The clouds rolled by in funny shapes as Zane watched from where she lay on top of the hill. In her mind, she was up among them, flying through their puffy mass and taking tiny bites. It was her right as a dragonling to taste the clouds as she also protected their silver linings from the pirates that came to steal them.

It was a dream to fly high into the clouds, and she spent many an hour wondering what it was like. For Zane, nothing was as fun as a surprise, and she wondered what they tasted like. Would it be like cream or cheese or perhaps like sweet cakes? Her mother said they tasted different if they were full of rain, and Zane so wanted to find out for herself.

Unfortunately, her older brother did everything before her and delighted in spoiling surprises. She knew, without doubt, he would taste all the clouds first, then spoil it by telling her all about it. By the time she flew a year behind him, he would be bored of the flavors and looking for new things to spoil. What was worse was he had come up with a plan to fly well ahead of his years. He was even going to bring her little brother with just to spite her.

“Why is he so mean?” she asked an unusually puffy cloud as it went by. The cloud didn't answer, they never did, but in Zane's imagination, all sorts of things lived in the clouds. There were giants, dragons, and flying fish, of course. There were whole castles with fountains and gardens made of white marble. The pirates had secret caves hollowed out of particularly big clouds, where they hid their flying ships.

“I wish I had a flying ship,” Zane lamented and went back to feeling bad about her brother. He said he would steal a magical figurine that would turn him into a bird, then fly up and spoil everything. He also promised to peck her head just to annoy her and show off that he had done it first. Zane wanted to get the figurine first, but the room it was in was magical. She and her brothers couldn't enter, so she planned to bribe Webster to get it for her. Despite how hard she worked to capture a giant dragonfly, her brothers ruined everything by letting it go. Now she had no way to convince Webster to help, and he wasn't likely to do it anyway.

“Not after the words mother had with him,” Zane sighed and remembered the graveyard from yesterday. Mother knew that he must have helped them find the hidden room and told him she was cross. Still, she and Tildy had fun hiding among the stones as they played hide and go seek with her parents. It was also some matter of pride that she had found the graveyard before her bothers did.

“But I really want to fly,” Zane sighed. Finding new places before her brothers was certainly an accomplishment, but flying was something else. Her mother could fly in two separate ways, yet Zane only had one. She sat up to flap her little wings, the leathery skins no bigger than her head and barely able to fan her face. It was an unfortunate thing that dragonling wings grew so slowly. After all, true dragons were born with big wings that grew to full size in just about a year. Zane was much older than that now but still nowhere near what she needed as a dragonling. She asked the clouds why she couldn't have been a true dragon, but of course, they didn't reply. They just drifted by lazily, taunting her to fly up and taste them before they got away.

She was tempted to become angry, but Zane was a practical dragonling. Her mother always warned that she shouldn't allow others to make her angry, and that went doubly for her brothers. Still, there was some call for a response, if only to prevent them from pecking her. What she needed was a new and ingenious plan that her brothers couldn't spoil.

Her slender golden tail lashed to and throw as she tried to think up the best plan ever. It would involve lots of ropes, ladders, and things used to make other things go. Maybe she could tie the ladders together and stand them against the clouds. Then all she had to do was climb up and taste them before her brothers did. Judging by the distance, it wasn't very far, but where would she get the ten ladders she would need to reach them?

Just as she was about to give up, a shadow passed overhead. She looked up, assuming it would be her mother but saw the wooden hull of a ship instead.

“Pirates!” Zane exclaimed and jumped to her feet. They had obviously come for the silver again, and Zane would have to put a stop to it, or her mother would once she told her. After all, Zane was still very young and only defeated pirates in her dreams. Real ones would have to be dealt with by her mother and father, who had a history of such things. Zane watched the ship descend before their house while running through the flowers and disturbing the poor bees again. She smiled to see the two giant balloons painted in a vibrant yellow and floating above the deck on long ropes. It had pipes and tubes along the side, out of which belched white smoke and jets of steam. Along the front was a wooden statue of a woman whose left hand was strangely missing and, as far as Zane knew, always had been.

She recognized the ship as the goblin queen and knew it was indeed crewed by pirates. But these were the good kind of pirates who helped people and did nice things. Like Zane, most of them were short, but they had green skin and long pointy ears. A few of them were made of metal and wood and made a clicking noise as they worked.

Mother said these were clockwork golems, but Zane had no idea what that meant. All she knew was that the ship always came with the great goblin captain Legeis, the siege master. She had no idea why he had such a silly name, but it seemed to be important. Father said he broke a wall or something a long time ago, and people thought that was pretty impressive.

