A Dragon's Treasure

24. Zipper and Button

LUKE

Floating in darkness, Luke was having the best sleep he's ever had in his life. He was devoid of thought, emotions, and his memories. Just a body floating in nothingness. Time didn't exist here. Nothing seemed to matter. Luke just slept. The only constant that reminded Luke he was alive was something swelling inside his chest, something jagged and dangerous to touch. Luke didn't bother with it, so he hoped it wouldn't get worse.

Then, out for the oblivion, Luke heard someone humming. A single finger touched Luke's forehead and dragged this gentle caress down the length of his nose. Whoever was messing with him did this a few times, as Luke's senses fluttered back to the surface. His brow twitched. Just the smallest movement shook the dust off his bones. Feeling the ache of staying in one place, Luke couldn't move at all.

He squeezed his eyes, prying them back opened from feeling sealed shut. Luke's eyes fluttered as the blurry world around him came into focus. Resting at his bedside, holding her dainty chin in her palm, Iris Whitlock was smiling at him. "Hi, Button."

"Zipper?" Luke whispered.

However, this wasn't the last Iris Luke had in his life. She was younger, the Iris Whitlock in the portrait on the mantle, complete with the white fur shawl and electric blue chiffon evening gown with her best jewels. Sapphire replaced all the gemstones on her person, from the rings on her fingers, her necklace, and earrings. She swept up her stark white hair into an elegant updo. Classic Iris Whitlock.

Luke's bedroom had changed colors, too. Everything was a different shade of blue now, but mostly sapphire. Sapphire. The reality crushed Luke underneath its weight and he was finally choking on the lump in his throat. Still struggling to move, Luke was now having a hard time breathing.

Hushing him like a fussy toddler, Iris just smiled. Her shiny red lips spread wide the way they always did when she was up to something. Once, Iris gave him that mischievous look and by the end of the day, they were dressed to the nines on a houseboat with a private chef, where the captain let Iris steer the boat. All from lip service and knowing the right people. Iris wasn't afraid of anything as much as Luke assumed the world should be afraid of her.

She titled her head, gazing at him, "Don't you know you're not supposed to go to bed angry?"

"Am I dead?"

Adjusting her position, Iris went back to caressing Luke's face and fixing his hair. "After all that work to keep you alive, do you really think I'd let this ring kill you?"

She was still all smiles. Luke couldn't be further from that sentiment and Luke couldn't get up, couldn't shake the heaviness in his muscles. The sapphire had coated his body in cement, barely letting Luke turn towards his grandmother. "This was your doing. The fortress ring is inside of me, inside of my heart because of you."

"It is... I spent my whole life looking for a cure to the Whitlock curse." She got up from her chair, gliding through the room. All her movements were so smooth, so elegant, like she was dancing, and Luke could just barely hear piano music in the other room. Someone humming along. "That's how I stumbled into the magical objects biz... and while searching for how to fix my problems, I ended up learning how to fix everybody else's."

She smiled at Luke again. She'd always smile when he entered the room, when he came home from college, when she was there to pick him up from the airport, and all the other times. "The irony of it all was I never wanted a big family, but I ended up in a place where I couldn't get rid of anyone." Coyly, she raised her shoulders in a little pose. "I'm quite popular."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "So, I've learned. I've met Cass." Iris's shoulders slumped slightly, giving Luke an idea that she could feel remorse, and this wasn't all a joke to her. "You stole from him," Luke said. "Didn't even explain why."