A Wish Upon the Stars (Tales From Verania 4)

Heh. I’m funny.

Finally, the red one said. This has taken forever and I’m bored and starting to get sleepy, and Pat and Leslie won’t let me go make friends with skunks even though they are the only ones who understand me.

That’s because they smell bad, dear, one of the blue lights said. Why, Pat ate one once, and I wouldn’t let her kiss me for a year afterward.

That’s not something they need to know, the other blue light said rather gruffly.

So lame, the red light muttered.

Hey, baby bro, the black light said. Try sheep. They scream when you chase them. It’s hysterical. Also, Gary got his horn back!

Oh, a blue light said. How lovely for him. I bet you’re both thrilled.

It’s about damn time, the other blue light said.

See? I told you she was a softie. A bull dyke exterior, but nothing but fluff on the inside.

We are coming, the white pulse said, and the others fell silent.

I sighed and opened my eyes. The haze of green and gold felt thick around me. I glanced back up at Kevin, whose eyes were completely black as he watched me. He was rumbling happily deep in his chest, tendrils of smoke curling from his nostrils. It hadn’t been so long since we’d seen the others, but there was a sense of relief at the idea of all of us being together again, regardless of how GW frayed my nerves. Though to be fair, I did the same to him.

“They’re coming,” I said.

“I felt that,” Ryan said, sounding awed.

“You did? Like, each of them individually? Could you hear what they were saying?”

He shook his head slowly. “No. I didn’t hear anything. It was more like… a feeling. In here.” He tapped the side of his head. “I think it was more from you than anything.”

Dimitri fluttered about in front of him, eyeing Ryan curiously. “Cornerstones.” He looked at Randall. “Their bond is strong. Especially for ones so young.”

“Their history goes back further than even I knew,” Randall said. “And I’ve learned to never set expectations for them. Usually they end up defying them, one way or another.”

“Was that a compliment?” Ryan whispered to me.

“Yes. No. Maybe?”

“Thanks for clearing that up.”

From the woods came a great roar.

“Here we go,” I muttered. “Whatever you do, don’t run.”

Zero appeared first, bursting from the tree line into the sunlight, muscular body twisting and kicking up dust as he slithered toward us. I had to remind myself to take my own advice and not run screaming at the sight of a gigantic snake dragon monster thing hurtling at me, because Zero was sensitive to how he looked. The bony hood around his face was flat against his head, and I knew he was showing off when he snapped at the air, fangs large and quite frightening.

“Holy shit,” Justin breathed, and I realized that he’d never seen Zero before. He hadn’t been in the desert. “That’s…. I think I just shit myself.”

“How princely of you,” Gary said dryly.

Zero slowed as he got closer, and I could feel a low pulse of uncertainty, like he was shy, of all things, so I stepped forward and grinned at him. “Hey, dude.”

“Sam,” Zero said, body coiling underneath him as he came to a stop a few feet away. “Hi.” His serpentine eyes darted to the people behind me, and he swallowed thickly before he looked down at me again. “That took you forever.”

I rolled my eyes. “Only been a few days.”

“Yeah, but you left me with old people.” He scowled. “That was so dumb. And the forest smelled weird. And I hated it. And then Pat and Leslie wouldn’t let me go very far, even though I’m fourteen years old and that’s practically an adult. I can make my own decisions!”

“Oh boy.”