by Virlyce
“Great,” Lindyss said and leaned forward, running her fingers down the side of the demon lord’s neck. She tapped his nose with her finger. “It was a pleasure doing business with you.”
The demon lord nodded. He gulped as Lindyss sauntered out of the room, giggling as she disappeared around the doorway.
11
Screams echoed through a city as demons rushed into their homes or fell to their knees and clasped their hands. The sun shone overhead, but winged shadows blanketed the ground as a group of dragons roared and sailed through the skies. Plumes of fire filled the air, just inches above the tallest buildings, coming out of a black dragon’s mouth. The sound of a dragon’s laughter overrode the screams below as a child’s voice shouted from atop the dragon’s head, “Do it again!”
“Maybe on the way back, we’re almost there.”
***
Mina was eating lunch, sitting across from her husband and daughter. She brought her fork to her lips as she inspected Tafel’s manners—they were impeccable. The child wasn’t moping or pushing around her vegetables like she usually did. There were even the hints of a smile on her face as she bit into her peas. Mina’s stomach sank as her brow wrinkled. How long had it been since her daughter last smiled? An almost inaudible sigh escaped from her nostrils as she bit the end of her fork.
Her husband raised his head. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” Mina said after she finished chewing. Her gaze happened to pass over the window. The fork clattered against the table as she froze, eyes wide. “D-dragon.”
A second later, a sentry burst into the room and shouted, “Milord! They’re back! The dragons are back!”
The demon lord frowned as he said, “It’s only been two days.” He removed the napkin from his lap and folded it on the table as he stood up.
“Vur’s back?” Tafel asked, standing up and pushing in her chair at the same time. “Can I go see him?”
“Absolutely not!” Mina shouted as she regained her composure. Tafel flinched and lowered her head. “He kidnapped you and held you hostage. If it weren’t for your father’s negotiation, who knows what would’ve happened. You could’ve died, young lady.”
“It’s not like you care,” Tafel muttered to herself before raising her head. She pouted. “And all Dad did was flirt wi—”
A violent fit of coughing escaped from the demon lord’s mouth. “I think it’d be fine if Tafel came along,” he said. “My great-great-great-grandfather believes building a good reputation with the dragons will establish a good foundation for the future.”
“Your great-great-great-grandfather’s been dead for over a century,” Mina said and crossed her arms.
“Well, I know if he were alive now, he’d agree with me,” the demon lord said and gestured towards Tafel as he made his way out of the room. “Let’s go greet the dragons.”
She beamed at him. “Thanks, Dad. You’re the best,” she said and skipped to his side.
“I’m coming too,” Mina said and placed her hands on her hips. “You don’t mind, right?”
“Ah, of course not,” her husband said with a furrowed brow, “but it’s best if we hurry. Shouldn’t keep a dragon waiting.”
***
“Hi, Tafel,” Vur said and waved his hand at the group exiting the building. He was standing next to a trembling guard with a bag filled with books by his side. Grimmy and Prika were nearby, sniffing the buildings and scaring the citizens.
Tafel waved back. “Good afternoon, Vur. You’re back so soon” she said and looked around “Is Auntie not here?”
“No, she sleeps when the sun is out,” Vur said. “But I brought Snuffles. Snuffles, come here and say hi.” Vur waved at the boar who was biting the guard’s polearm. Snuffles ran over and oinked at Tafel.
“This is Snuffles,” Vur said as he lifted him up. “Mama says he’s my son.”
“He’s so cute,” Tafel said and rubbed the boar’s head. Snuffles oinked and wiggled his rump.
“Scan,” Mina said out of habit, using a standard detection spell on Snuffles. Her face paled as her mouth fell open. Her body tensed as Snuffles glared at her with his dragon-like eyes. He snorted at her, causing her to take a step back.
“What’s wrong, dear?” the demon lord asked.
“The boar’s stronger than you,” she whispered.
The demon lord stiffened. “Tafel, honey. Come here for a second,” he said with a strange smile on his face.
“What is it, Dad?”
