The Dragon's Portal

By Sally Slayer

Life is good for Amaya, until she decides to investigate her heritage. Wandering through a wooded area with her friends, she stumbles upon an odd rock formation and decides to take a closer look. Suddenly she is transported to an unfamiliar land filled with the things she had always thought were make-believe. This odd, yet beautiful land is at war and it's up to Amaya to find a way to end it. Will she be able to bring peace to this land that has been ravaged by war or will she end up just another casualty?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sally Slayer
• Release date: Apr 7, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301352920

Sally Slayer

I have always had an overactive imagination, as many can attest. I had one particularly frightening nightmare that kept plaguing me night after night. I decided that in order to not be frightened by what I saw, I would make it into a story. Once I began putting it in writing, the dream came, but wasn't scary anymore. Now, my characters swing by in my sleep to ask if their story is finished yet. (like I don't have enough to worry about lol) I have 3 children, a wonderful husband, dogs, horses, chickens, and the rest of the farm, too. I am fueled by my ecig, Dr Pepper, Vanilla Coke, and coffee. I hope you enjoy my work as much as I have. You can also follow me on Twitter @sallyslayer or on Facebook www.facebook.com/sallyslayerwrites

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The Dragon’s Portal

By Sally Slayer

Text copyright © 2013 Sally Slayer

All Rights Reserved

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to people either living or deceased is purely coincidental. Names, places, and characters are figments of the author's imagination. The author holds all rights to this work. It is illegal to reproduce this book without written expressed consent from the author herself.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Published by Sally Slayer at Smashwords

For my hubby and kiddos. You make every day worth living.

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

PREFACE

About Twenty Years Ago…

Reyna had always known that this day would come. The day her child would be born, but also the day her child would have to die. She knew that there were people who would try to use this child to control the world. She wished it were not so, but when she had a vision, it always came to pass. Reyna watched the midwives as they bent over her to do their work. Though she liked them, Reyna realized that they could not be trusted, and she would have to make them forget this whole ordeal.

One more push ought to do it, Queen Reyna. The oldest and most experienced looking midwife stated in an unexcited manner.

Reyna sighed contentedly when they laid the baby girl in her arms. She knew their time together was short, and intended to make the most of it. She eyed the pair of midwives as she measured how much force it would take to keep them silent. Perhaps in the future she would regret doing this, but for now it was the only way to save her kingdom. The child was stillborn. Tell the guards that none are to enter this room, for I am weak from the birth and in mourning for my loss. Reyna stared at them suggestively until she saw the dullness in their eyes.

Yes Milady. We will leave. I am so sorry for your loss. The younger midwife said, sorrow and pity evident in her soft brown eyes. Shall we send your husband to come mourn with you? Reyna could see the girl, though she meant well, really meant to say to come tear you away from your poor stillborn infant so that it might be buried.

I said no one may enter. I meant that. Reyna said ferociously. I have no wish for visitors. There was already so little time before she would have to be parted from her baby, and she had no intention of wasting a second of it.

The women quickly scurried to the door, eager to leave the queen’s icy glare behind. At the door, they conveyed her wishes to the guards stationed right outside, and made their way as far as possible from there.

When she was satisfied they were alone, Reyna unwrapped the blankets from the newborn and stared at a pair of storm cloud gray eyes that so closely matched her own. The baby cooed, instantly melting her heart, and she felt her resolve temporarily waver. I will call you Amaya, love. You don’t know it yet, but you have much excitement in your future. There will also be some bad things that will happen, but you mustn’t take them to heart. Things have a way of working out in the end. You are the cutest babe I have ever seen. Reyna cooed to her child. She was already packed for the journey, and had been ready to leave for the last two weeks. Unsurprisingly, it had been incredibly difficult to be secretive about it, with all the servants and guards running about the place. She stealthily opened the secret door that led from her chambers to the kitchen. It had been used in the past by her mother, who loved to sneak down to the kitchen for tea and cookies in the middle of the night. At the end of the passageway, she scanned the area to make sure no one was about. She was, therefore, startled half out of her wits to run right into her best friend and hand maiden’s young son, Aiden. What are you doing awake at this hour, young man? She said in no way scolding the boy she loved as her own.

He was standing on the tips of his toes, in order to gain a view of what the queen was hiding in the bundle at the crook of her arm, no doubt searching for something sweet to eat. She smiled in adoration at him, and gently pulled the blankets to the side, allowing him to view the baby. You must say these words for me, Aiden. It will save your life in the future and hers as well. You will be her guardian. Reyna told him the vow that all servants of the castle were required to take. She was satisfied that he had repeated them correctly, and watched as the boy and infant stared into each other’s eyes, seemingly mystified. After a few minutes, she turned and fled the castle and all those who would seek to use her child to gain power. She walked quickly and quietly down to the stables, where she found her favorite horse, Daire, waiting for her. She mounted up, and held Amaya close to her breast as she spurred the stallion into a gallop. They sped past her flower garden, Reyna barely taking notice of the beautiful moon flowers and dragon fruit flowers that only opened at night. While they were her absolute favorites in the whole garden, this was not the time to stop to admire their beauty. She flew down the well-worn path that led outside the town, and was lucky enough to avoid running into a single person. It got a bit trickier once they were away from civilization, but Reyna knew the path they would take from her dream as well as which parts of the path to avoid. After what felt like years in the saddle – extremely painful for one who had just given birth – they finally arrived in the right area. All that was left was narrowing down the exact location that would lead to the Portal. It had been awhile since she had come this way and the way was not as clear as one would like. Once she found it, she took a deep cleansing breath, kissed her happily snoozing child and stepped through it into an unknown world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Out for a morning ride, Your Highness? asked Mykell, a young guard at the castle. He was stationed at the rear entrance of the castle. An entrance used almost exclusively by the Royal Family. Mykell was one of the few people outside of the servants that had a chance to get to know his King and Queen on an almost personal basis.

