Book 2: Chapter 114 (1/2)

Vur sneezed.

“Are you cold?” Stella asked, peering at Vur’s face from his head. She had to cling onto his hair to prevent the wind from blowing her off.

“No,” Vur said and wiped at his nose with the back of his finger. “It feels like someone blamed me for something I didn’t do. It was probably Snuffles.”

“Oh,” Stella said. “How much longer until we get to the party?”

Vur shrugged. “About an hour, maybe more, maybe less.”

***

“Emile, are you alright?” Tafel asked, poking the stiff phoenix as she ran for her life. “I need some mental support here.” Her horns glowed silver, and a white light enveloped the duo, teleporting them forward by a few meters, just enough to avoid a rampaging dragon’s tail strike.

“Stop running!” the massive silver dragon shouted as its body whirled around to face the direction Tafel was running in. The dragon’s chest expanded as it sucked in a deep breath.

The hairs on the back of Tafel’s neck stiffened as goosebumps ran down her body. Her horns glowed silver again, and she disappeared before reappearing off to the side. A beam of light passed by her, causing her skin to blister from the heat. The light destroyed everything in its path, leaving behind a line of scorched earth with bits of lava. Tafel gulped and ran while channeling her next teleportation spell, silently cursing the dragon in her head.

“Those who attack my children shall die!”

“Your daughter attacked me first, you stupid lizard!” Tafel shouted back. She gritted her teeth as she ran through the fields towards a nearby forest.

“You tell her, big sis!” Emile said, sitting up in Tafel’s grasp. He yawned and smacked his beak a few times. “That no good dragon matriarch is a bully! Wait until Mom finds out about his.” He sniffed and stuck his beak into the air while puffing up his chest. “Ah, I’ll go call her while you distract the big lizard.”

“She’s the dragon matriarch!?” Tafel teleported ahead again and avoided another beam of light. “She’s trying to woo Vur too!?”

“Yup,” Emile said as he crawled out of Tafel’s grasp. He flew into the air, wobbled a bit, then crashed straight into the ground. “Ugh, I feel sick.”

“Mom! Stop!” Lulu shouted as she flew towards Kondra. “We were fighting over a mate.”

“Fighting over a mate or not, anyone who attacks my children is a no good person,” Kondra said, barreling past Lulu. “If she were a pure-hearted person, she’d be cleansed by my holy light instead of purged. The only reason she’s running is because she knows she’s not a good person!”

“You crazy reptile!” Tafel shouted. “Even the trees were destroyed by your laser beams!”

“Trees don’t have hearts; they can’t be pure-hearted,” Kondra said as she flew into the air. “Stand still!”