“Was not,” Gabby huffed. “That was the time before.”
Mikey stood silently between them, his belly rumbling audibly. His gaze flicked to Jabir… or more specifically, to the bag of chips in his lap. His nose twitched like he was picking up a five-course meal, and he licked his wide, plump lips with a hopeful sigh.
Inside Jabir’s head, his dragon gave a theatrical sigh.
He going to eat all our snacks, his dragon grumbled.
Better them than us, he retorted.
They talk a lot. I don’t think trolls very smart.
“Shhh,” Jabir muttered under his breath. “They’re being careful. That’s smart.”
Careful? One thinks you potato chip disguised as a lifeform.
“That was a joke, I hope…”
Jabir plucked a chip from the bag and crunched into it thoughtfully, watching the trio from atop his perch. Mikey was practically vibrating now, his stomach letting out another mournful groan. Jabir caught his eye and held out the bag, his eyebrows raised in silent offer.
Mikey hesitated for a split second—then, while Gabby and Williston’s argument reached operatic levels of intensity, he shuffled away from them with surprising grace for a creature shaped like a walking sofa.
He reached the boulder, his wide eyes fixed on the prize.
Jabir grinned. “Want some?”
Mikey nodded, reverently holding out his cupped hands.
Jabir poured a generous pile of chips into them.
As Mikey sniffed the first chip like it might bite him back, Jabir tilted his head. “I’m Jabir Reykill, from Valdier.”
“Mikey—from the village to the west,” the troll murmured, then popped the chip into his mouth.
A second later, his eyes went round as moons.
“Ohhhhhhhh, that’s delicious!” he gasped, already munching the rest. He looked up with pure, unfiltered hope. “More?”
Jabir chuckled and obliged, refilling his hands.
“You came from the blue tube Gabby saw in the sky?” Mikey asked between crunches.
“Yeah. I crash-landed here. It was… gentler than I expected, but still not part of the plan.” Jabir waved a hand toward the sky.
By now, Gabby and Williston had stopped arguing and approached cautiously, both eyeing Mikey like he’d just won the troll lottery.
“You really will eat anything, won’t you?” Gabby asked.
“Like you’re not jealous,” Mikey rebutted, cradling his chip haul like sacred treasure to his chest.
Jabir held out the bag. “There’s enough to share.”
The remaining chips didn’t last long in the three-way troll tug-of-war that followed, but peace was finally achieved when Jabir promised he had more if they helped him find his friends.
“So… where am I?” Jabir asked, brushing crumbs off his shirt.
“You don’t know?” Williston asked with a frown.
Jabir shot the troll a rueful smile and shook his head. “Only that I’m supposed to be somewhere in a place called the Seven Kingdoms. Hopefully, I made it there.”
