Chapter 31 #4
“Vidia’s loss was very difficult on Lazarus.
He wasn’t so much chosen to follow Verona, but volunteered,” Thalia answered with a well of empathy.
Keeping one hand on her cane, Thalia raised the other and waved it in the air around her.
“I can see no safer place for her offspring. They will be well protected here and well nurtured. Wyvern do not have much of a hold within the Western Hemisphere. Perhaps it is time to change that. Vidia’s offspring seem the perfect choice.
And if later, when they are older, they wish to return to Europe, then they shall be welcomed with open arms.”
“Hot damn. I did not expect that,” Henry stated.
“Me either,” I agreed.
Keir didn’t look so certain. “It’s not right to make Lazarus stay, not when he no longer has to keep a watchful eye on Verona. He should be able to move back to his home and—”
Lazarus huffed out a dark black cloud of smoke, his crimson gaze narrowed.
“I believe Lazarus has spoken,” Thalia confidently said.
“You can understand him too?” Jima asked.
Thalia shrugged. “Not in so many words and not in the same way I can communicate with the infants in the eggs. But I believe Lazarus has made his wishes plain for all to see.”
I wasn’t so certain, but I also wasn’t an expert in reading wyvern body language. I’d happily take Thalia’s word on this one.
“I… I hardly know what to say,” Keir finally managed. Walking to the eggs, Keir crouched down, a hand on each one as he asked, “Is this really what you want? I’m happy to have you, but don’t you want to return to your home?”
Thalia closed her eyes again, a small hum slipping through her lips. “They are home. You have given them that. You should feel proud and honored, gryphon. It is no small thing to be granted stewardship over wyvern young.”
“I do,” Keir quickly answered. “I’m simply questioning if I’m the right choice.”
Thalia moved closer, placing her hand on Keir’s shoulder. “Do you care for them?”
“Of course,” Keir answered, not a shred of doubt to be found. “I would do anything to keep them safe.”
Head bent and eyes trained on the eggs, Keir missed Thalia’s knowing smile.
“Then I can think of no better place for them. Vidia’s offspring are proving to be excellent judges of character.
They will make formidable wyvern one day.
I believe Vidia’s soul might be able to find rest now, knowing that her young have found another that will love them as their own. ”
Martin’s sigh ruffled my hair, drawing my attention. Puzzled, I went up on tiptoes, whispering into his ear, “What’s wrong?” Honestly, this was working out much better than I imagined.
Eyebrows raised, the exasperated look in Martin’s eyes made me think I was missing something. “Do you have any idea how much trouble wyvern young are going to be?”
“Trouble?”
Henry slapped his thigh and cackled. “Martin’s right. And he thought raising Hikaru was rough. Just wait till those little fellas are burpin’ fire and burnin’ shit to the ground.”
“Oh.” My eyes widened. “I hadn’t really considered that. Fire, huh?”
“A decent guess on Henry’s part,” Martin answered, “considering Lazarus is their uncle. I suppose time will tell.”
I wrinkled my nose, the scent of Verona and Axios’s acid still strong. “I just hope they aren’t the acid-producing kind.”
“You ain’t the only one,” Henry agreed.
Martin’s body stiffened, and I felt him attempt to pull away.
Yanking on our clasped hands, I asked, “What’s wrong?
I mean, besides worrying about what will happen after the eggs hatch.
” I tilted my head, considering that question.
“Do we even know when they’ll hatch?” Were we talking days? Weeks? Months? Years? Centuries?
Clearing his throat, Martin pointedly turned his head away from me. “Does it truly matter to you when they do?”
I shrugged, making Henry grumble before scurrying off my shoulder and heading for Jima. “Not really. It would just be nice to know what to expect and when.”
Kicking a chunk of upturned earth, Martin still wouldn’t look at me.
“Will you even be here when they do hatch?” His voice sounded far away and full of pain.
“I mean, you’ve already found a lot of Huxley’s treasures.
There’s probably more, but eventually, you’ll find them all.
You probably don’t even need an anchor any longer and since we’re no longer connected and—”
“Shh.” I threw my whole hand over Martin’s mouth, stopping his endless stream of babbling nonsense.
Head twisted and gaze firmly fixed on the ground, Martin stubbornly avoided eye contact.
My eyes squinted, my brows pulled down so tight it hurt.
Maybe Martin wouldn’t look at me, but I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
Without a backward glance over my shoulder, I said, “Martin and I are leaving. Don’t bother us unless it’s a matter of life and death and even then, keep out.
“Come on,” I ordered Martin. “And don’t fuckin’ open your mouth until I tell you to.
” Tugging on his hand, I didn’t wait for permission.
As far as I was concerned, the issue with the wyvern was handled.
Only the details needed to be hammered out, and neither Martin nor I was needed for that.
One of the others could fill us in later.
We probably looked ridiculous with my petite form dragging Martin’s larger one behind me. I didn’t give a shit. I tugged and cajoled Martin back to the open hole leading to his birth soil, the sounds of Henry’s gleeful catcalls and hollered “go get ’em” following us down into the deep.