The girl looks to be a bit younger than me if she were human, but I have no idea how dragons age, and it’s a little hard to tell with her small size anyway. She reminds me a little of Evlynn, my little sister. Not her coloring, she has jet black hair instead of Ev’s golden curls, but her small size, and something about her eyes…

I shake myself out of my thoughts and focus on our guest. When the people who were chasing her walked away, she stopped fighting Trigger and instead simply stared at us, bewildered.

“What, what just happened?” She asks. Trigger looks at her, and, seeing his expression, I decide to step in. He is a bit fierce for first impressions.

“This is Trigger. He was able to convince them to leave us alone for a while, and they’ll remember that they chose to, what?” I glance at Trigger. “Walk away and find food?”

He shrugs. “To go home, wherever that is, and get something to eat.” I nod and look back at the girl.

“Who were they? Why were they chasing you?” I ask. Her eyes slide away from mine, hovering on the walls of the alley. Trigger still has a grip on her arm, or I’d be afraid she’s about to bolt. I wait patiently though. I want to try and help her if we can, like I’d want someone to help Ev if it came to it. She sighs and sags.

“They’re, well, my family, of a sort. My uncles. Well…” She trails off, then waves her free hand. “It doesn’t matter. They were chasing me because I failed our last job. I was supposed to… retrieve an item, and, well, I didn’t manage it. Never mind that I almost died, all they care about is that stupid lamp.” She drops her voice, grumbling quietly to herself. I glance at Trigger, furrowing my brow in confusion. He shrugs back at me.

‘Alastor has been picking up information from her. I’ll tell you later if you want.’ He says into my mind and I nod slightly.

“What’s your name?” I ask the girl, returning my focus to her. She’s so small, and even when she was fighting to get away from Trigger, something about her makes me want to protect her.

“Oh, um, I’m Adalinda.” She says, looking at me slightly warily.

“I’m Lillith,” I say. “And, as I said before, this is Trigger. Where do you live? Can we help you get home?” Adalinda juts her chin out.

“I can’t go home yet, and it's not like they’d thank me for bringing you home with me.” She says stubbornly and I tilt my head.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“They? Your parents?”

“No, my uncles. After you did… whatever that was, they won't be happy to see you again. I mean, I appreciate it, I'm sure, I have fewer bruises than I would if they had caught me, but now I have to deal with the consequences later. Plus, I was gonna get away anyways.” I glance at Trigger over her head.

“So you live with your uncles? What happened to your parents?”

“I mean, I live with my mom, but my uncles are there, like, all the time. Mom doesn’t know how to say no to them, and, well, they always want something from us.”

“So, what are you planning on doing now? Since you can’t go home?” She shrugs.

“I don’t really have a plan. I was just gonna stay out of their way until dark and then sneak back in and hope no one caught me.” I start shaking my head before she finishes.

“Would you like to stay with us? We can buy you some food, and,” I glance at her obviously worn and dirty clothes, and the dirt smudged on her face, before finishing a little awkwardly, “if you want to shower, get cleaned up…” I trail off.

She pauses, looking at me carefully. “But, what do you want from me in return?” She asks, and I hear the fear in her voice. I shrug her question off.

“You look hungry, and I was given an unlimited budget today. We could get you some new clothes too if you want. I really don't want anything in return. You just remind me of my little sister.” I figure it might help her feel safer if I tell her that. It seems to, because she sighs and relaxes.

“In that case, a shower would be wonderful… And food, if you really mean it. I, I don’t think my uncles would appreciate me having new clothes though. They’d just want to know where I got them, and if I can get money for them.” She looks so disappointed it nearly makes me cry. I force myself to smile instead.

“Well, come on then. Do you want food or a shower first?” I ask. She shrugs, looking shy.

“Whatever you think is best.” I look around, deciding.

“It’s probably best to go back to the hotel first. You can shower and get cleaned up and Trigger can mend your clothes and then we can get food there or go find somewhere else to eat.” I say, glad to have a plan. I look up at Trigger. “That works, right?” He nods, reaching out to take my hand again.

“Lead the way, m’lady.” He says, more seriously than before.

I walk with Trigger back to the hotel, Adalinda trailing behind us. Once there, Trigger unlocks our door and we walk inside. Adalinda takes it in with wide eyes, gazing around the large room. She walks over to the floor to ceiling windows and looks outside before turning back to us.

“Wow. You really meant it when you said you have an unlimited budget, didn’t you…?” She says, partly to herself, as she crouches to examine the vase Twila bought earlier. I nod anyway.

“And, there’s a fully supplied shower through here,” I say, and she quickly rises, hurrying towards the bathroom door I motioned to. I step in with her and show her the available soaps, conditioners, and settings on the shower, then step out and shut the door behind me. I walk back over to Trigger and sink onto the bed next to him.

“What did you and Alastor find out about her?” I ask softly, leaning my head against his shoulder. “She looks like she’s in pretty rough shape…” I trail off, waiting for his answer. He sighs.

“It’s a long story, but it’s not pretty.” He says, before launching into a tale that even I have a hard time believing, despite my own recent fantastical experiences.