Book 3: Chapter 17 (1/2)

“Where’s Alora?” A sky-blue dragon poked her head out of a tunnel and looked around. The annoying trio were wrestling with each other in a corner of the cavern while their parents slept. Sera was counting a pile of glowing gems while Vernon was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling, looking for images that didn’t actually exist. “And Vur? Those two missed the curfew.”

“Vur’s not a child, Mom,” Sera said, her gaze still drawn to the mountain of gems. They clacked as she transferred them from one pile to another. “He doesn’t have to follow the curfew.”

“Not a child?” Vur’s grandmother asked, her eyes widening. “He’s not even half a century old yet! Of course he’s not a child; he’s still a baby. He’s even younger than the annoying trio!”

“Really, Grandma, really?” One of the dragons in the corner asked as he untangled himself from his siblings. “Even you’re calling us that now too? We’re not annoying!”

“Yeah! We’re not annoying. We’re … what’s the antonym for annoying?”

“Adorable?”

“We’re adorable, but that’s not the word. It’s, um, non-annoying!”

“Yeah, we’re nonnoying.”

“That’s not a word, stupid.”

“Don’t call me stupid, dummy!”

Vur’s grandmother ignored the trio as they resumed their wrestling match. “Whose rite of passage did Vur pass?”

“Dad’s,” Sera said. She picked up a particularly shiny gem and brought it close to her face, squinting it at and rotating it for a better look. After a thorough inspection, she nodded and placed the gem into its own separate pile. “I saw it with my own eyes. He didn’t go easy on Vur, so don’t accuse him of that.”

Vur’s grandmother snorted. “That reminds me. Why isn’t he here to visit me after waking up? It’s like he forgot about his own mate.”

“Well,” Vernon said, lifting his head off the ground. “Why weren’t you there by his side waiting for him to wake up?” Sera and her mother glared at Vernon, causing him to lower his head. He cleared his throat. “Forget I said anything.”

“I’m going to fly to the central continent to visit him,” Vur’s grandmother said. “Keep watch of my lands for me while I’m gone.”

“Sure,” Sera said, still rummaging through the pile of gems.

Sera’s mother stared at her. “And why exactly are you going through my cooking ingredients?”