Caveman Alien's Riddle - Calista Skye Page 0,87
an emperor or something to top Caronerax,” Sophia agrees. “Not that this is a competition or anything.”
Ashlynn straightens my wedding dress around the shoulders. “I get the feeling this might have been the last wedding we celebrated on Xren. Don’t ask me why. But what a way to go out.”
I show her the little bouquet of flowers that the girls have picked on the park level that I think is below here somewhere. “Don’t be so sure. We can easily find out.”
The unmarried girls assemble behind me, more to be nice than because they really want it. I toss the flowers, not aiming at anyone in particular.
“Okay,” Beatrice says, holding the tasteful little bunch. “I actually never want to get married. But the flowers are nice, and I’ll totally keep them. They won’t have a chance to wither before we’re back on Earth.”
“Then you can sell them as magical alien wedding flowers,” I suggest. “‘Marry a dragon within a week or your money back.’”
She laughs. “Yeah, we’ll just see. They’re nice, I might keep them.”
“Meanwhile,” Delyah says, “that’s a cool wedding ring you got there. Gold and everything.”
I hold it up. It’s kind of shapeless, not perfectly round or carefully polished to a sheen. But it’s incredible. “It’s pretty sweet. Caronerax carried the gold next to his heart for days. As in, really next to his heart with nothing between them. I know because it was beating against my hand when I pulled this thing out of his chest.”
“Imagine gold being toxic to dragons,” Heidi marvels. “I’ve never heard anything more ironic in my life.”
“It’s weird,” I agree. “But it kind of makes sense. The hunger for gold is behind all their bad qualities, like greed and distrust and all this. It gives them toxic behavior, so of course it kills them if it gets inside them. Actually, don’t listen to me. I’m too happy to think.”
Aurora checks the string on her crossbow, which never leaves her person anymore. “I wonder where that nugget came from. I mean, it must have been in the gravel around the village. What if our trusty old creek is in fact a river that runs thick with gold and always has? That would be pretty ironic, too.”
“Maybe every stream on Xren is like that,” Caroline says, dressed in her white lab coat and looking regal. “Maybe this is the most gold-rich planet ever, you just need to pan for it. Or mine it.”
“Could be,” Mia agrees. “It took me all of ten minutes to pan enough gold for Kyandros to get a pretty good start on his hoard. Girls, this level is kind of chilly. Is it time for some snacks?”
We move down to the fun fair level, where the girls have prepared a small buffet. There are no chairs or tables, just standing room. Which is fine.
Caronerax and I walk around the level, holding hands.
I point. “That’s a rollercoaster. Remind me to never try that. That’s a carousel. That thing there is… I don’t know. Some alien thing. Your enemies built everything in this ship so that their kids would have a little bit of a life, some experiences other than just a barren spaceship.”
He’s silent for a long time as we walk around the level, with me occasionally joking with our wedding guests.
“Our thirst for gold ruined them,” he finally says. “We hunted them to extinction for their gold and their riches. Not our proudest moment, I think now.”
“I think so too,” I agree. “But that’s something that could happen again if dragons ever discover Earth. I worry about that, my love.”
“Yes,” he says, tapping his lips with one finger. “The Plood know where your home planet is, although that’s something they would only reveal to me in exchange of an extortionate amount of gold. But the connection exists and is a risk.”
“Even if the dragons don’t go there, the Plood are bad enough,” I tell him. “Could we do something to stop them coming to Earth?”
“Married to you, I’m convinced I could do anything. So yes, we will find a way. The Plood will never go to your planet again. Nor will any dragon.”
I go up on tiptoe to kiss him. “It’s okay if you go there. And Kyandros and Aragadon. But not to plunder. Just to visit in peace and friendship.”
“Agreed,” he says.
At that moment I know it will be okay. Nobody is as strong as my husband. He will fix this, too. He’s totally awesome. Totally perfect.
I squeeze his