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So what the hell had he been through? And why hadn’t he been here with us?
“Where’s War? Is he—”
“Still alive? Yes, he is.” Dawn’s skin crackled, electricity jumping across her knuckles. She had been the closest to our father and had been the most crushed when he revealed he wasn’t the do-no-wrong dragon she’d always idolized. He was a selfish asshole, who was quick to fly away when shit hit the fan.
“Good. I’ve been searching, speaking with other dragons. Everyone is beginning to speak about the vampire Matriarch as if she’s involved.”
“You’re about ten steps too slow, Father.” It was Maddox, who came into the room like an ice storm, chilling us all with the glare he shot at Luca. Our dad stood his ground, the muscles in his jaw flexing.
This could escalate. It could derail us. I was about to intervene, but Claire beat me to the punch. “Maybe now’s a good time to cut in.” She stood, clapping her hands, her wrists full of golden bracelets clinking together. “I think I might have figured out how we can save Warrick and the rest of the dragons.”
We all turned to look at her. She commanded center stage now. All thoughts of a feuding family were left at the wayside.
Had she really done it? Had my best friend discovered a way to save us all?
She swirled her hand out, aquamarine and teal and navy blue shades of mana appearing, gliding through the air like ribbons of silk. They wound together on top of the coffee table, the space shimmering as the threads took shape, as if someone had dropped a curtain of fabric on something underneath.
Claire flicked two fingers toward her, the threads disappearing and leaving behind a perfectly solid-looking marble statue of a woman wearing a flowing dress that clung to her body, sitting atop a panther, the roaring predatory cat looking even more regal with a crown of antlers on its head. If I hadn’t seen her conjure it, I would have completely believed it to be the real thing. Except I knew how Marvels worked their illusions. A single swipe of my hand through the statue would reveal there was nothing there but air.
“That’s the statue of Huntress Aliana.” Maddox moved toward the table. Robby hung back by me. I was acutely aware of how close we stood together. After what happened in Manticore Beach, I could feel the connection between us having been strengthened. What would come of it, I wasn’t quite sure, but I certainly enjoyed it. I liked Robby being near me, close enough that I could reach out and hold his hand in mine. I wanted more of him, the way I had him back on the beach, and I wanted to give more of myself to him in return.
“It sure is,” Claire said. Dawn cocked her head, looking from the statue to Claire. Her thin brows inched together.
“The statue hasn’t spoken in years. Why bring it up now?”
The statue of the Huntress Aliana was famous around the world for one simple reason: it could speak. But it didn’t just spout random words like a parrot—the statue spoke in fragmented pieces of pure truth. You could ask her a question, and she’d give you a fully honest answer, even if it was about something in the future or something hidden in the past.
“Because we can ask her how to cure the dragon fall, and she’d answer us,” I said. “But we haven’t been able to get her to speak, no matter what we’ve tried.”
And I’d tried. It wasn’t the first time I’d thought of the statue, located right here in Gryphon Park. But after a few months of trying to get stone to speak, I became frustrated and moved on to other possibilities.
“That’s because you didn’t have the proper offering.” Claire winked and opened up the bag hanging by her hip. She pulled out a glistening moon rose, the petals shining as if illuminated from the inside, small dark marks resembling the same craters that dotted the actual celestial body.
“Who wants to go on a field trip?” she asked as we all collectively picked up our jaws from the floor. “Let’s go get some answers.”
Chapter 18
Mystery in the Marble
Damien
Gryphon Park climbed up the Santa Monica Mountains and was a famous landmark for a variety of reasons, full of scenic trails that sloped up gentle hills, stages for plays out amongst the trees, and celebrities walking their dogs and desperate for their next photo opp. There was a planetary observation center set at the very top of the mountain, with spectacular views of the entire Los Angeles Basin for those who didn’t have wings to see it from the skies themselves.
It had originally gotten its name from a zoo that also took up quite a large footprint in the park. Full of exotic animals, it pulled in visitors from all over the world. Everyone wanted to see the chimera and the sea lions and the grizzly bear and the manticore (which I always sadly expected was being heavily sedated, having joined an activist group in high school to protest it’s captivity).
