It was dark. It needed to be in order for Sylvar to fight. Sylvar was still a wood elf, and therefore still weak in the desert sun, even if it was a comfortable seventy degrees. It might drop into the fifties tonight, though.

Rafael leaned against the counter, watching Alejandra shout at Hraktar. He didn’t think those two would ever fight, and it didn’t bode well for tonight. He understood what they needed to do today. Tyler would be here shortly, and the three of them would go with the characters to fight. It was the night of the last football game of the year, and Rafael was spending it with his sister and Tyler. With no school Friday, Tyler came home early to help, mostly because he wasn’t sure if he could roll for Sylvar from a distance yet.

And, of course, the two of them would have a nice long chat with Alejandra to make sure she wouldn’t hand Nick over to Akshi.

“He is not even a month old!” Alejandra’s voice was sharp. She had Quetzal in her arms, and the drake watched Alejandra and Hraktar like a tennis match. Rafael was pretty sure Quetzal couldn’t understand, but maybe he did.

Hraktar furrowed his brows. “Yes, he is. Over a month. He has more than proven himself in battle, and this little guy is hungry for more. He’s getting stronger.”

Alejandra kept squeezing Quetzal as she glared at Hraktar. “He isn’t supposed to fight for another six months. Until he’s considered an adult. He’s still a baby!”

“Chunkiest baby I’ve ever seen,” Ezekiel muttered from the couch.

“Shut up, Ezekiel!” Alejandra shouted.

Ezekiel shrugged, returning to his Terry Pratchett novel.

“You can’t keep holding him back from fighting. You even said so yourself. He’s gotten a few more hit points.”

Alejandra’s eyes were blazing with anger. “You overheard me?”

“It’s a small house,” Hraktar said.

Rafael glanced at Quetzal, seeing the glowing green numbers above his head.

18/18 HP

Not bad. In fact…

Rafael glanced at Sylvar standing just outside the house, practicing a few swings with his long sword in the porch light. Rafael squinted, seeing the top of Sylvar’s head.

12/12 HP

“Hraktar’s right,” Rafael said, glancing at Alejandra.

His sister turned, her brown eyes dangerous. She practically smothered Quetzal as she glared at him. The drake started flailing.

“Absolutely not!” Alejandra shouted.

“Look!” Rafael jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Sylvar. “Sylvar has less hit points than Quetzal.”

“So!”

“So, he could be an asset. Six characters, one drake, the probability of Quetzal getting hit is low. Hraktar and Ezekiel especially will be there, making sure the drake doesn’t get hurt.” He glanced down at Quetzal. “And for god’s sake, Alejandra, let that poor creature breathe.”

Alejandra glanced down, as though realizing how much she was squeezing him. Alejandra shot Rafael another glare, but loosened her grip on Quetzal. The drake responded by leaping out of Alejandra’s arms onto the couch, stretching.

Her hands balled into fists at her side. “If you’re trying to comfort me, maybe don’t remind me that Quetzal has the second lowest hit points of everyone.”

“You didn’t see him fighting last month. Quetzal is incredible, and we’d be stupid not to bring him,” Rafael said.

“Unless Akshi is there! If he does another one of those lightning spells that hits everyone, Quetzal is dead! He’s not old enough!”

Grizzizzik walked down the hall, hearing the last of the conversation. “Does the baby steal any of our experience points?”

Alejandra and Rafael both turned toward him. “What?” Rafael asked.

“When we kill the creatures, the experience points are divided up among us all. Does the baby take any, too?”

Rafael blinked. How did Grizzizzik know all this?

“I… don’t think so. Quetzal just gets stronger with age,” Alejandra said.

Grizzizzik shrugged. “Then I don’t actually care if he comes or not.” The rogue went to pat Quetzal on the head. The drake snapped his jaws toward Grizzizzik’s fingers, growling in warning. Grizzizzik lifted his hand away, rolling his eyes. “We’re already losing enough experience points sharing with the prince.”

Clarissa shot him a glare. “Sylvar needs to get stronger. It’s the only way he’ll survive.”

“And I understand that, but it’s still obnoxious,” Grizzizzik said.

Clarissa’s eyes darkened.

