Pearl had piled wood on to the pyre, building the heat so much that it was unbearable to stand closer than a few meters away. The snapdragons had watched her work after they grew bored of being chased out of the fire. Of their own volition, they took to the pile of kindling and branches she and Coral had gathered and lit a few of the smaller twigs alight with tiny sparks. The plum-coloured snapdragon had managed to produce a proper flame, breathing fire on to a stick and lighting it.


    Pearl couldn’t decide if they had observed her lighting the stick she had been using to prod at the flames, or if they were simply bored.


    Pearl had gone through a significant portion of the branches they had stockpiled from clearing the drive. There were still plenty of logs set aside for their own hearths, though she were hesitant to use them, not if they wanted to survive the winter.


    No matter how hard she fanned the flames, the pyre simply didn’t get hot enough to completely burn away the hobgoblins. Eventually she grew tired of stamping out the small flames the snapdragons kept alighting. Pearl prodded out a smouldering bit of coal and flicked it over at the snapdragons. The tiny creatures took to it instantly. The plum-coloured snapdragon, the Tea-cup variety, pounced for the glowing bit of coal. Immediately the two-headed snapdragon wanted it for itself and began to bully the plum, snapping and twisting its long necks about it. Pearl dislodged a second piece of charcoal, which very quickly became the more desirable object.


    A small chirrup startled Pearl. She turned and saw that Fable had joined her. Coral’s snapdragon had hardly changed compared to the others. It was still bigger, almost the size of a cat. The other snapdragons were still small enough that they could curl up into a ball in her cupped hands. Some of the snapdragon’s spines were beginning to grow in, and most had begun to lose the squishy baby fat. They weren’t anywhere as fragile now. In the same amount of time Fable had only grown soft downy fuzz along his scales. He felt velvety soft, with a lovely sheen that at the very least reassured Pearl that he was healthy.


    Fable pressed his snout to her skirt then looked up at her with what Pearl could only describe as a grin. Pearl bent and patted him twice on his little head. Fable only ever allowed her a few brief pats before trotting off to sniff at the fire. Coral was the only one to adorn Fable with affection for prolonged moments. Even then after some time he would draw away just far enough that he was out of reach. Fable was a rather independent creature, which seemed at odds with his affection for Coral. It was out of sorts to see Fable without Coral, enough that Pearl looked about to check to see if she was about, no doubt tied up in some form of preparation for the Inn. When she wasn’t able to find her, Pearl turned back to Fable.


    “Have you come to make trouble?” she asked, watching as he twitched one of his pointed ears. She took this at the very least a sign of acknowledgement that he was listening to her. He was mostly focused on the burning bodies and completely uninterested in the coal the other snapdragons were playing with.


    “Do you think you could keep watch on the fire for me? It needs to be as hot as possible. We don’t want these Hobgoblins coming back to harass us.”


    Fable didn’t move, which Pearl expected. She wasn’t sure if he understood her at all, however there were times when he would tilt his head to the side, his brown eyes staring intensely with an awareness that the other snapdragons lacked.


    Pearl reached into the folds of her dress, and pulled from her pocket a crumpled letter. She had read over the contents far more than she cared to admit to herself. It had come at the same time as the other letter announcing the death of their father. Pearls heart ached guiltily with the thought.


    She glanced about to ensure that Coral was not nearby, and read once more.


    My dearest Pearl,


    It has been long since I have had the pleasure of your company. It is a weight that has pressed upon me with each passing day. Your sincerity and kindness have left an impression, which I often find myself frequently reflecting on.


    I press upon you an incorrigible habit of mine and request a meeting without your first invitation to your home. I long to explain my sudden departure, the trials I have faced and hope you will find me more present and true in the telling of my reasoning for my absence.


    I hope you can forgive this trespass and grant my request. The time and place are yours for the choosing should you desire. I assure you I will meet you henceforth.


    Caspian Acheron


    Pearl sighed and crumpled the letter once more as she closed her fist. She didn’t know how she felt about this. She had tried to draft a reply many a times, though she had discarded all into the heart of a fireplace. Truly, they did not have the parchment to waste, so now here she was, reflecting on her own memories of the brief encounter she had with Caspian, composing an answer to his letter in her mind.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Pearl had discovered that Caspian was not in fact a heart fiddler playing on the strings of affection from others, the woman she had seen at the funeral was his mother, and no other rumours had reached her ears for Caspian’s courting in town. Truthfully, she had hardly heard of his whereabouts at all.


    Was that a normal expectation for someone such as Caspian, what with his sensitivities to the sun? Surely someone such as he would at the least visit The Dogs House for a touch of socialisation.


