The Nidus trip was going to be an interesting one. There was a kind of party but it suddenly turned spooky and weird. For the trio of witches, that was just fine. They were used to this sort of thing. Especially near Halloween!

They'd have to get their acts together, if they were going to make a showing at the Commencement. But they knew this would be their time to shine. Their familiars were asleep at their dorm, the furry pup and the multi-legged creature safely curled up below Elgar's watchful eye.

From the hatching sands grew a strange magical shine that perhaps half of the candidates present could see. It was all about the show - suddenly there were no 'sands', but a huge hill with a haunted house atop it! "Wicked," Dacatie said with a grin.

When they approached the porch of this huge monstrosity, and the last of the candidates arrived, there was a creaking. The floor?! It crashed downward but the group remained together - screaming - into the darkness below! They landed in a heap, perhaps bruised but mostly intact, and Wanda lit one of her many wands to provide a little light for them all to untangle themselves with.

If it had been a horror movie, Dacatie pondered as one by one several group members vanished into corners of the room outside the light, they'd all meet a horrid doom. But they were used to this kind of thing where the girls came from. They had learned long ago: don't split up. It was a shame that no movie writer could ever put that in a film, no one would ever die!

It looked for a while like nothing much was happening, other than the creaks and groans of their underground cavern and the dripping of cold water from the walls. People continued to vanish, though not that many. The weirder ones, at least. They did not return to the group. Then a noise began, and the girls looked around. What could it be?

They knew that they were to find their dragon bonds at this place. But how would they do it if they were in what appeared to be a dank large oubliette filled with annoyed people?

There were dragonets below! Or, nearby! A couple of them had gotten out from their hiding place, and had begun tromping around looking for people to befriend, or scare, or eat, or whatever they did!

Half the dragonets had broken away from the wall in time to pounce three young witches, warbling excitedly, satisfied that they'd managed to surprise the girls.

~Bet you didn't expect us,~ Zenhaly shouted, nudging Dacatie with one of this two blood-spattered muzzles.

~Bet you thought you were gonners!~ the second dragonet exclaimed, this one a luminous orange and blue. She claimed Wanda by curling around her, and Sentath (for that was her name) gave a satisfied purr at having found her bond all on her own.

The last dragonet plunked her behind down in front of Selina and grinned childishly upwards. ~Good thing for you, it's our time to shine!~ Lumilath preened. She, at least, certainly seemed to sparkle!

*****

Heading to the Commencement?