Try to find another Eros Lily

“If I don’t do this — pollinate another Eros Lily, that is — what will happen to me?”

Felixia stretches lazily and yawns before answering. “As I said, this is all quite unprecedented. With anyone else, failure to pass the pollinated sperm off to another flower would cause the poor creature to be slowly overcome by the buildup of the flower’s toxins until it dies. For a non-magical creature, I’m not even sure that the pollen would be able to do anything; it could be rejected by your body and give you nothing more than a mild case of explosive diarrhea. Who can say?”

Duncan thinks about this before deciding. “It’s really not worth the risk, is it? I shall seek out an Eros Lily.”

Felixia shrugs. “Suit yourself. Just so you know, there are just as many unknowns about that process for you. It might work in pollinating the flower and purging you of whatever is coursing through your veins. It might just as easily result in you having your bones turned into seaweed.”

“You are not much help, Felixia. Sometimes I think you wish for misfortune to fall on me for your own personal amusement.”

The Felechon makes a dismissive wave toward the prince. “Now you’re just being paranoid. If I didn’t like you, would I help you out like this?” She waves her tail in a dramatic fashion and points it toward Duncan. Instantly, his nakedness is covered by a fluffy, pink dress and ruby slippers.

Duncan looks down at his new clothing in mortification. “Felixia! Enough with your games! You know this is not appropriate attire for me.”

The catlike creature smiles proudly as she studies the prince. “Oh, but it really brings out the shine in your golden, curly locks!” She laughs for several moments, but when she sees that Duncan does not respond with anything other than a glower, she sighs, waves her tail, and replaces the dress and shoes with appropriate male travel clothing.

“Well, someone sure peed in the catnip,” she says. “You were a lot more fun when we started off on this adventure. The way you’re sulking, you’d think you haven’t been having any fun or something.”

Duncan opens his mouth to respond but thinks better of it. He carefully inspects himself, not trusting Felixia enough to wonder if she attached a tail to his ass or placed a neon sign to hover over his head with the words, “Will give blowjobs for food.”

At last satisfied that he had returned to some semblance of himself, the prince says, “I will need your help to find the Eros Lily. You will come with me, won’t you?”

His last sentence sounds less like the command of a prince and more like a **** plea. Felixia’s eyes twinkle as she says, “Well, I was going to go back up for another round with Norax, but he seems to be sleeping it off. I’ll guess you’ll have to do.” Her face suddenly expresses horror, and she immediately says, “That is to say, you’ll have to do in terms of giving me something to do — I’m not suggesting you could possibly take the place of Norax in terms of sexual escapades.” She makes a show of shuddering. “Why, I’d rather pleasure myself with a dildo made of the thrice-barbed spines of the Perilous Poisonous Porcupine of Palo Pointe Peak!”

Duncan scowls. “Fear not, Felixia. As far as erotic thoughts go, I can assure you that you’re as off-limits to me as my own sister.”

Felixia raises a suspicious eyebrow. “Oh, that’s really reassuring.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You humans — particularly you royal ones — seem to have a thing about ‘sibling bonding.’ I may have been locked in a cage up in the Library all these years, but I wasn’t deaf. When your brother was doing his studies, I overheard him reciting more than one spell that was designed to lure a certain lady by the name of Adella into his bed.”

Duncan stares at the creature. “What! You lie, Felixia!”

“Well... perhaps I exaggerated,” she admits. “I don’t think he actually said anything about his bed.”

Duncan visibly relaxes. “Good. I thought not.”

“I’m sure it was all quite innocent, in retrospect. Why should anyone draw any negative conclusions about the fact that Stewart was perfecting spells of perpetual lust, slavish obedience, and pregnancy inhibitors, all directed toward his sister? Oh... and it was all to take place in her bedroom, not his. That makes it all right.”

Duncan stares hard at the Felechon, unsure whether she is simply goading him again. An itch on his leg at the place where the small bump appeared distracts him. As he itches it, he remembers the seriousness of the mission at hand. This issue between Stewart and Adella can wait for now.

“We must be off at once, Felixia. Which way do we go?”

The catlike creature looks around before responding. “As a cousin of mine once said, ‘If you don’t know where you’re going, it doesn’t matter which road you take.’ I’d say it’s up to you.”