Rise of the Gryphon (Belador #4)(89)

“What wizard?”

When Quinn told him about Grendal, Tzader speculated, “Grendal may not have her. Evalle took Lanna and Feenix to her friend Nicole’s to watch while Evalle was gone.”

“Does Nicole know where Evalle is?”

“No. Nicole contacted me when she couldn’t find Lanna. She thinks Lanna cloaked herself and slipped out with Evalle.”

“Sounds like the brat,” Quinn ground out.

“So Lanna is either hiding somewhere—”

“Or with Evalle,” Quinn finished.

Tzader nodded. “Storm was with Evalle at the beast championship.”

“What’d he tell you?”

“Nothing yet. Haven’t been able to find him.” Taking a last look at the castle, Tzader said, “I know you’re worried about Lanna, but I need you here. I’ll hunt for her and Evalle, and let you know what I find out.”

The urge to leave and go hunt for his teenage cousin was written all over Quinn’s face, but he was a warrior and Belador first. Plus, he shared a bond with Evalle and Tzader, and knew he could trust Tzader to do as much as Quinn could. “I’ll stay.”

Tzader squeezed Quinn’s shoulder, thanking him for his trust. “I’ll turn loose everything I have at my disposal to find them.”

But he had to do so quietly. If Macha realized he would not declare Evalle the enemy, she’d remove him as Maistir and send in someone who would do her bidding.





THIRTY-FOUR





Why did dying have to be so painful?

Evalle couldn’t raise her arm. Breathing took more effort than blinking her eyes. The five gashes ripped across her chest bled down her pretty new aqua skin.

Storm would never see her as a gryphon.

Boomer laughed at her, his claws dripping her blood. He’d morphed into a gryphon with black and gold scales. Cardinal-red feathers speckled with black covered his wings.

In her head she heard him say, Not such a badass after all, are you?

She really wanted to cut his golden head off and see if that would kill him even as a gryphon.

He wouldn’t have won this battle if not for the two swords he’d been given. And his elastic body that healed itself so quickly.

Kizira flashed into the arena, hands on her hips and scowl in place. “Get up. We don’t have time for you to waste.”

Evalle added Kizira’s head to her death list.

“Oh, come on,” Kizira complained. “Heal and get moving.”

After watching others like Tristan die and then regain life, Evalle thought she’d be ready for this transformation when she heard it would only make her stronger.

Kizira leaned down. “Heal or I’ll let Boomer finish you off.”

Boomer made a happy growling sound.

Evalle decided right then to live, if for no other reason than to kick his miserable hide. Drawing on her beast energy, she sent it rushing through her to the five wounds on her chest, her broken hind leg and the ripped wing.

She’d never healed that fast even in Alterant beast form.

One flap of her wings and she reached her feet, towering over Kizira.

Evalle asked, How many more times do I have to die?

Kizira answered her telepathically this time, That’s it for now. You can only die three times and come back to life. After that, you won’t survive another mortal wound. We want you to go through this once just to be stronger.

Three times? That’s it? That’s limited immortality.

Kizira admitted, I know. It’s just a temporary regeneration of life.

That would mean you lied at the beast games.

Kizira glanced over at Boomer, who waited with arms crossed.

Evalle assumed his nonreaction meant he couldn’t hear her conversation with Kizira. How’d you get past the lie detector at the beast championship?

The Medb never claimed to offer immortality. Like any secondhand information, things are embellished or modified once they become hearsay. We told Kol the Medb would offer the Alterants a chance to become warriors who could conquer death. And at this moment, you have conquered death, fulfilling our offer, but only for two more times.

Kizira swept around to face Boomer. “You’re done here.”

Boomer hung his head, clearly disappointed not to kill something else.

“We’ve got two more to turn into gryphons.” With a wave of her hand, Kizira brought Bernie on scene. He took one look at both Evalle and Boomer, then passed out.

Evalle told Kizira, Let me stay and coach him. He has a big beast form.

He can’t communicate with you telepathically until he takes gryphon form and I bond him to the group.

Evalle hadn’t been in human form since she’d battled Tristan, and she wondered how hard it would be to change back. Tristan had done so once he’d calmed down enough to realize he’d been tricked into believing Evalle had murdered his sister.

Reaching inside herself, Evalle called the change, and with a few painful twists and snaps, she shrank into her human body.

Naked.

A bulge started developing under Boomer’s lower feathers.

Evalle snapped at Kizira. “Clothes!”

Gray sweatpants and a matching jersey top covered Evalle in the next instant. Her face felt just as naked without sunglasses, but she hadn’t really needed them since shifting into a gryphon.