“Be sure to close the door,” Miss Vora said.

“Yes, Miss Vora.” Xyra shut the study’s door gently behind her. Miss Vora motioned for her to come over by the big chair. Xyra obeyed, and as she did, Miss Vora pulled a small wooden box from the nearby bookshelf. The brown top lifted, and she pulled a tiny, golden thing from it. After looking at it for a moment, she held it up for Xyra to see. It looked to be made of gold and was hollow in the center. Was it meant for a finger?

“That looks beautiful!” Xyra said. This was the first time she’d seen something like it.

“I imagine you’ve no idea what illusions are, do you?”

Xyra shook her head and shrunk a little. Miss Vora was going to think that she didn’t know anything. And that was true. Rarely did she venture any place that wasn’t the forest. Her knowledge was limited to what could be seen there and in the cave, and what few bits of details her family shared with her. They…didn’t tell a lot. Maybe that was because she didn’t want to know.

“When it comes to magic, illusions are the ability to shape what others see. Think of it as tricking a person’s mind into seeing-or not seeing-anything you want.”

Xyra frowned. “That sounds…so it can hide things that are there, or show things that aren’t?”

“Exactly.”

“It…lies?”

Miss Vora laughed into the back of her hand. “You could say that, yes. A skilled mage can fool anyone.” The gold little thing rose from Miss Vora’s hand, and Xyra took a small step back. It rose until it floated before Miss Vora’s face, who placed one hand above and below it.

“So that little thing isn’t real?”

“No, the ring is real.” Miss Vora’s eyes narrowed in concentration. Tiny pink lights began to flash around what Miss Vora called a ring. They reminded her of lightning from the dark stormy clouds that floated over the forest at times, but not as big. She hated lightning. It ruined the calmness of the forest and sent her scurrying back into the cave.

Miss Vora’s eyes narrowed until they closed. Xyra watched in silence. The stillness frightened her, and she couldn’t tell why it did. There was nothing to be afraid of, even if Miss Vora worked strange magic in front of her.

But…how do I know that? The thought made her jump. She didn’t know. Miss Vora was kind, yes, but she’d been here for no time at all. What if…what if she wasn’t so kind in the future?

The ring settled into Miss Vora’s hand, the pink sparks fading away. “And done!” Miss Vora opened her eyes. They first moved to the ring. “The markings have taken quite nicely. Here.” She thrust it towards Xyra.

Xyra reached for the ring, but hesitated, her fingers stopping just before it. “What does it do, Miss Vora?”

“I’ve cast a spell on it!” Miss Vora wiggled her fingers. “Wearing this ring will cause you to appear as a normal human. No tail, scales, horns, or wings.”

A human? Fear gave way to excitement. “Really? I want to try it!” Xyra took the ring. Little pink markings glowed on it, fading in and out of view every few seconds. “Do I put it on my finger?”

Miss Vora nodded eagerly.

She slipped it onto one of her small fingers, then closed her eyes and waited for her dragon features to disappear. And she waited. And waited. And waited. But she felt no different.

From one eye, she peeked. “Did it work, Miss Vora?”

“Of course it did!” Miss Vora said, placing gentle hands on Xyra’s cheeks. A smile stretched wide across her purple lips.

The touch set Xyra’s face on fire. Her hands are so soft! “I don’t feel like it did…” She wagged her tail; that was still there. She made the mistake of flaring her wings; they were still there, too, and yelled at her for moving them.

“It’s visual, darling. They can’t see your scales or things of that nature, but let’s say they touch you as I am now.” Miss Vora bit a corner of her lip and swirled her fingers on Xyra’s cheeks. “Oooh, I can feel your little scales! They’d feel the same.”

Xyra reached behind her shoulder and grabbed her hair. What was once white was now a deep black, the same as Miss Vora’s.

“How I’ll miss those sun-like eyes,” Miss Vora said. “I don’t find green a suiting color for you. Oh, and those big, beautiful wings, gone! Those pointed tips of magnificence, no longer displayed with pride on that pretty little head. It’s enough to…”

“Are you crying, Miss Vora?”

“No,” she said with a sniffle. “Just…I forbid you to hide your dragon-self in my home. I’ve given you this ring so that you aren’t stuck within the confines of this place all day. You may go as you please, do as you want.”

“May I go home, then?” The words came without thought. Xyra sucked in air as if that would stop them from reaching Miss Vora’s ears.

But they did. And Miss Vora’s face became a mask. “Do you know the way back to your homeland?”

Xyra had thought about that. She didn’t even know where she was. Tregar. That was where she was. The name meant nothing and told her nothing. “No,” she said slowly. Miss Vora’s face changed a bit. “If I had a map-“

“That’s a shame,” Miss Vora said. “There is no map of Val Eneyas, your homeland.”