The ship touched down in the yard just outside the fence, and a rope ladder was kicked over the side by a goblin wearing red goggles and a wide feathered hat.

“Legeis!” Zane cried as she ran to the ladder.

“Hey, their little dragon. You are getting a lot bigger,” he said with a wave from the deck.

“Not big enough,” Zane replied and turned her back to flap her wings. “I still can’t fly.”

“You just need a few more years,” he insisted and leaped from the deck without using the ladder. A meter from the ground, his boots let out a loud goosh, and smoke surrounded his feet as they slowed his fall to a gentle hop.

“Are your parents home?” he asked and looked around while adjusting his large blue hat.

“Mother and Father are in the house,” Zane replied as she looked over his outfit of belts and pouches, searching for anything new. Mother said Legeis was an inventor of sorts, and he always had something exciting that burned, or popped, or made lots of smoke. “Do you have any fireworks?” she asked as she remembered how he lit up the sky from his ship a year ago.

“Sorry little dragon,” he said and wiped his goggles with a cloth from his pouch. “I haven’t had a chance to make any yet, but I will be back in time for the portal festival.”

Zane practically bounced to think of the festival and all the magical things that would happen. There would be strawberry cakes and blueberry pies, with all the cider you could drink. People would sit out on blankets under the sun to have picnics while balloons and firebirds flew through the sky. Father would get out the old grill and fire it up so he could cook his special burgers. Mother would bake and make special treats like coleslaw and potato fries. At night the various families would use their magic to light up the skies in great splashes of color. Captain Legeis was the best at it as his ship sailed overhead, firing rockets that fizzled and cracked. Everyone for miles around came to see his display, and Zane could hardly wait to see it again.

Now she was hungry as Legeis bid her farewell and headed for the house. Zane was left to stare at the ladder to the deck above. She followed it up, her gaze going to the great balloons that allowed it to fly. She wasn't allowed on the ship as Legeis said it was much too dangerous for anyone who wasn't a goblin engineer. Her parents agreed with him and once grounded Gerrin and Lorris for a month for climbing halfway up the ladder. Still, her mother always broke the rules, and from the deck of his ship, she would need half as many ladders.

It was while deep in this thought that a voice called out and scared Zane half out of her wits.

“Is captain Legeis back?” Tildy asked as she ran up in a sunny pink dress.

“Tildy!” Zane cried as she looked around anxiously. “You scared me again.”

“I saw his ship sail over our house and came running to see,” Tildy replied indignantly. “It’s not my fault you got scared.”

“I didn’t really get scared,” Zane tried to claim with a brave face.

“Ha,” Tildy laughed and pointed a green-scaled finger. “I bet you were planning something you shouldn't do.”

“I was not!” Zane protested and tried to sound convincing. However, Tildy didn't believe her and insisted that whatever her plan was, she wasn't interested.

“You haven’t even heard what it is yet,” Zane protested.

“See, I was right!” Tildy declared triumphantly. “You are planning something.”

“I was just thinking maybe I could reach the clouds from a ladder on Legeis’s ship,” Zane admitted.

“From a ladder?” Tildy repeated and looked up. “I don’t think that will work. Our tree is much taller than the ship, and it doesn't reach the clouds.”

“But maybe if you used a ladder, it would,” Zane suggested.

“Maybe?” Tildy agreed apprehensively, but the look on her face as she considered it said she doubted it would. “Even so, how would we get up?” Tildy asked as she looked at the long rope ladder and wondered if Zane was crazy enough to climb it.

“Look out below!” came a sweet voice, and suddenly a platform slung over the side and suspended by ropes began to lower. Zane and Tildy stepped aside as the platform lowered to the ground to reveal yet another pirate, but this one wasn't green. She was just a little taller than Zane, with long green hair and almond-shaped eyes that glowed with a yellow light. She had sharp pointed ears that poked out of her hair and wore a frilly white blouse with a red sash and boots. Her name was Sahain, and her mother said she was a wood elf, but Zane didn't think she looked like she was made of wood. She and Legeis went everywhere together, sailing the skies on their airship and occasionally visiting to deliver things. Today was no exception as the platform was full of barrels and boxes to be unloaded by the two goblin pirates riding down with her.

“Well, if it isn't Zane and Tildy,” Sahain said as that platform reached the ground. “And what adventure are you two on today?”

“We haven’t started one yet,” Zane admitted as the elven woman stepped off.

