Part 5 (1/2)
”Shut up! You'll do nothing. I grow bored with you. Goodbye.” The rabbit began to melt away and then reattached itself to Payne's hand.
The fairy-demon growled, ”Stupid finger!”
Not long afterward, George and Athena exited the inn with the family. Payne was now more nervous than ever. He whispered to himself, ”Can't talk ... can't talk to human. Too many. Too many to talk. Those other ones ... oh, too many with the human. Not good. Payne go. Got to go. Go home.”
A voice from behind the fairy-demon spoke-a voice from someone Payne could not see, but recognized. ”Yes you can, Payne. You can talk to George. It'll be okay.”
”Who there?” the demon said, turning, ready to bite. ”Is that you, Friend?”
”It's okay, Payne. You can do this. Go down there and say h.e.l.lo.”
The fairy-demon shouted with excitement. ”Payne not go! Payne scared! Can't go nowheres! Payne not talk to human!”
”I think you will. You have been discovered. Look.”
George looked up as the fairy-demon looked down. ”Hey Kep, what the h.e.l.l's that?”
”I have no idea, but it's small ... ugly, too.”
”Eeeek!” Athena squealed. ”George, what is that?”
Now the whole family was looking.
”Is it dangerous?” Mary demanded to know.
”Beats me. Kep, are you sure you haven't seen anything like it before?”
”No ... nothing quite like that. I'd remember. It appears to be some sort of demon, but why so tiny, I don't know. It's odd. If you ask me, it's an ugly little thing.”
Payne yelled at the invisible voice. ”Now look! You made Payne ... errr, um ... they know! The humans know!” Payne reached out to feel the air, but found nothing. ”h.e.l.lo? Voice? You there? Pssst, hey voice ... you there? Can you hear Payne?” The fairy demon shouted. ”Great ... hearing stuff!”
Payne turned back around to look down at George. After seeing the look on the mage's face, the fairy-demon snapped, ”What? Human never see no one talk before?”
Kepler laughed and then lowered to the ground. He answered before George had the chance. ”We have, in fact, but nothing as odd as you.”
”Odd? Umm ... Payne no odd. Who you call odd, Furball? And Payne not nothing.” The fairy-demon poked his own chest. ”Me Payne!”
The jaguar stood to walk away. ”Clearly. You're definitely odd, and you're right. You are a pain ... a pain in my a.s.s.”
Athena glared at the demon-cat. ”Kepler, I've told you not to speak with such vulgarity. You're starting to sound like George.”
The jaguar was not interested in being chastised. ”Yes, Athena.” Kepler walked away from the group, but Payne was not finished with him.
The fairy-demon teleported onto Kepler's back and then grabbed the cat's ears with his claws. ”Payne not odd! Payne bite. Payne bite Furball.”
The giant cat shook, trying to hurl the fairy-demon off his back, but Payne dug his claws in deeper to keep from being thrown. ”Kitty, no get Payne off. Kitty fun. Friend say Payne like Kitty.”
Kepler roared. ”George, get this d.a.m.n thing off me!”
It took a moment for the mage to stop laughing, but when he finally waved his hand, Kepler and Payne froze in place. After staring at the spectacle for a moment or two, George walked over to the tiny annoyance and plucked him off Kepler's back. He moved away before he released his power over the giant jaguar.
Once the demon-cat could move, Kepler walked toward Payne, growling.
”Stay there, Kep,” George commanded.
”Why? He'll make a great meal. Let his bones break within my jaws. You know how I feel about being called a kitty.”
”Just back off and give me a moment, will you?” George's mind was working fast. He wanted to know more before he let Kepler at him. He lifted Payne in front of his face. ”What are you, and what's your name? Don't lie to me, or I'll feed you to the furball.”
”Not funny, George!” Kepler growled.
Smiling, the mage waved his free hand to release Payne's mouth. ”Speak, and be quick about it.”
”Me, Payne. Payne ... um ... um, fairy-demon.”
Kepler growled. ”There's no such thing. He lies.”
”There is so!”
”No there's not,” Kepler snarled.
”Is so!” Payne shouted louder.
”No ... there isn't!” Kepler roared.
The mage lifted his voice. ”Hey! You two are acting like dumba.s.ses!”
Athena huffed, ”George Nailer!”
The mage just shrugged. ”What? I'm sorry, babe.”
Kepler's eyes flashed a burning red. ”George, who are you going to listen to ... me, or this thing?”
”Payne not a thing. Payne fairy-demon. Payne mother queen ... Queen of Demons on ... on ... errr, um ... Payne forget.”
”Ha,” the demon snarled. ”There's only one Demon Queen, and Her Grace lives on another world. I doubt your mother is the queen I serve on Dragonia.”
”That it! That it ... Dragonia. Payne mother ... the queen.”
”You lie.”
”No lie. Payne swear.”
Kepler growled as his eyes turned an even deeper red. ”And your father? What of him? I suppose he's a king?”
”Yes. Um, he Fairy King. He here.”
Kepler licked his chops. ”George, he lies. Let me eat him. I don't have the moments to waste on his foolishness. His stench fouls the air of this territory.”
Payne exposed his pointed teeth. ”Then ... then why do Payne got fairy wings, stupider?”