Page 94 of Dragon Mine (Dragon Kings 2)
Soulful mourning roars filled the air as the families laid out their dead on the valley’s floor. Eurwen was the first to land atop the mountain and shift. Vaughn alit on her right, while Brandr took her left. Rhi arrived with Claire and the baby. Varek, with Jeyra on his back, Con, and V each set down.
They stood silently, solemnly as their group watched the families say their final farewells. The chorus of roars was deafening, anger in every syllable. Eurwen glanced at Vaughn.
“You and Brandr should go,” he said. “We’ll follow behind.”
Eurwen looked to her brother. He nodded. Together, they stepped off the cliff and shifted, their wings catching the current. They soared over the dead dragons and joined the roars of anguish.
As they turned to fly back, Eurwen saw Vaughn and then V with Claire and the bairn on his back, Varek with Jeyra on his, and Con with Rhi atop him. At the sight of the Kings, the dragons halted their roars.
Con met Brandr’s gaze and then hers before letting out a thunderous roar. Vaughn, Varek, and V joined him. She and Brandr let out roars of their own. Soon, the other dragons echoed. The six of them flew back and forth over the valley, waiting for the families to alert them that it was time. When the first family did, Brandr and Eurwen released dragon fire on the body, incinerating it.
One by one, they burned the dead dragons, leaving behind charred earth.
Once the funeral was finished, they all returned to Cairnkeep. Everyone went their separate ways. Eurwen and Vaughn once more found themselves without a place to go. No words were needed as they flew to the loch, their favorite place.
They lay beneath the sky as she leaned against his chest, his arms holding her as he rested against a tree. She told him about her conversation with Brandr. They spoke about the funeral and the future between long stretches of silence as they enjoyed just being together.
When the moon hung in the sky, she said, “I’d like to have the mating ceremony soon.”
“I think that would be a good idea,” Vaughn said.
She turned her head to meet his lips. Eurwen looked deep into his Persian blue eyes. She knew their life wouldn’t be perfect. There would be difficult times, but she also knew that he would be there for her as she would be for him. Knowing that no matter what came, they had each other. It was a wonderous, remarkable feeling.
They shared a smile before looking back at the silvery moon reflecting on the loch. She had believed that she would have a lonely life. How wrong she had been. Not only did she have the love she’d never thought would be hers, but she had it with one of the most incredible Dragon Kings.
