"Emi! Emi! Emi!" I heard Jasmine's voice in the distance as I was in the middle of a dream. A bad dream.
"Tell me where our daughter is," Father's voice came from above where Mommy was chained and bleeding on the floor.
"I'll die before I tell you anything!" Mommy growled fiercely.
"So be it!" Father said and raised his whip to strike Mommy.
"Emi!" Jasmine's voice sounded urgent as I gasped awake. She flinched back while I breathed heavily and wiped the sweat off of my forehead. "Emi?" She sounded worried.
"It's alright Jazy," I said as I tried to reassure her. "Just a bad dream."
Jasmine whimpered and went to nuzzle my head. I've been having bad dreams ever since my episode with Alice the first night we stayed in the cave with her and the egg. Each one was about Mommy and they became more real every night that I dreamed. I don't know what was going on but I knew Mommy was in terrible danger.
"You've been having lots of dreams, Emily," Alice said from her side of the cave which was on the opposite side of where Jasmine and I were. "You want to talk about them?"
I growled, telling Alice to back off. The only person I talked to about my dreams with was Mommy and sometimes Jasmine but Mommy was the main one who I relied on. It was painful enough knowing that she wasn't with me and was in pain. I also didn't want Alice to know how hard my dreams affected me.
Trying not to look hurt at my rejection of conversation, Alice turned to look at the egg. "Look!" She said, pointing to the egg. It had multiple cracks on it now. "It's hatching!"
Jasmine gasped with excitement and cried out, "Emi! That what Jazy wanna tell Emi! Egg hatch! Egg hatch!" She went closer to the egg and looked on excitedly as we gathered around to watch the egg start to hatch. It was moving and cracking, the baby dragon tried to get out. I had read my dragon books to Jasmine, to help her keep her occupied and so she could help me take care of the dragon when it came out.
"Emi! Emi! Emi!" Jasmine cried as she pointed at the hatching egg.
"I know Jazy," I said, as I kept my voice from being impatient. "We're going to have a dragon soon."
When the dragon finally came out of the egg, it looked tiny compared to the giant creatures Alice and I had fought and killed. It was red with orange scales, with tiny horns and long claws and tail and wings. It looked curious around the cave until it landed eyes with Jasmine.
It made a delighted roar as it ran and leaped into Jasmine's arms. Jasmine squealed, "Dragon no!" As they were knocked to the ground. The dragon licked her face, embracing her as its own.
"Jazy!" I cried with fear.
I began to rush toward her when Alice grabbed my arm to stop me. I turned on her and growled. I needed to save my sister and no one, not even Alice, was going to stop me.
"Wait, stop Emily!" Alice pleaded with me. "The dragon isn't hurting her! Look!"
I looked but with caution since I still didn't trust Alice, and saw that Jasmine was laughing and just playing with the dragon. As I relaxed myself, Alice let go of me. Maybe I was more protective of Jasmine than I thought I was.
Alice smiled. "You would do anything to keep your sister safe," she said. "But they're just playing. You don't always need to rush into things. It can get you in trouble."
As I watched Jasmine play with the dragon, I replied before I could stop myself, "We're not used to being with other creatures." Alice listened silently. "For eight years it was just me, Jasmine, and my Mommy." Alice smiled when I said Mommy like it was funny to her or something. I ignored her smile. "We never played with any other kids and kept to ourselves. Mommy was worried that Father would find us and after he did and tried to kill me again, Mommy wiped his memories of us away and then went missing a little while after that. I know she's somewhere in the castle and is in danger." I glanced at Alice, my eyes watering a little. "I'm afraid something terrible will happen to her if we don't get to her in time!"
Alice looked sympathetic and touched her hand on my shoulder. She was about to say something but I snapped at her. "Don't touch me!" I said angrily.
Jasmine heard me and called out to me, "Emi!" Untangling herself from the dragon and running over to me. She grabbed my hands and held them in hers. "Emi play with Jazy and dragon!"
I gave a light laugh of amusement. "Okay Jazy," I said. I'd better come up with a better name for the dragon than "Dragon". Jasmine pulled me over to where the dragon was and we played with him for most of the day.
...
"Tired now," Jasmine announced when it was evening time. The dragon was fast asleep next to her, his chest moving up and down in rhythm.
I nodded my head. I was also a little tired from keeping both Jasmine and the dragon. "Alright. Why don't you sleep on my shoulder for a little while before dinner? Sound good?"
Jasmine smiled and nodded her head. She crawled over to me and rested her head against me. "Emi?" She asked with concern.
"Yes Jazy?" I replied, looking at her.
"Will Jazy and Emi always be together?" Jasmine sounded like this thought scared her. I had to reassure her somehow.
"Always," I told her, knowing my answer since telling her whenever she asked that question. "No matter what we go through, we'll always be together. I don't want to lose you, Jazy." I nuzzled her head with my head.
