“Screaming my head off while running away is so yesterday's news,” I said, injecting more confidence into my voice than I felt.
He chuckled and watched me carefully as he spoke. “I will be celebrating my four thousand, three hundred, and sixteenth birthday next month.”
To my surprise, running for the hills didn't pop into my head. I guess the girls’ crash course had worked.
“That young?” A smile turned up the corners of my mouth.
My smile soon vanished as I remembered why he was unlocking the gate. My heart started to thump inside my throat and my knees trembled softly as the edge, just a couple of meters past the gate, caught my eye.
“Close your eyes, Elena,” he said.
I did as he told me and an image of him transforming into a dragon flashed into my mind.
My eyes flew open when my feet bumped against a small step.
“You are such a whuz,” Becky said, already in her seat.
I found myself standing on the step of a modern carriage with leather couches. A strong lemon aroma hung in the air around us.
I felt like a 21st-century Cinderella. The windows were tinted; not that I had an urge to look outside anyway. I took a seat next to Sammy as I struggled to tear my eyes away from the finer details of the carriage. Someone had hand-stitched the black couches and the soft dark brown velvet that bedecked the walls gave the carriage a warm ambience.
Master Longwei took a seat right next to Becky. Our eyes met as mine wandered to the ceiling.
“So, I heard that you solved the Chef's riddle last night.”
I nodded and let out a tiny shriek as the carriage lifted off the ground. I grabbed the safety belt and buckled up.
“Do you like riddles?” He tried to take my mind off the turbulence, but my hands still tightened up into fists.
"Not really," I spoke fast as the carriage started to stabilize itself once again.
I took a deep breath but didn't unclench my fists.
“She got the answer on the first try. We were complaining about the horrible food when she just blurted out the answer,” Becky said.
“Speak for yourself, I like Chef's cooking,” Sammy snapped.
“You mean those disgusting leaves you're always eating?”
“Vegetarian is a life choice.”
“Sammy, you're the first dragon I know that's a vegetarian.”
Sammy stuck out her tongue at Becky.
“My intuition tells me Chef is going to make a lot of junk food,” Master Longwei said.
I just smiled nervously.
As the turbulence returned I began to wish the ride would end. I closed my eyes tight. Elm had better be worth this horrible ride. A soft nudge in my rib cage made my eyes fly open. I saw Sammy nodding earnestly toward the exit.
Becky crouched in front of me and shook her head as she prepared to disembark.
We landed in the woods near a narrow path. My eyes automatically searched for what had pulled the carriage. I should've known I would find: two big-ass dragons.
I quickly followed the others down the path to a small village. We didn't have to wait long before a tram came into sight. "You have normal transport too?" I asked half mockingly.
Sammy giggled, and Becky ushered me onto the tram. The conductor greeted Master Longwei with a firm handshake, and they started to talk. For the first ten minutes I tried to figure out whether the conductor was a dragon or not, but curiosity vanished the minute we entered the city.
It reminded me of New York mixed with Venice. People walked on the sidewalks with dogs, and a few even drove around in little mobile carts. We passed a fountain where a couple was tossing in loose coins. Next to the fountain, an artist worked his magic on an easel, reproducing the beautiful scenes around him.
Shops started flashing by, and the streets buzzed with more and more people. As the road narrowed, I was surprised to see more conventional transport: bicycles and motorcycles. A touch of home.
The tram came to a halt in front of a big mall with coffee shops dominating the area around it. People drinking coffee and reading newspapers occupied the sidewalk tables. When others greeted Master Longwei ubiquitously, he simply nodded and smiled back politely.
“Give,” Becky said, hand open and her palm facing up.
“Oh no, I am not going to be fooled this time, young lady. Here is money. My credit card isn't safe between the two of you,” he said. I sensed this wasn't the first time he'd asked Becky to run errands for him. He gave her paper money that had horizontal patterns printed on them. “I will meet you by the carriage at three o'clock. Three o'clock, Rebecca.” He gave her a knowing stare with his eyebrow arched, letting us know he meant it. “Good luck, Elena.” He smiled and then walked toward one of the coffee shops.
Becky grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the store with the same name that was on the label of my jeans: Twiggs.
“If you buy from Twiggs you will never be out of fashion,” Sammy explained excitedly. “Lucky for you, Becky has a good eye for what goes together and what doesn't.”
“Thank you girl.” Becky glowed from Sammy's compliment as we entered through a revolving door.
Inside the store was a nightmare. I had never changed so many times in one day, but I have to admit, Becky did have an eye for fashion.
As the pile of clothes on the counter grew, I began to worry whether we had enough cash or not, but the three bills offered to the cashier seemed to do the trick.
Sammy carried most of the bags, which looked so unnatural.
I thought we were done and was walking back toward the coffee shops, when Becky pulled me into another store. “Weatherly's and Co.” was written in big green letters above the door.
“This is Lucian's favorite store,” Becky said, and her smile made me wonder if she didn't have a thing for him. Not that I blamed her.
Inside, the sight took my breath away. Swords, axes, fighting hammers, whips—even the one with the long chain and ball at the end—and a variety of shields were displayed on rows of shelves that made my mouth drop.
Plenty of little boys admired the swords, with their little hands tucked behind their backs. They made me smile as I realized it didn't matter where you grew up, every boy dreamt about being a knight.
We walked past two boys sparring playfully. One of the boys pretended to be a knight, the other one a dragon, and not just any dragon─ the Rubicon.
Becky, thankfully, took me straight to the vest section.
“Rebecca Johnson, how is your mother doing?” the clerk asked.
While she gave me her famous eye roll, she flashed the clerk her beautiful smile. “Oh, she's fine. I'm looking for a vest for my friend. Her name is Elena.”
The clerk's shoulder-to-hip scrutiny made me uncomfortable.
He turned around and disappeared into the back.
“He has a thing for my mom.” Her lack of excitement was obvious.
“What does your father think about that?”
“He died when I was really little,” she said nonchalantly.
“I'm so sorry, Becky.” I always say the wrong stuff.
“It's cool, Elena. Besides I never knew him.”
I thanked my lucky stars when the bearded man returned with a small black disk and handed it to me for inspection. I turned to Becky and scrunched up my face with confusion. Reaching out for the small disc she pressed the small green gem located in the center and put it back on the counter. In five seconds, the disk was gone, and in its place was an impressive black vest.
I picked it up and stared at it. The vest was light with quilted padding on the inside and a rock-hard exterior.
“What is it?” Becky asked, leaning over my shoulder to take a better look.