He whispered, “That boar is very dangerous. You should stay awa—”
“Oink.” Snuffles appeared behind Tafel and sniffed her foot. The demon lord jumped back while pulling Tafel towards himself.
“Oink?” Snuffles tilted his head and continued to walk towards the family of demons. They continued to retreat, Tafel struggling and being dragged along by her parents.
“I think they’re scared of you, Snuffles,” Grimmy said and laughed as his tail swished. It collided against a building, knocking it over with a crash. The black dragon blinked and looked behind himself before addressing the demon lord. “Oops. Accident.”
Snuffles whimpered as his eyes glistened. Tears formed in the corner of his eyes as he lowered his head and looked up at Tafel like a puppy. There was a tug on her heart, and she broke out of her father’s grasp to embrace the crying boar. “It’s okay, Snuffles. I’m not scared of you,” she said as she rocked him and patted his back.
Mina stumbled and grabbed her husband for support. “I think I need to lie down. If anything happens to Tafel…,” she said and glared at him before staggering away.
The demon lord watched his wife leave before he clearing his throat. Before he could say anything, Vur grabbed Tafel’s hand and said, “C’mon, let’s go to the library.” Her face turned red as Vur pulled her along. “You have to show me the good books.”
Tafel peeked at her father and noticed he wasn’t saying anything. “Okay,” she said and nodded while smiling at Vur.
“I know the stories say dragons kidnap princesses, Vur,” Prika said with a grin, “but we don’t actually do that.”
Grimmy nodded at the two children. “We actually prefer to eat them,” he said and licked his lips. He blew a puff of smoke out of nostrils at Tafel.
“Eep!” Tafel squeaked and hid behind Vur.
“He’s just kidding,” Vur said. “We don’t eat humans—Mama says they’re bad for digestion, so we have to burn them instead.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Tafel said with a pale face.
Vur frowned. “I won’t let anyone burn you.”
“Promise?”
“Promise. Dragons never lie,” Vur said as he stuck his chest out. Tafel relaxed and they went to the library with Snuffles in tow.
“The elf isn’t here to chaperone this time?” the demon lord asked after Vur and Tafel rounded a corner.
Grimmy snorted. “I don’t think Vur would destroy your city if Tafel is close to him,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
The demon lord broke out into a cold sweat. “I was more worried about his safety, but I see I was a bit foolish,” he said. “What level is Vur anyway?”
Grimmy shrugged his shoulders, the motion shaking the ground. “We don’t keep track of nonsense like that,” he said. “But if I had to classify his strength…. He’s probably stronger than your so-called SSS-ranked adventurers.”
***
Vur and Tafel stood outside a massive wooden door inside the castle. Tafel whispered to Vur while fidgeting on the red carpet, causing wrinkles to appear in the silk, “Ask my mom if you can eat dinner with us. If I ask, she’ll say no, but if you ask, she’ll say yes.”
“That’s weird, but okay,” Vur said and nodded.
Tafel knocked on the door before pushing it open three seconds later. Inside the room, Mina was reading a book, a lamp with a golden crystal acting as a light source on the table beside her. She raised her head and pur
sed her lips at Vur.
“Hi. Can I eat dinner with you?” Vur asked.
A shiver ran down Mina’s spine. “Of course you may,” she said. Sweat dripped down her forehead. How can I refuse?
“I knew it would work,” Tafel said and grabbed Vur’s hand. “Let’s go wait at the table.” They walked to a room with a circular table and five seats lined up against the wall. Tafel pulled out four chairs and placed them under the table. “This is where we usually eat. There’s extra chairs because my brothers aren’t home.”
Vur tilted his head. “Don’t the wooden thingies get in the way when you eat?” he asked and pinched a chair. “There’s not enough room for the bear.”
“Bear?” Tafel asked. “There’s no bear? We sit on the chairs and eat the food off the table.”
Vur’s nose crinkled. “You’re like the elf people,” he said. “I hate eating like that.”
“How do you eat then?”
“First, I break the neck because Grimmy says I shouldn’t play with my food. And then I pull off the skin. After that, I eat the meat,” Vur said and nodded. He added after a thought, “But I don’t like the guts—I feed those to Snuffles.”
