As he spoke, he stretched out his arms lazily. His form then suddenly split like a banana: skin, clothing, and all peeling off of him in sheets that seemed as thin a tissue paper. The sheets vanished when they touched the ground, leaving a thin, long, snakelike dragon standing up like a cobra where Samay had been. His emerald scales were edged with silver, and his underbelly was a brilliant purple color, while his coiled form seemed to have tripled in length.
A pair of feathered silver-and-purple wings flapped lazily behind him as he dropped to slither into a comfortable-looking position on an empty pile of gold coins. The dragon crossed his slender, silver-taloned arms before him like a cat, while his angular crocodile face stood up over his slight shoulders on a long, curving neck. A ridge of short purple spikes rose from between his hooded eyes to trace a line all the way down his long back to the end of his barbed tail. His glowing emerald eyes looked back at Twist’s astonishment mildly.
“What?” the dragon asked with Samay’s voice.
“Nothing!” Twist said too quickly.
The dragon rolled his eyes and turned his head completely around to look out over the room behind him. Skye caught Twist’s eye and clearly mouthed the words, “What the hell?” at him. Jonas was also looking at Samay with a taut, thoughtful look on his face. Twist could only shake his head. Knowing that the unassuming-looking young man was a dragon and actually seeing him in his true form were two very different things. He had worked with Samay for so long, he had nearly forgotten that Samay wasn’t actually human.
Twist looked around at the hundreds of magical beasts and could scarcely believe that he wasn’t shaking with fear. Each and every one of them could sack a medieval city or battle a valiant knight with little risk of losing the fight. They had been seen as creatures of power and chaos for as long as humanity had been telling stories. To be sitting so casually among them, sharing a meal and not being one of the courses himself, seemed utterly absurd.
And yet, either through familiarity or madness, Twist found his heart beating steadily. Maybe he was finally getting used to his own ridiculous life.
Once their meal arrived, everyone tucked in. A loud sniffing sound drew Twist’s attention. He turned to find a glistening orange snout above him. The dragon smiled down at him with long, pointed, white teeth and sapphire eyes.
“I love a good Englishman,” the dragon purred. “They have a delightfully sooty aftertaste, no matter how you cook them.”
Twist glared up at the beast as it licked its scale-covered lips with a forked tongue.
“Do you mind?” Myra asked it testily. The dragon looked to her innocently. “Please keep your unseemly appetite to yourself, thank you,” she said, turning Twist’s shoulder to make him look back to the meal before him. Twist heard the dragon chuckle to itself, but the beast made no retort.
“I’m really glad they need us,” Jonas muttered, picking at a grilled piece of chicken on the golden plate on his lap. Lounging across from them, nibbling on a whole chicken carcass, Samay paid the rest of them little attention.
“Don’t go mentioning that too much, thanks,” Skye hissed to him. “They only need you two, you know. Don’t give them any ideas.”
“Right,” Jonas said, looking worried now. “You be careful not to get yourself into trouble, as well.”
Skye shot him a cold look. “Why didn’t you say that to Myra, too?”
“She’s neither as troublesome nor as nice to eat as you might be.”
“Are you calling me annoying and fat?”
“Good God,” Jonas breathed as if in terror, turning to Twist. “A woman just asked me if I think she’s fat. Save me!” he pleaded, his eyes brilliantly blue to Twist’s Sight. Twist was spared from having to voice his confusion at Jonas’s hidden glee when Skye spoke first.
“You can’t hide behind Twist,” she said sharply, her keen blue eyes aflame. “He’s a gentleman if I’ve ever seen one. You, on the other hand, are turning out to be nothing but a cheat, a rogue, and a scoundrel.”
Jonas smiled with satisfaction to hear these adjectives, his eyes slipping toward her.
“And yet you flirt with me and not with the dandy. You clearly love a scoundrel.”
Skye’s eyes widened in shock, while Twist and Myra mirrored her expression and watched in stunned silence and naked curiosity for her response. Even Samay looked up from this meal to watch her. She took a breath and seemed to collect her thoughts.
