Zuri sat cross-legged on the castle floor, staring at the romance going.
Zuri sat cross-legged on the castle floor, staring at the floating, glowing orb before her.
"This is magic, right?" she asked Rowan, who was nervously twirling a wand in his tiny hands.
"Yes… sort of. Focus, Lady… Zuri," he said, voice trembling.
"Focus. Got it. Like yoga?"
Rowan's eyebrows nearly flew off his forehead.
"No! You must will the magic to obey you!"
Zuri squinted at the orb. "Obey me… huh. I can barely get my WiFi to obey me, but okay."
She waved her hands dramatically. "Obey me, magical thingy!"
The orb twitched… then shot straight up, smashing into the chandelier.
Zuri ducked. "Oops."
Rowan screamed.
"Ooopss??"
"Yes, that was an oops with a capital O," Zuri admitted, brushing imaginary dust off her robes.
Before Rowan could respond, a small puff of smoke appeared near her feet. The dragon—already hatching fully from its golden egg—peeked up at her, blinking innocently.
"Oh no," Zuri groaned. "Now you're involved. You breathe fire, right? That's part of the job description?"
The dragon yawned. Tiny sparks flew from its nostrils. Zuri leapt backward.
"Yes! That's exactly the problem!"
At that moment, Caden appeared in the doorway, looking… mildly exasperated.
"Are you two destroying the castle again?" he asked.
Zuri waved dramatically.
"Me? No! This is… um… magic practice!"
Caden raised an eyebrow. "Magic practice or chaos practice?"
Zuri tilted her head. "Honestly, same difference sometimes."
The dragon squeaked, then tried to mimic her gestures. Tiny flames shot from its mouth, singeing Rowan's robes.
"Ah! My favorite robes!" Rowan cried.
Zuri winced. "Sorry… okay, maybe I need instructions."
Caden stepped closer. "Magic requires control, focus, and—"
"—NO CHAOS," Zuri interrupted, pointing dramatically at the dragon, who rolled its eyes. "Exactly!"
Caden sighed but knelt beside her. "Here. Concentrate on the orb. Visualize it… imagine it obeying your will."
Zuri frowned. "Fine. Orb… obey. Be calm. Be obedient. Like… a polite puppy."
The orb trembled. It flickered once, twice… and then gently floated toward her hand.
Zuri blinked. "Whoa… it worked?"
Rowan gasped. "You actually did it!"
Zuri grinned, then wobbled as the orb spun faster, faster, faster, until—BOOM!—it shot straight into the ceiling again, bouncing off the chandelier.
Caden groaned. "I should have expected that."
Zuri laughed nervously. "Well, okay… maybe I need more practice."
The dragon nuzzled her hand, purring softly, and Zuri couldn't help but grin. "Alright, little fireball, we're in this together. Let's show them the not-evil magic school of chaos!"
Caden watched her, lips twitching. "You're… strangely charming, even while almost destroying everything."
Zuri shot him a grin. "Thanks! I aim for that. Usually."
And somewhere in the shadows of the castle, a cold, ghostly laughter echoed. Zelaria's spirit was watching.
"She's… quite different," it hissed. "This isn't going to be as easy as I thought."
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