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Unicorns with fire manes and shimmering horns grazed in the clearing. Among the Fire unicorns was a unicorn with white fur that shimmered blue in the sunlight. Its horn looked like an icicle, and it blew snowflakes out of its nose.
Dragons of all sizes frolicked through the clearing. A mother dragon with black scales and red spines spread her wings and launched into the sky, and three baby dragons flew behind her, blowing fire at each other as they navigated around other flying creatures. I spotted flying sheep and birds of all different colors. Some of them looked small enough to fit into the palm of my hand, and others had wingspans as long as a school bus. Watching them fly through the sky was like witnessing a rainbow dance. The birds sang a song together that sounded coordinated and calmed my nerves.
Tiny rodent-like creatures chased each other around and scampered up trees, before swinging like monkeys to the next branches. They were all different colors, with big eyes, tiny noses, and big bushy tails. Their ears looked like that of a fennec fox, and the creatures reminded me of bush babies with bigger bellies.
Something I thought was a pile of rocks moved, and I realized it was a goat with granite for skin. I spun around to take it all in, but I wasn’t sure what to marvel at first. It was all so amazing.
Lucas gasped and pointed. “It’s a real chimera and a hippogriff!”
A winged creature with three heads—a lion, a dragon, and a goat—tackled an animal with the body of a horse and the head of an eagle. The hippogriff clacked its beak. The three-headed creature Lucas had called a chimera rolled onto the ground, like they were playing a game.
Felines of all sizes and colors lazed in the sun, but they were unlike any cats I’d seen before. One of them had feathers that shimmered blue and purple, and another white and pink-speckled feline had horns on its head and wings on its back. One of the cats didn’t even look solid, and it gleamed an ethereal blue as it played with a baby dragon. The creature looked like it was made of air.
Nearby, a stream cut through the clearing, and water creatures of all sorts splashed in the brook. I witnessed a small sea serpent with blue fins slither up to a green horse-like creature with the tail of a fish. There was so much to take in, and it was like all of the magic of the Elementai permeated this clearing.
“This is incredible!” Lucas exclaimed.
Chloe beamed. “Wait until you ride one.”
“Are we allowed to do that?” I asked.
Chloe shrugged. “All you have to do is ask.”
She gestured to a group of people surrounding the dragons. They scrubbed down the dragons’ scales and fed them snacks. The dragons had their eyes closed and faces pointed to the sun, like they were enjoying every second of being pampered.
“Come on.” Chloe gestured for us to follow, and we made our way across the clearing to the group of people.
“Chloe, Miles,” a guy greeted. He looked about our age, and a black alicorn followed behind him. “It’s good to see you again. I see you brought some friends.”
“Hi, Sam,” Chloe said. “These are the friends we told you about; Lucas and Nadine.”
“Oh, my Goddess!” A woman emerged from behind one of the dragons, followed by a gray cat. I saw her black hair first, and my heart leapt in recognition.
“Monica!” I cried.
“Lucas! Nadine! It’s so great to see you both.” Monica rushed over to us and squeezed us into a tight hug. “I can’t thank you two enough for saving my life after I was framed for The Hearse Tragedy.”
Monica had been playing piano on The Hearse the night the demon caused the crash that killed seventeen people. The priestesses had blamed Monica’s mentalist abilities for manipulating the driver, even though they knew the demon had been behind it. The priestesses had intended to poison Monica as execution for the crime, so the coven would have someone to blame. We slipped her a fake potion that mimicked death, then revived her body after the funeral. She left for Hok’evale to seek refuge that same night.
“It’s good to know you made it safely,” I said as I drew away. “We had no way to contact you.”
“It’s better that way,” she promised. “As long as the priestesses believe I’m dead, I can live my life in peace.”
“So you like it here?” Lucas asked.
“Yes, very much,” Monica replied. “I’ve met so many wonderful people. My best friend here is a Nivita woman who named her little girl after me! I’m splitting my time between teaching music lessons and caring for magical creatures. How are things in Octavia Falls?”
Lucas and I exchanged a glance. “Tense…” I admitted.
Monica sighed, appearing sad. “I assume you aren’t in Hok’evale for a vacation.”
I frowned. “Unfortunately, no.”
“In that case, I won’t keep you. Good luck to you both.” Monica waved, then returned to the dragon she was caring for.
Sam dropped his gaze. “Chloe and Miles say you’ve been looking for information to help your coven. Ancestors know how brutal a civil war can be.”
Something dark flashed in his eyes, and it was obvious he’d seen a lot over the last few years. The Hawkei Civil War might be over, but it’d take ages for their people to recover.
