by E. D. Baker
“Daisy is running late, so she’s not here, but Cheeble just showed up and everyone else was early. I see Blue is already talking to Olot. I heard about the yeti. Olot and I haven’t seen him. We asked the pigs and they haven’t, either.”
“If he’s one of the guilds’ Big Baddies, he’s really just here because of me. Listen, I’d better get ready,” Cory said as she set Shimmer down. “I’m in the mood for some serious drumming!”
After greeting her bandmates, Cory sat on her stool and began to warm up. The drumsticks felt right in her hands and drumming was a good way to work out some of her feelings. After Daisy finally showed up, apologizing for being late, the band played “Summer Heat.” They practiced some of their old favorites next, focusing on songs that the ogres always liked.
When they were finished, Olot called for their attention. “I told you at last rehearsal that we have a number of ogres booking us for parties, but there’s been a new development. Since then I’ve heard from some of our regular venues. Apparently, our popularity with the ogres has made Jack Horner and a few others want us back. They’re planning to hire ogre security, so there shouldn’t be any more incidents with the guilds while we perform.”
“That’s great news!” Skippy called out while his girlfriends clapped.
“Hear! Hear!” shouted Cheeble.
“We’ll be playing at the Shady Nook tomorrow night,” said Olot. “See you then!”
Daisy came over while Cory was covering her drums. “I have to tell you how much I like Jonas! He’s so nice and a real gentleman, unlike some of the neo-trolls I’ve dated recently. We’re going out again as soon as I have some free time. Thank you so much for setting us up! Now I know why people hire you as their matchmaker. I don’t owe you for this, do I?”
Cory laughed. “You don’t owe me anything. I just want you to date a decent person for a change.”
“That’s a relief!” Daisy said. “I was a little worried because I know you aren’t cheap. See you tomorrow!”
Cory was still smiling as her friend went down the hallway. When Blue walked up, Cory hurried to finish with her drums. “I’ll be ready in a minute,” she finally said. “I just have to get Shimmer.”
The little dragon had been sitting with Skippy’s girlfriends, but when she saw Cory coming toward her, she scurried over, making happy chortling sounds. Cory scooped up the little dragon and tucked her in the knapsack so that only her head stuck out. “You won’t fit in here much longer,” Cory said. “This is almost too tight now.”
This time Blue made Cory wait in the cave while he fetched the cycle. She started watching for trouble before they’d even started out and kept looking from side to side as they sped down the road. When she didn’t see the yeti where they’d last encountered him, she began to think he might have gone back to where he came from. She was startled when they made the next turn and saw him standing in the middle of the road.
“Hold on!” Blue shouted as he turned the cycle to the side. They sped off the road onto the steeper grade, jerking and jolting down the uneven ground of the mountainside with the yeti roaring after them.
Cory clamped her arms around Blue, trying not to fall off each time the cycle threatened to tip over or dump them. When the little dragon started to squirm in the knapsack, Cory shouted, “No, Shimmer! Stay where you are!”
Instead, the dragon pulled herself free and took to the air. Cory didn’t see what she did next, but she heard the beat of the dragon’s wings as she flew off. Suddenly the yeti’s roar turned into a loud, high screech and a prolonged howl. When Cory glanced over her shoulder, the yeti was no longer chasing them. Finally reaching the next loop of the road, Blue turned the cycle onto the smooth surface. Then Shimmer was there, circling overhead as they sped down the side of the mountain.
“What just happened?” Blue shouted over his shoulder.
“I don’t know,” Cory shouted back. “But I think Shimmer just taught the yeti that you don’t mess with dragons!”
Shimmer flew circles over Cory and Blue all the way back to Micah’s house. The little dragon landed in Cory’s arms when Blue finally parked the cycle. They were starting for the porch when Shimmer squawked and pulled away from Cory. She glanced at the porch and saw that the fairy light was out. Squinting, Cory could just make out a dark figure hunched over the doormat. It occurred to her that Micah might have come home late from seeing Quince and had dropped his keys. She was about to call out to Shimmer when the figure stood. Whoever he was, he was taller and thinner than Micah.
