I sat next to Kiki and swiveled my chair to face her, “Okay. If you need my help, you need to tell me everything.”

Kiki refused to make eye contact with me as she spoke in a very low voice, “Do you remember when I said dragons are jerks? Well, they really are. One dragon in particular. I need your help with a dragon who put a contract on me.”

“I’ll go get Mr. Ramsey”, I began.

My sister stood suddenly, her chair falling over from the sudden movement. “Absolutely not. If you tell an adult, I am as good as dead.”

Kiki huffed for a few minutes without saying anything else. I started to wonder why she needed me specifically. “You realize I’m less than half your level, right? How exactly am I supposed to help?”

She pulled up another chair and sat next to me again, grabbing my shoulders and saying, “You don’t need to do anything. I just need you to come with me.”

“How does that help with the dragon?”, I asked, realizing she wasn’t giving me the whole story.

Kiki’s face curdled into a sneer at the mention of the dragon. “That dragon, Kur, is the worst creature on the face of the planet. Once upon a time, a young woman made a deal with the dragon…”

I cut her off, “Don’t tell me you made a deal with this dragon.”

She laughed, “Well, I did, but that’s for later. Let me finish the story first.”

Realizing that there was more to the story, I shook her off and sat back. “Okay, tell me.”

Kiki smiled, realizing she had my full attention. “Okay, so this woman made a deal with a dragon and offered her only child as her end of the bargain.”

I gasped, “You were that child weren’t you?”

Her shoulders slumped as she replied, “Yes. I was given to a dragon when I was still a young girl. Kur is the one that trained me as a negotiator. And yes, my first contract was with that very same dragon. I’ve been trying to fulfill my end of that bargain for the last 10 years. That’s right, I was seven years old and he took advantage of me.”

My sister’s story was tragic but she was still leaving out the fine details. “You still haven’t told me what you need me for. What do you owe the dragon for this contract and what did you get out of it?”

Kiki took a deep breath and said, “I get my freedom. Like I told you, my mother gave me up meaning that Kur owns me. He asked me what I’d do for my freedom and I said I’d do anything. What can I say, I was 7 at the time.”

Tears were streaming down her cheek as she spoke. I wanted to help her but the situation sounded far too dangerous. I asked, “How am I supposed to help you out of this mess?”

She sniffled and looked at the ground, a range of emotions crossing her face. “Well, I just need you to come with me. To meet the dragon. He says you are the key to getting the mana he needs. Once that’s done, I’ll be free.”

“So you just need mana?”, I blurted out, relieved that I might be able to help without too much danger, “Didn’t you get some from the contract?”

Kiki shook her head, whispering, “It wasn’t enough. If I can just take you with me, Kur promised to release me from my contract. I told him about your summoning ritual from when you summoned Kalliphae. He tells me that he can make a ritual circle to summon mana from you at an enhanced rate. It won’t feel good but you won’t die and I’ll be free when it ends. Please do this for me, brother.”

I wanted to trust her but something felt off. I asked, “How can I tell that you’re telling the truth?”

She took a deep breath and grabbed my hands, saying, “Fine. Let’s make a deal. I will swear that I’ve told the truth and you swear to come with me.”

Something in my brain screamed that I was about to make a bad decision but I still wound up asking, “What happens if you’re lying to me?”

Kiki shrugged and asked, “What do you want to happen as a penalty for breaking the contract? Should we make it a death penalty? The strongest penalties make for the strongest contracts after all.”

While I wanted her to tell the truth, I didn’t want her to die. I shook my head. “I don’t want you to die. How about this, if you lied, then you have to do whatever I want?”

For the first time since she returned, Kiki smiled at me. “Oh my, such a naughty little brother. Do you want to have your way with me?”

I pulled away from her, self-conscious about what she was suggesting. “That is not what I meant. I just meant that if you lie to me then you have to make it up to me.”

The grin never left her face when she replied, “Very well. If I’m lying to you then I’ll make it up to you. Anything you want. However, that also means that if you don’t come with me then you’ll also have to do what I want.”

Taking a deep breath, I agreed and said, “Deal.”

Kiki stood up again and reached for my hand, saying, “Great. I was telling you the truth. Now come with me.”

I allowed her to pull me to my feet while asking, “Did it work? I don’t feel any different?”

She giggled and explained, “It would have felt different had I been lying. Try refusing to come with me and you’ll see how a magical contract works.”

Kiki was leading me out of the building when Kalli contacted me through mate chat. Mel, I heard all of that, what do you want me to do? Get help?

I was relieved and a little surprised that Kiki didn’t shut me out from mate chat.

I don’t know. She said that if we get adults involved that she might die. She said she wasn’t lying.

Kalli was beginning to worry, I could feel her uneasiness in my chest. So what should I do?

We walked through the atrium on our way outside. Kiki waved and a nearby car pulled up to the curb. At first, I thought it was an uber but the way Kiki greeted the driver made me think she knew him.

She climbed in the back and said, “Take us to the place.”

The car lurched into motion as the driver said, “At once, ma’am.”

Deciding on a plan, I relayed my instructions to Kalli through mate chat.

Follow us. Tell the others but don’t use group chat.

Kalli wasted no time, sprinting down the hall on her way to where I knew Wendy to be. Okay, Mel. I’ll follow you as soon as I can.

We traveled in silence for a while, Kiki not saying anything as our car slowly moved through downtown Los Angeles traffic. Byakko and Quetzalcoatl decided to add their thoughts to the dilemma.

The tiger guardian chuffed in my ear. This is a bad idea. Sister or not, you are about to have a face-to-face meeting with a dragon. They are not to be trusted.

