“Let me see if I’ve got this straight,” said Trine. She had awoken from a dead faint to find herself surrounded by little flitting faeries, and her screams of surprise had brought Juliette instantly to her side. She had apologized profusely to Trine for the fright, and had endeavored to explain everything about the Reserve, the Crystal, and her purpose.

“I am the Keeper of the Crystal because I found this disc.”

“Not quite,” Juliette replied patiently. “The disc found you. These objects I create are not sentient, per se, but they do have a certain sense of purpose and place, and this disc saw fit to find you and bring you here. You are the Keeper of the Crystal because you know about animals and about the ways of the Ice People, or the Vikings as you call them, and it was this sort of person that I required for this assignment.”

“And…you live in this sort of invented world and take care of what we consider fictional creatures?” Trine’s head was beginning to spin again.

“Very nearly correct,” Juliette smiled, “but the exact details are not important. If you would care to learn later, I am sure that could be arranged.”

Trine sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. “And you say I can leave whenever I so choose?”

“That is accurate,” Juliette informed her. “The simple trick is to grip the disc, count backward from six, and really want to be back where you came from. If you do not desire to return home with every part of your soul, it will not work.”

“Oh, well then, I’m screwed,” Trine said, shaking her head, and Juliette peered at her curiously.

“Screwed?” she echoed, a bemused look on her face.

Trine shook her head again. “Never mind,” she replied. “What about my friends, what about Brynna? She’ll be worried sick about me!”

Juliette smiled gently. “You may return and see her whenever you like,” she offered quietly, pointing again to the disc. “Time passes quite differently here than it did back in your world, and therefore, even if you remain here for days, weeks, or even years, you may choose to return to your own world at precisely the moment you left, if that is what you desire.”

“Um, I think I’ll pass,” Trine said wryly, remembering the storm that had almost claimed her life. “I will definitely have to go and see her again though, just so she knows I’m still alive. That girl worries far too much, I swear.”

Juliette smiled, patting Trine’s shoulder. “So you have accepted it,” she said. “Good. I have always thought you scientists would be more open to possibilities than you are given credit for.”

Trine stood up, slipping the disc into her pocket, and blinked at Juliette. “So, where is this Lair place we have to go? I’m not quite sure I like the sound of it, but if you’re going along, it can’t be too bad.”

Juliette laughed. “Of course not,” she replied. “Indyana is a very close friend of mine, and she would never be hostile or vicious to a potential bondmate – unless, of course, they attempted to steal something. Then, she might just have to kill them.”

Since all this was said with a straight face, Trine didn’t know what to think of Juliette, but risked a smile anyhow. “Well then, let’s go,” she said. As they began walking, Trine took to thinking out loud. “A crystal dragon with a weird orb thingy…that’s really interesting. The solid, pupil-less eyes could indicate prolonged periods underwater or in the dark, where there is little need for sight, but if raised in the dark, the eyes would be light and not dark. Underwater then. And the crystalline body would indicate growth in some icy region of the world, where the coloring would act as camouflage…the spikes would likely be for defense, but as they are not hugely developed, the threats cannot have been too bad…”

As she continued to muse, Juliette watched her with some amusement. This girl was one of her more unusual charges, but she was beginning to find her quite amiable very quickly. She only hoped that Trine’s connection with the dragonling would be as effective.