by Sariah Skye
“What in the gods name is that?” Maxxus called from the washroom.
“I think it’s Kiarra.” I swallowed, wincing as the loud footsteps grew closer.
Before I knew it, the door flew open and Kiarra’s came bounding in, blue robes flapping behind her as she not-so-gracefully carried a large tray of dinner. It if wasn’t for the smell tantalizing my nose, I probably would have shoved her out and down the hallway for shrieking so loud. But, I was hungry. Damn hungry. My stomach rumbled in anticipation.
“Oh thank god!” I said, practically salivating at the contents of the tray. But before I could see what was on the menu, Kiarra set the tray down on the vanity table and flung herself across the room into my reluctant arms.
“OhmygodohmygodohmyGOD! Leo!” My eyes bugged out as she clenched her arms around my upper body, squeezing with all her might.
“Kiarra…” I barely managed to squeak out, breathless, trying not-gracefully not to inhale her jet hair, piled on top of her head and currently trying to suffocate me.
“Girl, you better not be squeezing the little princess!” A second voice, belonging to the second screecher, joined the awkward celebration.
Kiarra looked up from her strangling embrace to glare severely at Daniel, who’d followed her in, carrying his own tray (assumedly for Maxxus).
Daniel scoffed dismissively. “Oh come on. She’ll be a beautiful blonde!”
I looked between the two of them, scowling. “What the what? How can you be arguing about this already? Its only like—” I held my thumb and pointer finger about two inches apart. “It doesn’t have a gender yet!”
“It? No no, you can’t call him an it!” Kiarra scolded. She sat back momentarily, eyeing me over from head to toe. “Ohhhh—this is so exciting!” She began to squeal again. My hands flew up to my ears to shield them from the noise, when Daniel pulled Kiarra back by the shoulders and waggled his finger at her.
“Now now, don’t go hogging her all for yourself!” Kiarra pouted, but allowed Daniel to shove her aside and he dove in for the hug.
“Awwwww I’m so happy for you!” Daniel, surprisingly was much more reserved in his hug and speech. Or so I thought, when a hand crept around my side and landed on my stomach. “Hewwwwo, widdle baby!” Daniel bent over and spoke directly to my stomach.
I slapped my hand against my forehead. “Oh god. Maxxus!” I hollered.
“You know, it’s a punishable offense to touch the Queen without her permission,” Maxxus emerged in the washroom doorway, flinging a white towel over his shoulder.
Daniel looked up and gave him a wounded look. “Oh you wouldn’t dare! She needs her Uncle Danny, don’t you?” He rubbed my abdomen affectionately, like a drunken Irish-wannabe rubbing a leprechaun’s stomach for good luck (but stupidly realizing it wasn’t a leprechaun at all).
I groaned. “Is this what it’s going to be like for the next ten months? Maybe I should go into hiding…”
“Ten months?” Daniel looked in between Kiarra and Maxxus. “Is that how long it takes for dragon babies?”
Maxxus shrugged. “Give or take.”
Daniel winced, pulling away. “Well. That oughta make you right crabby.”
I raised a brow. “Make me crabby?”
Daniel scoffed, shoving me gently. “Oh stop. You wouldn’t be crabby at me. I bring food.”
“So do I!” They both brought forth their trays, and set them on the bed in front of me. Maxxus began to sit down but I glared at him severely, as my stomach rumbled and roiled in upset. “This is for me, right?”
He held up his hands in defeat. “Far be it for me to get in the way of the queen’s dinner! I can just disappear to the kitchens for a sandwich.”
I chuckled. “I’m kidding. I’m hungry but—” Kiarra uncovered the tray, producing a very large, rare steak, steamed vegetables and a big pile of mashed potatoes and brown gravy and I wanted to drool.
Daniel poured a glass of milk from a pitcher on his tray, and handed to me. “I wasn’t sure what the rule was on expecting dragon ladies drinking alcohol, so I thought this would be a better choice.” He put the cold glass in my outstretched hand.
“It’s perfect, thank you,” I said, taking a long drink, the cool contents draining down my throat soothingly.
