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V ahly had to put a hand to the wall to steady herself. “Arc! The egg. It’s hatching.”

Bow slung across his body, he raked the vines away and rushed inside, eyes wide. With a whisper and flurry of gestures, he formed a light orb and held it over the egg.

The shell snapped. Another crack appeared, an uneven line between a cluster of dark speckles.

Vahly felt like a youngling at Frostlight, unable to stand the suspense and breathless with anticipation about a forthcoming gift. Arc took her fingers in his.

A wet wing struggled from the crack, steely feathers plastered against pale flesh.

The invisible link between Vahly and the creature emerging from the egg pulled taut.

Vahly gasped, chest tightening and blood rushing in her ears.

She gripped Arc’s hand, but neither spoke.

It was as if this moment required the quiet reverence of a holy sacrament.

The cave’s walls seemed to lean in to observe, their solid presence a comfort.

Jerky movements inside the egg rolled it to its side.

A beak the dusky blue of the roses that grew at the northernmost end of Lapis territory poked through the spotted shell.

With a rocking motion, the creature managed to free one damp, fuzzed—and rather meaty—paw.

Claws extended from the little toes, then retracted.

Vahly’s gaze darted from beak to paw to wing, desperate to get a full image of the gryphon.

Arc’s lips parted, and he whispered something in elvish.

“He is going to be big.” A mother’s pride beat inside Vahly heart. “When dragon younglings are born with large talons—”

There was a loud snap, and the egg broke fully into halves.

The gryphon uncurled from the pieces to stand on four slightly shaky lion paws. Wings spread wide, the little thing only had peach fuzz where fur and feathers would later sprout. Viridescent eyes locked onto Vahly.

The gryphon let out a plaintive screech.

Vahly’s blood drummed, earth magic keening through her, begging her to go to him.

Raw with chaotic emotions, she knelt beside the gryphon.

She was confused at why she felt so connected to a creature that wasn’t human or dragon or anything she’d ever encountered.

Then the incredible devotion and the full knowledge she would protect this small being from anything and everything—and sacrifice everyone and anyone to do it—shocked her to the core.

The awe swelling inside her soul bewildered her.

Magic shimmered off the gryphon like it did from Arc, an intoxicating presence that drew one in. But where Arc’s presence struck a hot attraction in Vahly, the gryphon’s magic made Vahly feel like she had well and truly become a mother.

“I knew you’d hatch, my little friend. I am here, and I am yours.

” Vahly took a piece of dried meat from Arc’s outstretched hand—the Horse Lord knew his way around simplebeasts—and she fed the gryphon, who nibbled sweetly from her trembling palm.

His beak clicked across her skin, never injuring, just quick and clean.

When the gryphon finished the tidbit, it hopped closer and looked up into Vahly’s face, its beak brushing her nose. It screeched again, and she jumped, a laugh escaping her.

“We need to hunt for you, don’t we?” Vahly touched the gryphon’s fuzzy, rose-gray head. He was soft and very warm. She turned to Arc. “Nix is going to love him.”

“She would have to. She loves you, and this is your familiar.”

“How exactly is this all happening?”

Arc looked toward the cave’s opening, toward the sea. “I think if we hadn’t been attacked, we would have found the answers in Bihotzetik. I know very little.”

The gryphon crawled into Vahly’s lap, shut its huge eyes, and began breathing, deep and slow. It had fallen asleep. Vahly shook her head, unbelieving at its immediate trust.

“He should’ve chosen you, Horse Lord.” She remembered how the horses at Illumahrah nickered at Arc. “You know about dealing with animals.”

“You don’t deal with them. You befriend them. You respect them. But I don’t have to tell you that. You’re already acting as though you know exactly what such a relationship entails.”

Vahly waved his comments away, feeling shy about the whole thing. “He is adorable.”

“Quite.” Arc winked, and Vahly was fairly certain her heart couldn’t handle any more happiness.

If Xabier wasn’t hurt, the day would have been one of her best. Maybe Xabier would surprise all and live through the heinous attack.

He was strong and young. Helena would be there, and perhaps Cassiopeia would send her healers from Illumaharah over to help out as well now that the peace was somewhat secure between the elves and the Lapis.

Nix entered the cave, grinning widely in her human-like form. “Well, what do we have here? This does cheer me up.” She had come home empty-handed from hunting, which was unusual for her or any dragon for that matter.

