She lifted her arms and twirled, dancing the way she had with Tamblin. She had repeated the movements so many times, she could now gracefully dance. A wave of symbiots rose from the river and formed Tamblin again. They had been her dance partner, but even their warmth could not replicate the feeling of being in his arms.
As the music faded, she opened her eyes. She traced the curve of her symbiot partner’s cheek. The gold shimmered under her fingertips as it recognized her loneliness and longing.
“What is wrong with me?” she asked in a confused voice. “There is a beating in my chest that I don’t understand, and I yearn for his touch. What is it that causes me to want to be with him? To hear his voice, his laughter, and to touch his lips with mine?”
She touched her mouth as she remembered his kiss. The symbiot Tamblin shifted into a bat. She shook her head and scowled at it.
“I know,” she grudgingly said, turning away.
It would be so easy to spy on Tamblin. In fact, she had done so the first few days after that night, but guilt and other unfamiliar emotions plagued her, so she had forced herself to stop. At least she knew he was safe.
She floated over to a pillar and studied the star chart engraved on it, locating Tamblin’s small moon. She looked at the platform and then down at the main gateway. Aikaterina and her sister still had not returned. There was no telling when they would. If she opened the main gateway, others of her kind would immediately sense it.
She looked at the pillar again. If she opened a very narrow gateway to the past, she could relive the night one last time. Perhaps the night was not as wonderful as she remembered.
“Just once, then I will never relive it again,” she whispered.
The symbols on the pillar glowed as she sent the mental command. A hologram of the glowing star chart appeared before her. She touched the galaxy, pulling the moon into view. With a twirl of her fingers, time reversed until she saw the images of dragonlings. She replayed the night, following the events as they unfolded.
Her heart ached when she saw Hope’s excitement turn to terror, the moment Morah gripped her hand so that she couldn’t escape, and when Tamblin cupped her hand and helped her to her feet.
She stared up at the platform. The time when she was standing in Tamblin’s arms appeared on the platform. She floated until she was level with the ghostly vision of her past.
“Just this one time,” she promised herself and floated forward, merging her present self with her past.
A soft gasp slipped from her. Tamblin caught the sound when he kissed her. Arosa melted in his arms, wishing she could keep this moment frozen for eternity.
The Kingdom of Glitter:
Several Months Ago
“That was very… pleasant,” she announced.
Tamblin laughed. “Yes, it was indeed very pleasant,” he teased.
Arosa leaned forward and parted her lips when Tamblin kissed her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and threaded her fingers through his hair. She could sense his surprise—and feel his growing desire. She sighed in regret when he reluctantly pulled back and gazed down at her.
“Arosa—I….”
She laid her fingers against his lips. “I want you to know that tonight is a night I will never forget, Tamblin,” she confessed.
He frowned, slightly shook his head, and captured her hand in his. “You say that as if we will never see each other again,” he said.
“My… kingdom differs from yours,” she replied, pulling out of his arms.
He tightened his grip on her hand. “Things are different now. With the Tasiers’ return, the mushroom forests are thriving again, and the threats have been mitigated. There is no reason why we can’t continue to see each other,” he protested.
A pang of guilt pierced Arosa. How did she explain to Tamblin that she was not who she was pretending to be? As far as she knew, there had never been one of her kind who fell in love or stayed with another species. It was not their way.
She pulled away from him, fluttering her hand to her chest as she realized what she had just thought. Shock and confusion swept through her. Was it possible that she—a being made of pure energy—could experience love?
“Arosa, perhaps I’ve overstepped my boundaries, but I have to confess that I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. I want to see where it leads. A union between our two kingdoms could only strengthen them,” he said,
“A union—?” she repeated, looking up at him in shock.
Tamblin groaned and shook his head. He reached out and cupped both of her hands in his. It was impossible for her to look away.
“That was very forward of me… but, please, hear me out. I know that we’ve just met, but I believe that there is a connection between us too powerful to ignore. This is an extraordinary night and I… I would like to explore where it could take us. What I’m trying to say is… I want to get to know you,” he declared.
“Tonight…,” she began, pausing and reaching out to her sister in desperation as she tried to think of what to say.
“We’ll start with tonight,” he agreed with a tender smile, misunderstanding her hesitation.
She nodded. Even though Arosa knew what was going to happen, she embraced the evening. Reliving the night over again was as magical as it had been the first time—though it seemed shorter.
All too soon, they were returning to the palace. She kissed each dragonling’s forehead when they came up to wish her a goodnight. An unexpected burning stung her eyes when Morah tugged on her skirt. She knelt, looking the little girl in the eyes.
Morah touched her cheek with tiny fingers. “I wants you to knows that if you ever needs help, I will helps you. I’m goings to be a Priestess one days,” she said.
Arosa smiled. “You will be a very good Priestess to the symbiots, Morah,” she replied.
Morah nodded. “I’s knows a lots ‘causes I’m smart likes my mommy and daddy.” Morah threw her little arms around Arosa’s neck. The goddess blinked in surprise. “Thanks you for making my wishes come true. For my last wishes, I’d like for all the daddies and us to be bigs again so we can goes back home to our mommies.”
“When you wake, your wish will have come true,” Arosa promised.
“I hopes your wishes comes true too,” Morah whispered in her ear before giving her a kiss on her cheek and stepping back.
Arosa stood and watched as the little girl, her skin dyed green from playing in the fountain and princess gown stained with dirt from adventuring through the land, ran over to her father. Deep in her heart, Arosa knew it was time for her to leave, but she didn’t want to. She stared wistfully at Tamblin. He was talking to Paul, but she could feel his focus on her.
Anguish filled her as she relived the last few hours that she would ever have with Tamblin. A part of her wanted to pull away so she wouldn’t have to say goodbye to him again, but another part wanted to savor the beautiful memory that came next.
“I’ve had a room prepared for you,” he said.
She nodded, gripping his hand. They walked in silence up the steps into the palace. She followed him up the stairs to a long corridor on the third level. He slowed as they neared a set of double doors.
“I hope you will be comfortable. My room is next door should you need anything,” he said as he turned and faced her.