Book 3: Chapter 136 (1/2)

“Nova? Sharda?” Prika pushed aside a tree and poked her head through the gap left behind. She peered around and blinked at the clearing. It was empty, save for a few gashes in the ground and overturned plants. A few uprooted trees lay on their sides. Prika’s expression darkened, and she shoved her way into the clearing. She cupped her front paws over her mouth and stood on her hindlegs. “Nova! Sharda! Are you there?”

The only response she received was a startled bird cry, and two red birds flying out of a tree. Prika’s eyes shifted towards the movement. “Oh? Are those phoenixes?” She leapt into the air and flew after the two birds, gaining on them with every beat of her wings. “Wait! I’m not going to eat you two if you answer my questions. I promise from one red creature to another.”

One of the phoenixes hesitated, its wings stuttering. The other phoenix squawked, “Susan! What are you thinking!?”

Susan swallowed and turned around, facing the approaching red dragon. “You promise not to hurt us?”

“Yeah, of course,” Prika said, flapping her wings and rearing back, halting in midair. “I don’t live here, see, and it’d be real bad if I triggered a war between phoenixes and dragons. Anyways, do you two know the way to this continent’s dragon roost? I was left behind by an old codger and his mate when they said they wanted their privacy and flew away without telling me when they were done.”

Susan’s face paled. “By any chance,” she said in a low voice, “was that old codger a green dragon?”

“Yeah!” Prika said, her eyes lighting up. “That’s the one. You’ve seen him? Which way did he go?”

Susan furrowed her brow. “Um….” She thought back to the time of sitting so still that even her beak fell asleep. Which direction had the two dragons flown? Susan swallowed and pointed her leg to the north. “That way.”

“Thanks,” Prika said. Instead of flying off, she squinted at the two phoenixes.

“W-was there something else?” Susan asked, flapping her wings a little harder so that she was positioned behind Emile, who was hovering by her side.

“No,” Prika said and scratched her chin. “I just thought that you two looked familiar for some reason.”

Emile blinked. “Are you the red dragon who sealed herself inside of her cave for a hundred years because you wanted your nephew as a mate before realizing it was him?”

Prika flinched. “N-no. Who told you that?” Her eyes narrowed at Emile. “Oh, were you the phoenix who was with Tafel at that time?” She pursed her lips. “I guess that means I can’t get rid of you, huh…? Anyways, it’s been a fast hundred years, right?”

“It hasn’t even been one year,” Emile said. “You—ack!”

Susan smacked the back of Emile’s head with her wing. “When a dragon asks you a question with a heavy implication that you should agree with them, you agree with them!” She smiled at Prika. “Yes, it’s been a very fast hundred years. By any chance, are you going to find Tafel? We’re trying to find her too.”

“I guess if Tafel’s at Sharda’s nest,” Prika said and scratched her head. “Maybe?”

“Can we come with you?” Susan asked, lowering her head to look up Prika with bright, round eyes.

“Sure, if you can keep up,” Prika said. “I fly pretty fast.”

“Wait,” Emile said. “Can’t you let us sit on your head?”