Page 25 of Eliza's Cursed Dragon

Water splashed in our direction and laughing we took a few steps back. Edward let go of my hand and grabbed one of the garden hoses. Putting his finger over the hose’s nozzle, he sprayed it at my brothers and the trumpeting got even louder. I laughed so hard at their shenanigans, my sides hurt and I bent over.

Water hit me and I looked up surprised to stare into Edward’s innocent-appearing face. I grabbed another hose, and the fight was on!

Finally, he and I lay laughing, soaking wet on the ground, holding our bellies until I smeared mud on his face in revenge.

“Oh no, you didn’t,” he threatened, picking up a glob and throwing it at me.

My brothers came to watch the commotion and soon we were all muddy from head to toe as my brothers hadn’t wanted to be outdone and picked up mud with their feet to fling at us.

“You better not come into my house looking like that,” a voice called out. When we looked up, Marie stood on the veranda, frowning down at us.

I wanted to tell Edward not to do it, but I don’t think I could have even if I had been able to talk. He flung a large mudball toward Marie, who, belying her round frame, stepped agilely aside. “You need to get better aim, Master Edward,” she teased.

Trumpeting, William rose into the air, holding mud between his feet, he dropped his bomb at the surprised Marie, who ran cursing and laughing for cover.

“Not in the house,” Edward called after her, chuckling hard.

“That was fun.” He turned to me. “But I think she’s right, we all need to get cleaned up.”

I raised my arms as if to ask, Where? How?

He pointed at the pool.

I shook my head, we would dirty up the pool so badly.

He seemed to read my mind and smirked. “I’m paying for the cleaning crew. I might as well make sure they earn their paycheck.”

Before I knew what was happening, he scooped me up off the ground, making me squeal in surprise and delight while he took off at a run toward the pool.

Loud trumpeting followed us, but since they weren’t hissing, I figured my brothers weren’t alarmed at Edward manhandling me, they were only following us for more fun.

And fun we had.

Edward jumped into the pool with me still in his arms, followed by the splashes of eleven swans coming in right after us.

Laughing, we splashed water at each other. Carefree and forgetting for the first time in a long time about our worries. Happiness enshrouded me like a cloak, penetrated every pore of my being. I wanted to scream out, to yell my joy at the world, but I couldn’t. Instead, it bubbled inside me for a long time, even later that night when Edward took us to the graveyard—or flew us I should say.

The last time he did, I had held an injured Caspian in my arms, too distracted to truly enjoy what was happening. But not that night, and not the nights that followed.

The feeling of being free was incredible. I clung to Edward’s neck and scales and whooped when he banked and dove and rose. I knew he was showing off for me, but I loved it. Loved every moment of it.

My brothers kept up, divebombing at me occasionally and trumpeting their joy for me to be part of this.

I felt like it was way too soon when we reached our destination and Edward landed to let me down.

It was eerie being back at the graveyard, but I believed Edward when he said the ghouls were gone. Plus, my brothers were patrolling and Edward held vigilant watch on top of the church tower while I filled my bag with more nettles. The only dark cloud over my happiness was that it took longer to fill my satchel each night, as I was picking the graveyard clean.

Soon we would have to move on, to find another graveyard, even if I didn’t want to.

After three hours each night, Edward flew me back. In the morning he explained that I needed sleep and rest, and we repeated this for a week.

By then the pond was finished. Complete with a truckload of fish Edward had dumped into it as well as duckweed, water lilies, frogbit, and other plants whose names I didn’t know.

His gardener planted fanwort, cattail, bushes, and more. Rocks were strategically placed, as well as a couple of benches. He even hung a swing from one of the trees. Combined with the weeping willows, it was the perfect setting.

Edward returned for lunch during the day and we started enjoying the meal sitting on one of the benches, watching my brothers float on the water. Sometimes in silence, and sometimes Edward would fill it with stories.

He told me of his father and the plans for the little town they were building. Told me about the witch who had cursed him and his life at college before he came here.

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