Yes, a short one, responded Desai, King of Zephan, we wanted to see some of our beautiful countryside. You know how this wife of mine enjoys being ‘one with nature’ as she calls it.

Mykell flashed a mischievous grin and waved them through. Chuckling, Mykell watched the king and queen ride slowly down the winding path. He realized moments too late that he should have asked about an escort or at least offered to accompany them himself. With a groan, he sprinted toward the barracks to inform his superiors.

Once out of sight of the castle, King Desai kicked his horse into a trot. He knew his wife, Lada, loved the exhilaration one can only get from riding a fast horse, so he challenged her to a race. It always had such a calming effect on both of them to be out in their kingdom and view the lush green vegetation and thick forests teeming with life. They rode for ages, and finally stopped at the edge of the forest.

Lada laid out their quilt and basket to prepare for a picnic. She had been trying to convince her husband that they needed time away from everything to calm their systems for a long time now. Desai had been particularly distressed lately and she was sure it was due to their apparent inability to produce an heir to the throne. Even though their kind tended to live for a couple of hundred years, these were the sort of things a king always had to worry about. She was sure a picnic would do the trick. It is nice to be away from all the daily noise of the castle and have some peace and quiet to ourselves, isn’t it Desai? Lada said. She was disappointed to see that he was still preoccupied, and glanced down in hurt when he didn’t respond.

It isn’t that I am not having a good time. I’m perfectly happy; just have many things on my mind right now, like… Desai started and then stopped to listen intently. Do you hear a baby crying?

Lada looked at him, confused. No. What sort of game was he playing? Of course there wouldn’t be a baby around here, they were so far from where any people lived, and the natives, well they tended to take care of themselves. Then she heard it, clear and growing louder by the minute, the unmistakable sound of a baby crying. They both stood with a jolt and began walking at the same time, drawn by the child’s cries. Right inside the forest, in a wooden box and wrapped in a blanket they found the source of the crying. A tiny baby, not more than a day or two old, was wrapped snugly in a blanket and attached was a note.

To whomever finds this babe: My home is at war and it is not safe for her here. I must give up my child. Please make sure she is loved and cherished. Her name is Amaya and she is destined for great things.

Desai took one look at his wife, and the way she was now cuddling up to the infant and reassuring it, and knew that they had just been blessed with a child. After searching the immediate area, just in case the mother was still around, they came up with nothing but emptiness. They sat there a moment, stunned and unsure of what to do next. Lada was convinced that the baby was a gift from heaven, sent to ease their long wait for parenthood. Desai was just as excited to become a father, but was a bit more skeptical about her origins. After a few more moments of discussion, they came to a decision and took her home to the castle and got her settled in their chambers until a room fit for a princess was made available.

Chapter 1

The girl looked around her confused, yet wary. Four men surrounded her, weapons drawn. She thought back to the struggle that had been going on for so long, and what looked to be a crushing defeat for them all. She could not let things end this way! Thinking quickly, she leapt to the side, searching frantically for her weapon that had been dislodged moments before. She found the sword, and pointed it expertly at the men surrounding her. Suddenly, she was surprised to find herself flat on her back. Cursing her luck and wondering how she could have failed in her mission, the girl closed her eyes and awaited her fate and the sword that would inevitably crash down and end her life. After a few minutes that felt like a few lifetimes, she cracked open one eye and then the other to behold a hooded creature bending over her its copper eyes seeming to glow in the darkness. All of a sudden something seemed to streak across the sky and the world seemed to catch fire. Frightened, she took a step toward the hooded person, and promptly screamed loudly as she felt the fire start to burn everything.

Not again! groaned Amaya, waking to find herself tangled in the sheets. She noticed the sun had barely begun its ascent, and groaned again as she flipped the blanket off and rubbed her eyes. She stretched her arms above her head and pondered the dream. Or was it a dream? Surely it couldn’t be anything other than her overactive imagination; the kingdom had been at peace for as long as anyone could remember. That was saying something considering once the people of Zephan reached adulthood they ceased to age. On the other hand, maybe it was some kind of vision instead of dream, since the dream hardly ever changed. This kind of thinking early in the morning can give one a splitting headache! she grumped. This dream had been plaguing her for months now. And once again the only thing she could accurately remember of the dream was the man at