Page 140 of Twist of Fate

Asterius glanced toward Tyson’s retreating back. “I will not be alone.”

“That was not reassurance.”

“It was not intended to be.”

Connal and Luke followed them into the ruined office. Keir and Zer remained at the locked door while Avaneel continued listening from above it.

Tyson stopped several strides from the broken windows and rolled his shoulders once, his attention fixed on the open air beyond them.

Magic gathered around him.

Luke went still beside Connal.

The change swept over Tyson in a rush. His human form expanded as tawny fur covered powerful limbs and great wings unfolded behind him. His hands struck the floor as talons, followed by the heavier impact of a lion’s hind paws. Feathers flowed over his head and neck, bronze beneath the flashing emergency lights, until a griffin stood amid the wreckage where Tyson had been.

For several heartbeats, Luke said nothing.

Then he looked at Connal. “He could do that this entire time?”

“Yes.”

“Anyone else planning to turn into something enormous?”

“Not at present.”

“That is not as reassuring as you think it is.”

Asterius approached Tyson with entirely too much satisfaction. Tyson lowered himself, one wing dipping toward the floor. His sharp beak opened with a warning snap.

“I know, I know,” Asterius said. “No comments about mounting.”

Tyson snapped at him again.

“I said I wouldn’t.”

Asterius climbed onto his back and settled between his wings. Tyson rose, then spread those wings wide, filling what remained of the office and sending loose papers spiraling through the air.

Luke stepped back. “Is there any chance they’ve done this before?”

“Tyson is an accomplished flier,” Connal said.

“I meant with Asterius on his back.”

“No.”

“Thought so.”

Tyson launched through the shattered windows.

For one terrible moment, griffin and rider disappeared beyond the edge. Then bronze wings surged upward, catching the air and carrying them past the broken windows toward the roof. Asterius’s laughter drifted back through the opening.

Tyson answered with a furious screech.

Luke watched them climb. “I’m beginning to understand why those two irritate each other.”

“They have only recently begun.”

Connal turned back toward the corridor. Keir and Zer guarded the approach to the locked door while Avaneel remained above it, listening to the movement beyond.