King Of The North (Book 3) (32 page)

Epilogue

Aeli’s new home was beautiful, she thought. It was a cottage that was much more quaint and cozy than the one her father had built so many years ago. Behind it, she could see the tower that would serve as her study. She knew that only she, and those that she chose
, could see it.

Belo buzzed around happily, exploring the grounds and chasing the butterflies that graced the clearing with their presence. He was happy, she knew.

She was about to enter and put on a pot of tea when she heard an odd sound coming from the nearby forest. Belo heard it too, as his attention had been torn away from the butterflies, and he buzzed to her side curiously.

“What was that?” she asked. Belo buzzed his excitement.

“Let’s go see,” she said.

She took off in the direction of the sound with Belo following her and zipping in and out of the trees in search of the source. Though she could clearly hear the sound, she just could not identify its origin. It was almost like the bleating of a lamb, or maybe the cooing of a calf.

Whatever it was, it was getting louder.

She quickened her pace, rushing to find the source of the sound. If there was an animal in danger, she reasoned, it was her duty to ensure that it was safe. She would
not let down The Dragon in her first days as a full-fledged Druid.

Belo had disappeared into the woods ahead, but now returned with the speed of an arrow. He buzzed around excitedly, urging her to hurry.

“What is it?” she asked.

Belo continued buzzing from side to side, until Aeli finally broke into a run. Belo hurried his pace to shoot ahead of her. She ducked through gaps in the trees, brushed past thickets, and dodged the insects that buzzed around her. Finally, the strange noise was close enough that she should be able to see it.

She looked around following the noise, until she pinpointed its location. She reached out to push some ferns to the side. Her heart sank when she saw what was there.

In a soft pillow of moss and leaves lay an infant, crying and naked. It was pale and wrinkled, quite obviously a newborn. She bent to pick it up, instantly falling
in love with it as she nuzzled it and held it close.

She stood, looking around to find who had left the poor child here. She saw or heard no sign of anyone’s passing. Whoever had left the child, had done a good job of hiding themselves.

Cradling the infant in her arms, she looked down at its tiny face. It had stopped crying, and now had its blue eyes turned up at her. There was something quite familiar about the baby’s appearance, but she couldn’t place it. Its round face and wide mouth were characteristic of most babies she had seen in her life. Neither were very unusual. What was unusual was the strange feeling she got from the baby itself.

It was a boy, she saw, and had apparently been unwanted. As she looked down at him with love, she could never imagine why anyone would want to give up such a beautiful child. Such a beautiful…divine child.

As those words went through her mind over and over again, she decided what she would name him. He would bear the name with pride, she knew, and she would tell him all about his namesake. She grew more and more excited the closer she got to home. She couldn’t wait to get him there, and lay him down in his own bed. She would raise him as her own, as a child of nature, as a Druid.

And his name would be Jodocus.

The Dragon Chronicles

Onyx Dragon

The Ascent

King of the North

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shawn E. Crapo is a writer and web developer, currently living in the great state of Indiana. In his spare time, he enjoys building and restoring guitars and playing them loudly, much to the chagrin of his neighbors...

...and their little dogs, too!