by K. M. Shea
He hissed.
“I didn’t think so. We’re going to have to establish some rules here. No biting, scratching, or clawing,” I said, pulling the towel back.
Zerah tried to bat at my hand with a paw, his claws extended. I ruthlessly flipped him around and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, again, before holding him over a soapy, water filled sink.
“I’m serious Zerah. Don’t even think about crossing me,” I sweetly said before dropping him.
Zerah-the-cat yowled as he tried to swim in the sink. In the end I rescued him and dried him off again. This time the little brat did not protest as much, nor did he try to injure me.
When he was dry, or at least close to it, I set him on the ground and walked away. (I had no desire to entertain such a bad humored feline for the rest of the day.) I moved off in the direction of the library, and I was faintly surprised and amused to hear the wobbly padding of Zerah waddling after me with his soft, kitten paws.
When I entered the library I carefully navigated my way through the stacks upon stacks of books until I found my stack of books. I was carefully arranging the books and sorting them (stupid Azmaveth and stupid alphabetizing.) when I heard a crack before a stack of books tumbled like a chopped tree.
Zerah, forgetting his size, had tried to jump to the top of a pile of books. He missed, and instead smashed head first into the stack, knocking them to the ground.
“Zerah,” I called, hurrying over to the settled avalanche. I dug through the books until I found Zerah at the bottom of the pile. “Be more careful,” I said as I lifted him out before setting on the ground. Zerah hissed at the books and slashed one with his kitten claws.
I politely muffled a chuckle and returned to work.
The sorting and stacking stretched on for hours, but working in the library was my favorite chore. I loved seeing the incredible books Azmaveth had. I often would forget myself and start reading instead of cleaning.
In fact, on this particular day I began to do just that. I had unearthed a particularly fascinating account of the Great Gnome Wars. Zerah hopped up on my desk, no doubt trying to find a way to maim me. I was so involved with my book that I ignored the vile creature and instead absent mindedly reached out to pet his head.
He endured the gesture, glaring at me with his little cat eyes. But it wasn’t long after I started rubbing his chin that a deep purr broke the surface of his scowl.
Zerah looked quite startled with himself, and I looked up from my book to wink at him.
Zerah huffed and fled.
It wasn’t long before he was back, though. This time he started pawing at a loose thread on my sleeve. I ripped the string off and tossed it too him. Zerah eagerly played with it, flinging it in the air before pouncing on it like a “great predator”. (Then again, I guess he was.)
After several hours of reading on my part and playing on Zerah’s end, my stomach began to growl.
“I want lunch,” I decided, shutting a thick book. “Come on Zerah,” I called as I left the grand library, sweeping down the hallways.
Zerah ran after me, his little kitten legs pumping to keep up with me. Might I add that his personality seemed to greatly improve in his feline form. Perhaps relaxing and playing with string was therapeutic for the normally giant dragon?
We skidded into the kitchen and Zerah leaped on top of the human sized counter and watched me prepare our lunch. I was making bacon and bread, occasionally swatting Zerah’s paw away as he tried to snatch a piece of meat when the doorbell rang.
I quickly shed my apron and removed the bacon from the fire before running to the door, Zerah right behind me. I shoved open one of the giant doors and smiled. “Aaron! What a pleasant surprise! Come on in!” I cheerfully invited.
“Hi,” Aaron shyly smiled as he came in. “I figured I’d come over and see how you were.”
I felt a claw dig into my foot through my shoe. I glanced down to find Zerah scowling at me. I shook my head and bent over to pick him up, about to purposely squeeze his guts out when Aaron interrupted me. “I see you have a new cat.”
“Um, yeah, something like that,” I said as Zerah climbed onto my shoulder and stared at Aaron with his unnatural grey eyes. “I was just making lunch for us, would you like to join us?” I asked.
Aaron beamed in affirmation.
I spun on my heels before Zerah got the chance to hiss at Aaron. I made sure I walked quite a bit faster than Aaron, so I could shush under my breath. “What is your problem?” Zerah growled and turned around to unmistakably glare in Aaron’s direction.
