Page 12

Friday, April 24, 2167

Pilgrimage Ward

Dragon Heights, Wyoming

Unlike my firstvisit to Shrine Hill, the shrines themselves bustled. Twenty or so people loitered around the cyan shrine, and a dragon kept close watch over a small cart loaded with blue stones and other objects painted the color of their clan. The sight of so many rocks in one place excited Garnet, and at the rate she squeaked, she would have a sore throat long before we finished our venture. I obeyed her wishes and took her to the cart to look at the goods. From crystal spears and uncut stones to finished jewelry, there was something for everyone. A cut stone the size of my pinky nail drew my attention, as it was labeled as a teal garnet. I pointed at the stone and said, “Garnets come in blue?”

The dragon regarded me with a bright eye, the same color of the stone, and rumbled a laugh. “While a recent discovery found in only one place in the world, yes. This is a rare stone.”

I identified the dragon’s pitch as feminine, and according to her tone, I amused her.

I bet all beings that appeared to be human amused dragons like her.

Rare meant expensive, which meant I would be stepping far outside of my comfort zone for my kitten’s sake. Aware of that, I asked, “May I pick it up?”

“Of course.”

I eased the gemstone and its tiny box from the collection on the cart and showed it to Garnet. I took a moment to peek at the bottom, which informed me that the gem would cost me three thousand dollars. The carbunclo’s ears turned back before pricking forward again, something I believed meant she put some considerable thought into what had captured her interest. She sniffed the box before regarding me with wide eyes. Her inquisitive squeak tugged at my heart, as the kitten hesitated despite her curiosity.

Carbunclo loved shiny stones, and her namesake sparkled in the sunlight.

The price tag hurt, but a rare jewel would be a good start to her collection. If all went well on the bounty and work fronts, the investment wouldn’t hurt either one of us—and it would reinforce that I valued the kitten. Rather than inform the kitten about the painful cost of the stone, I said, “This is a special stone for your collection, Garnet, okay? It’s very rare because it is an unusual color.” Then, hoping I wouldn’t regret my decision, I held the box out to the dragon. “I’ll purchase this for her. I would like her to get an inexpensive stone as well so she can have a bauble to play with.”

The dragon’s chuckles continued to rumble, took the box, and removed the lid from the bottom and closed it. With a delicate swipe of a claw, she peeled away the price tag, swift enough I doubted anyone could read the number. “You will want a hard stone, then, one that can withstand her paws. Where was she bred?”

“Argentina,” I replied, wondering what that had to do with my request for a bauble.

“Argentinian carbunclo have paws with a hardness of 6.1 roughly.” The dragon placed the closed box on the cart, reached underneath it, and pulled out a small, rectangular device. “This can measure the hardness of her paws, which will allow me to select a good stone she can bat around and play with without hurting herself or the stone.”

I adjusted my hold on the kitten, secured a grip on her paw, and said, “Garnet, she is going to measure your paw, okay? Then we’ll find you a good bauble.”

Garnet squeaked, her gaze fixed on the box.

The dragon pressed a metal tip to one of Garnet’s paw pads, and the device beeped. “All done. You have a hardness of 6.3. A little high for an Argentinian carbunclo, but this is not a bad thing. A harder paw means less chance of injury.”

I’d look into why Garnet’s pads were harder than normal in case I needed to get her any supplements or medications after I escaped the shrine. “Thank you for checking.” I placed the carbunclo on my shoulder so I could dig out my wallet, which had several folded checks inside in case I needed to make an acquisition along with my bank card. “What type of stone do you think is suitable for her?”

After showing off her long, pointy teeth, the dragon peeked under the cart, holding out a bright blue sphere the size of a golf ball a moment later. “This is a faceted synthetic blue zircon, meant to be a display piece to sparkle in the sun. The light will refract off this nicely, and as it is synthetic, it has little value beyond being fun to own. I offer it as a present to your little one, so that she feels welcome in Dragon Heights despite her recent troubles.” The dragon regarded the carbunclo, holding out the sphere. “Is this to your liking, precious baby?”

Garnet stretched out to snuggle her head against the dragon’s claws and the stone.

“What a delightful little baby,” the dragon cooed.

“Tell her thank you, Garnet,” I prompted.

The explosion of squeaks and mews made me giggle, and I petted her. So the hummingbird wouldn’t feel left out, I pointed at a teardrop bead attached to a string. “My bird should have a bauble, too. What sort of stone like that would you recommend?”

