A Dragonlings' Haunted Halloween: Dragonlings of Valdier by S. E. Smith

first place, so he could find
out!
    “Where are the others?” He asked
instead.
    “They are trying to round up the younglings
before the women discover they are missing. I wonder if Abby will
believe me if I tell her I was following Zohar if she catches me,”
Zoran replied with a grin before he shook his head. “Probably not,
she knows me too well.”
    “Let’s go find the kids. I think I’ve had
enough of this Halloween,” Trelon muttered as he glanced back at
where the empty tracks stood in the glow of the now, storm-free,
ceiling.
     

Chapter 8
    Arilla ran with Phoenix, Spring and Symba.
She loved the lighthearted moments with the different species she
encountered, especially their young. The other symbiots and
Dragonlings had separated as they ran to play in different parts of
the wonderful world that had been created.
    She climbed up the steps onto the wiggling
bridge that lead to a house of some type. Both Dragonlings climbed
with confidence showing they knew exactly where they were going.
Giggles filled the air as she stepped through the door. Mirrors of
all shapes and sizes lined the room.
    Arilla paused as she saw her own reflection
in one. Phoenix and Spring came to stand next to her. She was tall
and skinny while Phoenix was short and wide. Spring had a tiny head
and a huge body. Arilla scooted over until she was standing next to
Phoenix. Her shape changed as she did.
    “This reminds me of the feathered birds from
your mother’s world,” Arilla chuckled as she flapped her wings and
bobbed her head. “I believe they are called chickens.”
    Phoenix shifted until she was in her
two-legged form. “Chicken!” She repeated, flapping her arms up and
down. “Chicken!”
    Arilla giggled as Spring moved to another
mirror that made her look like she was upside down. The small
dragon fell over and rolled onto her back as she tried to see
herself. This was fun and there was no way that Aikaterina could
get upset about her and Arosa being here. Shifting to her natural
form of flowing gold, she held her hand out to Spring, who was now
in her two-legged form as well.
    “Show me more,” Arilla chuckled in
delight.
    *.*.*
    Creon paused as he wiped a combination of
damp cobwebs and sweat from his face. He glanced behind him. He had
toasted a few of the golden creatures with the glowing eyes before
he realized that they were mechanical. He grimaced at the faint
smell of burnt electrical wiring that clung to the air.
    He’d lost sight of Kelan and Vox in the dark
forest. They had separated when they thought they heard
B á lint and Roam’s squeals coming from the
right. Creon was heading toward where he had last seen Phoenix and
Spring.
    The only reason he wasn’t panicking was
because he knew that Harvey was with them. He had jogged over the
uneven ground, trying to keep his direction while avoiding the
trees when he rounded one and ran into one of the thick webs.
    The more he tried to escape the more tangled
he had become. He had finally shifted into his dragon form, hoping
to slice through it with his claws. What he had not expected were
for the dozen small eight-legged creatures to come pouring out at
him. He had reacted instinctively, and before he knew it, had set
the whole damn thing on fire.
    Pausing, he wiped his hand down along his
side when he saw Harvey lying contently outside the funny looking
house that was at least three stories high and half as wide.
    “I thought you were with them,” he growled
as he stepped past the slumbering symbiot.
    Harvey sent a strange image of what looked
like a golden Phoenix to him before lowering its head back to the
ground. Creon shook his head and stepped up onto the wiggling
bridge. Holding onto the mesh of woven chain, he crossed over it
and into the house.
    *.*.*
    Carmen shook her head as she watched Creon
let out a long, stream of fire. Luckily,
dragon fire burned hot, precise, and so intense, that it quickly
extinguished itself once he quit blowing it. She