Turner: Unexpected Change

By P.B. Cannon

Juri Turner, the human-born dragon, has ensured that Mur, the magical world next door to Earth, will never again be endangered by its unstable core. She has also managed to avoid an unwanted marriage to an utter creep of a dragon.
Now, she finds that she has to help defeat a demon who intends to rule Mur, and Earth's aliens invaders, hell-bent on destruction, are coming back for a rematch.
Again, the fate of two worlds rests on the small golden shoulders of the human-born dragon who never asked for anything more than to be left alone to live out her less than fortunate life in peace. How will she handle the unexpected changes these events bring about?

• Language: English
• Publisher: P.B. Cannon
• Release date: Dec 3, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310801563

P.B. Cannon

P.B. Cannon was born and raised in Charlotte, NC, and though she has visited other cities and states, she has a preference for Charlotte and expects to live there for the rest of her life.She is a teller of tales who enjoys concocting yarns of science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, and other stuff. She relishes reading, drawing and painting, walking, working crossword puzzles, and she likes to dance.She is a retired electronics technician and admits to having worked at a variety of other jobs during her life, including being a dishwasher, a busgirl, a housemaid, a motel/hotel maid, working in a fast-food joint, a telephone operator, and a store clerk. There have been other, even-less-glamorous jobs.She also daydreams a lot.

Book preview

Tetharia Sonicdragon (whom I called Tet) challenged his brother, Parultia, to a battle for the throne of the dragon kingdom.

While he was battling his brother, my friends and I waited in his quarters for the outcome…

Chapter One

Waiting

"Wow, Juri, this place is incredible!"

I grinned at Mike’s bemused expression as I led them into Tet’s and my suite. Everyone’s face mirrored his.

Yeah, I guess you could say it was kind of lavish.

Okay, so it was lavish, but after all, it was the quarters of a prince of the kingdom, so luxury was to be expected.

Mary Ann, not only a friend but also my brother Mike’s sweetie, was looking around wide-eyed. She spotted the closed door to Tet’s office across the large great-room.

That yer bedroom over there? Can we see it? Ya gonna give us a tour, right?

No, that’s not my bedroom, Mary Ann, but I’ll show it to you, and yes, I’ll give y’all a tour.

This place is a lot bigger and fancier than the one in the castle at Watcher’s Keep, observed Linda.

That it was - fancy, but tasteful.

Spence was eyeballing the room, a slight frown on his face.

Yeah, but where’s the holo and gaming system? All I see are vases and bookcases!

I laughed. I wasn’t surprised that would be the first thing he asked about, considering how much he liked gaming, in particular ones involving space battles. He wouldn’t find any of that type here as, for some reason, the people of Mur didn’t make those; but there were many other kinds. I went over to a wall and tapped a spot next to a scenic painting of the monastery that was on the island of Atalis. The picture slid aside, exposing a panel.

Here you go, Spence. Knock yourself out. It works the same as the one at Watcher’s Castle.

He came over grinning, his eyes avid as he examined the array of controls behind the panel door.

Nickel said, Well, you can do that if you want, Spence. All I wanna know is, where’s the kitchen? I’m hungry!

I was betting they all were. They had come with Tet to Mur to help rescue me from Prince Multehran, Tet’s asinine nephew who was also, unfortunately, my betrothed. The idiot decided to kidnap me because he was irate that Tet wouldn’t allow him to be alone with me…and basically, because he was an idiot.

I had my kidnapper - and now, fortunately, my ex-betrothed - magically bound by the time they made it to where I was (I have a tendency to not just sit around waiting to be rescued), but they fought hard. Without them, I probably would’ve had to burn the place down to escape from his guards.

Where do you want me to stash the frog, Juri? asked Nickel. He snickered. Though I reckon we could have frog legs for dinner.

Oh. Yeah. That. I accidentally, um, how shall I put this - befrogged my intended, which is one way of looking at it, I suppose. It was a reason why I would no longer have to marry the… dickhead, and it was a good thing as otherwise, it was probable that I would’ve had to kill him.

Nickel had him upside down by his hind legs, and His Royal Froggyness gave a croak that sounded somewhat twitchy at the mention of frog legs for dinner.

I chuckled, although if I were making a list of really disgusting things to chow down on, eating his legs would’ve been at the very top.

"Hmm… well, there’s the powder room, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to put him in there - too much in and out - and I sure don’t want him to even see the inside of my bedroom." I studied the newly transformed amphibian.

