Page 1 of The Searching Songbird

Chapter One

Green, iridescent scales gleamed in the darkness, lit by some unseen source. Black and green wings stretched out on either side, spanning the width of the cold, dank room that Lily found herself standing in, and they wrapped around her, circling her within their folds. Amber eyes stared down at her, solemn at first, then sad, so very sad. Tears pricked the corners of her own eyes, and she reached up to stroke the long length of the dragon's snout.

“What is it?”

The dragon closed its eyes, dipping its large head so that her hand slid higher, until it rested on the thick ridge that ran up the middle of the beast's forehead. A sharp, tingling sensation pricked at the palm of her hand, and she jerked it back in surprise.

“Oh!”

The dragon huffed, and pressed its forehead back toward her hand. She hesitated, uncertain, before placing it back on. The tingling sensation returned, but she was prepared this time, and it soon faded as spots of light began to dance through her field of vision. She closed her eyes and gasped at the barrage of images that began running through her mind, one after another, too quick to make any sense of.

Black benches in a moving room... a carriage? The muffled sound of people talking, laughing, singing... then silence. Black boots, well polished, with finely tailored breeches tucked into the tops. Slender hands bound to a long, wooden beam with strands of long, red hair falling down around them. The crack of a whip, a woman's screams... then silence, once again.

“What is this?” Lily whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “What am I seeing?” The dragon let out a low, keening sound, clearly upset. A tear escaped, trailing a watery path down Lily's face. “What can I do?”

More images, places this time. A line of boats, flags fluttering in the breeze, a beautiful, stone building with stained glass windows, a wrought iron gate in front of an enormous mansion.

“Where is this place? Is the woman there, in the mansion? What do you want me to do?”

Her questions were met with silence as the images faded away and sunlight leaked in from all directions, chasing away the darkness and, with it, the mysterious dragon.

“Lily, sweetie, wake up. You don't want to be late.”

Late? Late for what?

“Dahlia is going to be royally peeved if you make her wait on your account, so you'd best get your butt up and out of bed. It's already half past nine.”

Dahlia... the wedding!

Lily shot up, eyes wide as she looked around the room she was staying in while at the Banri's home in Tallis. Violet stood at the foot of the bed, hands on her hips as she looked down at her. “Well, it's about time. We're supposed to be at the church in less than an hour. Cutting it kind of close, don't you think?”

“Sorry, Vi.” Lily swung her legs around, dangling them off the side of the bed as she wiped a hand over her face. “I must have been really out of it.” She shook her head before standing and walking over to the wash basin, where she splashed her face with the cool water. Placing her hands on either side of the wooden stand, she stared down into the water bowl, blinking away the droplets that gathered on her lashes. “I was having the strangest dream... if that's what it even was...”

She trailed off, lost in thought as the images from her dream filled her mind. Was it really a dream? It felt so... real.

“Well, shake it off, Lils, and get a move on. We can't be late for our own sister's wedding.”

Violet shoved a towel into her hand, then snatched up the brush sitting beside the basin and ran it through Lily's long, blonde hair with quick strokes, making short work of any tangles that had worked their way in overnight. Lily yelped as the brush caught on a snarl, but Violet ignored her, unrelenting in her efficiency.

“We don't have time for anything fancy. I'm thinking we tie it back with a few braids, leave the rest down. Sound good?”

Lily shrugged, wincing as the brush caught on another snarl – she must have been tossing quite a bit last night, if the current state of her hair was any indication. “Yeah, sure. I wouldn't want to go too fancy anyway and have Dahlia mad at me for stealing her thunder.”

Violet snorted. “Rose is the one we need to worry about there. Ever since she heard the queen and king were going to be present for the ceremony, she's been dead set on standing out. Let's hope she doesn't go too crazy.”

Lily glanced at Violet in the mirror. “Why would that get Rose so worked up? I know they're our rulers and all, but come on... it's Josselyn and Alex we're talking about here. She knows them.”

“Ah ha, but they won't be coming alone. Apparently, they're bringing a few of their most trusted knights with them, as well. So, you see.”

“Dashing, young men in uniform?” Lily laughed. “Yeah, I guess I do see. Heaven help those poor, unsuspecting souls if Rose decides to set her sights on any of them.”

“Or all of them...” Violet added. “She isn't exactly known for limiting herself.” She stood back, fluffing out the bottom strands of Lily's hair. “There. All you need to do now is get dressed, and we'll be ready to head over. I'm afraid there isn't time to eat before the ceremony, so you'll just have to wait for the wedding breakfast.”

As if on cue, Lily's stomach growled in protest. She grinned sheepishly as her sister threw her hands up in exasperation. “Thanks for fixing my hair, Vi. It looks great. And I'll try to keep my stomach in check, I promise.”

Violet sighed, striding over to the bureau and pulling down the flowing, turquoise skirt and embroidered, white blouse that all of the sisters would be wearing for the ceremony. Her lips twitched as she handed them over.

“I suppose we have time to make a quick pass through the kitchens, see if we can grab you a roll to eat along the way or something.”