A Shade of Dragon 2(23)

“Yes, we have that one, too,” she snapped at me, scrambling into her shirt. “It’s called ‘it’s not me, it’s you’!”

“Michelle, please,” I pleaded, wincing as I forced myself into the upright position. “Don’t take this so personally. This is a very difficult time—”

“And you really need to find yourself?” she shrilled, whirling and storming from the room. The woman had no stealth in her nature whatsoever. It was as if she had forgotten entirely that we were in hostile territory.



 



It was after I sat up and performed my morning stretches that I advanced onto the sales floor again and found that the windows showed a still porcelain blanket laid over everything. The snow, mercifully, had abated.

And the shop was empty.

“Gods damn it!” I cried, scouring the crowded racks of clothing in the hopes that Michelle was there, engrossed in some threadbare shawl that she could call “adorable.” But she wasn’t there. I didn’t see her anywhere. Gods…

I had infuriated the unreasonable woman and sent her storming off into unfriendly territory. Who knew what might become of her? She was, after all, so hot-headed and proud. It would be easy for someone like that to find trouble and dive into it.

My sweating palm raked through my hair. Michelle was gone; I would need to accept that. Now I was alone. It was only me… and my satchel with a few belongings. Some pelts of fur, jars of preserved meals, and a few light blades. The magical mirror and the fantastical treasures of the Oracle, gifts in exchange for my brief trial companionship with Michelle. The love letter: enchanted papyrus which sent messages only to loved ones. The skeleton key, willful and psychic. It would only unlock the doors which destiny had not sealed. And finally, the poisonous bottle. It did not have poison in it. It had nothing in it. But any liquid with which it was filled would become some gradient of death.

I would need to at least look for Michelle. I could not merely assume the worst. I would need to scan the perimeter, no matter how dangerous it was, because it was my fault that she was here at all. I had delved into her soul and hypnotized her with a false memory, convincing her to come with me to The Hearthlands. She had not made the decision to come, though she had made the decision to stay here. Even still—it was not her fault. She was only a human girl. She had lived in a world where she was invincible. To be here was such a shock to her paradigm, it could lead her to her death.

And I could not return to the shelter—much less the portal to Earth—with the body of an innocent young woman. A young woman I had convinced to come just to ensure the aid of the Oracle. No; it wasn’t fair. I would need to find her and take her back to her home alive, no matter what she—

The front door blew open and I whirled, sword drawn.

Michelle stood in the doorway, amused and otherwise unaffected. She entered the shop and secured the door, then glanced over her shoulder at me.

She had changed clothes. Gone was the stole of fox fur which had once adorned her shoulders, replaced by the low brim of a thermal hat, one tattered shawl and a patchwork scarf over her mouth and nose. A thick sweater disguised her nubile figure, and corded slacks gave her an almost masculine lack of curvature.

“Dear gods, Michelle,” I sighed. I couldn’t disguise the vast relief which swallowed me entirely. “You’re alive. You’re still here.”

“Uh, I think I know a thing or two about being incognito,” she replied, whipping the hat off of her head and shaking out her dark curls. “I have seen Never Been Kissed.”

“I apologize,” I said. “I did not realize your people had films regarding the elements of warfare.”

“It’s basically the backbone of the rom-com genre.” Michelle unraveled the patchwork scarf next. “And in spite of how insufferable I found you to be this morning, I’m going to go ahead and share some excellent news with you.” Her eyes sparkled, and although she tried to hide her genuine pleasure with herself, she could not. It bubbled over into a smile, and she had to clamp her lips together to suppress it. “I found a hidden entrance to the palace!”

“Really?” Had she discovered the rose bramble door?

Amazing.

No one had even seen that door in over fifty years.

“Yeah, it was crazy, it was just there,” Michelle blathered on excitedly.

The fire roses had once hidden that point of entry to all but the most proficient fire-wielding dragons. They were poisonous to ice dragons, and would burst into flame at a single touch. The seeds had been planted immediately following the last war. None had even laid eyes upon that door in my lifetime. But Michelle had…