He was turning a darker shade of greenish-gray, with bronze hints that matched the color of his scales when he was a dragon. Bet he was the only blue-eyed frog in existence, though, not knowing much about frogs, I could’ve been wrong.

Why not put him in the emissary’s bathroom? suggested Linda.

I nodded. Good idea. I led the way to Tet’s room, and everybody followed.

Damn, tha’s a ginormous bed! said Mary Ann rubbernecking around the room.

I guess that’s because he’s a gigantic dragon, observed Spence. "The guy has got to be at least eight feet tall."

I grinned. They were both right.

Mike said, with a wary look on his face when he spotted a closed door in a wall that was shared with my room, Is that a closet - or a door to your bedroom?

Door to my room. I eyed him, wondering why it would make a difference.

He doesn’t go in there, does he? He looked at the door with suspicion.

"What? No, he doesn’t. He’s my guardian, Mike. He wouldn’t come in unless he thought I was in danger or something. He always knocks, and he comes around to my main door to do that." Well, most of the time, but judging from his reaction to there being a door directly from Tet’s room to mine, I didn’t think that was something I should mention.

Tet would never have tried anything like what Mike was thinking, but I caught that my big brother was being over-protective. I believe he was trying to make up for all the years we spent apart - and for the time he whaled into me when we were younger, and the hate-Juri factor kicked in for him. Bless his heart.

I supposed I needed to go ahead and tell him that it was something I didn’t hold against him. Yeah, it had hurt - above all, my feelings - but after all, you can’t change the past. I’d gotten over it. For the most part.

"Sorry, okay. You’re right. His job is to protect you. I guess I worry too much."

I chuckled and gave him a pat on the back. No need to apologize. I appreciate your concern but don’t worry. I’m fine.

I opened the bathroom door and waited for the comments on how big and swank it was to die down, then we stood trying to decide if we needed to put the frog in a box or some other container. Or to just put him down and shut the door.

How high can he jump? asked Spence.

Can’t he talk? Mary Ann wanted to know, eyeing the frog.

Uh, I don’t know how high he can jump, and no, he can’t talk. Believe me, if he could, we would know it by now, and y’all would’ve wanted to duct-tape his mouth shut to keep from bashing him upside a wall. He didn’t know how to shut up when he was a dragon, and I’m betting being turned into a frog wouldn’t shut him up any. Yep, not being able to talk was, without doubt, in Multehran’s favor. It was helping to keep him alive.

For now, let’s put him in the bathtub with a little water, suggested Nickel. He looks a little dry, and it’s a deep tub, so he’ll have to scramble to get out.

So that’s what we did. He sat there looking up at us with what seemed to be a baleful glare, though I couldn’t be sure. Could’ve just been the way frogs look. The pale-blue eyes were creepy.

Do you think he’s hungry? Mike wondered.

I suppose he could be, though maybe not that much. We’d just finished dinner when the fun began. I wasn’t much hungry myself, but I could’ve used a snack.

What do frogs eat anyway? Linda wanted to know.

Spence gave a mischievous grin as he looked down at the frog prince. I believe they eat insects.

Multehran looked sick.

Ew. I shrugged. Well, there’re no insects in here. He’s going to have to be satisfied with whatever’s in the fridge. Come on, let’s get out of here. We shut the door and headed for the kitchen.

How long do you think the fight will last? asked Mike as they settled on the bar stools around the island kitchen counter.

I shrugged as I opened the fridge and started pulling stuff out to make sandwiches.

*

During the incident that led to the, er, befrogging of Multehran, Tet came to understand he had made a serious mistake about a certain matter involving his brother, Parultia, the king.

Parultia became the king when he fought and ousted their father, King Largurlan, who not only appointed Tet as emissary to Earth but also commanded him to be my guardian.

Tet’s mistake: when Parultia made his play for the throne, Tet didn’t object. He told me it was the way of their world, and even though he had to save the old king from being unnecessarily killed during the fight, he still hadn’t fought his brother for the throne.

He had two reasons for not doing so. One, he had no desire to rule; and two: he thought that no matter how his brother felt about him or their father, he would never do anything to endanger the kingdom.

I can’t say that I fault him for not wanting to rule, but he was wrong about reason number two. Here’s why.