“What if I told you that I happen to like nice men?” she asked with a forced smile.
Jonas chuckled.
“Oh!” Skye exclaimed, reaching out to shove him roughly. Jonas took the blow, smiling. His joy sparkled brilliantly through the buzz in Twist’s neck. Skye crossed her arms and looked away from Jonas. “I’m not talking to you anymore.”
Twist turned to whisper to Myra’s ear: “Are either of them making any sense to you?”
Myra smiled at him and took his hand, spilling a sunny warmth over his Sight, but she said nothing to answer him. Twist resigned himself to having his questions unanswered and tried his best to focus on his meal. There wasn’t a grain or vegetable in sight, but there was a large quantity of fire-grilled meats and melting cheeses. Many of the meats also seemed to have been seasoned with spicy flavors, while a few were left with nothing but a smoky aroma.
To Twist’s surprise, dessert turned out to be huge mountains of finely shaved ice with sweet fruity syrups and ice cream on top. The smaller dragons cleared all of the leftover meats away quickly, while the larger dragons tucked eagerly into the sweet icy treats. Samay smiled brightly as he too lapped at a bowl of ice cream with his long, purple tongue. While Twist marveled at this most odd meal, a large red dragon prowled toward him and his companions on jet-black claws.
“Are you enjoying the feast, Princess?” the red dragon asked Myra in a clearly Welsh accent as he came to sit near her on an empty pile of gold. The dragon smiled gently down to her through empty black eyes.
“Oh! Is that you, Draig?” Myra asked, looking up at him curiously. “Yes, I’m having a lovely time, thank you,” she added with a sunny smile.
“I’m very glad to hear it,” Draig responded sweetly. Twist frowned up at him. Something in the dragon’s tone put Twist’s nerves on edge. “I still remember,” the dragon went on, “watching you dance, when I attended your birthday celebration. Your dancing was ever so lovely to see. Nearly as lovely as you are, yourself.”
Myra gave him a bashful expression. “Oh, you’re sweet,” she said, holding up a hand as if to hide a blush that didn’t show on her copper face. “I’m glad you enjoyed the party.” Twist looked back to his bowl of sticky ice and jabbed at it with his spoon.
“Do you still dance, Princess?” Draig asked, leaning down slightly so that his huge, angular red face was level with hers.
“Yes, I do,” Myra responded with a charming smile. “Twist fixed my puppet so well that I can dance just as well as I used to,” she added, patting Twist’s arm as she spoke. He caught an uncomfortable vibration in her nebulous emotions but couldn’t guess at its source.
“Could you be persuaded to dance for us now?” Draig asked with a new purr to his voice. “I’m sure my brothers would all find you just as enchanting as I do.”
Myra let out a nervous-sounding laugh that was drenched in sweetness nonetheless. She turned to Twist, her hand still on his arm. Her excitement drowned out all of her other emotions from his Sight.
“Darling, would you mind if I did?” she asked him gently. Over her shoulder, Draig glanced at Twist with an indignant flash in his black eyes.
“Of course not,” Twist said to Myra, forcing a smile. “I would never keep you from doing something that I know you’d so enjoy.”
Myra smiled to him and leaned closer, placing a swift kiss on his cheek. Draig then dissolved into red smoke, only to emerge from the fading cloud in his human form once again. When Myra rose to her feet, Draig offered her a hand to help her down the staircase that led
to the central bonfire. Twist found himself glowering at the Welsh dragon when Myra took his hand and put on another bashful smile. Surprised at his own reaction, Twist took a deep breath to try to calm himself.
“There, there, old boy,” Jonas muttered very softly to him, patting him on the back.
Twist was distracted from responding as Draig and Myra came to the bottom of the stairs. Draig stepped forward, standing close beside the raging tower of flame, and raised his arms to draw the attention of the lounging crowd.
“Brothers!” he called to them in a booming voice. “We have in our midst one of the few remaining true princesses.” The dragons murmured to each other in soft tones, all gazing down at Myra while she smiled politely around at them. “Lucky for us, she is also a gifted dancer. Shall we have her dance for us?”
