Warmth filled me at his unexpected praise.
“So if Mathe can’t blast gryphons with magic, doesn’t that mean we’re still in danger?” Ramsay mumbled.
“Yes,” Noro said gravely. “But I believe you can solve it together. I can’t believe I didn’t see the meaning when it was right there in front of me.”
“If what you’re saying about the rest of the pride is true, then we still have time,” Eric began, his commanding voice drawing all our attention. “We solved the other verse. Let’s put our heads together and figure out the rest.”
Colton propped open the ancient book. “Seeds grown as one are the key to set the shifters free.That’s the verse after the one we just solved.”
“Seeds, seeds,” Ramsay mumbled. “Well, if the previous part was about flowers, maybe it has something to do with planting farewell-to-spring seeds?”
“Maybe we have to plant them together, perhaps in a particular place,” Eric said, his brow furrowed in thought. “Maybe even here in the center island, since it’s in between all the territories.”
“We have plenty of flowers in North Pack,” Colton offered. “We should try.”
The fire crackled loudly in the following silence. Noro examined the book again, deeply contemplating the words as his tail slowly swished back and forth. When he glanced up to meet my gaze, a shock ran through me, like somehow Iknewhe had figured out the true meaning. My heartbeat skyrocketed in excitement and hope.
Noro opened his mouth, about to speak.
Something snapped amongst the trees. Noro’s eyes flickered. He turned on his heels, surprisingly fast for a creature his size, and flared out his wings before any of us could react. A blur shot out of the thicket with a snarl, slamming into Noro’s wing. He let out a shriek of pain.
“Noro!” I cried.
It took my brain a second to realize what the blur battling Noro was--grey and dark red, it didn’t make sense to me until the smell of dried blood hit my nose.
And the familiar scent of East Pack.