Aside from being the dragon born of humans and predestined to open the doorways between the dimensions of Earth and Mur so that the people of Mur could come help us out with kicking the asses of obnoxious alien invaders, I was also obliged to fix the core of Mur, which was unstable and had to be resynchronized every few millennia.

Yeah, a mouthful, I know. Be patient. I’m getting to it.

In spite of me having performed the repair job so well it would never have to be done again, the new king was not appreciative. He gave me a caveat for continuing to provide the aid to Earth the old king had already begun sending: he would keep the supplies coming only if I promised to marry Multehran, the spoiled piece of dragon shit that was his son.

This put the wellbeing of both Earth and Mur in peril because the pledge to help Earth was a magical bargain made eons ago with an entity called Magic. If the ancient promise wasn’t kept, the entity would abandon Mur, causing it eventually to die in spite of the core fix. Unfortunately, the new king didn’t believe in the entity Magic.

And there you have it.

This negated Tet’s reason number two for not fighting his brother.

I knew the entity Magic existed - I actually met it, had practically been the entity - and I couldn’t let all the work I put into saving the planet in the first place go to waste, could I? So, I agreed to become betrothed to the idiot prince.

It was only after the unimaginably stupid fuck-up of an excuse for a dragon shanghaied me that Tet saw his error in judgment and scratched his reason number two for not fighting his brother. He still wasn’t dying to rule, but he felt he had no choice, so he issued a challenge for the throne.

The struggle for the throne isn’t physical. Instead, it’s a magical duel fought on the psychic plane, and even though I thought Tet would win, I didn’t want to leave Mur until it was decided.

So, that’s why my friends the Musketeers, a group of five humans that included my brother, were with me in the quarters at the royal palace that I shared with my guardian. We were waiting for the outcome.

*

Mary Ann came over to help me carry the load of snack stuff back to the counter.

I answered my brother’s question. I don’t know that much about the fight, Mike, except that the contenders use magic and mental skills. They keep at it until one throws the other from the psychic plane. How they do that or how it gives the winner the Mantle of Power is a mystery to me. When Parultia fought King Largurlan, they were at it for several hours.

We found bread in the pantry and bottles and jars of different condiments. The guys joined us and helped lug the goodies. Linda grabbed bottles of tea from the fridge. We settled back around the island and broke out the bread to start making sandwiches.

"Gives the winner the what?" This came from Spence, who was in the process of putting a spread on two slabs of bread.

"The Mantle of Power. It’s a magical, um, mechanism that allows the king to rule. Tet said anybody can try to win it, but except for members of the royal family, most folk aren’t strong enough. According to Tet, they begin training for the competition when they’re young. My understanding is that the fight isn’t easy - even with the training - and either one of the contenders could die."

Do you think Emissary Tetharia will win? asked Linda from her seat next to Spence.

I believe he will. King Parultia thinks Tet’s not as strong as he is, but he’s wrong. I’ve seen the guy in action, and I don’t think he’ll have a problem. Hoped not, anyway.

I wasn’t hungry, but I did want a snack, so I made myself a sandwich with only one layer and got one of the small bottles of tea.

So, when ya gonna tell us what Mr. Pompous-Ass meant before he became Mr. Frog-Face when he said somethin’ ‘bout what was gonna happen if ya din’t marry him? Mary Ann was watching my face, perhaps trying to assess my reaction to the question.

I should’ve known that remark wouldn’t slip by her. She was sharp.

I’d already decided to tell them about the deal I had to make with King Parultia, as there was no point in continuing to withhold that information. They’d already heard about the entity Magic, now I also told them why it was imperative that Mur keep its promise to help.

So Mur will be toast if they don’t send us some help? And the king didn’t believe it? asked Nickel, raising an eyebrow.

I nodded.

They were shaking their heads with varying degrees of disgust at King Parultia. Yeah, it was crappy, all right.

So, how’d you get the residue? The emissary didn’t explain that part when he told us about you having it, said Linda.

I told them of how the Magic merged with me on the Isle of Narlom where I had to go to fix the core, and how it left that residue within me that allowed me to change Nickel to a magical and Multehran into a frog.

I did not tell them exactly how I made the core fix permanent. No point in doing that. Nobody ever seemed to remember that part after hearing it anyway; it was as if Nalthur - the deceitful and nasty fire dragon I sacrificed to a volcano - had never existed. Besides, whenever I thought about it, my insides clenched, and my thoughts darkened and fractured.

