“I need to warn my family before we go. Wait for me here.”

Taiki ran to the deck and jumped directly from one hull to the other. He disappeared in the other boat, leaving us inside the cabin. When he came back after a few minutes, he told us to join him on the deck.

“We’re leaving, Lady Rekario,” he whispered, the palms of his hands turned to the dark surface of the river.

He asked Chess to unmoor the boat, he showed me how to sheet the mainsail, and then, he gave a critical look at Catalin.

“What can you do apart from wetting people, Zimeon girl?”

She put up her cute round-tipped nose.

“What about lighting the way?”

She turned her fingers up, focused, and a glowing ball appeared in mid-air. Taiki nodded.

“That’ll do. Put it ahead of the bow so I can maneuver.”

We left the port, slowly, smoothly. Once the course was set, I was free to walk to the bow and join Catalin there. I’d been cold enough to her. Perhaps it was time to break the ice a little. I put both hands on the edge of the hull.

“I know someone who wishes she could cast a ball of light.”

“It’s one of the first spells we learn. Spheres are stable shapes. It makes them easy to master.”

Catalin was quite lively as she spoke, moving her head and her tail, smiling, gesturing with her hands.

“I was quick to figure out how to create other kinds of balls. Water, fire, salt… This one I can sustain for a few hours. Then I’ll need to rest.”

“How many balls can you sustain at once?”

“This size? One. I’m only a freshman. But I can control a dozen of tiny ones, this small.” She held her thumb and index finger close to each other.

I nodded. “I hardly know anything about magic, but it doesn’t sound bad for a freshman.”

Catalin’s bright smile remained imprinted in my eyes as I looked away, at the quiet darkness of the countryside surrounding the river Rekario.

Night finally caught up with me. I yawned and got back into the cabin, sitting in the corner of the two benches, with my head on the backrest. I shouldn’t sleep for long, but I needed some rest.

Someone sat on the bench on my left. I realized I’d been sleeping.

“Can I stay here?” asked Catalin in a low voice.

I nodded, not fully awake, and she came closer to me. In the shadows, I saw her eyes flutter, and she coughed softly before gradually sliding onto my left side. Was it all a dream? Was I really engaged to this young woman and on a trip to a wizard’s country house, trying to save a dragon right under my employer’s nose?

My thoughts strayed.

I awoke to the first lights of dawn with a sore neck. Catalin was still asleep, her head resting in my lap. Trying not to awake her, I massaged my neck with both hands.

Chess walked in as I tried to see the landscape outside.

“Did you have enough rest, ma’am? Taiki says you should swap positions. With the day rising, he thinks you can take the helm, and he needs to sleep a bit.”

I stretched and shifted slowly, letting Catalin rearrange her position on the bench. She coughed in her sleep, so I pulled the blanket a little tighter around her. Then I got out of the cabin.

It was a bit cold on the deck and I furrowed in my bag to fetch a plaid. The river Rekario looked black in the dim light of dawn. There was no sign of a city or town around us, but I could make out the first hills in the distance. Lake Mera was at the foot of the mountains, after all.

“There you are!” said Taiki from his position at the stern. His pale blue jacket, whose color matched his eyes, was thick enough to shield him from the cold. “Can you operate my baby for a couple of hours?”

“Sure, if it’s simple enough.”

“Of course it is! The river is calm, and we should sail past few other boats while I take a nap.”

I came closer to the helm. “Does this boat have a name?”

Taiki winced. “Should she?”

“Well… Where I’m from, it’s common for ships to have names.”

“That sounds weird. We don’t do this here, she’s just my baby. Ready?”

“Just a sec, please. How do I… I mean, I just woke up and I’m not equipped with male plumbing.”

Taiki laughed softly.

“There’s a spot behind me where you can squat over the water. Nobody will see you, and certainly not me.”

I did as he said. After I finished, he showed me how to operate the helm, assured me Chess could help me with the sails if the wind changed, and left me alone.

Another sunny day was beginning. I was yet to see some rain fall on the Brealian kingdom, even though the green vegetation proved that it did rain often enough. The first rays reflected on the river in shades of copper and gold. Then I realized what day it was.

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It should be my birthday.

I should have been cleaning the floor and baking carrot cakes, not manning the helm of a sailboat on an unknown river. I’d been looking forward to chatting with my friends, laughing and dancing. Yet, on that sunny Spring morning, I was on the run, on a hopeless quest to save a dragon because… The princess liked him? He was majestic as a dragon and gorgeous as a human? Was any of it a valid reason to disobey a monarch and jeopardize a military operation?

No, it’s more than that and I know it. King Esthar told me Gold Dragons can sense a human’s natural power. Maybe I do have one and Kossi noticed it on the first day, when I faced him in the courtyard, with that boy in my arms. He stopped and acknowledged me, then. In any case, I was the only one who noticed what he was trying to show us yesterday, when he burst into the council room. He trusted us with his life, and now, only I can help.

“Al?” Catalin’s voice was soft and heavy with worry. “What’s the matter?”

I focused on the young woman’s figure, her thick red hair flowing in the breeze. I hadn’t noticed her coming out of the cabin. What did she see? What did she think? I shook my head.

“Nothing, I’m alright.”

She tilted her head to the side.

“You look sad.”

“It’s not sadness,” I protested. “It’s nostalgia.”

Catalin came closer, one step from me, close enough to touch me, but she didn’t. There was a look of concern on her beautiful face.

“Do you miss the other world? The one you were summoned from?”

“Of course I do! It was my world, the only one I knew, and I thought my life was ahead of me! The future I was looking forward to is lost forever, and I don’t know what to expect from this new life I was given.”

