Wyvern's Secret

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  “Your face, Astri? Come, come over to the room. It looks like you could do with a strong drink and some healing spells,” he says, and gently pushes me with his palm. Sparks of electricity are rushing through my body again. I wish I didn’t have to live with the fact I killed Pollock and his people.

  Jetli’s already sprinkling a bit of her dust around the swollen parts of my face. I must look pretty gross.

  We move inside the room and I sit down in the chair.

  “What happened to Pollock?” Jorgen asks, studying me closely.

  “He’s dead. He and his people took me far away from Rivenna. We were in the middle of the nowhere, then the fire started when my magic got out of control. I was the only one who managed to escape,” I explain, as his burning body flashes in front of my eyes.

  Jorgen clenches his fists and breaths steadily for several seconds. His expression is full of concern, like he doesn’t want to believe his own people would target me. Soaring guilt comes back to the surface.

  “His people let me go after several hours in the cell. Luckily, Jetli’s glamour spell held. I had no idea Pollock was planning any kind of action in the old mill. He went behind my back again, and this may sound cold-hearted, but I’m glad that mage is dead. It’s a terrible tragedy, but he brought it on himself.”

  “He was asking me about your plans, about your political agenda. He believed you were ready to strip him of his rank,” I say when Jorgen hands me a glass filled with strong-smelling, brown liquid. I swallow it anyway and the liquid burns my throat, then warms my body. Jetli’s healing must be working, because my face isn’t hurting anymore.

  Jorgen drags his hand through his hair, looking angry with himself.

  “I shouldn’t have appointed him, but I followed in my father’s footsteps believing he was the right choice. We never agreed on any ideas, so it was a mismatch from the start,” he says, then silence falls between us.

  I look down at my glass, trying to push away dark thoughts. I had no choice, Pollock would’ve killed me otherwise.

  “You shouldn’t have gone to see that Warlock, Jorgen. She wasn’t planning to help you. She was only toying with us,” I admit.

  “You’re right and I’m sorry I dragged you into this. Sooner or later someone will find out and I have no idea what might happen to us. Cassandra tried to give me the love potion tonight when I returned to the castle,” he says and I ignore whatever the hell’s happening inside my heart. The Warlock knew what was going on with me, she knew I developed some kind of feelings for Jorgen.

  “Whether you like it or not we are one team, and I wanted to help anyway,” I tell him and get up, but my knees turn to paper. Jorgen grabs my waist just as I’m about to fall. Several long seconds pass and I lift my eyes to look at him, realising he’s holding me in his arms. His distinctive scent is turning me into mush, reminding me of spice and outdoors, burning me slowly with gut wrenching desire.

  “Thank you, Astri and I’m extremely grateful for everything you’ve done for me. Cassandra’s question was completely inappropriate,” he whispers and the heat in his eyes tell me he’s forcing himself to keep our relationship professional. I’m not imagining it. The Pixies are here and they’re staring at us, and when I look at them, they turn around, pretending they’re more interested in old books on the table.

  I quickly pull away, knowing we both need to be careful not to stir inappropriate gossip.

  “Come on guys, let’s go. Goodnight Jorgen,” I say, letting Jorgen know we can finish this conversation another time, without any witnesses.

  I leave, aware he’s watching me, and my heart pounds loudly in my chest. I need a hot and then cold shower.

  “Fiu fiuu … Astri, I think lordi, lord likes you more than he likes that stupid shifter, Cassandra or Rosandra,” Lenin comments and Jetli nods, giggling to herself. I keep walking, trying to push away any flashbacks from tonight. My mind is in disarray, and I need to rest for at least few hours and forget about this terrible night.

  “Maybe, but it doesn’t matter. He’s a duke and I’m no one, besides he has to marry Cassandra. He has duties he needs to fulfil and he can’t get out of it,” I say once we’re in my chamber.

  Shortly after, I disappear in the bathroom to be alone with my own thoughts. Several deep breaths later, I switch on the hot water, dreaming about a few good hours of uninterrupted sleep. I need to wash that horrible burning scent off my skin, and get rid of my clothes.

