by Chant, Zoe
“This is incredible,” she breathed. Her hand came up to touch the golden disk that hung around her neck.
“Let’s introduce you to the chimera.” Jared gently pulled her into his arms for one last kiss. “And remember, don’t let him intimidate you. He’s really not all that bad.”
Chiara raised an eyebrow. “Just a little bad?”
“If you could deal with Zane, I promise that Gareth will be a walk in the park. He can be curt and gruff—but he’s dedicated his life to keeping the shifter world at peace and the human world safe.”
“Definitely someone I’d choose over Zane.” Chiara exhaled, then reached out for his hand. “Let’s go.”
The cave was dark. Their steps echoed eerily. The only illumination was provided by a gentle, distant glow—but the glow increased the further they walked in.
When they made their way towards the back of the cave, five symbols lit up. Each was carved into a large plinth of stone—each big enough for a dragon to perch on.
Today, no dragons were in attendance. On other days, this was where the elemental dragons that formed the council gathered. There was a plinth each for the dragon of air, earth, water, and fire.
And now, there was also the mysterious fifth plinth, with the symbol of the triangle with the three straight lines.
Chiara gasped when she saw it and let go of his hand, hastily making her way over to the plinth instead.
“That’s it! That’s the symbol!” Excited, she pulled off the golden disk, holding her necklace up next to the glowing symbol.
A moment later, the disk burst into brilliant light.
For one endless moment, the gloom of the cave was filled with dancing spots of light, so bright that Jared’s eyes hurt, even though he couldn’t force himself to look away.
The lights danced all around them across the walls, forming strange patterns that burned themselves into his eyes—and when the brilliant light died away a heartbeat later, he could still see them.
Dots of light, connected by lines. Forming familiar patterns.
Star constellations.
Chiara had apparently come to the same realization. She’d whipped out her phone and was hastily taking notes.
“Hydra,” she muttered, “Cygnus...”
Then, while Chiara was still distracted, Jared saw that the shadows at the end of the cave had begun to shift.
There was the shadow of a serpent’s tail. A heartbeat later, the shadow was gone. Instead, for a split second, he saw the shadow of a lion’s head, before that too morphed back into the swirling shadows and vanished.
Gareth the chimera had arrived.
“Welcome, griffin,” his voice boomed out of the darkness.
Chiara gave a sudden start, almost dropping her phone. Jared held out his hand to her, briefly tightening his grip on her fingers again in encouragement before he led her further towards the back of the cave.
“I see you have brought a human with you,” the chimera growled from the darkness.
“This is Chiara,” Jared said. “She is searching for the same thing we were searching for.”
“Interesting,” Gareth murmured. “I did not tell you to go find a human mate—strange. It cannot be a coincidence...”
“I was kidnapped and nearly killed by a dragon,” Chiara said. “I don’t care what you told him to do; I’m glad he was there. And I don’t even like shifters. I used to think you were all either big bullies or horrible monsters. I’ve changed my mind about Jared. The jury’s still out on you, though.”
Jared couldn’t hold back a surprised huff of laughter. In all the time he’d spent working for the council of elements, there hadn’t been a lot of people who’d dared to talk to the chimera that way.
For a moment, there was a shocked silence from the end of the cave, the ever-shifting shadows freezing.
Then, a heartbeat later, the chimera roared with laughter.
“Feisty human,” he growled. “I like you! Come closer, both of you.”
Jared exchanged a smile with Chiara, who’d visibly relaxed at Gareth’s reply. Together, they moved towards the back of the cave.
“Jared told me you’re looking for a new elemental dragon,” Chiara said. “I thought the symbol meant that there was a powerful magical artifact. But Jared’s right. You saw what the disk we found just did. And I think I can figure out where it’s trying to lead us now.”
“Unafraid and smart,” the chimera growled in approval. “Good choice, Jared. And you’re right. There’s a message hidden in those constellations.”
“I read a lot about constellations and horoscopes when I was trying to figure out more about the supernatural world.” Chiara sounded pleased. “I know that the constellations in the sky change, depending on where you are on the planet. So all we need is to find out where all of these constellations are visible at the same time. And if there’s a mountain range nearby, we’ve found our destination.”
“What a good thing that we’ve got internet access up here these days,” Jared said. He was still feeling smug, because Gareth had claimed he hated technology for so long that this was still a new addition. “I bet there’s a website where you can find out which constellations are visible where right now.”
“But—do we know it’s right now?” Chiara frowned. “The sky changes with the seasons as well. We have no idea when this disk was engraved.”
Slowly, Jared reached beneath his shirt and pulled free his own amulet. It seemed to glow a little, reflecting the light that the plinths of the elements gave off.
“I know when it is,” he said, staring at the symbol. Something in his chest felt tight—like an old wound that had never completely healed.
He took a deep breath.
“Two days from now. In two days, it’ll be—”
“It will be the day when the storm dragon’s parents found an orphaned griffin baby,” the chimera murmured, his words echoing through the cave.