An instant reply of hearty assent rang out from the dragons, along with the odd sound of clapping talons. Draig smiled to Myra and offered her a hand. She took it and then followed beside Draig as he leaned very close to whisper something to her. Myra looked at him in happy surprise. Twist realized that his fingers were hurting from gripping his spoon too tightly; he put it and his unwanted dessert down.
Draig stepped forward, as if intent on walking directly into the twenty-foot bonfire. A jolt of fright shot through Twist as Myra continued to follow beside him. The instant Draig’s first step fell into the flames, the fire itself bent back and held him aloft. His next step, and the next after that, continued in this fashion until he and Myra were both treading—seemingly harmlessly—on a staircase of fire.
Draig reached out the hand that wasn’t holding Myra’s and swept it out over the fire before them. The flames retreated instantly, clearing a solid-looking plateau in the center of the bonfire, about ten feet in the air. A few small flames rose at the edge, dancing gently, as Myra stepped away from him onto the center of the plateau.
“Shall we sing for her?” Draig asked the crowd. Myra clapped happily at the idea.
At a leading wave of Draig’s hand, a low, haunting tone rose to fill the room. So many voices combined into the sound that it seemed to come from the air itself. Pockets of dragons added harmonizing tones or rhythms with words that Twist had never heard before. A song quickly rose out of the sound, as each and every dragon in the room added its own notes like an orchestra of voices.
The song itself, however, sounded nothing like any modern music Twist had ever heard. The deep rhythms and angelic heights sounded ancient and strange, though the melody was sweet and playful. For a moment, Myra stood still, staring around her in awe at this unearthly but surprisingly beautiful song. Twist, Jonas, and Skye were instantly captivated as well. Jonas closed his eyes and listened with a deeply pleased smile on his face.
Myra nodded her head, following the major rhythm for a moment, before she began to move. Her graceful motion fell easily into the song: her feet followed the rhythm effortlessly, while the sweeping curves of her form caressed the melody like a lover. The dragons’ voices enticed her on with faster trills, and Myra smiled brighter as she followed easily. When they led her into quiet refrains, her sublime movements atop the plateau of flame echoed the beauty of the song itself.
Twist could only stare in amazement. He had seen Myra dance many times before and had reveled in the adoration that the crowds had showered on her. But those had been human beings, only able to glimpse a rare sight that Twist could see throughout every day. This time, he felt as if he’d been suddenly transported into another world entirely and that this was a moment of beauty and graceful magic that his race wasn’t designed to witness at all. And yet, Myra fit perfectly and added her own extraordinary light. She belonged in a world of wonders, where Twist only ever felt out of place.
When the dance and the song came to a close, a roar of cheers and clapping filled in the sudden silence. Many of the dragons got up from their seats to surround Myra and speak to her excitedly, while others spoke brightly together about the pretty little dancer. From his seat farther away, Twist could hear many of their compliments and adoring words. Myra bowed and smiled and accepted their comments easily, just as she always did. Twist had been proud to hear compliments given to her before, but this time they only seemed to make his heart feel heavier and heavier.
“You all right?” Jonas asked, leaning closer to Twist.
“Of course,” Twist answered instantly, forcing a smile. “I love to watch Myra dance.”
Jonas frowned thoughtfully, but to Twist’s considerable relief, he didn’t press him to say anything more. A moment later, Myra rushed closer and dropped to sit close beside Twist. She wore a brilliant smile as she took his hand and splashed a staggeringly heady delight over his darkened thoughts. For a moment, Twist felt his mind swim uncomfortably in the sudden change. He pulled his mind away from his Sight, lessening the torrent of her emotions.
“That was fun,” she said, speaking softly and only to him. “Did you like my dance?”
Twist couldn’t help but smile back at her childlike joy. “How could I not? You were magnificent, my dear. As you always are.”
Myra’s smile widened and warmed. She released his hand only to wrap her arms around his neck and hold him close, nestling her face next to his. “It’s only thanks to you that I can dance at all,” she whispered to his ear. “I don’t thank you enough for saving me.”
