Chapter 25
Twenty-Five
Martin
I’d rarely heard that ringtone on my phone.
It was the one that meant danger. It was the tone I’d programmed into my phone long ago and hoped to never hear.
The last time it sang its hated melody was the day Huxley attacked.
Strangely, it was Huxley himself that had recommended the number with the threatening sound attached.
During a truly dire situation, there was a chance Elvira couldn’t be spared to come and get me.
When I was in my tree form, if I heard that sound, I knew there was trouble and that I was needed.
I should have changed the melody. On a long list of objectives, that one had somehow fallen through the cracks. I regretted that lack of foresight now.
Quickly reforming into my humanoid body, my gaze traveled around my courtyard, looking for a presence I already knew was missing.
Gray wasn’t there. He wasn’t anywhere close.
I remembered him telling me he was unable to settle and that he was going for a walk.
I’d asked if he wanted company and he’d lovingly patted my trunk and told me to stay, that I needed to recharge and relax and that he would be fine.
Examining the piece of his magic I held, I could tell that Gray was indeed fine. He was content and there was no fear or trepidation. Whatever was going on, thankfully, didn’t involve him. At least, not yet.
I grabbed my phone just as that horrid tone sounded again. Quickly hitting the accept button, I was unable to get out the slightest greeting before Keir said, “I need you. My quarters.” And promptly ended the call.
Pocketing my phone, I barely noticed Gray’s phone sitting on the side table.
He’d left it behind. It was strange how we could mentally communicate in our other forms, but not when we were humanoid.
If lack of communicative abilities kept him away from whatever was taking place, then I’d be thankful he’d left it behind.
Racing from my rooms, I took off for Keir’s. Nearly to the door I almost ran into a breathless Tabitha. “Jima and Elvira are already inside,” Tabitha said before she grabbed the doorhandle and pushed into Keir’s space. Neither of us bothered with knocking.
“What’s going on?” Tabitha asked before I could.
Tension filled the stuffy room. Lazarus stood, somehow managing to loom over Keir and the wyvern eggs at the same time.
Jima stood by the edge of the couch, twisting his fingers together while his feet shifted uneasily.
Elvira was a stoic presence, her form nearly solid.
Tabitha must be feeding magic into her. That was rarely a good sign.
Keir waved us in. The eggs were safely tucked into their makeshift nest. They appeared safe enough.
I’d been afraid something had happened to them.
Maybe Helios had returned and decided he wanted to see what kind of pets wyvern made.
I was relieved Helios was nowhere to be seen, although I’d heard that didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t nearby.
“Verona is here,” Lazarus answered instead of Keir.
I blinked while absorbing that bit of information. It took a few seconds before my scattered brain matched that name with something meaningful. “She’s back?”
“Why is that a bad thing?” Jima asked, evidently not aware of Verona’s earlier visit.
Smoke huffed from Lazarus’s nose. “Verona is…reactive.”
“Reactive?” My gaze ping-ponged between Lazarus and Keir. “That’s what we’re calling her?”
“Perhaps I should have said that Verona is volatile,” Lazarus amended.
I couldn’t exactly place the look on Keir’s face. It seemed stuck somewhere between bitter acceptance and rage. “Lazarus, could you please explain Verona’s reason for banging on our doorstep?” Another mini-earthquake shook the compound, forcing me to add, “An abbreviated version.”
“I will endeavor to make the telling short.” I’ll give Lazarus this, he did indeed manage to shorten the tale. In the end, he was very succinct.
During the telling, Keir sat, leaning forward and running his fingers along the edge of one of the eggs.
Most likely it was my imagination, but I swear I saw the egg pulse or maybe flare with light.
I would have dismissed it if Lazarus hadn’t deeply inhaled, his body tightening with something that appeared vaguely like pleasure.
Considering Lazarus nearly lost his shit when anyone else came close to the eggs, it was interesting he seemed to have no problem with Keir’s attentions.
Tabitha shuffled in a little closer. At some point, Elvira had moved across the room and now stood next to her medium. “Then Verona knowing about the eggs is not adventitious.”
“You are unfortunately correct,” Lazarus answered.
Jima’s eyes were fixed on the wyvern eggs. I knew the moment he figured out the rest of the story. “And those eggs? What happened to them?”
When Lazarus’s gaze fell on the eggs on the table, Jima let loose a sad whine. “They disappeared. Verona swore she didn’t know what happened to them. Most assumed that in Verona’s desperate mental state, she’d unintentionally harmed them as well. But now…now I know different.”
