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

I tapped on the edge of the napkin. “It’s a riddle I’m trying to figure out.” My eyes met Lady Borsal, who smiled.

“Do you want some help?”

I nodded.

“It looks like a Fey Lord Crest, one of the old ones. That should get you moving in the correct direction.” Her voice trailed off as she glanced toward the archway.

The Cat appeared under the stone archway, moving slowly. I slid the drawing into my pocket before watching the Cat move in our direction. It took him forever to jump onto the counter.

“So many dragons are here,” muttered the Cat. I couldn’t tell if it was annoyance in his voice, or not.

Lady Borsal gave us both a nod, then turned back toward the crowd.

“You okay? I didn’t expect you to vanish.” I asked softly.

“I had to check on something.” He glanced at the dragons walking about, then at the small dragons flying around down near the front. “Is anyone giving you any trouble?” The Cat turned to look at me, his eyes glowing green.

“No, everyone has been very polite. Indigo is having a good time playing with other younglings.” I motioned toward the purple streak darting around the others.

The Cat snorted. “We’ll see how long that lasts. I bet she gets annoyed with them quickly.” He moved closer toward me and sat down right next to my cup.

I couldn’t help myself, and I scratched between his ears. He purred and closed his eyes.

“Why do you say that?”

“Indigo is very independent,” said the Cat while leaning into my touch. “She likes to be in charge, or at least feel that way. Right now, they are new and interesting, but I bet she will come back to us shortly.”

I frowned, glancing over at the dragons playing.

“He isn’t wrong,” said the purple-eyed Elder.

I almost jumped. She somehow was next to the counter, and I hadn’t seen how she had gotten there. This elder was a sneaky dragon.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, but the Cat is correct.” The older woman smiled in Indigo’s direction. “Us purple dragons are fiercely independent, and like being in charge. That’s going to be hard with a few of the other little ones who think they should be in charge.”

“At least she is meeting others that look like her, and can fly.” I jerked back as it looked like Indigo snapped at another dragon, this one blue. Then she tackled them in midair. “Is that okay?”

“Yes, they’re trying to figure out who is in charge.” The elder sounded like she wanted to chuckle.

A few other dragons watched the exchange between the littles ones, including Lord Bennit, his eyes glittering in amusement.

“How serious is this?” I asked softly.

“To them, very. To us, it’s interesting, or maybe entertaining is a better word. They have a long time to grow up. The blue has a few years on Indigo as-is.” The Elder stepped closer to the counter. “But she is putting up a good fight.”

The Cat nudged my hand, breaking my concentration on the fight that Indigo was in. “The break looks like it’s almost over.”

The Elder chuckled, drawing my attention back to the fight. The blue dragon had backed off, away from Indigo. “Looks like Indigo made her point.” The little dragons began chasing after one another again. “I’m going to grab some snacks, then head back to my seat. The second part of this little conclave will be interesting.” Her purple eyes met mine, and she smiled. For an instant, I saw the dragon she truly was. She was as big as a car, and her scales glittered a magenta color under the stars. Her wings gracefully lay against her back, with her tail wrapped around her. Scars ran along her side, a deep black contrasting the shining scales.

In a blink, the vision was gone.

My fingers gripped the edge of the counter, and the Cat bumped into my wrist. I let them relax.

“Dragons,” huffed the Cat.

The two big groups chatting at the front broke up, with people heading toward the food table and the deserts. Most of these dragons stuck with water instead of coming to talk to me. Conversations in many languages broke out, and some of it I even understood. Most wanted to get their hands on more MP3 players, and recorders.

The energy and excitement was thick in the room.

Lord Bennit headed in my direction, and no one got in his way. In fact, a few people stepped to the side to let him pass up the stairs. He spoke as soon as he reached the counter. “I’m going to need a bigger order of these wonderful devices.” He chuckled at my grin. “Everyone is excited to try them out. I already gave out what I had, but given the one who decided not to join us, we need more.”

“We can get right on that,” I said, turning toward the Cat.

He nodded at me. “I already placed another order.”

That was helpful.

“Next up after the break for food is Indigo,” said Lord Bennit. His voice softened. “I will introduce her to the clan, and then there is the test to take.”

“Test?”

A purple streak headed in our direction, and my shoulders relaxed.

“To see who she is related to.”

My heart froze in my chest, and the entire world seemed to pause.

“Breath, Sable,” said the Cat.

I sucked in a deep breath and everything moved again as Indigo landed on the counter. Frantic chirping directed at Lord Bennit made him smile. “We were just discussing you, and a blood test so you can find your family.”

The little dragon growled angrily at him.

“Woah, Indigo. He’s trying to help. Just because you find out you’re related to someone doesn’t mean things need to change. We talked about this.” I glanced at Lord Bennit to confirm.

“Sable is correct. I promise no one will try to take you away from your home.” His words hung in the air, so forceful in their presence that they almost appeared in the air. The Elders all glanced in our direction as the purple-eyed one gave me a nod. “You love Sable, and she is a suitable guardian for you.”

Indigo calmed down a little, but quickly moved closer to me, chirping softly.

“Hey…” I picked her up and she cuddled toward my chest. “I will always be your Aunt. No one can change that. Even Lord Bennit agrees. Blood doesn’t mean everything, family is about the bonds you form, and keeping them strong. That’s like saying the Cat can’t be family because he’s a cat. He’s still part of my family. Just like you are.” I took a deep breath. “This test just means that you can find out if you have brothers or sisters, or maybe more Aunts or Uncles. That’s more people who want to teach you, and help you grow strong, because that’s what families do.

“Though, let’s hope for sisters. I have all the brothers anyone needs.”

Indigo chirped, asking about my brothers. “I don’t doubt that someday you will meet them, and they will be happy to meet you.”

I turned back to Lord Bennitt. “So, what does Indigo need to do for the test?”

“One of the elders will use magic, and will need a drop of her blood. It will show her closest blood relatives, and then we will know.”