Curse of the Stars Book 1

Chapter 28

Chapter XXVIII

"You need to calm down." Turbulence hissed as Stygian crept up and down the balcony, up and down, pacing, seething, digging her claws into the ornate rugs. A few threads had already come loose.

"If you weren't such a coward as to come down and fight me maybe I would!" Stygian roared.

"Come down and fight you? That's hardly fair." Chirped the little dragon.

"Life's not fair!" Stygian spat. "You should know better than anyone! You have tall words for your size, I'd like to see how well you hold up with your actions."

"Oh I know that, I mainly said it for your sake, as I'd wipe the floor with your blood."

Stygian threw up her head and laughed. "You're the size of a falcon and I a—"

"Oh Stygian." Turbulence shook her head, her breath a sad sigh. "Have you so quickly forgotten that it was a teensy itty bitty little Wishing Dragon that cursed you? And do you recall its previous size right before you snapped at it? I believe it was something like the size of a dragonfly and look where that got you. You are daft to so quickly, after that experience, to go after other small creatures you know nothing of yet again."

"I'm immortal now." Stygian's eyes roiled.

"I know you're immortal for the time being and I do not have the permission to kill you, but I could always make your life worse. So much worse. I know it's hard for you to imagine right now in this pitiful hopeless state of yours, but I am a god and you a mere dragon. Do not beg my powers into question."

Stygian held back another laugh as the little dragon slithered down the railing, finally onto the floor where she came right up to Stygian's claws boldly and with the glint of a challenge in her eye. "Don't forget, I am the god of confusion" She mouthed. "And what are YOU the god of?!"
"You are the God of Liars, and I the God of Suffering!" Stygian snarled down at the little dragon. "And I have yet to see an ounce of your so-called power over me."

"You who suffer or inflict suffering?"

"BOTH!" Stygian smashed her claw down on the little dragon's tail. "Have you not seen it in my scroll, worm?!"

"You will learn to fear me with time." The little dragon blinked lazily back up at her, not remotely undone that her tail was being stepped on. "Until then please take your tantrum elsewhere. Come back when you're ready to learn."

"Learn?!" Stygian pulled Turbulence toward her by the tail. "Unless you have some kind of cure, some kind of time travel spell or some kind of transmutation, I am not interested in learning anything from you!"

"It is quite interesting that you push away my help so quickly, as if you have a better option." Turbulence shook his head, as if deeply disappointed. "It is astonishing to me that you throw yourself off cliff walls and attempt to drown yourself in lakes and rivers as if that is so much better than the help I offer you, me, the dragon with the thousand scrolls of knowledge. Creatures like you should not still have so much pride when you've been reduced this low, yet here we are, debating about this as if you had any source of power or choice in the matter."

"There is always a choice." Stygian shot back, feeling embarrassed at the hard truths the little dragon was throwing at her. She stepped off of Turbulence's tail and the little dragon took the opportunity to sidle further away from her.

"Oh ho?! This comes from your mouth?" The dragon mocked.

"Shut your mouth!" Stygian snarled. "I can kill you with one swipe of my claw!"