“Not a chance,” Arthur agreed with the general consensus, which pissed me right off.
Then Chewy added, “Have you literally lost your mind, Mom?”
Before I could tell the little guy exactly what I thought about his comment, Mona joined the party. “Noooooowwwwwwllllll.
It took me a second, but I realized she had tried to say her first word…
“Y'all are ganging up on me?” I tried to act offended, pretending to pout as I looked at most of the people and dogs I loved more than life itself.
“Oh, puhlease,” Maeve scoffed. “It’s not the first time, and it most certainly will not be the last.”
“Fine!” I concurred with a helping, heaping load of sarcasm. “Then I’ll just look at the carvings in here. Maybe I can at least make sure I don’t accidentally coronate myself.” Pausing for a second, I mused, “Coronate? Is that right? Should I say ‘coronation’ myself? Crown? Inaugurate? Laugh out loud because all of this bullshit from a crazy man who escaped from prison?”
I knew Maeve had everything under control, so I gave Kai a quick kiss, got up, and walked to the farthest corner to be alone with my thoughts. Of course, that meant Aideen chose that moment to badger me.
“I know what you’re doing.”
“I’m not doing anything but looking at stupid stone carvings until Maeve says that we can move him to the house.”
“No, you’re not,” she quickly challenged. “You’re trying to translate the prophecy to prove that you’re right, everyone else is wrong, and Barney cannot be trusted.”
“Nope,” I lied. “You’re not even close.”
“You do remember that we share a brain?”
“How could I forget?” I snipped. “You remind me every day.”
Ignoring Aideen’s ramblings, I started where I’d left off–the unfinished carving of me reaching for Kai– and I went from there. The longer I looked, the more evident it became that every woman carved into the stone of the chamber looked exactly like me; even the babies they held had the same dark curls and lavender eyes.
Following what I’d determined was the correct progression, I was instantly lost in the story unfolding before my eyes. It all started right before Fate and the Powers That Be created the Bibbidi Bobbidi Bubble. Looking at the rendering of a six-foot woman with skin as dark as night, sparkling silver eyes, and a head of thick, curly, rainbow colored hair wearing army fatigues and combat boots, I knew from the stories I’d heard all my life what was coming next.
But I was enthralled. I had to keep going… And there she was, my momma, walking down Main St. in her nightie, robe, and fluffy slippers with the Omnipotent Being known as Fate. Next to the picture were several paragraphs written in the Gaelic of the Dragon Ancients, stating that my sisters and I would be at risk as soon as our Magic reached maturity. So, they were creating the Bibbidi Bobbidi Bubble and hence, Dragoon Bootay.
A little farther, I found more carvings that made no sense at all. Then I got a whiff of something familiar. Leaning closer to the wall, I sniffed a little harder. Following the scent, I found a little alcove hidden behind a small boulder.
Looking over one shoulder, then the other, I saw no one was paying attention, so I quickly and quietly got on my knees and moved the large stone just enough to slide my hand into the hole. I jerked back my hand when I felt something smooth, slick, and slightly plasticky. It was thicker than regular fabric, even denim.
I knew I shouldn’t… Everyone was going to be mad… But I did it anyway.
Pulling the cloth and its contents out of the hole, I whispered, “Oilcloth. That’s what I smelled.”
“And that’s what you should’ve ignored,” Aideen griped.
“Hush.”
Shocked when that worked, and the Dragon Queen with whom I shared my soul went quiet, I turned to face the wall. Looking down, I noted that it was really dirty, had been scorched and burnt, and the scent of Wyvern was unmistakable.
Slumping my shoulder forward as far as they would go to help cover what I was doing, I gently unwrapped my treasure and had to bite my bottom lip to keep from yelling, “Hey, y’all! Look what I found.”
Leatherbound and ancient, the name Mackrelfresh was embossed in gold on the front. Tracing the calligraphy with the tip of my finger, I welcomed the sparks of recognition. It was asking me to open it, and I was going to do just that.
Lifting the cover, the first thing I saw was a page of terrible handwriting, even worse than Maeve and Maisie’s, and they were doctors. Rapidly blinking my eyes, trying to make heads or tails out of what I saw, I finally saw it…
If you are reading this... Then I failed.
“What the hell does that mean?” Zelda blustered from overhead.
Looking up so quickly that my neck snapped, I sputtered, “Wh-When did you get here?”
