Page 74 of Dragon Touched

“Isthatwhy the bed was so uncomfortable? Because I had to be in pain?”

“Yes. Only a true Princess could feel a small pea under the mattress.” His light laughter made her heart skip a beat. “I had Margaret stick it”—he held out a hand so the ring shone under the cheerful sun—“under the mattress when you were bathing.”

“That sounds dumb.” And it did. “Your world’s going to be a major adjustment to my way of thinking.”

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “You’ll get used to it.”

When they walked inside, Margaret beamed. “Are we ready?”

Sacha’s hands ran down the creamy wedding dress.

Fin tugged the hem of his ornate, black robe decorated with small, gold-embroidered pea blossoms and one new, scorched hole.

They both nodded to the older woman, and she took each of their hands. “Then I’ll perform the handfast. And Fin can finally port us and the tower, the hell out of here.” She twined a long, black knitted piece of cloth around Fin’s and Sacha’s wrists in a figure eight pattern. “It’ll be good to smell clean air again and have peace and quiet.”

Showing unusual grace, Cyan lifted from Sacha’s neck and landed on their joined hands. Placing a clawed foot on each wrist, he outstretched his neck, and released two short yips toward the room’s ceiling.

“I think he approves,” Margaret tittered.

“If he behaves himself—” Fin shot a dark glance to the pet “—then we’llallenjoy a round of tacos when we get home. That is, if you don’t mind, Margaret?”

She shook her head and beamed, gray eyes twinkling with moisture. An old, knobby finger lifted to wipe the wetness away before it fell onto her cheek.

Shooting into the air again, the baby dragon lingered a few feet above Fin’s head, eyes curious and intense.

With Sacha’s hand connected to his, Fin’s index finger trailed across the tower’s wall, creating glowing, red runes.

They reminded Sacha of old Celtic symbols with their flowing, twisting lines.

He turned toward the middle of the dining room, giving her fingers a gentle tug to follow. He traced a huge, invisible circle in the air and spoke foreign words.

The stones under her feet vibrated for several beats of her heart. A moment of quiet passed.

Nodding his head, Fin outlined the circle again. The little pea on the ring pulsed with white light, bathing the worn stones and faces within in soft radiance. An image of a large, green forest and rolling hills bled through. Farther in the distance, above the trees, large creatures flew. Their wings reflected sunlight from blue, red, and green scales.

“Oh.” She blinked twice to ensure she wasn’t seeing things. The dragons soared through the clouds and darted amongst one another. “I never thought about there being more dragons. And they’re sobig.”

“This is only the beginning.” Fin looked at Sacha and the corners of his eyes softened. “A whole world of knowledge and new experiences await you, my Princess.”

She took a breath, squeezed his hand, and stepped through the portal. He would always be her home, no matter how dark the night or universe they travelled.

I hope you had fun on Sacha and Fin's journey. I originally wrote this at the request of my publisher at the time for their "Twisted Fairy Tale" line If you enjoyed the world, there is a bit of a crossover in Priestess of the Cold Moon. Eventually, I may place all of the twisted fairytale ideas in Erbse. I also plan on another novella, or maybe even novel, that follows Fin, Sacha, and Cyan on their adventures in Erbse.