Page 446 of Axis of Fire

Not even Madame Zhivorzhinette had managed to tame it.

He stared ahead without moving.

Even from this distance, I could feel the coldness radiating from him.

The quiet displeasure hidden behind his expression.

"That's Thari," Aars said suddenly.

I nearly jumped.

The spirits had returned.

Louis waved enthusiastically at me.

Mortz offered only a polite nod.

Aars didn't even bother looking my way.

"The harpy bonded to Airis."

My attention shifted farther along the platform.

"And beside Draksen..."

"...are Aeshm and Eshma."

I looked up at the second creature.

Two heads.

One body.

"They're two beings sharing a single spine," Aars explained.

"One embodies destruction."

"The other, creation."

The creature looked like something between a pegasus and a phoenix.

It possessed the powerful body of a horse.

Its vast wings were covered in violet feathers dusted with a faint emerald glow.

One equine head bore a long spiral horn.

The other had elegant elven ears.

Glancing around to make sure everyone in our group was distracted, I lowered my voice.

"Where have you all been?"

"Vacation," Louis answered with an even wider grin.

"And that," Aars snorted, "proves you never listen to me."

"I told you spirits are free to travel whenever the opportunity arises."