Kiarra and Daniel set out the meal before us and took seats in the room; Kiarra at the vanity and Daniel nearby on the chaise.
“So, now that you’ve been an official dragon attendant, what do you think?” I asked him, swallowing a bite of my steak nearly whole.
“Easier than I thought, but from what I understand the two of you are just too easy,” he said with a chuckle, and wink in my direction. “I’ve heard horror stories from the guards about other royalty in years past. Not so much Valessia but…” he trailed off, not wanting to mention the name of the deceased king.
“Well, I think that’s part of what makes them so successful.” Kiarra beamed at me. “I need to tell you the news.”
“What?” Maxxus asked.
“Zyanhei has agreed to send delegates here to discuss forming official relations! Currently, they’re in the middle of one of their cultural festivals, but they should be here in time for Samhain!” Kiarra said, clapping her hands together excitedly. “Do you guys have any idea what a big deal this is?”
Maxxus’ eyes widened. “No one from Zyanhei has attended a Anarachian event in…I can’t even think of when!”
“I know! I was chatting with Valessia, and Aleron and we thought it might be a great idea to make Samhain this year into a big celebration—bigger than normal, and invite all the kingdoms in the realm to join us! Sort of to celebrate the victory over the Shadows and coming together!” Kiarra spoke excitedly.
“Wow, that’s impressive!” Maxxus nodded with approval.
I frowned, pausing in my food gorging only to sigh with exasperation. “That’s great guys. But what if we haven’t beat the Shadows by then? Is it such a great idea, bringing everyone here and making an even bigger target for them? I mean what else would be more perfect? Bringing all the leaders of the dragon realm together—hit twenty birds with one stone!” I scoffed, stabbing at my steak with my fork.
“Whoa there. Pretty sure it’s already dead.” Maxxus leaned over the bed and calmly put a hand over my stabby appendage.
I looked at him severely. “You want to be next?”
Chuckling, he backed away, pretending to look wounded. “Sorry, sorry. I think it’s a good idea though. Something to look forward to.”
Kiarra nodded furiously. “I agree. Perhaps the anticipation will help the healing process along.”
Maxxus clapped his hands together. “Well it’s settled then. We’ll discuss this with the Court tomorrow.”
I snorted. “Yeah. All five of them,” I grumbled under my breath as I viciously chewed my dinner.
Kiarra let out a low whistle. “Leo…are you okay?”
I sighed, letting my fork fall to the metal tray with a clink. “Yeah. I’m sorry. Just stressed.”
“You sure that’s it? There isn’t…something else?”
I nodded. “Yes. I just really want to sleep, I think. Get the heals under way, find out what happened to Connor—all that.”
Maxxus snapped his fingers, as if suddenly remembering. “Connor! That’s right! I was going to look into that more!”
I slowly looked over at him. “I thought you did that?” I waved him off. “No matter. We’ll go check on it tomorrow. Gabriel should have been through there by then and it’ll be safe.”
“If you think it’s best,” Maxxus said with a shrug.
Narrowing my eyes, I glanced at him strangely. “Why wouldn’t it be? Are you okay?”
Maxxus and I stared at each other quizzically for a few moments, before Kiarra let out a low, uncomfortable whistle.
“Well, I can see we’re in the way here. Leo, you let me know if you need anything, okay?” Kiarra jerked her head pointedly at Daniel who was innocently perched on the ch
aise, pretending to be invisible. “Let’s go, Danny boy.”
“Dang. I wanted to be here for—well whatever.” Daniel pouted, but allowed Kiarra to pull him out of the room, not before he blew kisses in Maxxus’ and my direction. “See you tomorrow!” The door behind them slammed shut loudly, making me jump, suddenly uneasy with their absence.
Maxxus had already consumed himself with another task; right now he was flipping through the pages of a large, black leather tome across the room.
I let out a pointed cough. “Ahem.”
Maxxus jumped slightly and turned around. He smiled innocently, threading his hands through his hair and raking it out of his eyes. He laughed nervously. “What?”
“You didn’t answer my question. Are you okay?”
