A Discovery of Secrets and Fate (Chronicles of the Stone Veil #2) - Sawyer Bennett Page 0,92

Carrick trails quietly behind.

“Nothing is a myth,” Pyke asserts as he unlatches the next stall. “But my mother created these creatures long before they started showing up in paintings in ancient Egypt over five thousand years ago.”

I shake my head, glancing at Carrick. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with how old things are, that were once nothing more than history on pages, but have now come to life.

Pyke opens the stall and I move cautiously back to stand at Carrick’s side. The gryffin inside this stall is slightly smaller than the other, but is a pearl-gray color with the same purple shimmer in its coat and feathers. It lets out a screech, but it’s distinctly different, clearly one of greeting and affection.

The beast prances up to Pyke, stretching its wings as they tremble with excitement to see him, and then dips its great eagle head down to rest on his shoulder. His arm comes up over the shoulder to stroke the back of his feathered neck. The creature huffs out a sigh of contentment, and its eyes go droopy.

“Amazing,” I murmur in awe.

“Want to pet it?” Carrick asks.

“Oh, I couldn’t,” I say decidedly, even as I take a step closer to the stall.

Smiling, Pyke beckons me in as he steps back from the gryffin. “This is Cerida. She’s my favorite.”

Carrick takes me by the elbow, and he ushers me in. The gryffin shakes her head, turning it to the side to watch us with one eye. She shuffles restlessly until Pyke puts his hand on her shoulder and murmurs, “Easy, sweet girl. These are friends.”

I’m scared to death, yet this might be the greatest thing in the world that’s ever happened to me. I want badly to pet the creature—myth made real—yet I’m a bit frozen in place.

Carrick gently prods me forward, and then taking my wrist, raises it up to touch the side of her feathered neck. She huffs a little, but holds perfectly still while I stroke the softness in a downward fashion.

“She’s incredible,” I murmur.

“Want to go for a ride with me?” Pyke asks, his gaze warm and the tone of his voice seductive. “I’ll be a good boy, I promise.”

“She’ll pass,” Carrick answers for me in a tone that brooks no argument. “Besides, she needs to eat, and you and I have some catching up to do.”

The minute Carrick mentions food, my stomach rumbles loudly and Pyke chuckles. He tips his head to me. “Some other time, then?”

I don’t reply, even though I’d sell my soul to the devil—makes note to self to ask Carrick if the devil is real—to take a ride on that thing. I’d totally face my fear of heights just for the chance.

Pyke snaps his fingers above his head and within a flash, there’s a female servant standing there in a drab gray gown. She doesn’t possess the ethereal beauty of the royals, nobles, or gentry. Knowing she’s probably ancient, she still appears to be no older than in her mid-twenties but hobbled over with a rounded back. Her hair is a dirty blond color, coiled into tight curls, and she has large, pointed ears. Her face is rather ordinary, except her eyes are a beautiful green color.

“Take our guest to her bedroom suite,” Pyke instructs the servant. “Ensure she’s given a good meal.”

I’m uneasy with this arrangement. I don’t like being out of Carrick’s eyesight, and I most certainly don’t like him and Pyke going off to talk about things where I can’t have the ability to eavesdrop.

Carrick must sense my distress. He steps in close to me, wrapping a hand around the back of my neck in a move that’s both comforting and intimate at the same time. He dips his head to catch my eyes. “You are safe here, I promise. Nimeyah has sworn it. Go eat and maybe get some rest, okay?”

I have no choice but to agree. I nod, hating the feeling of loss when his hand drops away.

CHAPTER 20

Finley

This is not how I thought my evening would go. When Carrick sent me off to my room to eat and rest, I assumed I was in for the night and would venture forth in the morning when we started our journey to The Scryer.

From the barn, the servant leads me quietly to my room and refuses any attempt by me to make conversation. She won’t even tell me her name. I’m blown away by the splendor of the suite they gave me, done in grays and mint green,