Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

P aige's mind spun as she faced her imminent doom. She'd survived so many trials only to succumb to an evil mermaid after getting too high to make good decisions. How was this happening?

Her features twisted, both with pain and determination. She would not be beaten by a mean-looking mermaid version of herself. She'd fight back.

She kicked her feet through the water as she continued to pull against the arm gripping her. It was no use. She couldn't free herself from the mermaid's grasp. But she could inflict some damage.

She opened her mouth and bit down into the flesh. The acrid taste of salty blood filled her mouth, turning her stomach. "Ugh," she groaned as the pressure on her neck let up.

She let the salty water fill her mouth in a desperate attempt to cleanse it. The hesitation cost her. The mermaid smacked her in the back of the head.

"Ouch," Paige cried before she whipped around to face her nemesis.

"Let's go, cupcake. "

"That's it," Paige growled. "I'm sick and tired of being underestimated. Especially you, with your stupid creepy black eyes. You're running around trying to look like me but you're not me. Only I am me."

The mermaid screwed up her face. "What?"

"Never mind," Paige said with a shake of her head before she kicked a foot to propel herself toward the mermaid. "Let's finish this."

"Oh, I would love to," her mimic said as she danced backward in the water. "I'd love to finish you with some hollandaise sauce."

"That's gross. Ketchup is probably better."

"I hate ketchup as much as I hate you," the mermaid growled, poking a finger at Paige.

Paige shifted from side to side, trying to assess the mermaid's next move. "Yeah, well, I don't like you much better."

"Too bad. Time for you to die." The mermaid lunged through the water toward Paige with her teeth bared.

Paige grimaced as she tried to avoid the creature by shifting sideways. The mermaid smashed into her, grabbing hold of her hair.

"Owww," Paige cried as she latched onto the creature's wrist and thrashed in a desperate attempt to escape.

Her wild movements drove them backward through the water. A burbling gasp escaped her assailant a moment later and the dark water clouded with a greenish substance. The pressure on her head let up.

Paige whipped around, her fingers curled into fists as she readied to fight the mimicking mermaid. Her jaw fell open as she stared at the creature, now morphed back into her normal form. Her tail hung limply and her chin grazed her chest. Green blood oozed from her bare stomach where a sharp piece of stone pierced it .

"Oh, that's…whoops," Paige said with a shake of her head.

The skirmish in the other part of the cave drew her attention. Drucinda wrangled the other two mermaids toward the entrance. "Let's go, you two. You're going back to the underwater kingdom to be placed on trial."

"Where is your…" Drucinda's eyes fell on the dead mermaid. "Oh."

"Yeah, my bad," Paige said as she grabbed hold of one of the mermaid's arms.

"Get off me, murderer!" she shouted.

"I didn't murder her!" Paige insisted. "We were fighting, and she fell into it. It wasn't my fault."

"Sure it wasn't," the mermaid cried. "We'll go with you. Just don't murder us, too."

Paige rolled her eyes as Drucinda shoved them forward toward the town. "I didn't mean to do it."

"Never say that," Drucinda answered. "Even if it was an accident, own it. They think you're a badass. Let them."

Paige floated forward, her eyebrows pinching. "Oh, okay. Yeah, well…keep it moving, ladies. Or I'll do to you what I did to your friend."

"Okay, it's a bit much, take it down a notch. Sometimes, silent ownership is best," Drucinda said.

"Oh, right. Okay." Paige crossed her arms. "Keep it moving."

They paraded the two remaining mermaids back to the underwater castle. The merman raised his eyebrows as they marched them into the palace. "You got them. Wait, where is the third?"

"Dead," Drucinda answered. "Unavoidable, but you can imprison these two and put them on trial."

"Are you certain she is dead? We do not want retaliation."

"She's dead as a doornail," Paige said with a nod.

The merman's brow furrowed as a few of his subjects came forward to wrangle the mermaids away from Drucinda.

"Well, that's finished. I hope we're able to move on now." Drucinda dusted her hands as she floated toward Paige. "Let's…where is Grandmother?"

Paige glanced around in search of the older woman. "Maybe she got stuck back at the cave. We could–"

Before she finished her statement, the water swirled around them.

"Oh, no!" Drucinda shouted.

Paige's lips turned down at the corners. They were being pulled to their next location. But they hadn't found Eyva yet. Is this how Dewey got lost?

When the winds died down around them, Paige found herself lying in the dirt. "Ugh," she groaned as she rose and dusted herself off. Stalls filled the street around them with vendors hocking their wares. "That landing could have been better."

Drucinda rose to stand as she twisted to glance around. "Well, we made it to the next location."

"But what about your grandmother? Is this how Dewey got lost?"

Drucinda arched an eyebrow as she stared over Paige's shoulder, crossing her arms. "Doubt it."

Paige glanced over her shoulder, searching the area for whatever caught Drucinda's attention. Her jaw unhinged as she spotted Eyva strolling through the marketplace, several bags dangling from her fingers.

