Wind whispered through the trees, cleansed my scales of the sticky island humidity. I paused on the forest path just long enough to wipe sweat from my brow, then quickened my steps to catch up with Dranesh, Abido, and the two warrior companions—one male, one female. Their long legs took wide strides, likely to make up for all the breaks we'd taken.

My breath came in sharp puffs as we weaved between nut-brown trunks. When we first set out on our journey, after a hearty breakfast of stewed meat and vegetables, the sun peeked over the four volcanoes ahead. Now, orange light glared through leaves at our back, the culmination of its arc across the sky. It's no wonder my muscles screamed with each step.

The others seemed unphased by the hours of travel, padding onward with relaxed stances. A few times, Dranesh glanced at me from the front of our procession, lips curled in a sneer. Abido wasn't much better. A grin crept onto his face every time we paused for a respite. I supposed it was humorous that I, a mighty dragon, had trouble matching their human pace. But they were probably accustomed to long distances. The warrior's lean muscles spoke of intensive training, and Abido frequented the Gemini's volcano. In contrast, I nearly failed my physical education class in high school, and my dragon legs weren't as strong as my wings.

The trees thinned, opening to a mound of gray rock. It was the first volcano to ascend, though I felt like I'd already climbed ten. Dranesh stopped in the narrow clearing just past the forest, drinking from his wooden water flask. I plopped onto the grass and took a sip of my own tepid water. I wished for an icy beverage, like my sister's homemade strawberry-lemonade. That'd be my first food request once I returned.

Almost there. Yonder two volcanoes awaited deliverance from my dragon body. So close, yet somehow, so far. I turned to Abido, seated a few paces away, eyes trained straight ahead.

"How much longer until we get there?" I asked.

"Not much." His eyes didn't budge from the volcano's crest.

The craggy rock towered over us. It seemed much further than Abido claimed, and another lay beyond. I sagged at the thought. I wasn't sure how much further I could physically walk.

You can do it, Kiara! the dragon said. Just a little bit further, and then you can go home.

The dragon was probably right. I just needed to push past the mental weariness.

Abido took a swig of water, then swiped his hand across his mouth. "Ready to keep going?"

I hauled myself to my feet and joined Dranesh and the warriors at the mountain's base. Abido marched past us, grabbing hold of a notch in the rock. His hands knew exactly where to grab to scurry up the cliff. Dranesh and the male warrior went next, a little slower and more shaky. The female warrior motioned for me to go in front of her.

My claws wriggled into the rocky grooves. One arm reached for the next crack, pulling my body upward. My feet grappled for a ledge before stabilizing. Each strained step was deliberate. I couldn't fall now, not when I was so close.

"You're much stronger than you realize." Virgo's words echoed through my mind, sending power through my veins. I grabbed and heaved up, air in sync with the motion.

Step, step, exhale. Step, step, exhale. Step...

Pain shot through my claw. A yelp squeaked from my lungs, weight shifting to my left paw. My grip loosened. My body was an anchor dragging me to the ground.

Let go, Kiara, the dragon whispered.

What? Are you crazy?

Tears welled in my eyes. My muscles burned, pressure mounting in my arm's socket.

Kiara, you're a dragon. Just fly.

For the first time since I'd experienced dragon brain, I was grateful for the voice. How could I have forgotten? I didn't need to climb, I had wings!

Annoyance thawed my thanks. You couldn't have mentioned that sooner?

I wanted to see how far you'd get, he replied with the innocence of a crook.

If only I could punch that sly dragon. Imagine the bother I could've saved.

My claw opened, and I dipped backward. My wings caught me before I could free-fall. They unfurled at my sides, pumping against the air. Muscles tensed and released, flapped in mighty strokes to lift me onto the moss-coated volcano beside Abido. An inkling of a smile curled his lips.

"I was going to ask why you bothered climbing when you could just fly," he said.

