Drago gave a laugh, his eyes twinkling. “Children who coordinated as well as any of my dragon forces. Some of the ‘toys’ Amber and Jade brought were terrifying.”
Orion grinned. “The Bubble Blaster 5000 was impressive.”
Drago chuckled. “I was thinking of the sneeze bombs. Still have no idea what was in them, but one bomb took out half-a-dozen of Blackheart’s crew in a single pop.”
Nali let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. “I hope they didn’t leave any of those with Ashure.”
“Knowing him, he probably has a ship full of them,” Drago warned.
Asahi chuckled before he turned to her, his expression gentler. “Have you heard how things have been going at the Manticore village the past few days?”
Nali exhaled slowly, the warmth of the moment dimming slightly. She looked down at her plate, her fingers idly brushing a stray crumb to the side.
“They are much better. The villagers are working with the sirens. I realized… I haven’t visited as often as I should,” she admitted. “I hadn’t even sent a representative. I should have known about the tension, the dam, the sirens. I should’ve been there.”
Asahi’s hand covered hers, firm and warm. He didn’t speak. He didn’t have to. The gesture said everything: ‘You’re doing your best’.
She gave a small smile, grateful.
“Still,” she said, drawing in a breath and shifting gears, “now that the children are back together… what do you think happens next?”
Drago leaned forward, a smile spreading across his face. “I think they’ll go home. Mischief managed. Lessons learned.”
“And our world a little less bright,” Orion added with a somber smile.
Nali nodded, her mind drifting briefly to Phoenix. To the determined gleam in the young girl’s eyes. To the swirl of emotions behind them. But it wasn’t just Phoenix she thought of.
She also thought of the boy with the kind heart.
Jabir.
The one who saw the world through gentler eyes and didn’t yet realize how important and powerful that was.
A flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.
She glanced toward the open archway just as something small and fast zipped past it.
Then another.
And another.
Asahi muttered a curse under his breath and shot to his feet.
“What is it?” Drago asked, already rising.
Orion’s brows narrowed. “Are we under attack?”
“No, worse, I think,” Nali said, setting her napkin aside and pushing back her chair with an elegant sweep. She rose, brushing invisible lint from her trousers, her lips twitching with amusement.
“It would appear,” she said dryly, “that Amber and Jade’s ‘gifts’ have escaped.”
Just then, nearly a dozen hexer-goblins darted past the door accompanied by a floating battalion of boxes, baskets, bags—anything they could find.
The Head Mistress paused in the doorway just long enough to curtsy—briefly—and gasp, “Apologies, Empress! The Sea Monkeys let your new pets out!” before vanishing after the others.
“We’re after them!” Amber called out breathlessly.
“We’ve got this,” Jade added, darting past with a brilliant grin.
