Indebted

56

Opal and the other dragons were holding their own court with Esti's head feeling like it was at the center of everything. The new Dragons did not understand what had happened, they were supposed to have shifted into cocoons, slowly developed into their dragons. Alric was supposed to be with Esti, shepherding the new era into existence. They had made a plan.

Instead every one of the sea serpents had changed instantly from their frozen juvenile states into their adult forms when Opal had broken free of the collar. The last dragons of Earth were confused they had hoped the last dragon would one day be the key for more of their kind being able to leave the seas. This was not what was expected, not at all.

The small dragons one and all found they had almost no interest in seeking a human to bond with. There were no current souls alive that called out to them. None worthy. The small population wanted a chance to grow, to thrive, to find their place in a world that had changed immensely since they had last been able to participate in society.

Promises had been made. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. The Earth dragons had worked everything out. Once Opal was in place at court, efforts would be made to save the sea serpents. Make arrangements with those currently in power on Earth.

Nearly two decades had passed, and nothing had changed. The serpents had been certain they had been betrayed or that their last chance effort had failed. Resigning themselves to lives trapped in the seas. Unable to leave. Unable to move forward. Forever stuck.

Atticus, Joe, and Theo were all silent with shock. They had been nearby but too late to do anything useful. Esti was angry. Esti was tired. Esti looked over her small herd of tiny dragons. They had lent her and Opal the strength needed to reverse the cursed collar Wakame had found and used. The small dragons would need her to help them find somewhere safe.

Except, Esti heard a strange sound, one no one else was reacting to. It was her dragon laughing at her. They are dragons and eternal, they will live wild and free. In fact, several of the dragons were already making their way out and into the world. Esti watched as one was able to camouflage itself perfectly into the uneven terrain, scales shifting endlessly to blend into whatever was nearby. Others had wings strong enough to fly already.

Esti heard several other dragons intruding into her mind. An alabaster colored dragon, one of jade and one brilliantly colored rich indigo. Joe and Theo were now holding Atticus back, Esti felt as Opal cast a spell, and the noise from the squabbling men was silenced.

A solemn veil fell over the artificially protected area. I accept the name given. Alabaster the dragon inflected its small head towards Esti. Similar eloquent acceptances granted by Indigo and Jade. Esti did not need her dragon to warn her that she was receiving the highest honor ever granted. No human had ever named three dragons in their lifetime.

Indigo took control of the narrative, sparkling golden eyes studying Esti's reaction to every word. Plan to steer the future and the fates laugh. A sentiment Esti was more than familiar with at this point in her life. Your father believed with all his heart that he was taking advantage of a guileless, spoiled, sheltered court maiden. Saving her from the shame incurred by having a bastard child. Indigo turned towards Jade.

A flash of a memory, hazy, like a watercolor painting caught in light rain. Esti saw her mother, face rounder than Esti remembered, an infant's bassinet in the room. Meera was crying, tracing a finger along the impossibly soft curve of her baby's cheek. Eyes trying to remember everything. "I'm sorry, I hope this works." Opal the dragon could only watch through the infant's eyes as Meera cast a powerful enchantment, lines of magic spreading from her body, to Esti, around Opal, out into the next room where Alric was reading the latest notes from the scribes.

Alabaster, Indigo, Jade and Opal shared a moment, in their desperation they had underestimated the hapless seeming Meera. Meera's family was from a long, long line of witches. Her family able to thrive thanks to the wild ramblings written by one Miss Mary Mackley-Wallace. A true seer who in her old age, and senility, had walked into the manner home of Meera's great, great, great, great grandmother. Holding her journal of "Nice, neat, protendings and possibilities." Handing it over to the family for safe keeping before promptly falling dead on the floor.

Jade finished telling Esti how her mother had cast a hidden identity spell on herself, Esti and Opal and Alric in the next room. Making them all forget that Esti was a dragon. Forget that Esti wasn't truly Alric's child. Meera followed the instructions she had read in the journal to save the earth dragons perfectly. Giving up her life's memories and knowledge to ensure that her one Child and the last dragon would be able to live long enough to save the sea serpents from eternity in the seas.

The sacrifices have been accepted, the dragons of earth will repopulate the skies and the seas. All the dragons still near enough bellowed. Once the last dragon had left to find its own way. Opal allowed the barrier to fall. Atticus, Theo and Joe all rushed towards her, all starting to speak at once.

Esti held up her hand. Mercifully, they all stopped in their tracks. Standing silent. Waiting. "Theo and Joe, that bag is full of things that belong to the villagers, return it to them. Tell them I dropped the bag while running away from my crimes." She wanted them to tell the villagers the truth, but the truth would be too complicated. Too much magic revealed. Instead Esti wanted to ensure the villagers could all live their lives in their beautiful community in peace, all their valuables returned.

"Go. It's better they think I am a criminal than the truth. Something taken could be irreplaceable to them." Esti paused, losing confidence. "Please?" She added, and her sweet insecurities had Joe in love, Theo ready to march into battle on her behalf, and Atticus wondering if he really was going to be sharing Esti with the two men who made rescuing people their day job.

Joe grabbed and the bag, Theo lead the way back towards the village with the bag of stolen goods. "Wait!" Esti yelled, unzipping her bag and taking out a thick stack of human money. Running over to tuck the stack of cash into the bag. Give it to Terrance and Dot, for the garage that got burned." Theo nodded, promising that he would see to it. Resuming the march back into town. Much to Esti's relief. She couldn't entirely undo today, but she could do everything she could to return what had been taken, and that what had been destroyed could be replaced.

Watching until Theo and Joe were far enough away that they wouldn't be easily able to overhear anything, Esti finally turned to face a very different Atticus than the reckless man she had last seen. "We need to talk." She said bluntly.