The dragon looked much bigger than before, her figure towering over them. Her wings were transparent, magic must have grown them. They were covering the complete sky. Sasha frowned, looking around.

“Since both of you seem to have a sudden memory loss I will refresh you”, Denise said. The dragon wings fluttered in the warm evening, the smell of apples and cakes blending, the still air suddenly turning rough. “You Sasha have caught the attention of the king’s guards.”

“Always the popular”, Sasha muttered.

“Your dear friend has to go back to the bakery and pretend we just about left”, Denise said.

Evelina squeezed her hand hard. Sasha squeezed hers just as hard.

“Do not worry Evelina. I will not let them capture us. Tell them we were going to the labyrinth. That will keep them occupied.”

“I will throw confusion dust in their eyes and have them searching the underground for days”, Evelina promised, a smile forming on her lips.

“And the ones that survive the labyrinth will make a nice meal for my dragons”, Sasha whispered back. “No, go!”

Denise moved forward, shrinking each time her wings fluttered. Reaching Sasha she sat down on her shoulder.

“They will search the complete area, you know,” Denise said and folded her wings, her figure now petite and small, and the claws soft as silk.

“I know”, Sasha said. She put her hand on the sword. “I will not go down without a fight. I will slam this right through them.”

Her sword felt good in her hand, like a long-lost friend, hugging her, fitting every curvature. She could almost feel the magic wanting to escape to the sword, giving her the advantage of a witch.

“If he hadn’t locked my magic away I would have won easily”, Sasha said.

The dragon snickered, her tongue sizzling close to Sasha’s ear as she rubbed herself against her chin.

“You will not go down. You are with me. Just be quiet and watch.”

There was a soft pink smoke settling down around them. Sasha lifted a hand and petted Denise´s head.

Three men were coming through the backdoor, all of them having the emblem of the king. She recognized one of them, taller than most, and stupid as few. He had been present in the village. He had a heavy blunt sword, but it would take far too long for him to reach it. She could cut him in two before he had the chance.

“I hate him”, she whispered.

“Stay still”, Denise ordered. She blew out a breath of dragon smoke, whispering sounds at snake language, hissing, and pouring more smoke over the backyard.

The men went around, talking to each other, obviously still unaware of Sasha and Denise.

“Look”, Sasha said, not being able to hold back. Denise hissed at her.

Out of the backdoor came Elias. He walked slowly and smelled the air, his yellow eyes seemed to pierce through Sasha and she took a step forward. Denise stuck her claws in her shoulder. Sasha grimaced and stilled. He was alive and didn’t need her to check on him. That would have been stupid, walking straight to the lion’s den. She was pretty certain he wouldn’t walk her back to her mother.

Denise blew out more smoke. She whispered so low Sasha almost didn’t hear her. Oddly enough, when she just captured some syllables, what she heard was almost human, as if Denise was singing on an old rhyme her mother used to sing to her and Ivy when they were children.

“This is waste of time, I bet she is already down there hunting monsters”, the big guy said.

Elias shook his head.

“And why Argon, would she be hunting monsters?”

“That’s what I do when I have spare time”, Argon answered.

His friends laughed. Sasha squeezed the sword. She liked to hunt Argon. That was what she did in her spare time. Freeing the world from bastards, and this one was just a big, lazy, egoistic killing machine. She would do the world a favor. Denise could fix the mess.

“Still Sasha”, Denise muttered. “Elias is clever. I will not be able to deceive him if you are fussing.”

“You two”, Elias said pointed at Argon and one of his companions. “Search the labyrinth, and if you see her, just keep watch and inform me. Do you understand that Argon?”

“You already lost her once”, Argon started. “I say we better…”

“Any harm and the queen will personally kill you. Do I make myself clear?” Elias hissed.

Argon nervously flickered, not wanting to look at Elias. He started walking around, searching every bush, touching the apple trees, and looking up at the crowns.

“Are you looking for apples?” Elias said. “Bet you get more luck at the bakery.”

“Ah, I just thought we ought to search the place properly.”

“Argon. The dungeons! Just go. I will wait here if she decides to come back.”

