Page 61 of Gryphon’s Fire

Twenty-One

Keir

My gaze sharpened and all my senses were suddenly alert. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Lazarus had gone frighteningly still. I heard the crack of the phone casing and moved closer. It took both hands to pry the phone from his fingers.

A low, guttural growl filled Lazarus’s chest, expanding it and making him loom larger. Horns erupted from his forehead, twining and twisting back and away from his head. His scales rippled and Lazarus’s sapphire eyes turned bloody crimson. Smoke filled the room, the fire stoking that smoke warming the space as well.

“What’s happening?” Jima asked. I was thankful Jima sounded more concerned than frightened.

“I’m not sure, but I intend to find out.” Pushing the freed phone against my ear, I said, “Thalia, it’s Keir. What happened?”

“Verona. She’s alive and her whereabouts are currently unknown.” Thalia sounded beyond pissed. Anger, rage, and regret filled her words with toxic poison.

My mouth went dry and my heart skipped a few beats. Lazarus remained where he was. Fists clenched, Lazarus’s deadly claws elongated, forcing him to either release his grip or risk puncturing his leathery skin.

“H-how?” Jima’s wide, surprised eyes stared up at me as he spoke. His hearing was a lot better than mine. “I thought she was dead. How in the hell does something like that happen?” he asked with a mixture of horror and rage.

Thalia heard and answered, “With help.”

“Help?” Jima and asked in unison. “From another wyvern?” I asked. “Does Verona have more family that’s supporting her?” As far as I knew, Axios was still covered in an avalanche of snow and ice somewhere in the upper Northern Hemisphere.

“Family or friends. I’ve yet to find out who, exactly, is responsible for this atrocity. I ordered her execution and was informed the deed was done. It now seems that was a lie.” Thalia ground out. “It seems those protecting her were slaughtered, all but one left clinging to life long enough to say three words, ‘Verona. Alive. Gone,’ before she too perished. Had she not succumbed to her injuries, I would have ended her myself. I was betrayed.”

I gasped. I wished I could take it back, but I couldn’t. “Goddess. I’m sorry, I…” I wasn’t certain what to say. I knew the harsh pain of betrayal. It rooted deep and dug into every crevice of your heart and soul. I also knew that words alone would not heal such a wound.

Fixating on past betrayals wouldn’t help us now. The deed was done. We needed to focus on the future. “Has she been seen? Does anyone know where she is, where she would go?” I wanted to ask Lazarus, but he didn’t seem to be in any condition to comprehend the question, let alone offer up an answer.

Before I could ask anything else, Thalia said, “We’re still investigating what happened or, more to the point, how it happened. I’m sorry, but I don’t have all the answers. I don’t even have part of the answers. I contacted you as soon as I found out. I know you’re no longer in Minnesota, that you’re in Europe and⁠—”

“The girls are fine,” I felt it necessary to say. “They’ll be fine as long as they’re kept behind the barrier. I’ll contact Martin and let him know so they can be on the lookout.”

“A wise decision,” Thalia answered. A long sigh filled the air. I couldn’t imagine how much it cost Thalia to inform us. “I promise I will get to the bottom of this.”

Lazarus was still frighteningly stiff when he managed to grind out a single word. “Axios.”

Thalia’s deep inhale didn’t offer a lot of comfort. “I can send someone to check, but it will be several hours before a wyvern with cold affinity can be summoned and travel across the Atlantic.”

I considered the situation. “I’m not certain we have that long.” Verona being free didn’t automatically mean Axios was as well. I thought we’d all feel a lot better knowing for certain.

“I understand, but it simply isn’t possible to get someone there sooner.”

I shook my head, and Jima and I shared a knowing look. His slight nod was all I needed. “Maybe a wyvern can’t, but a will-o’-the-wisp can.” I didn’t wait for Thalia to answer. Instead, I gave a brief farewell, ended the call, and immediately called Martin. Despite the time difference, Grayson answered on the first ring. I wasn’t necessarily surprised he’d answered Martin’s phone.

“Hey, Keir. Martin’s spending some time in his oak form. You need me to ask him to change?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“On it.” I heard some shuffling and murmured voices before Martin got on the phone.

I’d expected Martin to immediately question why I was calling. Instead, he said, “Jima better be with you and he better be fine. Henry found the note late last night.” Martin didn’t sound pleased. “The little shit kept it from us. Elvira happened to find him rereading it.”

Sounded like a Henry move. Goddess help us when it came to Vi and Blu. Henry would more likely be an accomplice than adult supervision.

“I’m fine,” Jima offered, leaning toward the phone so he could be heard better.

A low, unusual grumble echoed across the phone. “Jima, you can’t just⁠—”

“He’s fine,” I heard Grayson admonish. “Let it go.”