Golden Braids and Dragon Blades: Steampunk Rapunzel

Chapter 2: The Three Sisters

I lay on my cot listening to water drip from the rocks somewhere in the back of the cave. A storm had blown in that afternoon, and it had been raining in earnest all day and night since Mother had left. Wherever she was, I hoped Mother was warm and dry. And safe.

I tapped my finger on the book lying on my chest in time to the dripping water. My mind swirled around thoughts of Jane Austen’s Mister Darcy. What a brooding, insufferable, and wholly enticing creature. No wonder all the young ladies liked Miss Austen’s book. It was enchanting, as was Mister Darcy. I set my finger on my lips, stroking them gently.

I would never leave this cave.

I would never meet a man.

I would never be kissed.

I would live and die here.

Alone.

I heard a soft chirp then a little head nuzzled under my chin, wiggling into the warm spot between my chin and chest.

Well, not entirely alone.

I opened my eyes to find a golden tail sticking out from under one side of my chin, a tiny snout sticking out of the other, legs and feet on my chest.

I slid my fingers to her belly and tickled her tummy, eliciting a puff of smoke. She chirped happily, which got the attention of her sisters. Soon, two more little bodies crawled over me looking for warm spots to lie in.

I sat up, removing Estrid from my neck and setting her on my lap. I gazed down at the three little creatures staring expectantly at me. Estrid, realizing she had lost her comfy spot, huffed in annoyance and flew off. After one turn around the room, she landed on the nearby ledge and sneezed, blasting off a tiny puff of fire, which briefly illuminated the room with bright orange light and made her golden scales shimmer.

“Don’t get huffy,” I told her with a grin. “I needed to sit up, and dragons don’t make good scarves.”

Estrid snorted at me.

I gazed down at Luna. In the dim candlelight, her opalescent, pale blue and silver scales shimmered softly. She gazed at me with her beady dark eyes. I rubbed her under her chin.

“What is it, Luna?”

She rubbed her head into the palm of my hand.

“Pet me, pet me, pet me, eh? Luna-lay, Luna-lu, Luna-li,” I sang as I stroked her head, which elicited happy chirps from the kitten-sized dragon.

Jealous of the attention her sisters were getting, Wink batted her colorful wings. The rainbow of colors thereon, more reminiscent of a butterfly than any dragon I’d ever read about, fluttered gracefully.

“Oh, jealous girl,” I said, giving Wink a pat. “I see you. Well, everyone ready?” I asked. Setting Miss Austen’s book aside, I slipped off the bed. The dragons lifted up on their tiny wings, excited to see what adventure I had in store for them tonight.

I grinned at them. “You sure you’re ready?”

Estrid eyed me carefully, watching each little twitch of my muscles. When I flicked my eyes to the left, she looked left. When I flicked my eyes right, she looked right. I lifted a finger on my left hand; her muscles tensed left. Grabbing a small pillow, I tossed it at the willful little dragon to distract her then took off, running as fast as I could run toward the labyrinth of tunnels in the back of the cave.

And we were off.

Moving quickly in my bare feet, I slipped through the narrow gap in the rocks in my so-called library and into the elaborate cave network. The tunnels, lit only by an occasional lantern refracted with mirrors—a pretty clever invention of my own design—was our favorite place to play. Of course, the play was more for them than me. Each sister was no bigger than a cat, with Luna, the youngest, no bigger than a kitten. Given they didn’t go out except at night, their wings needed exercise. As it was, I wanted to distract them from the fact that they wouldn’t be going outside tonight.

I rushed over the boulder where the tunnel split, then wound down toward the chamber at the bottom of the cave network. A blast of orange light behind me told me Estrid was close.

But then I felt a hum in the air and a moment later, Wink appeared before me.

I laughed. “Show off.”

I felt the hum of magic once more and true to her name, the dragon winked then disappeared. A moment later, she called tauntingly from the chamber below. Luna and Estrid darted past me as they too headed to the sea chamber.

I reached the chamber a few moments behind them. Below, the pool of water swirled. The sea organisms living below the waves made the water come alive with blue light. I sat down on the ledge and watched the dragons. Estrid and Luna were perched on the stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling. Wink was on the single stalagmite at the center of the pool, the unicorn horn, or so I’d named it. Keeping quiet, I watched as the three dragons scanned the water, their eyes on the fish therein. They called to one another, a series of click and chirps, and then they worked.

Wink flew low over the water, startling the fish who darted left to get away from her. When they did, Luna dove. Grabbing one fish with her sharp teeth, she tossed it to Estrid. The little fire dragon blew a ball of flame at the fish, charring it, then caught it before it fell. Then Luna and Wink both swooped low and snagged their own meals from the water. Happy with their catches, they sat on the stones to enjoy their fish.

“Good girls,” I called to them. They clicked and chirped to one another and me. Their sounds resonated within me, a language mine but not mine.

When they were almost done, I climbed back to my feet once more. The girls chewed their last bites, one eye on me and one eye on the remains of their fish. They watched and waited. When I was sure they were finished eating, I turned and ran back inside once more. I took the long way, climbing up toward the top of the cave then back down a narrow passage, zigzagging across my own path to throw them off and see how good their sense of smell really was. Then, running, I sped back to the main living quarters.

Through the curtain of ivy and roots, I saw lightning strike in the distance. Rain pattered on the stone floor inside the cave, washing it with water. Breathless, I waited to see who would find me first.

It was Wink.

The air shivered, and the dragon appeared. She was truly the cleverest of all the sisters.

“Smartie.” I pulled a biscuit from the jar and tossed it to her.

Luna and Estrid appeared a moment later.

Luna, whose face was covered in cobwebs, landed on the corner of the table and brushed the webs off her face. I was just on my way to help her when she let out the daintiest of sneezes.

A small flicker of blue light flew from the dragon’s mouth. In the wake of the dragon fire, a small pile of moonstones lay on the table.

“My goodness, look at these,” I said, lifting the pale blue stones. Like the sky on a cloudy morning, they were a mix of hazy white and hues of pale blue.

Luna purred proudly.

I patted her on the head. “Well done! We’ll keep them somewhere special.”

I slid the moonstones into my pocket. As Luna grew larger, her magical stones were also increasing in size and brilliance. I’d never forget the first tiny stone, no larger than a kernel of corn.

I was just headed to the biscuit jar to grabs snacks for Estrid and Luna when I heard a strange noise outside. At first, I thought it was a rumble of thunder, but then it sounded again. It was a strange trumpeting sound paired with odd clicks.

The dragons, who’d been fluttering about me happily in anticipation of another treat, turned and looked toward the cave opening.

“No,” I whispered in a harsh warning, motioning for them to stay back.

The noise sounded once more. This time I heard it more distinctly over the rain. It was the blast of a horn, but there was something else, an odd scratching sound. And I heard clicks and beeps. The noise made a lump rise in my throat.

All three dragons moved toward the cave entrance.

“No. Stay back,” I whispered.

Estrid and Luna, sensing my nervousness, flew back to me. Estrid perched on my shoulder; Luna clung to my long braid.

Wink, however, hovered closer to the cave entrance.

“Wink, don’t you dare. Mother told us not to go outside. Please. It’s not safe. Please, don’t make me put you in the cage,” I said, referring to the enchanted silver cage Mother had once brought. It was the only thing that could hold Wink and dispel her magic. I hated it. And so did Wink.

The dragon, who understood me very well, looked over her shoulder at me.

“Wink. No. Please.”

Again the horn sounded.

My stomach quaked.

Wink looked back once more, and then she winked and disappeared.