The Crystal Dragon Series Collection

by Katie Cherry

  “Kat?”

  “Crystal, Nathan! I didn’t think I’d see you here,” she laughs, giving both of them a hug. “Especially when I find out you’re the fiance!” she adds with a wink to Crystal.

  “Ah… yeah, that was an accident,” Crystal replies, her face red with embarrassment.

  “I figured,” she laughs. “You seem to have a knack for things going in bizarre directions.”

  “That she does,” Drake adds, stepping up beside her. “Good heavens, Crystal, I thought your plan to find your brother was to be discrete about it. You do know about the King and his obsession over people coming in from other realms, right?”

  “Yes,” Crystal sighs exasperatedly. “It’s not like I planned this. It just… happened. But don’t worry- once we finish going through everyone here, we’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

  “Poor Noran,” Kat giggles with a wink.

  “How can we help?” Drake asks.

  “Your help would actually be very handy,” Nathan responds, feeling relieved. “Crystal’s not feeling too well-”

  “Noticed that…”

  “So the quicker we can rule everyone out as Rex, the sooner we can get out of here.”

  “Alright. Shouldn’t be too hard. There’s only so many guys our age here.”

  “Right. Look especially for if they have any gold in their eyes. Thaddeus told us that it doesn’t guarantee he’s a Dragon, but it’s highly likely that he will have some gold in his eyes- like Crystal’s.”

  “Got it,” they both reply in unison before turning and delving back into the crowd.

  “Alright,” Nathan sighs, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. “Let’s go get some food in you, yeah?”

  But, she shrugs off his hand and shoots him a glare. “I can handle myself.”

  “I know…”

  “Quit treating me like I’m some invalid! I may not dress up like a princess very often, but don’t mistake the makeup and heels for weakness.”

  “I don’t-”

  “I am the same Crystal who’s been fighting the Dragon Hunters for… I don’t know, like a year; who’s survived having her gifts and her dragon part taken away from her; and who has…”

  “Crystal, I know,” Nathan interrupts. “Listen. I don’t think you’re weak. If anything, you’re like a warrior goddess to me. I’ve never known anyone stronger. You honestly don’t need me most of the time. But, Crystal- you have to let me take care of you. You don’t have to have the weight of the realms on your shoulders alone. I’m here with you- through everything. So let me shoulder some of the burden.”

  She’s still flushed, but calms as he speaks. “…Alright.”

  Before anything else could be said, Savitri returns to their side, with Drake and Kat right behind him. “You’re back already?” Nathan asks, surprised.

  Drake chuckles. “Dude, there’s like thirty guys our age. It didn’t take that long- especially since they tend to all hang out together,” he continues, pointing at a cluster of guys near the table of food. Nathan recognizes a couple of them from their diving trip, when they were attacked by the Kronogrix.

  “Indeed,” Savitri sighs. “And I’m afraid none of them match your description. I’m so sorry, Crystal.”

  “Oh… it’s alright. He’s… ah… well, I didn’t really expect him to be here, to be honest.”

  “So, what now, Crystal?” Kat asks.

  “Now… I get Noran to let me go,” she murmurs, a fire of determination burning in her eyes, though from her stance it was obvious that she’s nervous.

  “Allow me to help with that,” Savitri says, with the biggest smile Nathan had ever seen on him. “I know my brother well.”

  “Wait… you’re okay with this?” Crystal asks. “I mean… he is your brother. And he proposed to me.”

  “It’s not difficult to see that you would not be happy in the position he’s put you in,” Savitri replies. “I’d be happy to set you free.”

  <<>>

  You have no idea, I think, recalling how once I’ve gotten the prince to dump me, I’m leaving Quagon. For good. Still, I can’t bring myself to tell him I’ll never see him again. After all, I don’t want him to find out my secret and have me killed.

  “Okay,” I finally say. “What’s the plan?”