"I guess I forgot," I mumbled. Heat bloomed in my cheeks. "I haven't been a dragon very long, and I don't intend to stay one."

"It's okay," he chuckled, "we all have our moments."

I glanced at my throbbing claw. Blood oozed from where one of my sturdy talons once was.

Abido's eyes landed on my injury. "Don't worry, I'm sure the Gemini will heal it when they transform you back into a human." I hoped he was right. It was such a minor injury, yet it hurt like crazy.

Dranesh's scowling face poked over the side of the cliff. The two solemn warriors followed, though when their wide eyes looked up at me, I perceived a new sense of awe. It was a foreign sight, having that expression directed at me.

My gaze focused on the Gemini's volcano before us. Smoke shrouded the blackened rock, the sides coated in ash. Abido was right, it wasn't much farther.

"Come on," Abido said, before repeating it in his own language. He broke into a jog, and my wings lifted me off the ground. I scaled the last hurtle, talons parking on the volcano's peak before Abido. I took a long sip of water while I waited for the others to arrive, their skin drenched in sweat and lungs panting.

I peered inside the volcano. Dry, reddish-orange rock spiraled in a pathway, dissolving into the abyss.

"Do you need a longer rest?" Abido asked.

I glanced between him, the warriors, and the cavern. Their shoulders slumped ever so slightly with fatigue, less alert than usual. But we had to press ahead. Once I regained my human form, we'd all get a good night's rest.

"No, I'm good."

Abido gave a single nod and started down the volcanic trail. The dried magma scraped my paws as I padded after him. My right forepaw ached due to my broken talon, though at least the running blood crusted into a scab, so I didn't dye the ground red.

The ceiling lowered the deeper we descended, and I had to scrunch my body to fit through the passages. I felt compressed on all sides, almost as bad as my cell when I first arrived on Tocona Isla, almost as bad as the tunnels on Virgo's Island. My only solace was knowing the way out. Heat radiated from the rock, penetrating my bones. Sweat tickled my scales, making my cramped muscles squirm.

The path wound downward aimlessly. Natural light dimmed, replaced by torches embedded in craggy crevices. I leaned away from the flames to avoid being singed as I walked by. Concerns slithered into my thoughts. How long would it take to reach the Gemini's lair? What if they weren't there when we arrived? What if it took them several weeks to get here?

What if we got lost?

Abido took large, confident strides in front of me. He seemed to know exactly where to go. He ought to, considering that he frequented the Star Guardian. I tried to relax, focus on the destination instead of the unbearable journey.

Home. Lani. That was what awaited me.

What was my sister doing right now? Cooking up her favorite meal? In the middle of filming?

Worrying about me? I wanted to believe that I caused no trouble, but at this point, who knew how many people were searching for me.

They'd never be able to find me, not until I returned to my human state.

In the distance, a light glimmered. Not the orangey glow from the torches, but a stream of white that pierced the darkness. Hope fluttered in my chest. We had to be close. My paws quickened their steps, barely feeling the pricks of the rugged ground. In my hurry, my front talons scraped something.

"Try not to scratch me," Abido's voice chuckled.

"Sorry." I slowed my pace with a sting of guilt.

We drew near the source of the light, an arched cut-out in the rock about the size of a five-year-old. Even if I'd been in my normal, five-foot body, I still doubted I'd fit, much less the six-foot tribesmen. But Abido marched toward it, both even bothering to change his posture. He at least had to hunch over to get through. I waited a second before saying anything, then another, then another...

His forehead was inches from the cavern wall.

"Abido, watch—"

My eyes popped open. The stone entrance expanded to his height right as he walked through, then shrunk to its small size, like it just ate the Wiseman. I glanced at the others. The warriors, and even Dranesh, gaped at the door.

Well, if it worked for Abido, might as well try it. I stepped toward the doorway, slower than Abido, just in case the passage didn't open for me. The last thing I needed was a bruised head.

