The electric bars spark to life again. A gust of wind whips my hair back. Suddenly, Long Fei appears.
I glare at him. "Master, how could you leave me here to rot?"
He stares back at me, his expression impassive. "You seemed to be sleeping soundly, so I thought it would be better to leave you there."
"I almost died because your brother lit the whole place on fire."
He raises his brow. "It doesn't sound like Long Yan, he wouldn't do that."
A flicker of flame appears mid-air then bursts into a fire portal as Long Yan steps out. "Elder brother, did you call me?"
"Ling Yue claims that you paid her a visit and lit up the cell."
"I didn't. I wasn't allowed to visit her, remember? His Highness forbade any visitors." The younger brother rubs the back of his neck as he scans the scorched hay strewn around the cell. "You... didn't put my message out?"
Long Fei drags a hand over his face. "I had to seal all her elemental powers to stop her from hurting the guards."
His younger brother's eyes widen as he mouths to me, "Sorry."
I cross my arms, unimpressed with these two dragon brothers. I tap my foot impatiently.
They turn their attention to the Crown Prince and bow to him, who has finally decided to visit me. He scans the scene and scratches his chin, then gestures to his guard to unlock the door. The guard pulls out a key, slides it into the lock, and turns it. The electric current flickers, then dies out with a sharp hiss, leaving the bars inert.
Neck cracked. Shoulders rolled. Time to leave this wretched cell behind. I stroll out as the Crown Prince shakes his head and raises a hand to stop me. "I see, you still managed to cause trouble, even in the dungeon."
"This time I didn't do anything. I couldn't have done anything. I was tied up."
"Have you learned your lesson yet?"
"Yes, after a near-death experience that I didn't cause, I've learned my lesson."
"Which is?"
"My crime is that I got caught."
All three immortals run their hands down their faces, shaking their heads. Long Fei turns to the Crown Prince. "Your Highness. Since I've repaired the damage she's done, do you think you can let her go now?"
"I'm hesitant to do so since she hasn't learned her lesson."
"I'm sure she has. She's just too proud to admit it." Long Fei gives me a stern gaze. I shrink my head back like a turtle in its shell.
"Alright, since you've pled on her behalf, I'll let her go on one condition. That Long Yan babysits her on her next quest."
At the mention of his name, Long Yan points to himself. "Me? Why me?"
"Because you lit this cell on fire. I recognize those scorch marks. It's the trail of your flame."
Long Yan raises his hand, about to retort, but Long Fei stares him down. He withdraws his hand, head cast down, and mutters, "Yes, Your Highness."
I look up at the Crown Prince with hopeful doe eyes. He returns my gaze with a glare. "Your Highness. What happened to all the celestial ingots that I collected? That should put a dent in my debt, right?"
He shakes his head and lets out a soft sigh. "Those were confiscated and used to restore the balance. Long Fei went to great lengths to do that for you. This is your first and final warning. If I catch you exchanging shooting stars again, it will be a capital crime."
Oh Tides! I want to keep my head. I have to find another way to pay him back.
I guiltily glance at Long Fei. I brought trouble on him again. I place a hand over my tiny heart."Sorry, Master. I won't do it again. I swear by the sea."
He lets out a sigh and flicks his long sleeves back. Then like the wind, he vanishes into thin air. Our hair billows, then settles.
The Crown Prince turns to Long Yan and hands him a scroll. "Make sure Ling Yue stays out of trouble and finds this missing exchange dealer."
The subordinate immortal unfurls the scroll and examines the sketch of the missing immortal. He faces the scroll to me. "Ling Yue, have you seen this immortal before, by any chance?"
My eyes widen. I instantly recognize him — a chopstick holding up his frazzled hair in a bun. "That's the first exchange dealer who told me about the Shooting Star. He's the one that—" I clamp my mouth shut as the Crown Prince's nostrils start flaring, and Long Yan vigorously shakes his head behind him, a finger pressed to his lips.
"Your Highness, we'll search for him right away," Long Yan bows to the Crown Prince who returns a solemn nod.
The Dragon of Fire grabs my wrist and mutters, "Let's go before he changes his mind."
I immediately follow him out of the dungeon, relieved to see the sun again. Without a word, he transforms into a searing light and shoots off. I stand my ground, fuming now as I watch him fly off. He turns mid-air and shifts back to his human guise. "What's the matter? Why aren't you coming?"
I raise my hands to the sky, rolling my eyes at him. "My elemental powers have been sealed off, remember?"
He taps his palm to his forehead. "Oh, right. Hmm... that is problematic. I'll wait for you here. Sorry, Elder Brother won't be back for a while and he never taught me how to seal elemental powers... Your best bet is to ask His Highness." He casts his gaze to the ground, shoulders slumped, kicking the dirt. It must be rough, having such a huge power gap with his sibling.
I dash back to the dungeon. The Crown Prince is instructing his guards to clean up the cell. I tentatively approach him, rubbing the back of my neck. "Um... Your Highness, could you please give me my elemental powers back for this quest?"
He turns to me, eyes appraising me as he scratches his chin. "No, you will complete this quest with no elemental powers. You have the Dragon of Fire by your side so you should be safe." Then he turns his back on me.
Okay, he must still be upset with me. I'm not going to push my luck. I turn on my heels and walk back out, dejected.
"Long Yan, His Highness declined." I straighten my back mimicking the royal immortal. "I must complete this quest without my powers, and you're tasked with keeping me safe."
He perks up, grinning, and a bright divine light bursts from him as he transforms into the glorious Dragon of Fire. His ruby scales gleam in the sunlight. His wings snap wide. Flames flicker from his nose as he breathes. He nods, gesturing me to get on his back. I scramble up, hanging on tight. Yes! If I'm riding a dragon, it has to be epic.