We reached the kitchen and Zerah once again jumped up on the table and turned to growl at Aaron, who had taken a seat next to me. Aaron reached over and tried to pet Zerah, but Zerah batted at him with his claws. “Sorry,” I apologized. “He’s pretty moody,” I said as Zerah hissed.
I quickly finished up the bacon, intending to get this whole affair over as fast as possible. Zerah jumped off of the counter and ambled over to me, rubbing around my ankles as he meowed.
I smiled and reached down to pet him before removing the bacon from the pan. “It’s almost done Zerah!” I soothed as I returned to the bacon.
“Zerah?” Aaron asked as both Zerah and I froze, realizing my mistake. “Isn’t that the name of another duke dragon?”
I stared at Zerah. The cat, erm, dragon, ignored me and glared at Aaron. I turned toward the wizard with a fake smile. “Yeah, Azmaveth and I decided to name my kitten after him!” I said.
“Why?” Magic boy asked.
Shoot, why did he have to be so curious? “Because…well, because he looks like him! I mean both of them are silver colored, and he’s just as snobby as the real Zerah” I acidly added. “There, all finished! Let us eat,” I diverted, quickly changing topics as I started for the dinning room. Zerah ran ahead and jumped up on a chair at the table. Aaron walked behind me, grumbling under his breath.
I was setting down the bacon tray and Aaron was sitting down when there was a loud crunch and a yowl. I looked up and watched a smushed looking Zerah jump out from underneath Aaron. It took a few seconds before it all clicked. Aaron had sat on top of Zerah!
Zerah whined and he limped over to me, I had a feeling he was playing up his injuries but I ignored that for the time being. “Oh you poor thing!” I said, scooping him up as Aaron apologized numerous times. “Are you okay?” I asked rubbing under his chin. Zerah glared at Aaron through my arms.
“I’m really sorry! I didn’t see him, but don’t you think he’s exaggerating his injuries?” Aaron asked.
I had to agree with him, but still… for the sake of keeping Zerah a little more pleasant it was probably best if I got rid of Aaron.. I purposely paused and made my eyes go wide. “Uh-oh. Run! Azmaveth is coming!” I bellowed as I pulled Aaron up and pushed him down the hallway. “Hurry! He’s coming! Run as fast as you can!” I assured him as I propelled him out the door.
“Thanks for warning me!” he yelled before disappearing into the forest.
“No problem... There. Will that improve your mood?” I asked the cat as I closed the door. Zerah purred.
We quickly ate and then I spent the rest of the day sweeping out the hallways. Zerah followed me or batted at whatever caught his interest for the moment or purposely got in my way. It was just about sunset when I stopped.
“Come on Zerah. I’m ready for a break,” I said as I wandered into the library and sat down in what I had dubbed my corner. (It was the spot where I had sat earlier with Azmaveth when he shrunk.) The fireplace roared to life and I sat down in my chair before Zerah hopped up on my lap and kneaded his paws on my legs.
“Ouch,” I said as I felt his sharp claws prick my skin. Zerah ignored me and started purring.
I smiled and stretched, momentarily upsetting Zerah before I settled back into a comfortable position. I stroked his soft silky fur and smiled as his purr grew louder.
I drifted off to sleep staring into the orange flames that danced before me. I’m no
t sure how long I was asleep, but I remember hearing Azmaveth creep into the library. For a moment there was a stunned silence until Azmaveth burst out laughing. I easily ignored my dragon, he wandered around the den laughing like this before. It was a regular occurrence really.
But Zerah yowled as Azmaveth rolled around on the ground in laughter.
There was an explosion and I felt a huge weight smother me. Zerah carefully lifted his giant head off my lap. “It’s not funny!” he snapped at Azmaveth, who still had yet to recover. Some how he had managed to undo the spell while laughing. He must be more talented than I thought.
“Yes, it is!” Azmaveth wheezed between loud, almost painful sounding, bellows of laughter.
Zerah’s ears flattened against his skull as he glared at his fellow, giggling dragon. “Azmaveth,” I sleepily said, unable to ignore him any longer.
“Yes Ahira?” he asked, still chortling.
“Be quiet.”
“Okay,” he said, straightening up and shaking his head.