  When the warm water starts surging over my body, I close my eyes and imagine being someone else.

  I’m mindful my deadly fire keeps brewing inside me, reminding me I’m still a Wyvern, maybe the last one, but still a deadly creature.

  Several hours later, it’s morning and I allow myself to sleep in. Lenin and Jetli get up before me, and I hear Lenin whispering to Jetli to be quiet. I love my Pixies to bits, they’re so loyal.

  I drift away and eventually around midday I drag myself to the bathroom. My whole body aches, and the bruises on my face look terrible. The scar is much more visible, so I use a bit of makeup, attempting to make myself more presentable.

  My body’s still experiencing the aftermath of my own energy, going through withdraw of an overuse of magic. I keep reminding myself that Pollock would’ve killed me and I used my magic to defend myself. I defended myself, but I regret I had to kill him. I hate that I’ll always have the image of his burning body seared into my mind forever. My hands are shaking when I put my clothes on. My stomach rumbles and I know I can’t hide in my chamber forever. The murder in the castle remains unresolved and I have to move on. Lucas didn’t make any progress. The killer’s still out there and I need to get to the bottom of what happened.

  I pick up my bow and arrows, thinking about Emilia. We haven’t talked since I showed up in the shop the other day, and I miss her terribly.

  My reflection in the mirror reminds me I’ve had a tough few days, and I know Emilia will ask questions once she notices the state of my face.

  The staff within the castle’s rushing around this afternoon and I’m glad no one’s paying attention to me. I wish I could just use my invisibility spell, and stay away from everyone’s intrusive stare for most of the day.

  “Astri, I was just heading over to your chamber,” Thayer says when we bump into each other by the dining room.

  “Sorry, I overslept,” I admit when my Pixies fly over and sit on my arms. Thayer smiles.

  “Don’t worry, I understand. It’s been a long night for everyone, but I’m glad you returned safety. Detective Lucas has been looking for you, apparently there’s been some developments with the investigation,” Thayer explains and my mood brightens up a bit.

  “Okay great, where is he?” I ask.

  “With Jorgen in the office downstairs. I’m sure Lenin and Jetli can show you the way,” Thayer says, hinting that those two have already been nosing around every part of the castle.

  “Yes sir, the lordi lord is there with Lucas,” Lenin states. I thank Thayer and head over, where Lenin leads me.

  It’s in the lower part of the castle and the smell of mould wafts through the air; the corridors are filled with small ponds of water. I keep moving through the darkness until I reach an ajar door, hearing voices inside. I’m just about to walk inside when I hear something that makes me stop.

  “She’s a Wyvern girl. Even Cassandra has concerns about her. She’s too powerful and has too much magic,” says Falcon. I recognise his voice, and frown wondering what kind of business he has with Lucas. He shouldn’t be aware of my abilities, and I’ve been careful around others. Lenin sits on my arm, being quiet for a change.

  “Astri’s special and she’s under my protection. All those years she was living in Rivenna with her human relatives, neither you or Cassandra should be concerning yourself with her skills or her magic for that matter,” Jorgen replies with anger.

  “You’re a fool if you believe you’re safe around her. Wyvern’s fire can be deadly. My lady believe
s you’re allowing her too much freedom.”

  Chapter 13

  She takes the secret to the grave.

  Moments later Falcon barges through the door, disappearing through the dark corridor. Luckily, he doesn’t see me and I wonder why the hell he’s there in the first place, discussing my magic with Jorgen and Lucas. For some reason, he somehow senses my abilities are much more advanced, but it’s none of his or Cassandra’s damn business. I’ve had about all I can take from those two.

  I take a deep, calming breath then walk inside. Two mages are standing around the square table. Lucas smiles when he sees me and Jorgen’s face brightens instantly. Yep, my heart still does an unsteady flip in my chest whenever he’s close.

  “Thayer mentioned there’s been a development in the investigation,” I say to both of them, fighting with my unsteady emotions. Lucas’ energy is strong and vibrant, dancing along the surface of my skin. He looks good wearing a white crispy shirt and he hasn’t shaved this morning. It’s a small detail, but I notice.

