Vera, the young calf-shifter, looked at her mother and the two dragon shifters with scorn. She was in human form and sat with a regal stance on an ornate chair. A polished table stretched in front of her.

Mildred breathed deeply to calm herself as she walked towards Vera. She didn’t know whether to smile or frown at her daughter’s suddenly good health. She nervously brushed aside a strand of dark brown hair and put on a cheerful voice. “Vera, you’re all right? The people in this castle didn’t hurt you?”

Vera gave her a sardonic smile. “Don’t I look all right? I’m better than ever. These good folks have done way more for me than you ever have.”

A cold emptiness surged in Mildred’s gut. Someone placed a warm hand on her shoulder as if in comfort. It was, to her surprise, Lance, the blue dragon shifter. But he was looking at Vera, his lips fixed in a grim line.

Mildred wrung her hands in front of this princess, her daughter. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all the ways I’ve failed you.” Even from before birth, she thought. Lance’s hand on her shoulder tightened.

Vera stared her mother down, her gaze sharp as glass. “And what about father?” the calf shifter asked. “I don’t suppose you know where he is.”

Mildred glanced at the floor. “I was hoping that you would know.”

“Even if I did, I doubt that you would care,” Vera said with a sniff. She curled her dark hair around a slender finger.

Mother and daughter remained silent for a long while.

Natash, the bull shifter who looked a bit like Mildred’s husband Clive, cleared his throat. “Do you three want to sit down?” He gestured at the chairs tucked at the other tables in this office-like room. All of these chairs were regular, nowhere near as fancy as the one Vera was on. Not that Mildred cared about that.

When Mildred, Lance, and Lance’s brother, Demiel, got a chair each to sit near Vera, Mildred spoke again. “What happened? I know I haven’t been the best mother ever. But I still want to know — ”

The young calf-shifter gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “Coming here to the castle has boosted my energy and health like never before. Perhaps it’s the environment. Maybe I’m drawn to darkness and despair.” Her eyes were flinty.

Mildred rubbed her arms anxiously. “How can darkness and despair make you healthy? That doesn’t make any sense.”

Vera lifted her arms in a nonchalant shrug. “Who knows why magic works the way it does? And speaking of, I know you created me out of dark magic, thank you very much. Perhaps that’s why I thrive in The Gloom.”

“You don’t sound happy, though,” interrupted Lance.

Vera’s eyes cut to the dragon shifter. “Oh, Uncle Lance. You’re no help at all.”

Lance looked defensive. “Really? I — ”

Mildred punched his arm, albeit lightly. “Vera, leave Uncle Lance out of this. Who brought you here?” she said, but in a softer, more pleasant voice.

Vera exchanged a glance with Natash. The girl still looked angry, and it grinded on Mildred. Vera replied, “Father and I got separated during the earthquake. Some other dragons, I don’t know their names, took me and flew away. I begged them to save father and even you first. But they weren’t interested and just took me away, claiming that they would help me.”

Mildred glowered at Lance. “Would you happen to know the names of those dragons?” She raised her voice.

Lance sat back in his chair with a huff. “I suppose. But I’m more interested in why they knew to take Vera here instead of any other place in the world.”

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Demiel nodded slowly beside him, as if in silent acknowledgment.

Vera’s lip curled up as she folded her arms. “What do you know, Uncle Lance? You’re one of the ignorant dragons. You don’t know how the world really works.”

Her eyes became glazed for a moment and then a smile, a genuine smile, graced her lips. “Auntie Anastasia is one of the smart and good ones, though. Where is ze?” She looked expectantly at them all.

More coldness seeped into Mildred’s body. All she wanted was to morph into a cow and lumber away into nonexistence. She said, “I don’t know. I really wish I could find zir as well. That time ze intercepted us in the forest, your father and I rejected zir help. Now I regret it. I wish that ze is okay. I would support zir to be our ruler with all my heart.”

For the first time in this conversation, Vera looked delighted. “Good. That’s something we agree on. Auntie Anastasia is a good dragon. Ze will survive and lead us out of this mess.” She lifted her chin. “We’ve spoken enough. You are dismissed.”