Now it was Zerah’s turn to laugh.
“Oh I give up,” I groaned. “I’m going to bed,” I announced as I flounced out of the room, using all the strength I could muster.
“Say Azmaveth?” I could hear Zerah ask between chuckles as I left.
“What?” Azmaveth sourly asked.
“How did you end up with that human?”
After that night Zerah came around more often, he wasn’t as rude to me either. By the end of the month I daresay we could be considered friends! Zerah and Azmaveth ended up getting along much better. Actually, they pretty much turned into cohorts, mutually devising devious plans.
They would spend hours in Azmaveth’s lab. Often times I would hear loud explosions come from the room, but I kept my curiosity in check and steered clear of that area. After all I didn’t want to be the victim of their latest spell.
Chapter 12A Princess Outburst
About two months later, in the cold wind of winter, Cinders came for an unexpected and unpleasant surprise visit.
I was walking out to get the mail (digging was more like it. The snow drifts were well over my waist.) when I walked by one of my prince traps. It was the pit, and it looked like the magic grid had collapsed. I peered down into the pit, trying to see who it was. I mean come on, what kind of a nutty prince would travel in this weather? Azmaveth currently was not at home, but Zerah was. (Since the kitten episode he practically lived at Azmaveth’s den. I didn’t mind so much. He was neat, unlike Azmaveth.)
So after retrieving the mail I went and got Zerah. He reached into the hole and pulled out a spitting, babbling Cinders.
I groaned.
“Do you know this…thing?” Zerah asked while holding Cinders by the very fringe of her dress, between two claws. Just because he liked me didn’t mean he accepted humans.
“I wish I didn’t,” I groaned as Zerah eyed the screaming pile of petticoats “We might as well take her indoors,” I said. “It would be the polite thing to do.”
“We don’t have to be polite,” Zerah suggested said as we entered the den.
He dropped Cinders on the marble floor. The silver dragon could still be such an icicle. It’s very hard to tell when he is teasing. Unlike Azmaveth he can keep a straight face and not giggle. It’s also difficult to tell because his jokes generally sound like threats.
Cinders stood up straight and glanced at Zerah before huddling next to me. “Listen very carefully,” she urged. Her breath smelled like onions and garlic. “I am here to see the Prince.”
“The Prince?” I asked before remembering her fascination with Kohath. “Oh, you mean Kohath, Azmaveth’s steward!”
Luckily for Kohath, Azmaveth had sent him on another wild goose chase to hunt down Snow Flower petals.
“He’s not a steward!” Cinder’s scoffed. “He’s a Prince. Or at least he will be when I rescue him!” she continued with a dreamy sigh.
I glanced up at Zerah and saw a revolted look pasted on his face. “Absolutely disgusting,” he muttered.
“My thoughts exactly,” I dryly replied as Cinder prattled on.
Unfortunately for Kohath and rather fortunately for Zerah and myself, Kohath finished his errand and entered the den, pushing the large wooden doors aside long enough to allow himself to slip in.
“I’m back!” he called out. He gave me a charming smile, which I sweetly returned and pointed to the dripping mess of Princess Cinders. He followed my gaze and instantly paled. “No I’m not,” he amended before bolting for the door.
His words confused Cinders for only a moment before she brushed them off and leaped at him. “Albert!” she cried, wrapping herself around his leg.
“Albert?” Kohath asked.
Zerah and I shrugged. “She thinks you’re a prince,” I smirked. This was payback for everything he had ever done to me.
Kohath groaned and stomped around, trying to pry Cinders off his leg. “Any bright ideas?” he asked.
“Perhaps you could get rid of her…permanently,” Zerah graciously offered.
“That’s not very nice,” I scoffed, although deep in my mind I had pondered the thought before.
“It’s not like anyone would miss her,” Kohath snorted.
“None the less it is wrong to kill,” I firmly said.
“We wouldn’t have to kill her,” Kohath coyly said. “We could just drop her off on the other side of Somnio! She was their problem to begin with.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, I’m sure Behemoth would love you for the rest of your life, but I choose my sanity over you,” I said pushing Kohath, complete with Princess Cinders, outside. “Bu-bye!” I cheerfully wished before shutting the door.