"How did she get here?" Paige asked.

"She must have come early. Unbelievable. She left us to fight those mermaids alone so she could come shopping." Drucinda stormed toward her grandmother, her features incredulous.

"Oh, there you are. I wondered how long it would take for you to make it. Long enough for me to have a successful bit of shopping," Eyva said with a grin.

"I'm so pleased. How did you get here without helping us wrangle those mermaids?"

"Oh, the world moves you when you've completed whatever you need to complete. I did my bit when we located the mermaids, so I wound up here. So glad you're all finished, too. Did you want to have a look around for Dewey?"

"I'd like to have a cup of tea and a massage, but that's not in the cards," Drucinda shot back.

"I don't see why not. It wouldn't hurt anything. And you are awfully tense."

Drucinda narrowed her eyes at the woman.

Eyva wagged a finger at her. "Don't say anything you may regret, dear. Come on, Paige. We'll search for your friend while we peruse the wares."

"Do you think any of these people remember Dewey?" Paige asked.

"Maybe, let's show his picture around. Maybe he's still here." Eyva poked a finger toward a nearby jewelry stall. "Let's start there."

"By all means," Drucinda said. "I'm certain your starting point has nothing to do with those ruby earrings you've been eyeing."

"Certainly not," Eyva said, "but dragons like sparkly things, too."

"Oh, don't let Dewey hear you say that. Way back when I first met him, I mentioned something about hoarding gold, and he took exception to it. I didn't know any better. In the movies, dragons always hoard gold and jewels."

"Don't let him fool you, dear," Eyva said with a pat on her shoulder. "Dragons love sparkles as much as we do."

"I don't love sparkles," Paige said with a shake of her head as she found a picture of her and Dewey on her phone to show to the vendor.

"Of course you do. Wouldn't these diamonds look stunning with your wedding dress?" Eyva held them up.

The corners of Paige's lips turned up as she studied how they caught the light. "Wow, those are pretty."

"See, I told you."

Paige shook her head, forcing her eyes away from the diamonds. "But we're here to find Dewey, not to buy diamonds."

"You nearly bought them last night," the vendor said. "Your dragon friend thought the sapphires were better."

Paige's heart skipped a beat. "So you saw him?"

"Yes, yes," the man said with a nod. "He buzzed around here touching all my things. He left with a gold chain."

"A gold chain?"

The man nodded as he waved a finger at Paige. "An accessory for the wedding. Your wedding?"

"Yes, my wedding," Paige said with a nod as Eyva held up another pair of earrings near her before she shook her head and put them down.

"Best wishes to the bride. Please select something at a discount for your happy day."

"Oh, that's–"

"Thank you," Eyva said with a grin. "She'll take the teardrop diamonds."

Paige's eyes went wide. "But I don't have–"

"Put them on Dominic Durand's account," Eyva said as she handed them over to the man.

The man's eyebrows shot up at the words as he carefully placed them into a velvet box. "Dominic Durand?"

"Yes," Eyva said with a nod and a smile as she looped her arm through Paige's. "This is his daughter-in-law. Or will be in a few hours. "

"Ah, you have made a fine match then. Devon is a very eligible bachelor."

"Was," Eyva said with a grin as she accepted the bag he passed over. "Now, do you happen to know where the little dragon went?"

"He left with you. You were going to…" He crinkled his brow as he snapped his fingers. "Ruins?"

"The ruins, yes," Drucinda said with a nod. "So, I suppose we continue on with our journey, then."

"Many happy returns," the man said as they left the stall behind.

"Uh, if Dewey isn't here, why are we still stuck here? Shouldn't we be whisked away to the ruins?" Paige asked.

"No," Eyva said. "We're not finished here."

"What else do we have to do?"

Eyva led her down the street toward a boutique. "I need to pick up my dress for the wedding. They said they'd have it ready today for me."

"Are you serious? You brought us round to this place for your dress?" Drucinda asked.

"Well, I needed one. Honestly, Drucinda, drink more water. You're still hungover and crabby."

"I am not. This is my natural personality."

"No, it isn't. You're usually less sour and more arrogant. I prefer you that way."

"I just want to find Dewey. Devon's test is coming up in less than an hour. You know how he tends to get beforehand. I should be there to pump up his ego."

"All right, well, if you want to be there for your friend, go back. Paige and I will be fine."

Drucinda heaved a sigh as they ducked into the boutique. "Doubtful. Paige is still learning."

"Aww," Paige said with a gooey grin, "you care about me."

"I wouldn't go that far." Drucinda grabbed a complimentary bottle of water from the basket as Eyva gave her name to the girl at the desk.

"Oh, yes, we have your dress ready for you. Wait until you see it!" The woman grinned at her before she disappeared into a back room.

She emerged with a dress bag and hung it on a clothes tree. She grinned over her shoulder as she unzipped it. Light beamed from within as the dress's fluffy fabric spilled out.

