Page 193 of Barbi and the Villain

I shake my head at him and start walking.

“Let’s go,” I mumble.

“See, you can be the rational one in this relationship,” he calls from behind.

I pretend to ignore him, though my cheeks are flaming hot.

“Oh, and by the way”—he leans in to whisper in my ear—“you have plenty of assets. Wonderful assets, though I have yet to explore them all. But that is only for me to know, see, touch, or kiss.”

“I see you’ve taken your job for pretty words quite seriously,” I murmur shyly.

“I am doing a good job, I trust?”

“Very.” I laugh. “And you’ll be doing an even greater job if you tell me where we are going now.”

“Based on the geography of the area, I would say we are at the outskirts of the fifth sector. There are six such sectors, and while each has its own ruling city, there is only one capital city in Tartareia—Sattoriya. That is where we are headed. My family resides there—or they did before I left. Nonetheless, my brother should be there to scheme his way to the top.”

“Oh, okay.”

“We will not enter the city for the time being. Velor is nearby, so we will set camp there for your training. And while you cultivate, I will gather intel about the latest state of affairs.”

“Sounds good. Let’s do this!” I tell him excitedly. “I can’t wait to get better at controlling my abilities.”

“You will, Barbs. You most definitely will.” He smiles.

We walk out of the village until we reach a more populated area, at which point Nykander stops a carriage taxi and asks the driver to take us to Lake Velor.

At first, I expect the journey to be a regular one. But soon it’s clear that taxis in this realm are not the regular kind. As we exit the highway, the horses drawing the carriage unfurl their wings and start flying.

“Whaaat?” I let out a squeak of surprise.

Nykander chuckles by my side.

“I forgot to mention that the horses are different here.”

“No shit,” I mumble.

Once my stomach settles from the sudden flight, I pull aside the curtain to gaze outside.

Lights shine from the ground, with every household illuminated from inside out. And as we climb in altitude, they become bright spots of light that create a beautiful pattern. Despite its dark skies and oddly nocturnal way of life, Tartareia is beautiful. It’s not something I would have expected of a demonic realm, but I suppose even the most evil things have a thing of beauty.

The dogs, too, are excited about the scenery, crowding the window for a chance to get the wind to blow in their faces.

Ah, the little rascals. A smile pulls at my lips. At least they aren’t scared of the ride. PomPom has never been a good flier, but I suppose flying horses provide a different experience.

“Okay, so let me do a quick recap. Dragons exist, but so do winged horses? What’s next? Flying pigs? Cats?”

Nykander laughs at my question.

“Dragons are exceedingly rare. The male Cerenios was looking for is the last blue dragon of his line. Aside from him, there are only a handful of other dragons, most of them in Aperion. They are said to be the species with the purest magic out there, so they were previously hunted to extinction.”

“Oh,” I murmur. “That’s sad.”

“As for flying pigs, I am sorry to tell you that I have yet to see one. But I will make sure to keep an eye out for you.” He winks at me.

“You’re making fun of me again,” I grumble.

“Me? Never! But you are so cute when your face lights up with wonder. It makes me want to find a flying pig for you just so you can marvel at its existence.”

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