«Oh, it is your fire-breathing majesty!» Vincent recognized me too. «I mean imperial,» he faltered when he recognized me. He was also surprised that I wasn’t attacking him for all his past offenses. I was surprised myself. I should have beaten him up properly for all his mischief. But I didn’t care about him right now. A more serious problem was floating on the seas and beckoned me into the fiery maelstrom. Medea Shai’s fiery fingers peeked out of the gloom. The sharp black claws were not immediately visible under the fire. Her eyes, too, were black as pools of darkness. They seemed to stare at me from everywhere: from the grottoes, from the caves, from the gloomy sea.
«Get back to the ship!» I could hear it in my ears. «Come back to me!»
Curious, what ship did she mean? Her own, I’m sure. Or maybe she’d already made friends with my wooden dragon and turned him against me. He didn’t need much turning against me. He and Medea Shai could easily mate if they wanted to.
Vincent felt very uncomfortable around me. It was like sitting next to a hot stove where you were about to burn. You could say that Vincent had inadvertently sat on a baking tray. Instead of attacking him, I looked at his torn clothes with almost sympathy.
«No luck with the ladies?» I asked sympathetically. In my position it was easy to understand.
«No luck with anyone,» Vincent glanced warily over his shoulder. I was just now noticing the ugly shadows around the corner of the cave. They were cast by an ugly company of low-growing creatures. Goblins, zwergs, finodirri, even leprechauns. They looked furious, and they were clawing at Vincent from afar, but they didn’t dare get any closer while I was around. Somehow they were sure he was still my buddy. Vincent was probably the one spreading the rumors. He hid behind his reputation as the fire-breathing emperor’s buddy. I even guessed what had happened to him again. He had gambled, cheated at cards, used a few strong words and tricks of a cheat, and now a whole gang of the wronged and robbed was following him to grind their knives and claws against him. It happened to him regularly. It amused me to think that he hadn’t changed over the centuries.
«Do you have one friend?»
«You were the only one,» he admitted shamelessly. Why lie when I could easily read his mind? Still, it was the first honest answer he’d ever given.
«And that’s why you betrayed me!»
Vincent wasn’t even hurt by the rebuke.
«I didn’t betray you,» he countered aggressively. «I just went to guard Rose. I couldn’t leave her unattended. You wouldn’t have forgiven me. A beautiful girl wearing expensive jewelry and suddenly alone in the woods… I just had to accompany her. As your friend, it was my duty. She was your Empress.»
«That’s right, she was! It is Past tense.»
Vincent didn’t quite like that definition, but he nodded obediently anyway. How can you disagree with me when I have fire and power on my side?
«I realize there are many others. Yes, it is, and not everyone prefers women. King Cornell is still waiting for the handsome dragon who seduced him.»
«It was nothing like that,» I felt uncomfortable for some reason.
«I believe you, I believe you,» Vincent said, «but get that insolent pack away from me, and I’ll believe anything you say. Even that you have an obedient copy of Rose hiding on your ship, breathing fire on your camisole.»
How did he know about the ship? And why the sudden change to «you»? Oh, yes, one of the trolls in his pursuit crept up on us. I burned him to make sure. With one breath! The others immediately ducked around the corner of the cave, hissing warningly. The threats were directed only at Vincent, but I heard them too.
«What did you do to them?»
«It is nothing at all! Well, except I beat them… just a little bit. And I drank a whole bottle of their wine. Now they’re threatening to drain a whole bottle of blood out of me for it. They are sadists!»
«Was the wine magic?» I remembered his habit of stealing other people’s magic potions and drinks when he didn’t have the skills to make it himself.
«No, it was not magical, but very expensive. I adore expensive wines, expensive silks, luxurious clothes, and also charming women, but the company of one beautiful dragon suits me too.»
He touched me casually with his hand, and my head was filled with unsolicited memories of how good it had been for us to live together, when there were no women between us at all. I’m sure the sly Vincent is casting a spell to make me long for those times. If he liked being my lackey so much, why did he run off with Rose in the first place?
«Have you stolen many other men’s wives in the last century?» I wondered casually.
«Why be so petty? What does one wife mean to you when you can afford a harem?»
