Orion's Eyes : A Sands of Time Short Story: Soula Deveraine

Orion’s Eyes

A Sands of Time Short Story

Chera Carmichael

Copyright © 2022 by Chera Carmichael

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. All resemblances to any persons alive or dead is entirely coincidental.

Cover design by Starlight Book Covers

Editing by Excel Designs

Contents

This story is…

1. Returning Home - Kyouka

2. To The Skies - Kyouka

3. The Sky Loft - Kyouka

4. 11 Years Later

Also by Chera Carmichael

Character List

GLOSSARY

Author’s Note

Have You Read The Prequel?

About the Author

This story is…

Set in Orion Kuroe-Orseno’s childhood, when he is eight years old, before his dragel inheritance and explains the story behind his odd blue-gold eyes.

1 Returning Home - Kyouka

The second Kuroe-Orseno ancestral home held a deep somberness to it from the moment Kyouka's feet crossed the property perimeter. It oozed out from the very earth to come and greet her, like a particularly jealous sibling intent on monopolizing all of her time and energy.

Familiar, but also a bit of a headache. She wasn’t there to stay forever, after all.

She fed it a tendril of energy, but kept moving. There was no time to stop and pay respects or bribe away any lingering resentment over the way she'd left her new home. Instead, her feet were virtually soundless as she glided along the packed dirt pathway to the ornate wrought metal doors that served as an official entrance.

A shadow twisted and swirled in the distance, one of her Bonded waiting silently for her to pass through the final layer of wards.

Huh.

She could barely pick out their black clothing against the thick swathe of shadows that writhed up and down the walls of the stone manor. Not even a hint of the pretty scroll-like detailing could be seen from the edges of the hazy blackness that seemed to stretch endlessly up towards the sky.

Flickers of magic brushed against her awareness, tugging at the corners of what she could safely pick out without being too obvious about it. Orseno magic, after all, was incredibly subtle when it wanted to be.

Her surroundings blurred, briefly, as personal and private wards kicked in, obscuring just enough of the noticeable details to make her stomach sour. It wasn't her fault she hadn't been home in so long.

It wasn't in her nature to stay.

Not really.

No matter what her Bonded thought. She’d already pushed the boundaries of her own comfort and magical reserves just to linger as long as she had for the pregnancy.

It was a wonder she'd come out of it sane.

Well, saner than she'd expected. Most avian-dragon hybrids either lost their mind or severely injured their Bonded in an attempt to