After Lucianna had put her clothes back on, Riosae ushered her newest pupils into the temple. When the rest of the crew tried to follow, she stopped them.
"Krol and Rivra are welcome, but I'm afraid anyone who isn't a current or former pupil must stay out. Those are my rules."
Albany folded her hands together, her gaze falling to the ground.
"Will they be able to come out for food? I have many recipes I'd like to cook for them."
"I suppose that would be fine. But you'll have to feed me, as well."
Tereine crossed her arms. "That hardly seems fair."
"Such is life! My castle, my rules! Now then, let's be off."
Lucianna patted Albany on the shoulder. "Hey, you two, look after Faith for me. Message me on the radio if something happens."
Albany and Tereine saluted her.
Rivra and Krol joined Milo and Lucianna as they passed through the gigantic stone archway. The wooden gate closed behind them, and Riosae led them through a courtyard. Neatly trimmed hedges lined either side of a paved walkway. Fairies floated and flitted around, tending to rows of flower gardens. Each fairy they passed stopped to bow and greet their Mistress.
Milo looked at all the creatures with awe. Several of them whirled around his head, giggling at him, asking if he would like to play and calling him cute.
Riosae waved her hand.
"Please excuse the girls. They can be ornery."
"O-oh, I don't mind. But...I thought dragons were subservient to fairies? That's what some myths on Earth say."
"Well, knowing you humans, it was probably some mistranslation. Fairies and dragons depend on each other. I provide them shelter, food, and protection, and they tend to the gardens and grow fruits and vegetables. Purely symbiotic."
The fairies buzzed around Krol and Rivra excitedly, welcoming them back after so long. Many of them poked and prodded Rivra, wondering why she hid her beautiful eyes behind a blindfold. Milo could tell the nagging bothered Rivra, but she wore a polite smile and said the blindfold was a new training method. The fairies seemed to buy that answer for now.
"Leave them alone, girls. Come on, this way to your rooms."
Riosae led them through a castle ripped straight from Arthurian legend: twisting corridors of stone lined with portraits of people Milo assumed to be long dead, up a spiral staircase with large, stained glass windows punctuating their slow ascent. Each window depicted scenes from when magic left Earth many years ago. Dragons, orcs, unicorns, fairies...all the races humans told stories about, but none remained.
"So they all went to space?"
Riosae nodded.
"When the greed of humanity grew too much for us monsters to bear, we decided it would be best for all of our kind if we looked to the stars for a new home. Of course, powerful magic helped most of us move. Other races developed and evolved. Some of us remain closer to our ancestors."
They reached the second floor, a long hallway with doors lining each side. Milo counted at least thirteen doors in total.
(So many rooms! And she lives here practically by herself...)
Riosae motioned to a couple of rooms.
"Here are your rooms, Krol, Rivra. And this room will be yours."
Lucianna tilted her head. "Wait. You want us to share a room?"
"Hmmm? Is that a problem?"
"I mean, I guess not. It's just..."
YOU ARE READING
Right Hand of the Pirate Queen
Science FictionMilo works a dead-end night job and gets used by his girlfriend. He's a walking doormat with no future, and every day, he wonders if he should just end it. Then, one night, a powerful space pirate mistakes him for his father and punches him in the f...