The dragon placed the sphere on the cart beside the garnet and plucked the teardrop up, careful to avoid slicing the string. “This is an excellent choice for a decorative bauble for a bird’s home. This is topaz, cut by an inexperienced hand. It is only thirty dollars, as such, but it will shine and sparkle nicely, providing amusement to your feathered companion.”

“I’ll take it. Do you take debit cards?”

“I do,” the dragon replied, and she pulled out a portable processing machine from beneath the cart. A few minutes later, the transaction cleared, although I needed to call the bank to confirm I was making a ridiculous payment for stones for my pets at Shrine Hill. Once done, the dragon handed over my goods in a cyan bag, thanked me for my patronage, and turned her attention to the next customer in line, which happened to be my father.

I foresaw mayhem.

Sure enough, my father pointed at a V-shaped necklace fashioned with a mix of blue stones, ranging from the palest sky to a deep sapphire skirting on black. “I will take that, and should it have earrings and a bracelet that match, I will take those as well.”

Uh oh.

My mother loathed wearing earrings, which meant my father meant to foist the set onto me, as I enjoyed wearing shiny baubles for the right occasions. As I couldn’t call the bastard out for his dirty dealings, I got out of the way, sighed, and shook my head over the insanity.

Garnet squeaked and nuzzled my cheek, and I smiled for the kitten and reassured her with pettings and soft words. As one set of jewelry wasn’t sufficient, he bought two others, requesting earrings and a bracelet for one and only a bracelet for the other.

Biased bastard.

My mother joined in, and as expected, the pair squabbled. As I’d been saddled with the role of an unfortunate human stuck with dragons, I observed in a mix of awe and horror over their poor behavior in public.

A rather bemused Cedrick stepped to my side and said, “Please don’t mind them. They’re dragons.” The titanium dragon-kin crossed his eyes. “They’re the very definition of what it means to be a dragon.”

No kidding. “He is buying jewelry, probably for her, and she’s arguing with him… because he’s buying jewelry, probably for her?” I attempted to listen, but their dispute had boiled down to hisses, growls, and grunts.

In defiance of my mother’s wishes, my father pointed at three cut gemstones on the table, adding them to his bill.

Not to be outdone, my mother selected four.

“What are they even going to do with that stuff?”

“Hoard it,” Cedrick replied in a solemn tone. “They are dragons, and all dragons love pretty baubles. I collect earrings. My collection is separated into numerous metal groups and gemstone types. I wish to have at least one pair of earrings from every cultural group on the planet.”

“Ambitious. How is it going?”

“I’m realizing that I have bitten off more than I can chew, especially as modern earrings become vintage with the passage of time. In good news, I can start buying modern pieces and waiting for them to become vintage, but generational changes within cultures are a serious problem. If I use the twenty-five year rule, I’ll need to collect thousands of earrings. I’ve truly set myself up for failure. And then I look at them, and I realize that dragons have their own cultural groups, and I don’t think I can get earrings representative of them.”

I patted Cedrick’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“In good news, I am a young and foolish dragon-kin, so I can change what I collect. But I also am a young and foolish dragon-kin, so I resent that I may have chosen what I collect poorly.”

“You could just collect antique jewelry in general.”

“I could, but that seems too easy.”

“The older the better. You’re just learning the art of collection with modern and vintage pieces. True antiques, from eras long past, will be a true challenge.”

“That sounds very dangerous for my wallet, Kinsley.”

I stared at my parents, who might end up buying the cyan dragon out of wares. “You could be like them.”

The titanium dragon-kin shuddered. “You know what? I think you’re right. I do think I shall expand my collection to focus on truly antique jewels and jewelry.”

“Maybe if we leave, they won’t notice.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“We won’t know until we try.”

I turned and made it all of three steps before my father cleared his throat. “Where do you think you’re going, girl?”

Damn it. “Do you have eyes in the back of your head?” I returned to my spot while Cedrick laughed at me.

“No, but I have excellent hearing because I am a dragon. Wise dragons listen when children conspire to get into trouble. Be patient. We’re almost finished.”

“Well, at least we tried, Cedrick.”

“You tried. I accepted my fate. There is a difference.”

Yes, there was. As I didn’t want anyone to ever learn my father was a crabby navy and my mother was an even crabbier red dragon with orange tendencies, I kept my mouth shut.