Like prior, the rock expanded right before I smacked into it. Light blinded my eyes, and my paws flung over them as I stumbled forward. Someone grabbed my arm, and a cry flew from my lips.

"It's okay, it's just me," Abido's voice said.

My paws stabilized on the smooth ground, a soothing contrast to the previous path. My shock waned with the light's intensity. Two figures crystallized ahead, a swathe of black hair on their both round faces. A white cloak enveloped their enormous forms, except for their brown hands, which stuck out of the flowing sleeves. For a moment, I thought I was seeing double. But realization settled upon me.

It was the Gemini.

"Greetings," they chorused. They smiled in unison, teeth as white as the glow that encircled them.

My limbs froze along with my vocal chords. I felt inclined to bow or curtsy, but my knees cemented in place. Someone gasped behind me, but I couldn't turn to see who. Power buzzed in the air, enrapturing my attention.

The moment vanished. The glow dissipated, and the twins shrank to human size, no longer giants.

"Ha, we got another one!" the twin on the left laughed.

"Another four, you mean," the other corrected. Over my shoulder, I saw that Dranesh and the other warriors' jaws were slack.

The first twin opened his arms wide, fabric dangling underneath. "Welcome to our cave!"

"How did you find us?" the second said, a glint of mischief in his russet eyes.

"I led the way," Adido said.

"Ah, wonderful!" the first exclaimed.

"Always a pleasure to meet more of your tribe," said the second. "I'm Min."

"And I'm Gem."

All eyes fixed on me. I froze once again.

"H-hello. I'm Kiara."

"Nice to meet you Kiara," the twins said.

Gem's head twisted to his brother. "Kiara, that's a nice name. Nice syllables."

"Yeah," Min agreed. "it's got a hard 'ck' at the beginning, but softens with the 'ee' and 'uh.'"

"Just bold enough, but not crazy, you know?" Gem said. "Not everyday you meet a dragon with that name."

"Yes, well, that seems to be our predicament," Abido began. "You see, Kiara needs to get back home, but she was accidentally turned into a dragon. She needs to be turned back into a human. She needs you to do that for her, since you two are the only ones who know how."

"Accidentally?" Min repeated. "How does one 'accidentally' become a dragon?"

"Yeah, that'd be like us waking up one day as Star Guardians." Gem chortled at his own joke, a deep rumble from his belly. Min stared at him until his brother's laughter died down.

"I didn't think it was that funny," he stated. Gem opened his mouth to reply, but Min interrupted him. "Tell us, Kiara, how did you become a dragon?"

I swallowed the tiniest bit of saliva in my dry mouth. "I, uh, washed up on Virgo's Island during a storm. While I was there, a spider bit me and turned me into a dragon."

The two were silent for a minute, their full lashes blinking at me.

"Wow," Gem finally said.

"Wow," Min said.

"That's a long way."

"How d'you end up there?"

"I washed up during a storm," I said. The muscles in my shoulders quivered. Though my dragon body loomed over them, they commanded an inexplicable control over the lair—over my fate.

"But...you're a mortal." Gem's face quirked in the most winsome puzzlement.

"Virgo was confused, too," I said. Not the answer they wanted, but hopefully it'd suffice.

"Why a dragon?" Min asked.

"I don't know. It just...bit me." I shrank at the words. I felt like this was a test, and I was failing with flying colors..

"Huh. The dragon curse."

"The dragon curse." Gem's eyes enlarged as he said the words.

The volcano quieted. Gem and Min gazed at me, not intensively focused, just...bored. Amused smiles danced across their lips, but neither spoke. Nerves clogged my thoughts into an endless loop.

Please say something. Change me back. Please say something. Change me back.

Adrenaline fired in my veins, mounting until I could explode. My heart pounded so loudly it could drown any reply they gave. My eyes flicked around the room. Abido's confidence crumbled with his posture. His fingers slid over each other in a soundless, snapping motion.

"So...are you going to change her back?" Abido finally asked.

