Once Lost Lords (Royal Scales, Book 1) (44 page)

I opened the door and let myself in.

Kahina stood on the other side of the desk. Her dress the color of
ash. In between us was the same desk that she had nearly snapped last
time. Stress marks still showed on the outer edges. She held herself
very carefully, not showing much in the way of emotion. A look that
may be permanent on her if she survived the change.

My face must look like a wreck to her. Blood was still in the creases
of my pants, dried remains hadn’t quite washed out of my hair.
I was a mess, not like her. She was calm, cold, and still beautiful.
Even a mask over her face couldn’t erase how Kahina looked.

I dared to speak first. “You’ve been trying to get an
answer from me.”

There had to be more to us than a series of ‘what ifs’.
Kahina had done everything she could to not get in our way and I
should risk something in return. Every roadblock that had been thrown
up was one of my own damned making.

“And?” She asked slowly.

“I…” My brain paused for a moment. “I’m
going to give you a fair chance.”

“That’s all?” Her face kept a careful composure.

“In part.” I paused and tried a final time to put my
thoughts into words. Whatever I was, all that I was, would defend
her. “You’re mine, Kahina, and I’ll protect you
with all that I am.”She waited.

“I’ll stay until the change if you’ll have me, and
do everything I can to help you make it through. We can figure out
where we stand from there. Is that alright?” I asked. If
nothing else the transition had to be approached with a certain
amount of realism. She might not make it through.

“Then you want to stay with me?” Kahina tasted the words
carefully.

“Through the change,” I said.

Kahina smiled. It was still difficult to tell if she was angry or
excited, but the desk didn’t groan in protest.

Afterward

The end of every book brings a
chance to reflect on the choices that helped a writer survive the
journey. With this series there is one event in history that stands
out as a great contributor. During the fifth grade our teacher
provided an assignment to write about, well, anything. I won't share
the terribly silly work that my project turned into, but I believe
this story is the end result of a seed planted twenty years ago by
her. Odd how the teachers name escapes me but the homework assignment
has stuck with me after so many years.

The end of a book allows me to
list all those who helped us reach this far. This work would never
have been completed without the help of my wife, who provided
constant excitement, suggestions for improvement, and frequent eye
rolling when I cited the latest mad plot. She was far more on board
when I suggested the main character might be acted by Vin Diesel
should the stars align and someone think it's fit for the big screen.
The idea is far fetched, but it started many a giggle fit.

A long time friend approached me
many years ago regarding a collaborative project in writer. This
story is not that project, and that fiction may never see the light
of day. Still, by asking me to write a companion novel to the work he
is still polishing, I felt the desire to spin my own tales grow.
Without him I would never have written this work.

Then of course there are the
people who were unfortunate enough to test read one of the many
iterations of this novel. At least ten poor souls dared brave those
early versions. They were subjected to many of my growing pains as a
writer. Playing with first person (poorly), learning how to write a
modern fantasy novel, figuring out consistency in tenses (and
failing), while trying to find an awkward balance between action and
mystery. Without their apprehensive interest I would never have kept
finding the keyboard to put down another round of words.

For those of you who have read my
other work,
Continue
Online
, this novel should come as a completely different change
of pace. I feel proud that they are drastically different people in
both action and thought. There are many themes that exist between the
two series, but this work came first. Royal Scales, Jay Fields, and
the world he lives in will remain my first true novel and is special
to me for so many reasons.

This series is expected to span
at least seven books. The first three are written and will slowly be
release to Amazon (as I complete an editing pass). Book two in this
series, 'Lady's First Knight', is expected to release March or April
depending on time constraints.

Thank you
for purchasing this book and reading along.

You may
follow further updates via
frustratedego.wordpress.com
or Twitter
@FrustratedEgo