Page 3 of Gryphon’s Fire

Thalia was right. My sister’s offspring were wise indeed. As a male, I was unable to speak with the young within the eggs. I was uncertain if speak was the correct terminology. When asked, female wyvern would often get a faraway look in their eyes and state that it was difficult to explain. While I didn’t doubt the truth of that statement, it made such cryptic words unsatisfying.

Snuffling into the surrounding dirt, I was eternally grateful to the powerful magic Martin had helped unleash. The barrier surrounding the Magical Usage Council not only protected those within from others who meant them harm; the magic had thrown Verona back, saving Vidia’s offspring.

Unexpectedly, the magic also seemed highly attuned to those within its protective shell. I’d been far too weak to dig down into the earth as deeply as needed. I had no idea how, but the contorted pixie magic understood and had shoved its tendrils deep into the soil, hollowing out a path for me to follow. The ground didn’t so much swallow me whole as allowed me to shimmy deep into its depths, leaving a long path to the surface and allowing oxygen to circulate below. I’d placed my body in a type of meditative or hybernative state, decreasing external needs.

My healing was slow but steady. My body would scar. There was no way to avoid that outcome. Vanity wasn’t a vice I suffered from. I would not second-guess the way the scars made me look. I would lament that I’d been unable to protect myself more, thus placing Vidia’s eggs in more peril. The scars would always remind me of my failure.

“Keir is concerned.”

My nostrils flared as my heavy eyelids lifted. By all rights, the hazy figure half concealed within the earth should not be here. My mind was slow to focus, to remember the name attached to the form. Keir’s name was a different matter. Hearing the gryphon’s name elevated my exceedingly low heart rate.

I huffed out a breath, tendrils of smoke rising before dissipating and absorbing back into the ground. I couldn’t speak in this form, not in a language Elvira would understand.

Unperturbed, Elvira’s gaze skimmed my body. If her pursed lips were anything to go by, I assumed what she saw wasn’t to her liking. I was proven correct when she said, “You still look like hell. At least your skin’s not sizzling any longer. I suppose that’s an improvement.”

I huffed again, this time tossing loose dirt Elvira’s way. The dirt sailed through her ghostly form, embedding itself into the wall.

Elvira ignored my antics. “I will report back to Keir that you’re still alive. I believe that will please him. You will be pleased to learn that, as far as any of us know, the eggs are well. Keir is watching over them.”

My chest rumbled with relief as my eyes completed a very slow blink. My body was too sluggish to offer much more.

The corner of Elvira’s lip ticked up, precariously close to a smirk. “It’s rare that I have such a captive audience.” She seemed to settle in, her arms crossed over her middle. “I listened to enough men speak at me when I was alive and learned early on that conversation is highly overrated—not that what those men were seeking was a mutual exchange of ideas.” Elvira’s lips thinned and her face hardened. For a brief moment, her visage morphed into something grotesque and nightmarish before settling back into her femme fatale good looks. “I won’t discuss such things with you. What I will say is that Keir is different. He’s not like those men. Then again, he’s not really a man, not in the human sense of the word.”

Leaning toward me, Elvira shifted so she could look into one of my large eyes. “Don’t fuck with Keir. He’s been through enough. And before you huff and throw dirt my way again, know that I’ve seen the way you look at him. I know that look. I’ve seen it in a hundred pairs of eyes before. I’ve seen the want, the desire, the possessiveness… Those emotions have rarely been more than toxic. Prove me wrong, Lazarus. Prove me wrong or face my wrath. I promise you, by the time I’m finished with you, you’ll be little more than a freezing shell of snow and ice. I’ll suck every last drop of warmth from your body and leave your corpse to rot. Do I make myself clear?”

My nostrils snapped closed before a long tendril of smoke escaped with my exhale. I wasn’t certain what response Elvira wanted. I had no desire to harm Keir. In fact, my desires were as far from that thought as possible. And yet, we all knew intentions did not always equate to actions.