The only one that remembered Nalthur, other than me, was Tet. It was possible the royal mages remembered, too, but there had been no opportunity for me to ask them yet. Tet and I had come to the conclusion it had something to do with the entity Magic, and Tet said he was going to ask Abbot Sather about it. Maybe he would know why - if he remembered Nalthur.

I had something else I needed to tell them.

There’s one other thing you guys should know, I said. I didn’t want to tell them, but I knew they’d find out eventually. Especially since all of Mur knew. I was a bit surprised none of our dragon friends in their squad had said anything about it already.

I took a deep breath. Before I was forced into the engagement to Multehran, I was betrothed to Tet.

Silence fell over the room.

Then Mary Ann exclaimed, "No way!" Her chocolate eyes seemed to get twice as big as usual.

What? Mike sounded strangled. His eyes narrowed.

The others were staring at me so hard I could almost feel it.

Why? Linda asked.

So I explained about how the old king had decreed it, and how Tet and I came to an agreement and why. By the time I got through, Mary Ann was nodding.

"Yeah, that makes sense inna weird sorta way. I think it woulda worked out awright, Juri. I’m witcha on that. The emissary does seem like a stand-up guy who woulda kept his word about waitin’ ‘til ya were old enough, an’ lettin’ ya go later if you wanted out. She shook her head. So I guess King Parultia made y’all break yer engagement."

He did.

Somethin’s wrong with ‘im that he’d do a thing like that. No tellin’ what else he might do. Now I know why th’ emissary decided ta fight him - he shoulda done it sooner!

Smart girl.

Linda nodded. I believe Emissary Tetharia would’ve made a good husband, too - I mean, since you had to have one anyway.

What will you do now, Juri? Will you still have to marry somebody? Mike looked uncomfortable, though he seemed to have gotten over what had started out as outrage.

I mean, Tet’s almost a hundred and thirty-five years old. I’m sixteen. Can’t blame a brother for being somewhat shocked at his sister agreeing to marry someone that much older. Of course, Multehran was only six years younger than Tet, but that was a forced thing so therefore different in Mike’s eyes. I also thought I understood what he was most uncomfortable with; he didn’t like thinking about Tet and me in an intimate situation. Didn’t blame him. I didn’t much like to think about it, either.

I don’t know, Mike. I hope not. I hope I can talk Tet into making an exception in my case, but I don’t know if he will - or if he can. I sighed. I was hoping, but I didn’t feel optimistic. I decided not to worry about it for now. Besides, the point would be moot if Tet didn’t manage to win against his brother. I got up to begin helping clear away the mess we’d made.

Hey, shouldn’t we feed the frog? asked Spence. He was getting ready to rake his crumbs into the trash container.

Oh, yeah. Multehran had slipped my mind. As everybody went back to the living room, I took a few meat scraps to Tet’s bathroom. I didn’t know what frogs ate, but if, as Spence suggested, they ate insects, that probably meant they could eat meat, so the scraps ought to do the trick. If not, I’d think of something later.

Multehran was still sitting in the bottom of the tub in the small puddle of water we ran for him. He peered up at me as I dropped the meat crumbs in front of him. He stared at them, then back up at me. He looked disdainful as if he had no intention of eating them.

I shrugged. If he were waiting for caviar or something, he would be waiting ‘til Hell was full of snowballs as far as I was concerned.

Well, if you don’t eat that, I have no idea what else to bring you. I suppose I could have a servant go catch insects for you… no? --he gave a hoarse croak and looked horrified-- Then I suggest you eat this. I really don’t care if you do, Multehran, and you might as well quit looking at me like that. I can’t change you back and wouldn’t if I could. You’re getting exactly what you deserve. Just be grateful I didn’t kill you. I turned and left the bathroom.

I glanced back as I shut the door and saw him shoot out a long tongue and snag a meat scrap. Guess he decided he was hungry after all.

Chapter Two

A Message from the Abbot

In the great-room, the guys were fiddling with the gaming system. Mary Ann and Linda wanted to see the rest of the suite, so I took them on a tour.

We were standing in Tet’s rather impressive study, and I was reading off the titles to some of the numerous books in his bookcase to Mary Ann. She’d asked if she could borrow the book on dragon grammar because she wanted to start learning to read the language. I knew she wouldn’t have any problems with it. After all, when we started picking up the spoken language months ago, she soon outpaced everybody. Well, except for me. I’m not as smart as she is, but I have an eidetic memory. It helps with stuff, like languages and magic spells. Not so much with math.