Sasha was sick of waiting. The garden was nice, but the only more errand she had in the city was the killing of her father and that was not yet due time. Looking at Elias she smiled, it was time to move on, and she had a gift for Elias. She had prepared a potion, picking flowers and mumbling phrases from old witchcraft.

She moved silently closer, Denise whispering and the soft grass bending underneath her feet. Elias didn’t move. He stood there, looking at the entrance, he didn’t turn around. Sasha halted, she was close now. She inhaled his scent, standing still and slowly, so slowly leaning in closer. It would have been easier if she could have poured it into a drink, and even wiser if she just would have left. Instead, she had to blow the fine powder at him, spreading dust in the air around him. It would so be worth it.

“Let’s move out of this town, it’s pretty full of the king’s men”, Sasha said, petting the snake dragon that sat on her shoulder. “Thanks for saving me. I am not sure what you’re whispering are doing but, thanks.”

“It's old magic. I whisper to their minds, letting their brains rest and fill in the area we were in with the background. You, humans, do think too much and just should rest. I could make the town disappear if you want?”

“Cool. Could you learn me how?”

“If you live long enough, and take enough classes in magic. But as of now, you are just a newborn baby, your magic level pretty hilarious.”

“I´m a fast learner.” Sasha gulped, looking around. She couldn’t believe it. The old snake was bragging. The town had disappeared, and around her was just an open field with grass. “You are kidding me.”

“Just a bit baby girl. I can give you some classes as soon as you unlock what you have inside of you.”

“I have given the magic back to Evelina. It should be available”, Sasha tried to reach it, closing her eyes, the sight of the field disturbing her. “Nope, it doesn’t answer.”

“Elias probably put another criterion this time.” Denise said, and clicked her tongue, “just as I thought.”

The world around her came back, the town just as loudly as before. Sasha started to walk again.

“We have a day to walk, or we try to find a horse”, she said. “I want to go back to the village. I hope to find a book in the ashes of our house.”

“I eat horses for breakfast, I have a better idea”, Denise said.

She jumped down from Sasha’s shoulder. The small dragon snake's wing turned bigger, almost the size of Sasha. It looked ridiculous, the snake body hanging in the air.

“Can you ride?” Denise asked.

“Well, I probably will crush you”, Sasha said.

“I have tanked fuel, I can afford growing”, Denise said, and by that, the ten-inch creature grew into a snake twice the size of Sasha.

She was beautiful, her long black body covered with scales glittering in the colors of the rainbow, and the pink wings having crests of black. The small horns were now magnificent long scepters in red. Just the eyes were still the same dark blue.

“Well, jump on, the flight is leaving and you seem to have a ticket.”

Sasha sat down at the snake back, where Denise kindly enough had bent her body to a perfect saddle.

She saw the missing house already from the sky. Where once a beautiful cottage has been, there was now just a big hole with black ashes. She couldn’t fathom this. Her mother had done this. Instead of fighting, she had fled. Her strong mother had fled, like a coward she had turned her tail, burning her own home to the ground.

“It’s odd what we do for the ones we love”, Sasha said, pointing towards the ground, ushering Denise to land.

“To err is human, to forgive is divine”, Denise said.

She landed right in the middle of the grime. Black clouds of dust were spreading over the nearby area.

“Couldn’t have landed in the grass, could you?” Sasha complained and jumped off.

Denise looked baffled. She walked around in a circle and finally lied down in the bed she had done to herself.

“There is no book underneath me, I am sensitive to uneven beds”, Denise said. “If you prefer looking at the field I could arrange that. Otherwise, I suggest you start to look around the old fireplace.”

Sasha stomped away, looking at the ground. How to find a black book in black ashes? If she just had her magic she would find the book in no time. Her fingers started to glow, she was searching the area, and although the place was burned down, she still felt the familiar feeling of home. There was still magic there! Underneath the ashes she could feel the orbs, buried in the ground, waiting for their owner. Less was wasted than she had feared.

“This place still feels like magic!” she exclaimed.

“Well it should”, Denise said. “A big black dragon is sleeping in her nest. Of course, it feels like magic dearest.”

Sasha rolled her eyes. Of course, she should have asked Denise.