EPISODE THIRTY-THREE

The bright orange eyes flickered toward me, but Indigo chirped, drawing the Lady’s attention again. "We name ourselves when we get old enough. She likes Indigo for now." Lady Borsal cuddled closer to Indigo, then blew hot air over the dragon. The little one’s eyelids fluttered, and she curled back up into a ball. "Indigo needs to rest in a warm, cozy place. She might sleep for a few hours, or maybe even a few days."

She held Indigo out toward me. I took the sleeping dragon from her and pulled Indigo close. "I know just the thing." I turned and headed toward the stairs, leaving Lady Borsal behind.

The Cat coughed. "You should stay down here until she leaves."

"She's a dragon, and she told me what Indigo needs. I'm going to make sure Indigo is comfortable first. Otherwise, I'll be worrying about her the whole time we’re talking." I kept going, but moved faster up the stairs and to my room. On my bed, I tucked Indigo in with my pillows and pulled out an old heated blanket I’d kept from my old place. After I turned it on and placed it around her, I headed back. Yet, I paused at the door.

"Hey, can you make sure she's comfortable?" I asked the room. Part of me was sure the Cat controlled the shop, but a smaller part of me wondered. Just in case, I figured I'd ask.

Then I headed back down the stairs. Lady Borsal was in the same spot, staring at the Cat, who stared back. "Sorry to make you wait, but I wanted to make sure she was comfortable."

The Lady nodded her head. "I want to know more about this person in a red cloak."

The Cat let out a sigh and broke the staring contest. "Sable, please go into the storage room and grab a mirror out."

My mind went blank for a moment, since I couldn’t remember him ever using my name before, but then I moved, turning around and heading to the door in the hallway. Inside were the same old metal shelves, and on the closest shelf right next to the door was a hand-held mirror. It was heavy as I lifted it and brought it to the counter outside. The mirror was small and compact, with a smooth silver surface that reflected the sunlight coming in from above. The frame had an intricate design etched along the edges and the surface was pristine. It looked like a prop from a victorian-era movie, ornate and beautiful.

"Set it down on the counter," said the Cat.

I set it down and he moved closer before touching his nose to it. Light flickered between his nose and the mirror before an image appeared. I leaned in, along with Lady Borsal, as the image of the man in red appeared. Shivering I stepped back. "I didn't like him one bit. Creepy."

"Hmmm," mumbled the dragon, leaning in closer. "I'll remember his face. Do you know what he smelled like?"

"Metallic, with an overtone of burned cheese," said the cat.

My head snapped toward him. "Really? That's just gross." I caught the sight of Lady Borsal staring and relayed the information.

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"I'll spread the word among the clans," she said, nodding. "I'll also mention the little one that has been found."

"Do you think you can find her family?" I asked.

"Yes," she said, her eyes glowing. "We are most protective of our young. The mother must be searching. We rarely have dragonets, and they are cherished. Don’t worry, the Clans of Lore are secretive, but have ears everywhere. They will learn of this."

"Good. Everyone deserves to be loved by a family."

The Cat's ears dipped, but he said nothing.

"You are a strange one, Shopkeeper, especially to be found here." The Cat’s tail flickered in the air and Lady Borsal paused. "The dragons will remember you doing this." With a nod, she marched out. The image of a large pink tail flickering behind her, filling the doorway, washed across my vision, and was gone.

Then the bells clanged as the door shut. "How dead do you think that guy is?"

"Very."

I paused for a moment, my eyes still on the door. "Good. Indigo is just a baby, and she was taken away from her home and family. That's not right." I shook my head, thinking again of my own family. "I'm glad you found Lady Borsal to come in. At least I know I need to keep her warm and cozy while she sleeps."

The cat had a look I couldn't describe. "What about you, Cat? Do you have family somewhere out there?"

Every single hair on the Cat froze.

I let out a sigh and moved closer to the coffee machine. Immediately I went about making a peppermint mocha, and I pulled his teacup back out. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it." I poured the espresso into the cup, then steamed the milk with the chocolate sauce and peppermint. I filled the cup the rest of the way, making sure to put plenty of foam on it. The Cat hadn't moved. Next was my mug, which I refilled using what didn't go into the Cat’s cup.

Sitting back on the stool, I reached over and picked the Cat up. He didn't resist. "I'm sorry, it wasn't my goal to upset you." I pulled him close and scratched under his chin, and then his ears. Very slowly, he relaxed. "I miss my family. Not like all the time, but I miss getting to visit them. I'm going to give my mom a call later this afternoon, after the deliveries. It should be fun. I'll get caught up on all the drama with my brothers."

The mirror sat on the counter reflecting the sunlight, and I wondered what else it could be used to look at. Could I use it to see things outside the shop? How had the Cat used magic to pull up that image? Then again, the Cat clearly wasn’t in a place to ask those questions. Maybe I could ask him later. I hoped so, but I wouldn’t press. After all, he was my friend, too, and I didn’t want to upset him.

#

Sable didn't know the conversational area she had stumbled into was off limits. I could only talk about bits and pieces of my past. Really, only the smallest, least important bits and pieces, and even then, not freely. Yet, the underlying joy she had while talking about her family filled me with guilt. I knew she couldn't stay after her contract was up, but part of me wanted her to. Her fingers scratched at my ears, like my paws couldn't. My teacup sat on the counter, filled with the chocolate coffee thing. The first had been delicious.

Eventually, my body relaxed, and I stared at the cup. Sable couldn't stay. I would need to keep reminding myself of that. We had bigger issues to deal with. The baby dragon was going into a growth cycle, and once she woke she needed to be fed both food and books. This cycle would continue until she was fully grown. It could take decades for that to happen. Sable didn't have decades to spend with the dragon. We needed to find the Book Dragon’s mother.

Lady Borsal would do most of the heavy lifting. All we could do was wait until the little one woke, and do our best to keep taking care of her and keep her safe. Until then, we had to do our job and follow orders. I cuddled under Sable's chin, then moved toward the counter. She let me jump to the wooden surface, and I headed to the cup.

"Thank you for the coffee," I whispered, before lapping at it. I couldn't bring myself to say more, but her voice trailed off when I spoke, and she scratched at my ears again.

"You’re welcome, Cat."