Dramatic fucker.
“That is total bullshit,” Vitoria huffed. “He likes you more than me.”
Calder bit into his sandwich, shaking his head. “Well, maybe if you stopped calling him a cat, he’d like you more.”
“He is a cat. Look at him. He’s got paws.”
“Cats don’t have beaks, Vitoria.”
“Birds don’t have paws,Calder. The logic works both ways.”
“He’s an all-black griffin. Half eagle, half lion.”
“The lion half makes him a cat!”
Calder closed his eyes, shaking his head with an exasperated sigh. “He’s not a cat. Cats don’t have wings. Or feathers.”
Vitoria set her book down, tilting her head. “Wrong again, know-it-all. I was down in the Crook last week and saw a cute little kitten with wings sleeping on a fence. Guess what the wings were made of? I’ll give you two guesses.”
I watched them go back and forth, Silas now preening his inky black wings with obvious satisfaction at the chaos he’d caused.
“You’re both wrong,” I said finally, setting down the Grimora Gazette, the newspaper I’d been reading, searching the shifting headlines and small articles for news of Kat’s capture.
They turned to stare at me.
“He’s clearly just a spoiled brat who knows exactly how to get attention.” I looked pointedly at Si. “Aren’t you?”
Silas fixed me with a withering glare, then deliberately began to fade into the shadows until only his piercing blue eyes were visible in the corner of the couch.
“And there he goes,” Calder, the other moody man in our house, said, finishing his bread. “Sulking again. Can’t say I disagree with him. Just a couple of days ago, a hunter put a blade to your throat. Twice in one day, in fact. I’ve trained you better than that.”
I could hear it in his voice. The disappointment laced with something more protective and loyal. Still, it was hard to look the man that’d saved my life in the face and remind him I’d been reckless with it.
Vitoria threw her book at Calder. He caught it with the ease of a trained assassin, the scar on his temple distorting when he shot her a look. Si’s eyes flashed, and I could swear I heard a low, approving thrum from the darkness.
Three delicate taps echoed from the door.
We all recognized that knock. Three taps that somehow managed to sound like a death warrant being delivered by someone very polite.
“Imagoris.” Vitoria’s form shimmered, canine teeth lengthening to delicate points as her green eyes changed to vibrant violet. The transformation to appear as a nymph was seamless because she’d done it a thousand times before.
I pushed back my jealousy. I couldn’t get a grasp on that spell no matter the countless hours I’d tried. Calder already had his blade half-drawn before his boots hit the floor. He shot mea look, and I slumped deeper into my seat. Whatever this was, I wasn’t going anywhere.
The door opened to reveal their usual sprite messenger, hovering at eye level, silver wings beating frantically. He was no bigger than a bottle of wine, though considerably better dressed. His five-piece suit had been pressed to perfection, every brass button gleaming. Even his terror couldn’t diminish the dignity of his appearance. I wondered if he knew he was summoning my roommates to a kill. Likely not.
“Message for the Heartless One,” the sprite squeaked, unrolling a scroll that was nearly as tall as he was. “If it pleases the recipients, you are summoned to—” His voice cracked as his oversized eyes found Calder’s blade. “To appear at the thirteenth bell.”
He rolled the parchment with shaking hands. The sprites always feared Calder, no matter how kind he was to them. Rumors became legends in Grimora, and though Calder’s story began in a different place entirely, he’d been here in the capital city for years and years.
Calder sheathed his weapon and plucked a silver button from the bowl beside the door. With a small dip of his chin, he flipped the button to the messenger. “For your trouble.”
The sprite’s entire demeanor changed. He clutched the button with both hands, turning it this way and that, watching the light catch its surface. For a moment, his fear was forgotten entirely.
“Much obliged, sir. Much obliged indeed.”
He zipped away down the narrow corridor, his delighted laughter echoing off the stone walls.
Calder shut the door and reached for his coat. “Well. A zero-notice summons. That’s not ominous at all.”
