Chapter 13 #2
Feo spun around, searching to identify the threat—or the intruder—but they were still alone here. “What the hells was that?”
“I haven’t the faintest,” Wylan muttered, striding instead for the windows.
He smoothed his shirt, ran a hand through his hair as he peered at the courtyard beyond.
Feo joined him, and they both stared at the shards of stone littering the cobblestone outside.
Wylan frowned, his chest heaving just a bit as he regained control. “Um. A slate roof tile…?”
“Looks that way,” Feo replied, trying to wrench their brain back into normalcy.
What a kiss.
It wasn’t a one-off, either. Feo could have a kiss like that again, and again, and again—anytime they wanted.
It was intoxicating to realize, and elation filled every corner of their body.
They couldn’t resist reaching for Wylan’s hand, and it was even more thrilling when Wylan easily intertwined their fingers.
Wylan, meanwhile, seemed to have more control over the situation. He squinted up, but the angle was wrong. “Those shouldn’t just… fall off.”
At that moment, a piercing griffon’s screech echoed—followed by another screech, and a young dragon’s roar.
Feo and Wylan exchanged alarmed glances.
“Kappenicus,” Feo said, at the same time Wylan clarified, “Quinn.”
With mutual haste, they sprinted for the door.
Sure enough, there was a dragon on the roof.
Feo shouldn’t have been surprised, but somehow, they still were.
They’d seen the chaos around their cottage, but just assumed Kappenicus had been chasing out Visk or something similar—not that a dragon had been poking around.
In hindsight, seeing Quinn on the back of the dragon, everything clicked into place.
It hadn’t been Reyna stealing their journal at all. Her daughter must have infiltrated their cottage and stolen the pages.
Feo wasn’t sure if that was better or worse, somehow.
The dragon was likely Blue Spruce, since hatched earlier, and thus was a bit larger than Gold Coin and Pill Bug, the others of its clutch.
Quinn, the child, balanced on its back as if she’d always belonged there, her eyes turned towards the sky.
Overhead, Kappenicus was screeching at the dragon, and Ponder was flitting about, screeching at Kappenicus.
Blue Spruce roared again, and Quinn cupped her hands and shouted, “Kappy, it’s okay! We’re s’posed to be here!”
Feo’s poor griffon did not seem to approve of that—but he also didn’t seem to want to upset Ponder. He clacked his beak angrily and swooped to the ground once he saw Feo. His wings shed feathers as he slammed onto the cobblestone and chittered to get Feo’s attention.
“I see them,” Feo assured the griffon. “I know. It’s okay.”
Kappenicus folded his wings resolutely, his golden eyes communicating very clearly that it was not okay, in fact, and there was a dragon on the roof.
Wylan, meanwhile, had held up his hands to get Quinn’s attention. “Ah, Quinn. It’s Uncle Wylan. By chance, do your mothers know where you are?” A hint of desperation filtered into his voice. For a normal, non-magical human, a child so high off the ground would be a cause for extreme concern.
Feo had a bit more experience with mythical creatures, and could tell that nothing at all would cause Quinn to fall off Blue Spruce—even if she tried, the dragon was obviously very attuned to her on its back.
Despite the awkward angle of the roof, the dragon spread its wings for balance, tilting its head in an almost uncomfortable way so Quinn could keep a hold of its neck.
This wasn’t at all how Feo imagined celebrating their new relationship—and somehow, it was exactly what they should have expected. They laughed, which caused Wylan to glance at them in equal alarm.
“What’s so funny? Is she slipping?” Wylan demanded in a panic.
“No, but this is so typical.” Feo slipped on Kappenicus’s back and said, “Take me up there. I’ll deal with Ponder.”
The griffon huffed and dutifully spread his wings, and a breathless moment later, Feo was perched on the manor’s ridgeline.
Overhead, Ponder screeched again, and it became immediately apparent that Ponder was dissatisfied with Blue Spruce, not Kappenicus.
She kept soaring close to Spruce’s head, causing the dragon to grumble and Quinn to squeal in amusement.
Ponder liked order, if nothing else. Which was highly ironic, considering how much chaos she caused.
Feo told the young griffon, “I’ll handle this. You’re just confusing everyone, and you’re upsetting Kappenicus.”
For emphasis, their griffon folded their wings and whistled.
Ponder landed resolutely on one of the nearby dormers, glaring hard at Blue Spruce.
Finally regaining control, Feo turned to the dragon and child. “Quinn. Why are you on the roof?”
“Mum told me to leave the letters,” she replied as honest as anything, grinning wide.
It’s almost her birthday, Feo thought, drawing a deep breath. Can’t get mad at a child right before her birthday. Her mother, though…
They refocused. “Leaving copied pages is one, specific instance. After that instance, weren’t you supposed to have left? Your mothers are probably expecting you at home.”
Reyna would never have told her daughter to eavesdrop after that, knowing that Feo and Wylan would likely make up and reconnect. Feo’s cheeks burned, thinking of their kiss—and how very far they might have gone if Quinn hadn’t interrupted.
Sure enough, Quinn hung her head. “Um. They… they told me to stay.”
A blatant lie. She wasn’t great at it, yet.
“Did they?” Feo pressed.
Quinn squirmed on the dragon’s back. “Maybe.”
On the ground, Wylan was crossing his arms, still clearly nervous at the height. Kappenicus fluffed his feathers and chittered disapproval. On the nearby dormer, Ponder lifted her beak to the sky, as if Blue Spruce was no longer worth her time.
Feo sighed. “Come on, Quinn. Back to the ground. I’ll take you home.”
“Sprucie can—”
“Quinn. Now, please.”
The five-year-old heaved a horrible sigh and grumbled under her breath, but nudged Blue Spruce to the ground.
The dragon spread massive wings and floated down there, apparently oblivious to the horses in Wylan’s stable huffing in fear.
Feo and Kappenicus followed them down, and Feo sent their griffon back into the sky.
Blue Spruce let Quinn slide off, then huffed near her ear. She giggled and hugged its snout. “No, you did good! Tiles just fall, sometimes.” She kissed its forehead and pushed it. “See you tomorrow!”
The dragon glanced at the two adults, then the griffons in the sky, then spread its wings and lumbered off in a gust of wind. Ponder took flight, too, escorting it home. They didn’t make it very far before the pair were playing a game of tag, high above the ground.
Quinn hung her head, looking at Feo and Wylan. “Sorry.” She didn’t elaborate, and neither of them asked.
Wylan just scrubbed his face, offering a wry smile. “It’s okay, kiddo. But sometimes, adults need space. And whatever your Mum tells you, spying is wrong.”
“Wrong?” Quinn repeated in obvious disbelief.
Feo rolled their eyes, elbowing Wylan. “Don’t bother with an ethical study. I’ve tried before.” They clapped their hands together. “Come on, Quinn. Back to town.” Their gaze fell to Wylan, and they added slyly, “And maybe we’ll stop by the tavern on the way home, huh?”
Wylan grinned. “Mmm. We’ll see.”
Arm in arm, with Quinn running ahead, they strolled to New Leaf Tomes and Tea.