Maxxus scoffed. “Um, yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t know. But planning this party is a little presumptuous, don’t you think? Wouldn’t a Yule party be better? Or better yet, Ostara even? Something way, way out there? I mean one way or another, you think we’ll be done with the Shadow crap then. Either we’ll have killed them all, or been killed ourselves.”
“Leo! You shouldn’t talk that way!” he scolded, sliding onto the bed next to me and grasping my hand. “You just—” he interrupted himself with a sigh. “Yeah, I’m sorry, I guess I am a bit out of sorts.”
“Why? Is it the—” I looked down, as my hands slid over my lap and protectively covered my stomach. Suddenly, the thought of Maxxus not being truthful about the baby was horrifying to me, and a hefty weight landed inside.
“No!” He clutched one of my hands in his and brought it to his lips, kissing my knuckles fiendishly, apologetically. “Don’t think that! I am thrilled about it! I am…well just a little nervous too, I guess.”
“You are?” I asked, surprised.
He nodded. “I suppose so. It’s rather scary, thinking about bringing a baby in this world, with the Shadows. But talking about a party—presumptuous as it is—helps me feel better, knowing that this will soon be over.”
I sighed. “Yeah. I get that.”
He bit his lip, scooted closer to me. “Leorah, I don’t want you to ever think that I wouldn’t be ecstatic about our baby. Even if it was in the middle of a zombie-apocalypse, and it was baby number twenty, I’d always be so stoked to have created a life with you.”
I smirked, gently shoving him away. “Down boy! Twenty?”
He chuckled. “Well…okay so that’s probably not realistic but it’d be fun to try don’t you think?” He spoke in whispered tones as his lips neared my ear, placing a hungry kiss just under the earlobe.
My eyes closed and I relished in the sensation, the tingles running down my back. I was about to lean into him for better access, when my stomach had other ideas, and growled so loudly Maxxus jumped away.
Feeling betrayed, I pretended to scold my tummy with a shaking finger. “Damn you! Bad timing!”
Maxxus rolled with laughter. “We have plenty of time for this other stuff, right? Just eat and get some rest. I’m going to look through this book again some.” He nuzzled his cheek against mine, kissing my forehead before standing up to go back to his reading.
Not wanting to disappoint my stomach anymore, I picked up my fork and dove back into my mashed potatoes. On the way down, it rumbled lightly, as if saying thank you as the heavy carb-laden dish took residence in my gut. I tried not to moan with happiness at the feeling of being satiated by potatoes. I ignored my insides and inquired, “What is the book about?”
Maxxus let out a small groan. “Eh, just stuff about royal court policies. Pretty droll, but I should probably be knowledgeable on this kind of thing, huh?”
I pointed my finger down my throat and made a choking sound. “Sure. Better you than me.” Normally, I would have admired his backside as he leaned over the desk, flipping through the book but right now, the steak was more tantalizing, and I shrugged off the sight of Maxxus shifting on back and forth on his feet, slightly wiggling his ass (a habit I don’t think he was aware that he did, but it was still cute…usually) and continued to pig out.
Sona emerged from her hiding place and padded by him, quietly. Maxxus paused in his reading to lean over and greet her with his hand, but she turned her nose up at him and sauntered haughtily away. She leaped on the bed and took a spot next to me, watching Maxxus cautiously.
He tittered. “I still don’t think she likes me.”
I chortled. “You don’t understand cats. They merely tolerate us on their planet. Duh. Her reaction to you is almost like her declaring you a best friend. Right?” I stroked her soft fur playfully and she cuddled up to my leg and purred.
“Right. Just like she tolerates you, huh?” Maxxus said with a grin.
I shrugged. “I feed her. That’s different.”
“I see. So you and her have that in common, yes? Just feed you both and you’ll be happy?” he jibed.
“Exactly.” I emphasized his point by taking a large bite of my dinner…and one of his, too.
After polishing off my entire meal—and most of Maxxus’—I lay down to sleep shortly before midnight. Maxxus had been reading in bed, and he’d fallen asleep on his back, arm sprawled out on his pillow and the tome had fallen off the side of the bed, where his other arm dangled. I tucked him in with the quilt, pulling it up to his shoulders and kissed his rough cheek gently. He didn’t stir, as I sidled up next to him and rest my head in the crook of his shoulder where I slept peacefully until a loud noise jarred me out of a sound sleep.
