments aren’t always big ones. Sometimes moments aren’t loud or awe-inspiring. Sometimes, they’re just enough.

I was ready. Raemon would pay. The rebels would fly free. The dragons would have their pendant. Why? Because I was Aean Brirg, a little bird, and birds are often magnificent survivors.

About the Author

R. K. Ryals is a scatterbrained mother of three whose passion is reading whatever she can get her hands on. She makes her home in Mississippi with her husband, three daughters, a Shitzsu named Tinkerbell, and a coffeepot she
couldn't
live without. Visit her at
http://rkryals.com/
or on facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/RKRyals

Other works available:

The Redemption Series

Redemption

Ransom

Retribution

Revelation (coming 2014)

The Acropolis Series

The Acropolis

The Labyrinth

Deliverance (Coming 2014)

The Thorne Trilogy

Cursed

Possessed

The Scribes of Medeisia Series

Mark of the Mage

Fist of the Furor (Coming Dec. 2013/Jan. 2014)

The Singing River

Retaliation Bridge (Coming 2014)