Book 2 (Complete) - A game of Queen's conquest is set to be played across Elysium and in the four corners stand Elissa's suitors:
- The High King - he insists that they are a perfect match, but will she agree?
- The Dark King - bound by blood...
Antares is so huge that Elissa is able to sit next to Kai at the base of the dragon's neck. From this vantage Kai is able to point out various features on the land below. Right now, she is craning forward, her eyes drinking in the swirling bands of brilliant crimson, ochre, umber and white in the undulating ground.
"Wow! I never knew that your lands were so stunning."
"Well, we may be taking the scenic route."
She manages to tear her gaze away from the colourful earth just in time to catch the corner of his lip curling upwards. Her heart skips a beat at his playful visage and the fact that he seems to be showcasing his homeland.
It is just the two of them travelling to his home because Dawn left Babylon to take the new egg directly to Avalon. Kai allowed the twins to travel with Dawn to protect her precious cargo.
"I must admit that I can't wait until we have baby dragons at Avalon," Elissa says wistfully, her thoughts with Dawn.
"I am afraid that Dragonite gestation is one solar, so you will have to wait until summer is once more easing into autumn before you get dragonlets," he responds in a serious tone, although there is a twinkling in his eyes.
She pouts. "I'm still allowed to be excited."
Kai looks away and a stillness falls over his frame, which she takes as a sign that he is communicating with Antares.
When he turns back to face her, he asks, "How would you feel about about a detour? There is something we would like to show you."
"Ooh, what is it?"
He lightly taps her nose. "That is a surprise."
Curiosity bristles inside, but she has to contend with just admiring the views.
.....
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Catching a whiff of rotten egg on the air, Elissa crinkles her nose. "You take me to the nicest of places."
"Stop your complaining. I promise you that it will be worth a mild nasal discomfort."
She opens her mouth to answer back and inadvertently leaves it hanging ajar as she stares at the sight below them. A heart shaped lake, deep blue at its centre and graduating out in shades of turquoise, aquamarine, green and yellow. The edge of the lake is encrusted with yellow and orange mineral deposits.
"It is so beautiful."
"Beautiful, yet deadly," Kai warns. "Be sure not to touch the water."
They sail over the lake and then beyond a large rocky outcrop before Antares finally lands. Kai helps her to dismount and then take a near twenty-minute hike through a labyrinth of boulders.
When they eventually reach a gap, which leads out to a gentle slope down to the lake, Kai unexpectedly takes her hand and pulls her down into a crouching position.
