**BOOK 1 IN THE TALES FROM DROMISSE SERIES**
Silvia considers herself the luckiest woman in all Dromisse. Her soon-to-be fiancé, Duncan Ora, is a candidate for Light Within, the greatest gift that the Almighty Gale can bestow upon someone. Then a ra...
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"Kshhh—fzzz—via?—kshchkkzzz—Sil—shhhhhzzz—"
Silvia tunes the staticky radio with her chest squashed against the counter, her hips thrust behind her and her back as flat as a table. She rolls her heels side to side and twirls her hair while she twists the tarnished knob.
"—interrupt the music, folks, but it's that time again." A crackly radio announcer bursts through the noise. "Our nightly news reports. Tonight's top story is another documentation of corruption on the streets of Precipyre. Last week, a bartender was found in the inner city with claw marks through his chest. The suspect was seen fleeing north and has not been found.
"The late victim, Kent Pickett, had decided to open his bar on the sabbath day. The suspect, believed to be an employee by the name of James Falkner, underwent an abrupt corruptive transformation on the afternoon of the sabbath. Falkner's coworkers reported his peculiar behavior days before the incident. There have been questions about whether this event is connected to Pickett's decision to open on the sabbath. Many also fear that Falkner is a dragon, one of Rimis' followers. Councilor Lein has been requested a statement but has not responded."
Click! "Kshhh—"
Silvia sighs heavily and switches to a radio station playing upbeat jive music. She swings on her feet and snaps her fingers in time to the rhythm. She dances across the kitchen tile, tossing her hands and feet. She spins, her short skirt flying outward like the petals of an upside-down flower.
The tumblers in the front door jostle. Duncan shoulders his way inside, his fedora low over his face. He hangs it on a nearby coatrack alongside the rest of his outerwear. Silvia opens her mouth to greet him when a piercing cry fills the air. "Can you go check on Emily, dear?" She prances back to the stove.
Duncan cocks a questioning eyebrow. "Did you two plan that?" He kicks his shoes off his feet and shuffles up the stairs.
"We didn't, I promise!" Silvia calls after him. She stirs a bubbling pot with bouncing carrots, chicken, and noodles. "Check her temperature. I'm worried she's getting sick."
"What?" Duncan comes back jiggling Emily in his arms. He rests a hand on her forehead. "She does seem a little bit warm."
"She's been fussy all day. It's going to be a great night for us." Silvia approaches and strokes Emily's hair.
"Poor daisy." Duncan sways Emily.
"They just ran the story on the radio. The one about the man with claws ..."
"Oh."
"I don't know why I brought that up. It's depressing." Silvia turns over her shoulder. "I'm making chicken noodle soup, and we can feed Emily the broth."
"Good idea." Duncan sniffs the air. "It smells divine." He buries his nose in the back of her head and inhales. "But not as divine as you."
Silvia gasps and jerks away, fixing him with a sparkly leer. "Dinner first, then dessert." She winks and serves bowls of soup with a ladle.
