When Tsuki opened her eyes and let her hands down, the city was transformed, full of life and color. Over the city walls, the verdant green stretched as far as the eye could see—all the way to the distant sea. The Tottori Desert was no more.
Taiyo put his arm around Tsuki. “Yoshai is a city fit for gods. But it needs a king and queen to rule it.”
“Thank you,” Hiro said. “I’ve never seen such a fine city.” He turned to Kai with a smile. “I guess we won’t need to fight over where we’re going to live anymore.”
Kai grinned. “Or where to get married.”
Flurries of activity bustled around her, but Kai was at peace. Quitsu sat on her lap, though Hanae tried to shoo him off.
“He’s the same color as the dress, mother,” Kai said, rolling her eyes. “Let him be.”
Though her aides had insisted that a dress for a royal wedding had to be outlandish, Kai had won that fight. The dress she wore was simple. A fine white fabric, high at the neck with a keyhole back. Crystal buttons ran down the dress’s front from her neck to the floor.
She wore the lunar crown woven into her hair in such an elaborate fashion that she didn’t think it would ever come out. So maybe she hadn’t won every fight.
In the months since the tengu attack, Miina had flourished, and so had she. She still had moments where she felt fragile and full of self-doubt, especially when she went to visit the graves of the burners who had lost their lives in the past year. But she had saved lives too. She would learn from her mistakes and be a good queen, even if it took her a lifetime to learn how. She thought she was headed down the right road.
As Kai walked into the great hall at the palace in Yoshai, her heart swelled at the sight. The room was filled with shining faces with hair of gold and silver. Former enemies, now friends, bonds of friendship and love forged strong in the fire of the tengu attacks. Emi and Daarco, hands clasped and happy smiles on their faces. Daarco had a nice smile. She had never noticed. Nanase sitting with General Ipan, looking gruff and mirthful, respectively. Nanase was still recovering from near death at the hands of the tengu and was being grudgingly nursed back to health by Ipan, who seemed to appreciate the distraction from the sorrow of his seishen’s loss.
There were faces missing. Leilu and Chiya. Sweet Maaya, whose absence still haunted her. Colum, who had left days after the battle in search of Geisa, his long-lost love. He was sure that he could bring her back to herself if he could find her. Kai’s father—though somehow, she felt he was watching over her with a smile on his face.
And there was Hiro. Looking so handsome it made Kai want to weep, standing at the end of the hall in a suit of white trimmed with gold. Ryu stood witness for Hiro, Quitsu for Kai. When she reached the end of the aisle and put her hands in Hiro’s, her world clicked into place.
They said the vows that would bind them together for a lifetime, and Kai’s heart took flight. This day, there was no dire prophecy, no lurking enemy to defeat. Just the ordinary adventure of living each day as the woman she was meant to be.
Dear Readers:
Thank you so much for taking the time to read Sunburner!
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Claire Luana grew up reading everything she could get her hands on and writing every chance she could. Eventually, adulthood won out, and she turned her writing talents to more scholarly pursuits, going to work as a commercial litigation attorney at a mid-sized law firm. While continuing to practice law, Claire decided to return to her roots and try her hand once again at creative writing. She has written and published the Moonburner Cycle and is currently working on a new trilogy about magical food. She lives in Seattle, Washington with her husband and two dogs. In her (little) remaining spare time, she loves to hike, travel, binge-watch CW shows, and of course, fall into a good book.
Connect with Claire Luana online at:
Website & Blog: http://www.claireluana.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/claireluana
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/15207082.Claire_Luana
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Interlude
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Interlude
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Interlude
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Interlude
Chapter 30
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Epilogue
From the Author
About the Author