“Nonsense,” Twist muttered, letting his arms curve around her gently. “You owe me nothing at all.”
Myra pulled back just enough to look him in the eye. “Well, I’m still going to thank you anyway and as often as I remember to do so. So there.”
Twist laughed and shook his head. “As you wish.”
Seeming pleased with this response, Myra moved closer again, resting her head on his shoulder. It was only then that Twist noticed many of the dragons around them—Samay and Draig included—glancing coldly at him.
Once the feast had been devoured and the momentary excitement over Myra’s dance had died down, Samay offered to escort Twist and his companions to the room that had been prepared for them. More than ready for a rest, they happily accepted. Samay coiled his long, glistening form tightly together, only to suddenly wind one last inch and then stand up on human legs once again. His shining scales unfolded into his jacket, the hood hanging low over his human face.
“This way,” he said, gesturing casually.
“What does that feel like?” Skye asked him.
Samay appeared confused for a moment and then gave a light smile. “I wouldn’t know how to begin to explain to you what changing my form feels like.”
Curiosities left unsated, they all began to walk back down to the ground level and then outside into the darkened plaza. Though there was no moon in the sky, the stars hung overhead in brilliant clarity and abundance around the wide, glowing river of the Milky Way above them. The fountain of boiling lava spilled a soft warmth and a gentle orange glow over the cold gold-and-silver palace. Nevertheless, night had dropped the temperature of the thin air to bitter cold. Skye began to shiver the moment they stepped out into the open plaza.
“Here,” Jonas said, removing his silver fur coat.
“I don’t need—” Skye began testily.
“Shut up,” Jonas snapped, moving quickly to drape the coat over her shaking shoulders before she could stop him. “You’ll catch your death out here.”
“But…” Skye muttered before pulling the coat more snugly around herself. “Damn it, this feels nice…”
Jonas smiled as he crossed his arms and hunched his shoulders up against the wind; wearing thicker clothing already, he seemed able to combat his shivers well enough. Skye made no other complaints as the group made its way toward one of the smaller domed buildings. Many of the dragons were exiting the central building behind them, heading off in all directions. Twist heard a few of them languidly humming the melody of the song they had sung for Myra, reminding him of tipsy working-class scamps he would sometimes see heading home from a night at the pub, bac
k in London.
Samay showed Twist and the others into a small, almost hut-like domed building of gold and crystal. The only room inside was about thirty feet across and paved in smooth silver. Standing in the center and filling the dome above with its branches, was a handsome maple tree. Even more remarkable to Twist than the fact that a tree was standing proud in the silver floor—its roots digging into the metal as they would into earth—was the fact that each and every leaf was aflame.
Twist stood under the burning tree, mesmerized by the tranquil beauty of this fire that failed to consume anything at all. The leaves burned and crackled softly, glowing red and gold, but they remained whole nonetheless. The fire also didn’t appear to spread to the branches or blacken the metal and crystal walls or dome, but it did fill the room with a rather cozy warmth. A few simple beds and nightstands filled the back half of the room, while a table and chairs and some other comfortable-looking seating clustered closer to the door.
Myra and Skye both gasped in delight at the spectacle above their heads, but Twist felt unease bleed into the buzz at his neck. He turned to Jonas to find him looking up at the flames through melancholy yellow eyes. Puzzled, Twist drew closer and caught his eye with a questioning glance. Jonas dismissed him instantly with a shake of his head.
“All of our human guests sleep here,” Samay said, drawing Twist’s attention. “The fire will keep you warm, and you should find everything else you need back there. Let me know if you require anything else. But you must understand that none of you are to leave this room without me or one of my brothers to guide you.”
“We aren’t prisoners, are we?” Skye asked coldly. She had taken off Jonas’s coat and handed it back to him.
“You will be imprisoned if you’re found anywhere outside of this room alone,” Samay answered. “You aren’t here on holiday, and we won’t tolerate any infringement on our business.”
“It’s fine,” Jonas said while Skye scowled at Samay. “We understand,” he added, speaking pointedly in Skye’s direction. She rolled her eyes but made no comment.
Inquest Page 19