“I wish I could say you have me, but…”

She bit her lower lip. And now she’s pouting. Is she trying to make me feel guilty?

I sighed. “You accepted my proposal because it grants you protection. You don’t owe me moral support in exchange.”

“You told me that already, and I think I’m old enough to choose what I’m ready to give you. But really, what’s wrong?”

I ran a hand down my face. “I realized it’s my birthday and the party I planned will never take place.”

Catalin held an arm out as if to touch my shoulder, but I moved back. She frowned. “Can’t I comfort you and wish you a happy birthday?”

“Look, I’m forty today. Twice your age.”

“As far as this world’s concerned, I’m twenty-two years older than you, so I really wish you’d trust me!”

Her eyes look fiercer now.

“I’m not giving up everything for your sake, if that’s what you’re afraid of! I want to graduate, maybe even become a Senior Magus. But is it wrong of me to wish you could be a part of my life, too?”

“Please give me time, Catalin. I’m uncomfortable with the situation.”

I still accepted a quick hug from her, and a “Happy birthday” whispered to my ear. It felt more comforting than I was ready to admit. And then she had to turn away, because of a coughing fit.

Taiki came back after a few hours, then Chess took over in the end of the afternoon. We ate cheese, salted biscuits and some fresh fruit. I noticed Taiki used his twin blades for cutting food. They didn’t look like daggers, like I’d imagined when they were pressed against my throat. They were long sturdy knives with a thick spine and a sharp edge.

We didn’t talk much, except to try and locate our destination. Taiki had sailed on Lake Mera, but he’d never seen the house we were going to. He supposed it was in the wildest part of the lake, where small islands dotted the surface, covered with miniature forests. There were fishermen’s huts over there. Why not a wizard’s retreat?

When the next day dawned, mountains were clearly visible in the distance. Fog swallowed them within hours, as the first raindrops pierced the surface of the river. Yet, when the red roofs of Merumo appeared, they looked bright, retaining an impression of sunshine in the warmth of their color.

The harbor, located at the outflow of Lake Mera, was bustling with activity when we approached, in the middle of the afternoon. The city itself extended along the shores. Its facades ranged from white to yellow to orange under its signature red roofs, and all sorts of vehicles crossed the river over a high white bridge.

Taiki maneuvered expertly to a pier. He never seemed to wonder where to go.

His family probably rents the spaces full-time, if they live here and keep sailing up and down the Rekario. He must have moored here a hundred times.

“Welcome to Merumo!” he said triumphantly, attaching his twin knives to his belt and jumping onto the pier. It’s a little late, so I suggest we spend the night at my family’s place and get up early to go exploring at dawn. Is it okay to you?”

I had to nod. I didn’t want to end up stranded all night on the wildest side of the lake.

We followed the lakeshore, where palaces and expensive shops faced the calm water. The upper floors sported ornate balconies and every window had white wooden shutters. In the distance, partly blurred by the rain, I could see the small islands we’d be navigating around on the next day. I’d thought there’d be green trees on them, but the dominant color seemed to be pink.

“You look surprised,” commented Taiki. “Don’t you know about the Mera trees, the ones Lake Mera, and the city of Merumo, are named after?”

I grinned.

“You have no idea how much I don’t know, Taiki Sapp. I was taught the basics of local politics, I even met Vilo Jozin…”

“The wannabe revolutionary?”

“Himself. But I didn’t have time to learn much about the world itself. Are these trees pink?”

He nodded with a proud look in his pale blue eyes.

“They are. Some other trees are pink when in bloom, but Mera trees have pink foliage. Here in Merumo, we’re extremely proud of them. They’re part of our identity.”

I squinted. “Can’t they grow anywhere else?”

Taiki smiled. “They can, but they never grow as tall as they do around the lake. You’ll see them better tomorrow, but in the meantime, I can show you their blossoms. Follow me.”

He took us to a small shop, near the waterfront, that sold all kinds of trinkets decorated with delicate white flowers. Their shape was quite simple, six petals and a crown of white stamens. There was only an elderly woman at the counter, in a red dress and white apron.

“The blossoms are magically stabilized, and then dipped in resin,” she explained in a perfect seller’s voice. “If you keep them close to your heart, they will bring good luck.”

I looked at Catalin, at the lone wooden pendant she now wore, while the other one was safe in one of my pockets. She’d defended me against Taiki. She’d comforted me on my birthday, even though I tried to discourage her.

Now was the time to make up for my own lack of good will. Not all prices were displayed, but the ones I could see didn’t look too high. I could certainly afford a little something out of the money Princess Nigella had given me for the trip.

“May I take a better look at these two flowers?” I asked the woman.

“Of course, Madam.”

I held one in my hand. They looked delicate and beautiful, and similar enough to be a nice equivalent of the pendants Catalin had carved. If we kept them around our necks, they’d be close to our hearts, and supposedly bring us luck.

“Do you want this one?” I asked her.

Catalin blushed. “Would you…”

“I would. You’re my fiancée.”

She frowned, but I could understand why. I insist on keeping my distances, so she has every right to be doubtful.

She looked at the flower, at the counter, then at me. I was beginning to feel quite nervous when she finally nodded. “Yes, of course! Thank you, Al!”

The woman pursed her nose, either because we were both women or because I was a human and Catalin was a Zimeon. However, she still sold us two pendants and one chain. Soon, we walked out of the shop, wearing near-identical necklaces.

“There are old maps of the lake at my place,” said Taiki. “We should study them. Maybe there’s a reference to that wizard’s house.”

I sighed. For a moment, in that shop, I’d forgotten what I was there for. I’d actually enjoyed the moment without thinking of the dragon, the king, or anything else than my unexpected fiancée’s bright smile and terracotta eyes.