Page 57 of Mochas and Minotaurs

There was a choked noise that sounded very much like someone trying not to cry.

Not wishing to witness what was essentially a ghost breaking down, I decided to lighten the mood. “And besides, we can’t have a teenage spirit hanging out in the living room forever. I’d like to be able to bend my mate over the back of the couch.” I waited for the reaction.

“Marcus!” Gigi gasped.

“Ugh! TMI!” shrieked Bella, who’d been learning all the modern slang courtesy of Lily and Penny.

“So how about it?” I asked.

“Yes! I’ll give you the solution.”

Gigi handed a pen and a mini notepad to Triscuit and asked him to bring them over to me. He did. But instead of handing them to me nicely, he dropped them on me while mimicking the sounds of a bomb falling, which had Gigi and Bella both laughing.

“Alright, hit me,” I said, ready to write everything down.

Except the solution included only a single step: Put the compact on display at the Darlington Museum. That was it.

I scratched the base of my horns. “I see how that would get the wizards off your back. Everyone knows that most of the things on display at the Darlington Museum are part of Desmon’s hoard. Those wizards would be stupid or suicidal to try to steal it. But how does it help you become a real girl?”

“I don’t know,” Bella said.

“It was like that for me too. The steps she gave me didn’t make sense at all in the beginning either. I didn’t see how talking with Elise could get you back. Then she came with the dragon’s offer and we realized it was our way in.”

“But you were given more than that.”

“I was. But maybe this is all you could do or have to do.”

“What do you think Bella, should I do it? You’re the one most affected.”

“Yes! I haven’t granted you a wish before. It has to work!” She was still calling them wishes. Old habits died hard.

I put my hand into my pocket and fingered the business card Seth had pressed into my palm earlier with the ominously uttered words, “You’ll need this soon.” Had he known? Or was it just wizard’s intuition?

He was our quickest way to Desmon, and our best bet of getting the compact displayed at the Darlington Museum, so I gave him a call.

“See, I told you you’d need my number soon,” was Seth’s immediate reply.

Despite my mess at explaining, Seth seemed to already understand what was going on and I wondered again if he’d known about Bella all along. Damn wizard.

A few hours later, a portal opened up in Gigi’s living room and an older lady with her white hair wrapped into a neat bun at the nape of her neck stepped through. Beyond her, the portal showed nothing but swirling darkness.

That was strange. All the other portals I’d seen before showed what was beyond.

“Hi, I’m Elana. I’m here for Bella,” said the stately older lady.

Gigi didn’t immediately hand her the compact, and Bella stayed silent. She glanced briefly at Triscuit, who was in his cage. He didn’t react negatively to the woman.

“Bella’s my friend,” Gigi said finally. “I‘m sorry if I’m coming off rude, but I just want to make sure she’s going to be safe. What’s the plan for her?”

“Honestly, we’re not quite sure how to turn her back into a girl yet, but the first thing we are going to do is announce that the compact will be on display at the museum for a limited time. We plan on making a replica for the display while we figure out the rest.”

“And what’s in it for Desmon?” Gigi asked. The brave woman who’d faced down my personal dragon was back.

”I understand why you are reluctant to hand your friend off to a dragon. They aren’t always nice people.”

“You can say that again,” I muttered.

The woman just smiled. “Thanks to you two and Bella, Desmon has won a bet.” She turned to me. “He bet that your line would be free in less than five generations. You were the fifth generation and his last chance. Think of this as a thank you.”

---