“The fuck…?” I muttered, listening carefully again for the crashing noise I heard from somewhere in the castle, nearby.
Another metallic clang rang out in the distance. It was definitely not in the room, but in this wing, at least.
I shook Maxxus’ sleeping form; he was in the same position he’d been when I’d fallen asleep. I lifted my head up and checked the screensaver’s clock display, bouncing around the screen: it was a little after 3am. “Maxx!” I shook him again, and while his breathing was steady, he didn’t stir. He didn’t even utter a single noise. I grumbled. He was usually pretty observant, even in his sleep.
Another crash, and the sound of a door slamming. I sighed, shaking him much harder this time.
Still, nothing.
“Damn you. Fine. I’ll go check myself.” I growled and flung the quilt back over him. I stomped out of bed, grabbing the nearest set of robes—in the dark it was hard to see, but I figured they must have been Maxxus’ judging by how long they trailed out behind me and how I had to struggle not to trip over them. “Where are mine?” I could have sworn I left them at the foot of the bed, but apparently not. “Damn.” I took one last glance at Maxxus still self on the bed, and loudly opened and shut the door behind me with a thud, hoping the sound would rouse him somehow. Standing outside in the hallway briefly, when no green dragon came emerging from the other side of the door, I figured that he was not coming. “Damn men,” I growled to myself. “Well fine, you want something done right, leave it to a girl, right?” I gathered my resolve, and pulling the robes tighter around my body, I kicked the trailing hem out from around my feet and, trying to maintain a sense of dignity I quietly sauntered down the hallway.
Crash! Bang! The unmistakable sound of a dish breaking. I stopped in my tracks, listening again for whatever was making the noise, but, silence. I glanced around quickly in the dark; most of the torches were extinguished for the night, making it hard to see. Perfect breeding ground for Shadows. It couldn’t be—could it? Shadows didn’t make large crashing sounds?
I shuddered, feeling the cold chill of the stone against the bottom of my feet; I had forgotten to put on flip-flops, or slippers. “Damn.” Sighing at my own stupidity, I summoned a light ball in my palm and tossed it in the air just slightly over and in front of me, to help lead the way as I tip-toed down the rest of the empty hallway.
I noticed that all the décor and the artwork, though minimal in this pa
rticular hallway, were still intact. The paintings of some former monarchs still hung unceremoniously on the wall, straightened and untouched from any Shadow damage or suspicious, night-time noisemaker.
Another faint crash sounded out, this time further away. I lifted my brow as I thought I heard someone speaking. “Hello?” I paused at the end of the hallway, noticing that there was supposed to be a guard here, at night at least. There was no one.
“Weird…” I said to myself, and continued carefully padding through the wing quietly.
I stopped just short, arriving at another hallway when I noticed a short stone column had been toppled over, and a silver artifact resembling a tarnished crown—was on its side a distance from its spot on the pillar. I bent over, gingerly touching the metal spokes on the crudely-crafted item. It was old, probably belonging to one of the very first monarchs when we’d lived harmoniously with humans on Earth, millennia ago. I didn’t notice anything suspicious about its presence, other than it was on the ground.
Another thud from nearby, followed by a very deep, menacing growl. “Come here, you demon!”
I stood upright fully, with a gasp. Feeling the adrenaline surge in my body, my heart thudding against my ribs, I summoned a plasma ball in between my hands. I pulled my fingers apart, willing the energy to grow when I felt the pull and tingle against my back. My wings fought to escape their cloth prison, and I was thankful now for Maxxus deep green robes which allowed them enough space to come out, without tearing the fabric. I held the magic in one hand and adjusted the robes over my back to allow the protective wings their freedom.
“A-ha!” I heard the voice call out once again from a nearby room. Walking quickly through the din, my magic crackling and sparking in the dark, I came to a door at the end of the wing, slightly open. I heard another crash, a panicked yelp from the other side, and with a wide gesture of my free hand, I flung open the door, and took aim with my plasma ball at the intruder on the other side.