Xyra felt awfully queasy. “W-why?”

“Because,” Miss Vora said, tugging lightly at a braid, “no one has had the luxury of leaving your homeland alive.” She moved past Xyra and placed herself in a chair near the table.

Xyra followed her with small steps. “Oh…I’ve never seen a human there.”

“Trust me.” She crossed one leg over the other. “We’ve tried many times, and each time results in wasted money and missing men. King’s orders, merchant patronage, headstrong explorers-all dead. I’ve had my hand in each and every one of them. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that I’ve paid for a fair share of deaths!” Miss Vora looked as if she held back a laugh.

Xyra didn’t understand what was so funny about her own people dying. “I see…”

“That means you’re stuck with me. There are worse fates for a dragon in Adamore, I assure you.” She eyed Xyra.

Xyra turned her attention to the small fireplace, with its crackling flame. Miss Vora’s words pulled her back to tall grass by a river. Would you like for the King’s Order to find you? Volsten’s words came back to her. There was the tone there, that whatever that thing was, it was bad, and it would hurt her.

I don’t care! Her mind shouted. She could think of nothing worse than being so far away from the cave.

“Unless you find me so horrible that you must escape.”

Xyra let her head fall but put on a smile. “No, Miss Vora. You’re so kind to me! You’re much better than Volsten!”

“Oh?” Miss Vora’s chair creaked.

When Xyra turned to look at her, she was leaned, both of her thin eyebrows raised. “Is something wrong?” Xyra wondered if she’d said something wrong.

“It’s just…I might not be as smart as I believe I am. Those tied wings you had-painful, yes?”

“They hurt a lot…” Xyra said, reluctance creeping into her words. Miss Vora made her feel as if something bad happened.

“Did Volsten know this? He should have, given their condition.”

“I-I don’t know.”

Miss Vora stood. “Was there anything else he did?”

Xyra couldn’t look at her. Instead she focused on Miss Vora’s painted toes. They were bright purple, and very pretty.

A hand touched her chin and lifted until she stared into Miss Vora’s green eyes. “Tell.”

It was hard to stay quiet. Miss Vora was barely taller than she was, but there was something that made her scary. Volsten stood tall over both of them, but without his sword, she was never fearful around him. Only…sad. “Y-yes…”

“Tell!”

Xyra’s chest thumped. Would he get in trouble? She didn’t want to cause any trouble. “H-he made me eat something I didn’t want…”

“I’m assuming meat,” Miss Vora said. “I’m sure you’d already informed him of your peculiarity in that regard?”

“Yes, Miss Vora!” Xyra nodded furiously. “I did! He wouldn’t listen to me!”

“What else?”

Xyra mumbled something that she herself couldn’t understand.

“What else!”

Miss Vora was becoming blurred through a veil of water. “We were riding…and I said ‘Thank you,’ and…I don’t…he just threw me!”

“What a knight he is!” Miss Vora went back to her seat, releasing Xyra’s eyes from her clutches.

“Why…why did he do that? Why does he hate me? I never did anything…”

“It’s not you, dear,” Miss Vora said, reaching for a small white pouch on the table. “Humans and dragons have an odd relationship, if one could even call it that. We’re told from birth how dangerous you all are. There’s nary a mention of your people’s beauty and majesty, so it becomes ingrained that you’re no better than animals.” Miss Vora’s face moved like she tasted something bad. “Contemptible fools. I must unfortunately say that his behavior surprises me not one bit!”

She thought of all the humans she’d seen, both young and old. Did each hate her? Even Miss Vora’s servants stayed clear of her.

“I do wonder,” Miss Vora said, again crossing her leg, “if dragons feel the same about us.”

“I don’t know, Miss Vora. We don’t talk about humans much.” Except for Magenia. But Xyra figured that Miss Vora wouldn’t want to hear what she had to say about them.

“Of course. Only we have the luxury of idle thoughts such as that. Here.” She held out the small pouch.

Xyra stared at it. “What is it?”

“Gold, and a few crowns.” Miss Vora jiggled it a little. “Consider it your allowance.”

Xyra took it gratefully, though she didn’t know what Miss Vora meant.

“It’s a beautiful day outside. Why don’t you take a walk, get to know this lovely city? You could even buy a few things you like. Won’t that be fun?”

“O-ok…” She clutched the small pouch hard against her chest. “I should go now?”

“Whenever you like, but the earlier the better. The streets get busier as the day goes on-up to a certain point, that is.”

Xyra headed for the door. When she was nearly to it, Miss Vora spoke.

“Oh, and Xyra darling?”

“Yes?”

“If you see a certain knight about town, tell him to come to me immediately. He’ll have to come by eventually for his money, but I want some words with him while it’s fresh in my mind.”

Xyra didn’t like the sound of that, but she gave a “Yes, Miss Vora.” and left the study.