  “Yes, I was just telling the duke. The maid we’ve been looking for has been arrested on the outskirts of Rivenna. Would you like to join me while I question her?” he asks and then adds, “Lenin and Jetli, it’s better if you guys watch me from outside. Sadly, I have to follow protocol.”

  “Oh man, and I thought this would be exciting,” Lenin says, looking displeased. Jorgen’s watching me. He looks a bit better today, the dark circles under his eyes are finally gone.

  “I’m under pressure, Cassandra’s not happy. Hopefully, you can find out what happened that night and close this case,” he says. “Astri, please report to me later on when you have spare minute?”

  “Of course J … my lord,” I say, forgetting I should be showing some respect in front of his people. I sense tension between the two of them, like there’s something hanging above them, some unspoken warning. Maybe I missed a lot more than Falcon’s angry outburst.

  “Great, looking forward to it,” Jorgen replies and then leaves me and Lucas alone. At least today I’m controlling myself a little better.

  “Let’s head out. The maid’s being held at the police station on the shifter side of the city,” Lucas says.

  We leave the castle ten minutes later discussing what kind of questions Lucas may need to ask the maid. I mention her connection to the mage I saw during the contest and Lucas looks astonished. He’s going to follow up on that.

  I’ve been a huntsman since I was fifteen, but I’ve never investigated a murder. At some point, I need to pay a visit to my aunt. She knows a lot more about my entire family than she’s prepared to share. I shouldn’t be surprised, she probably still hates the fact that she’s related to shifters. Who am I kidding? Of course she does.

  Lucas opens the door to a nice, black vehicle parked outside. It seems he’s not stuck in the old fashioned ways of transportation like many other mages.

  “Fiu, fiu … this is a nice machine, Mr. Detective. Girls would never leave me alone if I owned a car like this,” the Pixie comments, and I laugh, trying to imagine Lenin in the front seat.

  “I hear ya Lenin, girls love my baby,” Lucas chuckles and I can’t help but roll my eyes. Men.

  We move slowly through traffic, passing official buildings in town. I start to wonder if Jorgen’s going to announce Pollock’s death. I suddenly feel sick thinking about his family and everyone else working for him. I’m certain someone wanted me dead using black magic through one of Pollock’s people. The Governor was normal until he went out to talk to someone outside the door – well mostly normal if you consider him arresting me on false charges. Even Falcon thinks I can’t be trusted and I can’t help but wonder who else in the city wants me dead.

  Ten minutes later, Lucas parks the car outside the police station. Inside, a few shifters greet him at the door; he must have spent a fair bit of time in here. Females stare at me, and they don’t seem to be too happy that a handsome detective’s in the company of a female shifter. I really need to find another female shifter who’ll share her experiences of going though heat, otherwise I’ll continue going through this with no idea of what to expect. I hate being so inexperienced.

  We approach an older male shifter with a shaggy, brown beard and long hair.

  “The maid, is she ready to be questioned?” Lucas asks, picking up a few files from the desk.

  “Yes, she’s in room B. Seems pretty fragile, but told me she’s willing to talk,” the shifter responds, staring at me intensely.

  Lucas nods and we walk towards the wide, white corridor. He asks Valdimir, the other shifter, to keep an eye on Lenin and Jetli. The Pixies aren’t very happy, but we all have to stick to the rules.

  We both reach the black door leading to the interview room, Lucas nods to me and we go inside. The maid, Anna, is a human woman and she’s calm being surrounded by shifters after working in the castle for so long. Not to mention, her daughter’s half shifter as well. She’s a petite woman, probably in her mid-forties, with short blond hair and wide grey eyes. Her clothes are dry and dusty looking, as if she’d been hiding out in the desert. A lot of people have been worried about her, including her daughter.

  “Miss Glagher, my name’s detective Rodree, and this is Astri. She works closely with the duke. We’re going to ask you a few questions if you don’t mind,” Lucas says and I give her a light smile. I recognise her, she cleaned my chamber once and had always been pleasant.

