Tears suddenly burned Nali’s eyes. She held the mirror closer so she could see the minute details of the infant. While the face and body were obscured, there were curly locks of hair peeking out from underneath the blanket.
She touched a strand of her long, curly hair, and suddenly she felt a bone-deep knowledge, a realization that had always been waiting for her in the depths of her magic. She was the infant depicted. The images carved into the mirror—they were about her arrival.
“Are you alright?” Asahi murmured near her ear.
She looked over her shoulder at him. He tenderly caressed her neck, and she gave him a distracted smile.
“Yes, I’m thinking about what you said,” she replied.
“Pai is landing,” Ashure warned, slowing the transport.
Nali pulled her gaze away from Asahi’s and nodded. Ashure eased the transport up alongside the hippogriff.
“What is it?” she asked Pai when they stopped beside him.
“There’s a Daktyloi longhouse ahead. I don’t see any signs of life,” Pai warned.
“Scout the surrounding area, we will check the longhouse,” she instructed.
Pai nodded and stepped back from the transport. “Don’t forget to shift,” he grumbled before taking off.
Ashure shook his head. “I notice he hasn’t changed much. He still likes to order you around,” he commented with a humorous grin.
“His heart has always been in the right place,” she absently murmured.
Chapter 12
Fifteen minutes later, Ashure turned onto a short driveway off the major road and stopped the vehicle. Asahi leaned back and pulled the gryphon dagger from his sheath. The animated creature yawned, stood up, and shook, causing his golden mane to fluff out.
“What is it?” the lion growled.
Asahi kept his attention on the long, rectangular hut before them. “We aren’t sure yet,” he said.
“It helps if I know what I’m about to encounter,” the gryphon pouted.
“That would help me too, Mr. Gryphon,” Asahi replied.
He followed Nali as she exited the vehicle. Her body shimmered with a golden hue as her flesh hardened, and a sense of déjà vu struck him for a moment. She motioned with her hand for him to stay back. He paused, monitoring her progress before he glanced at the winged lion that was tapping on his hand. He realized that Mr. Gryphon was still waiting for more information about their location.
“We are in front of a Daktyloi longhouse. Pai thinks something may be wrong. What can you tell me about them?” he requested.
The gryphon scratched behind his ear. “Well, the Daktyloi are a strange bunch, even for monsters. They live together in groups of three to five. They are brilliant in areas like mathematics, metalworking, and healing magic. They are also obnoxious. They think Daktyloi are better than everyone else, and each Daktyloi thinks he or she is the best of their own kind. That’s why they live apart from everyone. No one can stand them. They can barely stand each other,” the gryphon said with a dry chuckle.
“I’ll remember that,” Asahi murmured.
Nali paused at the front door and frowned. She looked over her shoulder at him, gave him a brief nod, then turned and knocked on the door. Under her fist, the door popped from its latch and came to a halt just past the door jamb, hiding what lay beyond.
Ashure pulled a sword out from under his coat and signaled that he would take the back. Asahi nodded and followed Nali.
He drew the 9mm handgun from the holster under his jacket, released the safety with a quick flick of his thumb, and strode forward, stopping next to Nali.
“Something’s wrong,” she said. “I smell blood.”
“I’ll look inside first,” he said in a barely audible voice.
She nodded. He stood with his back against the outside wall. Reaching out, he pushed the door open with the barrel of his gun. He peered inside.
Dim light flickered through the windows, giving the interior a surreal, horror-movie appearance. Dust particles floated in the stream of light. From this angle, he could see an overturned chair and a bunch of papers scattered on the floor.
He looked over at Nali and shook his head. Her eyes darkened with concern, and she nodded her understanding. He silently stepped across the threshold, aiming his pistol with his sight line as he carefully scanned the room. He focused on the shadows in the corners, looking for movement. Nali followed him, searching the area.
The room was long and narrow with three openings—one on each end of the room and one in the middle. He moved in a crouch to the left while Nali went to the right. He tightened his grip on the gryphon dagger as he slowly stepped into the next room.
It looked like a university library. After examining the area from left to right and back again, he felt confident that the room was empty, and he moved forward. This room also had three entrances—the one he had stepped through, one at the opposite end of the room, and an opening in the back wall.
A long table was positioned in the middle of the room. There were five chairs around it, two on each of the longer sides and one at the far end. On the table were many books stacked high in neat piles and several beautiful black metal racks filled with scrolls. Each rack had a unique decoration.
There was an ink well and a quill placed in front of each chair. Mixed in among the papers and books were a variety of mathematical tools. Three of the walls contained floor to ceiling bookcases filled with leather-bound books. An enormous window was precisely centered in the fourth wall. On each side of the window there were two large transparent display screens filled with mathematical equations that he didn’t attempt to analyze closely. He was no mathematician.
The room was immaculate except for a tipped over inkwell. Ink had dripped onto the floor. He stepped around the table and walked over to the chair positioned slightly further