Tafel’s face blanched. “What do you count as … food?”
“I eat the big bears—the little ones aren’t as chewy. Sometimes I eat fruit. In the desert I ate a lot of cacti and scorpions and antlions,” Vur said and drooled. He swallowed and stared into Tafel’s wide eyes. “Those were really tasty. Have you ever tried antlion?”
Tafel shook her head. “We usually eat a little meat with vegetables,” she said in a small voice.
Vur frowned. “I’ll take you home and feed you lots of delicious things,” he said. “Grimmy says you can’t grow big and strong if you don’t eat enough.”
“Oh,” Tafel said and blinked. “I look forward to it.” She scratched her head and wondered what an antlion was, but before she could ask, servants brought in plates of food. The two children stepped out of the way as Mina and her husband entered the room, following the butlers and maids. The demon lord was wearing a purple robe with golden embroidery while Mina wore an elegant white dress and heels.
“It’s a pleasure to have you for dinner with us, Vur,” Mina said with a slight curtsy.
“I know,” Vur said and nodded. Mina’s face cramped.
Tafel nudged Vur. “You’re supposed to say ‘the pleasure is all mine,’” she whispered. “My mom’s a stickler for etiquette.”
“Oh. Oops,” Vur said and turned to Mina. “The pleasure is all yours.”
Mina sighed and her husband placed his hand on her shoulder. “At least he tried right? Come, let’s not worry too much about manners this evening. We’re amongst friends,” he said and proceeded to take his seat with Mina sitting beside him. Tafel pulled Vur over to the table and sat across from her mother while Vur sat beside her, across from the demon lord. The servants passed out the plates, some trembling as they handed Vur his.
Vur leaned forward, sniffed the steak in front of himself, and poked it with his finger. Mina stared at him, hands white from gripping her utensils too hard. Tafel saw her mother looking like she wanted to stab Vur, so she nudged her friend’s shoulder. “You’re supposed to use the fork and knife,” she whispered and made sawing motions with her knife, “like this. See?”
Vur observed Tafel as she cut the steak with her knife before he moved his hands to mimic her. He stabbed the fork into the meat, and a shattering sound resounded through the room. Cracks spread along the plate, causing it to break into dozens of pieces. Tafel’s mouth fell open, and her father stopped moving. Mina paled as her hands and lips trembled. Vur tilted his head and shrugged before proceeding to cut the steak with his knife. There was a sawing noise, and a line of gouged-out wood could be seen after Vur lifted the steak.
“Honey, don’t you think it’d be better if Vur sat on the floor?” Mina asked.
“Are you kidding me?” he whispered back. “It’s easy to replace this table, but you can’t say the same about the floor.”
“You can’t make Vur sit on the floor; he’s a guest,” Tafel said. “Prim says we have to treat our guests with courtesy and respect.”
Mina smiled. “Yes, of course. Silly me for suggesting such a thing,” she said as her teeth ground together. “Please forget I even mentioned it, Vur.”
“Mentioned what?” Vur asked. He grabbed the rest of the uncut steak, folded it, and ate it in one bite.
Mina just stared and shook her head. “Never mind,” she said with an exhale. Her temples throbbed.
The demon lord coughed. “So,” he said. “What did you two do today, Tafel?”
“We went to the library, and Vur read me stories,” Tafel said. “Did you know that Vur can read elvish? All the scribes and librarians sat down to listen also.”
Mina raised an eyebrow at Vur who was still chewing with his cheeks bulging like a chipmunk. “Really? I wouldn’t have expected that.”
Vur swallowed and a huge bulge traveled down his throat. “Auntie says I’m very smart because I ate lots of fruits of knowledge,” he said while nodding.
“Really!?” Tafel asked, her eyes lighting up. “Is the tree really as big as the stories say it is? What did they taste like? Can you get me some?”
Vur shook his head, causing Tafel’s expression to dim. “The tree was very big. The fruit tasted sweet, but not as good as bear meat,” he said. “I can’t get you any because I knocked the tree down, so there’s no more fruit.”
