“Below what?” Kai’s voice was rough and gruff. He was quickly approaching Warrior Fairy, and I was all for it.
Once again, pages flipped. They landed on a blank page, and a single word appeared: EVERYTHING.
Aideen inhaled sharply, and her mind opened wide. Even the places she usually kept locked down became visible, and I quickly put my own mental blinders in place for those mental boxes.
Whispering a sincere “Thank you,” she gasped again.
The bond we shared filled so many emotions, from Dragons I didn’t recognize, that for a brief moment, it felt as if I was drowning. Pain. Loss. Regret. Great clouds of sorrowful recollections were everywhere as Aideen whispered, “She loved.” Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she went on, “She chose family.”
The Dragon Queen, with whom I shared my soul, paused. I could feel how quickly she was shuffling through the memories of countless Dragon Queens who’d come before. Then she added, “She chose children. She refused."
Heartache and bone-deep sorrow filled Aideen’s mind. For the briefest of moments, I felt how hard it was for her to even draw breath. Way sooner than I expected, she sniffled, “And everyone died.”
“Barney was wrong.” The words were out of my mouth before I even knew I thought them, and I was terrified.
I couldn’t even muster my trademark sass and snark. The shit was real, and I couldn’t find a brave bone in my body. “I don't want this.”
“Neither did she,” Aideen confirmed.
“I don't want a crown,” I lamented, irritated with myself for being scared, but remembering that Momma always said, “Fear keeps you safe.”
“Neither did she,” Aideen said.
“I just wanted...” Taking a deep breath, I spoke the honest-to-the-Goddess truth. “…coffee, Kai, my boys and Mona, my sisters, my bestie, and a wedding.”
“Then have those things,” Aideen confidently stated. “And wear the crown.”
“Martha.” Taking my hand, the best fiancé ever, stepped up. “Sweetheart, you don't have to decide today.” With a little kiss on the tip of my nose, he went on, “And you don't have to decide tomorrow.” He shrugged. “Hell... You don't even have to decide before the wedding."
Smiling that smile I knew was just for me, he kept going, making me feel better with every word. “But one day... You're gonna have to decide. And when you do... I'll be standing beside you.”
Throwing my arms around his neck, I pulled him down to my height and kissed him with all the love and adoration in my heart. Pulling back when Maeve cleared her throat for the third time, I looked him in the eyes, crinkled my nose, and teased, “Barney was wrong.”
“Ugh…” Pretending to be put out, he scoffed, “You just had to bring that up, didn’t you?”
“I…”
The sound of flipping pages drew our attention. Stopping on the very last page, I saw Barney’s grandma's handwriting and immediately started reading. “Queens do not choose power. They choose what they love. Power follows.”
Before I could look away, new words started to appear at the bottom of the page. Fresh, wet, black ink danced across the page, creating beautifully looping calligraphy.
SHE HAS BEEN FOUND
The words stopped us all in our tracks. Until Zelda blurted out, “Who?”
The journal answered with three words: THE ONE BELOW.
The rumbling and shaking from before promptly resumed.
Mona barked and growled.
Arthur howled.
Otis turned in circles, boofing the whole way.
And Chewy yipped, “NOPE!”
“Yeah, bud,” I groaned. “That’s what I was thinking, too.”