“Ahira! I demand that you open up this door instantly!” Kohath shouted as he pounded his fist on the doors.
“Make me!” I yelled back. Zerah looked most amused.
“Don’t leave me alone with her!” Kohath pleaded.
I stayed silent and I heard Kohath mutter something, which was followed by the sound of uncorking a bottle. There was a loud explosion, and seconds later Cinders screamed bloody murderer. There was another explosion and I opened the door to behold a smoldering Kohath watching Cinders run down the road, getting caught in my traps as she fled.
“Watch out for the logs!” Kohath warned, she didn’t and got hit in the head. She got up, still screaming, and ran all the way home.
“And that takes care of that!” Kohath said, rubbing his hands together before turning to enter the den.
“What did you do?” I asked, stepping aside for him.
“I scared her with a potion Azmaveth had given me, which was to be used only in times of dire need,” Kohath said grinning with great pride. “The refinement process really helped speed up the potion effects,” he said to Zerah.
“I don’t want to know what it was,” I said while rubbing my forehead as Zerah studied Kohath.
Kohath shrugged. “I’m hungry, let’s eat!”
About two to three weeks later Azmaveth gave me some bad news.
“Tomorrow you have to go to Behemoth’s to meet with the other princesses again.”
I was thunderstruck. “No! No way am I going back! You can’t do this to me Azmaveth!” I said tugging on one of the scales on his paws.
Azmaveth sighed. “I’m sorry Ahira. Behemoth begged me to send you. He started crying.”
“But Azmaveth!” I whined. “You don’t know what it’s like being with them!” I said in a panicked voice.
“Look,” Azmaveth started. “It’s sort of tradition that all princesses attend. But perhaps I could send Kohath to come for you with an urgent situation. Tomorrow is your scheduled visit with Tuggles, and we wouldn’t want you to miss that now would we?
I sighed in relief “Thanks Azmaveth!” I smiled as I hugged one of his silver claws.
Azmaveth lower his head, so I turned and embraced his muzzle. A deep rumbling purr echoed in Azmaveth’s throat. “You’re just a big sweetie,” I sa
id, kissing one of his scales before skipping off to finish cleaning the kitchen. I laughed as Azmaveth blushed and snorted.
“Am not,” he mumbled.
The next morning I prepared myself for the princess visit, this time Azmaveth didn’t throw me in his large lake like bathtub. (Thankfully.) But we encountered a problem upon opening the front door.
“Snow.” Azmaveth said.
“What an astute conclusion,” I said as I glared at the white mass before me. After a great struggled we finally got the doors open. However, the snow was chest deep for Azmaveth, high over my head.
“This could prove to be a problem,” Azmaveth thoughtfully said.
“Oh well. I can’t go. That’s too bad!” I said as I turned around and started walking away. Azmaveth reached out and snagged his claw on my purple dress.
“Not so fast there my dear,” he said. “I can easily deal with this.”
As soon a he finished speaking huge pillars of fire shot out of his mouth and melted the giant wall of snow before us.
“That is an unusually bad case of heartburn you’ve got there,” I obnoxiously observed as Azmaveth threw me on top of his head.
He ignored me and leapt into the air, stretching out his wings to take flight.
To my great sorrow we reached Behemoth’s cave in less than five minutes. “Don’t leave me!” I begged Azmaveth as I clung to his ear and Behemoth tried to pry me off. “It’s horrible in there!”
“How do you think I feel? I have to live with Cinders,” Behemoth snarled as he wrenched me off.
Azmaveth sulked and rubbed his stinging ear.
“Wave bye-bye Ahira,” Behemoth said as he delicately picked up one of my arms with two claws and made a waving motion.
Azmaveth glared at Behemoth as I gave Azmaveth the look of a desperate, pleading, and depressed girl. “Sorry about this Ahira. Kohath will come here soon,” he whispered.
“Oh no he won’t!” Behemoth crowed, cradling me in his claws as he lifted me up and away from Azmaveth. “Now that I’ve got her, I’m going to keep her!” he cooed.