“That was your fault?” the demon lord asked. He had received a report saying the Tree of Knowledge no longer existed when he inquired earlier to obtain a fruit for Tafel. His face paled when he recalled what Grimmy had told him: He’s stronger than your so-called SSS-ranked adventurers.
“It wasn’t my fault. It was the tree’s fault for being too weak,” Vur said and pouted, “but I got blamed anyway.”
“I see,” the demon lord said while nodding. “Yes, it was the tree’s fault. You’re not to blame. I completely agree with you.”
“Vur also told me stories about his home. Can I go visit?” Tafel asked.
“No!” Mina yelled, causing everyone to stare at her. She cleared her throat. “I mean, no, sweetie, you wouldn’t want to impose on the dragons. I’m sure they’re busy doing dragon things.”
“Not really. We usually just sleep all day after hunting,” Vur said. “Although I started reading a lot recently. I think it’ll be a lot of fun if Tafel came to play.”
“I think it should be fine as long as I go with her,” the demon lord said and stroked his chin. Tafel smiled, dimples appearing on her cheeks.
Mina’s expression softened as she turned her head away from her daughter. She glared at her husband and asked, “Does this have anything to do with that pretty elf lady?”
His face reddened. “Of course not. It would be rude to refuse an invitation from a dragon,” he said. “I’m just making sure Tafel stays safe.”
“Nonsense. What if something happens to you two? Who will lead the country?” Mina asked.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. Nothing will happen to them,” Vur said and patted his chest, leaving a greasy stain on his skin. “Dragon’s honor.”
12
Tafel peered over the edge of Grimmy’s head, balancing on all fours. She was wearing brown leather pants and a woolen blue sweater. Her lips pursed as she turned her head to face Vur. “Will my father be okay?” she asked and looked over the edge again. Grimmy was stationary, but he yawned, causing Tafel to squeal and crawl over to Vur’s side at the center of the black dragon’s head. Beside them, Prika was laughing with Snuffles sleeping on her head.
“He should be fine,” Vur said with a nod. “Grimmy’s only dropped his prey once or twice before.”
“Please don’t refer to me as prey,” a voice called out from one of Grimmy’s claws. “I’m frightened enough as is.”
The demon lord had thought he would be standing on the dragon
’s head or back, but Grimmy had snorted and refused. “Not just anyone can ride a dragon,” he had said and picked the demon lord up with his claws.
“Be careful,” Mina said from the city walls. Her face was pale as the dragons spread their wings and leapt into the sky. A scream resounded through the air, but it faded away as Grimmy got further and further away from the city. Mina sighed as she turned around to face the capital. She wanted to stop Tafel from going to the dragon roost, but she knew her husband wasn’t going to yield. He was always adamant when it came to Tafel’s future as a demon lord. Stay safe, Mina thought and closed her eyes as her hands clenched the hem of her purple dress.
***
Tafel hugged Vur’s right arm, admiring the scenery below. “This is amazing, but a little scary,” she said with her eyes wide open. “Everything looks so small. Is that a roc? It’s so tiny.”
Vur nodded. “Do you want to eat it?”
Tafel’s mouth fell open, and she shook her head. Eat a roc? Rocs were kings of the sky on the same level as wyverns and phoenixes—which were all second to dragons. The roc noticed the two dragons flying overhead and dove towards the ground, fleeing under the cover of nearby trees.
“It’s a little chilly,” Tafel said and shivered.
“Sit behind me so the wind doesn’t blow on you,” Vur said.
Tafel shook her head and hugged Vur’s arm tighter. “I’m afraid to move,” she whispered. “I don’t like heights.”
Vur blinked and turned his body while lifting Tafel into the air. She closed her eyes and screamed, but stopped when she something solid pressed against her back. Her eyes opened, giving her a view of Grimmy’s wings and tail with the sky and ground visible behind them. She was sitting on Vur’s lap leaning against his body as he sheltered her from the wind. Tafel’s face reddened as she squirmed.
“I told your mom I wouldn’t let anything happen to you,” Vur said. “I can’t let you get cold.” Tafel let out a small sound as she lowered her head and hugged Vur’s arm tighter, ceasing her struggles.
