All the food was laid out. I’d been worried about how I was going to get it into the room, but in the end, I didn’t need to do it. The shop did it for me. After the lovely lady had pulled together the grazing tables in the main part of the shop, I asked Betty to move it all in here. Not a cracker trembled. Everything sat still perfectly laid out, with swirls of sliced cheeses, fruits and cut meats rolled up like flowers. The lady at the charcuterie shop had not charged enough for this. I took several photos and planned on writing an epic review for the food. Indigo flew over the table, careful to not land on it.

The young book dragon’s eyes kept going to the other tables, the ones set with mountains of brownies and cookies. They looked a lot less fancy, but that was because I had pulled them together. I could smell the sugar from here and my mouth watered. The brownies were chocolaty, rich, and the edges were slightly crunchy. They were going to be a bestseller in the shop, there was no doubt about it. I was going to have to keep them stocked on the counter under a cake dome. They went with coffee just way too well.

Speaking of coffee, I moved closer to Betty. She gleamed in the back of the room, not in her normal spot. The front of the shop felt weird without her there, but a duplicate of the counter sat in the back of the giant room, next to the large archway that actually led to the front of the shop.

Indigo chirped.

“We have time,” I answered. “Until I say I’m ready, the door won’t unlock. I just want to make sure everything looks perfect.”

I spun around looking toward the front of the room, which was lower than the rest. For that area I had to trust the Cat. The very front had a slightly raised stage area, while terraces surrounded the stage in half circles. The terraces had comfortable lounge chairs, almost like love seats, on them, and the space surrounding each chair was very large. Some spaces had more than one chair, almost like couches instead. I tested one toward the back and it was comfortable.

A sigh escaped my lips, and Indigo chirped again.

“I’m good, just nervous. This is a big event.”

“You have nothing to be nervous about,” said the Cat. His dark form stood in the middle of the archway. “It is almost time. Do you want to be in here, or in the front?” His green eyes glowed as he gazed at me.

I hurried toward the archway, away from the secondary counter at the back. “In the front, at least until Lord Bennit is here.”

“You know we can have the door to the shop open directly into this room,” added the Cat.

I paused and glanced around the space really quick. “That might make the most sense.” Instead of heading further toward the archway, I turned around and moved back toward the back counter. The wood gleamed under my hands as I rested them on the counter near Betty. I took a deep breath and let it out.

Indigo flew directly at me, crashing into my chest since she didn’t want to let go of her MP3 player. I wrapped my hands around her and anchored her to my shoulder. The Cat jumped up on the counter. The archway opened right in front of the counter with Betty on it. Automatically, I started pulling an espresso shot to give my mug a refill.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“I’ll take a coffee as well,” said the Cat.

Indigo didn’t say anything, but I pulled out two teacups from under the bar. I didn’t know if these were duplicates from the other counter, or if this was the same counter, just in two places somehow. Still, I made a simple vanilla latte for me and the Cat, then a hot chocolate for Indigo. The Cat almost dove into his drink, but instead of watching him, my eyes went to the archway. It hadn’t changed; it still looked like it opened to the shop.

Indigo stayed hidden under my hair. I carefully took a sip out of my mug, letting the heat from it relax me. Finally, I nodded.

The Cat sat next to his coffee cup and the sound of the front door unlocking echoed through the space. Then, the door jingled.

Lord Bennit walked through the archway with a smile on his face, entering directly, without going through the shop. It was weird, but I was glad it worked. Somehow, the ancient dragon looked younger. His bright blue eyes traced over the space, including the tables of snacks in the back. His white hair almost sparkled in the light. The blue robes surrounding him swirled. Then I noticed the person behind him.

He had the same blue eyes, but his hair was dark. His robes were blue but a slightly different shade. His head snapped toward us instead of the room, but he paused to let Lord Bennit approach first.

“You have outdone yourself,” said Lord Bennit. “This looks perfect.”

“Thank you,” I said with a smile. “Can I get either of you some drinks?”

“Let them know that water is also at each of the seats,” said the Cat. The sudden interjection threw me off my game a little, but I nodded.

“Water is provided at each seating place.”

Lord Bennit nodded and moved closer to the counter. He motioned to the man still standing slightly behind him. “This is my son, Adre. He is my right wing, you could say.”

I gave Adre a nod and a smile.

His eyes went to the dragon hiding under my hair before looking away as Indigo flinched.

“I will claim an area for our kin,” said Adre. He bowed to his father before heading toward the steps and starting down toward the front.

“I would love a cup of tea, if you have it,” said Lord Bennit.

An electric kettle appeared next to Betty, out of view of Lord Bennit. I only noticed it because of the sudden movement out of the corner of my eye. I pulled out a large, bright blue mug and a tea ball. “Just a black tea, or something fancy?”

“Surprise me.” He turned toward the front of the room, watching Adre taking a seat next to the stage off to the right. It was one of the areas with multiple couches.

A canister labeled ‘Dragons’ appeared under the counter and I glanced sharply at the Cat. He was watching Lord Bennit. I made the tea according to the directions on the inside lid of the container. The tea leaves vanished when I mixed them into the water. I put the tea ball away.

“Here you go,” I said, setting the mug closer to Lord Bennit.

His nose twitched and his smile grew even wider. “Thank you.” He picked up the mug and took a sip. “You continue to surprise me.” He turned toward the archway. “More will arrive soon, the opening will be a welcome to everyone attending, plus some general chit chat. The first genuine item on the agenda is the story players, then this afternoon will be about Indigo.”

I nodded.

“If anyone gives you trouble, just let me know. You are an honored friend.” His blue eyes gazed at me until I nodded again. Then he glanced at the space that contained Indigo. “She is getting good at shadow magic. You are doing well little one.”

Indigo chirped. It was the first time she’d made a sound since the dragons had entered the shop.

Lord Bennit chuckled. It was a warm, happy sound. “Well, Sable might not know about dragon magic. It’s why she wouldn’t notice. Plus, Sable is special in her own right. It might not work on her.”

The Cat chuffed, but added nothing.

Lord Bennit chuckled again, and then headed toward the stairs. “This will be fun!”