  “I don’t understand why I’m here, I’ve done nothing wrong. Please, you have to call my daughter,” she says, biting her nails nervously and staring at me with her wide grey eyes. The resemblance between her and her daughter is striking.

  I know I have to ask her about her connection to the guard from her photograph in the living room. He must have been the one who gave information to the wild shifters about Jorgen and the contest.

  “A young shifter girl was stabbed to death the night you were working. Did you see anything or anyone that evening that might have looked suspicious?” Lucas asks.

  She stares at Lucas for a long while, like she’s thinking about her answer. Tension–filled silence stretches between the three of us. The maid blinks rapidly and looks down at her palms.

  “I saw many shifters in the castle around that time. I’m always the last one to leave. That way I can get things done on time–I don’t have magic, so it takes me longer to catch up,” she explains, and I know that she’s telling the truth. She doesn’t have any reason to lie to us about her work. Her friend Susan mentioned that she really needed money.

  “Can you be more specific? Do you remember anyone hanging around Astri’s old chamber? Did you seen any strangers or anyone you didn’t recognise that evening?”

  “No, not really,” she says but her voice is uneven. “Well, I went to take out the rubbish very late, probably around four a.m. and there was a human man, with red hair walking inside, but I’m sure he was a guard. Then I overheard him talking to the dark mage who travelled with Lady Cassandra.”

  My pulse picks up, and I know I need to check with Roshan later to see if he has a guard matching this description. Falcon and Cassandra were in the castle at the same time, but they’d only just arrived.

  Cassandra was probably demanding extra security or an extra pillow. She’s so used to living in luxury–the duke’s accommodations aren’t quite up to her standards.

  “Did you hear what they were talking about?” Lucas presses.

  “No, I only heard snippets–the guard was talking about a red dragon and some strange prophecy that’s all,” she explains, staring at Lucas intensely.

  I glance at Lucas who knows we’re finally getting somewhere. She’s giving up a bit more details than I expected. The red haired guard is the key to everything, but we still need to ask her about her brother, the one who apparently hung himself two weeks ago.

  “Anna, do you mind–”

  “Let’s talk about your brother, Anna. I saw him with the wild shifters in the Decaying
Mountains during the magical contest. Your daughter showed me the pictures,” I say, raising my voice and cutting Lucas off – he doesn’t seem pleased. This has never happened to me before, but Anna must know her brother didn’t commit suicide, otherwise she wouldn’t try to protect him.

  “Astri, I think you–”

  Then the woman starts sobbing and I instantly feel bad for attacking her. She’s only a human and she shouldn’t know anything about magic. Maybe her own brother used her and she ran away to protect herself.

  On top of that, she must have been really in love with her husband if she was willing to overlook the fact he was a mage or a shifter.

  “You don’t understand. I’ve been trying to help him. He got lost, obsessed with being in the wild. His mind was poisoned,” the woman interrupts, and I don’t understand what she’s talking about.

  “Help him with what? He worked as a guard in the castle and then joined the wild shifters,” Lucas points out, now remembering what I’m talking about.

  “It’s nothing, nothing. He’s lost his way and this mage promised to help me if I gave him the key.”

  “Who? Tell us, what does the mage look like?”

  “He was hunting others for years, and he said she was the last one…”

  Then something happens to her. She stops talking and her eyes literally start popping out of her head and her face turns bright red.

  “Anna … Anna what’s going on with you?” Lucas asks, getting closer to her. A familiar burning smell mixed with sweat drifts through the room. She tries to stand up, touching her neck as if she’s choking.

  Then blood fills her eyes and I back away from her, sensing dark, twisted magic enveloping the space. Moments later, she collapses on the floor, and blood spills out of her ears and eyes. Shock suspends time and Lucas pales. I swallow the bite of icy terror, still not fully understanding what just happened. Someone must have put a spell on her, preventing her from revealing the real murderer. Energy crackles along my arms, and I glance at Lucas, my heart thumping.