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Rodrigo held both of his hands up in the air, instantly silencing the soft rumble of conversation that had started to fill the square.
“To the assembled dragons and mages, we the kings and queens of the Fire, Ice, Earth, and Metal Clans ask you to bear witness. Tonight we honor the ascension of our sister!” Rodrigo’s ringing voice was followed by a deep, breathy bark from every lightning dragon gathered in the square. It continued in a chant that built faster and faster.
Luka’s heart sped up as he watched everyone shuffle to the side of the square, clearing a long aisle leading straight up to the stage. He lifted on his toes and peered down the far end, trying to catch a peek of the new Tupã Dragon Queen.
Amaru wiggled against him and patted their arms. “Oh! This is going to be so cool! Watch! Watch!”
As Luka started to look again, a fierce roar split the heavens and his head jerked up to see a gold dragon streak across the sky, her huge wings glittering in the fading sunlight to create a dazzling display. The dragon circled the village while the clouds above her gathered and churned, blocking out the sky.
With a second roar, the dragon dove for the square at a heart-stopping angle. At the speed she was descending, there was no way she was going to pull up in time. Even as the panicked thought raced through his brain, a huge bolt of lightning struck, seeming to envelop the dragon and slam into the stone square. Luka pulled Amaru between him and Vasily while raising one hand to shield his eyes.
His vision cleared from the white flash and in the center of the square now stood a statuesque woman with black hair that rippled down her back. A dress of gold and black was draped over her figure, leaving her tattooed arms bare.
“See!” Amaru hissed. “The Tupã have always had such a flair for dramatics.”
Luka could not argue with that.
Head held high, Queen Maíra strode down the clear aisle to the chants of her clan. She paused only to hold out her hand to Panu. The blond mage shook his head, his face brightly flushed as if he was embarrassed by the attention, but the queen refused to take another step until her mate placed his hand in hers and accompanied her to the stage.
“Poor Panu,” Vasily murmured. “He looks like he’s so in over his head.”
“True, but like all the other mated mages, he’ll figure out that his dragon is completely smitten. He’ll find his footing soon enough,” Luka replied.
Amaru tipped his head up and smirked. “Are you saying you’re both smitten with me?”
“Beyond smitten,” Luka admitted.
“All the smit,” Vasily agreed.
When Luka turned his attention back to the stage, it was to find Rodrigo standing in front of Maíra, holding a crown of woven gold strands that resembled bolts of lightning. Panu had stepped back, twisting his fingers together in front of him while a huge grin spread across his face.
“It is with great joy that we honor our sister dragon today,” Rodrigo stated, lifting his voice so he could be heard by everyone. “We have just met, but the words of your clan mates have reached our ears. They speak of Princess Maíra as a confident, wise, and compassionate leader. That is why we are so very happy to anoint you Queen Maíra, first of her name, and leader of the Tupã.” As he spoke those last words, he placed the crown on her bowed head. “Gone are the days of warring clans. Let us be enemies no more but join hands as family.”
The newly crowned Queen Maíra lifted her head and smiled at Rodrigo as she clasped his forearm. “From this day forward, we are family,” Maíra stated in a loud voice thick with emotion.
Cheers and clapping went up from everyone gathered as they watched the new queen go around the stage and greet each of the kings and their mates. Luka smiled as the queen was also quite adamant about introducing her mate to each and every one of them. Family or not, this woman was determined to stake her claim.
Not that Luka blamed her.
Nope. If it had been him, he would have done the exact same thing with Amaru.
With the ceremonies concluded, everyone worked quickly to set up tables and bring out seemingly endless platters of food. It was time for a feast to celebrate those who lived, the new queen, and new friends.
Amaru eagerly led them over to the buffet, loading up their plates with food common to his clan while marveling at the unique foods that had been brought in by the Valerii Clan. The night was filled with talking, dancing, a bit of drinking, and a lot of eating. Luka was sure he was going to need to let all of his pants out after this night.
