The Name-Bearer (Flowers of Prophecy #1)

by Natalia Hernandez

for the goddess Danray is the goddess of both battle and transition. That is why both the butterfly and the phoenix are so prevalent in Danrayen culture. They are both creatures undone to become something more than they once were.

Her former life of the brilliant textiles, vibrant patterns and vivid colors of the palace would be replaced with the less radiant but warmer tones and hues of her new home. Where the palace was eye-catching and flamboyant, the Temple of Danray was warm and homey, bursting with the muted colors of the earth. The training fields were weather-beaten and rich, and the buildings full of coppers, bronzes and golds. She noted that the Danrayen warriors and trainees all wore outfits in hues of fawn, mushroom, sage, and nut-brown that helped them blend in with their surroundings, and she was glad for the new wardrobe that helped her to look like she belonged, regardless of how scratchy and stiff she might find the fabric.

“With birth there is always pain,” she explained kindly. “And you are being born anew. It will take some time to find your feet again.”

Damika was undeterred, as were the other girls, all determined to make a warrior of her yet. But more so, and somehow just as importantly, Damika and the others did not just teach her how to better swing a blade, dodge a weapon, or block a blow. They also taught her the simple and quiet luxuries of friendship.