Jared felt the old pain like a stab to his heart.
How strange. After all these years, he’d thought that he was over it. He had a family, after all. He had a home and friends.
Still...
“And that griffin baby was holding on to this amulet.” Jared stared again at the mysterious symbol.
Was there some connection between the parents he’d never known and this new elemental dragon? Had this new dragon perhaps known his family?
I know they’re most likely dead. But still. Still. If I could at least know who they were, where I’m from, what happened...
Chiara’s arm came around him. He breathed in deeply once more, then shook off the old pain and gave her a smile, grateful for her silent offer of support.
Chiara had lost a lot as well. She’d lost her job, her home, her friends—even her family. Everyone she’d cared about had thought that she’d gone insane. No one had believed her.
They’d both hunted for the origins of this strange symbol all alone.
But that didn’t mean that they had to stay alone. They could finish this treasure hunt together.
And no matter what they found at the end, he’d have her. They’d have each other.
No one could take that from them.
As long as Chiara could grow used to the shifter world, of course—but if she’d managed to charm the grumpy chimera, she’d charm the rest of the shifter world, too.
Chapter Fifteen: Chiara
“That wasn’t so bad,” Chiara said, almost surprising herself as they walked deeper underground through a corridor in the stone.
Not so long ago, she’d done everything she could to avoid conflict. And her manager had still managed to make her cry on a regular basis regardless.
But something had changed. Or maybe she had changed.
Letting go of everything connected to her old life had been freeing. After all, what did she have to lose now?
She could live with the fact that a grumpy old chimera hated her.
And apparently as it turned
out, that was exactly the attitude it took to make a chimera shifter like you.
“What’s a chimera anyway?” she asked.
“It’s a long story,” Jared said. “I’ll tell you once we find Ginny. I don’t know about you, but after that flight, I need some food. And Ginny’s been obsessed with baking recently.”
“Sounds good to me.” Right now, Chiara couldn’t care less if Ginny was another dragon—if there was cake, she’d make friends with yet another shifter. It had been a long flight, and she was still jet-lagged, even though she’d managed to sleep through most of their flight back from France. “In fact, I’d kill for a coffee.”
“No need to kill for that,” a soft but cheerful voice informed them as a door to their right opened. “Jared, it’s good to see you! I’ve been hoping the chimera would have guests. I’ve been baking all morning.”
“That cake must be incredible,” Jared whispered into Chiara’s ear with a grin. “She never talks that much around strangers.”
“I’m Chiara.” She reached out her hand, studying the woman who’d appeared before her.
She had to be Chiara’s age. Her hair was a somewhat mousy brown, with a bold, black streak running through it. There was a smudge of blue icing on her cheek, and Chiara had to bite back a soft laugh.
For a chimera’s lair, Sky Home felt surprisingly normal.
The kitchen looked surprisingly normal as well, for all that they were on top of a mythical mountain. There was a laptop on the counter, where a YouTube video was still explaining the finer details of cake decoration, and a plate of cupcakes that Ginny must have used to try out her new techniques.
But the most impressive sight in the entire kitchen was the cake that rested on the table in front of them.
“Three layers,” Ginny said with a small smile. “There’s rosewater in the frosting. What do you think?”
It was decorated all over with tiny flowers of blue and white frosting, as well as real, sugared petals in pink and lavender.
“It looks incredible,” Chiara said. “You’ve learned how to do this from YouTube?”
Ginny nodded with a shy but pleased smile. “There’s not much for me to do up here. At least when the chimera doesn’t have guests. I’ve been baking a lot lately.”
“It’s amazing. You should have your own YouTube channel.”
“Oh, no.” Ginny hastily shook her head, although she was still smiling. “The thought of hundreds of people looking at me and my cakes... That would be the worst.”
“It’s a beautiful cake,” Jared said. “You’ve got real talent. And I bet you would be a patient instructor.”
Ginny giggled softly and shook her head again. “I would be the worst instructor. I’d get so anxious I’d forget what to say or do. Anyway, I’m pleased you’re here. Gareth isn’t going to eat all that cake on his own, after all.”
“We’d be very happy to help out,” Chiara assured her, barely able to take her eyes off the cake.
When was the last time she’d had real, homemade cake? It had been her dad’s birthday, she realized.
Sadness surged up at the memory. They hadn’t spoken in months now. He’d been so disappointed when she’d quit her job to follow what he thought were dangerous, crazy conspiracies...
Chiara took a deep breath as they all settled around the small table together. Beneath the table, Jared’s hand found hers, as if he knew what she’d been thinking.
She gave him a grateful look.
Maybe once all of this was over, he’d help her to convince her dad that she wasn’t crazy. That shifters were real.
Maybe, in a few months’ time, she’d sit at a table with her dad again, eating cake.
But for now, she had to be happy with what she’d found. She wasn’t alone anymore. She no longer felt as if she was going against the world on her own, and that was already worth a lot.