"Yes."

"No."

My body went still. The twins' faces whipped toward each other.

"What do you mean no?" Gem said.

"What do you mean by yes?" Min countered.

The two glared at each other. And I thought my fights with the dragon were bad.

"She wants to go home," Gem declared. "Actually, she needs to go home. You heard what Abido said."

"She can go home like this," Min said, gesturing in my direction.

"Of course not! Do you know what—"

"She'll be fine," Min insisted. "There is much to be learned from the dragon. Can't you see how timid she is? She needs more confidence, and the dragon can teach her that."

"What does it matter?" Gem argued. "In the end, she can't live the rest of her life as a dragon."

Min's arms folded across his chest, lost in the billowing cloth. "Well, she should. The best business men and women aren't feeble mice."

Gem rolled his eyes. "I mean a physical dragon. Besides, what if she doesn't want to be a businesswoman? What if she wants to be, I don't know, an accountant?"

Min smirked. "Really? An accountant?" He paused for a moment. "Actually, they can be pretty savvy."

"Okay, well like a dog-walker, or, I don't know, something else." Gem concluded with a glare.

"We can change her back in a few years," Min countered. "But she must first learn her lesson. Besides, I think there's more to this story than meets the eye. First of all, she washes up as a mortal. I shouldn't have to remind you of this, but that's not supposed to happen."

"It's because she has Pisces' belt around her waist," Gem said.

"Second, why did the spider choose her? Something webby is going on here, and I'm not about to mess with it."

The voices of the Gemini faded through the halls. Time lagged until only my hammering heart moved. I was numb to all but the desperation flitting in the pit of my stomach.

No.

No, it couldn't be. I couldn't have traveled so far just to be rejected now. So close to Lani, so close to home. I didn't want confidence. I despised the dragon in my brain. I needed Lani.

"Kiara? Are you okay?"

Abido's hand on my shoulder eased me from my trance. The Gemini regarded me as their echos lulled.

My bottom jaw trembled. "L-lesson? I-I n-need to l-learn a l-lesson?"

Tears blurred my vision, but I bit the inside of my cheeks to keep them from spilling. Stay strong.

"You need to learn to be yourself," Min said. "Come back in a few years. I don't see enough of a dragon in you yet."

Before I could reply, Min evaporated into a cloud of smoke. I stared at where he'd just been. That was it. His decision was final.

"I'm sorry." Gem's voice cut through the air, dragging me back to Earth.

Abido's eyes flickered, searching for the words to say. "Gem, can't you help?"

"I want to, I really do," Gem said. "But I am powerless without Min's consent. Our strength comes from the two of us, not just one."

"Is there any chance he'll change his mind?" I blurted out. The Guardian's chest rose and fell. My eyes pleaded with him to say yes, and he wanted to tell me yes, to reassure me in any way possible.

But he shook his head slowly. "No."

The word pierced me, deflated my pent up hopes—the only feeling that broke me from Oamer, that kept me afloat during the days at sea. Now my anticipation disintegrated. I was glass shattered in a million pieces on the floor. There was no chance for restoration, not as a dragon. A tear slipped down my face, but I fiercely wiped it away.

"I'm sorry, Kiara," Gem said. "I'm so, so sorry. I can't...I don't know what to do."

"Is there anyone else who can help me?" I begged.

"No." His tone no longer evoked the power it had when I first entered the lair. It was higher in pitch, frail.

My head spun. I'd been gone for so long. I had my fun, but now I needed to go home. I had to.

Gem's lips upturned in one last forlorn smile. In an instant, he disappeared, too.

Water misted my vision, fogging the room. My legs buckled, though I barely felt the stone's impact under me. This can't be happening, this can't be real. I wanted to believe that I'd wake up at any moment, that this was some sort of nightmare.

But it wasn't so.

"Let's go, Kiara," a voice said. Vaguely, I felt my side scrape the ground, being pulled from the lair.