“Start putting the cargo in the yard,” Sahain said to the goblins, then turned to look over the girls. “My, you're both getting so much bigger. Soon you will be ready to go on a real adventure.”

“Mother says I can’t go until I am older,” Zane said with a frown. “But we caught a giant dragonfly the other day.”

“Well, good on you,” Sahain said with a broad smile. “Sorry I can't stay and chat, but I want to ask your mother for a favor before we go.” She patted them both on the head and headed off, leaving Zane and Tildy by the lift.

They watched the goblins set about their task and work together to carry off a crate. They took it into the garden and headed for the house as Zane started to get curious. She wondered what was in all these boxes and barrels that came for her parents. In her mind, they were full of gold and treasures plundered from the depths of some great dungeon. Or perhaps they contained the magical ingredients her mother used when she did her funny spells. She tried to pry one open, but the lid was stuck fast and wouldn't budge. She asked Tildy to try and help, but even together, they couldn't open the barrel.

“What do you think is inside it?” Zane asked as they gave up and looked for something that might be easier to open.

“Maybe it's pickles,” Tildy suggested as that was the only thing she knew came from a barrel.

“My mother makes her own pickles,” Zane said and tried her luck with a crate, but it wouldn't budge either. She suggested Tildy use her climbing skill to get on the tallest box and see if any were open. Tildy shrugged and easily scampered up, turning about to see that all of them were sealed. She tried a couple near the top but wasn’t strong enough to open any of them.

“Why are they so hard to open?” Zane asked as she looked at a crate marked with a purple flower.

“Probably because your father can open anything,” Tildy said. “My dad says he's as strong as some giants.”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Zane had to agree this was true. Her father was incredibly strong and could probably carry this platform and everything on it under one arm. She wondered if she was going to be that strong someday, or would she take more after her mother with graceful beauty and charm.

“Hey, you two,” called one of the goblins. “It isn't safe playing up there.”

Zane and Tildy turned in alarm, and Tildy's tail flipped a little level along the rail. Suddenly the platform lurched and, quite to their surprise, lifted from the ground as the wheels above turned to haul them up. The goblins ran to help, but the platform was too high by the time they reached it, and they hurried to the ladder instead.

“What happened?” Tildy asked as she clung to a crate.

“We’re going up!” Zane said excitedly and looked skyward as if the clouds were almost in reach.

“We're going to be in trouble!” Tildy replied and looked about for a way down. Already they were halfway to the deck of the ship, and jumping now was sure to be foolish. So instead, they clung to the boxes staying away from the edge as the platform finally reached the deck.

“Woah,” Tildy and Zane said in unison as they looked over the pirate ship's deck for the first time. There were no goblins to be seen, but one of the clockwork golems was busily scrubbing away with a short brush. There were some cannons along the sides but no sign of ammo. Instead, they were connected to pipes and pistons that somehow made them work. Near the front of the ship was a giant glass disc mounted in a metal frame. The light that passed through it made the disk glow with every color of the rainbow and maybe even a few more.

To the back was a raised area with a brass door on which were symbols that looked like gears. On the deck above the door was a plush chair and a massive wheel covered in buttons and levers that begged to be touched. Zane couldn't help but look to the rope ladders that went up to the balloons, wondering what it must be like to be so high. With a sigh, she realized that she knew the answer already. The hidden balcony of her house was higher than that and allowed them to see for miles. This could only mean that Tildy was right; even with a few ladders to stack, she probably could reach the clouds.

“Look at that!” Tildy said and pointed to the left where a small wooden rat with a metal tail and wind-up crank in its back crawled out of a pipe. It ran along the deck nearly to them and stood on its hind legs a moment before running down the rail.

Zane was fascinated by the creature and dared to creep onto the deck to see where it went. Tildy, not wanting to be left alone, followed close behind, and clinging to one another, they watched it crawl into another open pipe.

“Excuse please,” came an unnatural metallic voice causing the girls to turn. The clockwork golem was now standing and watching as it pointed to them and told them no stowaways on the ship.

“We're not stowaways,” Zane protested as the two girls huddled closer. Now that they took a closer look, the creature appeared to be roughly goblin-shaped but made mostly of wood. Where ever the body needed to flex was a ball of metal, sometimes with an accompanying gear. The mouth was a black disk full of tiny holes, and the eyes were two small blue stones set in a wooden goblin face.

“No stowaways on the ship,” the golem repeated and waved at them to get off.