“What?” Mildred gasped.

“Do I have to repeat myself? You are dismissed. Rest in your guestrooms. I do not want to see you again until it pleases me,” Vera said with a confident tone.

Mildred gritted her teeth. “I’m your mother. You can’t just wave me away.”

But the calf-shifter stared at her with eyes that chilled Mildred’s blood. “Oh, yes I can.”

Natash stood up and cleared his throat. “Come with me. Your rooms will be very comfortable, I assure you.”

When Mildred tried to dig in her heels, Natash put his lips to her ear. “Please, Miss Mildred. You don’t want Vera to call out the guards. They are a very unpleasant bunch.”

The cow shifter glared at Natash, and glanced at her daughter. Vera was immovable on her throne-like chair. At last, Mildred’s shoulders sagged. “Fine. I guess I get what I deserve,” she muttered as she let Natash pull her away. The blue dragon brothers followed behind them.

Before they left the room, Lance said in a sharp tone, “I hope you know what you’re doing, Vera. Your cruelty towards your mother is uncalled for.”

But Vera had only a cold smile for him. “You think I’m cruel, Uncle Lance? Then what are you?”

The girl looked like a demon at that point, but Mildred had no more energy left to fight.

***

Teefa inhaled deeply before she climbed onto Phaeton’s back.

The ice unicorn whinnied. A splash sounded as a circular portal cracked into existence. It was a window of water, blurry and rippling.

With a bound, Phaeton carried Princess Teefa through the portal.

As usual, Teefa felt the soothing coolness of the portal-space wrap around her skin. A second later, they arrived at a swamp. Teefa pursed her lips in worry as she beheld the bodies of water surrounding them.

Phaeton carried her with a leisurely gait, as though she weighed nothing. “Princess Teefa, I — forgive me.”

“For what?”

In the next instant, Phaeton halted and stomped the ground with an icy hoof, causing a tremor in the earth. Teefa felt dizzy, but the unicorn was steady on his feet.

A few seconds later, the soil in front of them collapsed into a pit. Phaeton’s magic must have prevented the swamp water from filling the hole.

At the bottom of the pit, a lone figure lay wrapped in a shroud of seaweed, her eyes closed.

Teefa beheld her, then she screamed. She tried to dismount, but Phaeton shook his head. “Don’t get off,” he said. “She’s dead.”

All the warmth drained from Teefa’s face. For a few long moments, she was frozen in silence as she stared at her mother. “How?” The princess whispered, with tears gathering in her eyes.

The ice unicorn sighed. “Unfortunately, Freya was caught under one of the palace beams before she had the chance to fly away. It was all I could do to get her out from the rubble. I quickly took her to this place so that we would be far from intruders. No one can find her unless they have my permission.”

Princess Teefa felt close to fainting. At length, she asked in a soft voice, “And where’s Anastasia? Leyla?”

Phaeton snorted and pawed at the soil. “Princess Leyla has found Anastasia — and Revi. They are safe and sound.”

Teefa regained some composure. “Revi said that he would keep Ana safe during the cataclysm. But when Ero and I went to his mansion, all we found was a black hole with stairs leading down into darkness.”

The unicorn sighed heavily. “Yes. Revi had invited Ana to sit in the room while we were gone. But Ana was too distrustful and found the secret staircase down.”

“Where does that stairway lead?” Teefa asked with consternation.

“The Valley, Princess Teefa.”

“That far away?” she gasped.

Phaeton dipped a hoof into a puddle nearby, seeming restless. “Yes. But Revi and I eventually caught up with Ana and ze was safe. I left, and Revi took care of Ana until they met up with Princess Leyla.”

Teefa found her mind going blank and numb from overwhelm.

After a few minutes of silence, Phaeton asked, “Princess Teefa, now that Queen Freya is dead — ”

“It’s too awful to think about,” Teefa said, a bit snappier than she had intended, though she didn’t blame the ice unicorn.

The unicorn dipped his head slightly. “My sincere apologies, Princess Teefa. I do not wish to distress you. But now that the throne is empty, would you and Leyla take on the crown?” He paused. “Or would you rather take it yourself?”