Page 13 of The White Dragon's Dilemma

Kaila suddenly burst out of a side door dragging Mei behind her like a kite.

“Is she here?! Is she here yet?!”Kaila cried as she pulled Mei all the way to the railing and then leaned them both over the side so that they were dangerously close to falling over.With the hand that wasn’t surgically attached to Mei’s wrist, she waved frantically at the fogbank.

“I do not think she can see you yet, Kaila.”Mei yanked her wrist free of Kaila’s hand and rubbed it.

Kaila bobbed up and down on the balls of her feet.“She’s coming!She’s coming!”

Mei’s eyes narrowed.“Yes, so she is.Howwonderful.”

“Is Mei not a fan of Jahara’s?”Caden asked.“I would have thought with both of them being so into technology that they’d be fast friends.”

Valerius snorted and ran his hands up and down Caden’s back.“Mei thinks of technology as something to be utilized.Jahara views it as something to be coaxed.”

“Huh.”Caden frowned.

“Jahara views Mei as part of the problem in many ways,” Valerius said.

“She believes that technology can beabused.It’s absurd!”Mei sneered.She smoothed her hand down the front of her crimson silk shirt and black pants.“And you shouldn’t expect her to like you either, Caden.”

“Why?”Caden frowned.

“Mei, it is not all men that Jahara dislikes,” Chione said firmly.

“Allmen are suspect until she checks them out.Caden is not just a man but a Dragon.One that came out of nowhere,” Mei answered with a wave of her hand.Her smile was not kind.“Valerius, youknowher.She will not be friendly.”

Caden blinked.“But--”

“It is all right, Caden,” Esme stated.“Jahara will be suspicious, but you’ll win her over.”

“That is highly unlikely,” Mei scoffed.“Look at that fog wall.It’s a show of power.We can’t see how many people she brought with her.”

Mei was right, but he had no concerns about Jahara.If she brought an army, he could deal with them just as he had dealt with Mei’s people.

“Mei is not so brave without her mechanical men,” Illarion snorted.

Her arms crossed over her chest tightly.Her eyes narrowed.“You speak tough now, but Jahara has absolutelynolove for you, Illarion.”

“As if I care.”Illarion shook his head in disgust.

“Not even you can ruin the Iridescent Dragon’s appearance!”Kaila cried at Illarion. She was still bobbing up and down eagerly.

“You two are great friends, Kaila?”Caden asked with a gentle smile.

“Indeed!Zephyra and Lana are close.Zephyra’s scales are a brilliant, shimmering blue, purple and green.She has orange wings. She is beautiful!”Kaila said with almost childlike enthusiasm.

“Wow, she sounds amazing,” Caden responded kindly.

“She has always been good to the creatures of the sea.I am certain she will like you, too, Caden,” Kaila assured him.

Valerius put an arm around Caden’s shoulders.“Indeed, she will.” Unspoken, but heard by all was the addition,Or she will regret it.

Illarion let out a dark chuckle.Tez’s eyebrows rose. Mei smiled with a wicked satisfaction while Esme simply shook her head.

“She is our guest, Valerius,” Chione chastised mildly.

“I do not recall inviting her.But she will be treated with respect,” he answered just as mildly with the unspoken,So long as she acts with respect.

“Oh! The fog is almost here!It’s so cool!”Caden exclaimed and pointed towards the towering wall of white streaked through with blue and white light.

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