Poke.
Poke.
Poke.
Riley jabbed his finger insistently into Liam’s soft cheek, ignoring the faint crease of Kael’s brow.
The dragon lord’s expression screamed, What are you doing?
Riley’s glare and frantic hand gestures answered back, He’s human! If Orien wakes up first, he’ll barbecue him out of surprise!
Kael’s golden eyes narrowed, unimpressed. His body language clearly said, I could shield the boy in less than a breath.
Riley countered with a wide-eyed stare and another aggressive wave of his hand, as if shouting silently, Why waste your energy when poking works?!
The great lizard’s sigh was audible in the way his shoulders shifted, but to Riley’s immense relief, he didn’t argue further. Instead, Kael stood back, arms crossed, a silent observer of this ridiculous ritual.
Poke. Poke. Poke.
Sure enough, Liam’s face began to scrunch up like a wrinkled cloth. His lashes fluttered, and with a muffled groan, he finally cracked open one eye.
"Ugh..." His vision blurred for a second, and then—
"?"
"!!!"
The boy jolted upright like someone had shoved lightning down his spine. His wide eyes locked onto Riley first—his brother—before darting to Kael, then back again. His mouth opened, clearly about to shout in excited greeting, until he actually saw their serious expressions.
Riley immediately lifted a finger to his lips, hissing through his teeth as he motioned him closer with a sharp beckon.
Liam froze, then straightened so fast it looked like he’d been zapped, spine stiff, hands flat on his lap.
He wanted to plead—Riley could see it in his trembling lips—but Riley only gave him a brisk pat on the head before moving on to his next target.
The aide poked Orien’s round belly. Once. Twice.
The baby dragon grunted, rolled over, and continued sleeping as if the world wasn’t ending around him.
Riley’s eye twitched. Was this the legendary delaying tactic? Or did this dragonling simply have no danger detector installed?
Kael, clearly fed up, took one step forward. His golden glare promised that he would deal with it.
But Riley, fueled by self-preservation, dashed ahead. He darted to the preservation box, rifled inside, and pulled out the holy grail of bait—one of Orien’s prized Lemon Sodas.
Kael’s brow rose slowly, one golden arc of disbelief.
Pssshhhht!
The hiss of the soda bottle opening exploded in the quiet room like a battle horn.
One moment, the golden blob was sprawled lifelessly on the floor.
The next, Orien’s gold eyes snapped open, pupils dilating, head whipping in every direction like a security alarm had just gone off.
"What?! Where?!" His stubby body jerked upright, snout twitching frantically as he hunted down the divine scent. "The soda! Who—where—?!"
The fizzing bottle was held just inches from his nose.
He sniffed once, twice, claws twitching in anticipation—only for his vision to catch up.
There was Riley, smiling awkwardly, guilty fingers still holding the soda. Beside him, the little sprite stared back with wide, worried eyes. And looming just behind them, his uncle, the great dragon lord, stood with murder painted all over his golden features.
Orien’s reaction?
He vanished.
Gone in an instant, only the faint shimmer of crumbs left behind as his invisibility spell activated like the coward’s trump card it was.
After all, who in their right mind would willingly face the ruling dragon?!
Certainly not Orien. Which was why he immediately pulled his best disappearing act, vanishing into thin air like the world’s tiniest fugitive.
Not that it mattered. Kael’s sharp eyes narrowed, already tracking the faint shimmer of magic in the room. One more step and he would have scooped the culprit up like a misbehaving kitten.
But then—
"Wait!"
Liam, trembling legs and all, darted forward. He couldn’t see Orien, but that didn’t stop him from spreading his arms wide in front of the golden menace.
Shaky knees. Quivering lips. Wide, terrified eyes.
And yet, the boy stood his ground.
Kael halted mid-step, his expression unreadable. He didn’t so much stop for Liam’s sake as for the sheer audacity of it. A human child was trying to guard a dragon from a dragon lord.
Riley slapped a hand over his face with a groan. Wonderful. Just wonderful. This had drama-of-the-century written all over it.
Apparently, Orien agreed. Because with a sputter of shock, the little dragon actually reappeared—popping back into visibility just so he could dramatically march forward and plant himself in front of Liam.
Not that it helped. The baby dragon was barely half Liam’s size, his stubby wings flapping as he puffed out his chest.
"Uncle, wait!" Orien barked with all the gravity of a condemned soldier. "The little sprite is too weak for this! Let him go! Take me instead!"
Riley nearly fell over. Take him instead?! What was this—an epic tragedy rehearsal?
Before Kael could answer, Riley stepped in fast. "Well then, care to explain why you’re out here with a weak human?" His sharp gaze swept the room. Two handhelds. Empty snack wrappers. The telltale safety blanket. The evidence screamed louder than Orien ever could.
The baby dragon visibly trembled. Then, puffing himself up, he declared, "I was simply patrolling!"
"Patrolling," Riley repeated flatly. "Huh. Interesting. So how did this ’patrol’ end with you napping under a blanket after snacking and playing?"
"!!!"
Orien froze. His stubby claws twitched. His eyes darted from the wrappers to the blanket to the handhelds. They hadn’t cleaned up. They’d fallen asleep in the middle of the crime scene.
Kael’s gaze narrowed, voice low and edged. "Explain."
The baby dragon’s mouth opened—only for Liam to suddenly lunge, wrapping both arms protectively around him.
"Big Brother Dragon Lord!" Liam cried, voice quivering but loud. "Please! Lord Orien just wanted to help me because I was lonely! Please show us mercy!" His words tumbled out in a rush as he hugged Orien tighter. "I-if so, I promise to always support your relationship with my big brother!!!"
"???"
Riley nearly choked to death on his own saliva. He doubled over, hacking like his lungs were about to escape. "Liam!" he wheezed.
What in Eryndra was his brother saying?! Did he want to be incinerated on the spot?!
But Kael, instead of exploding, tilted his head, golden eyes curious. "Oh?" His brow arched. "And what benefit would that bring me?"
Riley’s jaw dropped.
Excuse me?! Where is this conversation even going?!
But Liam, suddenly glowing with knightly courage, looked Kael dead in the eye. "I-I can tell you his favorites! Show you his pictures! A-and when you fight, I could even plead for you!"
Riley’s eyes bulged. "WHAT?! NO! What are you even talking about, Liam?! I’m your brother!"
"Yes, brother!" Liam said firmly, clutching Orien tighter. "But I am now a knight who promised to protect a dragon!"
"What protection?! Which dragon would need protection?!"
"Big brother! Who else, but Lord Orien?!"
"???"
Kael’s lips twitched. "Oh, is that so?" His gaze flicked back to Liam. "Then to show your sincerity... does your brother seem to like me?"
"!!!"
Time slowed. Riley’s soul left his body. He reached out in desperation, his scream echoing in slow motion. "Noooooooooo!"
Too late.
Liam had already processed the question. Remembering something he’d long heard.
With wide, innocent eyes and utter confidence, Liam chirped, "Of course! I once heard him saying, ’I’ll even drag him to hell with me!’"