That explains the smell of brimstone,Oberi remarked.
Ace stopped panting and turned to Oberi to bark. I knew Familiars could communicate, but I hadn’t seen it first-hand until now. Whatever Ace said to Oberi made him back down.
I guess he’s all right, Oberi admitted.For a hellhound.
“Oh, get over yourself,” Ava said as she wheeled herself further into the room. “You’re not the only magical dog that’s ever existed— or reptile. Come meet Eirakari!”
I hadn’t realized how big the penthouse was until we walked to the other side of the room. I could tell the ceiling was high because of the way my Air magic swirled through the room, but my magic kept going outward. A soft breeze traveled through the suite, and curtains rustled like the doors to the balcony had been left open. But there was another soft breeze that I couldn’t quite place.
We came to something solid, and the breeze felt ice-cold. That’s when I realized that it was a creature breathing.
“This is Eirakari, my aunt’s Familiar,” Ava said. “She’s an ice dragon.”
The dragon cooed as Ava began stroking her scales. It was like the dragon had missed her, too.
“It’s okay. You can touch her,” Maddie offered.
I reached out, and my hand connected with ice-cold scales that were smooth to the touch. Eirakari was a small dragon compared to Oberi’s wyvern form, but she was still bigger than most creatures we encountered. I understood why Maddie required such a large penthouse, because otherwise, her Familiar couldn’t fit inside. I figured the balcony doors had been left open so the ice dragon could come and go.
As I continued running my hands over her, I was surprised to find that her scales turned to feathers at her wings. She had spines growing out of her back and horns on her head.
“She’s really gentle,” I remarked. “I don’t get to touch magical creatures often, so I almost never understand what they’re like.”
As if Eirakari could sense I needed to touch her to understand, she licked my arm, and I realized she had a forked tongue.
“She’s very kind when she feels safe,” Maddie says. “But the moment she feels threatened— or feels like my life is in danger— she can be downright vicious.”
“A bit like your niece,” Ava joked.
Maddie chuckled. “You have a bit of your mom in you, but you got your dad’s side, too. Would you like some coffee? Drew just made a pot.”
“Sure,” Ava said.
Maddie led us to the dining room table, and Ava asked questions about her travels. Being anaderei, Maddie had journeyed all around the world looking for answers to prophecies she’d created… though none of them were as big or important as Ava’s.
The atmosphere in the room was a little stilted. Nobody talked about the war, which meant Maddie’s stories left out quite a few details.
Eventually, Ava set her cup down. “I’m really glad to hear you two are doing well, but I can’t help but think we’re all avoiding the dragon in the room— and no, I don’t mean Eirakari.”
“Your prophecy,” Maddie noted. “It’s why I summoned you here. I expect you wanted to talk about it.”
“I don’twantto talk about it,” Ava said. “I’d rather there was no prophecy in the first place. But there is one, so let’s figure out where to go from here.”
Drew stood and cleared his throat. “I’ll clean up.”
He gathered our cups, then left the room. Ace followed behind him.
Maddie drew a deep breath. “I made the prophecy, but there’s a reasonnadereihave to write everything down. My memories of the visions fade over time, and even if I did remember all the details, they’re difficult to decipher. That job is left up to the one the prophecy is written about.”
“You must remembersomething,” Ava insisted. Pages rustled as she brought out her journal and flipped through the pages. “You don’t remember writing any of this, or making these drawings? You don’t recall how this page with blood from Erasmus Morelli got into my journal?”
“The page with blood…?” Maddie reached for the journal and began humming lowly as she observed it. “This journal was kept in your father’s safe for ages. There’s very little I remember, but this page… I think I recognize it. It’s coming back to me now.”
“You know where it came from?” Ava asked.
“It happened a long time ago,” Maddie said, like she was still trying to recall the details. “I don’t have a lot of memories from that time, because of whatthat manput me through.”
“You mean Elder Oleander,” Ava said sadly. “The major asshole Daddy fought during the Hawkei Civil War? He nearly destroyed the tribe.”
