I Raised A Black Dragon

“From now on, if you see me getting too close to Kyle, I need you to stop me, okay? I know we’ve gotten close, but therein lies the problem.” Noah approached with a final armful of clothing, which included some belts and pairs of shoes. “Can you do that for me?”  

Muell nodded his head, and Noah smiled at him as she patted him on the head. At that moment, the shopkeeper walked over to her and examined her large pile of clothing.

“Have you finished selecting your clothes, Miss? Would you like to try any of them on?” 

“I… Yes, actually I would, thank you.” It had never dawned on Noah to try anything on to check if everything actually fitted her. She bundled up some clothes in her arms and carried them over to the changing rooms, with the shopkeeper close behind carrying the rest. 

After trying on every item of clothing she had picked out, which all fortunately fit her, she selected a baby blue blouse and a pair of comfortable black trousers to wear, along with some leather boots. That way, if she needed to make a quick getaway, she would be able to run. 

During the process of trying her clothes on, she thought back to Kyle’s warning about not taking her cloak off, and how she had completely ignored his advice. She figured he wouldn’t mind if he didn’t know. 

“I’ll take the lot, please.” Noah reached into the bag to pull off her purse. As she was physically smaller than Eleonora, she needed clothes that actually fit her. 

“Everything? Are you sure?” The shopkeeper paused to look at the amount of clothing Noah had. “If you’re certain, would you like me to bag everything for you?” 

“Oh, no thank you.” Noah smiled at the shopkeeper. “I’ll be able to manage.” She pulled the tags off of her outfit and handed them to the shopkeeper so she could add them to the register. Together, they carried her new wardrobe, along with her old outfit that she had kept to one side, out so they could be properly paid for. As the shopkeeper scanned all her items, Noah folded them up neatly in a pile, ready for Muell to work his magic. 

After all twenty-five pieces of clothing, six pairs of shoes, and assorted accessories had been scanned, Noah handed over the money and nodded at Muell. He nodded back at her, realizing what she meant. He closed his eyes and clicked his fingers, summoning an orb above the clothes. The orb expanded to engulf all of her clothing, and then promptly shrunk down and vanished. 

The shopkeeper stared in horror at what had just taken place. Her hands were shaking as she gave Noah her receipt and change. Noah could only smile and thank him as she picked up Muell and walked out of the shop. 

All the other junk disappeared into the orb. Noah, who got the receipt and change from the clerk who returned, left the store with Muell. To her dismay, only fifteen minutes had passed. She was certain that she had taken much longer, what with all the clothes she tried on. She thought about going back to the hotel and sleeping, but changed her mind and decided to look around the town square.

The aroma of meat skewers lured Noah over to a vendor, who presented her with two skewers that he claimed were fresh from the oven. When she bit into one, the meat juices running down her chin, she believed him. She bought two for herself and two for Muell, and stopped off at the bakery next door to purchase some warm bread so they could have an impromptu picnic. 

With their food in hand, they cut through an alley near the bakery where an outdoor exhibition was being held. The walls of the surrounding buildings had been painted in brightly coloured murals, all of which left Noah speechless. Yet she couldn’t help but feel someone was following her. And she knew it wasn’t Muell, who was sitting on her shoulders eating his sandwich. 

She passed by a painting that showed a sunset over a seascape, one similar to when Muell first turned into a black dragon. Then, as turned around the corner, she ducked into a doorway. 

“Muell, can you turn me invisible?” She whispered to him, peering around the doorway to check she wasn’t being followed. Then, she felt a tingling sensation in her toes. She glanced down to see the tops of her boots beginning to disappear. It wasn’t long before she, along with her outfit, had completely vanished. She knew that a dragon’s magic was powerful, but she had no idea of the power it contained. Now safely invisible, she returned to the art exhibition and glanced around, trying to see if someone was acting suspicious and trying to find her. 

To her dismay, she couldn’t find anyone like that. Yet she still couldn’t help shake off the feeling someone was following her.