Tildy and Zane backed away slowly, heading for where the rope ladder was anchored. Maybe the other two goblins could explain the situation and help them get down. They inched away as the wooden goblin stepped forward, saying that they needed to get off for the third time. Suddenly something clicked, and the floor beneath their feet gave way. With a shriek, the two girls dropped into an open shaft to fall to the deck below. They landed with a thump on a white cushion and quickly scrambled to get to their feet.

“We fell inside!” Tildy proclaimed as they looked up to see the door close.

“What did we fall on?” Zane asked and carefully inspected their footing. She realized they were standing on a folded sail, something the ship only used when there were strong winds. Her mother once told her that the ship was powered by something called steam, but when a good strong wind was blowing, they used the sail to save fuel.

“How do we get out?” Tildy asked in a panic as she scrambled to the side of the cloth.

Zane wasn’t exactly sure as she looked around to study the rather simple room they now found themselves in. Unlike the ship above, this room seemed to have metal walls and was lit by red lights. Two of what she could only assume were doors led out of the room, but they had a slit down the center at an odd angle and glowing buttons beside them.

“We are in so much trouble,” Tildy cried as she looked about nervously.

Zane wasn’t so sure they were in trouble. It wasn’t their idea to come aboard the ship after all. It was all a simple accident and one they couldn’t have avoided. Surely her parents would understand, but in the interest of being safe, she decided they should try to get out. She headed for one of the strange doors and stared at the buttons. One was lit up with the color red, but the other was green and not lit at all. There were no handles on the door, so the buttons must be what made it work. With nothing to lose, she pushed the green button causing it to light up. A second later, the door made a woosh sound and parted at the odd slant, opening to a hallway lit by more of the red lights.

“We should stay here,” Tildy suggested, but Zane was sure that would be a bad idea. What they needed was to find the way up and then go down the ladder. Or, at the very least, be lowered back down on the platform. The goblins would no doubt be looking for them, so it only made sense to look for them in return. Tildy didn't argue with her logic as she was also curious about the ship and eager to explore.

Together they began to wander the hall, peeking in doorways and around corners. Most of the rooms were small and full of curious things that they would have loved to stop and poke through. Some held goblin-sized beds with trunks to hold their belongings and metal cabinets for other things. There were pipes of every size, some of which had wheels to turn next to dials with needles that jumped and twitched. The whole place made a lot of strange noises with weird hisses and sudden clanks that came from every direction.

Zane was lost to her imagination, pretending that she had sneaked onboard one of the bad pirate ships to steal back the silver. She shared her belief with Tildy, who agreed to join her on the adventure as they crept along the hall looking for the chest they must have stored it in.

They eventually found a round room with a table to match right at the center. It was made of glass glowing with a faint green light and rippled with blue lines. There was a small panel to one side with even more buttons and dials that pointed to symbols they didn't understand. The two stood over the panel in wonder, wringing their hands to keep them occupied lest they accidentally push something.

“What do you think this does?” Tildy asked as they looked over the strange table.

“How should I know?” Zane replied as she, too, wished to know what it did. She knew that they probably shouldn't, but nothing bad happened when they pushed the button by the door. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to push one or two. After all, her mother did things just like this. Zane was just following in her footsteps, as aunt Quinny always said, usually followed by her mother groaning and claiming Zane would be a handful. Father would laugh and agree, causing her mother to glare at him, but it was all good fun.

Convincing herself it was perfectly safe, she pushed a green one again, and the table came alive. Suddenly the surface was gone, and in its place was a rocky place. It was like looking at a place from really far away, and Zane could see details like rivers and trees.

“You can see stuff,” Tildy said as she leaned over the surface. “Push something else.”

Zane tried another button as the table made a beep causing everything to become larger and more detailed. It was as if they were falling to the ground, but it stopped over a mist-covered lake full of big trees and narrow islands.

“Where is this?” Tildy asked as she moved around the table to look at it in wonder.

“I don't know,” Zane replied with a broad smile as this was the best adventure yet. At the bottom of the panel was a broad blue button, so she pushed it, causing a red dot to appear over the lake and start to flash.

“Does that mean something?” Tildy asked as they stared at the dot.

“Maybe that's where they buried the treasure,” Zane suggested, as this was a pirate ship after all, and pirates always buried their treasure. Suddenly the dot turned blue, and the view changed to a dark room full of animal skins and things that looked like bones. There was a face in the center of the screen, broad with a flat nose and a powerful chin. He looked at the two with a slight scowl as Zane jumped back.

