“How long are we going to stay here?” Vur asked. He was lying on a plush bed fit for a king with Tafel standing beside him. She was rummaging through a pile of books that were placed on the nightstand, her hair obscuring part of her face from view. Vur rolled over onto his side, placing his cheek on pillow that had a silk cover. From underneath the pillow, a turtle’s and snake’s heads popped out, scanning the room before disappearing back into their hiding spot.

“Auntie’s teaching Mary how to absorb this territory into her empire now that it’s empty,” Tafel said without turning her head. She frowned as she placed down a book and picked up another one, taking one look at its cover before setting it down as well. “There’s many things that have to be taken into consideration, and Mary never learned how, and she can be a bit slow when it comes to everything not involving swords, so we might be here for a while.”

“And what does that have to do with us?” Vur asked. “It’s not our territory or our empire. So why are we staying?”

“Because Mary’s traveling with us?” Tafel asked, raising an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t leave behind a party member, right?”

Vur blinked. “Since when did she join our party?”

“Since Grimmy took her gauntlets, greaves, and sword, leaving her completely helpless,” Tafel said. “So, around the time we went genie hunting with her.”

Vur groaned and arched his back, stretching his legs and pointing his toes. He scratched his chest and exhaled. “How long is she going to be in our party for?”

Tafel took a seat on the side of the bed and shrugged. “I’m not sure. When she has a new sword, I guess?” She pointed at the pillow. “So, when that thing is old enough to … have its soul taken. That’s just Grimmy’s way of saying when it becomes an adult, right? He’s not actually going to take its soul?” She bit her lower lip. “But knowing Grimmy….”

“I don’t think Grimmy will take Mary Junior’s soul,” Vur said. “What would he do with it?”

Tafel raised her eyebrows. “Um, hello? He collects them? Did you forget that?” Her brow furrowed. “Oh, wait. You were unconscious when he took his collection out.”

Mary Junior stuck its heads out from underneath the pillow and looked up at Vur with wet eyes. It opened and closed its beak, a small mewling sound coming out of its mouth. It whimpered, pleading with its eyes. Vur lifted his head and sat up, scooping the turtlesnake out from underneath the pillow. He placed it on his lap and flipped it over onto its back. It let out a strange noise and kicked its legs into the air. Vur lifted Mary Junior and frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Tafel asked as Vur inspected the turtle, turning it this way and that.

“Is Mary Junior a boy or a girl?” Vur asked. “I can’t tell.”

Tafel rolled her eyes. “She’s a…. Actually, I’m not sure either. How can you tell if a turtle is a boy or a girl?”

Vur nodded. “That’s easy,” he said. “I’ll just ask.” He flipped Mary Junior right-side up and tapped its shell. “If you’re a girl, blink once. If you’re a boy, blink twice.”

Mary Junior’s turtle head blinked once. The snake head blinked twice.

Vur nodded. “Mary Junior’s both,” he said. He furrowed his brow. “How do we address her…, him?”

“I think I’ll stick with her,” Tafel said. “Her name’s Mary Junior after all.”

“That’s a dumb name,” Vur said. “We should name her Mini Vur instead.”

“No.”

Before Vur could reply, there was a knock on the door. A second later, it swung open. Alice and Mr. Skelly walked inside followed by a red sheepman. Alice swept her arm out towards Vur, gesturing at him with her palm. “Here he is, your great leader,” she said and rolled her eyes. “Can you stop following me now?”

“Baaa.” The sheepman nodded. “That means, baaa, thanks in sheep language.”

“You could’ve just thanked me,” Alice said and left the room, closing the door behind her and Mr. Skelly, leaving the sheepman inside.

Tafel blinked at the sudden intruder. “Good morning?”

“Greetings, baaaa, wife of the great leader,” the sheepman said. He dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead against the ground. “O great leader! A terrible, baaa, tragedy has baafallen us, your people. A purple, baa, dragon has eaten a great, baaa, number of our men. We ask you to, baa, avenge us and create the, baaaaaa, land you promised us.”

Vur frowned. “A purple dragon?”

“Can dragons even be purple?” Tafel asked. “What kind of magic would a purple dragon cast? If my theory about dragons are their colors are correct, then a purple dragon should cast … poisonous spells? But that’s green.”

Vur shook his head. “I’ve never seen a purple dragon either.” He placed Mary Junior down and stood up. “Where and when were you attacked?”

“Four days ago, baaa, at the place you told us, baa, to search for genies.” The sheepman let out a sad-sounding bleat. “Our chieftain sacrificed, baaaaa, himself to let us escape. Baa, we all came to find you, baa, but it looks like I’m the only, baaa, one who made it.”

“Maybe you’re just the fastest one,” Tafel said. “There’s no reason to assume the worst.” She looked up at Vur. “Are you going to confront this dragon? I think your parents are taking a nap right now; it may be a while before they wake up. What if it gets dangerous?”

Vur snorted. “These sheepmen are my people. If another dragon is attacking them, then they’re invading my territory and harming my property. According to Grimmy’s code of honor, it’s up to me to show them their place, unless I can’t, and if that happens, then I tell Grimmy.”

Tafel scratched her head. “That doesn’t sound very honorable. If you lose, you tattle?”

Vur shrugged. “I didn’t make the code.”