“Goddess,” Jima reverently whispered. “To think those are the missing eggs.”
Lazarus gave a faint nod. “It is a welcome truth.”
“And now she wants them back,” I whispered, uncertain the words were truly spoken aloud until Tabitha answered, “It would appear so.”
Flopping down into a nearby chair, Jima placed his elbows on his knees, cradling his chin in his hands. “So, how screwed are we?”
Lazarus snarled, “I will not allow Verona to touch those eggs.” He pointed a taloned finger at the eggs for emphasis.
“They were never hers, and they shall not be hers now. One does not get to profit from the murder of another, especially when that individual was responsible for that heinous act. While it is tragic that Verona cannot birth viable eggs, that does not condone murder and kidnapping.”
I couldn’t agree more. Still, we had an obvious problem on our hands. “How soon will she get here?” My question was answered when the room vibrated, as if the ground above had been hit by a heavy weight.
Jima yelped but somehow remained in his humanoid form. Tabitha’s fingers grew taut and Elvira drew in that much closer. My own heart hammered as a spike of fear flashed through me. When I turned my attention to Keir, his gaze was toward the ceiling.
“She’ll rip through any and every structure to get to the eggs,” Lazarus said a little too calmly for my liking.
My eyes were now on the ceiling too. “Can you take her out?” I asked. I didn’t like the quiet pause that followed.
“We are evenly matched,” Lazarus finally answered. “I am uncertain if Verona’s desperate state of mind will act in my favor or against it. She will be driven by instinct, not logic. That will lend her more strength but less tactical thinking.”
While I could appreciate the honesty, what I’d really wanted to hear was that he was going to kick Verona’s ass, no problem.
A second boom sounded from above, this one louder and with more force. Lazarus’s eyes widened, his words barely audible when he whispered, “The fool.”
Keir’s silence abated as he looked up at Lazarus and asked, “Who?”
“Axios.” The name was ground out, barely a growl. “Verona is not alone.”
“Shit,” Jima and I said as one.
My heart slammed within my chest, pounding hard enough to hurt.
I could now feel the answering panic within Gray’s magic.
I could vaguely feel where he was and that he was moving closer by the second.
Originally, I’d been relieved he was far away.
Now, I wanted him closer. I was desperate to hold him in my arms, to try and protect him as best I could.
“How long until Thalia gets here?” Tabitha asked. “Will she be alone or is she traveling with others?”
“There will be others with her,” Lazarus answered.
“Thalia is one of our few ancients. Her knowledge and wisdom are too valued to risk her traveling alone. As to when she is expected”—Lazarus checked the time and winced—“not for another three hours. Verona is smart to attack now before the others get here. Verona has always been deviously clever.”
“Can you hold them off long enough for the others to get here?” I asked.
Keir stood, rolling his shoulders. “We’ll hold them off,” he answered.
“You will do no such thing,” Lazarus immediately said, voice stern.
“I most certainly will,” Keir argued. “This is my home. These are my friends and family, and I will defend them as best I can.” Keir pulled himself to his full height. Even still, he had to look up to stare Lazarus in the eyes.
Lazarus’s tone softened as he rested his hands on Keir’s shoulders. “I need you to stay with the eggs.”
Naturally, Keir balked. “I can protect the eggs by fighting alongside you.”
But Lazarus just shook his head. “You cannot. While gryphons are truly mighty warriors, you would not stand a chance against Verona and Axios. Your body, as strong as it is, is not made to withstand their acid.”
“I—”
“Please, Keir. This is no small thing I ask. Should I fail, you will be the final defense against Verona. Run. Hide. Do not fight her or Axios. Protect yourself and the eggs. Knowing you are here, that I am leaving the eggs in such formidable hands will allow me to concentrate on the fight at hand. Please. Do this for me.”
Keir’s hesitance was clear, the conflict a physical pain.
“He will not be alone, Keir,” Elvira said, her form beginning to dissipate. “The dead do not appreciate being disturbed.” Elvira disappeared with those parting words. When I looked to Tabitha, I could see her eyes were now ebony black.
The room shook again. This time, I swear I heard something that sounded like thunder rumble through the compound.
Jima grabbed his seat cushions before finally losing the battle with his ferret side and shifting.
