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S hen hissed, his tongue flicking out and grazing my exposed cheek but my glare never wavered. " So brave but so foolish. Bartering with a dragon never ends well for the barterer, cousin, and I can see that clever gleam in your eyes. Speak your terms at your own risk. ”

I raised my chin. “Give me and my companion safe passage to The West Isles and I will complete your task.”

Shen’s great head lifted away from me, admiration and knowing twinkling in his eyes. “ I will give only you and one other safe passage from here and it is not your shifter. He must stay. His fate is one that even I will not intervene on.”

I stilled. “What do you mean?”

Shen hummed. “ He is goddess blessed. I cannot intervene in his fate. ”

My hands fisted at my side. “Then I cannot help you. Kill me or show me the way out of here.”

A fierce flood of bubbles blew from flared nostrils. “ You will do neither, we are out of time and the child nears. ”

Riella’s sweet little voice whispered in my thoughts… I know a dragon. Feigning shock, I reared back. “A child in Faerie? I do hope you haven’t conjured up such a blasphemous mirage to fool me into helping you!”

The dragon’s deep chuckle stirred my free floating hair, the emerald hair piece that had held it down lost forever…just like Bay.

“I would not be surprised if the goddess gifted you mirage powers, Remnant Dark. You may drop your contrived performance, such an act does not work on me. The ocean knows many things and is quite the gossiper. Do you honestly believe it would not tell me that you have met the faeling?”

I crossed my arms over my chest, thumbing at the remaining green paint.

“What of her mother? She nearly killed me. I cannot fight against the enhanced power she wields and protect the faeling at the same time.” I narrowed my eyes at the winning grin forming on his beastly head as I spoke.

“I have not agreed to help you, dragon.”

Shen lowered his great head so that it was just inches from me.

“You cannot fight your nature, cousin, no fae would leave a child alone to fend for herself with monsters worse than the one they already keep. And that pest—that parasite, is no mother to the girl just as I am not her father. The blood witch’s influence grows and she will come for the child. It is no longer safe for her here.”

I glared. “You know more than what you have told me. Arm me with knowledge if I am to be her guardian.”

He scoffed and flicked his tongue out at me again and I batted it away with a growl.

My action only made him chuckle with amusement.

“Cousin, you have been fighting with what you do not know since the day of your birth. Will you protect her or not, General Remnant Ezra Solaire Dark? The Last Shadow Fae. Slayer of the Faerie Queen. Murderer of Morta. Monster That Values Life. Keeper of the Golden One. Cousin of the Greatest Legendary Water Dragon That Has Ever Lived?”

I hissed through my teeth. “Any other title you’d like to bestow upon me?”

“None that I would repeat in front of my little seaflower. Come forth child! I know you are there.”

I practically collapsed at the sound of his true voice as it boomed inside the cavern no longer inside my head .

“Dragon…do we need to have a talk about proper etiquette?” I tapped a webbed finger to my temple, cutting him with a knowing glare.

“Etiquette? When it was you who cracked my wall? I think not, cousin. Do not feign vulnerability with me.” Then his great head turned. “Come. It is safe here, I promise you, my treasure.”

Muddy pink hair swirled around a tiny black scaled body as she peeked through the white illusionary walls. Multi-faceted eyes twinkled with delight, darting from me to the dragon before rushing forward to embrace him.

The size of her was the equivalent of one single scale on his serpentine form and I had to shove away my instinct to pull her away from the fearsome creature. Cautiously, I moved forward.

“Riella. It is so good to see you again. Apologies for finding your dragon before you were able to bring me to him yourself.”

Shen huffed, water blasted in my direction and purposefully sent my body careening away from the girl.

“Shen Shen!” Riella admonished. “Be nice!”

Gritting my teeth, I flipped away from the rushing current sent by the possessive dragon.

“Yes Shen Shen, do—.” My next words seized in the back of my throat.

The water dragon’s body was now curled lovingly around the little faeling and nuzzling gently into her. His fin sails swayed back and away from her and his teeth were no longer bared—both carefully placed so as to not harm the vulnerable little fae with his monstrous form.

“I will do it.” I choked out instead of my cutting remark.

The dragon’s eyes turned on me, unashamed by the sadness echoing in their depths. “ I had no doubt you would, cousin. ”

I raised my chin. “ If anything happens to the shifter, I will hold you personally responsible and nothing will stop me from coming after you, dragon. ” I spoke back to him silently.