The gryphon raised its head and sniffed the air. He cocked his eaglet head and narrowed his eyes distrustfully. Nix flared her wings and blew a puff of smoke.

“Nix,” Vahly chided. “He just hatched. He isn’t being impertinent.”

Nix raised a scaled eyebrow. “Never too early to put younglings in their place.”

But as Nix neared Vahly, the gryphon jumped from Vahly’s lap and stood. With a screech of warning, he reared up, pawing the air as his featherless wings flapped.

Nix grinned. “Settle down, youngling. I won’t harm your queen.

” Nix reached forward and plucked the gryphon up in one sapphire-amethyst hand.

With a smile, she endured his clawing and the clips of his beak.

“Shh.” She ran a finger down his back, then set her other hand on Vahly’s shoulder.

“You see, little one? We’re all on the same side. ”

The gryphon blinked at Vahly as if asking if this dragon spoke the truth or if he should do his level best to put up a fight.

“Nix is our friend, gryphon.” Vahly had to laugh. It was all so ridiculous. She was the worst choice for a mother. She’d teach the creature how to break every rule before the fellow even had his feathers or fur.

Arc stood with his arms crossed, making his thinking face and tapping his lip with his thumb.

“What is tumbling around in your head, alchemist?” Vahly poured water into a dip in the rocky ground. The gryphon lapped it up, splashing water everywhere.

“I wonder if the gryphon will need to see a hierarchy within our small pride here,” Arc said.

“Gryphons have prides. They fight for leadership. The arrangement of duties and positions leads to higher birth rates and longer lives. For us, I think it would ease the gryphon’s stress levels.

We might need to establish our hierarchy and demonstrate it to him. ”

“I am no gryphon.” Nix’s eyebrow twitched. “You just try to show me you’re the alpha, dear Arcturus, and see how much of that gorgeous hair of yours you get to keep.”

Arc didn’t add tinder to her spark. He walked up to Vahly and kissed her sweetly on top of her head.

Her heart tripped over itself. “What was that for, Ar—”

The gryphon’s low screeching-snarl cut her off. He rushed Arc and dug his front claws into Arc’s boot, then the gryphon latched onto the black leather with his beak and shook his head hard.

“It’s like he is trying to bite your leg off,” Vahly said, her words tangled by a surprised laugh. The gryphon was defending her. It was endearing and a bit frightening.

“This is cute now,” Arc said, “but when he is full grown in twenty-four hours, this will be a matter of life or death. He would kill me now if he had the means. He may very well try to maim me if he remembers this incident as he matures.”

Nix held up a hand. “I have several questions.”

“You’re not alone.” Vahly put a hand to her forehead. “You said he’ll mature in a day?”

“That’s what I’ve read. Gryphons are simplebeasts, yes, but they do react to magic unlike many other animals. There is a reason that cathedral showed you a red gryphon, highlighted above all other creatures.”

“Showed me?”

“Your magic led you there. You were meant to see that. The cathedrals held earth magic. That is why the floods hadn’t entirely decimated the interior and you could have sat upon a bench as if the disaster had been a gentle thing.”

“That makes sense. But back to the gryphon. You think we need to do some sort of who-is-the-alpha-here activity with the gryphon to make certain he doesn’t decide to eat your head off tomorrow morning at breakfast because you kissed me?”

“That is the basic idea, yes.”

Nix crossed her arms. “I had thought you were different from other elves. But here you are, demanding that you’re the wisest and must be alpha. Such an elf thing to do.”

“I don’t care to be alpha. You’re welcome to take the role. Vahly, you are the obvious choice, seeing as we both already swore allegiance to you.”

“I don’t want to be the queen of everything, but it seems like this is my lot in life. I’m going to have to call the moves when we fight because my magic is what is supposedly going to free us. So I’ll be the alpha. No jokes, Nix. I hate this, and you know it.”

Nix held up her hands. “I said nothing.” She sidled over to Arc, who was still permitting the gryphon to eat his boot. “If we don’t do something quickly, the elf will be less one piece of footwear.” She bent to eye level with the gryphon. “Good job, youngling. If only you had fire.”

Vahly sighed. “So how we do show the gryphon our standing in our pride?”

“First, we must decide who will be second and who will be third.” Lowering his chin, Arc glanced at Nix.

“Now, you won’t like this, but…” He pursed his lips.

“I hate to be indelicate, but I think at some point I may…touch Vahly if she wishes it. In that case, I must be her second or the gryphon will defend her at the cost of my life and quite possibly his own.”