I heard a soft chime. At first, I thought it was Tet’s pocket phone until I remembered he took it with him when we left to go to Earth a month ago, and he likely had it in his weapons pouch with him now - in whatever corner of the royal palace he was hiding. The sound was coming from the desk.

What’s chiming? asked a puzzled Linda, looking around.

Hey, somethin’s lit up on th’ desk, said Mary Ann, pointing.

She was right. On Tet’s massive desk, there was an ornate, gold picture frame that contained the image of the fire dragon he told me was his deceased wife. It was glowing, and the sound was coming from there.

We watched, mystified, as the glow, which had replaced the picture, faded. A face formed within the frame, but it wasn’t the one there before. And it moved. Surprised, I realized I was looking at Abbot Sather, mage and head of the monastery on the island of Atalis.

He blinked and stared out at us, an agitated expression on his wrinkled, black-scaled face. Took me a long moment to realize that the picture frame was also an elaborate, camouflaged, scrying crystal. Never saw one like that before, but then, I was a newcomer to the world of magic. I still had tons to learn.

Abbot Sather? What--?

He interrupted. Princess Juri. Good. I hoped to find you at hand. There is not much time so pay heed. Tetharia is in dire need of your assistance. You must get to the psychic plane straightaway, or all will be lost.

Huh? But why, sir? I don’t know how--

I know. Listen with care: King Parultia has committed an illegal act. He was failing in his battle with Tetharia, and he summoned a demon to aid in his fight. He has lost control, and it has procured the Mantle of Power. It does not yet wear it, but it will only be a matter of time. Tetharia battles to retrieve it, but the demon has called on the power of the dark realm. I do not have time to explain further. You must seek out one of Tetharia’s other siblings, who can facilitate you in getting onto the psychic plane. Go to the Princess Terinia, as she is closest to your location. Please, trust me, little dragon! You must move quickly, or Mur will be lost!

A demon? They were real, too? I shouldn’t have been surprised considering that I was on a world in a different dimension occupied by dragons and all sorts of magicals - er, including me. I didn’t argue with him. Shit, if Mur was lost, then Earth would be, too. I cussed the king in silence for the brainless ass-head he was. Sure could see where Multehran got it from. I nodded.

Yes, sir. On my way.

The abbot dipped his head, and then the regular picture was back.

Hey, ya need us ta go witcha, Snake Butt? asked Mary Ann, her eyes concerned.

I started back into the great-room.

Just say the word - we’re ready, declared Linda as they followed me out. Bless their hearts. Once again, they were prepared to help, no questions asked. I shook my head.

No, she’s not far. Won’t take me long to get there.

Princess Terinia, a fire dragon and the younger of Tet’s two sisters, had a suite in the main building on the floor right above Tet’s, and I figured since it was three hours past dinner, she would be home. I didn’t have a pocket phone, and even if I had one, I didn’t know her number. But, I could get there in a minute - even less if I ran fast enough.

Mike looked up from the game as I ran from the study with the girls hot on my heels. He took one look at our faces, and his eyebrows rose.

What is it? He laid down his game controller.

I stopped. No time to explain, Mike. I have to find Tet’s sister. Stay here. I’ll be back as fast as I can. I started for the exit door.

I don’t know what’s happening, Juri, but I’m coming with you!

Crap. He would slow me down, but I heard the determination in his voice, and I knew how stubborn he could be, so I nodded. Faster than arguing with him.

Okay, but the rest of you stay here. We’ll be back. Linda, you and Mary Ann tell Nickel and Spence what you heard.

I took off out the door with Mike close behind. I described what little I knew of the problem as we rushed toward the princess’ rooms. Surprisingly, he didn’t slow me down as much as I thought he would.

As we drew near, Princess Terinia’s scent was strong enough for me to ensure that she was, for sure, at home. Hers was mingled with that of two others, one of which was her sixteen-year-old daughter’s, Princess Terani. I didn’t recognize the other scent.

You sure you can trust this abbot guy? asked Mike as we reached the suite. I mean, what if he’s lying? He sure didn’t tell you much. What if it’s some kind of trap?

He did have a point, but I trusted Abbot Sather. I was taking his word for it. He’d never lied to me before - had been a little oblique about the exact way I was going to have to do a permanent fix for the core, maybe, but he hadn’t lied. Just hadn’t wanted to scare the shit out of me, I think.