With a slow blink, I offered an even more sluggish nod. Even this brief interaction with Elvira sent a chill down my spine as her ghostly form sucked the warmth from the air.

“Excellent.” Elvira’s smile was all teeth and gums, her lips pulled back in a macabre mimic of a gesture meant to convey kindness. “Now, I think we can both agree that Keir has enough worry resting on his shoulders that we need not add another burden.”

The implication being that this conversation was such a burden.

“I’ll take my leave. Fair warning, Keir might ask me to check in on you again. As I said, he’s quite worried. Rest well, Lazarus, and rise when you’re ready to ease that burden and not add to it.”

Elvira disappeared, fading until I was alone in my magically carved out den. Was her warning merited? The harsh tones and menacing countenance told me Elvira thought so. What she didn’t know, what I couldn’t verbally state in this form, was that if I did injure Keir, then Elvira was free to do her worst. I doubt I’d even put up much of a fight.

While I’m sure Elvira wanted to elicit fear within me, she’d done just the opposite. In many ways, I was thankful Keir had someone—alive or dead—that cared that deeply about him, that was willing to defend and protect him. I only hoped one day I could prove to Elvira and all the others that my name could also be placed on that auspicious list.

I’m uncertain how long I was below ground, healing. Time lost meaning as I drifted in and out of awareness. True to her word, Elvira appeared at least two more times that I was aware of. She could have manifested more often. As deeply as I slumbered, I doubt I would have awoken if she chose to remain silent.

Regardless, Elvira’s visits were brief and pointed. She spoke no further threats. I had no idea what she told Keir regarding my physical appearance. I do know Elvira gave me a nod that seemed to hold a semblance of approval the last time I consciously saw her. She’d even offered a brief “at least you don’t look like roadkill anymore.”

I took that as a positive sign.

Clawing my way back to the surface took longer than I anticipated. It also sapped a lot of my precious reserves. Once again, I sent a mental thank-you to the magical barrier protecting the Magical Usage Compound. There was infinite peace of mind knowing Vidia’s eggs were safe. If required, in my current condition, I would be less than useless in a fight. I would be more burden than aid.

I emerged into the fading light of dusk. The dimmer light was welcome. Having spent so much time underground, my eyes were unused to the light and while the warmth of the sun’s rays on my scales would have been appreciated, the glare stabbing my eyes would not.

My claws raked the earth, pulling my body out. With a heavy exhale, I flopped sideways, rolling my body away from the giant hole in the earth. I was only vaguely aware that as soon as my tail cleared the opening the hole began closing. The protective magic certainly was efficient.

I rested there, catching my breath and allowing my heart to settle. The fresh air smelled delicious, the scent of a recent rain shower hovering on the edge of my senses. By the time I felt strong enough to shift into my humanoid form, the time had eased from dusk to full darkness. Stars littered the sky like glitter, the moon a sliver of its fuller glory.

My shift wasn’t as easy as usual, but it wasn’t painful either. More wearing than anything. Perhaps I should have stayed in my wyvern form longer and allowed my energy reserves to recharge. But I was impatient. I wanted to lay eyes on Vidia’s eggs. I wanted to also lay eyes on Keir. Elvira said both were doing well. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe her, but there was an innate need in all of us to see and touch those we cared for to make certain they were truly well.

Sitting on the ground, I allowed my humanoid senses time to adjust. Staring out at the landscape, I could see no trace of the trauma my fight with Verona and Axios left. The ground was smooth and covered in grass and wildflowers. A gentle breeze tickled the taller flowers, adding an easy sway to their bounty. The floral scent was just enough to be pleasant and not overwhelming.

With effort, I pushed myself up, standing on legs that were sturdier than I’d anticipated. I stared down at my body, my clothing long gone. My crimson scales were permanently imprinted on my humanoid skin. Those lines were now marred with thickened, white-and-pink raised skin. It didn’t hurt. In fact, that skin seemed to have less feeling than the tissue around it.