Chapter 20
Twenty
Martin
It was raining, the wetness welcome. Trees didn’t mind the rain. Water was life. Without it, my birth soil would perish and so would I. Moderation was the key. Sun and water, both essential to life. Too much of one and too little of the other led to death. Gaia truly was an amazing goddess.
Steady rain beat down on my spread canopy.
Gray’s wisp form didn’t seem to mind the rain either.
I noted the drops passed through him, hitting my bark.
I wasn’t certain if Gray was truly asleep in his wisp form.
I’d tried speaking with him earlier and only gotten a somewhat incoherent hum in response.
That might have bothered me if Gray’s spark of magic hadn’t been filled with such immense contentment.
The wind rustled my leaves, but it was a mild shimmy. The day wasn’t filled with storms, but the constant, steady rain that kept the clouds low and the air humid.
I was and wasn’t surprised when Keir entered through the door leading to my small bit of heaven. Raindrops splattered down on him and Keir simply lifted his head, turning his face into Gaia’s natural shower and releasing a heavy sigh that seemed to come from deep within his toes.
“I always enjoy coming to see you, Martin. I’ve often wished there were more areas within the compound like this, where one might easily enjoy nature’s bounty.
Perhaps, if we survive the coming days, we might look into altering the compound somewhat.
If there still is a compound to retrofit when the wyvern finish with us. ”
While I couldn’t directly communicate with Keir in this form, I could move my branches.
Doing just that, I allowed a few of my leaves to rake across his cheek.
Keir leaned into the touch, cupping my leaves with his thick hand.
“Thank you, Martin. You’ve always been a steady, reliable presence.
I mean that as a compliment. There is something to be said for personalities like Hikaru.
While I love the kitsune dearly and wouldn’t ask him to change for the world, those more temperamental individuals are balanced by individuals like you. ”
I didn’t exactly preen at the compliment, but it did fill me with a sense of pride. I knew many considered me boring, but Keir was right. Constant and steady weren’t bad traits.
Moving closer to my trunk, Keir leaned a shoulder against me, settling in as the rain continued to dampen his body and clothing.
“Don’t transform. We’re fine like this.” Tilting his head, Keir stared up into my canopy, a pleased grin lifting his lips.
“It looks like Grayson has settled in well. I’m happy for you, my friend.
” Keir gently patted my bark. “I would not have bet on this particular pairing, but that does not lessen my joy.”
Turning, Keir’s back pressed against my bark as his body slid down, now crouched on the ground and heavily leaning into me.
“I keep thinking that perhaps it was a mistake to contact Lazarus—to contact any wyvern. They were clearly unaware of the eggs. I could have done nothing. I could have kept quiet and kept the eggs safe. From what I understand, wyvern eggs can stay dormant for decades, centuries even. They require a steady source of warmth, but beyond that, little else. It is a small miracle they didn’t perish shortly after Alethia did, when her fireplace went dark and cold. ”
Using the same branch as earlier, I shook it back and forth in the negative. Keeping the eggs a secret wasn’t something Keir could do. It wasn’t something any of us could do.
“I know,” Keir answered, reaching out and stilling my shaking leaves.
“I could not have lived with the knowledge. One way or another, these wyvern eggs seem hell-bent on killing me. Either I die quickly returning them to their family or I die slowly by keeping the knowledge of their existence a secret. I suppose I picked the faster route. I simply hope I haven’t condemned the rest of you in the process. ”
Keir became quiet as his body soaked in the rain.
The patch of soil he sat within had to be muddy.
Keir didn’t seem to mind. Head tilted, he stared once more up into my canopy.
“It’ll be a few days. That’s what I came here to tell you.
It will be a few days before Thalia arrives.
Lazarus informed me that Thalia lives in Eastern Europe and can no longer make the journey to North America in her wyvern form.
They are in the process of moving her to the nearest airport.
A private jet will deliver our savior or condemner.
“The waiting is torture. I asked Lazarus if Verona Perez could be contacted. She’s closer—in South America—and younger as well.
