Muses, Mishaps, and Murder!

Chapter 24 Paper Krakens

Muse Paisley

My entire body shook so badly that my chair crashed to the floor. "No, Holbrook is my responsibility. I wish I was more loyal to her and fought my work transfer."

"Yes, you should've." Muse Silver-Green dragged me into a room, walked over to the cot, and fell asleep.

Apollo walked in and sat in the chair next to mine.

I wrote exactly what was happening in the narration room. Apollo's large eyes followed me. I met the man more than enough for my liking, and seeing him was terrible news. He usually only left his Muse booth when he was inviting us to a cosplay party. I'd rather be fired. Everyone else loves his team meetings where you have to find the buried treasure with teamwork or fight a paper Kraken filled with saltwater taffy and marshmallows. I didn't even like these parties when I was twelve. Okay, I like winning the candy.

Apollo pointed to the cot. "Don't wake Silver-Green. Green captured the spies and deserved the nap."

I sat down, and my hand quivered. They never quiver. Did Apollo expect me to write with a feathered quill covered in glitter? It was impractical and ugly. I wrote everything I thought down, including that he was a pain and needed a better pirate outfit. Who goes to work in silly costumes?

My protests meant nothing to the weirdo.

His attitude was uncalled-for. Of course, I could've handled Mason differently if they'd given me the proper information.

We monitored Mason and Holbrook and could have limited interaction if necessary.

Apollo prevented Holbrook from hearing us. Mason could read my every thought, and I needed to be careful and not destroy everything.

"Pack your items. We have a safety issue." Gloria's wings beat frantically.

Holbrook and Mason did as they were told. They strapped themselves onto Gloria's back and ate their lunches in silence.

Airships in the distance gained speed, and Gloria took another flight path. The cult ships shot at other dragons, and several of them fled and landed.

I blurted, "Mason can't die."

"Glad you finally care," Mason said to me. "Today might be the end of my life."

"You mean the end of us?" My eyes closed for a moment, not wanting to see the surrounding death, but Apollo forced me to look.

More airships chased them through the sky.

Gunners in the closest airship shot a younger dragon, and Gloria caught him from falling with her claws. She set him near the medic tent and flew again.

Gloria rose higher, and the resort appeared as if it were covered with dollhouses.

An airship appeared in the sky, following them.

Humanoid tigers fired upon Gloria with two-barrel laser machine guns. What the weapons lacked in accuracy, they made up for in rapid fire. These were cheap, dangerous weapons manufactured in Deb's factories.

Gloria outpaced them.

"To your left," Apollo called out.

I realized he was once Gloria's Muse. My planet needed her to survive.

She smacked the ship with her tail and breathed fire on it.

The airship fell from the sky. Gloria hit the airship with her tail again to prevent the burning wreckage from falling into the crowds.

The balloon-like ship burned in a heap over an empty rose garden. Other dragons dumped water on it until the ship was ash, and the small pilot station appeared to be half-melted. Medics pulled the men through the window, trying to save the very souls who attacked them.

Gloria dropped Mason and Holbrook off at the spaceport and wept. Her trembling claws scratched at the ground. I had seen a death, a death of a villain, but it did not make me feel good inside. Nothing about this loss felt right.

"I never killed... before," Gloria said.