Cleo drank the liquid pouring out of the fruit. Her eyes widened as she swallowed. Tingles ran down her spine as her belly warmed up. “Wow,” she said and blinked twice. “That is really good.”

“Y-you two,” Sariel said through labored breaths. “Stop at once!”

Andrea stood up and picked up a nearby rock that was half her height. It was a bit heavy, but heavy was better for what she was going to do. She waddled over to Sariel and lightly smashed it into the back of the angel’s head, knocking her out while ignoring her protests. She set the rock aside and freed the unconscious angel from the trap, spitting on her wounds and bandaging them with strips of cloth she tore out of the angel’s robes. When the angel’s life was no longer in danger, Andrea gagged her and bound her limbs, stringing her up like Palan strung up the goats when he was away during a hunt. She sighed. She missed those goats.

“You really are Palan’s sister,” Cleo said as she flipped the meat which was cooking in the fire over. “You’re just as brutal.”

Andrea giggled, taking Cleo’s words as a compliment. After depositing Sariel in a corner of the cave, she adjusted the traps and territory markers while spreading bloody sand around the entrance. Blood attracted predators, but it dissuaded the ones she’d have trouble killing. Only a simpleton would ignore the signs. The smell of cooking would spread through the area, but luckily it was still daytime. Most people would be asleep. No one liked scorching temperatures that burned the soles of their feet.

“Where are you from?” Andrea asked as she picked up the fruit. She drank the remaining liquid, but there still seemed to be something solid inside. She cracked the fruit open with a rock, revealing a golden yolk with a slightly formed body inside of it.

Cleo resisted the urge to vomit as Andrea tested the yolk with her tongue. She was fine with eating eggs. She was even fine with eating dead angels. But she wasn’t fine with eating eggs that still had unborn angels inside of them. Suddenly, the meat roasting over the fire became less appetizing. “I’m from Div’Nya,” Cleo said, turning her head away from Andrea, who had already consumed half the yolk. “It’s a different world where here is the moon. I met Palan there.”

Andrea tilted her head, golden liquid dripping from her chin. “Then Div’Nya is our moon?” she asked. Her brow wrinkled. “Is that the world of the angels?”

Cleo snorted. “It’s not just the angels’ world,” she said. “It belongs to everyone on it. There’s centaurs, and harpies, and dwarves, and lizardmen, and goblins, and trolls, and—”

A loud gulping noise interrupted Cleo’s speech. Andrea licked her lips. “Are they tasty?” she asked. Her gaze roamed over Cleo. It was a shame she was so tiny, only the same size as herself. Maybe she’d be a nice appetizer? She broke off chunks of the fruit’s shell and ate them like chips, using the bloody yolk as a dipping sauce.

“Uh.” Cleo instinctively scooched backwards, keeping an eye on Andrea. “I’ve only tried angels.” She cleared her throat. “Speaking of angels, this one is done cooking.” She removed the meat from the fire and split it in half with her knife, giving the bigger piece to Andrea.

“What is that?” Andrea asked, pointing at the knife. “It’s not made of rock, is it?”

“It’s metal,” Cleo said and nodded. The knife vanished into her space. “You don’t have metal here?”

Andrea shook her head and squeezed out a muffled response. Her cheeks were bulging from the angel meat. “When’s Palan coming back?” she asked after swallowing. She pouted. “I miss him.”

“I don’t know,” Cleo said. “I was kidnapped and transported here unwillingly. Once Palan sees that I’m gone, he’ll definitely chase after me to bring me back. Or he’ll chase after her”—she gestured towards Sariel who was beginning to stir—“but that’s the same thing.”

“Then he’ll be back soon?” Andrea asked. “Good. I want him to kill that bully for me.”

Cleo’s mouth fell open. How many times had she thought those exact words? “I think you and I are going to get along very well,” she said and nodded. She pulled out the browning fruit from inside her space and gave it to Andrea. “Here. Since you still seem hungry.”

Andrea’s eyes glistened. “You’re the best snack dispenser ever,” she said and broke apart the shell. She drank the overflowing liquid and shared it with Cleo.

Cleo smiled. She had been promoted from snack to snack dispenser. At this rate, she’d be promoted to sister in no time. “Who’s been bullying you?” she asked. “I can help you take care of them. I’m tiny, but I’m strong.” Maybe she wasn’t strong physically, but the hand cannon she stole from Pyre was.

“Really?” Andrea asked, raising an eyebrow. The lizard could not only dispense snacks, but she could also take care of her grievances? No wonder why her brother kept her around even though he didn’t like anyone except for his cute, lovable, and highly intelligent sister. The lizard was too convenient. “He’s a shaman like her”—she pointed at Sariel—“but I guess you call them angels, huh? Anyways, his name is Abaddon, and he can use magic that makes things heavier.”

“So he’s pride like Palan,” Cleo said and furrowed her brow. “I—“

“Did you say Abaddon?” Sariel asked. She had woken up something during the two’s feast.

Andrea stared blankly at Sariel. “Didn’t I gag you?” she asked. She picked up her bow and arrow just in case the angel managed to untie herself as well.

“That’s not important,” Sariel said and gritted her teeth. “I’m sorry for my earlier behavior. Do you mind untying me? Despite how weak I am, I can bring you a lot of benefits. I just ask that you leave the Creator’s seeds alone.” She had a mission to accomplish. And before it even started, she was thwarted by a tiny demon child. “Do you want power? I can give you lots of power. I can bring you to Div’Nya and give you a life of peace instead of the hell you live through now.”

“Are all shamans this noisy?” Andrea asked Cleo with a frown. “She already knows I’m saving her for my brother’s hunt. Why is she so fussy? Maybe she’s hungry…” Andrea picked up a scrap of angel meat and went over to Sariel’s side. She shoved it down the angel’s throat. “Eat and be quiet or I’ll rip your tongue out.”

Sariel involuntarily swallowed the piece of flesh. If only she could untie her hands, then she’d be able to fight back with her orbs. Her wrists were already chaffed from her earlier attempts to free herself. She sighed. It was going to be a long time before she got free. She could only hope that they didn’t eat too many of the seeds. Her body stiffened as her face turned green. Had she just eaten an angel?