    It was the fact that it had been weeks since she had last heard from him that Pearl struggled to get past. She had thought she had tucked away thoughts of his smile, his charm, the way she had felt truly seen for who she was when she was with him. Now, this letter, his enquiry to seek visitation was bringing those thoughts to the forefront of her mind, and she struggled to control them.


    Your sincerity and kindness have left an impression, which I often find myself frequently reflecting on.


    Pearl stuffed the crumpled letter back into her pocket. What was she to say to that? She may be kind, but she wasn’t all forgiving. She did not appreciate being ignored for so long. Pearl had attempted to also seek out Caspian in town when in search for Silas. She knew for the most part that he lived with Lord Acheron, though apparently no-one had ever been invited to the grounds bar the supply deliveries, and those were few and far in-between. She had been worn off from entering their territory, as she may not find those in Lord Acheron’s employ to be understanding if she called upon them during the day. At dusk it was simply too dangerous for her to travel alone, and her presence would surely be missed by Coral.


    Coral, for all her attempts to allow Pearl to make her own mistakes, would simply not permit her to do such a reckless thing. Especially now that Hobgoblins were becoming a nuisance on the roads.


    She feared what Coral would say to such a request, and even more so if she showed her the letter. Pearl didn’t want to earn Coral’s ire.


    And yet, Pearl wanted to know the reason behind the silence.


    A shiver raced down Pearls spine. In her preoccupation she hadn’t noticed that the fire had begun to die down. She hurried to throw more logs on to the fire, with Fable watching her with interest.


    “You were meant to keep it hot,” she said to Fable in mock contempt.


    Fable’s eyes followed the fourth log Pearl tossed to the pyre’s centre, atop the hobgoblin’s bodies.


    “They’re never going to burn at this rate,” Pearl stated, staring at the flames catching.


    Fable crept closer to the edge of the pyre, his two front paws resting atop the first few logs he could reach.


    “Come on, out of there. This isn’t for playing in,” she told him. She used her stick to flick out a chunk of smouldering coal for him to play with. Fable didn’t even turn his head to look at it. Instead, he leant forward and breathed into the fire.


    A torrent of magic spilled from his mouth, the air warping and shimmering with the energy. It spilled upon the flames. In an instant, the fire grew to twice its size. The flames became white hot, and Pearl had to hurry far from the pyre to escape the searing heat.


    When she looked back, the pyre had grown to a crescendo of dancing flames reaching high above, with sparks of flickering gold and vibrant red flying in every direction. Fable came trotting up to her, his mouth still dripping with vaporous magic. It floated in the air behind him before spreading slowly to the ground, catching alight and burning brightly.


    Pearl shuffled back further away, not wanting to have the magical substance coming from Fable’s mouth to touch her.


    Fable shook his head, dislodging the last of the magic as though he were shaking off water, then opened his little mouth with a grin, looking rather pleased with himself.


    For a long minute, Pearl simply stared at Fable.


    She doubted very much now that he was a snapdragon. She had never heard of pseudo-dragons being able to produce a magical breath. So what had gotten mixed up with the dozen snapdragons Coral had ordered? Fable was definitely a type of dragon. Just what he was, she couldn’t begin to guess.


    Fable quickly grew tired of her staring and began to sniff about at the ground, seeking out a bit of coal discarded by the other snapdragons. He sunk down to his belly and began chewing on it, his tongue flicking over it like it was a tasty treat.


    Behind him, the pyre was burning hard and fast through the wood as if were paper. A few minutes later, with Pearl watching on dumbfounded, the flames settled back down to a bright orange haze, the bodies of the hobgoblins having burnt away except for a few bones.


    Pearl watched on quietly, letting the fire burn itself out. The snapdragons had decided the glowing embers was the perfect place to take a nap and had coiled themselves into the heat contentedly. Pearl had let them do as they wished. She needed a moment to accept what she had just witnessed.


    Slowly, she fished out the left-over bones with her stick. From what she could tell, there was a few femur bones, a pelvis, and a few others that she couldn’t recognise beyond being uncharred and starkly white.


    Pearl felt a gentle pressure against her shoulder, and she started. She looked about, with no one to be seen behind her. It took her a moment to realise she wasn’t carrying one of the black crystals Coral had insisted she keep at all times.


    One of the ghosts was trying to get her attention.


    She felt a slight tug on her sleeve, and the hairs on Pearl’s neck stood on end. She had to remind herself if it was Lady Rayner, it was likely she would already be in dire distress. Pearl took a moment to calm her racing heart.


    Then she heard it, what was likely the source of the ghosts attempt to alert her to. Someone was coming down the drive. Without much thought, and not willing to leave them out in the open, Pearl threw the bones into the squeaky wheelbarrow, ran to the kitchen with Fable scurrying along behind her. The other snapdragons would be content enough to stay where they are for a few hours yet. She deposited the bones on to the kitchen table, and went to greet whomever had come.