“What is it?” asked Gladys.
“It’s an advanced healing draught. Not only is it more powerful in every respect than the regular potion, Dr. Megistus assures me that it will cure the Blue Sweat.”
“I made no such assurance, Lord Dechantagne,” said Dr. Megistus. “I merely said that I believe it will cure the dreaded disease.”
“I have faith in you, Doctor.”
“What the hell is the Blue Sweat?” wondered Zoey.
“Just a deadly disease that affects us soft-skins,” said Yuah. “Nothing for you to concern your spiky head about, I’m sure.” She turned to her son. “How much does it cost? Will average people be able to afford it?”
“It’s expensive,” said Augie. “Four hundred marks per bottle.”
“Golly,” said Gladys.
“That’s why I’m paying for the first one hundred bottles, to be kept by Mother Aunie for anyone stricken. And we shall keep a couple of bottles here too.”
“You can’t spend 4,000 marks on healing draughts,” said Yuah.
“First of all, it’s 40,000 marks, and secondly, yes I can.” He turned to Dr. Megistus. “We must go celebrate. I’ll buy you the finest steak in the colony. Or maybe a whole cow, eh?” Then looking at Zoey. “You’ll come too, dearest?”
“I don’t think so.”
“All right. I’ll see you later then.”
He ushered the Doctor out of the room and back toward the foyer from which both had emerged.
The three women stood for a moment staring back and forth between one another. Then Zoey stomped off toward the foyer. Gladys and Yuah both sat down, the former in the chair and the latter on the sofa. Yuah looked at the paper, still in her hand.
“My family,” she sighed.
* * * * *
Zoantheria walked to the edge of the Dechantagne garden, where she let her enchantment drop, returning to her true form. Shooting into the sky, she almost immediately dropped down into Senta’s garden. Standing upright, holding onto the eaves for support, she stuck her eye up next to Senta’s bedroom window and looked inside. The sorceress was sprawled naked across the bed. She seemed asleep, but then she spoke.
“Come on up and climb in here with me.”
Zoey cast the polymorph spell that returned her to her human form. Entering through the garden door, she climbed up the stairs and stepped into Senta’s bedroom. Sliding in beside her, she snuggled up close.
“Okay, but no funny business.”
“You’ve curled up with me in bed a hundred times.”
“Yes, but I was in dragon form, and that was before I knew you were a friend of fanny.”
“The only fanny I’m fond of is my own,” said Senta, pulling Zoey close and stroking her hair. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”
“I don’t know.”
“Of course you do. You’re being pulled in all directions. All these other dragons are intruding into your life, not to mention mine.”
“How are they intruding into your life?”
“I said not to mention that,” said Senta.
“It’s more than them just intruding in my life. They all want me.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad,” said Senta. “Men are supposed to want you.”
Zoey picked her head up and looked at the sorceress.
“Wouldn’t you rather have someone love you, rather than someone who just wants you?”
The sorceress didn’t reply, but her lower lip trembled.
“Of course you would,” continued Zoey. “Augie’s the only one that loves me. At least I think he does.”
“Augustus, fine young man though he may be, and I like him, I really do, but he’s just a man.”
“So I have to join in with the dragons? Voindrazius is evil, so you keep telling me. Bessemer is so holier than thou. Urie is just a child. I haven’t met Aurium, but if he’s as big an asshole as Argentine is… well, that would be a pretty giant asshole.”
“What about this new one?” asked the sorceress. “This Megistus.”
“I don’t want to talk about him.”
“That makes eight dragons that we know of, counting that bitch that I chased out of town.”
“Her name is Xenarra. I’ve fought with her a bit myself. Voindrazius says he knows of twelve living dragons. I don’t think he was counting you though. I didn’t know you could transform into a dragon.”
“I am the Drache Girl, after all,” said Senta, kissing Zoey on the forehead. “That doesn’t make me a dragon though. Not really. Now, come along, Pet. Let’s go down and eat something.”
* * * * *
It was early the next morning, when Augie arrived at the door with a bouquet of flowers. Zoey opened the door, still in her dressing gown. She gave him a steely stare. He smiled weakly and thrust the flowers at her.
“Your new dragon gone then?” she sneered, taking the bouquet and dropping it in the umbrella stand.
She turned and walked toward the parlor. He followed her, closing the front door behind him.
“You’re not jealous of him, are you? I didn’t even know he was a dragon, at least at first, and it doesn’t matter if he is. I hired him to do a job… as a doctor. Now he’s on his way back to Mallontah.”
Zoey flopped down on the sofa. He sat next to her. She slid a few inches away.
“I really missed you these past weeks,” he said.
“I could tell,” she said, with as much sarcasm as she could muster. “I knew it the moment you swept me off my feet, ignoring everyone else, and focusing only on me.”
“I can see that I should have done exactly that, but I didn’t. For that, I’m very sorry.”
“And you hope to get back in my good graces with flowers. Who even likes flowers?”
“Um, every woman in the empire.”
“I’ve told you before, I’m not a woman. You don’t understand me at all.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Augie, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a round tin container. “I believe I know that you like Arbraxian caviar.”