«What did she mean to you?»
«I told you… I just went to escort her like a footman.»
«Oh, come on!»
«Well, I didn’t think I’d end up alone, without her and without you,» he sighed theatrically, as if the latter were his greatest concern. Of course, Rose had nothing but her personal jewelry, and I had a thriving empire at my disposal.
«Besides, I figured her mischief would only last a century at most. Remember, you gave her one century of power over all of us.»
Yes, I did. I was foolish and in love.
«She used her power over me,» Vincent chimed in, catching my doubts. «She took me away from you. But I’m awake now, and I want me back. I’ll serve you faithfully.»
«We’ve been over this before,» I stood up and pushed him slightly away from my shoulder, but he almost fell.
«Are you rushing to Medea Shai’s again?» Vincent understood the situation in his own way. «You’re beginning to remind me of Knight Tamlane. He, too, could not escape the Queen of the Fairies, though he himself guarded the magical borders. On those borders, he turned poor lost girls into roses. He was a mighty warrior, but if the fairy queen called him, he would drop everything and rush to her call. He could turn into a dragon, too, by the way. The only difference between you and him is that you’re a real born dragon, while he was given the ability to transform by his dead dragon scales. What would you do in Tamlane’s place if your strength depended on your armor?»
«If I were Tamlane, I’d seize the throne, capture Medea Shai herself, and I wouldn’t let Janet go either. We’d have two queens at once. One queen alone would have escaped the dragon anyway. But with competition, they wouldn’t have left me behind. You could have more than one.»
«When you have your harem, I can use it sometimes,» Vincent said, drunk, forgetting both his shame and his fear of the dragon. «As a friend and a helper I will be useful. Well, only those you don’t really need. They are concubines, for instance.»
«I could give you your nine peri,» I offered graciously. The candelabrum in which they dwelt was still intact, though I was tempted to destroy it. Beautiful evil peri would emerge from the holes in the candelabra, give a night of pleasure, and then make their master’s life a living hell. By the way, Vincent gave me the candelabra. He must have had a lot of trouble with it himself and decided to pass it on to me, but no such luck. I managed to tame the peri. They were afraid of the dragon.»
«No, don’t give them to me,» Vincent said, worried. «Give me someone I haven’t met yet.»
You mean someone he hadn’t already embarrassed? I see.
«I’d even court concubines and give them gifts,» he whimpered.
«From my treasury, I suppose?» I grinned, and Vincent was embarrassed.
«Well, I’m no longer your treasurer or even your secretary.»
«And who are you to Medea Shai?» I caught him, noticing her claw print on his torn caftan.
«I am just one of her admirers.»
Personally, I didn’t want to be her admirer anymore. Though I said otherwise to confuse the cunning Vincent, I was thinking of another woman. Where Rose was now, Vincent did not know. She no longer needed him as a servant. She’d forgotten about him, as she’d forgotten about me, but I couldn’t forget about her. Sheor kept trying to catch up with her, too. Several times I drove his flaming ship away from Patricia’s pirate ship. It was difficult. Sheor rebelled. Somehow he was able to control the other wooden dragons. I had already guessed that it had once been a run-in with him that had caused the dragons to hibernate. Most likely, Sheor clashed with us because of Rose’s attention. While Medea Shai had used various tricks to enslave the dragons, the dragons were attracted to Rose. I had a lot of competitors. Every wooden dragon was my rival.
The more time passed, the more all the wooden dragons changed. At first, sparks glittered on their sides. Then it became hot as a scorcher on board. One time when I was sailing a wooden dragon, the ship caught fire and ran into oncoming ships. The wooden dragon fell apart. I found myself in the sea and would consider it a blessing to drown. Maybe the water would cool my inner fire and my longing for Rose. As luck would have it, I was rescued by a pirate captain who let his own death on board in my person. It’s dangerous to pull a dragon out of the water who has decided to drown. Such a rescue would drag the whole crew to the bottom.