“Uncle Grumosh?” she said in alarm.

“Zane?” the man said back as his face came closer. “How are you calling me?”

Zane exploded into the tale of sneaking onboard the ship and looking for hidden treasure. She recounted how they bravely escaped the golem and were hunting the clockwork rat when another face appeared beside uncle Grumosh. Zane bit back her words as this new face scowled and leaned closer, her head shaking in obvious disapproval. She had long dark hair and a crown of silver on her head. Her features were sharp but beautiful and carried a certain sense of nobility with them. Zane knew who it was immediately and suddenly regretted her story as Breanne stepped before Grumosh and pointed an accusing finger.

“You mean to tell me you sneaked aboard Legeis’s ship?” Breanne demanded with a sour tone.

“We didn't really sneak,” Zane protested, but aunt Breanne folded her arms in that way that said she didn't believe you.

“Do your mother and father know where you are?” she demanded as Zane fumbled to explain that they probably didn't.

“Little ones that is no placed for your games,” Grumosh sighed and stood behind aunt Breanne. “You mustn’t go places like this without approval.”

“Forget approval,” Breanne cut in. “You two get your butts off that ship this instant! And don't you dawdle, I will contact your mother as soon as I am done with you! Your lucky you haven't been chewed up in the gears or burned with steam. Goodness knows how many things are just waiting to explode on that ship.

“We're going!” Zane and Tildy cried together and ran from the table, heading for the hall on the other side.

“She’s going to tell your mother!” Tildy said as they rounded a corner and stopped when the hall ahead filled with white smoke.

“We don't know the way out,” Zane said and looked at another door. Neither of them wanted to try the smoke, so they opted for the door and pushed the green button again. Just as before, it opened with a swoosh but what was inside made them forget all about getting out.

The room was paneled in wood and decorated with red curtains that hung from the walls in narrow ropes. Between them were worktables covered in metal parts and wooden things. Brass shelves lined every wall, covered in boxes labeled gears, springs, bolts, and more. While all of this was fascinating to an inquisitive mind, it was the giant standing silently by the back wall that fascinated them most.

It stood as tall as her father in his ghoul form with a body made of metal plates. The legs were narrow at the top and much wider at the feet. The arms jutted out of the side awkwardly but hung down to the knees. The upper body was broad and almost round but where the head should be was a sort of space big enough for a goblin to sit. Beside it was a metal stair that went right to the top, allowing access to the empty space. Behind it on the wall was a rack on which rested a single massive hammer. The handle was gold, and the head was made of bluestone with brass tubes wrapped around the middle. There were three lights on it, right near the head, that blinked one after the other.

“What is this place?” Tildy asked as she looked over Zane's shoulder at the motionless monster.

“I think this is something my mother told me about,” Zane replied as she dared a step closer. “She said uncle Legeis would fight the bad guys in his battle suit.”

“A battle suite?” Tildy repeated as they drew ever closer.

“She said that she helped him make it after he helped her save grandma Gwen. Father said that he once had a hammer that he got from an ogre, but he gave it away and made a new one.”

“That must be it on the wall,” Tildy suggested as they arrived at the monster's feet.

“Father said it's called the thane's hammer because it causes lightning or something,” Zane said.

“It causes lightning!” Tildy said excitedly and reminded Zane that her father could call storms and make lightning. In fact, it was one of Tildy's favorite things to be out in the rain and listen to the rumble of a good storm. Of course, Tildy was a lizard girl and couldn't get wet, but Zane would get in trouble and have to dry off as her mother brushed her hair to avoid tangles.

“I wonder what it looks like inside,” Zane said as she dared to climb the first step.

“I bet it's full of gears and spinning things,” Tildy replied, assuming it was like the other golems on the ship. Together they dared to climb, slowly working their way up until, much to their surprise, they discovered a comfortable black seat with several levers and many buttons to press.

“You sit in it?” Tildy asked as they leaned over the side.

“I guess so,” Zane answered as she thought back to the stories. Legeis was always said to have piloted the suite, so it made sense that he had to be inside it. Now that she considered what it did, she saw it as a wonderful thing. With a suit like this, she could be as big as her father when he was as big as a ghoul. She could even lift heavy things and go on real adventures instead of just pretend ones. Now she wished she could have something like this and wondered if Legeis would build her one.

“How does it work?” Tildy asked as she leaned over to point at some buttons. “Do you press these?”