"Jazy don't wanna lose Emi either!" Jasmine replied as she loved my nuzzling. "Jazy loves Emi!"
I smiled as we wrapped our arms around each other in a hug. I knew Jasmine was just worried about losing another person she loved. Mommy had just left us so I was the only remaining person Jasmine ever loved.
Alice was watching us silently. Probably wondering why I would accept Jasmine's sympathy and affection and not hers. A part of me still didn't trust Alice. I didn't know what her true motive was. Did she still want to take us to see the High Warlock, whoever he was?
"Can Jazy and Emi find Mommy now?" Jasmine asked, interrupting my thoughts.
I nodded my head. "We can leave any time we want now that the dragon has hatched," I said.
Jasmine smiled, this idea pleasing her. "What dragon name?" She wondered.
I was silent for several moments, trying to think of a name. Jasmine waited for me to answer. "How about Fireclaw?" I finally suggested.
Jasmine smiled, pleased with the name I had chosen. "Fireclaw! Fireclaw!" Jasmine chanted, almost waking up the dragon.
"Shhh!" I warned Jasmine, putting a finger over my lips. "You'll wake him!"
Jasmine whimpered, pushing against me as she didn't like to be in trouble. She tried to touch my face so I would give her attention.
"It's okay Jazy," I told her in a gentle voice as I stroked her purple hair. "You're not in trouble."
Jasmine whimpered again but stopped trying to touch me. In her eyes, she could do no wrong. Maybe Mommy and I might've gone easy on her and taught her that there were nice people in the world, but most of the time she would throw violent fits if we told her that she was in trouble. So we tended to stay away from telling her if she did something wrong.
"After we sleep and have dinner, then we can find Mommy, okay?" I suggested.
"Okay," Jasmine said. She laid against me and soon began to snore a few moments later and I knew that she was upset.
"I can help you find your mother," Alice said when she was sure that Jasmine was asleep.
"How? You were trying to take us to a stranger!" I accused.
"Which, by the way, he still wants to see you!" Alice retorted back. "But I think I know someone who would help you get into the castle."
"Who?" I asked with suspicion.
"My father," Alice said confidently.
I gave Alice a look of confusion. How could her father help us? "How?" I asked.
"My father works with the Council of Magical Creatures," Alice explained. "He and your mother both do."
I stayed silent for a while. Mommy never told me any of this. How can there be a Council of Magical Creatures? I looked at Jasmine who was snoring peacefully in her sleep. I caressed her hair like Mommy would do to me. Jasmine smiled in her sleep and snuggled against me.
"What's this Council of Magical Creatures?" I asked.
"It was founded by the High Warlock to bring peace among the factions," Alice explained. "But sometimes humans still find a way to break the trust of magical creatures."
"Like kidnapping them?" I asked, thinking of Jasmine.
Alice nodded. "Unfortunately yes," she said. "The Alpha King lost his daughter twenty four years ago under magical creature kidnapping. He's just one of the many victims touched by human cruelty."
I kept my eyes on Jasmine. Could Jasmine be this Alpha King's missing daughter? If so, had Mommy known and not brought his daughter back to him? Why would she do that? I squeezed my eyes tight.
"What's wrong?" Alice asked, worried.
I opened my eyes, sighed, looked up at Alice and said, "I think Jasmine may be his daughter."
Alice looked confused. "What do you mean?" She asked.
I sighed and looked down at Jasmine once more to make sure she was sound asleep. She was snoring so that's a good thing. I didn't want Jasmine to wake up and get upset over me telling her story to Alice.
"We found her eight years ago, here in the Valley of Dragons," I began, looking at Alice. "She was eighteen at the time. Didn't know nothing, not even her name. We brought her home and she's lived with us ever since. She's my sister and my best friend." Jasmine nuzzled her head against me. I wasn't sure if she heard me or was only dreaming. "The Chieftain of Moonville said that they had been looking for people responsible for magical creature kidnapping since Jasmine was alive. There can be a possibility she's the Alpha King's daughter."
Alice nodded. "Well, you've certainly bonded with her," she said. I gave a shy smile. "Will you let her be with her family if they find her?" She asked tentatively.
I looked away and closed my eyes. I don't think I would be able to let Jasmine go with her family if they found each other. Besides, I don't think Jasmine would even want to go with her family when she had Mommy and me. "I don't think she'd want to go with them," I whispered as I opened my eyes.
Alice didn't say anything for a while. Then she said, "Well, goodnight Emily. We'd better get to sleep. We have a lot of walking ahead of us."
She turned around and went over to her end of the cave. She laid down and slowly her eyes closed to go to sleep.
"Goodnight," I replied as I slowly scooted down so I could snuggle with Jasmine. Jasmine smiled in her sleep as she felt me nuzzle her head with mine. I then slowly fell into a fitful sleep.
This marks the end of Chapter 6 part 3
The story will continue in Chapter 7.
As always, thanks for reading!
J. D. Driscoll