A Forge of Valor Read Online Free PDF Page A

heard the gentle lapping of water all around her. She had never felt such a deep sense of peace.
    On her back, Kyra looked over and was surprised to see she was floating in the midst of a vast sea, on a wooden raft, far from any shore. Huge, rolling waves gently lifted her raft up and down. She felt as if she were drifting to the horizon, to another world, another life. To a place of peace. For the first time in her life, she no longer worried about the world; she felt wrapped in the embrace of the universe, as if, finally, she could let down her guard and be taken care of, shielded from all harm.
    Kyra sensed another presence on her boat, and she sat up and was startled to see a woman sitting there. The woman wore white robes, shrouded in light, with long golden hair and startling blue eyes. She was the most beautiful woman Kyra had ever seen.
    Kyra felt a sense of shock as she felt certain that this was her mother.
    “Kyra, my love,” the woman said.
    The woman smiled down at her, such a sweet smile that it restored Kyra’s soul, and Kyra looked back and felt an even deeper sense of peace. The voice resonated through her, made her feel at peace in the world.
    “Mother,” she replied.
    Her mother held out a hand, nearly translucent, and Kyra reached up and grasped it. The feel of her skin was electrifying, and as she held it, Kyra felt as though a part of her own soul were being restored.
    “I’ve been watching you,” she said. “And I am proud. More proud than you will ever know.”
    Kyra tried to focus, but as she felt the warmth of her mother’s embrace, she felt as if she were leaving this world.
    “Am I dying, Mother?”
    Her mother looked back, her eyes aglow, and gripped her hand tighter.
    “It is your time, Kyra,” she said. “And yet, your courage has changed your destiny. Your courage—and my love.”
    Kyra blinked back, confused.
    “Will we not be together now?”
    Her mother smiled at her, and Kyra felt her mother slowly letting go, drifting away. Kyra felt a rush of fear as she knew her mother would leave, be gone forever. Kyra tried to hold onto her, but she withdrew her hand and instead placed her palm on Kyra’s stomach. Kyra felt intense heat and love coursing through it, healing her. Slowly, she felt herself being restored.
    “I will not let you die,” her mother replied. “My love for you is stronger than fate.”
    Suddenly, her mother disappeared.
    In her place stood a beautiful boy, staring back at her with glowing grey eyes, long, straight hair, mesmerizing her. She could feel the love in his gaze.
    “I, too, will not let you die, Kyra,” he echoed.
    He leaned in, placed his palm on her stomach, the same place her mother’s had been, and she felt an even more intense heat course through her body. She saw a white light and felt heat gushing through her, and as she felt herself coming back to life she could barely breathe.
    “Who are you?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
    Drowning in the heat and the light, she could not help but close her eyes.
    Who are you? echoed in her mind.
    Kyra opened her eyes slowly, feeling an intense wave of peace, of calm. She looked all about, expecting to still be on the ocean, to see the water, the sky.
    Instead, she heard the ubiquitous chirping of insects. She turned, confused, to find herself in the woods. She was lying in a clearing and she felt intense heat radiating in her stomach, the place where she had been stabbed, and she looked down to see a single hand there. It was a beautiful, pale hand, touching her stomach, as it had in her dream. Lightheaded, she looked up to see those beautiful grey eyes staring down at her, so intense, they seemed to be glowing.
    Kyle.
    He knelt at her side, one hand on her forehead, and as he touched her, Kyra slowly felt her wound being healed, slowly felt herself returning to this world, as if he were willing her back. Had she really visited with her mother? Had it been real? She felt as if she had