  “Well, you’re obviously a catch,” Savitri begins, blushing a little as he does. My heart warms. Did… he like me? Now this prince, I could handle. He was sweet, caring, obviously much less self-centered than his brother… Ugh, cut it out. You don’t have time for this. “So we have to… basically invent things about you that Noran loathes. For one- if people like you more than him. He likes humble, submissive girls- so make a stand and don’t let him push you around. That’ll drive him crazy.” He smiles, glee written over his face. He’s obviously been waiting for someone with the guts to stand up to his brother for a long time. “Then, just do other non-queenly things. Make a mess, be a slob. Be rude… well, as rude as you can,” he chuckles. “But most importantly…” he pauses, seeming to weigh his next words carefully. “We have to keep him from thinking that you’re not from this realm. He might jump to that conclusion if you turn him down- it’s too rare, and his pride is too great. Now, obviously I’m not accusing you of being from anywhere other than Quagon- that would… be ridiculous. We just have to keep Noran from doing that.”

  “How?” Nathan asks, narrowing his eyes at Savitri suspiciously.

  “Well, proclaim your love for another. Pick anyone you’d like- though I’d recommend against Nathan, since he never leaves your side, he might just assume you’re both from another realm. Or at least, make that excuse in order to have you both executed.”

  “But… couldn’t he do that to anyone I picked? Who could I possibly choose that would keep him from killing either of us and claim it’s because we’re not from Quagon?” I anxiously inquire, keeping my voice low so no one can eavesdrop on our conversation.

  Savitri pauses, looking at me, his gaze heavy with meaning. But Nathan’s the one who says it. “Savitri. Noran can’t claim his own brother is from another realm,” he murmurs. “It’s the safest move.”

  Glancing from each of their determined faces, I feel the blood drain from my face. “You can’t be serious. How is that supposed to get me out of trouble? Claiming I love the other prince? How are people not going to see right through that?”

  “Because I’ll be with you. Also declaring my love for you,” Savitri replies, somehow keeping a straight face.

  “Are you guys freaking serious?” I whisper, lowering my voice once more as I notice more and more inquisitive eyes on us. “This is a terrible idea. I’ll just…”

  “Just what? Leave?” Savitri asks sarcastically. “And where would you go that the Heir to the Throne would not find you?”

  “I… uh…”

  “Crystal. It’s okay. You can do this,” Nathan murmurs comfortingly, placing a hand on my back. “Besides, Savitri’s obviously in on it. You won’t actually be trading one brother for the other- this is just your safest way out.”

  “I… I guess…” Hearing someone approaching, I turn, immediately regretting it. I was so not ready for this.

  “Crystal! There you are! How are you feeling?” Noran greets, coming forward and kissing the top of my gloved hand.

  Closing my eyes for a moment, I steel myself. Here we go… “Noran! I’m fine, thank you. Everyone has been so kind to me! I’m so sorry about that sick spell earlier.”

  “It’s already forgotten,” he smiles. “Come, you must be famished. Let’s get you some food.”

  “Of course,” I reply, following after him, my hand on his arm. I glance behind us and find Savitri in tow, with Nathan just behind. I feel safer with them near, and find the courage to do what I must. Reaching the table, I gasp dramatically. “Cake! Oh, I love it so much I just can’t even…” breaking off talking, I force myself to smash my face directly into the cake and take a huge bite. Straightening, I chomp on t
he dessert, barely not choking. “Oh… Noran… it’s so amazing…” It takes everything I have to not burst into laughter at the look on his face.

  “Oh… good… here, let’s get you cleaned up before anyone can see you…”

  “No! You can’t tell me what to do!” I cry, folding my arms and turning away from him. Peeking back, I see his look delve deeper into alarm and confusion.

  “Crystal… dear… I’m just doing what’s best for you… you wouldn’t want the people to see you like this, would you?” he winces.

  “The people! Noran, the people LOVE me!” Pushing food off the side of the table, I gather up the tremendous amount of dress and manage to leap onto the table. “Hey, everyone!” I cry, cringing inside at my extravagant display. “What a great party, right?” I then begin head-banging, though the music is soft and slow, sending bits of cake and frosting flying everywhere.

