"Drop the act," said Grel, his voice low and hot with anger. He had taken Paz outside, away from The Cottages, and along a narrow rock face. The ground was dazzlingly far away, and in the dark of the night, it seemed like you could fall forever.
"What act?" She asked innocently. Grel snatched the dark glasses from her head. Topaz, in her smaller dragon form, stood before him
"I knew it!" He said, jabbing his finger angrily at her. "The jig is up, sister."
"I wanted you to know who I was." Topaz, now with all flirtatious intonation dropped, sounded bored. "Or at least to get your attention. It seems like it worked."
Grel's face twisted up in anger. He wanted to scream. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"
"I was sent by my mother to find you and return you to the Lapidary Kingdom. Your father is worried about you, Sire."
"Shh, shh, shh! No royalty talk!" Grel pressed a finger to her snout, silencing her. Then he shoved her glasses back into her hands. They'd both be in bigger trouble if someone saw her like this. She had thus far made no attempt to take them back from him, and slipped them on dutifully. When he gave them back. Her pretty blue scales vanished, leaving an ugly human disguise in her place. "You're not allowed to leave the Kingdom."
"Neither were you. Desperate times call for desperate measures." Topaz dipped her hand into the bag that hung across her body and pulled out three small orbs. Alchemist's Globes: a transportation spell. It would take artificers and alchemists a long time to create even one because it was such powerful, concentrated magic.
"Why are you traveling with that kid?" Asked Grel, eyeing the third orb with suspicion. "You trust a human? Are you nuts?"
"You seem to trust a human," Topaz offered. She didn't sound upset or jealous, only shrugging. "Anyway, I don't know what Hemlock is up to. My mother didn't tell me that, only that your father sent him after you. We just traveled together because we shared a destination."
Grel wasn't sure he trusted that explanation. Either she was lying, and she was supposedly an expert in deception, or Moonstone was controlling the situation. Both at once was also likely.
"How did you find me?"
"You've been using magic. It's easy to track. We actually went to Chilltopia first and just missed you, but we heardthat you were traveling here. So, we followed you. You left a lot of magic behind in Chilltopia, you know."
Grel didn't know as much about magic as he should, and he certainly knew less than the daughter of the most skilled alchemist in the kingdom. Still, he never expected raw magic to leave a trace, let alone stick around when he was done with it. How much more did Topaz know?
"Well, I'm not going with you, or Hemlock," said Grel defiantly. "How about that?"
"That is not an option. You need to come home, Agrelite. King Carnelian has chosen me to be your bride, and there are extensive plans that must be made about our wedding. My mother is eager to-"
"Oh, I'm sure that Moonstone is very eager. My father is an idiot, and he only picked you because it was convenient."
Topaz shrugged again. "Your father is also paralyzed without my mother's advice. I think he didn't want to upset her by choosing another maiden."
Grel also didn't know much about Topaz. He had mostly seen her from afar. Sure, he'd been made to dance with her at a ball on more than once occasion, but they weren't friends or even acquaintances. She seemed to live in her mother's shadow, rarely speaking. He didn't expect her to be so monotone when Moonstone was so dramatic.
"Something like that," he mumbled. He pushed past her, but she put a hand on his chest. He looked down at it with disgust and frustration. "You're interrupting my dinner, Topaz. Maple and the others are probably starting to worry."
Her eyebrows went up, the first hint of emotion she had truly shown. "Wow. You really do care about that human."
"I do not!" He barked, breaking her contact with him. He tried again to leave. She stepped in his way and used both hands to stop him.
"I told you, I don't care. All I want is to get you back home."
"I'd like to see you try." He roughly shrugged her off and elbowed past her.
"Alright." She took off the glasses and tossed them down into the darkness. She began to mumble something under her breath. The ancient words that would ignite her blood.
"No!" Grel cried out when he realized what she was going to do. "You can't do that here!"
She ignored him, the whispered words spilling out of her lips. Her body changed, shifting and shimmering at first like a heat wave. Her jaws grew long and sharp, smoke pouring from the slits of her nostrils, and her horns elongated and curled back. Membranous, bone-ridged bat wings burst from her back. Her claws stretched until they were nearly as big as Grel, and her tail grew long and covered in spikes.