I couldn’t blame him. As for me, branches sprouted from my fingers, winding their way around a nearby piece of furniture, anchoring me.
“Go,” Tabitha said. “I will give you what aid I can.” The air stirred around Tabitha, an icy chill sweeping through the room. “Elvira is correct. The dead are displeased and more than willing to lend a hand.”
The compound shook again, and I tightened my branches. Gray was close and moving closer by the minute.
“Help me move the table closer to the fire,” Keir said, voice stern but otherwise devoid of emotion. “It’s only going to get colder in here with Tabitha pulling the warmth from the room. The eggs need heat.”
I moved, lifting and moving the table while Keir cradled the eggs in his arms. The fire whistled and flickered as air drafts moved through the chimney. Once the table was settled, Keir placed the eggs back into their nest.
We’d barely gotten the eggs settled when Gray burst through the door. Gray’s eyes frantically searched the room as he ran straight for me, slamming into my chest with an “oomph.” I vaguely heard Henry mutter a curse before he was tossed from Gray’s body to mine.
“What’s going on?” Gray asked, his voice muffled against my chest. The compound shook even harder this time.
Wrapping my branches around Gray, I held him close.
I checked on Tabitha only to see that her feet were no longer on the ground.
She hovered just above it, head thrown back and wind holding her aloft.
Intentional or not, Tabitha was leaching all the warmth from the room.
That was decidedly not a good thing for our wyvern eggs, and I was glad Keir had thought to move them closer to the fire.
“Verona’s back,” I finally answered. “And it looks like she brought her brother along as well.”
“Shit. How long until Thalia arrives?”
“Too long,” Keir answered.
Gray chewed on his lip as another thundering crash shook the compound. This deep underground, it was impossible to hear what, exactly, was going on above us. “Two against one. I don’t like those odds.”
“Elvira’s helping,” I said, unsure if I was attempting to ease Gray’s worries or my own. Never in my life had I felt so incredibly useless. I was a dryad. I was no less impervious to fire and acid as anyone else in this room.
Gray’s eyes traveled heavenward, staring at a ceiling and at least three floors between ourselves and the wyvern above. “Can we call Thalia? See if there’s any way she can get here sooner?”
“She’s on an airplane,” Keir answered. “I’m not sure that will help.”
“But she’s not traveling alone.” My frantic gaze fell on Keir’s body, searching for his phone. “Lazarus said as much. If she’s got guards, I can’t imagine they’re as old and frail as Thalia. I’ll bet you they can fly.”
Keir’s deep brown eyes lit up. “It’s worth a try.” Snagging his phone, Keir pulled up a number and hit send. My eavesdropping was interrupted when Gray grabbed ahold of my face, pulling my attention to him. “Even if that works, it’ll still take time. Time we might not have.”
It wasn’t that I disagreed, I simply didn’t know what else we could do and said as much. Unfortunately, Gray had other ideas. “I’m a will-o’-the-wisp,” Gray needlessly pointed out.
“I’m aware. I don’t see what that has to do with—”
“What are we best at?” Gray cocked his head to the side. “What is it everyone fears we can do or will do to them?”
I started to blurt out the word, treasure, but swallowed it down just as quickly. That wasn’t what Gray was talking about. I knew that down to my very core. What I also knew was that I didn’t like what he was implying. “No,” I flatly said. “You are not going out there.”
Gray’s face softened into a sad smile. “Oh, honey, you don’t get to decide that for me.
” When I started to protest, Gray placed his finger over my lips, silencing me.
“I know, and I understand. But even if I can draw one of them away, it will give Lazarus more of a fighting chance.” Gray gave me a saucy wink as he pulled away.
I wanted to wrap my branches around him, hold him tight and never let him go. My branches refused to grow.
“I need you to anchor me, Martin. Call me back and don’t let me go. Do you understand? I need you to be you, to be the strong, steady oak dryad I love. Can you do that for me?”
I could. And I would. “Whatever you need,” I answered, voice raspy.
“Thank you.” Gray stood on tiptoes, pressing his lips to my cheek before cool, blue flames filled my vision.
Gray’s wisp form slipped through my arms, heading skyward and toward the ceiling.
I heard treasure’s call, begging him to turn around and find it.
Treasure wasn’t what Gray needed right now.
He needed clarity and focus. I could give that to him.
Pushing every song away, I watched Gray’s wisp form sharpen before it disappeared, heading skyward, away from me and toward danger.