Indigo chirped and then said something that I swore was asking about Lady Borsal. My gaze went to the Cat who stared at the door.

“She’s coming, we just had to get work out of the way, first,” muttered the Cat.

“What was that about, anyway? What did we sell him?”

“Benjamin? Seeds for next year. He protects a small farming town that stays away from current technology. They are living the same way they have for a millennium. Anyone who wants to leave, can, but their immortality is stripped from them.”

“Wait, you’re saying they don’t age?”

“Not once they reach the age of majority for their kind.”

“So, they just stop aging, like magic.”

The Cat nodded, his eyes still on the door. “Yes, like many creatures of the tree. But once they leave their homelands, the magic fades. They can return home, but that doesn’t mean that they stop aging. Usually once something is lost, you can’t get it back.”

I sat down on my stool thinking about that. Stay home and never age, or leave everything you know but eventually die. That had to be an intense choice. I mean, eventually you would want something more and leave, right?

My thoughts paused as the door opened again. In walked Lady Borsal. Today, she wore a deep red dress with leather boots, along with a black cloak. It stood out from her normal robes.

Indigo immediately launched herself into the air, flying right at her before landing on her shoulder, chatting the entire way. I couldn’t follow a single chirp of it.

I giggled to myself and turned toward Betty. While I shouldn’t have any more caffeine for the day, another warm drink sounded amazing. “Would you like anything to drink?”

“Whatever you’re making…” answered the dragon, before she said something to Indigo in the dragon tongue.

I made yet another hot latte. “Do you want anything?” I asked the Cat.

“No, thank you,” replied the Cat. “This is going to be a learning visit for Indigo.”

“Good to know.” That meant I wouldn’t need to hang out down here, though I had a million questions for the dragon, especially about what had happened to the demon and Lady Twilight.

I pulled out a black mug for Lady Borsal and poured in the milk. Then I topped it off with some espresso, putting a flower pattern in the center as I poured. Normally, I didn’t bother with such things, but she had dressed fancy today. Hopefully, it would make her day even brighter. I set the mug out on the counter. Then I worked on my drink.

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“Thank you,” said Lady Borsal. “The Elder sends her regards, and apologizes for her rushed exit last time. The gift is being taken care of appropriately.” She flashed sharp, pointed teeth as she spoke the last word.

“Good to know.” I didn’t need any more details than that. A shiver went up my spine, but I reminded myself that the demon had kidnapped Indigo from her mother, and who knew what he would have done with the youngling. It was good that the dragons now had him. Hopefully, they could get more information on Indigo’s mother.

“I have some lessons from the Elder to go over with Indigo, including helping with the project they were working on last time.”

Indigo chirped twice. “She will be back to work with you. I am only here so you keep making progress on your lessons. Listening to the old stories is good, but you also need to work on speaking and flying.” Lady Borsal stared, her bright pink eyes almost glowing.

Indigo sheepishly nodded. It seemed like someone was slacking on dragon lessons.

“Well, feel free to work down here, or in the conference space.” I’d noticed the doorway had opened up in the far wall. “I don’t need to watch y’all. So, I’m going to head upstairs and warm up in some sun.” I paused before I headed out. “Are you going to stay for lunch?” I asked.

“No, thank you,” said Lady Borsal with a smile. “I appreciate the offer.”

I nodded and picked up my mug before heading to the stairs. I had a fantastic book to finish, and maybe I could find out more about the Fey Lords. Based on my calendar, I had two full days off starting tomorrow. I should be able to make progress on figuring out whatever Betty was trying to tell me. It had to be important.

***

Lady Borsal chatted with Indigo. “Can you grab the dragon stone? We need to work on the magic to get it to work in time…” Indigo flew off toward her cavern.

I listened as Sable headed to her bedroom. Then I turned to face the dragon. I gave her a nod. Indigo didn’t take long to get back with the giant glowing stone.

“Birthdays! What do we do for her birthday?”

Lady Borsal grinned, her eyes sparkling with information. “Humans, on her world, eat cake and have presents, like we found out before. Also, everyone wears these little hats for the party. It’s supposed to be a fun day for the birthday person.”

I nodded my head, thinking about what we could do. Placing an order with the baker wouldn’t be a problem, and presents were easy enough.

“Lord Bennit and I would like to join the celebration.”

Indigo nodded quickly, then asked about Lady Twilight.

“She is tangled up with a project right now, so I doubt she will make it, but knowing her she will bring the best present when she does manage to get free.”

Indigo poked the stone with a frown, sadness coming off of the little one.

“Your present will be amazing, little one,” reassured Lady Borsal. “We just need to make sure it works right. This magic is hard magic, and if you didn’t have the bond with Sable, no one would even recommend it.”

I watched all this, knowing we could pull this off and give Sable a very good birthday. It wouldn’t have her human family at it, but it would have all of us. That had to be good enough.

“Let’s get to work,” said Lady Borsal.

I turned and jumped from the counter. It was time for me to work on my own list, and present for Sable. I still wasn’t sure what to get her, but it had to be something grand. Something worthy of the person she was. After all, look what she had done for me.