Cory was still watching when Shimmer flew onto the porch. Opening her mouth, the little dragon breathed flames at the mysterious figure. Light blossomed when his cloak caught on fire. He dropped something with a clang and ran, screaming, off the porch and across the lawn.
Blue ran after the stranger, but gave up after passing three houses. When he came back, Cory had joined Shimmer on the porch, where the little dragon was devouring the stinky fish that had spilled from the dropped bucket.
“So much for the evidence,” Blue said as Shimmer flipped the last fish into the air and caught it, letting it go straight down her gullet.
“I’d rather have Shimmer around than any smelly old evidence,” Cory said, giving the satisfied dragon a hug.
Blue laughed. “I don’t think the judge would appreciate it if we brought either one into court.”
CHAPTER
15
Cory had hoped to talk to Micah about moving out, but just as she went into the kitchen that morning, he rushed out the door, claiming that he had students coming in for extra help. Disappointed, she promised herself that she’d corner him that night and have the conversation then. She almost told Blue, but decided to wait until after it was settled with her grandfather and she and Blue had more time to talk.
Cory didn’t tell Macks that she was moving, either, but when she announced that they were going to see her grandfather again, the ogre couldn’t hide his excitement. “That putti chef is great! She told me she could make whatever I wanted. She made me fried chicken and it was even better than my Gamma’s, and she’s the best cook I know! I don’t want to ask for a lot, but do you think Creampuff would make me a roast beef and mashed potato sandwich covered in gravy?”
Cory tried not to shudder when she said, “I don’t know why not.”
“And maybe some pickled pigs’ feet,” he added, his eyes glazing over.
When they reached Lionel’s house, the putti seemed just as excited to see them. Macks remembered the way to the kitchen and hurried there while Orville escorted Cory to the terrace.
“I’ll be right back with your breakfast,” the putti told Cory, and toddled off to get it.
Cory took her usual seat across from her grandfather. “I’m delighted to see you, my dear,” said Lionel. “I must ask, however, does something in particular bring you here, or did you just miss my smiling face?”
“Actually, I came to see you about your offer. Were you serious when you said you wanted me to come live here with you?”
“Indeed, I was,” said Lionel. “And the offer still stands. Is there something I can do to entice you into choosing in my favor?”
“You said before that Blue is welcome to stay here while he watches over me. How do you feel about dragons?” Cory asked him.
“That depends. Are you talking about your pet dragon, Shimmer? Because if you are, I would have no problem if you brought her with you on the condition that you must let her go free in the Enchanted Forest should she become too big for you to handle.”
“I can agree to that,” said Cory. “I thought we could build her a den out on the lawn where she could live and we won’t have to worry that she’s going to burn the house down. We could make it look nice from the outside and use cinder blocks inside.”
“That sounds like an excellent plan,” said Lionel.
“I would like to bring the woodchucks, if you don’t mind. They could live in the backyard as well.”
&n
bsp; Lionel nodded. “I expected you to bring them.”
“There’s one more thing,” said Cory. “Do you think you could teach me more about being a Cupid? I’m sure there’s lots that I have yet to learn.”
“It would be my pleasure! May I ask what precipitated this sudden urge to move?”
“I made a match for Micah yesterday, so I need to move out. He hasn’t asked me to or anything, but I think it’s time.”
“Then by all means, my doors are open to you,” Lionel said, beaming. “When would you like to make this move?”
“Would tomorrow be too soon?” she asked. “Micah really doesn’t want Shimmer in his house.”
“The sooner the better! I’ll have my putti come help you pack first thing in the morning.”
“That won’t be necessary,” said Cory. “I don’t have much to move.”
“Even so,” said Lionel. “They’d be so disappointed if we didn’t ask them.”
