Page 20 of Gryphon’s Fire

Keir turned and lightly smacked my chest. “Obviously not. What I’m saying is⁠—”

“I know exactly what you are saying or at least trying to say,” I answered while wrapping my arms around Keir and pulling him against my chest. Keir was stiff at first but soon relaxed. His heavy exhale brought his alluring scent to my nose and I breathed him in.

“This isn’t your battle,” Keir continued protesting, though his tone was softer and lacked resolve. “My mother is dead, Lazarus. How… I didn’t get to say goodbye. I wasn’t able to apologize or explain why I left.”

“She knew,” I confidently answered. “Your mother told Eldon to come to you. She knew he would be safe here, that you would keep him safe. I suspect she also sent Eldon here so you would be aware of your sister’s current predicament. Your mother trusted you with her children. She trusted you to keep them safe, which is exactly what we are going to do.”

“But the council and Vidia’s eggs—you can’t just leave them, especially when they are so close to hatching.”

“We have time,” I reassured while stroking my claws through Keir’s hair.

Keir was silent for a moment before he said, “He’ll come for Eldon first, won’t he?”

“He will,” I agreed. “Jaakobah’s put too much time and energy into Eldon, and your sister is still young. I suspect the situation will be even more precarious now. Jaakobah and your father killed your mother. That is no small thing, especially knowing the family she came from.”

“Mother has—had—a prominent lineage of her own. I don’t know how Father and Jaakobah will explain this to her family.” Keir pulled out of my hold and began pacing the room. He appeared tired but determined. I could see the wheels of his mind working the problem. “I can reach out to Mother’s side of the family. I haven’t had a lot of communication with them, but they’ve never actively shunned me as my flight did.”

I bristled at the thought of Keir’s pain. I wanted to wallow in it and allow that pain to fuel my own anger. That was the tempting path. It was also a foolish one. Eldon wasn’t the only individual within this room that needed time to heal. I was better, but nowhere near full strength.

Keir stopped pacing long enough to look at me and say, “We need more information. We need to understand the current situation and atmosphere. Going up against Jaakobah won’t be easy and if he still has the rest of my flight supporting him, then that will be even more difficult. I don’t want more bloodshed, but I will not allow Phina to become yet another victim. Jaakobah has harmed enough members of my flight and family.”

“I can contact Thalia and ask her what she might know. Wyvern tend to keep to themselves but that doesn’t mean they ignore what is going on within surrounding communities. If Thalia doesn’t know, then I’m sure she’d be willing to reach out to others.”

“Thank you. I’d appreciate any help we can get,” Keir answered as he turned and stared at Vidia’s eggs. Closing the distance, I stood by his side, our shoulders brushing. “They really are beautiful,” Keir said, an appropriate amount of respectful awe in his tone. “I hope I don’t have to leave them, but I can’t guarantee it. Chances are I’ll need to go to Europe.”

“We will cross that proverbial bridge when we come to it.” I shifted a little closer and was eased when Keir’s heartrate slowed. “Worst-case scenario, we can contact Fairy. Jaakobah’s actions would certainly fit under their purview.”

Keir shuddered. “Only as a last resort. If we involve Fairy, chances are they will liquefy my flight. I don’t… I have to think some of them can be saved. I have to hope not everyone who remains has been brainwashed. They might just be too scared to speak up. If what Eldon said is true, then they’ve seen what happens to those with dissenting opinions.”

Easing behind Keir, I wrapped my arms around him, pulling his back to my front and resting my chin on his head. I gently rocked us back and forth. “We will figure it out and put an end to Jaakobah.”

“And my father,” Keir added. “Wasting disease or not, Father can’t be allowed to continue, and if he truly helped murder my mother… Once Mother’s flight finds out, his sentence will be death.”

I was reluctant to ask my next question. “Did he love your mother?” It could have easily been a bonding of convenience. Two powerful families coming together.

Keir was quiet before he answered, “I’m not certain I’d call it love. Mother and Father had a congenial and supportive relationship. I know my father cared for her and respected my mother’s opinion. That’s why I have to think it’s the disease that caused him to change so dramatically. I truly don’t think my father—the father I grew up with—could have done such a thing.” With a heavy sigh, Keir leaned into me, allowing his weight to rest within my arms. “Wasting is such a horror. Witches have tried for centuries to find a cure and have failed at every turn. Their charms can lessen the symptoms and slow its progression, but they can’t reverse the process.”

“That’s why it is so feared.” Wasting was spoken of in hushed tones and quiet corners, as if speaking softly would negate its truth.

“Sadly true.”

“We will figure this out,” I reiterated. “We will find the information we need and use that knowledge against Jaakobah.”

“Damn straight. I’m the director of the Magical Usage Council. Huxley may have damaged our reputation, but I’ve still got contacts. It’s about damn time I used them.”

“That’s the spirit.” I squeezed my arms, loving the feel of Keir’s strong body against mine. When I received the call regarding the eggs’ discovery, I could never have imagined the voice on the other end of the phone would belong to such an amazing individual.

I sent a silent prayer to Vidia. My sister’s sad demise had set into motion a sequence of events none could have predicted. That stream had led me to Keir. Would we have eventually found each other without Vidia’s sacrifice? I didn’t know. The past was the past, and there was no sense dwelling on what-ifs and maybes. Right here, right now, I was exactly where I was supposed to be—holding Keir in my arms as Vidia’s offspring thrived within their warm embers.

Nine

Keir

I stared at the additional bedroom carved into my personal dwelling. Just as I’d never asked the magic to create a secondary fireplace, I had not asked it to add on another bedroom, complete with bed, mattress, bedding, and dresser. Considering how much time Lazarus spent in my quarters, I’d wondered if the extra bedroom was for him. The larger bed that had appeared within my bedroom, along with its own expanded space, suggested the magic had other ideas. This room was for Eldon. As for Lazarus… I think I understood what the larger bed meant.

Standing within the doorway, I wondered how one went about thanking the magic surrounding and infusing the Magical Usage Compound. I didn’t believe I would ever be able to be grateful without feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt as well. It was important to remember what—or perhaps who—had been sacrificed to allow for our current comfort and protection. I had no idea what the pixie’s name had been, only that they’d been born a home-and-hearth pixie. Their magic had not been given up of free will. Huxley had murdered them and somehow extracted their magic. More accurately, what had most likely happened was the reverse order. Huxley had stolen their magic, thus killing the unfortunate pixie.

Inhaling, I grimaced. Was I doing a disservice to the pixie who’d perished? Did my hesitance to embrace the gift we’d been given add insult to injury? I wasn’t certain. I’d known my fair share of home-and-hearth pixies. They were a kind and forgiving lot.