Page 109

"Aren't the morgue and cemetery guarded?" I ask, remembering that the two gargoyles, Okura and Akuro, were powerful deterrents to mischief when I first visited there.

"Normally, yes," Elal says, crossing his muscled arms over his chest. "But they've been on maternity leave since their baby was born. Newborn gargoyles have become rare in recent years, so they're keeping to themselves more than usual."

"Indeed," Ifi says. "I was surprised to see them at the Midwinter Festival. But, oh, that baby. So cute." The Ifrit looks up at his lover with large glowing eyes, and I smile. One way or another, those two are getting a baby sooner than later if Ifi has any say about it.

Sebastian frowns. "Rare bodies being stolen? You don't think it could be…"

Ifi nods. "It very well could be. But there's no way to tell."

"The body is ready," Elal says, interrupting the conversation. "We should extract her dying wish."

"Right, yes. Of course," Ifi says. He kneels at the head of the basilisk and lays his hands on her, then closes his eyes.

Sebastian and I back up, but Elal stays by his side.

Fire erupts from him and spreads flames all around them as Ifi chants in an ancient language. When the flames die down, the body is aglow with some kind of preternatural power.

The basilisk rises from the ground, turning her head to face us. Her voice is more snake than human, a hiss on the wind that loosely forms the words. "Do not ssssearch for the egg. Do not sssssearch."

With that, her body collapses back to the floor and we all let out a collective breath.

"Well," says Ifi. "That's not what I expected. It's more like a message than a dying wish."

"Can last wishes be tampered with?" I ask. "Like how certain paranormals can mess with Memory Catchers."

Elal shrugs. "It has never been done to my knowledge. But that does not mean a very powerful being couldn't have found a way to do it."

"There's another explanation," Derek says, finally joining us and speaking for the first time since we entered the cave. "She was in on it. She helped steal the egg."

"But…she was killed," I say.

"Her partner could have betrayed her in order to cover their tracks and eliminate witnesses. It's happened before," he says. "Not everyone is as they seem." He looks at us. "Think about it. Why were her eyes still covered? If someone was attacking, she would have uncovered them. They are her greatest weapons, after all. And how would anyone have gotten in here without a crystal to open the cave? It hasn't been damaged or tampered with in any other way that I can see. Her being a party to the crime is the only explanation I can see that makes sense."

His logic is sound. "But, why? Why would she do this?"

Derek shrugs. "Why does anyone commit a crime?" he asks. "All criminals have their justifications that they think exonerate them from their own evil."

I wonder if he is still talking about the basilisk or my brother. I try to brush the thoughts aside. “If she was in on it, why frame Liam? And what was she intending to do with the egg?

Before Derek can respond, the Enforcer who escorted us here returns, speaking promptly. "The Great Ava'Kara wishes to speak with you," he says.

Sebastian, Derek and I turn to follow him, but the Enforcer pauses. "Only the Water Druid and the woman," he says.

Sebastian shrugs. "You go ahead. I'll keep looking around here, and I'll dig into the basilisk's past a bit. Maybe there will be a lead."

Derek and I follow the guard, and when we are out of earshot of the others, I whisper to him. "How long will you keep ignoring me?" I ask.

He smiles, and it would almost look sincere if not for his eyes. "Is this what you want? Me to pretend? While my brother is facing an eternity in prison or worse? These may be his last days of freedom and I'm lying to him for you." He spits out the words like acid, and I recoil from the anger.

"I…I'm sorry," I say sincerely. "I shouldn't have asked you to lie. You..." I force myself to say the words I know I must. The words that will damn my own brother while giving his brother answers. "You can tell him the truth if you wish. I won't have you hurting yourself for me."

Derek freezes, visibly blanching at my words as if he's seen a ghost.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Just…I've heard those words before. Long ago." His voice softens into memory. "So very long ago."

"Proceed inside," the guard says, interrupting us once again and pointing us through a door just ahead.