Muses, Mishaps, and Murder!

Chapter 27 Planet of Hidden Dreams

Muse Paisley

Silver-Green and I spent the next three weeks observing Red Claw Village and drinking massive glasses of hot chocolate and spicy dragon mint tea.

We watched Gloria, and I honestly felt bad for her, but she attended her therapy sessions.

Mason and Holbrook prepared the village for the mass evacuation.

Deb's AI came upon the screen. "Dragons won't buy our products. Anyone who doesn't support you is your enemy and should be cut out of your life. This is war because they want to keep you from success."

The TV flickered off, and dragons packed up their lives.

In Mason's downtime from helping pack, he wrote two rough drafts of one-act plays with headsets while Holbrook practiced guitar. Afterward, they sat together with an odd contentment.

"Charlotte found your dad's prison record—mostly petty stuff, but nothing involving your sister," Holbrook said. "Your father is a dead end."

"Looks that way, but something else came up." He spoke to Holbrook. "I received a text from Frank that the holographic projector was corrupted after he handed it over to Nickel."

Holbrook sent messages to Mason by spelling words in the palm of Mason's hand.

Mason and Holbrook walked out into the darkness and followed the dim lights to the solar ships, run by backup power.

Cult forces were coming to eradicate them because they defied her.

Gloria's family boarded her grandfather's solar ship with thousands of dragons from her Red Claw and other villages. Dragons gathered tools, seeds, bedding, ovens, fruiting plants, furs, ostriches, and sheep and carried them on board. Commander Nickel and a hundred agents acted as personal guards.

Three other solar ships were loaded with printing presses and all kinds of objects of magic and wonder. Okay, it was a bunch of pointless tools, animals, and textiles.

Commander Nickel handed more bags off. "Rob would shoot down these ships if Kay wasn't in control." She grabbed her suitcase and backpack.

"There have only been four dragon cultists," Gloria's grandfather, Stew, said.

"Rob is trying to establish Kay's ex-husband as heir, and if that happens, he will kick you all out or arrest you," Commander Nickel said.

Stew snorted twice before speaking. "Rob is the mirror of his mother. Quin kicked us off our planet because she had money and influence with the ruling class. I'm sick of being scattered, and Kay's son is offering us an actual home."

"Sir, I never asked you more intense questions about Quin?" Mason asked.

Gloria's grandfather snorted. "Call me Stew. If I decided to unalive anyone, I'd choose Rob, but I'd rather see him go bankrupt. He, his mother, and Deb are mirrors of each other. They're all the same."

"Why does Stew need five solar ships?" A guard asked Commander Nickel.

"Because the dragons want to take everything, including the goods they sell to outsiders." The commander swung two more bags over her shoulders. "Ride in Charlotte Shuttleman, and I'll meet you in the new village in a couple of weeks. Dragons will host building parties. Rob won't let them step foot in his cities because they have competing shops."

Holbrook nodded. "I bet Rob is trying to steal prime farming."

"No, the new king gave us a portion of Badlands, and Rob is furious because he can't dictate anything. The Badlands will be tamed," Gloria's grandfather said. "Only fifteen of our kin are coming with us. The rest are other dragons who defied Deb-Dagger."