Page 159 of Anathema
“They went extinct, according to Allura and Dolion.” As I continued petting him, he let out a purring sound that brought a smile to my face. “He’s grown so quickly! He was no bigger than a hawk when I left Mortasia.”
Rykaia took a careful step forward, eyes on Raivox. “It is strange. Dragons tend to grow quite slowly.” She didn’t seem interested in petting him, but kept her hands clutched tightly to her new dress.
“He’s come to my rescue twice now.” The raptor bowed his head toward me, allowing me to scratch his crown. “It’s almost as if he senses when I’m in danger.”
“Well, I’m grateful for it.” She gave a nod of her head toward him. “Thank you, Raivox.” The moment she stepped closer, Raivox bared his teeth and lurched toward her, and Rykaia jumped backward with a gasp.
“Hey! Hey,” I said, pressing against his feathery scaled chest. “She’s a friend.”
As if the raptor understood, it sniffed and chuffed at her, closing its mandible over those vicious teeth. With one fast flap of its wings, I jumped back as he took flight. Sighing, I watched him climb higher until he disappeared behind the white clouds overhead. “He never seems to stay.” Still shaken, I turned in time to expel whatever was left of my last meal onto the ground. “That was horrible.”
“Part of your sickness might’ve been from the cleaving. It tends to make one a bit nauseous.” She rounded me, careful not to step in the mess, and swiped up my dress. “Hopefully, the beast didn’t tear anything.” Handing it over, she gave another glance toward the sky. “I think I could use a drink.”
“Will they come back? The drakes?”
“I’m fairly certain your little dragonbird established your dominance.”
“I don’t understand why in seven hells your brother would keep such dangerous animals on the premises?”
She huffed and stepped past me in the direction of the castle. “Because you haven’t seen the kind of animals that sometimes want to get in.”
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
MAEVYTH
Having snuck back into my room with the dress, I hung the garment in the armoire. Thankfully, the drake’s efforts hadn’t torn the actual dress, but only the bag. I held the scorpion on the chain up to my neck and stared at myself in the mirror on the inside of the armoire.
“It goes on the back.” At the sound of Allura’s voice, I nearly dropped the jewelry, as I scrambled to hide it away. “I missed you for afternoon study.” She sauntered into the room, her hands behind her back.
“Yes, I’m sorry. I …. Well, Rykaia had something to show me. I should’ve informed you of my absence, and for that, I apologize.”
“I don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to these sessions, Maevyth, but I want to help you while I’m here. I have put my research, my studies, on pause. Willingly,” she said, lifting her hand in assurance. “I do want to be here, I promise you. This is an extraordinary discovery. You are extraordinary. And you have a duty, to the generations before you, who gifted you these incredible powers.”
A horrible guilt trampled me. “I promise I will not miss another session.”
“I appreciate that.” She nodded toward the armoire. “The jewelry. Is it for a special occasion?”
I didn’t want to lie, but I also didn’t want to get Rykaia in trouble for having taken me out of the castle. “Just something I found.”
She smiled and gave a nod. “This place is brimming with treasures. My goodness, the library has so many books and scrolls. I could get lost in them.”
“I was never allowed to read anything outside of our Bible.” I made my way toward the bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress. “Grandfather Bronwick would tell us stories sometimes, but we’d have to sneak books.”
Her brows tightened with a frown. “How awful. I couldn’t imagine a world so … small.”
“That’s the perfect description for my world. And this one feels so big, it’s overwhelming at times.”
“I understand. It can be overwhelming for me, as well. It’s best to take it in little doses.” Wearing a troubled expression, she clasped her hands together. “And Maevyth, forgive me if I sounded like I was chiding you. Sometimes, I can be so caught up in the joy and excitement of new discoveries that I lose sight.”
“Of what?”
“Of the fact that everything I take for granted is completely new to you. You have so much to discover here. Enjoy it.”
I smiled again. “Thank you, Allura.”
As she turned to leave, I stepped toward her. “Oh! Allura … I wanted to ask you about the Corvugon. What is known about them?”
“Very little, I’m afraid.” She crossed the room and took a seat beside me on the bed. “Years ago, I accompanied my uncle on an archeology expedition in the Veritian Mountains.” She sighed. “We found bones in a cave that I identified as bird-like. A very large bird. Unfortunately, the entire expedition was discredited and dismissed.” Her lips pulled to a sullen expression. “But Dolion tells me you hatched the egg.”