Page 53 of The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary

Her temper was blazing by the time she reached the main auditorium. First Milo and then Noah, but most of all Virginia. She didn’t know how these people got away with it but she was not going to allow it any more.

The competition was about to start. She hadn’t factored that into the equation. Iris had taken the dragons into the heart of the arena and was already there, talking to the other competitors on either side of her. Jade took flight, swooping low over the crowd, which caused a murmur of excitement as everyone got a close up look of the beautiful green fenland teacup dragon in flight.

‘Portia, Noah, there you are!’ Iris exclaimed. ‘Wherever did you get to? The first-round judging is about to begin. Hurry up.’

‘No time for that,’ Portia said as loudly as she could to the gathered judges. ‘I need to report a flagrant violation of the law, and an attempt to endanger the lives of⁠—’

‘What is the meaning of this?’ Lady Virginia Moorland exclaimed. ‘Guards, arrest that woman immediately. She’s a known thief and trouble maker, an agitator who assaulted me at the Academy. She’s disgraced the apothecaries and now I believe she and her associates intend to poison the competing dragons.’

Portia froze, her hand already in her pocket on the bottle of Dewsalt.

Behind her, several royal guards who were there for ceremonial purposes came forward, surrounding her and Noah. Jade landed on her shoulder again, spreading her wings out as if she alone could drive them off.

‘Virginia Moorland is the one intent on poisoning our dragons,’ Portia announced in the voice she used for lectures, pitched to carry over any crowd. ‘She bespelled Dr Turner to do it. It was pure luck that I got to him first to undo it.’

‘Portia?’ he murmured, his voice wary and unsure. ‘I think… You need to stop.’

‘No. She tried to make you poison the dragons. She tried to use you, Noah.’

‘Me?’ Virginia gasped, her hands rising to her chest in a perfect imitation of shocked innocence. ‘How would I do that? Everyone knows I’m an absolute duffer when it comes to magic.’ She laughed, and several of her friends joined in.

No, this couldn’t be happening. Portia looked at Noah and he wore an expression of such confusion and dismay.

‘Tell them,’ she urged him.

‘I… I can’t. I don’t… I don’t remember.’

Portia felt her heart stutter almost to a halt. Virginia had told him to forget what had happened, and threads of that spell still clung to him.

‘Perhaps you should come with us, miss,’ said the nearest guard, kindly enough. He didn’t want any fuss and he was trying not to make things worse.

‘No,’ she said. ‘You don’t understand. I heard them. I saw⁠—’

‘You should search her, Captain Zacarius,’ Virginia said, unable to keep the sneer out of her voice. ‘If she doesn’t have anything to hide, she won’t mind. Will you, Portia darling? Turn out your pockets, that’s a good girl.’

Portia took a step away from the captain.

‘That’s enough of this,’ Iris said sternly. ‘Virginia, I don’t know what game you’re playing⁠—’

‘I assure you, this is no game. I take security of the Royal Show incredibly seriously. It is one of my primary duties. The queen herself will be here tomorrow. We have dignitaries from across all the twelve realms. Even Ambassador Gilden is here, as I believe you are quite aware. How will Elanholm take any threat to dragonkind from a citizen of Shinael? I demand that this woman is searched.’ She cast Iris an arch look. ‘And I am to be addressed as Lady Moorland.’

This had all gone sideways. Worse, Portia was beginning to believe that Virginia had set her up far too expertly.

‘There must be someone from the Academy here,’ she protested. ‘There must be traces of the spell still on Dr Turner. I broke it but there would still be evidence⁠—’

‘Please, Miss Starling,’ said Captain Zacarius. ‘Let’s do this quietly. Please be so good as to empty your pockets as requested.’ He caught hold of her arm, pulling her hand from her pocket and the bottle went flying straight out into the centre of the arena.

It rolled across the open space, glinting in the light.

‘There!’ Virginia shrieked in victory. ‘See? She’s here to sabotage the show. They all are. I knew letting the Starling family be involved was a terrible idea. I said it all along, didn’t I? And now look!’

Portia felt a wave of panic sweep through her. The captain was still holding her arm and his grip tightened to the point of pain as his sympathetic expression bled away to grow increasingly stony. She sucked in a breath and felt the magic inside her well up in a way it had not done since she was a terrified child. Panic did that. It was Seb’s biggest problem and Portia was not immune to it either. But if she cast any kind of spell right now⁠—

‘Let her go,’ said Noah, squaring up to the guards, who were now looking even more belligerent. He was trying to help, but this was not the way to go about it. ‘This is all a terrible mistake. That isn’t even hers.’

‘Where did it come from then?’ someone shouted from the crowd.

Noah faltered. ‘It was… I had it but I…’