After my wooden dragons began to catch fire and die one by one, I realized that somehow Sheor was drowning them. He was gaining strength. The fiery ship was incinerating entire fleets and sailing through burning armadas. He was destroying the seas in search of Patricia, but he couldn’t find her. I was in his way. Our confrontation lasted until Medea Shai intervened. She decided to visit her rival first. At first I thought the matter could be resolved peacefully. I promised the fairy queen everything I could and demanded that she promise to leave Patricia alone. I was in for a disappointment. Medea Shai had made an appointment for Patricia. And meetings between mortals and the queen of the fairies usually end in magical captivity. I had no choice but to fly over the fairy ship and blast it with dragon fire. The fairy queen should burn with the ship, for she is the soul of the ship. Her charred silhouette flickered in the flames. The sea that stretched all around could not put out the fire.
Patricia has no rival now, but the dragon ship remains, and it will find her. How can I persuade her to leave the sea and the pirate ship? I’ll fly to ask the watermen for advice.
The Immortal Rose
Patricia finished reading. At the end, the last page was sealed with a dragon claw. But all the pieces of the puzzle were slowly falling into place, except for one.
«I’m not Rose!» Patricia glanced into the dusky mirror, which, as luck would have it, reflected the fairy from the portrait instead of her face.
«How confusing is it!» Patricia flipped through the pages thoughtfully. So Edwin had burned the fairy queen. He probably didn’t know yet that Medea Shai had survived and wanted revenge. Now she’s burned and very aggressive. Patricia finally realized the reason for her anger.
«I’m no match for her! Well, except just a little bit… How did I fall in love with a married dragon!»
The heads of the fairies on the stakes didn’t answer, but there was a creepy little beast crawling across the table. Patricia shrieked when she saw it, but the beast was pleased.
«It’s your gremlin,» Edwin’s voice came from behind her. The dragon had returned from his walk and was back in the castle.
«He is not mine!»
«He is your pet!»
«My pet is a fluffy white purra.»
«You can have more than one pet. The gremlin was your first pet.»
«It’s a tiny monster!» Patricia couldn’t believe her ears.
«You loved him and carried him on your shoulder, but when you ran away, you abandoned him and I picked him up. You might even say I adopted him. But he still thinks of you as his mistress.»
Patricia held the notebook up to scare the gremlin away.
«Stay away!»
The gremlin took offense and jumped on Edwin’s shoulder.
«Why did you come back here?»
«Actually, this is my island,» Edwin reminded her. «I have the right to sleep on it whenever I want.»
«I thought you came back because you had a conscience and you were going to help me fight Opal.»
«It’s an empty fight. You have nothing to do with Opal. Your state is a magical empire, and your family is me. Don’t think that blond half fairy who flies after you is your sister.»
«You know Beatrice?»
«Every sea and coastal dweller knows that nuisance.»
«What’s a half fairy?»
«It is a mixture of a dead girl and a magical creature. It’s a mixture invented by the King of Opal to create dead fairies.»
«But Beatrice is alive. She’s changed, but only partially.»
«It’s dangerous to have any contact with her. You’d better stay here, on the island of the golden dragon, with me.»
How tempting! Patricia thought. Edwin is incredibly attractive, even though he is a dragon. If it weren’t for the presence of his wife, she would probably agree.
«Revenge is my first priority.» Patricia said aloud.
«Well, get your own revenge. I’m not going with you.»
Patricia bit her lip in frustration. She could have used the almighty dragon’s help. She couldn’t make a deal with Edwin. He is angry with her because of his wife’s misdeeds.
«Then it’s time for me to sail. Thanks for the poignant reading,» Patricia tossed the notebook to Edwin. He didn’t make the slightest attempt to catch it, but the notebook hung in the air.
«He is a snob!» Patricia scolded on the way back to the ship. «Dragons are such snobs!»
The crew waiting outside understood her in their way.
«He didn’t let you steal the dragon’s treasure,» Netopyrina guessed.
«Why would I want the dragon treasure? I needed a fighting dragon!»
For a moment there was silence aboard «The Bloodsucker.» No one doubted the usefulness of a battle dragon, but the dragon did not fly after the ship.
«Cheer up, Captain! We have flying ships, and a fleet of watermen, and an armada of ghosts. We’ll manage on our own,» Zeligena consoled.
«The Bloodsucker» had been without food for a long time and was glad to leave. The golden dragon’s island was magical, but there were no humans on it. The ropes of the vampire ship searched the coast in vain. There were no victims. But in the nearest human harbor, the ship would bite the blood.»
