Book 2: Chapter 74 (1/2)

“Who’s a cute little fat glutton?” Tafel asked as she rubbed the phoenix’s belly as it drank beakful after beakful of steaming hot lava. “Yup. That’s right; it’s you.”

“Not fat,” the phoenix said after it finished drinking the ball of lava that was twice the size of its body. It wobbled a few times, trying to flap its wings to stay standing, but it fell backwards onto Tafel’s lap. “This is water weight.” It exhaled and let out a tiny burp. Its legs fluttered in the air as Tafel ruffled the feathers on its belly.

“Mm.” Tafel nodded. “Just water weight. Such a noble bird can’t be fat.” She smiled at it and tickled its neck with her finger. “Do you remember what you promised me?”

The bird cooed and squirmed under Tafel’s finger. “Yup. You want to see my momma.”

“And?” Tafel asked, running her fingers down to its belly.

The phoenix squirmed and laughed. “And I’ll only say good things about you,” it said with a nod.

“And…?” Tafel asked again with a smile. She squinted at the phoenix, causing it to fall still for a second.

“And I’ll ask her to make you my sister,” the phoenix said with a chirp.

“That’s right,” Tafel said and beamed. Fire and earth appeared in the air, mixing together by miniature vortexes. “Want more lava?”

“Yes, please!” the phoenix said, rolling onto its feet. It hopped up and down as the lava approached it.

“It’s going to explode if you keep feeding it like that,” Alice said from the side. Sweat poured down her face and body, soaking her clothes. She panted while resting her hands on her knees, her back hunched over as she struggled to regain her breath. The trees in the vicinity around her had hundreds of gouges that fit the edges of her shield perfectly.

“Will you?” Tafel asked the phoenix, tilting her head.

“Nope!” the phoenix chirped. The ball of lava lowered enough for it to dip its beak inside.

“See, it’ll be fine,” Tafel said to Alice. “And weren’t you chasing Mr. Skelly? Why’d you start training all of a sudden? Don’t tell me you really managed to kill him.”

“Hmm.” Alice scratched her head as her shield shrank. Her already flushed face burned as she pursed her lips. “There’s a temporary truce of sorts between us. And it’s much more interesting to watch someone manipulate a baby phoenix than to chase after a mole-like undead.”

The phoenix stopped drinking and looked at Tafel. “Are you manipulating me?” it asked and tilted its head to the side.

Tafel smiled at it and patted its head. “No, of course not,” she said. “Why would I manipulate a fellow as adorable as you? It’s impossible for a noble phoenix such as yourself to be manipulated.”