Vacation with the Void Dragon

1. Lena

LENA

T his was supposed to be a relaxing vacation.

My editor promised me that much when she talked me into her insane plan.

Maxine was the only person I’d met with the confidence to suggest I go to a romantic getaway location to get over a breakup.

Not only that, she’d made it sound like a good idea until it was too late for me to back out.

Throwing myself into my work would make more sense if not for the fact that my work was reviewing places like this.

Okay, not exactly like this—nothing on Earth was.

Instead of a boat or a plane, transport to the resort was through some kind of magic portal.

I’d half-thought Maxine was pranking me until I saw got to Otherworldly Adventures, a ‘private travel agency’ with a swirling silver portal set into its wall.

Calm. It’s fine. I knew about this. Though my earlier exposure to the hidden world of magic had been a lot less impressive. An aunt who cast a few spells and one asshole vampire ex hadn’t prepared me for this.

A smiling witch gave me an over-rehearsed safety speech, of which I took in not a single word, and ushered me into the silver vortex. Sparkling lights, a tingle across my skin, and I was through.

“Okay, first impressions of Isla Varyx,” I said to my recorder as I stepped out onto a pier. “I— oh.”

Waves crashed onto a golden beach, warm air blew across me in a pleasant breeze, and somehow it was night. That made it real to me. Back in LA, it was morning. Two steps took me from the brightest sunlight to this beautiful night.

And it was beautiful, like nothing I’d ever seen.

Clouds of light billowed above me, purples and gold and black, filling the sky from horizon to horizon, a spectacular sight that I couldn’t take my eyes off.

“Thanks, Maxine,” I whispered before continuing my recording. “Okay, the setting is beautiful, otherworldly. Which makes sense, since it’s apparently on another world, but nothing could have prepared me for this sky. Maybe a holiday here is worth the price tag.”

Though I doubted it. Otherworldly Adventures charged an arm and a leg for their secret resort for humans and monsters, far more than I could ever afford.

That was the bait Maxine used to hook me.

An all-expenses paid review trip for Maxine’s new magazine for the ‘paranormal community,’ whatever that was, and I got to be on literally a different world than Jerry the Jerk. That sounded pretty good to me.

It took an effort to look down from the amazing sky to the island itself, which curved around me in a giant crescent.

The pier stuck out into a bay, uncanny lights shimmering beneath the waves that washed onto a golden beach.

Above the sand, the island became jungle, with a few lights showing the buildings nestled among the trees.

A fresh breeze blew from the island, carrying a crisp, refreshing scent reminiscent of citrus and electricity.

I walked down the pier, looking around and taking in the beautiful scene as I went. To my right, the jungle thickened, and a softly lit path led along the shoreline to what looked like rock pools.

To my left, black stone stretched up out of the jungle, a stark mountain like a monster’s tusk.

Waves crashed against jagged rocks at its base.

Light flickered at its peak, almost like a localized storm.

It was the only thing that looked out of place in a romantic retreat, and that marked it out as interesting.

Something moved on the mountain, catching my eye, and I stopped to look.

A dark, sinuous shape perched at the top of the steep cliff that faced the bay.

It took me a moment to take in the scale, but when I did, I swore under my breath.

Whatever moved up there was the size of a house.

I tried to tell myself that it was just a rock formation, or a sculpture.

Which might have worked if our eyes hadn’t met.

The impact of that gaze hit me like a lightning bolt, and I froze in place.

Emotions I couldn’t name flashed through my mind, and all thought stopped.

It felt like falling, or flying, or something unnameable, a connection with another soul across all that distance.

As though if I looked long enough, I’d know and be known by whatever watched me.

Somehow, despite the distance, I saw the eyes as though they were right in front of me. Falling stars burned deep within them, giving off a faint violet glow. I could have stared into those eyes forever.

“Lena Morales? Welcome to the Isla Varyx resort.” The mention of my name made me jump and spin toward the beach. Without my noticing, someone had gotten within arm’s reach. Shit. Got to pay more attention.

Tall and imposing, the woman had the careful beauty that takes discipline and time to achieve.

Not a strand of her sea-glass green hair was out of place, and her golden skin almost glowed under the nebula’s light.

Even her smile was perfect, a carefully calibrated expression that invited warmth but gave nothing away.

“A pleasure to be here, Ms. Tidewater,” I said. A safe guess, based on the briefing materials Maxine sent me.

“Marisol, please,” the resort’s operations manager said. “I prefer an informal atmosphere.”

“Then I’m Lena,” I replied.

Her handshake was crisp, professional, and friendly. Exactly what I’d expect, but somehow still convincing. I’d met enough people in her job to see she had a talent for it.

“It’s so good that you’re taking an interest in our resort, Lena,” she continued. “I’m a fan of your writing, and we’re keen to reach new clients. A favorable review from you would help.”

“I can’t promise the favorable part, but you’ll get an honest review. Hope that’ll do.”

Her laugh was… you know what, go ahead and assume whatever she did was perfect.

It would have been annoying if it wasn’t so charming.

“That’s exactly what Maxine promised, and I’d have it no other way.

Our quality speaks for itself, as I’m sure you’ll see.

Do you need to rest before I show you around? ”

I raised an eyebrow at that. “Shouldn’t I get the same introduction any other new arrival gets?”

“This is more honest,” she said, taking me by the arm. “If I sent anyone else, we’d be pretending to treat you like any other visitor, but you know that wouldn’t be true. This way, it’s clear you’re getting VIP treatment.”

I shook my head with a smile. “It’s an odd kind of honest, where you tell me you’re lying to me.”

“Oh goodness, Lena, I won’t lie . But you’re too experienced to think we won’t show you the best of everything. Come on, let’s drop off your bag and I’ll show you what Isla Varyx has to offer.”