Patricia was angry. Alone in the captain’s cabin, she cursed at Edwin, who could hardly hear her. Magicians can overhear everything, but most likely Edwin was disappointed in her and was looking for a new candidate for a wife. He would probably soon see Rose in another girl. After all, Rose, as he said himself, is multifaceted.
Patricia fell asleep briefly and dreamed that she was measuring other people’s bodies as if they were dresses. Her own body became a spirit. It floated above the universe and could inhabit the body of any beauty. Queen, princess, princess, noblewoman, bourgeois, dancer and colombina – she tried on a succession of beautiful bodies. Each time she tried on another body, the mirror stubbornly reflected her former face. Alas, it was not the face of the familiar Patricia. It was a divinely beautiful brunette in a crown and fairy wings.
«It is the immortal Rose!» The pixies whispered flying around the mirror. It is the immortal queen of fairies! The dragon’s wife will never die.»
Patricia awoke with a heavy weight on her heart and a vague sense of danger. Outside the cabin window, an orange glow was spreading. Was the dragon ship coming toward them again? Patricia jumped up from her narrow bed and ran out onto the deck. The place was already in turmoil.
«There are flaming ships directly ahead,» the goblin who was on watch reported.
«Are they dragon ships?»
«No, they are human ships,» said a cunning troll. «They’re from Opal.»
«Why are they burning?» Patricia snatched from one of the goblins the telescope he had seized during the last boarding and was now using. The glass in the tube cracked slightly.
«If I were a fairy lord, I’d fix it in no time,» Patricia muttered to herself, and suddenly, as if by magic, the glass was whole again. Patricia couldn’t believe her luck. Probably Zeligena or Netopyrina had given her a hand. But they were both flying above the masts now, looking out to sea. Zeligena flew to the sinking ships and brought back a burnt Opal flag as a trophy.
«The dragon burned those ships,» she explained. «They were sailing toward us. Your Opal enemy must have sent them to intercept us on the high seas.»
«Were there fairies or peri on the ships?» Patricia asked.
«If there were, they scattered as soon as the ships caught fire.»
Patricia looked through her telescope, squinting one eye. The ships were burning and sinking very quickly. Dragon fire destroys all material things faster than ordinary flames. Too bad there would be a poisonous residue left over the sea from the dragon flames. Mermaids and watermen could be harmed by it. For some reason, mermaids made Patricia sympathetic, as if they really had once been her friends.
«Was the dragon gold?» Patricia asked, hoping that Edwin would see reason and help.
Zeligena only flapped her wings as if with her hands.
«It was dark. I dozed off in flight, so I didn’t get a good look.»
Patricia noticed that one ship burned longer than the others. It was called «The Tea Rose.» The copper letters on the back of the ship had not burned completely. Patricia looked closely at them. No, it didn’t seem to be signed «Tea Rose,» but «Immortal Rose.»
«Help him! He can’t sink the ship that bears your name,» a mermaid in a pearl kokoshnik suddenly surfaced at the side of the ship and clutched at Patricia’s sleeve. She seemed vaguely familiar.
«I didn’t give you away to him,» the mermaid whispered, «he didn’t find you because of me, but now he wants to help you. Get involved! I don’t care if the ship is named after you. The King of Opal named it that on purpose so the dragon couldn’t handle it. Let him destroy it.»
«What good would that do you?»
«There are many valuable things on board «The Immortal Rose,» the mermaid lowered her eyes in shame. «If the ship sinks, they’ll end up at the bottom. And everything that sinks is mine!»
«All right, I’ll allow it!» Patricia grumbled reluctantly, though she did not believe in success. Immediately the ship glowed brightly. There was on board someone flaming like a torch. Barely had the ship sunk before he took off. He was blazing like a phoenix. Could it really be Edwin? The desire to be near him burned. Patricia quickly returned the goblin’s telescope.
«The dragon is looking for you!» squeaked the fire pixies left hovering over the water after the fire. «The dragon wants his runaway wife back.»
«It’s not me!» Patricia objected with confidence.
«The dragon loves you,» they continued to squeak.