  Noran flinches as some land on him, with a bit of frosting even burrowing into his carefully styled hair. Shock freezes the crowd for a moment before Drake and Kat begin to laugh. The laugh rolls through the crowd, growing contagious. Multiple people start to cheer until Noran tugs me down from the table. “That is no way for a Queen to behave!” he splutters, his face red and his usual calm completely dissipated.

  “Oh, about that,” I begin, wiping some cake off my face with a cloth and tossing it back onto the table behind me. “I never actually said yes to your proposal.”

  Noran freezes, his eyes nearly bugging out. He splutters, trying to speak, but for once, words seem to have escaped him. “What… what are you saying?” he finally manages.

  “I’m saying that I don’t love you.” He begins to relax, giving me a small, exasperated smile.

  “You will-”

  “No. I will never love you. …My heart belongs to another.” Silence suddenly fills the ballroom, and I can feel everyone anxiously waiting for the reveal. They’ve likely never seen drama like this.

  “W-what?…”

  I swallow hard and turn to Savitri, taking his hand with mine. “I… I love Savitri.”

  “Pff! Preposterous!” Noran scoffs, folding his arms. “No one would ever choose my younger brother over me, and the throne.”

  Swallowing hard, I realize I’m going to have to sell this. Too late now. …At least my first kiss has already been ruined. Turning to Savitri, who’s intense stare is enough to melt my insides, I put one hand on his cheek and lean in, breathless. I have no idea what I’m doing. I just figure if I can manage to put my lips on his without anything else colliding, it should be enough for him to take over.

  I manage to slide my nose down the side of his and press my lips to his without incident. When he kisses me back, a hand tangling in my hair, a fire starts in my belly and I feel overwhelmed. His soft lips have my complete attention, despite knowing that this is all just a charade for Noran. My lungs forget to take in air until he presses against me, causing me to suck in air in surprise at the passionate gesture. Finally, yet in no time at all, he pulls back from me enough for us to breathe, letting our foreheads rest together, despite the frosting still smeared there.

  “I love you,” he whispers, before repeating it louder. “I love her.”

  He pulls back from me, and I manage to find the strength to turn and face Noran again, ignoring the tingling of my lips and my racing thoughts. “I told you. I don’t love you. …And I don’t think I’m fit to be Queen.”

  “Well, that we can agree on!” he growls, his brow furrowed at me as his eyes dart between mine and Savitri’s faces. “You are not the Queenly woman I thought you to be,” he continues, reaching out and ripping the ring he gave me off of my finger. “Go on, then. You two deserve each other,” he sneers before sliding off into the crowd, who are too stunned to do much besides move to let him by.

  Savitri turns back to me once his brother had gone, his emotions now hidden behind a face of stone. “Excellent acting,” he says, deadpan, as he turns to walk away from me. “Congratulations on your freedom.” And then he walks away, leaving me, dripping with cake, in the center of attention.

  I suddenly feel very alone, foolish, and small as I watch his broad shoulders march away from me.

  <<>>

  Steam slowly rises from the mug, the hot beverage warming Vlad’s cold hands as he wraps them tightly around it. Breathing out a slow, peaceful sigh, he lifts the mug to his lips, ready to take a sip. An abrupt knock at the door startles him, causing him to jump, sending the hot liquid onto his chest, splashing all over his bathrobe.

  Groaning, he sets down the now half-empty drink and pulls himself out of his chair. Another knock sounds, and he ties the robe on tighter, grumbling as he shuffles to the door. Yanking it open, he’s surprised to see Chet and Angela standing there, looking at him innocently, as though they weren’t the reason he was now dripping wet. “What?” he asks gruffly, annoyed at the timing of their intrusion. He’d just woken up and wasn’t ready to deal with anyone yet.

  “Uh…” Chet blushes, looking embarrassed as he realizes that they were the reason he was upset.

  “What do you need?” Vlad sighs, opening the door and letting them in. They shuffle awkwardly past him, and sit uncomfortably on his sofa.

  “Well… we were hoping you could send us to join Nathan and Crystal in Quagon,” Angela cautiously ventures, picking nervously at her fingernails as she talks.