“I don’t like it,” said Zoey, sitting up and leaning toward him. “I love it.”
“Well, here you go.”
He twisted the key on the side, opening up the can. She stuck her finger into the oily black delicacy and brought her finger to her lips. After licking it clean, she smiled broadly. Taking three fingers, she scooped out almost half of the caviar and smeared it down his neck. Then she leaned over and began to lick it off.
“Sweet Kafira,” she growled. “You are so yummy!”
* * * * *
Two hours later, Zoey was zooming down the street in her cherry red Bromsfeld X steam carriage. Augie sat in the passenger seat, his brown hair, unencumbered by a hat, blowing in the wind. He was holding on tightly, but didn’t seem worried, as she took the corner from Terrence Dechantagne Blvd. onto Luebking Avenue. Zipping between cars, she swerved across another intersection just in front of the trolley, causing the triceratops pulling it to honk fiercely. Finally, after making another right and then a left, she pulled up with a screech of tires across the street from the bookstore.
Reaching over, Zoey grabbed Augie by the face with both hands and kissed him deeply. Then she licked his face.
“Wasn’t that fun?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” he smiled. “It’s good to know that my mother’s premonition that I would be eaten by a dinosaur has been disproven. Instead, I’m destined to die in a fiery motor crash.”
“Oh, pooh!” she said, climbing out of the car.
Augie climbed down from his side, stopping at the back to release the steam pressure, and then he let her take his arm as they crossed the busy street together. As they were walking up the sidewalk to the store’s entrance, they came face to face with a family just leaving.
“Saba, Loana,” said Augie. “What a pleasant surprise. Here we live across the street from one another and I never see you, only to run into you on the other side of town.”
“Hello, Augie,” said Police Chief Saba Colbshallow.
The Chief was a tall, fit man of thirty-nine years, with dark blond hair and green eyes. His wife, Loana, was a beautiful woman, as notable for her voluptuous figure as for her heterochromatic hair, covering just about every color from dark auburn to honey blond. Her eyes too were multi hued, one deep brown and the other hazel. Their fourteen year old daughter DeeDee already showed the signs that she would be a great beauty someday, and strongly resembled her mother. Loana was carrying a chubby infant in the crook of her arm. She angled herself so that she was between the child and Zoey.
“Good day, Your Lordship,” she said.
“And how is little Zeah,” asked Augie. “Not so little anymore.”
“He’s doing well,” said Saba. “As you can see, his mother watches him like a lizzie egg keeper.”
“Understandable,” said Augie.
The Colbshallows had lost a baby some eight years before to crib death.
“Have you seen Sen lately?” Zoey asked Saba.
“I try to see her at least every week or so.”
“Saba has made a great effort to connect with the girl,” said Loana. “He’s invited her to our home many times. He’s been snubbed at every turn.”
It was an open secret that Saba Colbshallow was the biological father of Senta’s illegitimate daughter.
“Maybe she will come around,” said Zoey.
“She should make up her mind soon,” said Loana. “Are we supposed to hold the door open for her forever?”
“Yes,” said Saba. “We are… and we will. Come along, family.”
“Have a pleasant day,” said Augie after them. “We shall have to have you all over for dinner soon.” He turned to Zoey. “See? All families have problems. It’s not just mine.”
“Oh, I know. I seem to have a ringside seat to family problems of late.”
He opened the door and held it for her, and they continued into the bookstore. The interior was a very large shop with a dozen tall counters that were filled to capacity with books of all varieties. At least half that many tables were dispersed among the shelves with stacked displays of new editions. Several people waved to the young lord, and he waved back, smiling.
“This is my favorite store to visit,” he said.
“I thought the haberdasher was your favorite.”
“You’re right, but this is a close second. What about you? I didn’t think you were much of a reader. Why are we here?”
“I don’t think it’s fair to say that I’m not much of a reader,” she said. “It’s just that I haven’t been much of one until now. I’ve decided to take it up and I couldn’t find anything in Senta’s library that looked fun to read.”
“Well, you can look through the books, but I don’t know how much fun you can have. I should think if a lady wanted to really have fun reading, she should stick to Brysin’s Weekly Ladies’ Journal.”
They stopped at the counter and both turned their eyes from each other to see Sherree McCoort standing on the opposite side, peering at them through her thick glasses.
“Good day, Your Lordship. Zoantheria.”
“Hello, Sherree,” said Augie. “My goodness. Have you gained weight? You look positively plump.”
Zoey carefully appraised Sherree’s form. She had indeed gained weight. Her stomach and breast areas in particular had expanded noticeably, though she was larger just about everywhere. Her face seemed to have doubled in width. She had dark patches of skin on her forehead, cheeks, and upper lip.
“Thank you, Your Lordship,” she replied. “I am in the family way.”
“Well, this is a happy occurrence.”
“Yes.” Her lips formed a smile that looked very much like a grimace. “I’m very happy.”
“How far along are you?” asked Zoey.
“Nearly four months, I believe.”
“So a Restuary baby? Or maybe Hamonth.”
“That would be fortunate,” said Augie. “What’s the saying? Bad luck to make a baby of a Hamonth, but double lucky to be born of a Hamonth.”
