Muse Paisley

Silver-Green and I spent the next three weeks observing Red Claw Village and drinking massive glasses of hot chocolate and spicy dragon mint tea.

We watched Gloria, and I honestly felt bad for her, but she attended her therapy sessions.

Mason and Holbrook prepared the village for the mass evacuation.

Deb's AI came upon the screen. "Dragons won't buy our products. Anyone who doesn't support you is your enemy and should be cut out of your life. This is war because they want to keep you from success."

The TV flickered off, and dragons packed up their lives.

In Mason's downtime from helping pack, he wrote two rough drafts of one-act plays with headsets while Holbrook practiced guitar. Afterward, they sat together with an odd contentment.

"Charlotte found your dad's prison record—mostly petty stuff, but nothing involving your sister," Holbrook said. "Your father is a dead end."

"Looks that way, but something else came up." He spoke to Holbrook. "I received a text from Frank that the holographic projector was corrupted after he handed it over to Nickel."

Holbrook sent messages to Mason by spelling words in the palm of Mason's hand.

Mason and Holbrook walked out into the darkness and followed the dim lights to the solar ships, run by backup power.

Cult forces were coming to eradicate them because they defied her.

Gloria's family boarded her grandfather's solar ship with thousands of dragons from her Red Claw and other villages. Dragons gathered tools, seeds, bedding, ovens, fruiting plants, furs, ostriches, and sheep and carried them on board. Commander Nickel and a hundred agents acted as personal guards.

Three other solar ships were loaded with printing presses and all kinds of objects of magic and wonder. Okay, it was a bunch of pointless tools, animals, and textiles.

Commander Nickel handed more bags off. "Rob would shoot down these ships if Kay wasn't in control." She grabbed her suitcase and backpack.

"There have only been four dragon cultists," Gloria's grandfather, Stew, said.

"Rob is trying to establish Kay's ex-husband as heir, and if that happens, he will kick you all out or arrest you," Commander Nickel said.

Stew snorted twice before speaking. "Rob is the mirror of his mother. Quin kicked us off our planet because she had money and influence with the ruling class. I'm sick of being scattered, and Kay's son is offering us an actual home."

"Sir, I never asked you more intense questions about Quin?" Mason asked.

Gloria's grandfather snorted. "Call me Stew. If I decided to unalive anyone, I'd choose Rob, but I'd rather see him go bankrupt. He, his mother, and Deb are mirrors of each other. They're all the same."

"Why does Stew need five solar ships?" A guard asked Commander Nickel.

"Because the dragons want to take everything, including the goods they sell to outsiders." The commander swung two more bags over her shoulders. "Ride in Charlotte Shuttleman, and I'll meet you in the new village in a couple of weeks. Dragons will host building parties. Rob won't let them step foot in his cities because they have competing shops."

Holbrook nodded. "I bet Rob is trying to steal prime farming."

"No, the new king gave us a portion of Badlands, and Rob is furious because he can't dictate anything. The Badlands will be tamed," Gloria's grandfather said. "Only fifteen of our kin are coming with us. The rest are other dragons who defied Deb-Dagger."

Mason and Holbrook left and loaded their luggage on board the living space shuttle, Charlotte.

"Do we have to live in Rob's city? He named his main one Rob, is Awesome. He'd be upset if he didn't pick where I live." Holbrook pressed her lips to his wolf-like mouth.

He transformed into a human man.

Mason and Holbrook stared at each other and kissed each other again.

I turned off the screen and gave them privacy. Seeing my friend take a romantic interest in Mason was weird.

I turned on the screen four hours later. Charlotte approached the hidden planet, camouflaged to appear like a minefield. Half the planet was barren.

A thought filled my head. Kay couldn't be a cultist. She could pull down the force field and cloak when she wanted. Rob had to have known that.

"Yes, I already know that she is not a villain." Mason transformed back into a wolf humanoid.

"Stop reading my thoughts." I tossed the notebook before picking it up on the floor.

What an ugly planet. Hidden Dream is, or at least, this part of the planet. I understood why Rob's mother chose it. The cities inside the badlands were hard to reach.

The layover city from far away was more like a rock spit that no one wanted to live on, let alone attack.

My planet has monumental buildings with round doors and snug, nest-like bedrooms with piles of blankets. I wondered what kind of stiff beds the citizens were forced to sleep on.

As if the collection of small towns came further into view, built to be a little oasis if you didn't venture into the prison.

Trees, rivers, cottages, a small theater, farms, greenhouses, and shops waited for me to explore.

"Birdie said that tourists from the large islands descend on the town like locusts every summer," Mason said to Holbrook as they disembarked.

Charlotte transformed herself into a pendant that Holbrook wore.

Birdie met them at the spaceport.

The brothers hugged.

"You'll be picked up by Zander Phall in a few days. Mom felt you needed a break. I have space, but she never told me one of her agents was coming with you. You were on the last call."

"I'm your brother's girlfriend," Holbrook corrected. "But yes, I am also one of your mother's agents. She has had a keep away from family approach until recently."

"Yes, she has." Birdie took them all, including a shrunken Charlotte, into his self-driving car. "Mason, I'm sorry for taking this job."

"So, Kay wants you as a pet."

"Rob had a deal with the old king, and the high court won't hear my case for three years." Birdie pointed to his legs. "Mom thought Rob was the one who tried to run me over, but she was wrong."

Birdie stopped the car in front of his cottage home, and he helped them inside.

It was obvious Birdie Even-Core lived alone in the five-bedroom stone cottage. The dining table was covered with computers, cameras, and books. The rest of the house was warm, clean, and smelled like soap.

