by M. J. Caan
While she wasn’t sure where things were headed with him, she knew she did not want to rush into anything. He hadn’t asked about moving in, and she had been careful not to raise the subject. That was inevitably where things were headed, but Torie knew it would have to feel right for both of them if and when that time came.
Also, there was the matter of what to do with her new houseguest as well.
Her watch buzzed, reminding her that it was time for Effie to take her next dose of medication.
She made her way down the back hall from the great room to the guest suite and knocked on the door.
“Come in, Torie,” came a voice from the other side.
Torie eased the door open and stepped inside.
Effie was sitting in a recliner next to the large windows overlooking the back yard. She turned her head slightly in Torie’s direction as she approached.
“Effie, it’s time for you to take another antibiotic. You’re almost finished with this round.”
Glen had been concerned about the nasty bedsores she had on her backside, one of which seemed to be festering, so she had suggested the elderly woman take some antibiotics just in case.
“How are you feeling?” Torie asked as she moved to the nightstand, opened the pill bottle and poured a cup of water from a plastic pitcher.
“I’m feeling much better, thank you. I am starting to get some of my strength back I believe.”
She was indeed improving. The progress she was making was incredible. The pressure points were healing at a remarkable rate, and while her frame was still slight and her musculature almost non-existent, she had bounced back physically far quicker than Glen, or any of them, had expected. The fact that she was able to get up out of her bed and make her way to the recliner without aide was impressive; although it still made Torie very nervous.
“You know, I am more than happy to help you to the chair from bed, Effie. You shouldn’t be up and about yet.”
The older woman waved her hand dismissively in Torie’s direction.
“Pssh,” she said. “I will not be a burden to anyone, least of all someone who has so kindly opened their home to me.”
She reached out her hands as Torie approached to give her the cup of water and the pill. She tossed it back and drank the entire cup before handing it back to Torie.
“Speaking of homes, when can I return to mine?”
Torie didn’t answer right away. Truth was, she did not know when Effie could return home. The house had been thoroughly investigated by the forensic team looking for any clues that could help with solving the mayor’s death.
The autopsy on him had revealed that he had a heart attack, but because of his age and apparent good health, as well as his standing as a public figure, an official investigation had been launched. The fact that his own mother had been found with all signs pointing to her being a victim of elder abuse, had also waved several red flags in Max’s eyes.
The mayor’s home wasn’t officially a crime scene, but it also wasn’t some place they would allow Effie to return to just yet.
“If you’re worried about me, don’t be,” she said. “I lived alone in that house for many years. I’ll be fine. Besides, Terry will be there to take care of me. I just hope he doesn’t lock me in my room again.”
Her small voice trailed off, and Torie could see memories flooding her face.
“Oh. That’s right. Terry won’t be there again, will he?” Sadness crossed her features as she turned her face back towards the window. “You know I love being in this spot right here. This time of day, I can feel the sun on my face, and it feels so warm.”
Torie smiled as she moved to sit in a chair on the other side of the window.
“Effie, do you remember anything about what led you to be in your room like that? Why would your son keep you in there?”
So far, the woman had not been able to tell them anything about what led to her restraint on the bed. Torie and Jasmin had hinted at magic or witchcraft, but the old woman had not taken the bait. Either she had no idea about the supernatural or she truly had no memory of being bound to her bed.
Although her mind had started to heal just as quickly as her body, she had pretty much blocked whatever happened inside the house involving her son. All she remembered was being confined to her room, but not the bed.
She shook her head slowly to Torie’s inquiry.
“I’m sorry, but like I said, Terry said it was for my own good to stay in my bedroom while he was out running errands or conducting business. He was always going on about being afraid I might fall.
“But I’ve never fallen once in that house. I know it like the back of my hand. I kept telling him that, but he wouldn’t listen, always making sure I stayed in my room unless he was in the house as well. He never listens to me…listened, I mean.”
Torie didn’t answer, instead she turned her gaze to the window as well. “The deck is nearly complete. I can’t wait to take you outside; the weather is going to be perfect over the next couple of days.”
Effie sniffled as her gray eyes began to water.
“Effie, what is it?” asked Torie.
“I…I haven’t been outside in longer than I can remember. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until you mentioned it to me.”
Torie started to speak but was interrupted by another knock on the bedroom door. It pushed open, and Elric stuck his head inside.
“Elric,” said Torie. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Sorry, I just pulled up.” He had a look on his face that told Torie something wasn’t quite right. “Um, Torie, can you come outside for a minute. There’s something I think you need to see.”
“Of course.” She stood up and started towards him, but then turned back to Effie. “I’ll be back in a few. And don’t you worry. We are going to spend as much time outside as you want.”
She smiled and left the room, following Elric as he hurried towards the main entrance.
“Elric, what on earth is it? You’re in an awful hurry.”
He didn’t slow down until he reached the large doors that opened onto the front porch. He placed a hand on the handle, but before opening the door, he gave Torie a long look that she could not read.
“It appears someone has left you a gift.”