“I shall be hoping for Hamonth,” said Sherree, with another grimace. “Or maybe sooner.”
“Well, the thing about children…” Augie started to say, but was interrupted by a squeal from Zoey.
“Look at this! This is exactly what I was looking for!”
Four feet down the counter from where they stood, several dozen copies of a soft cover book were stacked in a pyramid. The cover of the book was splashed with a four-color image of a scantily clad woman falling from the sky. Zoey stepped quickly over to the display, drawn to it like iron to a magnet. She picked up the top copy, her eyes wide and her mouth open.
“Doom of the Cloud Princess by Rikkard Banks Tatum,” she read.
“He’s not really considered good literature,” said Augie, “though I seem to recall Iolana being fond of his works.”
“His books are very popular, Your Lordship,” said Sherree. “If you’re going to read it, Zoantheria, you’ll have to get the earlier books in the series—Curse of the Cloud Women, Revenge of the Cloud Women, Rya of the Cloud Women and Rya: the Cloud Princess.”
“I’ll take them all,” said Zoey.
“Excellent. That will be seventeen marks fifty.”
“Put it on Senta’s account, please.”
“Nonsense,” said Augie. “Let me buy them for you.”
“On your account then, Your Lordship?” said Sherree.
“Yes. Even so.” He pulled out his watch and checked the time. “You know it’s past lunch time. Shall we grab a bite?”
“Yes, I’m famished,” said his companion.
“There is a new sandwich shop around the corner,” offered Sherree, as she wrote down Zoey’s purchases on a note card. “They have lovely soups too.”
“How uncommonly helpful of you, Sherree,” said Zoey.
“If it’s close enough to walk, I’m sold,” said Augie.
Five minutes later, they were following the sidewalk around the block, having dropped off the new books in the car.
The Brownstone Sandwich Shop was indeed in the basement of a new brownstone apartment building, a sign leading them down a flight of stairs to the door. Inside were a dozen round tables with white tablecloths. Along the right hand side, was a counter behind which several young women in brown dresses and white caps assembled sandwiches for the eight or nine already seated customers. Augie and Zoey stopped and looked up at the menu.
“Can I help you?” asked one of the shop girls, with a strong northern accent.
“I’ll have two Fostbeck sandwiches,” said Zoey, “and a large bowl of potato and leek soup.”
“Would you like drinks with tha’?”
“Oh, that’s just for me,” said Zoey. “What will you have, my handsome man?”
“Um… the soup for me,” said Augie, “and a bottle of Billingbow’s.”
“Very good, sir. And a drink for you, miss?”
“Just water.”
“A’ right. That’ll be eight marks twenty-five p.”
Augie paid and then they took a seat at the table closest to the right back corner of the room.
“This looks like a nice place,” said Augie. “Funny that I didn’t know it was here.”
“Port Dechantagne is a busy city. There must be new businesses opening up every day.”
“That is true. It seems as though we’ve become an important destination for all types.”
“To what types are you referring?” she asked.
“None in particular, I suppose. He leaned across the table. “Maybe this isn’t the right time to ask, but have you decided whether you are going to stay here?”
“I think maybe I have,” she said, with a smile.
“That’s really…” He was interrupted by the arrival of their food.
“That was much faster than I expected,” he said.
“Yes, it was.”
“No, I mean it was
really fast. Incredibly fast.”
“I believe that is one of the main features of the establishment.”
“As you say,” he conceded.
Their conversation stopped as they ate. Even though she had much more food than he did, Zoey finished her meal before Augie was halfway through his large bowl of soup. She leaned toward him over the table.
“I like you Augie. I like you very much.”
“I love you, Zoey.”
“I love you too, but I also like you.”
He smiled. “That’s good then.”
“I’m wondering though,” she continued. “I know our situation is a bit unusual. Still, I have to know if things can work out for us. I’m not asking you to propose marriage or anything. I simply want you to tell me that you think we have some kind of future together. Do you think we do?”
He smiled. “I’m so glad you asked me, because I have been thinking a lot about this. Of course, the answer is ynng... ynng… no.” His eyes and mouth opened wide. “No! That’s not what I wanted to say! I wanted to say no! No!”
Zoey let out a groan as though he had punched her in the stomach.
“I can’t believe you,” she said, quietly at first, but her voice growing as she continued. “After all we’ve been to each other! I suppose you’ve been waiting for just this moment to destroy me!”
She jumped to her feet.
“No!” he shouted, heedless that everyone around was now watching them. “It’s not me! It’s Senta!”
“This has nothing to do with Senta!” she fairly screamed. “This is all you!”
With a sob, she ran across the shop and out the door.
Augie slammed his fist on the table, causing all the dishes and silver to jump three inches before clattering back to their resting places.
“A pox upon you, you wretched sorceress!”
He jumped up and ran after Zoantheria, but by the time that he reached the corner, the red Bromfeld X was already gone. Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed the little statuette of Senta and pulled it out. He was just about to speak her name and summon her, when he remembered that it would cost him. He was not happy about the payment from the last time, which might well have cost him his relationship with his beautiful dragon.
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