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made a mental note to ask Orin about the heating and plumbing system. She liked to know how things worked, and if every room in the palace looked like this they had to have an intricate system that was unlike any she’d seen on the other side of the portal. Michelle threw off the cloak she was wearing, lay down naked on the massive bed, and stared up at the ceiling. The wind blew through the window as she pondered this place called Paladin that was part of her.
    She didn’t know when she fell asleep but when she opened her eyes it was dark and the moonlight that cascaded into the room had a bluish glow to it. She got up groggily, went to the window, and looked outside. The nighttime view had her breathless, the moon over the indigo grass and the houses. The homey, peaceful feeling reminded her of what she felt when she looked at a Norman Rockwell painting except in a fantasy world. It almost reminded her of the Van Gogh painting Starry Night because the sky was littered with so many stars and she could make them out clearly. She looked up to the dragon constellation, the one her mother told her was made up of the people of Paladin and her ancestors. I’m home, mother, I love and miss you, she thought and sent it out to the heavens.
    Fifty years without the woman who was more than her mother but also her protector and friend still hit her hard. Maybe she should have been more kind to Mursi who had lost his mate a few months ago. People handled their grief in different ways and his was to lash out. She made a mental note to be less in his face, even if he pushed her. She hoped she had restraint because he did rub her scales the wrong way each time he opened his mouth. Her stomach growled, and she didn’t need a watch to tell her she’d missed dinner. Besides, she didn’t think a watch would survive a trip through the portal. Orin was right, the tiredness she felt on earth was dissipating, already she felt stronger but her body needed food and lots of it. She pulled some clothes from the pack that belonged to Bior she still carried and after slipping on jeans, low-heeled boots, and a cropped red Florida State University T-shirt she went to find food. After seeing no one she knew she asked one of the guards at Orin’s door where she could find Orin and some food. He directed her to a secondary hall that led to what could only be described as a family room. Michelle hesitantly stepped in and all heads turned to her while the conversation ceased. There were the faces she recognized like Aki and Bior, and some she did not. Orin was there and Valencia as well, but not the children, also no Mursi. She didn’t know if she should be happy or disappointed.
    “Didn’t mean to interrupt, I was looking for a kitchen where I could grab a bite. I can eat in my room and you can get back to your discussion.” Michele felt they were talking about her and it made her even more self-conscious.
    “You’ll do so such thing.” Valencia smiled warmly. “Come on in, and we’ll have a meal brought in. We assumed that portal jet lag had you in its grips.”
    “Are you feeling stronger?” Orin asked as he stood. He came and embraced her before leading her into the room.
    “I am actually,” she admitted. “And it makes me hungry.”
    Orin laughed. “Luckily we know how to cook for big appetites here. Come meet some others in the court.” Orin brought her forward and Michelle felt like she was meeting her date’s parents except it was her brother’s friends. When you were the king of an entire realm, wasn’t it the same thing? Michelle cut her internal dialogue and listened as Orin made introductions. “This is Hawke, and since I became king he leads the twelve Paladin warriors. Which are technically eleven since I’m doing both jobs. This is his wife Daisye from Georgia in the Earth realm.”
    “I don’t know why I’m always Daisye from Georgia, Orin,” Daisye said sweetly. “Valencia is from New York and she is never