Harper finally cried herself out and stopped leaning against me. We sat there for a while before she said anything. “Why does this always happen, Finn?” she asked, staring into the woods.

  I looked at her sideways. “Do all your boyfriends turn into demons?”

  Harper laughed a little. “No, but it’s hard to find one that is willing to stick around.”

  “I can’t say I understand that,” I said. “But then again, I’ve never had a boyfriend. And I really haven’t had a girlfriend for years.”

  “What about Arilyn? Doesn’t she count as a girlfriend?” she asked, glad for the change in subject.

  I sighed. “I don’t know. When I’m around her, it’s like we’re the only two people in the world. Magical,” I said wistfully. “But we haven’t dated, and it feels like I have no control over myself when I’m around her. It’s just weird. But she’s always on my mind, even when I’m thinking about other things. If we could just go on a normal date, no gods or demons, maybe we could. Maybe we could be something, you know?”

  “I’m like the last person you should ask for advice on these things,” she said. Her face screwed up in pain. “I’m just so sad, so angry, about Jerseil’s deception. And I miss him. It’s so screwed up in my head, and I want it to stop. You know what’s worse? Without him around, all the pain and anger over Juan’s death feels so fresh.”

  She was right. Everything around losing Juan was welling up. “Can demons influence people like gods can?” I asked. The idea that our feelings, and possibly thoughts, were being influenced by the disguised demon was scary. It meant that both Harper and I would need to figure out what was ‘real’ us and what was ‘influenced’ us.

  She stared at the spot where our former friend had been. “I don’t know. Just add that to the list of questions to ask Eric. I don’t want to go down that rabbit hole out here,” Harper said. She stood up, letting our little dragon out of her lap. “I need a drink. Like, several drinks. Let’s head back to Mining Camp.”

  We kept our eyes out for Vexarith on the way back to the town, but he didn’t show his face, the real one or his Jerseil one. The hatchling energetically romped through the undergrowth and around the ancient growth trees, exploring and checking out everything. And there was nothing stealthy about her frolicking, as she chirped and cheeped and growled over plants and sticks. I was reminded of a six-month-old puppy a friend had, how the world just seemed new and exciting every time he was outside. The baby dragon was a hell of a lot more intelligent, but she had never seen anything like this in her brief life.

  Before we got to town, she wanted up on my shoulders. It was better that way, so I could keep her safe. I didn’t know who would be more shocked, the hatchling at the crowds and hustle or the people seeing a literal dragon out of myth and legend.

  I greatly underestimated people’s ability not to notice things. When we entered town, most people didn’t give us a second look. The hatchling was paying attention, though, and practically gave herself whiplash trying to look at everyone and everything.

  Harper noticed and laughed. “It’s all so interesting for you, isn’t it, little one?” she asked. The hatchling chirped in wonder, startling a passing woman. She stopped and stared wide-eyed at our baby dragon as we walked on. The hatchling trilled at the woman happily.

  We returned to the Nugget and Nail Inn, hoping our prior stay would win us some points despite having a baby dragon now. The waitress, Anya, greeted us as we walked in.

  “Welcome back, hons! Is your green friend going to be joining you later?” she asked. She looked over my shoulder as if expecting Jerseil to walk in behind us.

  Harper grimaced. “He will not be joining us today, or ever. But we’ll need two rooms, baths, and dinner.” Harper replied.

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  The waitress blinked and gave her a sympathetic look. “Oh, I’m sorry for your loss, hon. I’ll let Jahn know, him being the innkeeper and all. Just have a seat, and I’ll bring you something on the house. Kay?” she said as she directed us toward the tables. Anya bustled off to find the innkeeper while we sat down at a free table.

  She came back with a bottle of wine and two glasses. The hatchling meeped with interest at the bottle. “Hey Anya? Could you bring a bowl of milk? My new friend here could use something,” I asked.

  She smiled. “Of course, hon! I can do that for your… what is your little friend?”

  “She’s a, um, baby dragon. But keep it to yourself? Some people might take issue,” I pleaded.

