Page 91 of Barbi and the Villain

Once more, silence descends between us as he stares thoughtfully at my drawing.

“I suppose we could look for this flower,” he eventually says.

“Yes. Good call, my friend. See, I am not useless after all,” I say as I get closer to him and flutter my lashes.

His only reaction is a roll of his eyes before he takes BonBon in his arms. My brows shoot up in surprise as he motions for me to get PomPom so we can embark on our journey. He must have realized walking too much is strenuous on their tiny bodies and they need to be carried.

Before I can help myself, a huge smile spreads across my face.

He might be bringing about the apocalypse, but he’s nice to dogs!

A dreamy sigh escapes me as I hurry to follow after him.

We head east and we keep our eyes open for vinerelle. Fortunately, it’s not long before we spot it. Almost like a path, the cluster of flowers leads us uphill into the mountain. There is no walking path, and we do our best to avoid coming into contact with the poisonous petals.

Almost like they had been intentionally planted, the flowers lead farther into a thick forest. The canopy blocks the sunlight. Tall trees surround us from all sides, all covered in thick vines that curl around the branches, some drooping low and creating a swinging haven for the many tree-dwelling creatures. Some monkeys swing from tree to tree, taking great interest in us as they spot us encroaching on their territory.

PomPom, not used to having her authority questioned as the only cute and tiny creature around—save for BonBon, but love does wonders—starts barking incessantly at them.

A couple of monkeys congregate in the tree right above us, watching us with great interest.

“Nykander! Look how cute they are!” Their tails are intertwined, their bodies forming a heart, making the romantic in me swoon. The two monkeys have brown, luxurious fur, their little faces so cute and cuddly.

PomPom, sensing my appreciation for them, lets me know that she will not allow anyone to replace her in my affections as she barks at me.

“Easy, baby. You’re still my favorite girl,” I coo as I kiss the top of her hair.

Nykander shakes his head at me, and without sparing a glance at the monkeys, he walks ahead. Too bad PomPom is not the only one with attention issues. The monkeys, seeing that Nykander ignores them, decide to teach him a lesson. Something falls from the tree and lands on top of his head.

“What…” He blinks as he brings his hand to his hair, feeling for the object.

My lips tremble with laughter as I watch him scoop a small piece of poop from his hair. And once he realizes that the monkey must have pooped on him, his expression turns thunderous, while mine breaks into laughter.

“Oh my, Nykander!”

The monkeys express their excitement as they jump around and squeal. But just as I’m about to make more fun of Nykander—he deserves it after being such a grump—another little clump of poop falls from the trees.

This time, on my head.

Seeing this, Nykander throws his head back and laughs as he points at me.

I give him my best deadly glare as I take out the little poop and throw it to the ground.

“You…” I point to the monkeys. “I thought we were friends!”

They don’t respond to my words, merely releasing more noises that sound an awful lot like laughing.

“Not every creature is your friend, Barbi,” Nykander murmurs in amusement.

I walk past him.

“And now we shall move on. We need to get to that artifact, no?” I mutter under my breath.

We continue our journey, following the flowers for another hour or so before Nykander suddenly stops.

“Do you feel this?” He looks around, his nostrils flaring.

“What?” I ask, worried we might be set upon by more demons, or God forbid, more monkeys.

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