“The dining room is that way.” Apollo extended his hand as if I needed his help. My nose already knew the way.
While I wanted to run for the food, I restricted myself to a dignified walk as my servants trailed behind talking—about me, of course.
“Why is your pet calling me its servant?” Apollo whispered.
“Because he is going to one day rule our world, don’t you know?”
I chose to ignore the sarcasm in Iolana’s tone.
“How is he planning to do that? I’ve seen squirrels bigger than him in New York.”
“Apparently, he’s going to grow to be quite large, and his ultimate plan is to be humanity’s supreme leader.”
Apollo snorted. “You’re kidding.”
“I told Tigger it’s not going to happen, but he is rather insistent.”
“How did you find him?”
“His egg was encased in a piece of obsidian I melted. At first, I thought him just an unusual lizard. Then he started talking and hasn’t shut up since,” she complained.
I whirled to glare at Iolana over my shoulder. “You should be thankful I choose to address you at all, given your constant insolence.”
“If you don’t like me, feel free to find someone else to order around,” was her tart retort. “When I caught you, I thought I’d be getting a nice pet, not a bossy dragon.”
“Why settle for a boring reptile when you can bask in my greatness?”
“He’s got quite the character,” Apollo murmured.
“You don’t know the half of it.”
I might have addressed them, but we’d arrived at the dining chamber and the scents that wafted had me eager. Reaching the pending feast posed a dilemma, for the table sat on a pedestal, meaning no legs I could climb. The chairs, unlike Iolana’s, appeared made of some smooth material, not metal, most likely a plastic alloy. Annoying stuff. The slippery surface tended to foil my attempts to climb. Rather than embarrass myself, I lifted my arms and commanded, “Lift me!”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” she murmured, scooping and depositing me onto the tabletop.
“About time you addressed me properly.”
The male choked, turning aside to cough in his hand.
“Where’s my food?” My mouth watered in anticipation.
“I’ll fetch it from the kitchen so as to not shock the chef.”
Apollo went through a door, and I glanced at Iolana, who stared out the window at the ocean.
“The view is insane,” she murmured.
“Agreed, and this home is nicer than our current one. We shall be relocating immediately.”
She whirled and frowned in my direction. “Excuse me? I’m not going anywhere.”
“You expect me to live in squalor when I could be inhabiting luxury?”
“I’m perfectly fine where I am, but feel free to make yourself Jameson’s guest.”
“His name is Apollo.”
“First name, yes, but his last name is Jameson.”