"I do trust him, Mike. There wasn’t time for a full explanation. Besides, I can’t think of any reason why he’d be lying or setting a trap for me."

We were outside the door by then, and as I reached to ring the bell, it swung open. Princess Terinia, her eyebrows raised, stood there looking down at me.

More than likely, she had smelled me - or heard me coming.

Juri, to what do I owe--?

Sorry to interrupt your evening, ma’am, but I just got a message from Abbot Sather, and he told me to come to you. I explained what he said.

What? Oh my, what was Parultia thinking? She was appalled. I guess she knew her brother, though, because she never hesitated or questioned me.

She eyed us for a moment then said, Wait. It is not a good idea to do what has to be done from here. We will go back to Tet’s abode.

She turned and hurried back in. Through the short entry hall, I noticed Princess Terani standing in the doorway to another room, her steel-gray eyes wide with surprise at seeing us. She gave me a tentative smile and a little wave. I wiggled my fingers back at her.

An older male sonic dragon with the same deep blue eyes as Orlo, one of my Watcher friends, stuck his head out from what was probably the living room. He had a glass in one hand and wore a friendly expression. He was the source of the other scent I’d caught. He came out into the entryway when he saw us standing at the door, and though I’d never seen him before, it was obvious he knew who I was.

I gathered he was Princess Terinia’s husband. She never got around to introducing him to me as I was busy at the time with learning the spells for the core fix, and then I left for the Isle of Narlom right afterward. After that, I went back to Earth without seeing much of anybody.

He smiled and tipped his head in greeting.

Princess Juri, I am pleased to meet you at last.

Before he could say anything else, Princess Terinia interrupted. I am sorry, dear, but as you have heard, there is a pressing matter to which I must attend.

He nodded and clasped her around the waist, drawing her into a brief embrace. He turned back to me.

Another time, then, when things are not so urgent, Princess, he said, gazing with curiosity at Mike. Their daughter remained silent, her pretty face of black-tipped gray scales solemn as she stared out at us.

Princess Terinia took her daughter’s hand and gave her a quick, reassuring kiss on the cheek, then she stepped back through the entry hall to the door.

On the way back, I explained who Mike was, and when we got to Tet’s suite, I gave a quick introduction of my other friends, just pointing and naming. The room was quiet as she hauled out her pocket phone.

There is need of one other person, Juri. It is imperative to have a physician in attendance for such an effort. She pressed a key on the phone.

A physician? I couldn’t think of why we’d need one, but there was one nearby on the same floor as Tet’s quarters. I guessed a lot of explanations were going to have to wait until later.

The princess, smiling at my confused look, said, I do not have time to make a full explanation, little dragon, and I truly hope he will not be needed, but it is essential to have him here in the event his services are required.

Okay. Whatever.

It had been about ten minutes since I got the abbot’s message, and from what he’d said, it was urgent that we do whatever it was we had to do as fast as possible. I had a bad feeling that time was running out. There was a tap at the door. Nickel ushered a slim fire dragon in through the entry hall and into the great-room. Princess Terinia gave us a hurried introduction to the physician.

Okay, now, what do I have to do? To get to the psychic plane, I mean. I was ready to get this over with.

She gave a quick nod. Come, we will use my brother’s room. I will guide you to the plane. She turned to the Musketeers. It is good that you are here as it will spare us some time. You must be our guards for such is also considered necessary.

Before we could leave, the air hummed. Hah. I’d know that buzz anywhere.

Hello, guys! How’d y’all know I was here? I held out a hand, and one of my little dragonbee friends landed in it.

One of them danced out that the leader at the big cave told them.

In spite of the serious turn of events, I had to smile. Mr. Haskins told them I was in trouble, and bless their little hearts, they’d come to help me. They missed the fight at Multehran’s place, but they were here now. They were small - but fierce. They were great warriors; they killed their enemies from the inside. I was happy they were on our team.

Hey! How’d they get in here? asked a perplexed Spence. The door is shut!

I’ll give you my theory later. The princess and I have to get going. I held up my hand in which three of the tiny, dragon-like creatures sat. I’m glad to see you, but there’s something I have to do right now.