"Ohhh, it's perfect," Eyva said with a clap of her hands.

Paige crinkled her nose. "Is it glowing?"

"Yes, I got rainbow moon fabric. It's lovely. Oh, don't worry, dear, it won't outshine your dress. I can dial its radiance down anytime I'd like."

"Do you want to try it on?" the woman asked.

"No, no, no. We're in a bit of a hurry. I'll just take the dress. I trust you."

The woman shoved the fabric back inside the dress bag and zipped it. "If there are any problems, just let us know. We can credit your account for a new dress."

Eyva grabbed the garment bag from her with a nod. "I'm certain it's fine. Thank you so much."

She spun toward Drucinda as she draped it over her arm. "There, I'm finished. Happy?"

"Infinitely," Drucinda answered as she whipped the door open to head back to the street. "Now let's–"

Her voice cut off as the winds whipped around them, and the marketplace fell away, replaced by a jungle. When the ruckus died down, Paige found herself staring at a set of ruins, half-hidden by the vines that choked the stones.

"Wow, what is this place?"

"Ancient werewolf temple," Eyva answered. "You girls check it out. I'll wait here. This dress is too heavy to lug around. "

"Do you think Dewey's inside?" Paige asked as she followed Drucinda forward to the crumbling structure.

"We'll find out. If he's not here, at least we'll only have one place left to check."

"What if he's not in either place?"

Drucinda frowned as she massaged her temples. "Then you're missing your maid of honor when you walk down that aisle, hopefully toward Devon."

Paige's stomach twisted at the words. "But–"

"We can look for Dewey after the ceremony if we must. You cannot miss that wedding."

Paige's lips turned down at the corners. She had to find her best friend.

Drucinda stopped and twisted to face her. "Look, Paige, we get one shot at that compass. Dominic won't even give it to me, his son's bestie for centuries. If we have any hope of finding Reed, we need it."

Paige studied the woman's dark eyes, noting the concern in them for the first time. "Right, I know…I just…"

"Look, I like Dewey, too. But we have to prioritize. There is no hope for Reed if we don't get that compass. Once we have that, we can split our efforts if we must."

"I…this is an impossible choice, it seems like," Paige said as they ducked into the temple. The warmth of the sun disappeared, sending a shiver down Paige's spine.

"I know. But as a librarian, you will often face impossible choices. This will hone your skills at least."

Paige wrapped her arms around her midriff as a wave of emotions poured through her, mixing upset with determination. "I'm so close to finding my mom, but…I feel like I'm abandoning Dewey to do it."

"We haven't abandoned him yet. He may very well be in the last location. Let's do a quick search here and see if there are any clues. "

Paige blinked away the tears that had formed in her eyes as nodded. "Right. We may not even need to worry about this. Hopefully, we'll just find Dewey, and then I'll marry Devon, and we'll find my mom, and we'll live happily ever after."

Drucinda shot her a glance, her face screwed up. "This isn't a book."

"No," Paige said with a sigh. "It's not."

Her eyes filled with tears again, one escaping to stain her cheek. "I bet Dewey wrote a happily ever after in his book about me and Devon. Poor guy. He was working so hard on that book, and I gave him so much grief over it. And now, I'd give anything to have him back. I don't even care if he puts my face on the cover and the entire world reads a smutty story about me and Devon."

Drucinda slowed to a stop and stared at her.

"When we find him, I'm going to tell him it's okay to use my name. And we'll set up a photoshoot. Maybe he can even use some of our wedding pictures," Paige said as she continued to sob. "I'm not going to fuss anymore about it."

She wiped at her cheeks and sniffled.

"Are you quite finished?"

"Huh?"

"Are you finished with your sobbing? I'm not good at this sort of thing. You know…buck up or whatever, and let's keep going."

Paige sucked in a shaky breath. "Sorry. I didn't mean to break down, I just…"

Her face pinched again as fresh tears threatened.

Drucinda winced and took a few tentative steps closer. She patted Paige's shoulder with a forced smile that made her look like a Stepford Wife. "There, there. It'll be all right."

Paige creased her forehead, raising her gaze to Drucinda. "You're really awful at this. "

"I told you I wasn't good at these things. I don't cry often…I don't cry ever. I simply move on with life."

"Really? You seem upset about my mom. I thought maybe…you had emotions."

"Certainly, I do. But I don't go about carrying on and wailing about them. I would very much like to find Reed. If we lose our opportunity, I will be highly disappointed."

Paige squeezed her fingers into fists. "We are not going to miss our chance. Now, let's search this place and move on."

"There, good. A strong resolve, and all of that. Great talk."

Paige took a step further into the temple before she froze. "Uhhh…"

Drucinda's eyes went wide as she snapped her gaze to the side. "Of course. See what your blubbering has done? Now we're trapped!"

Paige's heart hammered against her chest as she stared down the massive wolf, drool spilling from its bared teeth. They'd just walked into a werewolf temple and awakened an ancient beast that could tear them limb from limb.