Cory and her grandfather ate a pleasant breakfast together. They didn’t speak much, but Cory enjoyed looking out over the river at the back of the long, sloping lawn. She could see herself sitting there with her grandfather every morning for many years to come; the thought made her feel good inside.
After breakfast, Cory met Macks in the hall outside the kitchen. He didn’t seem happy about leaving, but he cheered up when she said they’d be back the next day. Although she was tempted to tell him that she was going to move to her grandfather’s house, she wanted to wait until she had told Micah and Blue.
She wished she had mentioned it to Blue that morning, even if he had been acting distracted. I’ll tell him this afternoon as soon as I see him, she told herself.
They were on their way to Micah’s house when Cory saw a vision of her mother. Officer Deeds’s image was there, too, and it made Cory wonder if it would even be possible to ignore a match that she didn’t want to make. They were both unhappy people. Maybe they’d be happier if they were together.
Even though the putti were coming to help her the next day, Cory wanted to pack most of her things herself. She took out the boxes she’d used when she moved to Micah’s house and filled them first, leaving the rest of her possessions for the putti to pack.
After what had happened during their last performance at the Shady Nook, Cory was nervous about the night’s show. She changed her clothes for the performance, but couldn’t bring herself to start supper.
“I’d rather wait to eat after the show,” she told Blue when he arrived. “My stomach is in knots and I really don’t think I could eat now.”
“I understand,” said Blue. “I’ll get cleaned up and be ready to go in a few minutes.”
“There’s something I wanted to tell you first,” Cory said. “I didn’t want to say anything until I was positive that it was going to happen, but I talked to my grandfather this morning and he’s fine with it. Remember when he invited me to move in with him? I’ve decided to take him up on it. I’m moving into his house tomorrow.”
“Oh!” Blue said, looking surprised.
“Now that Micah has found his true love, I can’t stay here. If they’re like all the other matches I’ve made, they’ll want to get married and Quince will move in here and I’ll have to move out anyway. I might as well do it now before it gets awkward and Micah has to ask me to go.”
“I get that part,” said Blue.
“Do you remember Grandfather saying that you and the ogres would be welcome there? He’s letting me take Shimmer and the woodchucks, too. The putti are coming over tomorrow to help me move.”
“It sounds as if you really do have everything arranged,” Blue said with an edge to his voice.
“You don’t look happy. Is something wrong?”
“I just wish you had told me sooner,” said Blue. “You could have mentioned that you were thinking about it. This is a big step for you to keep to yourself. I thought we were close enough to share all our big decisions. It was your decision to make, obviously, but still . . .”
Cory slipped her arms around his neck. “You’re right. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it from the beginning. It is something we should have talked about. But I think it will work out really well. My grandfather’s house is big, so there’s plenty of room for us there, and he has an enormous backyard. He’s already agreed that we can build a den for Shimmer. I thought about finding a place of my own, but I’d have to rent for a while and no one is going to want to rent to someone with a pet dragon.”
“Huh,” Blue grunted.
“I am sorry!” Cory said, and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.
Although Blue’s arms hung by his sides when the kiss started, by the time it was over he was holding her close. “I forgive you,” he murmured into her hair. “Just don’t do it again! From now on, we share all big decisions.”
“Agreed!” said Cory.
“If that’s settled, I really do need to get ready,” Blue said, and kissed her one last time before letting her go.
“There’s no hurry,” Cory told him. “I want to talk to Micah before we leave. He should be home soon.”
Cory waited by the front window, watching for Micah. When Blue came out of the bathing room, Micah still wasn’t there. “I forgot to tell you, Macks is going with us,” Blue told her. “I talked to him about it on my way in.”
“That’s fine,” Cory said, not really paying attention.
“Jack Horner has hired half a dozen ogres to watch the restaurant,” Blue continued. “Macks and I are going to sit near you. The others will be stationed around the restaurant, watching for anything suspicious. Macks thinks that’s more than we need, but I’m not so sure. I just hope that it’s enough.”
