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Keir

The burning coals cast a mesmerizing glow across Vidia’s eggs. Their turquoise and plum colors deepened within the shadows and brightened into shimmering gems where it was lighter. I’d begun calling the wyvern eggs Vidia’s not long after learning their mother’s name. The impact of a name was amazing. The eggs were no longer entities with a mythical mother. That mother had a name and an equally tragic storyline to go along with it.

I shivered despite the warmth of the room. While the secondary fireplace burned just enough to keep Vidia’s eggs warm, the primary hearth threw off enough heat to adequately regulate my underground quarters. This deep below the ground, time tended to lose meaning. Very little of the Magical Usage Compound had direct access to the outdoors. If our resident medium Tabitha Clark’s wishes were anything to go by, more of the compound would soon be illuminated by natural light.

Personally, I’d never minded being sequestered underground. I suppose some might find that unusual for a gryphon. We were creatures of the land and sky. My eagle loved the feel of the wind beneath its wings while my lion craved the warmth of the sun on its fur and the soft grass between its heavy claws.

I would never willingly deny my inner beasts their individual joys. Combined, we craved the quiet comfort and security an underground den encompassed. Many gryphons chose high-rise buildings or homes carved from rocky outcroppings in more mountainous regions. I’d chosen a different path. One I’d finally stopped regretting.

Leaning back, I allowed the soft comfort of a well-cushioned chair to cradle my body. I wouldn’t claim to be relaxed, but my body was as loose as it had been since Tenzen Huxley’s betrayal. I’d spent the last several months trying to live with the grief, rage, and guilt his actions left behind. My life had become a series of responses spurred by the actions of an individual who was no longer in play. Huxley and his Shadow might be buried deep underground—hopefully sleeping for eternity—but the darkness he’d left behind, the shadows marring the Magical Usage Council and those who continued living within its walls, was all too present.

Rest was a concept I’d forgone months ago, its memory vague and more fantasy than reality. Muscles tight and ready to spring into action, my body was constantly teetering on the knife’s edge of fight or flight with no outlet for either option. Despite what Tabitha might think, there wasn’t enough tea in the world to soothe the constant worry fueling my every waking moment. Considering my dreams had turned more into nightmares, even sleep held no reprieve.

In a word, the last few months had been exhausting. I’d become mentally and physically drained and yet there seemed to be no reprieve in sight. I agonized over every decision, wondering if it would lead to greater turmoil or finally allow us to turn the corner of our self-imposed mental imprisonment.

Tabitha said she thought I was brave for hiring Grayson Delarue. Our now resident will-o’-the-wisp was a gamble, but it wasn’t bravery that forced my hand; it was desperation combined with an unhealthy dose of fear. I only wish those fears had been unfounded. The eggs I couldn’t take my eyes from proved that point. Finding the remnants of Hikaru’s tail along with the buzzweeds multiplied those proven concerns.

“Do we know when the eggs will hatch?” Elvira’s ghostly form materialized beside the smaller fireplace, her gaze similarly captured by the jewel tones shimmering within the coals.

A frown tugged my lips. At this rate, I’d need to ask Warlock Holland if he had any antiwrinkle charms on hand. “Unfortunately, no. Thalia was a little short on details.” That was putting things kindly. The ancient female wyvern had been surprisingly lax when it came to offering advice or guidance regarding Vidia’s eggs.

“Perhaps she thought Lazarus would be of value,” Elvira helpfully pointed out.

I’d been trying not to think of our guest turned long-term resident. Not that I disliked thinking of Lazarus. Quite the opposite. Thoughts of the handsome wyvern created an uncomfortable buzz in my belly bordering on nausea. Despite the fact I hadn’t seen Lazarus for three days, I swear I could still feel the warm tingle of his scaly skin on my fingers.

Clearing my throat, I valiantly ignored the heat spreading from my neck and infiltrating my cheeks. I was fortunate the mesmerizing beauty of Vidia’s eggs had captured Elvira’s attention. “Perhaps,” I finally answered. “If so, then I am uncertain when Lazarus will be available to relay that knowledge.” The dancing buzz in my stomach turned decidedly sour.

“Have you heard anything from him?” Elvira asked.

“No.” I wasn’t sure if that was expected or not. “From what I understand, Lazarus buried himself deep underground, drawing from the heat of the earth to heal himself.” All wyvern had an affinity. Lazarus’s affinity was fire. The very element that destroyed so many others had a totally different effect on him. Battling Verona and her brother Axios—both coming from a line of acidic wyvern—had cost Lazarus dearly. I was still haunted by the stench of acid-burned flesh and visions of Lazarus’s pockmarked body—huge chunks of missing scales and blackened tissue.

Elvira finally turned, pulling her gaze from Vidia’s eggs. “Would you like me to check on him?”

I blinked, uncertain if I’d heard correctly. “Can you do that?” I knew Elvira could travel far from her medium, Tabitha, but I wasn’t certain what that looked like or how she could find Lazarus. Already deceased, Elvira didn’t have a need for oxygen, and she was impervious to the heat and pressure that far below ground.

With a casual shrug, Elvira said, “I am unsure, but am willing to attempt it.”

Rising from my chair, I drew closer to Elvira. The air around her was chilled. Elvira’s manifested form required energy, the process significantly cooling the air around her. “Will such an attempt be harmful? I do not wish to risk you if⁠—”

“It is not a risk.” Elvira’s lips tilted into a rare, soft smile. “Your consideration is appreciated, but unwarranted.”

My body stiffened. “You’re one of ours, a member of the Magical Usage Council. It’s my job and, more importantly, my privilege to worry about you.” I may just be the acting head of the Magical Usage Council, but until someone removed me from my position, I would endeavor to care for those I’d been charged with leading. Even if I were removed from my position, I’d still care. I’d still place their well-being above my own.

For lack of a better word, Elvira’s sharp features softened. “As I said, your concern is unwarranted but always appreciated.”

A quick nod of acknowledgment was all I could offer. Emotion threatened to overwhelm me. Needing a topic change, I asked, “Has Martin finished debriefing Eddy?” Eleador, or Eddy to those who knew her best, was a cheetah shifter. She was one of the few who’d survived Tenzen Huxley’s purge. We would never be certain if she’d lived because she was halfway around the world at the time or if Huxley had simply been uninterested in taking her out. Wondering why Huxley had murdered certain members of the council and left others alive, like me, was a one-way ticket to madness.

Elvira grunted. “Unsurprisingly, Martin’s timeliness has become…less timely.” I wasn’t certain if Elvira’s grimace was due to the reasons behind Martin’s tardiness or her choice of phrasing.

As for me, I was more than pleased with the cause. Martin had a good soul. He deserved the type of love and affection he’d found, however unlikely the match might be. Honestly, a will-o’-the-wisp and a dryad… Who would have thought that possible, given the animosity between the two species?

Likely or not, Martin and Grayson were happy—blissfully so. Perhaps I was living vicariously through my good friend’s happiness. If so, I didn’t care. Knowing Martin was settled, that he’d found unconditional love, helped fill the icy cold Huxley’s betrayal had left behind.

Grinning, I said, “I take it Martin was otherwise…occupied?”

Elvira’s lips twisted, pinching down as if she’d sucked on a sour lemon. “I have stopped seeking Martin out in his private quarters.” Huffing, Elvira turned her head and stared at a nearby wall. “No room is safe. At first, I sought to manifest in an area outside the bedroom. That was a mistake I shall not repeat.”