Koldis the Green (DRAGONWALL SERIES 4)

CHAPTER 24: DRINK OF ENLIGHTENMENT

Hello Bookdragons and welcome back!

A few housekeeping items before we get started. I normally post at the end but since we've had a break, i'll get it out of the way now.

Firstly, I missed all of you. Returning to find so many heartfelt messages on my feed, inbox, etc was truly special. Thank you all. I'm so lucky to have you, and even LUCKIER that you love Dragonwall.

Second, I'm doing great. A 6-week break was exactly what I needed mentally and physically. I allowed my hand to heal for the first few weeks off, enjoyed my holidays, and then put my head down and got to writing as soon as January rolled around. My hand is almost 100%. It still aches here and there, with the cold, or when i've done yoga, things like that. 

Third, I got a significant amount of ROUGH draft material written (ten chapters worth, but they need A LOT of work before they can be posted). I focused mostly on Claire's storyline and nearly finished hers for this book. However as I was writing, I made a realization that in the past couple chapters I posted (tamara specifically), it was mentioned that Talon (and company) would march on Fort Squall in something like two weeks. It's the MIDDLE OF WINTER, y'all. Both here in our lives if you're in the northern hemisphere (coincidentally) and also currently in Dragonwall. Armies don't march (or fly) off to battle in winter, not usually if it can be helped. As I was writing and realizing this, I thought "Doh! Now I need to go update that," so i'll make sure to do so in the final published draft. Just keep that in mind as you're reading subsequent chapters and wondering why this "two weeks" is taking more like two months. LOL!

Also, I'm feeling generous since I missed you all so much, so I think i'll be posting two chapters this weekend instead of the usual one. I probably won't post them back to back since I need to do lots of editing on both, and I have ice practice in a few hours. But keep an eye out for the second.

Finally, I'm just so happy to be back. I will begin catching up on chapter comments soon. I returned to some 30,000 notifications. As you can imagine, that's a lot to get through. Heh! 

Okay, enough from me. Enjoy!

-Mel

Ashvalle

Claire found Feowen, of all people, in the kitchen the next morning. He had a towel thrown over his shoulder and was pulling a loaf of bread from the giant brick oven. Jeanine wasn't there, so she had a rare opportunity to be alone with him. He set the loaf on a wooden board, grinned at her, and said, "Morning."

"You? Since when do royal princes bake bread," she teased.

"Ach! My mother would have a fit if she could see me now. Baking is...servant stuff, apparently. But I enjoy it. It's one of the things I love most about coming here. Baking bread. There's something therapeutic about kneading dough, don't you think?"

She grinned. "I couldn't agree more." She drifted over to the pantry, looking over its contents. Her grin turned to a pleased smile. "There are oats! And...blueberries?" She turned and stared at him holding a jar large enough for cookies. There was also a selection of other fruits, but it was the blueberries that had her most excited. "How?"

He grunted, like she ought to have already known the answer. "It's all spelled to stay fresh. Not frozen, per se, but magic keeps it from decaying."

"I love Sprite magic," she whispered, turning back to the pantry. She collected a handful of items, found a pot, and began making enough oatmeal for everyone. While she was stirring, Feowen stuck a slice of buttered cinnamon bread in her hand. She sighed as she bit into it. "Delicious! You really can bake." She paired a wink with her compliment.