A knock at the door stopped their fight. Rafael pushed off the counter and walked toward the door, opening it. Tyler stood there, smiling once he saw Rafael.

“Hey, man, how’s it going?” Tyler asked.

“Good, good. Come on in.”

Tyler didn’t get far before Alejandra pushed past him, holding Quetzal again. She glared at Rafael as she approached. “We are going to Cal’s and dropping Quetzal off there before we go fight creatures. I’m sick of explaining myself, and I’m not changing my mind. See you in the car.” She pushed past Rafael, making a point of hitting her shoulder against his arm, causing him to move a bit. Tyler watched the exchange with a raised eyebrow.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Everything okay?”

“She’s angry at a lot of things lately,” Rafael said.

Tyler let out a breath. “Alright, well… this should be interesting.”

Rafael pulled the keys out of his pocket. “Hraktar, Grizzizzik, and Ezekiel, with me. Prince Sylvar, Princess Clarissa, and Milo with Tyler. We’ll meet back up again at Calawit’s. Oh, unless the princess and Ezekiel want to ride together. Then Milo can ride with me. Your choice.”

“I’ll go with Hraktar and Grizzizzik,” Milo said.

Tyler patted Rafael on the back before the characters filed out of the house and into the cars.

The drive to Cal’s was silent, everyone feeling Alejandra’s anger. Rafael was a little afraid to breach the silence because he was certain Alejandra would snap at him again. For a while now, Alejandra had been angry at the world. Rafael wasn’t sure what to do. He wanted to help, but he didn’t know how.

Alejandra wanted to protect. Protect Quetzal, protect Rafael. But she didn’t need to, and that made her angry.

They pulled up to Calawit’s tent, and Alejandra threw open the door before Rafael even got it in park. She marched up the worn path to the tent as Rafael turned off the car.

Tyler pulled up beside him and parked. The characters spilled out of both cars, heading toward Calawit’s. It was cooler, and it was good to see Sylvar not stumbling so much as he walked.

Tyler fell in step with Rafael. “How was the drive?”

“Silent.”

Tyler rubbed the back of his neck. “Right.”

“I’m trying not to think it’ll take a miracle for her to stop being angry, but… definitely a nat eighteen at the highest,” Rafael said.

Tyler snorted as they approached the tent. “This won’t be the only conversation we have with her, that’s for sure.”

“Do you have a game plan?” Rafael asked.

“Figure out the root of her anger,” Tyler said.

“I’m pretty sure it’s just Nick.”

Tyler paused, then glanced at him. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. For whatever reason, she won’t forgive him for punching me,” Rafael said. “Whatever else she’s angry about has to stem from that.”

They waited by the tent opening as Tyler rubbed his chin. “Alright, well, anger has the tendency to spread, so we’ve got to make sure she’s not angry at Evelyn, either.”

“I doubt Alejandra would blame Evelyn for what happened,” Rafael said.

“I don’t think so either, but anger is rarely logical.”

“Above everything, we’ve got to make sure she understands Akshi might convince her to hand Nick over to be tortured,” Rafael said. “And we’ve got to do it in a way that she doesn’t search Akshi out and hand Nick over on the spot.”

“She wouldn’t seek him out, would she?”

Rafael shrugged. “You’re the one that says anger isn’t logical. She yelled at Hraktar tonight.”

Tyler lifted an eyebrow. “Well, shit. Yeah, we’ll have to take this slow and careful.”

Rafael nodded, then opened the tent door to see Alejandra glaring right at him. Rafael’s face fell, and Tyler hissed. Alejandra could be downright terrifying when she was furious, and Rafael dropped the tent door without thinking.

It didn’t take long for Alejandra to snap them open again and walk out. “You’re seriously trying to convince me out of my anger?”

Rafael stumbled back, too terrified to speak.

“Akshi’s out there,” Tyler said, coming to the rescue. “He’s an incredibly skilled manipulator, and it wouldn’t take much to—”

“I’m not that angry,” Alejandra snapped.

Tyler and Rafael didn’t say a word. They didn’t need to. Alejandra’s already glaring face darkened dangerously. “What, you think I’m a pathetic little girl who can’t keep her emotions in check?” Alejandra’s gaze shot toward Tyler.

