Episode One Hundred and Eighty-Six: Dragon Soap Opera

Turns out I didn’t have a ton of time to come up with questions for the dragons before they arrived. Lady Twilight knocked on the door, much sooner than expected.

“Betty, can you open that?” I asked, as I leaped up from the chair on the balcony. I brushed several strands of hair out of my face, as I hurried down the stairs.

The door unlocked and opened just as I arrived at the counter.

“Welcome!” My voice trailed off as another entered behind her, this dragon unknown to me, wearing jeans and a backpack.

Lady Twilight stepped inside with a smile and motioned to the person behind her to continue into the shop.

The taller woman studied the surroundings before her eyes landed on me. She reminded me of a college student almost done with her studies. Her eyes flickered into slits for a second, showing her true form, before flickering back.

The hair rose on the back of my neck, and part of me wanted to hide. That lasted all of a second before my magic rose, fighting back the emotions. I stood straighter and smiled.

“Welcome, my name's Sable.” I waved in her direction.

A toothy smile broke out, and for a second, a light blue dragon flickered in her shadow. Smaller than most adults, and with a deeper color than Lord Bennit.

“You are the clan friend,” she said in a small voice. Her eyes flickered to Lady Twilight, who nodded and shooed her closer to me. “You can call me Sapphire.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” I stepped around the counter and closer to the middle of the room. 

An archway rose from the right wall, creating a doorway to the living room. Betty came to the rescue.

“Indigo should join us, and I have a few questions for Lady Twilight about a gift.” My gaze flickered to Indigo’s hideaway. 

Normally, she’d be out here as soon as she sensed more dragons.

“Indigo, we have company…” I called in that direction, and I reached out with my senses to figure out if she even hid inside. With my luck, she’d gone somewhere else in the shop.

Coldness.

I leaped forward, ignoring the dragons. The entrance to Indigo's lair wouldn’t fit me. I didn’t care. The wall stretched bigger as I barreled forward.

“Indigo!”

A room comparable to mine appeared, encircled with shelves of books, trinkets, and random stuff. Origami stars hung from the cieling. Ones, I folded from her around the solestice.

None of that mattered as I reached for the dragon slumped over next to the Lorestone. “Indigo!”

Her chest moved as I pulled her close, and I didn’t even need to twist about for Lady Twilight, she just was there.

Her glowing claw touched Indigo’s forehead, then went dim as she pulled away.

“She’s fine, Sable, just using more magic than she should.” A heavy hand touched my shoulder and gave a tight squeeze. “The little ones stretch and push boundaries.”

Her words helped me relax, though that icy feeling worried me. It reminded me of that dang book.

“She did this before, but she just needed sleep and food.” I spotted the Lorestone and snagged the rock before I backed out of the room. “She didn’t feel cold.”

Indigo hadn’t invited me into her space, and I didn’t want to stay there.

“The cold is to conserve heat. She will be fine, I promise.”

She still felt cold as I held her, appearing back in the main room of the shop. Heat blasted from the living room, and I walked in that direction.

“We can talk in here,” I said as I entered the room. I went directly to the couches, still holding Indigo to my chest. Once I sat down, I placed the Lorestone in the center of the table.

“Tell me more about the last time this happened.” Lady Twilight took the seat across from me and smiled in approval. “Indigo is testing the bounds of her magic, and it’s important to learn what she’s been up to.” 

“What is this place?” the younger dragon gasped as she inched into the room. Sapphire’s eyes darted around. From the massive windows, to the fireplace full of glowing crystals, then the ceiling.

My eyes flickered up, then paused as well. 

Between the massive wooden beams, there had been wood. A warm honey color that made my heart sing. 

Now, between the beams, an ink-black darkness roamed, with bright, tiny lights interspersed in a random pattern, almost like stars.

My breath caught in my chest at the view. Then slowly, I let it out.

I loved it. So freaking much.

I needed to chat with Betty, but couldn’t with the dragons here. Instead, I sent out my happiness about the newest addition.

Warmth pulsed from the couch, and I relaxed a little, even with Indigo in my arms. The little dragon felt warmer than she had.

“She created a warmth stone for a bunch of fire elementals. It tuckered her right out, and she slept. Then she ate a ton of spicy chicken before sleeping again, but the next day she was fine.” Nothing had indicated that she needed another break or more food. She’d eaten the normal amount of waffles in the morning.

Sapphire finally made it over to the couch and sat next to Lady Twilight. Unlike the older dragon, she perched on the edge of the comfortable furniture, like it might bite. 

Lady Twilight laughed at my explanation. “Now, that's a dragonet of my bloodline.”

“Fire Elementals, aren’t those dangerous?” whispered Sapphire.

I shrugged and tucked Indigo next to me on the couch, with a throw blanket tucked around her. A snore escaped from her snout, and I relaxed.

“That’s the shop for you.”

“Did the warming stone work?” asked Lady Twilight, completely ignoring Sapphire. She leaned closer and her eyes glittered.

“As far as I know, it did; they hurried out of the shop and one of them…” My voice traveled off, reminding me of the bag they left behind. To help something grow.

“Yes, it worked,” said the Cat as he leaped to the back of the couch. His claws dug into the fabric. “You can tell them that.”

“He said it worked,” I repeated for the dragon's benefit. Mentally, I needed to remember the pouch and figure out why the Tree had left it for me.

“You were right, this place is special, I can feel it.” Sapphire glanced at Lady Twilight, then at Indigo. “I’m interested if Sable is.”

“In what?” This time, I stared at Lady Twilight for an answer. Usually, she didn’t bring strangers to the shop. Or dragons that didn’t look like dragons.

“Sapphire isn’t part of a clan, but she has a little one that needs some…”

“Playdates,” I blurted out before I could help myself. “Ya’ll want playdates with Indigo.”

The Cat fell off the couch behind me, as I struggled not to start laughing. My fingers twitched, but I contained myself, even as I smiled. I told the Cat, I’d figure it out.

“Yes, that’s one way to put it.” Lady Twilight nodded thoughtfully with a hand on her chin. “If Sapphire’s dragonet is here with Indigo and she happens to learn while Indigo has lessons, that's even better.”

“You need to ask why Sapphire doesn’t have a clan,” said the Cat from behind the couch. Yet, he didn’t climb back up.

“Why?” I asked.

Lady Twilight’s eyes sparkled with a flash of purple.

“Because clanless dragons are the worst kind,” said the Cat, still hiding behind the couch.

Neither dragon reacted to that.

“Being clanless means she hasn’t spent time with others her age,” said Sapphire. “I don’t want her to live like I do. If she has a friend, she might eventually have a clan.”

“I thought you were a part of a clan based on how you grow.” Everything I’d read made it seem that way, but then again books weren’t always correct. Indigo hadn’t spent a ton of time with other dragons, so this would help her as well.

“It’s a little more complicated than that,” said Lady Twilight. Her gaze flickered to the Lorestone on the table. “What is that?”

“That’s Lorestone.” I motioned to the rock, still thinking of why she wouldn’t have a clan. The change in conversation felt intentional. “Hey Lorestone, can you explain how you arrived here?”

“Lord Echo of the Chromaflame sent me to Lady Sable as a gift for finding his son. I am hers until she gives me to another.”

A tendril of darkness stretched out from Lady Twilight and touched the stone.

“Interesting. What are you, Lorestone?” she asked.

“I am Lord Echo’s First Rock. A young Lord Echo carved me from granite and imbued me with energy to remember the books and stories that I’ve heard. Over the years, I’ve collected facts and stories about a variety of topics. I answer questions. I serve Lady Sable.”

That had changed.