Kait clapped his hands. “We need to go, guys. We are already running late.”
“Just don’t blame it on me. I was ready before all y’all.” Kait put his hand on my back and we walked out the front door.
“So, I never asked. Where is this party, and how are we going to get there? I really don’t want to go by gateway. I’ll ruin the makeup.”
Kait just gestured in front of himself, and a huge dragon walked up, pulling a carriage behind it. I bounced on the balls of my feet, well as best I could in these insane heels, anyway.
“Oh! Oh! Can I pet this one? Pretty please?”
Kait laughed. “Yes, this one is not venomous, and she’s tame.”
“Yay!” I exclaimed as I rushed over to it as best I could in the heels. Up close, the light pink scales had a metallic sheen to them. Her reptilian eye blinked the second lid at me, and the forked tongue snaked out to lick my hand as I reached for it.
I giggled. The scales were warm, like she had been laying in the sun before she came here, and smooth. She leaned into my hand, moving her head this way and that so she could guide me to scratch where she wanted. The leathery wings stretched out a bit to each side as she got excited. It could have been a fearsome creature, if she hadn’t looked like she was enjoying the attention so much.
“Okay, Princess. We need to go.”
I groaned as I walked slowly away. When this is over, I am going to get a dragon as a pet, and Kait won’t be able to stop me. He scoffed lightly beside me.
“Just get in the carriage, Princess.”
I grinned at him as I climbed into the luxurious compartment. This carriage was fit for a king. “Travis! Travis! Is that dragon yours?”
He laughed. “Took you long enough. Yes, the royal household owns her. Her name is Pearl.”
Oh my god! This was awesome! Well, I thought so, anyway, until she took off. I hadn’t thought the whole flying dragon pulling a carriage thing through until I felt it start to lift off. I imagined it was like being on a helicopter, but bumpier. Pearl took a few steps before she launched herself into the sky, with us sort of dangling behind her.
“Sugar. Calm down. It’s a specially made magical rig. Once we are fully in the air, the carriage will move to sit on her back, between her wings.”
As he said that, I could feel the carriage clunk down onto Pearl’s back. “What? How in the hell does that work?”
They all shrugged. Kait answered. “It’s magic, Princess. The person who puts the spell on it is the only one who has to fully understand it. I know the basics, but it’s really hard to explain.”
As I watched out the window, I settled back in my seat, one hand gripping the arm rest, the other on Kait’s knee. After a few minutes, he pried my fingers off his knee, and held my hand in his. I had probably been hurting him, but he didn’t complain. It was a short flight, maybe ten minutes at the most.
We started a slow spiral down. Right before we reached the treetops, the carriage disengaged from Pearls back, and settled smoothly into place behind her. She landed on a brick road leading to a massive black castle and trotted down it. We pulled up behind other carriages, some pulled by mundane horses, others pulled by fantasies. I saw one that had a team of four shining unicorns pulling it.
Kait pulled my attention from the window. Kait held out a small box. “You need some jewelry to go with the dress, Princess.” I opened the box, and gasped. It contained a sparkly diamond necklace and matching dangling earrings. He gestured for me to turn around. I did, as best I could while seated. He took the necklace from the box and fastened it around my neck. He cleared his throat. “Can you put the earrings in without a mirror?” I nodded and did so, after turning back around. “Just beautiful.” He cleared his throat again, then glanced around at everyone.
He barked, “Mental shields up!” I closed my eyes and focused on the shield, building it as strong as I could. “Okay, Princess. Bland face tonight. Don’t give anything away with your words or facial expressions. Watch your mental shield.” I nodded and he looked around the compartment again. “Everyone remember the signal?” We all nodded. “I am not getting out in the front. I will remain in the carriage until it pulls back to the stables, then I will join the rest of the servants. Good luck!”
The carriage stopped, and the door opened. A man, dressed almost identical to Kait, had opened the door and bowed. I carefully exited the carriage, using the man’s hand to steady myself. David and Travis followed, buttoning their jackets as they stepped on the paved path. Lights were placed along the path up to the door, giving the castle a very majestic look. David extended his arm and Travis followed suit on the other side. I graciously accepted both and we marched down the path to either our demise or our salvation.
Chapter 22
Inside, the party/gathering was already in full swing. We hadn’t been late, since there was still a long line of carriages behind ours, but we weren’t the first either. We entered the massive ballroom with a group of about twenty people, which allowed us to blend in. David and Travis both kissed me lightly on the cheek, then went