He instantly raised his hands in surrender. “I never said that.”

“I know how dangerous Akshi is. He terrifies me. I won’t hand Nick over!” She screamed this, making it difficult to believe her words. “You want to know the root of my anger! Fine! I’m sick and tired of people being more concerned about the feelings of that violent ex-criminal! Sick that I have to be the one to calm my anger when no one even cares about how I felt about all this!” Alejandra glared at Rafael again, and he was frozen at the spot. “So keep telling me to stuff my anger under a rock, Rafael. Keep telling the image in my mind to stop playing over and over of you screaming in pain while he tried to crush your ribs! Let me remind you that dad’s across the country while we’re protected with a restraining order, but people like Nick cozy up to being your best friend again!”

“I didn’t deserve what dad did to me,” Rafael said, feeling defensive. “And neither did you.”

Tears were streaming down her cheeks. “And you deserved everything Nick gave you?”

A lump formed in Rafael’s throat, and he couldn’t answer.

“Tyler and Derek had to stop Nick from crushing your ribs in.” She pointed behind her. “Even Grizzizzik, Akshi’s offspring, the person who wants to take over the crime empire of Osvoroth, knew when to stop punching Nick during their fight.”

Rafael opened his mouth to say something, but he wasn’t sure what to say. He glanced at Tyler, who still had his palms up in surrender and looking like he wanted to be anywhere else but here. Alejandra kept glaring at Rafael, daring him to say anything. The silence was almost as damning as saying something.

“Just…” Rafael wanted her assurance that she wouldn’t hand Nick over, but that was the wrong thing to say, so he stopped. She already screamed at him how they talked too much about Nick.

Alejandra shook her head, pushing past Rafael. “I’ll wait in the car.” She spat the words out like they were dirt in her mouth. Rafael said nothing as she walked away. Tyler flinched when the car door slammed shut.

“Akshi will take three minutes tops to convince her to hand Nick over,” Tyler muttered.

“I mean…. Perhaps a little longer.”

“I don’t say that to demean your sister’s emotions. I’m simply stating, with what I understand of the crime lord of Osvoroth, that there’s a lot he can do with how Alejandra feels right now.”

Rafael sighed, his shoulders slumped. “I’m going to wait out here to make sure she’s safe. You go check with Calawit about where we should go.”

Tyler nodded and slipped into the tent. Rafael was reminded again of how small the tent looked on the outside. He kept watching the car, but it was too far away for him to see Alejandra inside. It might be better, because he was pretty sure she would be glaring at him.

It made him uncomfortable. He didn’t want to agree with Alejandra. Part of him still didn’t. He did a horrible thing to Evelyn, and Nick retaliated. It was as he told Nick. Rafael would absolutely do the same thing if the roles were reversed. Nick knew that. It was why he felt like they could start rebuilding their friendship again. They found common ground.

It was a bit before the characters trickled out of the tent again. Tyler walked out with Sylvar, looking dejected.

“A lot of the creatures are by the bubble wall. We don’t want to get sucked to the outside again, but it’s too overwhelming, especially for a level two druid like Sylvar,” Tyler said.

“So… what do we do?” Rafael asked, walking with Tyler toward the cars.

“I don’t know,” Tyler said.

“It’s a risk,” Sylvar said. He used his staff as a walking stick. “Every day we choose what risks to take.”

“Yeah, well, we also have to measure the amount of stupidity said risk might be,” Tyler said. “We need you alive and stronger. Level six monsters are here, and we don’t want to risk you getting pushed outside the bubble.”

They were at the cars by this point, and Alejandra opened the door, leaning out. “There are gargoyles on Elmwood High!”

Tyler glanced at her, frowning. “Gargoyles?”

“Still as statutes, and I’m pretty sure they’re monsters, because I don’t remember gargoyles being there before,” Alejandra said.

Tyler pulled out his phone, checking the list. “Yep, three gargoyles were in Torraq’s lair. They’re low level enough that Sylvar can manage.”

Rafael shrugged. “If they’re on the list, we’ve got to kill ‘em.”

“Alright.” Tyler slid his phone back in his pocket before pulling out his car keys. “Let’s… go back to high school.”