  Vlad falls back into his seat with a grunt and looks at them heavily. “You have no idea how dangerous that is. Those two, sure, we can get them in there and get them blending in without too much of a problem. But the more people we send, the more danger all of you are in.”

  “Please, Vlad, we just want to help,” Chet begs, looking at him earnestly. “We won’t be a bother.”

  “You’re already a bother,” Vlad grumbles before sighing and standing. “I’ll go get dressed- don’t move, I’ll be right back.”

  “But…”

  “You’ll get my decision when I return,” he sighs, hobbling away. He quickly wipes off the mess his morning drink had made on him before quickly getting dressed. He pauses as he finishes putting on the watch. Looking at it for a moment, he lifts the circumference and twists it to the side to connect with Nathan. It takes a few moments before Nathan responds, a hologram of his face rising above Vlad’s watch.

  “Vlad? Hey, I was actually about to talk to you!”

  “Really? Why, what’s happening?” Vlad asks, suddenly feeling anxious.

  “Nothing to be concerned about,” Nathan replies, a tight smile plastered onto his face. “We’re actually done here.”

  “Already?”

  “Yeah, well, there’s not a lot of people here, and… well, long story short, we managed to get them all in one place. No one our age fits the Dragon profile. So I was about to reach out to you and ask when you could make a portal for us to take us home.”

  “Oh… that’s perfect, actually,” Vlad replies, relief lightening his tone as he sits on the bed. “I was calling because Chet and Angela have been begging me to allow them to join you. But now it seems it doesn’t matter.” He pauses before continuing. “Unfortunately there aren’t too many places in Quagon I can place a portal, especially now that the realms’ connections are… weakening. The closest one to Davenport is, unfortunately, in the garden of the royal family, beside a statue of the elder prince. But I don’t want you going anywhere near them, so I’ll have you go to Keyon-”

  “Nah, the palace gardens work great, actually,” Nathan replies with a tight-lipped smile.

  “What? How? What are you not telling me?”

  “Ah… well, the princes have been crushing on Crystal. Hard-core.”

  Vlad closes eyes eyes and counts to ten, curbing his panicked outburst. “You… oh, dragonfire, we have to get you both out of there are soon as possible. Can you make it until the morning? I need to build up more strength than usual for calling up a portal for you.”

  “Sure, that’ll work. Thanks, Vlad!” N
athan starts to sign off, and Vlad quickly stops him, recalling one more thing.

  “Oh, I don’t know that this is something I can really ask of you, but the King requested that I ask, so…”

  “What is it?”

  “The… merfolk here. A lot more of them are joining us on land, but they and the Villagers haven’t been getting along. Alexander hoped that if you could gather some people from Quagon and bring them over with you, the merfolk would have people to get along with, since they have more in common. You absolutely do not have to risk your own safety to do so. I hear the King has gone crazy, hunting down people from other realms… and asking for people to travel to another realm with you would only get you all killed.”

  Nathan pauses, looking thoughtful, then eventually shakes his head. “Yeah… One of the princes is actually pretty nice, but it’s still far too dangerous, you’re right.”

  “Of course. Just please keep yourself and Crystal safe until I can put a portal up for you, alright? It should be up in around… ten hours.”

  “Sounds perfect, Vlad. Thanks!” With that, Nathan closes the watch, ending the call, and Vlad closes his own before leaning back in his bed and letting out a heavy sigh. All things considered, that went well. They’ll be back tomorrow, safe, and Chet and Angela will leave me alone- at least until they leave again. Alexander… well, I’ll just have to find a way to tell him that his plan of recruiting Quagon warriors will never be able to be realized.

  Walking back to the front of his house, he remembers that the two siblings are still sitting there, waiting on him. “Finally!” Chet yelps, jumping up from the sofa. “That took you forever.”

  “So? What’d you decide?” Angela asks anxiously. “Because we can be really good at blending-”

  “They’re done,” Vlad intercedes. “I’m bringing them back in about ten hours. So there’s even less of a need now for you to go to Quagon to join them.”

  “Oh! Well, that’s perfect,” Angela beams, turning back to her brother and pulling him toward the door. “Thanks, Vlad! We’ll go let Alexander and Pearl know!”