Page 45 of Meet Me in the Stars

“How do you know who they are then?” Fred asked.

“We don’t. They do and we believe them because up until now most Earthsiders had forgotten all about our scales. We have our own meet up spot in the dead part of the Other World too. That’s how she and your newest mate met,” Tritus explained.

“Is that true?” Fred asked me and Tritus shrugged.

Neither one of us had any experience explaining all of this to someone who wasn’t born on our world. Tritus and I knew it to be true, but Fred only had our word to go by.

“Should be enough for him, seeing that we’re true-mates and all,” my dragon grumbled all crunchy into my thoughts.

I agreed with my inner beast, but Fred was stubborn. I hoped that stubbornness was enough to help all the Starscale worlds eventually connect to the Other World gateways.

“It is,” I nodded. “She was as surprised as you are now – once she remembered those lives.”

“And you have that memory here?” he asked, pointing at the floor.

“Well, not that one,” I shook my head. “The one I have is of the three of us agreeing to be mates and to find each other again.”

“Let me see it,” Fred said, his expression almost blank.

“Will you stop shutting me out of our link?” I asked, keeping my voice level for Tritus’s sake.

“I’m not,” Fred shook his head. “I can’t shut you out of the link. I can only hold my part closed. I need this time. We’ll talk about it all after I see, okay? After that we have forever, right?”

“Forever isn’t real,” I shook my head. “Not in this lifetime anyway. We have forever in some sense though---” I stopped rambling because it wasn’t going to get me anywhere. It was time to put my memory where my promises were. I nodded to Tritus and he disappeared deeper into the Star Room.

“I’m not lying,” I said when I thought Tritus was out of earshot.

Fred leaned over and kissed my temple. I wasn’t sure if he was disagreeing with me or was unrattled by everything unfolding.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Fred

“We should sit down,” Elio said and led me over to a sofa so grey it more or less blended in with the cavern so much that I didn’t notice it until he pointed it out.

There was a lot I wanted to say to Elio, but I kept my mouth shut as we sat down. It felt as if we were set upon some sisyphean task to prove we were true-mates. For a second, I considered heading out of the Star Room and right back to the Medwin 2. Maybe Elio’s word was enough. Maybe that would have to be enough for me. For the first time since I laid eyes on him I knew without a doubt I wanted him to be telling the truth. I wanted us to be more than some witchcraft brewed up in a bottle. His atoms called out to mine and I didn’t let go of his hand as Tritus walked back into the room with something hidden in his fist.

The guide flashed Elio a questioning look as if even he wondered if we should actually go through with this. My mate gave a grave nod and I opened my mouth before Tritus could explain anything.

“How are these memories gathered and stored?” I asked, part curiosity and part to buy time to gather up my nerve.

“The guides are always in the Star Room because our ancestors visit here,” Tritus said and Elio’s grip on my hand tightened to a vice grip like he feared I might actually burst through the wall to escape what was coming.

“Will sh---”

“No,” Tritus shook his head before I even got the question out of my mouth. “Lotus doesn’t have her star with her. Also, since her star is here currently, either she hasn’t been reborn yet or she’s been born outside of our knowledge and reach.”

“I bet if we were connected to all the other places, she’d get her star and remember to come back here,” Elio said and I sank back against the sofa.

“I understand this is a difficult time for you,” Tritus said, flashing both of us a gentle grin. “As to the how memories are stored, we are of course dragons. So, it’s in food. You’re lucky as the guide who was on duty all those nights ago when Elio came here from the Other World made the memories into a lovely batch of caramels. So, he ate one when he came of age, but there are more left. This one is for you.” He held out his fist and flipped it palm side up. His fingers unfolded to reveal a perfect cube of caramel.

“Don’t worry,” he grinned. “I washed my hands before taking it out of the jar.”

“Thanks,” I managed a laugh, despite the fire ball brewing up in the back of my throat.

“Do not start a fire in here,” Elio’s dragon chimed into my thoughts. “Smoke damage is nothing to play around with.”

I took the candy from Tritus’s palm and shoved it into my mouth. A more cautious dragon may have at least sniffed it first, but it couldn’t do anything to me that random ‘candy’ hadn’t during my hardest clubbing days. Elio’s eyes turned into saucers as the sweet caramel melted into my mouth. The edges of the room softened, faded, and disappeared altogether. My vision greyed, then blackened, then it was gone.

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