Book 3: Chapter 31 (1/2)

The empress yelped and pulled back, clawing at the flames covering the black aura on her face. Within seconds, they dissipated as if she had covered her head with water. She glared at Tafel and lowered her hand, grabbing the hilt of her sword. Before she could draw it, Vur said, “Hah! I win.”

“You didn’t,” the empress said, whipping her head around to face Vur. “The devil interfered. There was no victor.”

“Nope,” Vur said, shaking his head. “I pushed you back first. I’m stronger. The end.”

“Again,” the empress said. “That time didn’t count.”

“Nope,” Vur said, shaking his head again. “It counted. I’m stronger.”

The empress stamped her foot against the ground, causing a web of cracks to appear in the earth. “It wasn’t fair. You’re not stronger than me.”

“If I’m not stronger than you, then how come I pushed you back?” Vur asked, puffing his chest out and pointing his chin upwards. “I wouldn’t have been pushed back if Tafel threw flames at me.”

“It didn’t count,” the empress said. She charged at Vur, stretching out her hand like before, but Vur ducked to the side and avoided her. “Why are you dodging?”

Vur yawned and patted his mouth a few times before crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m a very busy person. I don’t have time to play around with people I’ve already beat.”

The empress stared at Vur with a blank expression, her fingers twitching on her sword’s hilt. “You didn’t beat me.”

“Are you two children?” Alora asked, her gaze shifting from Vur to Mary. “You’re starting to sound like the annoying trio, gosh. I won; no, I did; no, I did! You shut up; no, you shut up! Jeez.” She stood up and picked up the plates of food that had fallen to the ground but not spilled, placing them into Vur’s and Mary’s hands. “Eat your snacks and behave.”

Vur and Mary stared at the plates of fruit. Mary pushed her plate of sliced apples towards Vur. “I want the mangoes.”

Vur pulled his plate of mangoes back and to the side, shielding it with his body. “They’re my mangoes.”

“I thought you hated mangoes,” Alice said.

“I want her to not have mangoes more than I dislike mangoes,” Vur said. He grabbed a handful off his plate and stuffed it into his mouth, making a face before swallowing.

The empress glared at Vur and threw her plate away like a frisbee. She tackled Vur, bringing him to the ground. “Give me my mangoes!”

“I had them first!”

Tafel sighed, planting her forehead into her palm. She shuffled over to Apollonia. “I see what you mean by the empress is oddly pure like a child.” The two watched as Vur and Mary pulled each other’s hair while biting each other’s arms. “There’s nothing adultlike about her.”

“I could say the same for your companion,” Apollonia said, placing her hands on her hips. “Look at what those two did to my mansion. It’s destroyed. I’ll have to remove all the debris and start from scratch.” She sighed as she surveyed the wreckage before her gaze landed on Tafel. “But how did you arrive here in less than a day? Don’t tell me it’s because you walk fast.” Her eyes lit up. “You rode the dragons, didn’t you? Where are they?”

Tafel pointed at Alora; then she pointed at Vur. “Those are the dragons.”

The empress stopped biting Vur’s arm and raised her head. She followed Tafel’s finger and blinked at Vur. “This person is a dragon? That’s impossible. He’s just a mango thief.”

“You’re the one trying to steal from me,” Vur said with a growl. He widened his mouth and inhaled, sucking up all the mango slices before chomping down. His neck bulged as he swallowed with chewing, ignoring Mary’s aggrieved cry. “See? They’re mine. I won again.”

“I was distracted by the devil again,” Mary said, biting her lower lip. “That doesn’t count.”