She was her full, natural, true form. Pure, massive, dragon.
"You're coming with me," said Topaz, her voice deep and reverberating in the rock. She stretched out one, sharp, talon-tipped hand to curl around him. Grel jumped and scrambled back against the rocks. She was blocking his escape to the Cottages.
"Not on my watch!" A voice yelled from behind Topaz. It was Ivy.
She came flying out around Topaz, leaping over her tail and dashing toward Grel with shocking speed. Humans certainly couldn't move that fast. The hood of her cape fell back, exposing her black hair and determined expression. Her sword was held low, ready.
In moments she stood between Grel and Topaz, her posture defensive.
Topaz scoffed. "Agrelite, what is this? How many more strays are you going to take in?" She drew her arm back once more and swiped it hard and fast at Ivy.
Ivy leapt over her arm, avoiding the attack. She plunged her sword into the meat of Topaz's forearm. The dragon let out a cry of pain and surprise. She lifted her other paw and tried to slap it down on Ivy.
Ivy jumped back, Topaz's claws catching her hooded cloak and ripping it off, but left her sword behind. She bumped into Grel.
"Aren't you supposed to be able to do magic?" She asked him, her eyes glued to Topaz, anticipating the next attack.
"I'm not… I can't… I'd need Maple to…" Grel stammered, unable to condense his feelings.
Before he could answer, Topaz swiped at them again with her injured arm. The sword was too small for her to either bite or claw free, so she had chosen to ignore it. Ivy didn't hesitate, instead throwing herself onto Topaz's arm.
She climbed up in a flash until she reached her sword and pulled it out. Topaz shook her off before Ivy could make another cut, and knocked into her. Ivy was sent flying, her body slamming into the rock-face. She cracked the rock.
"Enough games," said Topaz.
She reached toward him again, but then stopped. It was almost like she was frozen solid, like the humans back in the capital city. Her eyes glazed over.
Ivy pulled herself from the rock, took a pained breath, then ran back at Topaz. She held her sword high, yelling a battlecry, but she stopped when she realized that the dragon wasn't moving. She looked at Grel.
"What's wrong with her? Is this a trick?" She asked.
Grel shook his head. "I have no idea. This isn't, like, a thing that dragons do."
Ivy looked between him and Topaz, who was still in her strange trance. "Can you get big like her?"
Grel furrowed his eyebrows angrily. "No. I can't."
"Oh." He waited for her mockery to begin, but she didn't say anything else. Ivy only returned her careful gaze to Topaz and readied again for battle.
It didn't come.
Life rushed back into Topaz's eyes, and she shuddered bodily. Then she looked down, but made no move to hurt either of them. "We're not done here."
She said nothing else. Instead she turned and leapt from the cliff. Her massive, blue wings expanded and she caught the air, flying down. She vanished into the dusty twilight.
"Grel, what was all of that about?" Asked Ivy. She had helped fight Topaz, which Grel appreciated, but her posture and tone of voice told him they were still not buddies. How much had she heard?
"How long were you spying on me? How much did you overhear?"
"Clearly you needed to be watched. I heard enough to know that your father is the king, making you a prince. Oh, and 'Paz' is your fiance. Do you think that information might have been relevant to your traveling party?" She scrunched her fingers as she said Topaz's obvious human name. "Does Maple know?"
"No." He hadn't felt guilty about omitting these details before, but for some reason, he was feeling just a touch of it now. He didn't like that. "She doesn't need to know. Neither does the bard. Let's just keep it between us. Look, you don't like me. I can't say I'm a huge fan either, but you are insane with a sword so we're better with you than without. So let's just keep a mutual secret about me. How about that?" The scowl on her face didn't make him feel confident.
"The bard has a name, and he would never lie to me about something this important. I'm not going to keep it from him either. Lettuce is risking everything for this. Maple deserves to know too. She's been traveling with you longer and doesn't even know the full repercussions! Your kingdom is sending people to come find you now! What happens to our quest if someone stop us? You need to give us answers before we go any further, Grel."
