"I've never seen the sea," Moonbow said quietly.

"Me neither," said Starshine.

"An adventure, then," Beatrice told her. "We'll make it an adventure."

"No, thanks," Starshine said. "I had enough of that."

Beatrice grinned, and the girls grinned back.

While Jude finally allowed herself to look back toward Emerald City. The sandstorm had passed; there was no smoke in the sky. A flutter in her chest when a black pickup slowed but didn't stop.

He was gone.

Face it, Jude, he's gone, and it's going to take a while.

Still, knowing it was fruitless, knowing the pain it would cause when she lay in her bed again and felt the dark around her, she couldn't help wondering if Trey had known, really known, how she felt.

He had kissed her, so maybe he had.

Regret was foolish, she knew that, and knew it was inevitable as well.

And when she turned around and saw the towers of Excalibur rise above the interstate and the overpasses and the trucks and the warehouses, she couldn't help thinking that a queen couldn't do better than have a man like him.

6.

The dragon lay in the middle of the desert. Sleeping. Always sleeping.

Until tonight.

When the dragon stirred.

end.