«Who can a dragon love? It is only another dragoness!»
The pixies giggled.
«Get away from me!» Patricia chased them away from «The Bloodsucker.» Edwin had probably created them on purpose to reason with her. The dragon didn’t like that revenge was the girl’s main goal. He wanted the dragon to be the main thing for her!
«How arrogant of him is it!» Patricia grumbled. «I’m going to make him disappointed. I can handle revenge without a dragon.»
On the way to Opal, there was a small but curious island where all sorts of evil things nested. After flying to it, Zeligena brought a box of ettes for the captain.
«Why do I need candy?» Patricia marveled. «You’re not suggesting that they could poison the King of Opal, are you?»
«I noticed that the box stashed in your quarters was empty, so I thought I’d bring you some more. These ettes are silver and speckled. If you eat them before you go to sleep, you’ll see whoever you want in your dreams.»
The temptation to eat them and dream of Edwin was great, but Patricia held back. She could still use the box of candy. Edwin was like a magnet. Better to make love to him in a dream than to compete with his wizard wife in real life. It’s safer that way.
Patricia knew the secrets of the island «The Bloodsucker» was approaching, but she couldn’t remember from where. Every moonlit night, an oblong boat full of empty barrels docked in a quiet cove off the forest. The one who dares to take a desperate step must fill them with gold, or if there is nowhere to get it, with human blood, preferably blood, of course, and as soon as they are filled, a gnome appears on board between them to offer his services. It is said that this dwarf is stronger than giants, because he is able to turn mountains with his sorcery. They should recruit him to the pirate crew.
Patricia didn’t see any oncoming ships. So there’s no way to get blood. We’ll have to offer the dwarf barrels filled with gold.
As soon as Patricia brought the gold and got into the boat, the dwarf appeared.
«Oh, so much gold,» he said sadly. «There’s nothing to drink. But wait, there’s a barrel of booze!»
Patricia didn’t remember bringing rum. She looked around. Her saber was hovering over the boat, keeping the dwarf on his toes. He had discovered one barrel of blood, though.
«It is pirates’ blood! Delicious! Fresh! It’s still warm! It was the dragon who brought it, not you,» the dwarf determined, «and he’s the one who should return the favor.»
The dwarf suddenly stuttered, as if a dragon’s paw had clawed at his throat.
«I mean, if it weren’t for you, the dragon wouldn’t have given me such a gift,» the dwarf apologized hastily. «Tell me, what do you want?»
«It is to find a solution to Opal’s chief wizard.»
«You mean the king?»
The dwarf greedily licked the blood from the badly stuck cork in his kidney and licked voluptuously.
«I’ve heard that you can roll mountains,» said Patricia.
«It’s easy to move mountains. But Opal would be harder.»
«Stop talking for nothing! How do I defeat the king? Does he have a weakness?»
«Ask his dead wives.»
«That’s all you’re going to help me with!»
«I’ll also give you gifts in exchange for yours,» the dwarf snapped his fingers, and a boat loaded with barrels of fire wine appeared out of nowhere.
«I don’t want it,» Patricia said indignantly, but the dwarf had already disappeared with the gold. Somehow she was in the other boat. The barrels in it were burning.
«I hate fiery wine!» Patricia wanted to throw the barrels into the water, but changed her mind. What if they burned the mermaids?
The fiery wine could be loaded aboard one of the flying ships to spill it over the armies guarding the shores of Opal. The scalded guards would be unable to defend themselves.
«So many clever ideas are in your head,» was the voice of an invisible dwarf. «Listen to your second self more often. You should also try the fire wine. A dragon’s maiden should know how to drink it.»
Patricia was ready to throw up and throw down with anger. How can you drink fire wine and not get burned! She wasn’t a fairy! Only those who are so invulnerable that they can drink wine from fire, and then there are goblins, trolls, and other magical folk.
«If I were one of them, I could drink fire wine too,» Patricia muttered to herself, «but I’m not one of them.»
«If you weren’t one of them, you wouldn’t be their captain,» was the dwarf’s reply, and then it was terribly quiet.
The boat sailed to the ship, and as soon as the goblins had unloaded the barrels from it, it disappeared.