He opened the door to reveal a large, rough, woven basket with a yellow and green cotton blanket inside.
Torie stared, not quite sure what to make of it. She leaned closer, only to see the blanket move slightly. She nearly jumped back, one hand on Elric’s arm as she regarded the now wiggling basket.
“What in the world?” she asked.
Elric took a deep breath and bent down, lifting the blanket away.
Torie’s gasp was audible as she covered her mouth with a hand.
“Is that…?” she started.
Elric could only nod, not taking his eyes off the basket.
“Yep,” he said. “That…is a dragon. A baby dragon, to be exact.”
7
Torie, Jasmin and Fionna stood together in the great room looking down at the little beast that lay peacefully on the floor. It was rolling around in a ball, trying desperately to get its own tail into its mouth.
“Where on earth did this come from?” asked Jasmin in dismay.
“Like I said…no idea,” said Torie. “It just turned up on my steps, literally.”
“There was no scent around it,” said Elric. “If another person or animal dropped it off, I can’t track them.”
“This is literally the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life!” exclaimed Fionna as she squatted down to extend a finger towards the dragon.
The little dragon momentarily forgot about his tail and grasped at the tip of her finger with his own tiny claws, much as a baby would when presented with an adult’s digit.
It was roughly eight inches long from tip of its horned snout to the end of a spiked tail. Tiny, veined wings sprouted from its chubby little sides, and shimmered in the lig
ht. The creature was purple with silver tiger stripes along its scaled body. It had four little legs, the front two slightly shorter than the back ones, that ended in tiny, nearly iridescent claws. There was a ridge of tough, silver hair-like projections that ran from the top of its head down its back, terminating mid-tail.
Fionna held out her hand and the dragon marched onto her palm, curling its tail around itself as she raised it to eye level. The creature’s eyes were two orbs the color of emeralds. They tracked her face, moving from her to the rest of the faces staring at it. When it locked on Torie’s features, it rose onto its hind legs and flapped tiny wings excitedly before settling back down into a little ball.
“Um, so dragons are a thing, huh?” said Torie.
“Honestly, I assumed they probably existed, but I’ve never actually seen one. Or heard of anyone who has seen one,” said Jasmin. “Fionna, Elric, are either of you familiar with these?”
The wolf shook his head. “I reached out to Max and he has no knowledge about them either.”
“Well, it stands to reason they exist,” said Fionna. “My grammy used to tell stories about them. She said they are part of our supernatural spectrum and that they are shifters just like the rest of us. But we always thought that was just a tale she told us to keep us from roaming too far out into the woods when we were young. She always said dragons ate other shifters.”
“Shifters, huh?” said Torie. “Then maybe I can talk to it.”
Jasmin shrugged. “Worth a try, I guess.”
Torie leaned in, smiling at the little creature. Instantly, it rose onto its hind legs again and peered deeply into Torie’s eyes.
“Hello there, little one. Aren’t you just the cutest little dragon ever? Can you tell me your name?”
She listened carefully, tapping into that part of her hex power that allowed her to communicate with shifters in their animal form. It was the first of her magical abilities that had manifested and had remained one of her most primal abilities. One that came so naturally to her.
The dragon studied her, moving its head from side to side. Then, slowly and deliberately, it raised its tiny paws in her direction.
Torie reached out a hand and the dragon happily skittered from Fionna’s palm to Torie’s hand. It raced up her arm, far faster and agile than its chunky form should have allowed, until it came to rest on her shoulder, making itself at home with a patch of her hair cascading in front of it.
“Oh! Well, okay then,” said Torie.
“What did it say?” asked Jasmin.
“Not a thing. I can’t hear anything coming from it. Not even a hint of a whisper,” said Torie as she reached up with her finger to playfully tickle the dragon’s stomach.
“Well, one thing’s for sure,” said Fionna, “it knows you.”
“Well, what am I going to do with a dragon?” answered Torie. “And a baby one at that. What do they eat? Is it house broken? I don’t have a clue what to do with it.”
“I’ll take it if you don’t want it,” said Fionna, quickly.
“You most certainly will not,” said Jasmin. “I may never have seen one, but dragons are most certainly magical creatures. And if one appeared here then it is for a reason. The fact that it seems so taken with Torie means something. We just don’t know what.”
Fionna’s eyes lit up and she practically jumped up and down. “Oh! What if it is your familiar? Jasmin, didn’t your sister say—” She froze, her words cut off by the look Jasmin threw her. “Didn’t that woman-who-shall-not-be-named, say that all witches should have a familiar at some point?”
Torie didn’t answer, her lower lip twisting to one side as she chewed on it.
“I suppose that could be true,” she said. “But that really doesn’t make sense since Jasmin doesn’t have one, and she’s way more experienced with this stuff than I am.”
“Is that a dig at my age?” Jasmin replied, narrowing her eyes.
“Not at all,” said Torie. “Okay, well, maybe a small one.”
“Hmph. Well, at least my hair hasn’t turned gray.”
