When ZAN DANE, ruler of Pelicosia, finds ninety-five woman for his men, he never dreams of finding his own mate. Exiled for daring to oppose the Burdven Empire, they have no women, no mates to regenerate their new kingdom and populate it with the sound of children until Zan Dane finds a way to travel across galaxies in search of prospective mates. CHELIAN KAR is Deliphit, an outcast with supernatural powers. Though she is the daughter of the High Chancellor of Kel, Satobik laws prohibit her from having physical contact with anyone. While other young women are mated to men chosen by their fathers, Chelian has no such hope until Zan Dane soars into her life. With an offer of zeel, a commodity most men would die for, Zan Dane convinces her father to allow the union. Will his journey lead him to a treasure richer than zeel?
Chelian lifted her eyes enough to ascertain the truth of Deliah’s statement. At Farahn and Neilorn’s close proximity to Fen Dane, a surge of emotion rushed forward, flaming her temper. She gritted her teeth. A torrent of words caught in her throat, and she swallowed the urge to scream. What caused such a violent reaction? She knew the emotion. Had dealt with its detrimental affects as she struggled with her affliction. Jealousy. Confused, she pushed the emotion away. Fen Dane did not deserve such attention.
The crystal doors closed, signaling the arrival of the last guest. Leoden’s voice sang out once more. "The tables are laden with delicacies. In honor of our guest, Fen Dane Charst, Sire Kar invites you to be seated."
"Ah, the mingling comes to an end." Deliah tilted her head. "I wonder where they plan to seat you. A Deliphit has never been invited to a welcoming before."
Indeed. Where did they plan to seat her? Surely, they didn’t expect her to stand in the corner for the duration of the evening.
"Chelian?"
Her eyes widened. She recognized Fen Dane’s deep voice.
"Fen Dane," she acknowledged.
"You will attend me this eve."
Deliah laid her hand upon Fen Dane’s arm. "If you’ll permit, I’ll attend you."
Deliah’s offer sounded like the purr of a trex. "Nay. I am honored by your offer, but ’tis Chelian who will have the honor."
"But, she can’t." Deliah patted his hand, her expression petulant. "She’s not allowed to sup at the table with the others. I suspect that table in the corner was set up just for her."
"Then I will join her for a most private dinner."
Deliah continued as if Fen Dane hadn’t spoken. "In fact, I’m not even supposed to be talking to her. If my father finds me here, he’ll assign restitution for sure. Come, Fen Dane, allow me to make you comfortable at the lead table with the other council members."
Fen Dane untangled his arm from Deliah’s grasp. "’Tis my welcoming. Am I not allowed the right to choose?"
"Fen Dane." Bande approached the small group. "We await your presence to begin."
"Let them wait. There seems to be a misunderstanding I want cleared first."
"Misunderstanding? Is the choice of fare not to your liking?"
"Yea, but I would have Chelian attend me, and I have been informed ’tis not possible. ’Twas my understanding I would have the right to choose who serves me."
"Selt, but . . ."
"I’ll hear none of your excuses. I would have Chelian attend me and no other. Come Chelian." Fen Dane nodded his head, indicating she should follow.
She shot her father a sideways glance. His face deepened to a warm vraed, the color of bennetor blooms in the height of the wet seasons. He nodded. He must know he had little choice. Fen Dane’s audacity demanded her father’s acceptance of his request.
She followed Fen Dane to the corner where he surprised her further. Lifting the lone table from its position, he carried it to the lead table. Eyeballing the appropriate distance, he set it down at the end. He went back for the chair. Now, she could sit closer to the other guests without compromising any laws.
"There. The table is long enough I can sit at one end and still maintain the proper distance from you, yet you are close enough to serve me."
Professional Reviews
FAR review of Celestial Dragon
Chelian Lan Kar, daughter of Sire Bande Kar, the high chancellor of the home-unit of Kel, finds solace with her terrain doll, Bertil, in her room away from everyone. The Satobik-born is the only daughter of Sire Bande, and is the keeper of her father’s library and his accounts. She feels she has numerous friends behind the pages in the books, but there is a downside to her life. Chelian carries the mark of the Deliphit, a sickness that lies inside carrying supernatural powers, where even a touch can be a poison so evil that it has destroyed past civilizations. But all that changes when a stranger appears at their door with an incredible proposition for her father. Fen Dane Charst is on a quest in which failure is not an option. The planet on which he lives is only inhabited by men, so now he must seek out women for the men to have mates. After making acquaintance with the lovely Chelian, Dane is certain that this is his one life-long soul mate. When the Sire and Dane embark on a business deal, Chelian is caught in between being very flustered with her father for considering such a deal while questioning her trust for Dane. Now Dane must find a way to show her how he truly feels and that his trust and devotion is most honorable.
Celestial Dragon is a compelling read that carries the reader into a magical world that this reader could envisage and feel. The moment that Dane meets Chelian, the embers begin to smolder through the pages. In a world where freedom is most treasured, at any cost, fortitude is the first important step in the game. With some surprising twists and turns, this story spins with intense action with mythological beasts, the unearthing of new planets and some very gallant men. Ms. Gold pens a tale that grabs the reader from the first page and travels on to an enchanting world never before seen. The way she sculptures the characters of Dane and Chelian as they set out on a quest together is very well-written. I love how she made the heroine autonomous and enjoyed the dialogue that she incorporated between the two. Ms. Gold creates two soul mates meant to be together, who discover a fun way to get there, then seasons it with some adventure, anticipation, mixing with just the right amount of sweet romance and outstanding secondary characters that kept this reader spellbound.
This book is so amazingly well written that the reader is almost distracted from the moving story by the fantastic worlds, people, creatures, and languages Ms. Gold has created completely from her incredible imagination, but the main characters of Chelian and Dane are so dynamic that their love story manages to shine through and take center stage, even surrounded as it is by such vivid imagery. They're both such strong characters that the pages fairly smoulder every time they're alone together in a scene, and men and women alike will enjoy this book because of its fine balance of action and emotion. This is one of the best books I've read in a long time.
Reviewed by Phyllis Campbell
12/24/2006
I have to comment on this story. I'm not a sci-fi reader at all - and I don't enjoy futuristic stories, either, but after reading Celestial Dragon, I was HOOKED! Ciara Gold brings the reader into the story by making the reader care about her characters. I was totally caught up in the story and couldn't wait to see how the story would end...and when it did end, I was disappointed because I wanted more.
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