“You were of great assistance,” Calvin said. “We were completely at sea before, but now at least we have a starting point.”
Diana nodded in agreement. “Thank you so much, Sieval. It’s been so lovely to meet you. I had no idea that there were creatures such as you right under my nose!”
Sieval’s mouth broadened into a smile. “It has been lovely to meet you both, too. I would appreciate it if you kept my location and existence a secret from all except those that you deem most trustworthy, but I would certainly be happy if you came to visit again. And even if I remain within my rock, you are always welcome to enjoy my pond, if you so wish.”
“We’ll definitely be back,” said Diana fervently, and Calvin agreed.
Sieval inclined its head gracefully. “Thank you, my new friends. But if you have no further questions, I will return to my rock now, for I am unused to regular company and grow weary. But you are welcome to stay at my pond for as long as you desire.”
“No questions,” said Calvin. “Thanks again for your advice.”
“Thank you for your company,” said Sieval – and then, suddenly, it disappeared in a flash of blue light. Blinking, Calvin looked across the pond just in time to see the last of the blue glow disappearing inside the obsidian-black rock that Sieval had indicated earlier.
“… Wow,” Diana said, after a few seconds’ pause. “If I’d seen that yesterday, I would’ve freaked out. As it currently stands, I’m only mildly freaked.”
“Believe me, this is new for me as well,” Calvin replied.
He sat there for a minute, letting his feet soak in the cool water and mulling things over. It felt rude to voice any of his disappointment out loud while they were still at Sieval’s pond, so he simply ran the riddle over and over in his head, half watching the tiny fish darting about in the water.
“Lunch?” asked Diana, breaking the cycle of pointless rumination. He turned, to see her holding out one of the sandwiches that Kieran had packed – slightly smushed, but still edible.
“Thanks,” he said, taking it mechanically and eating it without tasting it. He wasn’t really in the mood, but he supposed that their chances of solving this problem would be slightly higher if they weren’t half-starved and dehydrated.
Chewing absently on his lunch, he wondered what he would do if they couldn’t get this curse lifted. Could he live his life in Girdwood Springs as some sort of eccentric, technophobe fitness freak, who walked everywhere and never used any devices of any kind?
He could get by, he was sure, but it wouldn’t be fair to put that kind of pressure on Diana and Ash. He didn’t want to do anything that would make them the subject of gossip, or mean that they had to pick up the slack when it came to performing chores or earning money. It wasn’t as if he could work on a construction site – or pretty much anywhere else – if he couldn’t touch anything that ran on electricity.
Your melancholy is irritating,the wyvern snapped, though Calvin could tell its heart wasn’t in it.Do not be so defeatist. You will live in exactly the same fashion as millennia of wyverns before you.
Great,he spat back.A dank old falling-down castle on some forsaken misty mountain? Is that what you really want for our mate?
Before the wyvern could get out its retort, Diana spoke up. “As much as I would love to stay here, I think we should start heading back – I need to pick Ash up from the community center at four-thirty.”
She placed her hand on his arm, and he could’ve sworn that he felt her love and concern flowing through the mate bond, along with a strong, fiery determination:We will solve this problem.
Feeling renewed, he nodded, pulling his feet from the water. “Just give me a minute to dry off, and then we’ll get going. We can’t keep Ash waiting.”
He let his feet dry in the ever-shifting patches of sunshine, trying to push aside the lingering gloomy feelings and just enjoy the simple sensation of warmth on cool skin. The wyvern loved to bask, being cold-blooded – and, Calvin had to admit, he also saw the appeal.
“Oh, darn,” said Diana, standing up and holding her phone over her head. “No signal. I was going to let Kieran know how we went, but I’ll text him later.” She paused for a moment. “Will yoube okay walking back to my place from the B&B? I’ll need to take the car to pick up Ash, and as much as I’d love to take you along for the ride, well…”
“No, I totally understand,” Calvin said, pulling his socks back on. “No point in killing your car as well. I can find my way back easily enough.” He paused. “Though if we don’t manage to get this curse sorted out soon, I may need to invest in a bike.”
Guiltily he thought about his own poor dead car, halfway back down the mountain in the parking lot. He’d completely forgotten about organizing a tow truck… though he thought he had a pretty good excuse for it.
I’ll get back to you as soon as this curse is lifted,he promised.And hopefully there won’t be too many parking tickets waiting for me.
Looking up, he saw Diana, haloed in sunlight, holding out her hand to him.
Reaching up, he took it, and let her help him back onto his feet.
Chapter 13
“So, what was your favorite game you played today?”
Diana kept her eyes firmly on the mountain road, but she could tell from Ash’s general vibes that he’d had a good day. She smiled.
After a few seconds of thinking, Ash declared, “I liked chess best.”
