Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 147649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Pie and Pell have finally figured out what the heck is going on with Saint Mark’s Sanctuary. Not only that, they each have a whole bunch of brand-new powers.
But all those answers and all that power came with a whole bunch of brand-new problems too.
The prisoners.
Tomas and his… woman. (No one is really sure who or what she is.)
Of course, there are the new satyrs.
Not to mention the new wood nymphs.
Plus, Tarq has a crown (and the ego to go with it.)
And let’s not forget the Granite Springs assassin team is now out to kill them.
Still, they are in love and they have each other. So they are one-hundred percent sure they’ve got this.
Until a thunder of dragons flies out of the dungeon and makes it all worse.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
PART ONE
PART ONE
The fairy tale can go awry
Just ask Tomas, Pell, and Pie
Happy endings are the goal
But they can also steal your soul.
PROLOGUE
Once upon a time—in the land of damaged gods, savage saints, and royal beasts—there lived a dragon called Tomas.
That’s how they all start, isn’t it?
The fairy tale. The quest. The hero’s journey.
And I have made myself the hero, haven’t I?
Because I am. I truly am.
I’m the one who burned the sanctuary down to save Pie and Pell.
I’m the one who burned the town of Granite Springs to save Madeline.
I’m the savior, aren’t I?
And, if history is reliable—and it always is, my darling—I will do it again to… well. Save someone else, of course.
And then we will all have our happy ending, won’t we?
Of course we will. It’s the rules. It has been written, as they say.
The ending will be glorious, I cross my heart and hope to die.
But first, before we get there, a little bit of filler…
CHAPTER ONE – TOMAS
I am no longer Tomas.
I might never be Tomas again.
I’m not sure how I know that who and what I am is variable—like the hallways upstairs—and I don’t know the mechanisms, of course, but I do fully understand that I am no longer Tomas.
Perhaps I shall give myself a new name to celebrate this change?
“What should we call me?” I walk over to Madeline and kneel down. She cowers away from me, the fear wild in her eyes. “Hmm?” I push a piece of sweaty hair away from her face with the tip of my sharp claw so I can see those eyes. They are changing.
“I don’t… what?” She’s breathing hard, eyes darting, trying to see everything. It’s very dark in here but like her body being covered with scales—and me, becoming new me—her eyes are changing. So I’m mostly certain that she can see.
“I need a new name, Madeline. I’m no longer Tomas.”
“Tomas?” She squints at me. Like, if she just narrows those eyes a teeny bit more, it might all make sense.
I smile at her, then pet her head. “Dear, sweet Madeline. You don’t need to be afraid.”
“A-a-afraid?” She mewls the word out.
“Not of me, beloved girl.”
“I d-d-don’t understand. What’s happening? Where am I? Why am I here?”
She has asked me these questions a dozen times already. Her memory isn’t so good.
But then again, neither is mine.
And it is a confusing time. I think we can all agree on that.
“You died, my love.”
“Died?”
“That’s right. That Russ Roth.” His name comes out as a low, throaty growl. “He shot Big Jim, too.”
“Oh, my God. What’s happening?” She’s becoming hysterical. But this is normal. She’s mostly been hysterical since she woke up from her death.
I gently take her arm and hold it up. “Look, darling.” It takes a moment for her to focus on the ammolite scales that now cover her entire arm up to her neck, but then there it is. The recognition.
“Oh, my God!” She’s wailing. Kicking at me. Trying to scoot herself back deeper into the corner. “Oh, my God!”
I put a finger up to my lips. “Shhhhhhhh. You’re just fine, my love.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m the dragon who is no longer Tomas.”
“Dragon!” And then her face becomes a mixture of disgust and horror. “What the—Oh, my—You’re so… horrible! What is this?” She looks around like a cornered, feral animal.
I snap my clawed fingers in front of her eyes. “That’s enough. It’s fine if my true self horrifies you, but you don’t need to be rude about it. A little self-control goes a long way.”
She turns inward then, covering her face, and shaking her head, and sobbing loudly.
I sigh and lean back against the wall, absently holding her hand, still petting her. “It’s going to be fine. You’ll see. It’s all going to be fine. There’s a happy ending in our future, Madeline. There truly is. It might take a few thousand years to get there, but it’s the journey, right? Not the destination.”
I have never really bought into this whole journey thing. I mean, what is the point of struggle and pain? To build character? Absurd.
If I had my way, we’d all skip to the end and just live the happily ever after. It’s the goal, after all. Why bother with the journey?
Anyway, where were we?
Right. My new name.
It’s a big deal. Such a big deal I take a nap while I think. But when I wake, I’m still not sure what I should be called. Something… with purpose.
Well, I shall have to think on that.
But for now, I just look around my home and try to appreciate it. Because like it or not, this is the only home I’ve ever had. I have been here for several thousand years with only Pell, and the occasional slave, to keep me company.
But things have changed considerably over the last few months. Especially the last few weeks.