A Dragon's Retribution [Book 3 in Rising Dragons]

The End

And so here I am, at the end of a four-year journey with nothing to show but my own growth and three books that I love dearly. Here we are, and I barely know what to say. 

All I can do here is breathe, to be honest. I feel calm, actually; at peace. It's strange, I thought I would feel something more... I don't know. I've had a vague idea of what I was writing for the epilogue of this book, and I definitely felt like we shouldn't be seeing Azrael or Seeryath again. Their time was over and with the fall of Alvah and Mark, so were their stories. Everything that happened after the final chapter - none of that was part of the Rising Dragons series, part of their stories that formed the Rising Dragons series. It was something else, something other. Yes, they wrote the message together, forming it and figuring out how to word it. But they would never be the ones writing it, claws and teeth don't enable a dragon to etch words onto metal. But they weren't alone, and that shows. 

In case it wasn't clear, the dragons and whatever riders remained left their home behind, taking wing and deciding to search for a new place. It was their choice and it happened because of all the war and trauma that they had experienced in their lives. The land wasn't big enough to hold them - but not everyone went with them when they left. The dragons and riders, yes, they all went, hatchlings on backs as they were unable to fly. But no allies went with them. Aldrys and Fáelán remained behind, because they had their own lives and the mainland was theirs - and, well, it still needed them.

Iro, the hatchling who Thirak had found in a storm a year and a half (or so) ago (in the timeline of the series) found a rider, and being too young to fly with him (even if he could've flown on someone else's back) made them come to the decision to wait half a year until she could fly with him. And for those of you who wonder, the rider is either an elf or a human - I left their appearance and their name and their everything up to you guys. 

The last two paragraphs are something I really like and the last line is something I really, really love. I think it sets it out perfectly. It ends everything. Rya and Sky never wanted to be heroes, but look what they became - they became heroes to us, we made them into heroes. It goes for all of them, to be honest, we made them heroes in our own eyes. 

It's also - the point of view switch to inclusive language and first person is something to note, because I was including me and you guys. This wasn't any dragon talking or some fictional character, this was directed at all of us. It's also present tense, which was a decision I made and I'm happy with it. 

But I'm not here to discuss the latest chapter, the end of what feels like my entire life. I'm here to, well, I'm not sure. I'm here to say something. For anyone who has questions, comment or PM me, I suppose. There's also a link at the bottom for a survey about the Rising Dragons series, I'd appreciate it if people could answer the questions, but it isn't necessary and I don't demand anyone to do anything.

Honestly, I'd like to thank each and everyone of you. Whether you are new or current or past readers, you've all been a huge help in inspiring and motivating me both in writing and in life. A special shout out to @Ranger_of_the_North and @Dragongirl216, both who have become great friends and I greatly appreciate everything they've said and done that has helped me. Largely, though, I am grateful for all of your support. This has been a long journey and I've loved every second of it and I've fallen in love with so many characters and enjoyed writing them. It'll be saddening to stop, and I'm not looking forward to letting them go as their story ends, leaving me with editing and rewriting. But I suppose this is the end, and so I must let them go. 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/62KMKV9 

And so, here we are, and I've got one final sign off to do, and two last words to write. It is 11/02/2019, and I finish Rising Dragons at long last. 

Here's to all of you, and maybe to me, maybe to the world - here's to us and our futures, words that we read and maybe even write. Here's to all that's been and all that will be. This is SilentSilverSlip/Gabby saying goodbye.

The End