Page 70 of Serving my Dragon
“What’s wrong?”
“Things will never be the same.”
“Are you sad?”
“A little. But I’m also excited to see what the future holds for us.”
I might have lost my mama to a bossy dragon, but I’d gained love.
Chapter Twenty-Two
I was returning victorious to my underground castle, and with my belly full since Lola brought snacks for the trip. While I found myself less than pleased that Matias and Kayleigh stayed behind, I understood why.
I couldn’t financially support my servants.
It galled they required employment and that made finding the hoard my primary mission.
The trip bored me to sleep. Literally, meaning once we arrived at the jungle, I woke energized.
While Juan and Lola drove to the citadel in the strange little vehicle that dragged a wagon with supplies—a.k.a. yummies for me—I flew ahead and discovered Santiago already at the lake, installing a railing, of all things, for the stairs. I might have mocked it, only Lola and the aunts might need that extra support. A proper dragon overlady always took care of her people.
I coasted over my domain, reveling in the wind under my wings, the freedom it implied. A freedom that would need to be more carefully guarded. While Sally might currently be incarcerated, there remained other players out there who knew of my existence. Might seek me out again.
Let them. I wasn’t a defenseless hatchling anymore.
When I returned to the lake, I put on an aerial show for Lola, who beamed as she watched. There was a woman who knew how to admire—and cook. She kept me so well-fed, I shed again within days.
Over that next week—of which Lola stayed for five before switching out with Consuela who had a bevy of fascinating lore to impart—I searched the citadel. Exploring the honeycomb caves one by one, only to finish them empty-clawed.
I practiced my flight, usually with Juan barking sudden commands at me. Dive. Spin. Flip to your back. Bank left. Tilt Right. A tough teacher, but I improved immensely under his guidance. He even set up targets for me aim at so I could learn to control the intensity as well as direct my lightning breath.
It was Manuel who had the clever idea of making me the citadel’s power generator. He explained how our current solar grid worked. The panels caught sunlight and turned it into power that was stored in the batteries. The system, while adequate for a few appliances, would never be enough to accommodate the bevy of servants I planned on having or the electronics I planned to collect. However, as Manuel explained, finding well-lit spots for more panels would be tricky in the jungle, not to mention all the cords required to link them to the storage units.
“So, Pollita, what do you think? Shall we see if you can use your mighty breath to charge batteries?” Manuel asked.
I eyed the lumpy block with two metal studs sticking out and spat a bolt of electricity.
The battery burst into flames.
“It didn’t work,” I stated.
“On the contrary, you gave it too much juice,” Manuel stated with a chuckle. “We will try again, but this time, maybe a smaller amount of your mighty power.”
It took practice to get it right, but once I did the citadel started changing even more rapidly. We greatly increased the batteries stored in one of the chasm chambers. From something called an inverter, Manuel ran electrical wires to power outlets and strung lights through the tunnels and into some of the rooms. Our new energy load allowed us to acquire a larger television, fridge plus a freezer—the delivery of which proved entertaining. Me and Lola sat with a bowl of popcorn, watching as all three uncles worked together—with immense amounts of swearing—to carefully lower the tarp-wrapped freezer and, with some words even a dragon shouldn’t know, swing it through the waterfall.
That wasn’t the only complicated thing they did. A bridge now crossed the chasm to the hot spring. A passage I’d helped build as I knew Lola’s aching joints would benefit from soaking. I’d flown sturdy cable wires across the rift and secured them so that boards could be placed across the strands, forming a passage that Lola only used once we also strung up rope handrails.
I couldn’t wait to show Matias and Kayleigh the improvements when they came for their next visit, even as I didn’t have good news yet on the wealth front. I’d run out of places to search for the hoard. Perhaps it had been pilfered.
My original servants arrived in the ATV and didn’t come alone. Two strangers travelled with them. A man and a woman.
Wary of their presence, I remained perched atop the waterfall and watched. I’d been given no advance warning about these visitors, and it honestly surprised me they would have anyone with them at all since Matias kept preaching about being discreet.
For the moment, I agreed, but when the time was right…
“Polly!” Kayleigh sang my name by the edge of the rocky cliff rimming the lake. “Come out, come out wherever you are. We brought you a surprise.”
The couple stood between her and Matias, a woman with silvery hair and the man a big, bulky specimen. Had they brought me new attendants?
