Dragons and Cupcakes by Zoe Chant

Author:Zoe Chant [Chant, Zoe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-09-01T23:00:00+00:00

“Wait, this part here,” Kira said suddenly, pointing at the first line. “Is this the treasure

part? The part that made you think it was something gold?”

Caleb glanced at her. “Isn’t it? ‘Aurum’ is Latin for ‘gold’, right?”

“It is, I’m pretty sure,” Kira said, nodding. “But I don’t think it’s talking about actual gold. I think it’s talking about something else – a gold color. Look –” She pointed at the second word, only partially readable, after time had worn the ink from the page. “It says ‘aurum lacu-something’. There’s a kind of mushroom that grows in this park called an aurum lacunosa. It got its name because its caps are a really bright yellow color – like gold. And the second part, lacunosa, is because it has holes in it, so it looks a bit lacy.”

Caleb blinked, staring at the page. “So… all this time, it wasn’t a real gold treasure I should have been looking for? It was a mushroom?”

“Well, maybe,” Kira said. “I mean, I don’t know for sure. It’s just my guess based on the fact it was the first thing I thought of when I saw that. It’d be a coincidence if it’s not, though, especially since the next lines seem to be saying something about being careful, and warning about horror and death – the main reason I know about these mushrooms is because they’re deadly poisonous, unless you prepare them in a really specific way, apparently. So we need to be really careful to make sure we can identify them, in case anyone ever eats one.”

“Oh – does that happen often?” Caleb asked.

“No. In fact, I don’t think I’ve heard of it happening since I’ve lived here. But that’s probably because of where they grow. They’re not exactly just springing up at the base of every tree.”

“Where do they grow, then?” Caleb asked, a slight sinking feeling in his stomach.

“Uh. Only in caves. And in this park, only really in one specific cave – well, that I know about, anyway. And it’s… kind of a hike to get out there. And then a climb.”

“Oh. I see.” Caleb realized he’d been right to trust the sinking feeling in his stomach. “So… it’s not exactly a Sunday stroll, is it?”

Kira shook her head. “No. But… I can definitely take you out there. It might not be easy, but we can do it. I know the way. And I’m more than happy to show you.”

Sucking in a breath, Caleb stared at her. “You really mean it?”

“Of course I do,” Kira said, a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth. “Look, I might be new to all this… this dragon stuff, and all this curses stuff, but if this is really the only way you can break it, then how could I not help you?” She looked back down at the print-out. “I just… don’t really know about the rest of this stuff here. I wouldn’t have the first idea about how to go about cooking one of these mushrooms so it’d be safe to eat.

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