I wake from my deep sleep to the sound of insistent knocking at my door. Trav and I both jump from the bed, but he is faster. He throws his robe around his shoulders and ties the front before opening the door. Gizmel stands in the entrance wringing his hands.

“What is it?” Trav growls at the gnome.

“Your Majesty, you must go quickly to Castle Blackwell. The Orgs are converging on the fortress. Prince Conyac and his troops will not be able to defeat them on their own. He needs assistance immediately.”

I jump to my feet, ignoring my nakedness. I grab my clothes and pull them on. “Let’s go,” I say. Trav opens his mouth in what I expect to be an objection, but I stop him. “I’m going,” I insist.

Gizmel leaves, and Trav helps me into my armor before leaving to put on his own. We meet in the front of the castle with the full moon high overhead and the stars glinting in the heavens. A chill wind blows against my leather and chain armor and ruffles through my hair. I grip my sword. I don’t want to admit how nervous I am. I will have to fly in dragon form, and fight alongside Trav and Conyac. This is my destiny.

The horrors of war that I have beheld before in my human life have to take a backseat to the reality of my duty now as a dragon born. I am stronger than I ever imagined I could be. My inner dragon growls in agreement. Trav nods at me, and we both begin our shift, changing almost instantly into massive beasts whose scales gleam in the moonlight. Trav roars, and I roar back at him.

We jump into the night sky on strong wings that fly swiftly over the land. Below I see the cavern that dips far below Skyland Castle. The height no longer scares me. It no longer scares the human within me, for she and I are becoming one.

We fly fast through the night until we make it to Conyac’s land. Below, in the distance, I see the black rock walls of Castle Blackwell, surrounded by the writhing he formed bodies of the legion of Orgs.

The human within me shudders. She fears the fight, but I do not. I long to use my sound waves on these mutant beasts. I wish to see them fall before me, their ears bleeding from their ruptured brains.

We swoop into the inner yard of Castle Blackwell and find Conyac preparing his troops for the defense of his fortress. We land and shift in mid-motion, walking quickly towards Prince Conyac.

“Thank the gods you have arrived,” Conyac says approaching us. “I’m glad you are here, princess. I need you both tonight.”

As Conyac’s men mount the walls and begin firing blazing arrows at the oncoming Org army, Conyac, Trav, and I burst into the air in our dragon forms. We fly above the castle walls, taking in the numbers of enemy below us.

Trav attacks first, unleashing his fiery breath on a squadron a thousand strong. The Orgs burst into flames, screaming, and writhing as they die. Conyac attacks next, swooping above another squadron of Orgs.

He blows his frost breath at the Orgs closest to the castle. Their bodies are frozen solid instantly. He swoops to the ground, in a crash that reverberates through the earth. The shockwaves burst the ice, and the frozen Orgs shatter into a thousand pieces.

There are still many Orgs attacking. I know it is my turn, and I will not hesitate to do my part. I swoop, aiming at the oncoming army. I open my mouth and scream. The sound cracks their skulls and shatters their bones. A thousand Orgs lay broken and bloodied on the ground. I smile, knowing my power is great.

But there are still many Orgs, and I will not have my dragon breath again for some time. Without making the hilock, I do not have the power of the monarchs. I can only use my sound shock once an hour. It cannot wait; the battle must be won now.

I fly to where Conyac and Trav have landed and have transformed into their mortal forms. I land beside them and shift, gripping my sword. Now that I am a woman again, fear rises in my chest and grips my stomach. I think I’m gonna hurl.

“With me,” Conyac shouts lifting his sword. There is no time to think. We dart into the fray along with the rest of Conyac’s troops.

I draw my sword, growling as I hurl myself into battle. Both strength and skill I didn’t know that I had emerge as I move in my deadly dance. The dragon born princes and I fight back to back, hacking through the deformed bodies of the Orgs.

Sticking close to the princes, I slice and kick and punch the enemy, until a pile of bodies lies at my feet. I glance over my shoulder to see Conyac dart into dragon form and fly several hundred yards ahead of us into the battle. He transforms back into a man and begins to fight ferociously, hacking one Org after the next.