  “No worries, never heard of that type of dragonkin. See why she’s called a baby, though. Super cute! I’ll be right back with that,” she said cheerfully.

  I looked at Harper, seeing my surprise mirrored on her face. “Did she just assume our hatchling wasn’t a dragon?” she asked.

  “I think she did. This is going to be way easier than I thought. Well, little one, you are now incognito as a dragonkin!” I said. The hatchling chirped curiously in response. “From what I’ve been told, dragons haven’t been seen in the 12 kingdoms for centuries. So we’ll just play along with this for a bit, okay?”

  She chirped again in more of a reluctantly affirmative fashion. I got the feeling she thought it was ridiculous but would go along with it for now. The main room of the inn was not very busy, with only a few people eating and drinking. None of them really looked in our direction, focused mainly on their own conversations or meals.

  “Here’s some milk for your adorable dragonkin! Does she have a name?” asked the waitress.

  “She does, but she hasn’t shared it with me yet.” I replied. I felt a little weird saying it, but it was the truth.

  “Well, she is the cutest dragonkin I’ve ever seen. I’ll make sure she gets something special for dinner,” she replied with a smile for the hatchling. “Your two rooms and your bath will be ready in about 10 minutes, I would think.”

  “To Juan, may the old son of a bitch find some rest!” Harper said with a raised glass. We had been talking about the old programmer turned ranger since we had finished eating dinner. We sat at our table drinking a fourth bottle of wine. The baby dragon was fast asleep in my lap, full and content. I had covered her up with a cloth napkin to avoid spilling wine on her. Not that I thought it would hurt the baby dragon, but she was too young to be drinking wine. Or absorbing wine.

  “To Juan. You know what we need to do, right?” I asked. “We need to find him — find his body — and give him a proper burial. I hate that he’s just lying at the bottom of that, um, chasm.”

  Harper nodded. “It’s going to be hard. I’ve heard there are things down there. Like, super nasty things. But I’m in. Then we need to make them pay for what they did to him.” She said angrily.

  “What, the ogre? Or all of the Steel Falcons?” I asked, leaning in.

  “All of them,” she said angrily. “The ogre, the cooks, and all the officers. Especially that guy, the commander. What was his name, Shane? Sam?”

  “Xander. I didn’t see him there, but you’re right; as the guy in charge, he’s responsible for the actions of his soldiers. He’d better be willing to take responsibility for it. I hate leaders who blame everyone else for their mistakes,” I replied. I was a little drunk, and my mind was unfocused.

  Harper pondered my statement for a moment. “So are you in? Are you going to have a problem with killing Commander what’s-his-name, or any of the other Steel Falcons?” She asked suspiciously.

  I raised my glass. “For Juan? No, not anymore,” I replied thoughtfully. “When I was sent here, yeah, I would have. Man, I know this sounds cliché, but that seems like a lifetime ago.” I shook my head and clinked glasses with her. We emptied them, and Harper grabbed the bottle for refills. I looked down at the sleeping hatchling and stroked her back, careful of her wings.

  There was an itch I had to scratch out of concern for my friend. “And what about Jerseil?”

  “What about him?”

  “I know the two of you were together. How are you doing with it?” I asked.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” she replied quietly.

  “Look, I—”

  She slammed her fist down on the table. “I said I don’t want to talk about it!” she growled, and her glare stopped me.

  “Okay, chill! I’m here, though. To talk. When you’re ready,” I said, taking the hint.

  “Thanks, Finn. Just not yet, okay?” she said, mollified. She emptied the bottle into our glasses and took a drink before looking away. We sat quietly, she in her emotional turmoil of rage, betrayal, and pain. I sipped quietly and cursed my lack of knowledge of how to help.

  The baby dragon stirred then and stretched on my lap. She looked up at my face, cocking her head. That bundle of thoughts that was her in my mind suddenly blossomed, opening to me. ‘My name is Thyssa’Vessera,’ a little girl’s voice said in my mind. ‘Thank you for finding and protecting me, Walsh’Finnegan.’ She had put her forepaws on my chest and chirped before laying her head on my shoulder.