* * *

Friday, April 24, 2167

Pilgrimage Ward

Dragon Heights, Wyoming

As I didn’t havemy fancy camera with me, I took photographs of odd people with my cell phone. Two men, three women, and a small, black dragon kept showing up wherever we went. For the most part, they focused on my parents, although the dragon kept eyeing me with interest.

Garnet growled, her fur bristled, and the few times the dragon came closer than the carbunclo appreciated, she hissed.

The dragon hissed back.

Before my kitten could jump off my shoulder and pick a fight with someone bigger and older than her, I plucked her off my shoulder and did my best to contain the beast.

“Excuse me, but Garnet would like you to know that I am claimed property, so you’re going to have to take your interest elsewhere, sir or madam,” I stated. If I pretended I was a cop again and needed to disperse a crowd, I might pull off the ruse.

The dragon stared at me, and its mouth dropped open.

“That would be the leader of the black dragons, Enzo Acri,” my father said, and he nodded his head to the dragon of diminutive size. “He is trying to send a message that he is old and powerful. We are near his shrine, and he likes to safeguard it. I would guess that he is one of those who disapprove of you being gifted Garnet. As such, he’s attempting to test your mettle. All he is accomplishing is angering the carbunclo and confusing you. Children like this one are impervious to such posturing, Enzo. Are you satisfied?”

The black dragon transformed into a man wearing a black suit with a dark gray shirt and a silvery tie. “I am satisfied enough. How are you doing? It has been a while since you have haunted Dragon Heights.”

“I’m doing quite well.” My father held up his bag of prizes, which included something from every shrine we’d stopped at. Unfortunately for my wallet, I’d fallen prey to most of the shrines as well, although I’d been spared at a few of them.

They hadn’t sold any gems or rocks of any kind.

Garnet truly adored stones, and I’d learned to hold her near the stalls or carts so she could pick her favorites. Fortunately, she’d always pointed out something I could afford, although I cried inside at the amount I spent. Then, my father being my father, swooped in and bought a ridiculous number of things, likely trying to bribe his way into the carbunclo’s good graces.

The hummingbird darted off my shoulder, zipped to the black dragon, and made metallic clicking sounds, high-pitched chirps, and whistles. The scolding lasted for over a minute before he flew back to me and settled on my shoulder.

“Did I just get yelled at by a bird?”

My father chuckled. “It seems so. He is a true creation or familiar, whichever you prefer, from this morning’s rain, and he has chosen young Kinsley to be his companion. A smart bird, really. We may as well get this out of the way. Does your shrine have any gemstones or rocks for sale? The girl is purchasing her kitten’s starter collection today, and yours is the last shrine we need to visit.”

“An admirable goal. I’ve got some smoky quartz, cut and in its natural form, that might be suitable for a carbunclo. Come with me.”

One day, I might understand dragons. With the posturing out of the way, the black dragon led us to the shrine, and they’d gone with a cart and a stall. The stall held larger items while the cart featured a modest collection of gemstones and rocks. As I had at every other shrine, I held Garnet near the stones, asked her to be really careful with her paws, and to point out the stones she liked the best.

A crystal cluster of moderate gray tones with pitch black points and a paler base captured Garnet’s attention, and with her inquisitive mew, she pointed at it. Before I had a chance to ask if I could hold the stone, the black dragon plucked it up and held it closer for Garnet.

The kitten purred, and she took her time examining each spear.

Then, as she did when she absolutely loved something, she rubbed her head against it to mark it as hers.

I sighed, hoped that it wouldn’t cost me more than I could afford, and used my free hand to dig out my wallet. I reassured the kitten she’d be able to look at her rock a little closer, put her on my shoulder, and held out my debit card. “I would like to purchase that one, please. All I ask is that you don’t scalp me too terribly, but the fact I can’t disappoint her when she’s that in love with a rock says I deserve to be scalped at least a little.”

With a soft laugh, the dragon took my card, set the dark quartz on the cart, and replied, “I think you will find the price to be quite reasonable.”

A few moments later, he handed over the portable payment terminal, which revealed he was charging me two hundred for the stone.

Huh.

He hadn’t been joking about the price.

I processed the payment, returned my card to my wallet and my wallet to my pocket, and moved out of the way so my parents could bicker over the goods for sale. I sat on the ground with Garnet’s new stone, placed it on my lap, and patted my leg in invitation. “Just be gentle with it and your paws,” I told her.

With an affirmative squeak, she climbed up as requested and settled in to admire her latest treasure while we waited for my parents to finish posturing and shopping. I could only hope they would show mercy on us sooner than later.