The Rise of the Dawnstar (The Avalonia Chronicles Book 2)

the keys, and we can assume she now has Dekela’s key, which is the second one she has retrieved. I have no idea what has happened to Silverthorne’s key. I suspect he’s managed to hide it from them, otherwise he would already be dead.”
“Let me go back with you,” I said impulsively. “I want to help you save my granduncle and Eldoren. And I need to find out if Aunt Serena and Erien are safe.”
“No, Aurora. I will make sure your family is safe. Go to Brandor with Santino—he will take you to Constantine Redgrave. Get the information we need about the Dagger, and then go straight to Elfi. Santino will help you get there, and I believe you can trust him.”
“When will I see you again?” I said, trying to keep my voice from trembling. Tears formed in my eyes, but I held them back. I didn’t want to let him see me cry.
“Soon.” He pulled me to him, enveloping me in his powerful arms. “I promise I will come back for you, Aurora.” I rested my head on his broad chest. I could hear his heartbeat as he kissed the top of my head and smoothed my hair. “Train hard and master your powers. I give you my word I will return to help you find the Dagger and free your mother. We just need more time.”
“I will always love you,” I whispered into his chest.
“And I you,” whispered Rafe, holding me closer. “Forever.”
A single tear fell onto his shirt. I brushed the rest away, steeling my heart for the days, weeks, and months to come. Rafe was leaving, and he was taking my heart with him. But this time I was not sure I would ever get it back.

The Pirate Prince
At sunrise the next day, Rafe left the ship with Kalen and rowed ashore near the town of Shadowvale, where he could procure horses and ride back to the Summer Palace. Soon Santino’s ship would leave the Eldorean coastline and sail eastward into open waters toward Brandor and Elfi.
I stood on the upper deck and watched him leave. This time I wasn’t sure he would return. Our kingdoms were separate and so were our destinies. Once he got back to Eldoren they would force him to wed Leticia. He hadn’t said anything about what he was going to do and I had no idea if he was going to go through with it or not. His promise to his mother still hung over our heads like an executioner’s axe, ready to descend at any moment and sever our love forever.
When I saw him next, if I ever saw him again, he would be married. It was futile to get my hopes up about our chances. Nothing short of a miracle would suffice.
I had gone back to wearing the traveling clothes Kalen had brought back for me from the inn. He had also brought the sword and daggers Rafe had given me. I strapped them all into place. If I was going to be a warrior, I had to start behaving like one, which meant being armed at all times. I started sleeping with a dagger under my pillow and was ready to use it if I needed to.
Santino was sparring with his men on the deck. I watched with fascination as he moved, surefooted and deadly but still graceful like a dancer. His every move was perfection, his instincts honed by a hard life and superior training. I had never seen anyone fight the way he did, and I had been in a lot of fights since I came to Avalonia. Santino wielded his daggers like they were extensions of his arms. His muscles glistened as his shirtless chest heaved with the exertion of fighting three of his men.
He glanced at me as he threw one of his men over his shoulder and held a dagger to his throat. This was the first time I noticed how handsome he was—I looked away, embarrassed to be caught staring.
Brandon leaned against the railing of the ship, also watching Santino spar, and I walked over to stand beside him.
“I’m glad to see you have recovered,” Brandon said, his arms crossed, “but shouldn’t you be resting?”
“I’m fine,” I snapped. I was stronger than I looked and I had been in worse situations. I knew in the back of my mind Brandon meant well, and my bad mood stemmed from watching Rafe leave and not knowing when I would see him again. But I wasn’t about to admit that to anyone. They would think I was a weak, simpering girl who cried whenever her boyfriend left, and I was supposed to be a warrior queen who was not afraid of anyone. If I didn’t act the part, no one would follow me or accept my rule.
Brandon didn’t give up and turned toward me. “You don’t look fine to me, and that is nothing to be ashamed of. What you went through would be too much for anyone to recover from so soon.”
“But I’m not just anyone.”
Brandon smiled. “I know, believe me.” He took my hand in his. “But you still need time to rest and gather your magic. If I am not mistaken, your magic is dangerously low.”
I pulled my hand away. “How do you know?”
“Calculated guess.” He shrugged. “The point is, you should be resting.”
I turned to look out across the horizon. “I told you, I’m fine. I will rest when I get to Elfi.”
But I knew my bravado was only a veil. I was drowning in despair and had made so many mistakes along the way. If I had only listened to my granduncle, all this wouldn’t have happened. Now a second key had been taken, Professor Dekela was dead, Uncle Gabriel was in a dungeon, Rafe was on the verge of losing his crown, and I was not even close to finding, let alone freeing, my mother. I had to make this right somehow, and the