A news photo of the Salamander children was on the wall, taken a month after Quin's funeral. Shanna's hair was dark, her wrists were bandaged, and a patch covered her right eye. There was a brief note about her going to receive more plastic surgery.

Holbrook grabbed Mason's hand and traced a full message with her finger, and he wrote back.

"Is that real?" Holbrook blurted her question.

"Yes, you are correct," he answered.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

'She found a clue and guessed my secret,' Mason thought. 'Too bad you don't know what it is.'

"I'll help you save her," Holbrook said softly.

Mason nodded in agreement.

They talked and sang for hours. Birdie took them to a diner for lunch.

A host directed them to a black and red table. He handed them carrot-themed menus.

Happy diners munched on salads and hummus wraps.

"Mason, does Tricia still talk about me?" Birdie asked his brother.

"Occasionally, but she started dating someone else," Mason said.

"Why did I take this job? She could have been the one." Birdie lowered his head, and he turned into a raven. He turned back leaving behind feathers. "I like ravens, they're monogamous. And I haven't dated since Tricia and I broke up. She understood me. And I didn't know she was my raven until I lost her."

"Call her then," Mason said. "Her new boyfriend is a placeholder for you."

"I will." Birdie coughed up a feather. "What am I a cat?"

Everyone ordered from the food kiosk at their table. The waiter brought out a massive platter, and Charlotte's glowing arm grabbed two plates of rainbow salad.

"Charlotte, you love your salad as much as I do." Birdie stole a cherry tomato off her plate.

Everyone ate, laughed, and talked. Birdie paid for everyone's meal.

His jovial grin turned downward, and he lowered his voice on the way out. "I have something important to say. Someone removed two million credits from one of my fake accounts," Birdie said. "I attempted to put a lock on it or locate the dummy account, but the court is being slow."

"Have grandma trace it," Mason said. "I don't think it's Kay."

"Kay showed me bank statements that proved she has no more access to the accounts than I do," Birdie said.

"That means my suspicions might be correct," Mason said.

A robot ran through the parking lot and fired at them. Holbrook fired back and struck the robot.

The metallic man fell and crashed between two parked cars.

She bent down and examined the robot after deactivating it. "Deb probably has cultists here but didn't want to come after us herself."

"We'll have to tour the town on our next visit," Mason said.

Birdie took them back to his large home. "My neighborhood has security that Kay provides."

A few days passed, and Birdie dropped them off at the spaceport. "I'm sorry I couldn't take you to the playhouse before the robot came."

"No, I loved my visit." Mason hugged his brother again.

Birdie left.

Zander Phall and General Allen met them on the private landing strip, holding a spice cake.

Allen guided them on board Zander's ship.

The dining room was luxurious compared to the rest of the penal ship.

Abstract art hung on the rust-colored walls, and electric candles were at every table.

"I brought you a yummy cake. Aren't you glad to see me?" Zander's face quickly morphed into a bunny. He set the cake on the table.

"The bakers call it Marshmallow Paradise Spice," her father said.

The scent of cinnamon filled the booth.

Zander led them to his ship. His puffball tail twitched.

"You need to sleep, but here you go." Zander cut a piece off.

The cake vanished bit by bit. "I choose when I sleep." Charlotte munched on Mason's piece.

"Charlotte, I'll fly you to the colony." His human features returned to normal.

"Wow, it's so different as a guest." Holbrook opened a metal cabinet and gathered the plates. She sliced the cake and handed out pieces.

She removed a hidden guitar and played terribly in her seat.

Zander snatched her instrument and locked it up. "How many guitars have you stashed away? This is my ship!" His face twitched.

"None of then are where a prisoner can find it, but I have seventeen stashed." Holbrook was delightfully petty, determined, and obnoxious. I forgot why I adored her so much. She struggled to survive and remain goofy.

"How long do we have to stay here?" Mason asked.

"Your next job is to protect Rob Salamander from Deb and sing a song with a smile." He took a bite of the cake. "Mason, your mom is not settled in the safe house. Land bought from Rob Salamander is expensive, but the house has three rooms, so it should be enough." Zander rested his hand on the table. "You and your father have to stay with Commander Nickel until both receive your housing assignments."

"Stop forcing a relationship or friendship. That is not happening," General Allen said.

"You don't have a choice! There is a fake housing shortage. I already gave all the info about the cult I know. You're going to have to accept everything I've done or fire me. I was a minor when I joined." Zander's foot thumped, and he fell on Holbrook.

General Allen shoved Zander into his seat. "Little man, in a real fight, I could kill you with my bare hands. This isn't play-acting. Don't touch my daughter."

Zander stuck out his tongue at the general. "It was an accident, and I never want to touch her. She is too obnoxious. Your sweet little girl is waiting for marriage, and don't get me started on Nickel."

"Stop it," Kitten Allen said.

Zander screamed in General Allen's face. "Babette Nickel is the world's worst kisser and breaks into fits of tears every time we try. She eats what can only be described as rotted garbage mixed with onions. Ask Frank. He'll back me up. It's why he cheated. That woman hates normal affection, which is why Frank was the only boyfriend she had that lasted longer than a month."

"We're done with this conversation," Allen said.

"No, we're not. I hate you! You didn't protect my son. You'd have cared if it was Holbrook." He swung at General Allen. "Saint Kitten Allen, taking in the girl no one wanted. She is a strong adult and is capable of protecting herself, but my son couldn't."

Kitten Allen jumped over the table and twisted Zander's arm.