MEOW: Magical Emporium of Wares - A Cozy Slice-of-Life Fantasy

The purple-eyed dragon elder made her way over to us. She gave Indigo a reassuring smile and held up what looked to be a crystal. “I just need to prick you, then the crystal will guide us to your closest relatives in the conclave.”

Indigo stayed near my arm and nodded before closing her eyes. She placed her scaly head against me and stood as still as she could. The elder reached over and lightly pricked her with a needle. A single drop of blood gathered at the end and she touched it to the crystal. The drop of blood vanished, and it felt like warm air pulsed from the crystal. The elder’s hand opened, and the crystal dropped, held up only by a chain.

Chatter around the room continued, with many not even paying attention to what was happening in the back of the room. The crystal glowed, and I found myself petting Indigo on the head. Her head twisted around to see what I was looking at. Then she realized she had already been pricked, and tried to see where, turning her head to look at herself in odd ways, before seeing the dangling crystal.

The crystal kept glowing and a dark light cascaded from the elders fingertips. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. The cat moved closer to me, his eyes also focused on the crystal. The elder let the crystal dangle from the chain and started walking down the steps. Lord Bennit followed her, keeping his distance.

As soon as they got to the stage area, he faced everyone. “The second item on our agenda must now be addressed; the ritual has already begun. It is time to find out what clan lines the little Indigo belongs to.” He motioned to the elder with a soft smile before stepping off the stage and joining his family to the left of the stage. The other blue dragon moved close to him.

More magic gathered around the elder, and then she was a dragon. Bright purple scales glowed under the lights and her green eyes flashed. She was enormous, bigger than the whole room we were in, but also fit on the stage in a way my mind couldn’t really accept. The strangeness was almost too much, but I had to know who Indigo was, just as much as she did. The chain was tangled within the dragon’s right claw, and her tail flickered behind her. Folded against her back sat giant wings, and her focus stayed on the crystal which hung directly down.

My fingers tingled, and I swore I could feel the magic gathering. The cat nudged my arm, but said nothing. Indigo froze as light sparkled out from the crystal. The crystal pointed to us in the back of the room, and Indigo shook. Energy gathered around her, reaching out to me.

Then, the crystal moved.

It pointed to the left, right at Lord Bennitt’s family. Immediately, each of them spread out, making spaces between them. The Elder stepped closer to them, still staying on the stage in that strange way. I couldn’t see who the crystal pointed to, and I leaned forward for a better look. Murmuring picked up as the elder took another step closer. This time, two people stepped forward: Lord Bennitt, and the other dragon that was his son. The crystal hovered between them before pointing to Lord Bennit.

Light flashed around him for a moment, then the magic was gone, and the great purple dragon was back to her human form.

Indigo chirped, not understanding why it pointed to Lord Bennit. Her question hung in the air as dragons chatted among themselves. The elder approached him, whispering, and the rest of his family gathered around him.

Indigo climbed up my arm, asking again about Lord Bennit.

“I bet he is your grandpa, Indigo.” She hid under my hair again, nuzzling me. “Just like he said before, you don’t need to leave me. He promised.” I stroked the top of her head. “Plus, grandpas are the best. They can teach you important things about life, and they always have the best advice.”

Indigo chirped again, but I couldn’t understand what she asked.

“She asked about your grandpa,” translated the cat.

“Ah. My grandpa was amazing. He taught me how to fish, and stand up to bullies. Not to mention the best ways to get along with my brothers. He passed away last year, and I miss him.”

Lord Bennit took the stage, and everything quieted down in the room. “I want to thank everyone for attending the conclave. It has been decided we won’t wait so long before the next one. As you can imagine, this has been a shock to my family, as it brings up painful questions concerning my daughter. As we find more information, we will reach out to those that can help. You can stay as long as you want to chat, but the official agenda is now complete, and this conclave is closed.”

As soon as he finished speaking several dragons moved toward the steps and headed out of the archway. Others moved to continue talking amongst themselves.

Indigo stayed in her current location perched under my hair on my shoulder. She hummed lightly to me, then nudged me.

“I’m okay, I just miss him,” I whispered to her. “You should get to know Lord Bennit, I bet he is an amazing grandpa.”

The little dragons near the front of the room started flying around again, and Indigo noticed. She chirped once.

“Go play, we can talk more later,” I replied.

She took off and launched herself into the air, heading across the room toward the younglings.

Lord Bennit tracked her progress, but didn’t say anything or stop her. He slowly made his way up the stairs toward me. For a moment, it was like I could see how old he really was. Then he nodded to himself and moved faster. The elder walked behind him, following closely.

“Sable,” he started.

“This has to suck for you,” I interrupted. “You just promised she could stay, and now she is your granddaughter.”

He sucked in a deep breath but nodded. Then he motioned to the elder who stood with him, her purple eyes glinting in the light. The crystal still dangled in her hands. “That is true, but what I said still stands. Indigo is safe with you, and I trust you to take care of her. With the crystal, I hope to find her mother.”

My eyes widened. “Can you do that?”

“I can try,” said the elder. “The connection between the two of them is strong enough, and relatively fresh.”

I nodded, hoping that it worked out. “What does that mean for Indigo?”

“Nothing,” said Lord Bennit. “If we find her, she…”

“Will need time to heal,” completed the elder. She glanced at Lord Bennit with a soft look.

I reached out to touch Lord Bennitt’s hand, which rested on the counter. “I hope you find her.”

“Me too.” His blue eyes glowed for a moment, then dimmed. Then a small purple flying dragon landed on his shoulder and nudged the side of his face. Indigo chirped twice, right next to his ear, then launched herself toward me.

Lord Bennit glowed for a moment, and he responded in the dragon language. Indigo chirped again, then landed on the counter, turning to look up at both of them.

“She called me grandpa and asked about fishing.”

I chuckled. “I told her some stories about my grandfather. Though, I don’t know if dragons fish.”

“Not how you would,” explained the cat. He had stuck next to me this whole time; a calm, strong presence, just keeping me company. “Think of a bear fishing with his claws.”

The image popped into my head, and I did not giggle. It was close, but I resisted.

***

Sable missed her family, that much was clear, yet she was dealing with the dragons well enough. It took a moment for me to realize I was proud of how she was doing, especially dealing with Lord Bennit. The old ones were often difficult, and she wasn’t having any trouble.

I sat there, trying to help any way I could, though I was more than ready for all the dragons to leave. They smelled, and left traces of their power everywhere. While the shop would enjoy eating the lingering energy, it gave me a headache. I felt sorry for Lord Bennit, though. The likelihood of finding his daughter alive was very small, especially given Indigo was no longer with her. Mother dragons did not let their little ones stray far if they were alive to prevent it. Something must have happened, and I knew how hard it was to lose your children.

Yet, I didn’t dwell on it. There was nothing I could do. Instead, I focused on trying to get Sable to laugh, and the rest of them to leave.