Page 20 of Sugar & Dragon Act I: Temptation

“But you’re not going to let me in?”

“No.”

Pause.

“So maybe you could ask me a riddle, and if I don’t solve it, you’ll let me in?”

The shadow moved its fluffy tail, suddenly animated. “Alright,” he agreed, giggling. “This you will surely guess: When it’s gone for a long time, everyone complains, and when it finally comes, they quickly hide.”

“Rain,” Hera said before she checked herself.

Pandorian snorted and threw another riddle at her. “It has rivers without water, forests without trees, and cities without people.”

“Map.”

The kitten scrambled merrily and started walking along the gate. “Three men were in a boat that capsized. Only two of them got their hair wet. Why?”

“One of them was bald.”

“What does it take to put three boys in one shoe?”

“Give each other one shoe.”

“What can’t you have for breakfast?”

“Dinner.”

“List the three days of the week, but do not use their names.”

“Yesterday, today, tomorrow.”

“Sweet nightmare, Galenos, do you really have to be such a pegasus in every situation that resembles a test?”

Hera lifted her gaze to the top of the wall, where Dago Midais stood. His fair hair reflected the sun’s rays in such a way that his head seemed to be surrounded by a halo, but the ironic smile and arms crossed over his chest effectively dispelled the association with an angelic dream.

“If I didn’t reply even though I knew the answer, that would be cheating, wouldn’t it?” she said, adopting a defensive tone.

Dago moved his gaze to the imp, who stopped pacing and looked up. “What do you think, Dorian?”

“That would be cheating,” the cat said confidently.

“If Hera cheated, would you stop her from entering the castle?”

“Why should I stop her from doing anything?”

Hera frowned, conflicted. She couldn’t remember the last time she heard Midais say her name without using her surname, and she didn’t know why she cared. Searching instinctively for even the smallest hint to grasp at, she asked the shadow, “So you don’t think one shouldn’t cheat in a game?”

“I think a game shouldn’t be boring.”

In any other situation, the way the morpheus narrowed his green eyes would have worried her, but now Hera was relieved. She saw more than logic in his words. She found a clue.

“If you tell me right, it would be wrong.” She turned to the cat again. “If you tell me wrong, it would be right. What word am I?”

Dorian tilted his head, intrigued. He moved his tail left and right for about a minute, but finally conceded, “I don’t know.”

“Wrong.”

Realizing that was the answer, the phantom purred. “Good,” he praised her.

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