Trinket (Reverse Harem)

Scramble

"Wow," I said intelligently, as more dragons appeared to dart between the various points of light in the sky and weave magical tethers between the grid in the sky and a grid in the stone below. The magical chains caught and held as the entire mountain shifted and slid underneath, while more dragons scrambled into crevices and down sides to try to hold the stones together while everything seemed to

"I wonder where it's all ultimately anchored," Ormiss said thoughtfully, pondering the dome of lights. "A magical scaffold and harness. Interesting."

The mountains were trying to fall out from under us and he was commenting on the magical structures maybe holding it together? I loved him, but he could ask about it after the world finished collapsing.

"So should we make ourselves scarce?" Asund suggested. "I can't imagine that dragon dungeons are more civilized than hippocamp, and I'd rather not another tour."

Itek clicked his beak.

"And miss what happens next?" Ormiss replied. "I think not. They aren't going to do anything to Theia or I."

"Except perhaps start a war."

"I'd be impressed if these dragons could be assed enough to care," Ormiss muttered.

There was a terrifying crack that shook even the ledge we were on. I caught myself on Itek's shoulder as the gryphon's claws scraped through the ice, and Korr and Ethat's claws dug into the snow. Everything swayed. Some of the magical chains snapped with melodic sounds and lights above us in the grid snuffed out, and chunks of rock exploded upwards as the lights in the stone blinked out. Another terrifying crack, shouts and bellows, and the Lord-Dragon and Lady-Dragon swept around front of the mountain into the chasm out of sight.

Something exploded, so loud it echoed through the mountains and huge sheets of snow tumbled down off the peaks and slopes all around us. Dragons lunged off the plateau into the air and the sound! I vaulted up onto Itek and we all got back into the air as snow cascaded, poured, tumbled down the mountainsides in massive sheets, tossing up a fine mist of snow that encased us even in the air. Every breath in drew in snow and I coughed. Itek flew higher above the snowclouds while the inhaled frost seared my lungs and covered the valley in a fog of shining snow and more echoes of avalanches reverberated through the mountains, causing a chain reaction visible for miles as plumes of snow-clouds rose up in all directions and the snowy mountain peaks became exposed dark granite.

The snow fog remained, glittering and gray at the same time, until a strong wind whipped through the valley and swept most of it away, but also kicked up more snow. Still, things cleared just enough to reveal that below us, a new waterfall had formed: the ruling dragons had punched a whole in the side of the mountain, far down in the chasm, deep in the shadow where the sunlight didn't reach, and a waterfall plunged from the side of the mountain. A few more dragons were already lowering a strand of multi-colored lanterns on a chain down to the waterfall. Along with water, debris rushed out to the dark, invisible bottom.

Deep cracks and rumblings continued to echo through the chasms and higher as avalanches coursed through the mountain range. The snow clouds settled and the shaking in our vicinity stopped as the new waterfall relieved whatever pressure had been building under the mountain, but the noises indicated the mountains' collective belly was still unsettled.

Itek, carefully, flapped over to the plateau as everything seemed to be settling down. He alighted near the old mineshaft, which was now filled with filthy brown and gray water. The dragons ignored us to all crowd around to get a look, making chirping noises and wringing their necks like confused swans. The dragons seemed more intrigued by this development then the fact the plateau was trying to shear off and topple into the chasm.

The Lord-Dragon and Lady-Dragon, one smoldering with magical effort, the other shedding pink petals, flapped over. And they did not look happy. The curious dragon onlookers froze and backed away from the mineshaft.

I slid off Itek's back as my other consorts arrived. Korr took up a position right at my side, now in human form, to translate. But I didn't need a translator. I still had the unicorn horn in my hand. I extended my arm to show it to the Lord and Lady Dragon. The morning sunlight slid off it, the luster revealing itself in slow, silken folds. The collected dragons murmmered and clicked excitedly, now fascinated with the horn.

"This," I told the Lord and Lady Dragon, "was what held up this mountain, and provided that pure water you all so enjoyed admiring. This is the horn of the unicorn that your ancestor, a previous Lady-Dragon, married. And she betrayed him. She betrayed their marriage vows knowing it would kill him, but she wanted what she wanted so she did as she pleased. She murdered her husband, married another, and went on to rule. For a thousand years you have admired the monument of his death, for a thousand years you built upon his murder. A thousand years ago unicorns lost faith in this world and started to leave it. And for a thousand years you thought everything you built was perfect, but nothing was perfect, because it was all held up by a unicorn horn wedged in stone."

I threw the horn at the rulers' feet. It clattered and made a sound like heavenly bells, rolling to touch the Lady's Dragon's claws with a single final tink. 

/********

PEEPS:

**tap tap** 

** looks around ** 

Sooooo... here's what happened: 

In July I went on my first vacation in 10 years. (It was great)

Then we closed on our new house. And I moved from CA to Alabama. Which was a THING. Like it was so stressful that I started losing my hair, LOL. Still shedding a bit. (I lost chunks of hair when we moved to CA 10 years ago). I didn't see the house before we closed and whoo it was in rougher state that we were expecting, and we've been painting, sanding, caulking, sledgehammering, filling holes, taming the lawn, moving dirt, cutting drywall, spackling, staining, refinishing, MORE sanding... the level of absurdity is highlighted by husband and I hanging a painting and he said "should I get the shovel?"

To hang a painting, guys. 

And I still have paint samples all over my office because I MUST repaint it because...

My office is pretty pretty princess pink. Not pinky grey or pinky white or even barbie pink. It is slightly muted ballet shoes pretty princess pink complete with an art-deco-esque crystal chandelier.  And it's kind of a yellowy pink, so when the sunlight shines through, and it picks up the yellow and gray tones and the entire room just looks like some diseased wasteland sunrise situation. 

But we're now in rural Alabama, enjoying fucking HUSHPUPPIES and BBQ. Oh thank goodness... we haven't had decent BBQ since we left Texas and that one place up past Callistoga where the guy chars the meat in the parking lot. When DICKEYS is listed as one of the better places to get BBQ in the area, you know you're in for it. 

Anyway. 

Please send coffee. :P 

~Merry

(petulant pantster)

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