“With so many ogres there, I can’t imagine that anyone is going to try anything,” said Cory. “Ogres can look very intimidating when they want to, present company included.”
“Are you almost ready to go?” Blue asked her. “The show starts in less than an hour.”
“Not quite yet,” Cory said, glancing out the window again.
Although they waited until they absolutely had to leave, there was still no sign of Micah. Cory was disappointed, but there wasn’t a thing she could do about it.
When they reached the Shady Nook, a sea of solar cycles waited for them in front of the restaurant. Most of the bikes bore the markings of the solar-cycle gang. After slipping in the back entrance, Cory peeked through the door at the crowd already taking their seats. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about a shortage of ogres. It looks as if the entire gang is here.”
“There is quite a crowd,” Blue said. “And there are more at the door waiting to come in. Jack Horner said he wanted extra security, and you know I agree with him. We can’t be any too cautious where your safety is concerned.”
“That’s very sweet,” said Cory. “But I just hope they leave room for the non-ogre audience.”
Cory and her bandmates went onstage and began to warm up soon after that. She noted that there were two ogres at the door and four stationed on the sidewalk out front. Blue had sent some to watch the back door as well. Cory doubted very much that the guilds were going to make any sort of move that night.
She could hear people talking to each other about the new song, “Summer Heat,” before they even started playing it. When she beat out the tempo for the introduction to the song, she could sense the crowd’s anticipation rising. They were so caught up in the song‘s tale of a hot summer’s day that Cory could have sworn she saw people wiping perspiration from their faces. As the last note of the song faded away, no one moved or made a sound. Then they were on their feet, clapping, while the members of the band grinned at each other.
They played some old favorites after that, and the crowd rode the wave of music with them from one song to another. When the band finally took a break, everyone was exhausted. As the lights came up and waiters circulated through the audience, Cory and the other members of Zephyr made their way to the room in the back where t
hey usually took their breaks. A crowd gathered by the door to congratulate them on their performances. Cory was working her way through the press of people when someone grabbed her sleeve.
“I need to talk to you, Cory,” said a voice. She looked up to see her ex-boyfriend, Walker.
“But I don’t want to talk to you,” Cory said, and tried to move on.
“I care about you, Cory, and I hate to see you hurting yourself this way,” Walker said, still holding on to her. “I’ve heard about the mess you’re in and how the guilds are all mad at you because you betrayed them.”
“Leave me alone, Walker,” said Cory as she tried to shake his hand loose.
“You’re ruining your reputation,” Walker told her. “If you don’t stop working against the guilds now, no one will ever want to be your boyfriend again.”
“That’s a load of troll trash and you know it,” Cory said, finally shaking his hand off her arm.
“She’s right,” Blue said, coming up behind Walker. “It is a lot of trash, but then telling lies is what you’re good at. And she doesn’t need any more boyfriends. Cory has me.”
“I don’t need or want anyone else, ever,” said Cory. When Blue pulled her into his arms, she didn’t need any more encouragement. Their kiss was long enough that people around them began to clap and made Walker storm off in a huff.
“You know,” Blue said when their kiss finally ended, “you are so much better off without Walker.”
“I know,” Cory told him. “Because now I have the perfect guy. And before you make a joke out of this and ask who he is, I’ll tell you that I’m looking at him right now.”
She raised her eyes so that she was gazing into his, and they both knew that she meant what she said.
CHAPTER
16
“Good morning!” Micah called out the next morning when Cory walked into the kitchen. “How are you on this beautiful day?”
Cory yawned and glanced out the window. The day was windy and overcast. Somehow she guessed that he wasn’t talking about the weather. “I’m good,” she said as she took her seat. “I was hoping I could talk to you today. Actually, I wanted to talk to you yesterday, but it never worked out.”