K’laitners, said Princess Terinia calling them by their formal name and tipping her head in greeting as one of the little guys hovered in front of her. Welcome. We will return as soon as we can. Physician Murrillan and these friends of Juri will explain. For the nonce, I ask you to stand guard with the young ones.

They danced out an affirmative, buzzed around my head for a second, then settled on the shoulders of the Musketeers. They were ready. Mary Ann, Linda, Spence, and Nickel knew how well the dragonbees could fight and understood their dance language, so they knew the small creatures would be an asset to have around in a fight. Mike didn’t know about their fighting abilities and couldn’t read their dance language yet, so they would have to explain as he was looking at the dragonbees with a fair amount of skepticism.

Princess Terinia took my hand - golly, why do all these tall people like to take my hand and make me look like a little kid? - and led me to Tet’s bedroom.

Chapter Three

An Altered State of Perception

Lie down. You must clear your mind as you would upon preparing to meditate.

I hopped up on Tet’s enormous bed and settled on my back. I ran my mantra through my mind and began deep breathing to relax. Didn’t take long for me to slip into meditation mode. Thank God for all that practice the mages made me do when they were teaching me the magics for taming Mur’s core. The princess lay down beside me and clasped my hand in one of hers. She turned her face to mine.

"You cannot get to the psychic plane on your own, little dragon, and there is no time to teach you, so I must synchronize my mind to yours and escort you to the plane. To do this, our rylia must entwine." She gave me a reassuring smile.

Rylia. That growth on the skulls of all dragons that humans thought was hair but wasn’t. Twining them with someone else’s seemed such an intimate action that the thought left me a tad uncomfortable. However, I had experienced it once before - with Tet during the purification rite on the Isle of Narlom, so I knew the uneasy feeling would fade.

I guess it shouldn’t have been a surprise that it was the way for the princess to guide me to the psychic plane. Some things just don’t occur to me right off. However, I hadn’t thought she would have to go in, too. It was a good thing she was, though, since I didn’t have a clue as to how I was supposed to find Tet once I got there.

My stomach quivered with anxiety. I took another deep breath and let it out slowly. What was I supposed to do to help Tet against a demon? Trying to maintain my meditation tranquility, I reined that thought in.

The princess placed her head next to mine, and our rylia began to weave together, interlocking. She spoke two words in ancient Tausan - dragon-tongue - and the room began to waver around me. It was very similar to what happened when I went to the realm of the entity Magic during the purification rite. I could feel the princess holding my hand and could feel her tentacles wrapping around my arm, but I couldn’t see her. Maybe she wasn’t coming after all? She gave my hand an encouraging squeeze letting me know she was there.

When I merged rylias with Tet and was precipitated into the realm of magic, I became very calm. This time was different. Instead, I began losing what little calm I had. Then, in the next instant, I was standing in a clearing that had a number of rather large boulders scattered here and there. I looked around the grassy expanse and spotted areas that appeared to have been charred. It was littered with arrows.

There was a stone wall around the clearing that looked as if it had been pieced together in one section, as though it had fallen and then was slapped back up by somebody in a hurry. I could see the tops of trees above the walls, so I concluded it was a forest clearing. I stared for a moment because it looked familiar. The lighting wasn’t bright like in the magic realm, though it wasn’t dark. More like an overcast sky or twilight. There were no stars overhead.

My mouth was dry, and my heart was beating fast. I was… anxious. Okay, so I was scared shitless. In my defense, when I went to the realm of magic, the entity Magic merged with me, keeping me steady. Here, I had no such help - and here, there was a demon.

Not knowing what to expect and feeling exposed out in the open, I ducked down behind one of the big rocks. I looked around. Where the hell was the princess? How was I supposed to find Tet? I sensed a movement to the side and whirled around to see her coming from around a boulder on my left. I stood up and stared in surprise. How’d she get way over there? I sure was relieved to see her.

Ah, little dragon. I see we became separated upon entering. But, she added, smiling, Not by a great distance. She stopped, her pale blue eyes probing the area. Tet should be near this position, else we would not have entered at this point.

She had no sooner said that than Tet’s head popped up from a circular group of rocks wearing a look of astonishment.

"Teri? Juri? I am here. What are you doing here? Quickly, get inside this circle. There is a demon about."

He stepped out, looking around with caution, and hurried us along. He was holding a longbow in which an arrow was nocked. A bow and arrow. Guess that explained the arrows lying around, but… why? I guessed he would tell me.

We went between two of the rocks