Ivy fumed as she wrapped her arm around his and pulled, walking them back toward the Cottages. She was strong, though not stronger than him. Still, he allowed himself to be dragged by her. He didn't want her to be right. He wanted to not care about it.
But she was right. He hated it.
He didn't say another word as Ivy hunted down Maple and Lettuce. He stewed in his own frustrating mix of emotions. Guilt was not an emotion he liked, and he was feeling an annoying amount of it. He should have realized that the court would send someone after him. Moonstone had even said that Topaz was skilled in espionage. After all, he was the only heir to the throne. He might be a disappointment to the King, an embarrassment to the family name, and a pathetic shortscale, but he was the only option.
They found Maple and Lettuce in the boys' shared room. Ivy practically threw him inside.
"What happened?" Asked Lettuce and Maple at once. Grel couldn't meet her eyes.
"This guy," huffed Ivy, shoving him and slamming the door. "Has some explaining to do. Don't you, your Majesty?"
Grel winced.
"What is she talking about, Grel?" Maple asked. He stared at the floor as he spoke.
"There are… some things I haven't been completely honest about," he admitted slowly. He could almost feel Maple's big, questioning, pink eyes boring into him. He felt hot, and for once, bothered by the heat.
"Like what?" Asked Lettuce, looking nervous.
"Me, I guess." He took a deep breath. "My name is Agrelite, but I prefer Grel. My father is King Carnelian, High Ruler of the dragons. So, yeah that makes me the prince and heir apparent of the Lapidary Kingdom."
"Are you kidding me?" Maple asked. Grel looked up at her because she didn't sound angry or hurt. She sounded excited. Her pink eyes glittered as she looked at him. It made him feel a little better, though not less guilty. "You're a prince?! A runaway prince! Our quest just got even more dramatic and romantic!" Then her expression changed. She regarded him with a touch of sadness, perhaps fondness. "Why didn't you feel like you could tell me that?" Then added quickly. "Tell us, I mean."
"It's complicated," he muttered.
"Then use this time to think about it," said Ivy, with the edge of a threat in her voice. "Don't forget to mention that your kingdom is now sending undercover spies to hunt you down and bring you back there."
"What?!" Maple sounded alarmed.
"Paz was a spy?" Lettuce asked. "Is that boy a spy too? Hemlock?"
Grel hated feeling all eyes boring into him, demanding answers. "Topaz was sent by her mom Moonstone. She's an advisor to my father, and probably the most skilled magic user in all of Salt."
"She's a little more than that," urged Ivy.
"Topaz… is…" He couldn't look at Maple anymore. "She is my betrothed, I guess." Maple didn't say anything, but she inhaled sharply. Though it had been through omission, Grel had been lying about a lot. He had to keep going. At least it was getting a little easier with each truth. "But it wasn't my choice. My dad and Moonstone are forcing this on me because-" He stopped short.
"Why, Grel?" Maple asked. Her voice was soft, comforting. She wasn't angry with him the way she was supposed to be. She waited patiently.
He blew out a breath he had been holding for years. "Because I'm a disappointment. Not only to my father, but to the kingdom. I'm the only option, but if I have a clutch of children of my own, that changes. Especially because Moonstone would be the grandmother. Topaz would raise them exactly as Moonstone saw fit, and they would be used as pawns in the court. That is if Moonstone doesn't decide to just kill me or declare me unfit and usurp the throne through her blood claim to the next heirs."
"She would go that far? Killing you, I mean?" Lettuce asked.
"Maybe. If it served her purposes," said Grel with a shrug. "Look, I'm sorry that I lied. That was… the wrong thing to do. When I left on this quest to find the book, I didn't know I'd be taking this journey with anyone else."
"Why do you want LOVELOCK so badly?" Maple asked. "You're risking more than I could have guessed. You must think it is worth the risk."
"Salt is affected by the Magic Drought, right? Well, the Lapidary Kingdom is going through a major knowledge drought. We have magic. It's the last bit of it in Salt. But we have no idea how to use it. Even the most talented magic users, like Moonstone or the Artificers, they're essentially taking a gamble every time they use it. The outcomes aren't a given, and dragons have died trying to understand it."
"So this Moonstone is a gambler, then." Noted Ivy.