My understanding is that all female wyvern can speak with eggs.
” Keir let loose a mirthless chuckle. “Lazarus shot that idea down quickly. Seems there might be some bad blood between the two of them. Lazarus didn’t go into detail, but the amount of smoke he let loose when speaking Verona’s name was telling. And so, we wait.”
Keir lightly tapped the back of his head against my trunk.
I got the feeling he would have hit his head harder if not for concern of harming me.
“I hate waiting,” Keir reiterated. “I feel like that’s all I do anymore.
Sit around and wait for bad news.” Keir flinched.
“I’m sorry, Martin. I don’t mean to be so maudlin.
I just… It’s been a rough past few months, and I have no idea if my actions are making things worse or better. ”
I wanted to transform and wrap Keir in my arms, but that’s not what he needed. Keir had come to me knowing I was in my dryad form. This was what he needed, to speak his worries without verbal response. Keir needed to unload this burden so he could pick up and handle others.
I felt Gray awaken, his concern floating through our connection. I mentally sent back, “He needs this,” and felt Gray settle, though the concern was still present.
The silence extended until Keir softly said, “While we wait, I’d like for you and Grayson to keep searching the compound.
It might be for naught. If the wyvern eggs condemn us, then chances are there won’t be a compound to search.
However, I can think of no better way to spend the time.
Henry tells me there are a few more buzzweeds he knows the location of.
I suspicion there are more he’s never come across.
From what Holland tells me, we need to find all of them. We can’t leave a single one behind.”
I felt Gray’s swoop of anxiety and sent him back all the reassurance I could muster.
“Goddess only knows what else you’ll find.
I still can’t believe how badly I misjudged Huxley, how much of his actions I dismissed or ignored.
I… Do I have other blind spots, Martin?” Keir released another deep breath, a catch on the end of this one.
“I think we all knew there was something wrong, deep down in here.” Keir tapped his chest. “We just didn’t want to examine that feeling too much.
It was easier to turn away, to look the other direction.
It was easier to assume things were fine than dig deeper into our unease.
I promise you this, Martin, if we survive the coming days, I will never allow such a thing to happen again.
I will be vigilant. I will harden my heart and allow suspicion to reign.
I will do this to protect us all so that those we love and care for will never have to suffer this kind of betrayal again. ”
Sadness overwhelmed not only me, but Gray as well. No one should be required to live such a life, and yet Keir was placing himself on the sacrificial alter. Not for himself, but for the rest of us. No matter what Keir had said earlier, he seemed determined to die slowly.
With less weight on his chest and mind, Keir relaxed and soon fell into a light slumber. The rain continued falling. I would have attempted to shield him, but Keir liked the rain. He was content and I would do everything in my power to protect this fragile moment of peace.
“I hate their song,” Gray said, his hands and arms alight with blue flames. “Now that I know what’s creating that song, I hate it even more.”
We were on the hunt for more buzzweeds. Henry was confident he’d rediscovered all the ones he could remember previously coming across.
That meant whatever was left, it was up to Gray to find.
There were still a lot of treasures singing their siren songs.
Gray didn’t always find buzzweeds. He’d found several other objects as well.
One was a treasure trove of Huxley’s past journals.
Keir had discovered some, but these were both older and more recent.
Their placement and time frame made no sense to me, but then again, I was beginning to believe that understanding Tenzen Huxley’s reasons for doing things was more curse than blessing.
To be honest, I didn’t want to know how his mind worked.
Gray had also found several items treasured by those we’d lost. He’d found jewelry, love notes, favored weapons, and little knickknacks that had value to the one who’d hidden the item but had little bearing on the council itself.
In some ways, these finds were emotionally more difficult than the nasty things Huxley hid.
They were little pieces of my friends—little reminders of the individuals they’d been and how deeply we all felt their loss.
Keir intended to return some of the items to their family members.
He wanted to wait until the wyvern issue was resolved.