If Emon was to die, I would make sure it was by my own hand.

Till then, I had a deal to uphold and it required the shifter to stay alive.

I would have to trust that the shadows could make it to him in time and that he would not be too angry at my leaving him behind.

I snorted…the goddess knew that wasn’t likely.

Shen’s eyes narrowed on me. “ As will I if anything happens to my treasure, cousin.”

“May our future paths cross then on good terms.” I glared back .

Shen grunted and slowly pulled away from the faeling. “Little seaflower, remember when I told you there would be a time that you would need to be brave and leave this place for good?”

“But I don’t want to leave you!” She cried, flinging herself back into his scales, rubbing her cheek against him. “And… and what about mother, she will be so angry! She will come after me!” Red tears stained the water, disappearing into the muddy pink hair floating around her.

“We will see each other again my little seaflower,” the water dragon purred, “and the next time your mother sees you, I promise she will not be angry. She will be unequivocally awed by your greatness.”

I swallowed back the bitterness pinging in the back of my throat. To be loved in such a way was something to never take for granted. How was it that Kira had not treasured this miracle more, why was it that the girl was afraid of her?

Clearing my throat, I addressed them both. “You said our time was short.”

Shen uncoiled his great body while still keeping in contact with his treasured seaflower.

“General Remnant is correct. It is time for you both to leave this place.” He gave me a warning look.

“The sludge you ingested to turn into a water fae will wear off soon and with it will come more danger. Best you be on dry land before that happens.”

I bared my teeth. “This is an example of the knowledge I was talking about and the cryptic lack thereof.”

“I have no doubts that you will succeed, cousin. You have all that you need.”

“You would do well to not place such faith in a fae that has failed her people and Faerie already!”

The dragon swung his head closer to me, his whiskers trailing up around him, and his tongue flickered. “What is failure but the stepping stone to success. Your only fault, cousin, is believing that your story has ended.”

I reared back, my hair whipping across my face. Snatching it away, I opened my mouth only to snap it shut at the sight of the faeling perched atop the crest of the water dragon’s head, his whiskers too large for her to fully grasp.

Riella giggled at my stare. “Shen, Shen. Be nice to my new friend. You have broken her. ”

“She is only in awe of your bravery, little seaflower. Give her a moment.” Shen commented, tilting his head fondly back towards her.

My gills flared but my voice was soft. “Indeed, you are very brave, Riella.”

Her eyes widened and the colors in them swirled before a wide grin spread across her face. “Want to learn how to ride?”

Glancing at Shen who nodded his assent, I swam up to her perched body, my webbed hand touching her scaled cheek reverently. “I would love that, little one.”

The warmth of her happiness radiated from her tiny frame and I gently seated myself behind her.

Riella turned to look up at me. “You can hold onto me. Shen says it is better to lay low to his body when he starts and then move with his form, not against it. That way the water will not pull us off him.” Biting her lip, she peered sheepishly at me.

“Shen Shen says there are other dragons that fly in the air above the surface. Have you met one? Do you ride them similarly?”

I swallowed back the tears threatening to form and spoke softly, nothing but reverence in my tone. “I have met them, yes. Riding an air dragon takes a bit more force than the graceful movement of a water dragon I would imagine.”

Shen growled. “Uncultured beasts, the lot of them.”

Riella’s swirling eyes studied me while she chewed on her bottom lip with her tiny needled teeth. “When we get to the surface. I will ride one.” She released her lip with a pop and nodded once to herself before turning forward. “I have decided I also will ride a unicorn.”

I laughed and wrapped my arms around her to give her a gentle squeeze. “Deal. You show me how to ride a water dragon and I will show you how to ride both an air dragon and a unicorn.”

Shen snorted and then shot forward. Riella instantly leaned inward as did I, covering her petite form with my body. Muddy pink hair tickled my face and the faeling trembled with excitement.

I smiled into her hair.

A miracle.

She was a goddess blessed miracle.

My chest constricted involuntarily and I circled my arms more tightly around her. The tears I had been holding back spilled into the water rushing quickly past us, finally recognizing the emotion I had been swallowing down since the moment I met her…one I thought I’d never feel again.

Hope.

Riella was hope.