Part 6 (2/2)

I would have laughed if I wasn't so concerned for whatever just happened to the baby fox. Instead, I stood up and turned on the flora while I heard Kit bounding over to me on the ground.

”What did you do to the poor fox?” I accused and coiled a hand into a fist.

The flower pulled the vine away and looked over my broken body, then to the baby beast floating in the air. But it was Kit that ended up speaking first. ”It wasn't the flowers, Dori.”

”The snapdragon speaks truth.” The flower added. ”That happens to all moving flowers in this area now.”

I glanced around but all I could see were the fox, the flock of crushed birds and Kit, that could move like me. ”Then why aren't more people stuck here?”

”Be-cause...” the flower huffed, ”It only just started with the flying rainbow flowers. You would be stuck too if I hadn't grabbed you.”

”Oh...” I lowered my head and ground my teeth. ”Thanks.”

”Now what do we do, Dori?” Kit asked and for the first time I realized the spirit was calling me by a nickname I'd never heard before. At least it wasn't *Red'.

”We find the pile of clothes. Then we'll figure out how to get the fox.” I explained while turning to look around at my strange surroundings again.

Then it dawned on me.

”Wait.” I shot a glance to Kit, hovering just above me. ”How did you know it wasn't the flowers?”

”It is the same magic as before. The kind that doesn't work on me.” The spirit shot a stare at me like I was crazy. ”Flowers don't do that magic, Dori.”

”Neither do humans.” I added, mirroring the same look back. I was getting way too comfortable abusing a dragon, even if it wasn't a real one.

The flower brought my attention away from the intensity of our gaze. ”The pile of petals?”

I blinked and translated in my head. Petals must mean clothes. ”Yes, the petals. You know where they are?”

The vine coiled up and pointed toward the reverse waterfall. ”Behind the tainted flowing water. But no flower should go there. We were warned.”

I grinned. ”Good thing I'm not a flower then.”

The red flower whipped its vine around. ”No, you can't! You will just end up like the fly trap up there!”

”It's probably right, Dori. Look at the frozen mist around the waterfall, and even here... water flowing in that direction or looking that color is never good.”

I did look to the frozen water and the strange waterfall. But it was hardly going to stop me. I just needed a plan.

”Get down here Kit.” I demanded and pointed at the ground.

”Not if you are going to hit me anymore.” The fake dragon stubbornly refused and even shook its head.

I groaned. ”Get down here. And don't p.i.s.s me off or I will hit you again.”

”Then...” the dragon searched for words or maybe courage, ”then... I'll hit you back!”

”Good. Don't ever let someone strike you, without getting them back.” I nodded and watched the spirit descend next to me before grabbing a hold of the mane. I threw myself up onto the dragon's back and took a deep breath.

I had to relax.

My eyes closed as I gripped tight to Kit's hair. ”Okay, you can feel the magic, so dodge it and get me to the waterfall. Sound good?”

”Are you sure?” Kit sounded weary, which made me cringe. Maybe this wasn't a good plan.

”It's better than me walking through all that frozen time or whatever it is.” I took a deep breath. ”Just do it. And tell me when you get to the waterfall.”

”Okay...”

My hands and thighs couldn't have wrapped around that dragon tight enough as I felt the brisk wind grate against me. I didn't dare open my eyes, since as long as they stayed closed I could be ignorant to how high in the air we were.

And it stayed like that until I could hear Kit's voice over the rush of water near my ear. ”First stop... Creepy waterfall!”

I loosened my fingers and inched open my eyes to see we were still a good ten feet over where the water broke against invisible rocks in the sky.

”Get me lower.” I yelled, as calmly as I could manage, to the spirit.

”I'm not sure I can...” The mirror creature glanced down then squeezed an excited bleet. The dragon dived so fast I almost tumbled from the spot I clung to. I managed to grab the mane tightly just in time as my heart pounded in my ears.

Never again. Never riding a dragon, real or fake.

The spirit stopped cold, hovering inches from the orange stream of water, and jolting me to the point of my heart pattering even harder.

Cries came out of the dragon and I realized my fingers were yanking at the golden mane of hair. I let go and turned around on the spirit's back to see a shallow cave with the clothing and my cloak resting in it.

My feet jumped up on Kit's back and I stepped carefully a few times, steadying myself and trying not to look down as I called over the roar of the water. ”Lower your tail.”

The spirit must have heard me since both back and tail lowered in a slant toward the cave entrance. I nearly fell off again, clinging to Kit's back instead.

I crawled the rest of the way along the ridges and scales until I was hanging on the end of the dragon's tail like it was a flimsy tree branch.

”Back up!” I demanded and wrapped my arms around the tail harder as it bobbed low then twisted high before stopping five feet above the cave floor.

Satisfied I was close enough, I let myself drop to the floor, landing on my back with a gasp. I laid there for a moment just to catch my breath and look to my cloak.

Finally...

Once I was to my feet again I yelled with my hands around my mouth. ”Go get the fox. Do whatever you have to, just don't kill him.”

The giant dragon head nodded and then the spirit faded into the red sky. A sigh escaped me. Hopefully the fox was alright. I'd have to make it up to him after this.

My eyes s.h.i.+fted back to the clothing and I ran forward, s.n.a.t.c.hing up my cloak as I dropped to my knees.

Something was wrong though. I could tell from the very feel of the fabric.

This was not my cloak. But it was made to look like it.

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