This deleted scene comes from Chapter 2 of Rook and Shadow. In the original draft, the king pulls Princess Salara out of the opera rehearsal to have a conversation with her before the delegation arrives. I took it out to make the pacing faster, but I enjoy a chance to see the king's character.

Hi, everyone!

I am coming to you today from the back of my very own Dragon. That's right, I bought a Dragon.

This picture is the short story of how I designed the cover for Rook and Shadow...

Keep reading for the much longer version.