Book 5: Chapter 15 (1/2)

“I’m getting a bit tired,” Susan said and exhaled. “Should we stop and take a break?”

“The longer we stay here, the more tired you’ll get,” Emile said and puffed out a ball of bloodred flames. He plucked a berry with his beak from the nearby vine and passed it to Susan. “Here.”

Susan sighed and ate the berry. After swallowing, she mumbled, “Shouldn’t we wait here for someone to save us? That’s the first rule of getting lost. If you get lost, don’t move around.”

“No one’s coming to save us, stupid,” Emile said and rolled his eyes. “Tafel’s probably having an adventure with Vur without us again like she always does, and you know Mom never leaves the nest.”

Susan’s brow furrowed. What Emile said was likely the case. “But we don’t even know where we’re flying. What if we’re flying deeper into the continent instead of heading to the coast?”

“Don’t think of it that way,” Emile said. “You have to be positive. Even if we’re flying south instead of north, if we fly south enough, we’ll still reach a coast. As long as we fly in a straight line and not in circles, we’ll be perfectly fine.”

Susan stroked her beak with her wing. “Have we been flying in a straight line though?”

“Probably?” Emile tilted his head. Without the sun or stars or moon or any discernible object to guide them, it was really difficult to tell which way they were heading. “I’m sure we’ll be fine. We’ve been alive for so long, but we haven’t died yet. I’m not fully convinced it’s even possible for us to die in the first place. Maybe we’re like the main characters in a story.”

Susan slapped her brother with her wing. “Don’t jinx us.”

***

Vur munched on an unidentified piece of meat. It was unidentified because there was a mountain of food on his table, and he was indiscriminately grabbing from each plate. The other patrons in the restaurant were whispering to each other while pointing at Vur and the Recordkeeper, but after a while, they stopped. However, one man stood up and came over. He had blond hair, and his eyes were two different colors: green and blue. His companions, who were sitting at his previous table, consisted of three women. “Hello,” the blond man said and flashed the Recordkeeper a smile. He glanced at Vur and nodded. “I’m Helden Generisch. You might notice my last name shares a striking resemblance to the Generis Squad.”

Vur furrowed his brow. Usually, Tafel did all the talking for him, but she wasn’t here right now. Although he wanted to kick the man away for interrupting his meal, Vur remembered Tafel’s words about making friends. He had to greet them, but not with his fists or feet; he was supposed to use words. “I’m Vur,” Vur said. “I’m a dragon.”

Helden blinked. He ignored Vur’s words and turned his head towards the Recordkeeper and flashed her his signature smile that he practiced in the mirror for fifteen minutes a day. “And you must be an angel,” he said. “Your wings are quite pretty.”

The Recordkeeper blinked. “I’ve heard about you and the Generis Squad,” she said and nodded. “I’m quite impressed by you, actually.”

Helden’s eyes lit up, and he placed his hand on top of the Recordkeeper’s. However, she moved it away, letting his fingers touch the table instead. The Recordkeeper glanced at Helden’s companions. “For a man who’s impotent, you do have a certain charm about you that keeps your companions around. Or maybe it’s the money. I was never quite sure.”