Free WINDOWS: A BROKEN FAIRY TALE by Casey Bramble

let anything happen to you.”
                Sarah
smiled, the sun twinkling in her gray eyes, “I know.   And thank you.”
                The
warmth of the morning sun and the rhythmic beating of wings soon lulled Sarah
to sleep.   She had no idea how much time
had passed when she was awoken by Raven leaning forward.
                “Bryson,
what is that?” Sarah and the dragon both looked off to the left to where Raven
was pointing.   A black blob was sharing
the sky with them.   Bryson’s eyes
narrowed and he said that it appeared to be the Prime Minister’s zeppelin.
    “You think Richard
is on that thing?”   Raven asked.
                Bryson
sarcastically retorted that since Richard was always with the PM, he was
probably on board.   The redhead rubbed
her chin thoughtfully for a moment and mentioned that it would be inhospitable
if they didn’t at least say howdy.  
    “Besides,” Raven nodded
dutifully, “he owes Sis ten gullions.   She told me to bring it back or not to come home.”
                Sarah
felt it was her job to point out the obvious; they were miles above the ground
and nobody would expect their sister to do something dangerous just to get some
money.   The dragon and redhead both
turned in unison and stared at her blankly.   Raven explained that this idea was in fact a much safer plan than going
home without the money.   Bryson nodded
his head in agreement so Sarah shrugged her shoulders, accepting that they
weren’t going to listen to her anyway.
                Within
moments the airship was clearly visible even to the two girls.   A large, gray, oblong structure supported a
passenger deck underneath.   Giant twin
fans in the back provided the thrust to move, although it wasn’t nearly as fast
as a dragon.   Bryson flew above the
balloon and slowed to match its speed.   Lowering himself until they were only a foot or so above the balloon, he
waited until Raven hopped off and then climbed back into the sky.   Raven grabbed the nearest anchoring line and
started down.
                Inside
the cabin, three people calmly watched the window in front of them.   Richard DeGuire, the head of the Protectorate
and the Prime Minister’s personal body guard, the Prime Minister herself,
Cassandra Sylvester, and the pilot.
                “Where
are we going?”   The Prime Minister spoke
in a low voice.
                “We’ve
already discussed this, Madame Sylvester.   You have a meeting with the mayor of Augusta later today.   Please have another sip of tea and
relax.”   Crimson lips puckered slightly
as the cup reached them, but they did not drink.   Instead a small smile curled the
corners.   “Someone is here to see us,
Richard.”
                There
was a sharp rapping at the portside door.   Richard turned and saw Lady Branwyen hanging upside down, motioning him
to come over.   He did so, issuing a
thousand curses under his breath at having to deal with such an annoying
distraction on today of all days.   At
least the story of how she got up here would be interesting and if she got to
pesky he could just kill her.
                As
he swung open the door, Raven took a good look at Richard DeGuire.   He was a tall man with black hair that hung
to his shoulders and a goatee that was just turning gray around the edges.   His leathery face could be considered
handsome if not for his eyes.   Black and
oily, they glittered with malice under thick brows.   Although they had always been polite with
each other, there was something about this man that had set Raven on edge the
first time they met.   Each successive
meeting only ingrained that inherent dislike deeper.
    “Good morning,
Branwyen.   To what do we owe this most
unexpected pleasure?”
                “Mind
if I come in?   It’s a mite uncomfortable
out here” Raven smiled as she struggled