A new legion of Orgs sprints over the hill and assaults Conyac all at once. He attacks them, their bloodied forms falling to the ground at his feet. I continue fighting, but when I look up I see several hundred Orgs jumping on Conyac from behind. I scream, and Conyac begins to shift, but an Org stabs him in the gut. Conyac staggers, bleeding from a mortal wound. He slices the Org’s head off before falling to his knees.

I scream. “Help him!” I jump into the air in my dragon form and land beside Conyac, biting and snapping at the Orgs, until they fall back. I nudge a still conscious Conyac onto my back and fly him into the castle.

I know we must get him to Gizmel as quickly as possible. But the keep is still under attack. As I land, I see Trav’s dragon bounding over the walls. He lands before me and shifts.

“Fly him back to Skyland Castle. I will stay here and defend the fortress.”

“I cannot ask you to risk your life for my lands,” Conyac sputters, holding his side as blood oozes from his wound. I cannot stand waiting. I roar at the arguing men. There is no time for this. I must get him back to Skyland.

I jump into the air and fly swiftly through the night towards my castle. Conyac holds tightly to my neck, but I feel him slipping more and more as the moments pass. “I’m not going to make it, my lady,” he moans from my back.

I feel him slipping from my back and quickly swoop to an open meadow in the middle of a dark forest. The night sky is blanketed with stars, and the first hints of dawn color the horizon.

Conyac falls from my back into the soft grass. “No,” I say as I shift, kneeling beside him and cradling his head in my lap.

“It’s okay, Dani. I’ve had a good life. I want you to know, before I leave this world. I love you.”

“Conyac. No.” Tears fall down my cheeks as I rock him in my arms. Something overtakes me, some inner knowing, and I begin to sing. The sound is more powerful than anything I could have ever imagined coming from my body. The song is something ancient and arcane. It is similar to my dragon power, but soft and gentle like a summer rain.

All at once, Conyac’s bleeding stops. He gasps, sitting up next to me. He grips my shoulders and looks into my eyes as the sun rises over the meadow. Pale yellow light brightens into gold as he gazes at me.

“You’ve healed me with your song,” he whispers.

“I have,” I say. I don’t know how I did it. I am overcome with the mystery of it and begin to cry big, hot tears that fall and splash on the ground.

Conyac holds me to his chest and makes soothing sounds as he rocks me. “Don’t be afraid, princess.”

“I’m not afraid. I’m…” I don’t know why I’m crying. If I had been able to heal during the war on Earth, I would have been able to help so many people. I would have been able to heal myself.

“Let’s get you back to Skyland.”

We fly back to Skyland and land as the morning sun begins to warm the earth. Sparrows fly in the burgeoning light, and we walk hand in hand into the castle. I remember the siege on Castle Blackwell and feel foolish for having forgotten.

“Should we go back to your fortress?” I ask him as we stand on the stairs leading into my palace. In the air above the gardens, I see Trav’s red dragon form. He swoops and transforms before storming up the stairs.

“Castle Blackwell is lost,” Trav says angrily as he approaches.

“No,” I say, shocked. Everything they told me would happen if I didn’t choose a king is happening. I can’t help but feel responsible. If we had the power of the monarchy, we could have defeated the Orgs easily.

“This is my fault,” I say, a tear falling to the stone stair.

“Nothing is your fault,” says Conyac, gripping my hand.

“The Org sent reinforcements after you left,” Trav says. “Your people fled when the Org took the keep. Most of them made it to safety.”

“Damn,” Conyac swears.

“Dani,” Trav says, looking at me intently. “You must choose. You must make the hilock with one of us and bestow the power of the monarchy on the King and Queen of Endor.”

“I know. I know. But… You don’t understand.”

“What don’t we understand, my lady?” Conyac says, enfolding me in his arms.

“I… I love you both. I want to bond with both of you. I can’t imagine choosing only one.”

Conyac and Trav look at each other and then at me. My inner dragon roars in approval. It’s as if that is what she wanted all along.

“You want to make hilock with us both?” Trav asks.

“Gizmel suggested it before. He thought it would be possible,” I say, embarrassed. I bite my lip and draw my brows together, waiting to hear the response.

“Is that even possible?” Conyac asks.

“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Trav says.

“I believe it could be possible,” Gizmel says coming to join us outside.

The princes look at each other and then back at me. “So,” Trav muses. “You will make hilock with both of us at the same time?”