Quetzalcoatl hissed in reply. Spoken like a fake guardian. While I disagree with your sentiment on dragons, I am forced to agree that this situation is less than ideal. Kur is a dangerous creature. I advise we abort this mission at once or at the very least find a way to even the odds.

I smiled inwardly at the dialog going on in my head.

Don’t worry. I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I know this is dangerous but we need to rescue my sister.

Traffic slowed us down long enough for Kalli to take flight on her Pheonix. She brought Wendy with her after sending Joe to get the rest of the group together. She assured Kalli that Joe had transportation that could easily follow us.

After nearly an hour of silence, Kiki spoke softly, “Thank you for doing this for me. I know this seems dangerous but I have it all worked out. We will be back in time for school tomorrow. I’ll finally be free.”

I could see the car I was riding in through Kalli’s eyes as the phoenix tailed us high in the sky. We traveled east, leaving the luscious valley of Los Angeles and passing into the vast desert beyond the mountains.

After driving down a desolate highway for a while and with no civilization in sight, we turned onto a dirt path and drove to a nearby snow-capped mountain.

The driver picked up speed as we headed for the base of the mountain, seeming to be on a collision course with a rock. I wanted to close my eyes but something inside of me knew that I would miss out on the magic if I did. The moment we would have hit, the surface of the rock shimmered and vanished, revealing a cave that led into the bowels of the mountain.

I saw Kalli dive toward the opening as we sped through the darkness. I saw you vanish into the rock. Is there a passage down there?

As if she heard the question, Kiki explained, “That bit of magic is called a mirage. It’s not my magic.”

I nodded appreciatively, also watching Kalli pass through the rock. She was on foot though, so her progress was somewhat slower than ours. Deciding to learn what I could about the dragon, I asked, “What other magic does Kur use down here?”

Kiki shook her head. “It’s not his magic. This place is his prison. He refuses to say who imprisoned him here but he is desperate to get out.”

We suddenly emerged from the tunnel into a vast lit chamber that was filled by a massive dragon. Kiki opened the door on her side and stepped out of the car, speaking in a loud voice. “Father, it is done. I brought the boy.”

I climbed out behind her and whispered, “Did you just call him father?”

She ignored me, moving closer to the dragon, who was watching our every move. “With this, my contract is complete. I did everything just as you asked.”

The driver, who also exited the vehicle, made his way to the side of the room where he climbed into an alcove. Once he took his place he was instantly lit by the same light that glowed in other alcoves around the room.

When I took a closer look, I realized that each lit alcove was occupied by a single person, frozen in place while bathed in the light. The light from each alcove flowed up the wall to the ceiling and shone down on the dragon, illuminating him.

The dragon’s voice boomed through the chamber when he spoke. “Greetings chosen one. It is about to be your honor to fuel my rebirth. I have waited 5000 years for this very moment.”

Taking a deep breath I took a few steps forward in front of Kiki. I noticed Kalli and Wendy had arrived and were peeking into the chamber from just outside in the tunnel. I announced, “I am here to pay Kiki’s debt. Do I step into the light? Or is there a ritual circle that I need to make?”

Kur roared with laughter and said, “Come to me or stay there. I do not care. You have been misled. You have been fattened by my daughter here for me to feast on. She has prepared all. I have seen it.”

I turned back to look at Kiki, asking, “What is he saying, sis? Did you lie to me?”

She rapidly shook her head. ‘’No. I didn’t. Everything I told you was the truth.”

Then Kiki yelled at Kur, “Father! You told me you just needed his mana. There is no reason to eat him.”

Kur laughed, his draconic cackles echoing through the massive chamber. “Oh ho ho. She did lie to you. The lies of omission. She did not tell you that she made that Alex boy befriend your mate just so she could rescue you from him. Or about how she chose the dungeon closest to the outer wall so that you could ingest that delicious serpent for his divine mana. That godly aura you’re emitting gives you just enough mana to fully revive me. If I consume you whole that is.”

Kiki placed a hand on my shoulder and cried out, “Don’t listen to him, Melvin. Deceit is part of what he is. Kur twists everything.”

The dragon pointed a muscular claw at the lights on the wall. “Look around. This chamber is littered with the fruits of my daughter’s labor. All of these children have been brought to feed me.”

Looking around the chamber for the first time, my heart skipped a beat when I saw Fina suspended in one of the beams of light. Kiki shuddered when I turned my gaze on her and said, “It’s not what it looks like. They only spend a few weeks down here. Then I let them go back. None of them were ever harmed.”

Kur roared with laughter, “True, my beloved daughter never lets me snack. Today shall be different. For you, there is only the feast. With your death, Kiki and I shall be free. Isn’t that wonderful daughter?”

Kiki screamed at the dragon, “No. I won’t let you eat Melvin. I’ll stand against you.”

The dragon lunged at us until his maw was only a few feet away. “You cannot challenge me daughter. It is clearly written in our pact. If you defy me. You shall perish. You know this magic well. Now be a good little girl and watch quietly while I eat this one.”

“Bvoomzt”

A burst of flame larger than anything I had ever seen Kalli summon before lit up the room as it exploded against the side of Kur’s head. I turned back to see that the whole gang had arrived. Kalliphae was on fire as she stood in the front seat of a mechanical spider. Wendy, Joe, Rundell, Raverly, and Stefanie were also with her. Joe had created a large mechanical spider that towered over the car.

Kalli shouted at the dragon, “If you want to eat my boyfriend, you’re going to have to go through me first!”