The Wyvern's Spur - Kate Novak [38]
Giogi froze, like a man held by magic. He moved his mouth, wetted his lips, and moved his mouth again, but no words came out.
Patches of darkness broke through the edges of the light cast by the finder's stone and swirled together until they coalesced into one large shadow, which sprouted legs, a serpentine neck and head, a sinuous tail, and huge reptilian wings. The shadow spread out against the far wall, covering the detail of the stonework in an inky pool.
Olive had no trouble recognizing the silhouette as the shadow cast by a monstrously large wyvern. Yet, there was no wyvern in the room. Olive began to back up slowly. She had had frightening ordeals with dragons before, but at least those dragons had been visible and alive. The creature dwelling in this place, Olive realized, was neither.
"Giogioni," the disembodied voice whispered again. The shadow of the wyvern head moved as the voice spoke. "You've come back at last."
"I'm only passing through, guardian," Giogi said. "Don't bother-" Giogi's voice cracked. He swallowed hard to wet his throat before continuing. "Don't bother yourself on my account."
"Is this little morsel for me?" the guardian asked as a shadowy talon elongated and traveled across the ceiling and down the wall toward Olive.
Olive could've sworn the air grew colder as the shadow claw drew near her.
Giogi interposed himself between his burro and the darkness. "This is Birdie, and I need her to search the catacombs, so I would appreciate it if you would leave her undisturbed."
The voice laughed. "Not too little anymore, are you? I shall respect your wish. But you've come too late, my Giogioni. The spur has been taken."
"I know that," Giogi said. He could feel a bead of sweat trickling down his face as he mustered all his courage and asked, "Why didn't you stop the thief?"
"My charge is to let Wyvernspurs pass unslain," the guardian replied matter-of-factly.
"So which of us took the spur?" Giogi demanded.
"I have no idea. Wyvernspurs are all alike to me. Like shadows on a wall."
"Great," Giogi muttered.
"Except you, Giogioni. You are different. Like Cole, like Paton. Kissed by Selune."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Do you remember what we spoke of when you were here last?"
"I've been trying to forget it, actually."
"You can never forget the death cry of prey, nor the taste of warm blood, nor the crunch of bone."
Olive's ears pricked up at the unusual pattern of words. Wyvern poetry? she wondered.
"I have to go," Giogi insisted. He tugged on the burro's halter. Olive needed no further coaxing. She trotted across the chamber at the nobleman's side, keeping him between her and the silhouette. As the only source of light in the room-Giogi's finder's stone-moved, the shadow did not shift position but remained looming on the far wall.
In that wall, beneath the shadow of the guardian's wing, was a small archway opening onto a downward staircase. As they neared the arch. Olive again felt the chill of the guardian. They passed through the archway unharmed, though, and the chill did not extend beyond the crypt. They had passed out of the guardian's realm.
Behind them, the creature called out in its bone-grating whisper, "You will always dream of these things, Giogi. You will dream of them until you've joined me forever."
Giogi hurried down the stairs, but at the first landing he slumped against the wall, trembling, with his hands covering his face.
Olive nuzzled him gently, concerned that he might go to pieces if she didn't keep him moving, and anxious to put another flight of stairs between them and the guardian.
Giogi pulled his hands away from his face, took a deep breath, and looked down at the burro. Olive could see tears in the corners of his eyes. "I was wrong," he said. "She is just as terrible as I remembered. It's her horrible dream. If I could just stop dreaming that damned dream."
7
Cat
Giogi stood up straight and took a few deep breaths to compose himself. He was over the worst of it. While the catacombs were no doubt more