Zane went to reply that it was obviously the green button as that seemed to work for everything, but just as she did, Tildy slipped, tangling with Zane as they fell into the machine. The two struggled to get undone, with tails lashing about and making it difficult. The thrashing about began to push buttons and pull levers, and suddenly the metal armor lurched forward.

“It’s moving!” Tildy cried as she tried to get off her own tail.

Zane managed to sit up and see they were indeed moving; the armor was now marching ahead and heading for the door. She grabbed Tildy and pulled the lizard girl upright to see they were about to collide with the door. The two began to frantically pull levers and push buttons, desperate to make the armor stop. Thankfully the door flew open the two goblins on the other side barely managed to dive out of the way as they stumbled into the hall.

“Sorry!” Zane cried as they careened down the hall, bouncing off the walls in showers of sparks.

“We have to stop it!” Tildy yelled and pushed a lever on the floor, causing the armor to turn left and head for the white smoke. With a yelp, they ducked inside, hiding below the rim as they passed through the cloud, only daring to look when the danger was past. They came out the other end and saw the hall turned yet again, so they worked the pedals until they found one to turn right.

With a loud clang, they bounced off a wall and headed roughly straight, trying everything they could to make the armor stop. Behind them ran the two goblins barking something in their strange language. Tildy didn't understand what they were saying, but she tried to pull levers and work the pedals to keep the armor straight. Ahead of them was a stairwell, and to some relief, they went up, but the two girls were terrified of what might be waiting. They saw yet another door as they crested the steps, but one of the goblins ran through the legs and managed to push the button in time.

With a woosh, they stumbled into the sunlight of the upper deck and straight into three sets of glaring eyes. Mother, Father, and uncle Legeis were standing in a line and looking none too pleased.

“That's enough of that,” Legeis said and pulled a metal box from one of his pouches. Then, with the push of a button, the armor came to a halt, tumbling the girls inside.

“Zane and Tildy!” her mother cried in that voice that said they were in big trouble. Zane briefly thought of hiding in the armor until they went away, but her mother spoke again. “Get down here this instant!”

Tidly popped up first and climbed down with ease, but Zane stumbled at the lip until her father reached up and lifted her free. She was placed directly before her mother, who glared with the no desert for you look, and Zane shamefully hung her head.

“You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady,” her mother said as Tildy came to stand by Zane's side. “What has gotten into you two recently? Why are you suddenly so keen to go where you shouldn’t?”

“It was an accident,” Tidly replied and pointed to the lift. “We were just looking at the boxes when it lifted up.”

“And you decided to take a tour of the ship?” Heather asked as Tildy grabbed her tail out of nervousness.

“We didn’t mean to do that either,” Zane replied and dragged afoot. “We saw a wooden rat and tried to get a better look, then the door opened, and we fell in.”

“Pipe cleaners,” Legeis said as he inspected the armor. “I use them to run through the pipes and clean out any blocks. They also collect trash and throw it overboard.”

Her mother let out a frustrated sigh and launched into a lengthy explanation of why it was dangerous to play on the ship. She wanted to know how they managed to get into the armor and what they planned to do when it walked over the side. Zane could only explain that her imagination had gotten the better of her, and this was an accident too.

“Thankful, Breanne called us right away and told us where you were,” her mother said in a scolding tone.

“Lucky I was just talking to her,” Legeis said as he sat inside the armor. “She probably just redialed my call.”

“I didn't mean to do anything,” Zane said as tears started to wet her eyes. She hated being in trouble but more than anything, she hated disappointing her mother. She looked away in shame, unable to bear her gaze when warm arms wrapped around her.

“Shh, my little dragonling,” her mother urged and pulled her into a hug. “I love your imagination, and I hope you never lose it when you grow up. But do you see why I tell you that you can't play around things like this?”

Zane nodded as the tears rolled down her cheeks. She apologized profusely to her parents and Legeis, who told her no harm was done, and he was just glad she was safe. Then, from below, the boys shouted up that it wasn't fair that Zane and Tildy got to go on the ship when they couldn't.

“We will never hear the end of this,” her mother said with a shake of her head.

“Maybe we could give them a few minutes,” her father replied as he looked at Legeis.

Zane practically danced when Legeis said the boys could come up and he would take them for a flight. In moments they were brought up the lift to run about the deck exploring everything. Eventually, they proclaimed that they were pirates now, but Zane and Tildy insisted that they were pirates first.

As the goblin queen took to the air, her mother sprouted wings, taking to the sky herself. Zane watched with a deep appreciation and prayed that she might be as beautiful as her mother was one day.