Claimed by the Dragon King (8 page)

Asher’s large coal black eyes look amazed as he swoops after me.

“Help!” I scream to him.

“Flap your wings!” he shouts back.

Wings? Did he just tell me to flap my wings? I reach my arms out and find enormous golden wings instead. What the hell? I flap them and soar instead of falling. Wild laughter bubbles up out of my throat. I hold out a wing and find feathers tipped with flames. Ash glides along next to me, marveling at my new form. I flap my wings excitedly and soar around the cavern. I can’t help but wonder what it would feel like to feel the air and sun shining in my wings.

“I want to fly,” I say to Asher. He whoops in delight and pulls up, angling towards the roof of the cavern. He shoots towards the thick layer of stone with amazing speed. I hear a loud cracking noise and the sky opens up above me. Fresh air barrels into the cave and I can see the rising sun across the desert.

Ash dips down and brushes his wings against mine and we soar out of the Underground as the crowd cheers.

Epilogue

Ruby

The old house creaks and groans. It’s as if the house is saying goodbye as well. No, I’m not going to cry anymore, I’ve done that enough already. My reflection in the mirror is so stupid. My eyes look too puffy and I just can’t get my makeup right today. Ugh! No matter how many freakin’ Waterproof spells I put on this mascara, it still seems to puddle in the creases around my eyes. Damn it. At least this dress is going to look awesome in the sun today.

“Cera really knows her stuff,” I say to no one, twirling in the mirror to make sure the yellow silk isn’t tucked into my underwear. I think she would like this dress. She would say that it looks happy.
Sigh
. If only I could look happy too.

“Ruby!” a voice calls from downstairs. “Ruby let’s go, we’re gonna be late!”

“Don’t get your panties in a wad, I’ll be there in just a sec,” I shout back.

My room looks empty even though it’s filled with cardboard boxes. I can barely move through the clutter. Georgia told me to decorate my room however I want when I first moved in. The memory brings an actual smile to my face. I don’t think she actually expected me to paint huge daisies on top of a glittery, bright pink background. The flowers, although they are a little faded, still bloom right out of the wall. My fingers brush against the sparkly pink and my fingertips come back dusted with glitter.

“Well, it is very bright dear. Just make sure you shut your door when you’re not in here. We can’t have glitter getting tracked into the kitchen. I’m not sure our pumpkin bread would taste the same with some of that mixed in the batter. Although, I bet it would look much happier...”

She could always spin everything to make it positive. She was the only one who was able to make me see that the world isn’t an awful place where people abandon you when you’re not worth anything. She made me believe… and now she’s gone.

I rub both hands against the wall, coating them with pink sparkles. I’ve already decided to give the house to the coven but that doesn’t mean I can’t take a little bit of it with me. I brush my hands through my dark wavy hair and check my reflection again. The sparkles catch the light and make my whole face look brighter. Happy. Good.

Cera’s head pops through the doorway. “Hey, sorry. We are definitely going to be late now.” She crosses her arms across her chest. “I thought that color would look nice on you,” she says walking towards me. Although her face doesn’t show it, I can tell she’s pleased with herself. She reaches down and straightens the hem and smoothes a wrinkle in the side of my dress. “Although you could have worn it at the length that it was originally.” 

“Hey, I happen to think my legs are my best asset!” I chuckle and swat her away. I walk over to the box and pull out my matching beaded clutch. A girl can’t go anywhere without a backup of lip gloss. “I’ve got one more thing to do before we leave.”

“Better make it quick okay? There’s a big difference between fashionably late and really late,” she says heading back downstairs.

I walk to the end of the hallway and stop. My heart is beating furiously. If only I could push this door open and see her again, my mother of my heart. I know she’s not in here. Instead I push my ear against the door and listen. A soft tinkling music calls out to me. I hum the tune along with the music and wait for the song to end. I gently push the handle down and peer inside. A soft orange glow lights up one corner but with the curtains pulled it’s dark enough for nap time.

A row of colored mats line the wall, each one bearing a tiny sleeping body. Sprites flutter quietly through the room, pulling blankets over the kids and tucking them in sweetly. One of the kids smiles up at me and blinks lazily. His tiny antlers brush against the floor as he lays his head back down on his mat. Georgia’s old bedroom was the obvious choice for the nursery. The old woman poured a lot of her spirit into this room and as such it’s the most comforting room in the house. She would be tickled to know how it was being used now. She always loved the little ones. A small cough catches my attention and I look down to see Fee tugging at my pant leg. I reach down and let her climb into my palm. I back out of the room as quietly as I can and shut the door behind me.

“Are you leaving?” Fee squeaks up at me. Her tiny body is still so frail after her ordeal with Arralt but you wouldn’t know it from her attitude. It seems like after losing her wings she became much more determined to help the cause. She just uses a tiny cane now to get around instead of her beautiful multicolored wings. I put my hand down on the hallway table just outside the door and she carefully hobbles onto it.

“Yes,” I answer. “But I’ll be back to get my stuff later.”

“You know you don’t have to leave. We still need a lot of help around here,” she says eyeing me.

“Hey I said I would be back to help didn’t I! I’m not going that far away!” I chuckle. “How are they doing today?” I ask, pointing back towards the door.

“They are adjusting nicely,” she says. “The spells Arralt worked on them are very complex, I’m not sure we can do much to them without causing more damage. They may have to stay the way they are.”

“Well at least they have a good home while we find their parents,” I murmur. I’m sad to leave this place but at the same time it’s the last place that I want to be. A few of the women from the coven have moved in and help out with the kids, and each other. There’s a lot of adjusting to do, on everyone’s part. The Undergrounders have all been steadily moving Uptop after the Renewal Day Battle and causing quite a stir. It’s only a matter of time before the humans find out about us. The Council is having to work double time just to keep us all in order. At least Asher and Lindy have had a little break from all of the nonsense, if anyone deserves a vacation it’s those two. 

“Will you give this to Lindy?” Fee says, reading my mind and handing me a small packet. I take the tiny package between my two fingers and put it gently into my clutch. 

“Of course,” I say.

“Tell her to take it in the morning, it should help with the sickness.”

“Sickness? Wait why is she sick? OOOOOO!” I can barely contain my excitement. Is my best friend is going to have a baby? “But they’re not even married yet!”

“I think at this point we can say that they are quite the non traditional couple.”

“Ruby! Come on!” Cera calls from downstairs.

“I have to go,” I say. “Can I help you back inside?”

“No, no,” she pipes. “Go on.” I turn to leave. “And Ruby,” she says, “it will all be okay.”

“Thanks,” I whisper and start down the stairs. “Alright, alright, I’m here. We can go now. And look we have plenty of time--” I say but abruptly stop as I turn the corner and almost run into the tall, handsome man standing in the way. “Oh my God! What the hell are you doing here?” I ask Collin, a little more accusatory than I meant it to be.

“Uh, I am here to escort you miss. Ms. Merrick sent me along. Said you were taking too long and they weren’t going to start without you.”

“Oh,” I scramble to try and find words but it’s like my tongue is stuck to the top of my mouth. And I’m sweating, like a lot. “So, um do you have like a car or whatever?”

He smiles in a delicious crooked way that makes my knees go weak. “Actually no, I never did learn how to drive.” He runs a hand through his hair and points at the wall just behind me. “She said you wouldn’t mind.”

A hazy portal swirls against the wall. Ah! I could kill Lindy. After all of that embarrassing stuff that, I’m sure, I said after I drank that gold fizzy drink. Oh stupid face I wish you wouldn’t blush so much.

“I don't mind!” I squeak. I take his proffered hand and step through the portal.

The End

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-Caroline Hale