"A really good one. I've seen her do some crazy stuff. But this book, LOVELOCK, is older than the Drought. Everyone in the court said it wasn't even real. I'll be honest, I also doubted it could be. But it is real, and it has the answers that the Lapidary Kingdom needs to regain that lost knowledge. We've even started to prove that! There might even be a cure for me there."
"Cure?" Maple sounded concerned. "You're sick?"
"No. I'm a shortscale. In dragon terms, I'm stuck like this." He removed the glasses and returned to his regular form. "Small."
"What's wrong with that?" Lettuce asked. He sounded genuinely confused.
"Isn't it obvious?" Grel felt a little flabbergasted. Dragons were creatures of myth and legend to the other races of Salt. They were massive, flying mysteries, and he was a mere lizard in comparison.
"It's not." Ivy said. "Why do you need to cure being short? Besides, I saw Topaz before she changed into a gigantic, monster dragon. She was the same size as you."
"I'm sorry, Topaz did what?" Asked Lettuce, alarmed.
"I'm not short," pressed Grel, ignoring the bard. "I am a shortscale. It means I can't turn into my true form. Gigantic and monstrous? Perhaps, but that is what we're supposed to look like. It is what we looked like before the Drought. Shortscale is a consequence of it. No, it's not contagious."
"I don't think anyone was concerned about that," said Maple gently. "How is it a consequence of the Drought?"
"Well, I don't know," said Grel huffily. "Anyway, this is all besides the point. Look, now that I've confessed everything, we have to talk about where we go from here. I wouldn't blame you if you, any of you, wanted out of this quest now."
"I'm not going anywhere." Maple gave him a defiant look. He hadn't seen that expression on her before. It was unlike her, but he liked it. "Spice Rack City needs me. My family needs me. I can't turn back now. I also couldn't if I wanted to. I'm bound by Ruby's magic, like you."
"Oh right. What about you two? You must have had plans before we stumbled into your lives."
"Thanks for telling the truth, man," said Lettuce. He rested his freckled hand on Grel's scaly arm. "I had a good talk with Maple earlier. I need to tell you guys some things too, but that can wait. I'm not going anywhere. I want to see this through. I trust that Ivy will keep me safe. She always has. That is, if you want to come, Ive?"
"I have already committed to this. No reason to turn back. Wherever Lettuce goes, I'll go too."
Grel looked between them. He had been acting a little like Moonstone himself, using them in his mind as pawns. He had only been seeing them for what they could offer him in his mission to prove he was worthy of the throne. They weren't dragons and he had been raised his whole life to detest those who were beneath him.
He had never met any non-dragons until now. So far, they were proving to be more similar to dragons than he could have expected. He couldn't call any of them friends, but a certain kind of loyalty was forming in him for them. They were willing to risk great danger to finish his quest with him. He owed it to them to try harder. This group lacked one thing- a leader. That was a role he was sure he could fill.
"Alright. Then we are settled on that," he said. "That leaves one question: what do we do about Hemlock?"
"He wasn't wearing any glasses. The goggles don't count, because they were on his head. Is he a human?" Asked Ivy.
"Good catch, Ivy. I think he must be. I've known Topaz for years, but I've never seen him before. She said they were working together."
Maple grimaced when he mentioned Topaz, but asked, "Why would a human be working for dragons? Why would Topaz work with him? What does he stand to gain from any of it?"
They all stared at each other, but no one had any answers.
"We'll have to just keep an eye on him," said Grel at last. "Unless he pulls a Topaz and vanishes on us. Does anyone know where he is right now?"
"He left a little while after you did," said Lettuce. "I think he said something about, 'needing to get something done.'"
"I saw him when I was following Grel. He was headed outside, but I don't know where. He was going in the opposite direction."
Grel sighed with frustration. "We'll keep an eye on him if we see him again. He's just a kid anyway. What's the worst he can do?" He turned to Lettuce. "What did you want to talk about?"
Lettuce glanced at Maple, who gave him an encouraging grin. "Just about me and Ivy. I also need to write a letter. Maybe you can help with that too."
"That reminds me," said Ivy. "I sent off that letter you wrote to your manager before dinner. You left it on my bed, and I knew you'd forget about it. You're welcome."