Dragon Unleashed (Book 1 of the Dragon Mage Saga)

A Nightmarish Occasion

“Ouch!” Darla yelped as a needle drove into her flesh. “Watch it!”

            “Sorry,” winced the seamstress Lucinda, her long black curls coiling into a knot at the back of her neck. “I just need to finish your measurements so I can refit the bodice of your dress. It’s a beauty, really. We even color coordinated so you’d match your lover.”

            “Lover?” Darla chuckled at the old-fashioned lingo. “Do you mean Charles? We’re not…together. We’re close friends, partners in crime.”

            “Ah, yes.” Lucinda winked, smiling knowledgeably. “Just partners in crime.”

            Just then, two more Pegasi women strolled into the room, their arms stacked high with beauty supplies.

            The first one was a petite redhead who reminded Darla a bit of Arabelle, making her feel numb inside again. She had forgotten about her, but now the memory of her cruel murder was as fresh as a picked scab.

            The next was a very tall, leggy blonde who reminded Darla a bit of a giraffe. “Hello, Miss Darla. I am Tabitha and this is Mariette-we are here to make you lovely.”

            Darla cracked a tiny smile at their kind words. “Thank you, but I don’t want you two to fuss over me. I’m not that special.”

            “Nonsense!” Tabitha proclaimed. “All guests to Serendipity are special and precious as fine silks and gems.”

            She scurried over behind Darla and began brushing her hair furiously. “Such a pretty girl,” she cooed.

            “Did you hear about the Centaur Chief’s wife? Azura, is it? A real charmer, was said to have been a psychic or a mystic? She was slaughtered earlier today while fetching berries. They say it was a…Wrecker,” Mariette whispered, her voice low and hush.

            Lucinda gave a startled gasp. “A Wrecker! I thought they only preyed on the mightiest beasts! Why would they hurt such a sweet, tender soul as Azura?”

            Darla froze, feeling her blood turn to frost. She remembered the deer woman, so angelically beautiful. Why on earth would the Wreckers try to kill her? This was certainly some sort of work they were doing for the Shadow Master. Why he’d want Azura, Darla had no idea…She made a memo to ask her friends about it at the Jubilee.

            After a few quiet minutes of awkward muttering, Lucinda dropped her pins and stood up proudly, spinning a full-length mirror in Darla’s direction.

            “Look at yourself, my sweet! You are a treasure to be feasted on,” Mariette cooed, her soft white-blonde hair tumbling from its braid. “Do you have a certain someone you wish to dazzle?”

            Darla flushed pink. “No-I have much more important things to deal with. I have no time for silly romances. Besides, I’m only sixteen.”