CORRUPTED FILE [Lumina Chronicles Past Drafts]

Level Eighteen

[KINDLE'S PoV]

"Hold still, hold still!" Serpina giggled as she placed a fourth book on Blondie's head.

"Seriously, Pina? One's bad enough!" Blondie pouted.

Blondie's departure for Réalta, the capitol of Lumina, was only a week away. While her dancing had improved—minimally—her general posture and balance were still atrocious.

So, Serpina had the bright idea to make Blondie walk with books on her head. While lasting results had yet to be seen, the process was certainly amusing. When Pina pitched the idea, Blondie had burst into a fit of laughter, saying she thought that was something that only happened in movies.

Half an hour later, after Blondie's unsuccessful attempt at explaining to all of us what a "movie" was, Serpina stacked the books while the rest of us sat off to the side and watched with varying degrees of interest.

Faye shouted words of encouragement, while Inari chanted steadily for the books to fall. Emrys had a soft smile on her face but didn't seem concerned one way or another. She was busy braiding flowers into Inari's hair.

I would forever be amazed by how docile Nar became around her girlfriend. Once, when we were younger, Carlyle had slipped a daisy behind her ear. Inari nearly bit his finger off. Now, she leaned comfortably against Emrys's folded legs and let the dryad weave dozens of colorful blossoms into her blazing hair.

Inari noticed my gaze and shot me a glare, daring me to comment. I knew better and held my tongue. Nar and I had been close for the past decade; we even dated briefly, if a pair of twelve-year-olds holding hands could actually be called dating. That ended when Lydia—only nine years old at the time, but already territorial when it came to me—tripped Inari down a flight of stairs.

"Okay!" Serpina exclaimed, stepping away from Blondie with a bounce in her step. "Now try to walk."

Blondie shuffled along at a snail's pace. In order to maintain her balance, she hardly lifted her feet off the ground.

Serpina crossed her arms and pouted. "Oh come on, walk!"

"I'd love to see you do this," Blondie muttered.

With a confident smirk and a flip of her glossy hair, Serpina grabbed three books off the table and placed them expertly atop her own head. She breezed across the dining hall unhindered. Once she reached the other side, she spun on her heel and sank into a graceful curtsey. The books hardly wobbled.

Blondie's own books tumbled loudly to the floor as she stared in awe.

"Maybe we should just paint over Pina's scales and send her to play with the humies instead." Inari chuckled. "She's blonde and pretty, I'm sure the prince would hardly notice a difference."

Blondie turned to Inari with a playful smile and placed a hand over her heart. "Inari, did you just imply that I'm pretty?"

Inari curled her lips up over her fangs, the muscles in her arms coiling. "Oh shut it, human."

Emrys leaned forward and dropped a kiss atop Inari's head. The fox shifter immediately melted back into her lap. How nauseatingly adorable.

With a sigh, I stood from my place along the wall and stretched my arms. "Alright, you've had your fun, Pina. Let's get back to work."

"I'll try not to stomp on your foot this time," Blondie said as she took my extended hand and moved into starting position.

Now that would be a miracle, but if I said as much out loud, Blondie would probably step on my toes on purpose. "Everyone ready?" I asked, glancing around the group.