“Ouch. That hurt,” said Torie as she reached up to run a finger along the silver streak that had developed and ran through the center of her hair. It happened in her last encounter with the hunter and Jasmin’s sister. No matter what she had tried, there was no getting rid of it. She could dye it at night and would wake up with it silver again the next morning. Even magic had failed to reverse it. Now, she just accepted and lived with it. If anything, it was starting to grow on her.
“I think it’s incredibly sexy,” said Elric, stepping in to turn the conversation back to the focus at hand, “but we still need to figure out what to do with your little friend here.”
“Well, I say for the time being, it obviously has to stay here with Torie,” said Fionna. “It’s not like we can just walk it deep into the woods and set it free. It may be a dragon, but it’s still a baby.”
“Fionna is right,” said Jasmin. “There is something weird going on around here. First the mayor ends up dead, then we find his mother magically chained to a bed, and now a dragon shows up out of nowhere?”
“Don’t forget the festival,” added Fionna, arching both eyebrows when everyone turned to look at her. “What? It’s an important part of the town history, and we can’t have Torie distracted if she’s going to win the chocolate contest.”
Torie held up a single finger. “I never said I was entering that.”
“Oh you will,” said Fionna. “And even if you don’t, you still have to be the main judge. Especially now that the mayor can’t preside. The town is in a panic thinking that the festival might get cancelled this year. That has never happened.”
The fact that the town was more worried about a festival not happening than they were over the death of a public figure surprised Torie. But unlike her and her friends, the town had no clue the mayor may have been involved in something dark and mystical that might have contributed to his death.
Also, the mayor wasn’t carrying the name and contact information of anyone else in the town either. So there was that to consider.
“Alright it’s solved then,” said Jasmin. “I’m going to go to the library and see what I can dig up on dragons. Fionna, you go to the civic center and let everyone know that the festival will continue, and that Sheriff Max is working to find a temporary chair of the committee until the mayor’s successor can be named.”
“You know, there is such a thing as the internet,” said Fionna. “I’m sure it’s much more thorough than a library.”
“Not this town’s library,” replied Jasmin. “There are old tomes here that will have information not found on the internet.”
“And what about me?” asked Torie.
“You have your hands full here. Between taking care of Effie and a baby dragon, your life just got hella busy. Plus planning and hosting a birthday party.”
“Oh no, that isn’t important in light of things,” said Fionna.
“Nope. That one is not even up for debate. It is important, and it will still happen. End of discussion,” said Torie.
“Well, if you insist. Also, don’t forget you have to come up with a winning chocolate recipe,” added Fionna as she headed for the door.
Torie just rolled her eyes and turned to Elric. “And you? Are you leaving me to deal with all of this too?”
“Never. Well, maybe just for a bit. I need to find Max. We may know someone who knows a thing or two about dragons. But I’d rather not say who until we find out if he’ll help.” He gave her a quick peck and headed out the door with Fionna.
Jasmin looked at Torie. “Call me if you need something. But you might want to take that thing outside to see if it needs to do its business. And figure out if it needs something to eat. And maybe keep it away from the gas lines…you know, just in case it can work up a spark or something.”
Torie’s eyes grew wide. “Do you think it can breathe fire? Oh dear. I’ve never even owned a pet before, let alone one
that can breathe fire. Maybe this isn’t a good idea.”
“It will be fine, Torie. You raised a baby. Just think of it as a four-legged baby.”
Torie wrinkled her nose up at the thought of that and it made Jasmin laugh hard.
“I’ll be back after the library. Have fun.”
And with that, she was out the door, leaving Torie alone with a tiny dragon perched on her shoulder and an elderly blind woman in her guest room.
She felt a tug at her hair and realized the dragon was trying to eat a strand of it.
“No you don’t,” she said, reaching up to remove it from her shoulder.
She carried it into the kitchen and placed it on the island where it stared up at her intently with those dark, green eyes.
“I suppose I should feed you,” she said. “I don’t suppose you can tell me what you like?”
She only half expected an answer, but when none was forthcoming, she moved over to the refrigerator and opened the large door to peer inside. She hadn’t had a chance to do any proper shopping to stock up, but there were some staples that she had managed to pick up.
“Well, the obvious choice is this,” she said to herself as she withdrew a carton of milk. She went to a cabinet and retrieved a small saucer. Placing it on the island she poured a little milk into it and slid it in front of the dragon.
It looked at the milk then back up at Torie, not quite sure what to do.
“Like this.” Torie bent over the cabinet and pretended to drink from the saucer. “Now you do it.” She motioned from the dragon to the saucer.
Tentatively, the tiny dragon dropped to all fours and cautiously made its way to the milk. It leaned in, sniffed at it, and then once again looked up at Torie.
“Go on,” she whispered. “It’s good for you.”
Again, the dragon leaned over the saucer and eyed the milk. Slowly, it dipped its snout into the milk and took a cautious sip.
Immediately, it sat up and spat it out in disgust, giving a little sneeze at the same time.