“So, what’s this about the chimera?” Chiara asked.
“He’s cursed,” Gareth said. “No one knows the details, but there are lots of different rumors. What most of us believe is that he came into his full powers, but he couldn’t find his mate. There are some mythological shifters so strong that they need love to balance their power. Otherwise, they go insane from it.”
“A mate,” Chiara repeated softly. Was that how Jared thought of her?
Because she knew that there was a strange connection between them. They’d instantly clicked, in a way she’d never experienced before.
Jared nodded slowly, his beautiful, sky-blue eyes gleaming as his fingers gently trailed along her own.
She felt a sudden wave of warmth running through her—not just the heat of attraction that had sizzled between them from the first moment, but something deeper, gentler.
She’d trusted him right from the start, the way she hadn’t been able to trust anyone before.
“Fortunately, griffins don’t go insane. But Gareth was so powerful that eventually, with no mate bond to protect his soul, the power literally ripped his mind apart.”
Chiara grimaced as she thought of the chimera’s power. She’d felt how strong he was. Was he really the right ally for her? If he’d gone insane, how did she know he wouldn’t turn against her?
“Don’t worry,” Jared hastily assured her. “He’s sane—mostly. It’s the part of him that’s a shifter that was torn apart. That’s also why he hides himself in shadows. He can’t control his shifting anymore.”
Chiara remembered the swirling shadows. She hadn’t been able to make out much. There’d been a serpent’s tail, part of a lion’s body, a dragon’s wings—but never for more than a few seconds.
Even imagining it made her feel dizzy. And what did it feel like for Gareth to have no control at all over his shifting body?
“Even so, he’s still powerful,” Jared reassured her.
“And he knows a lot.” Ginny gave her an encouraging look. “He’ll help you.”
Chiara sighed. “I hope so. I’m sick of getting kidnapped by dragons. If we can find this new elemental dragon, and your friends can stop whatever’s behind Zane...”
“They will,” Jared said earnestly. “Dragons are strong. And my friends are all good people. They’ve all got human mates, too. They know what’s at stake for the human world.”
“Who would have thought that one day, I’d be glad that shifters exist...” Chiara shook her head at herself.
Not long ago, she’d thought that all shifters were monsters. And now here she was, sitting in a kitchen with two shifters, eating cake.
“That reminds me... Are you a shifter too?” She gave Ginny a curious look.
Ginny didn’t really look like a dragon, but then, Chiara was slowly starting to learn that much about the shifter world was very different to what she’d imagined.
Ginny giggled softly, then shook her head. “I’m a mouse shifter.”
“A mouse shifter,” Chiara repeated, giving her a wide-eyed look. “Really? That’s a thing?”
A moment later, Chiara clapped her hand over her own mouth. “Sorry. That was really insensitive, wasn’t it? It’s just that the first shifter I ever saw was a werewolf. And I’ve spent the past few months thinking that all shifters are monsters.”
“It’s all right. I’m not offended.” Ginny smiled. “I can’t say that as a child, I didn’t dream of being a dragon instead... But sometimes, even a mouse can be useful. And no one really cares about mice. I don’t have evil dragons coming after me. That’s worth a lot.”
“The last time we had an attack on Sky Home, Ginny managed to squeeze into a ventilation shaft and ran to warn the chimera,” Jared said. “The fire dragon and Autumn, the earth dragon’s mate, were trapped underground together with Ginny. Only a mouse could make it out of there.”
“Oh, I can see how that’s useful.” Chiara eyed Ginny with awe.
Werewolves, griffins, and dragons—and now mouse shifters, too. Would the supernatural world ever stop surprising her?
Then Chiara grinn
ed. “It’s probably a good thing I’m not a mouse shifter, because as soon as you said that, I realized that as a kid, I would have broken into every candy store I came across.”
Ginny’s smile faltered. For a moment, she looked down, a shiver running through her.
“I didn’t get to do any of that as a child,” she murmured.
Then Ginny took a deep breath and reached out for the cake once more. “But that’s all right. I like where life’s led me now. I thought taking over duties here in Sky Home for a few weeks would be like a very boring vacation where I’d get to read a lot, but instead I’ve made so many new friends.”
“I hope I’ll get to be one of them,” Chiara said, giving the mouse shifter a small smile.
She’d obviously touched on a sore spot bringing up Ginny’s childhood. Maybe not everything in the shifter world was as perfect as it had looked to her at first.
But in a way, that just made Ginny more real. No one here was a monster. And no one here was a fairy tale princess.
Ginny was just like her. Just with a different ability.
In a way, that was even more reassuring than the chimera’s promises.
Chapter Sixteen: Jared
Jared watched as Chiara’s fingers raced across the keyboard. They’d borrowed Ginny’s laptop for an hour, trying to find clues about the star constellations they’d seen.
It had taken a bit of digging, but Chiara had at last found a website that showed which constellations were visible when—and most importantly, where.
“North America,” Chiara muttered as she stared at the screen. “That’s not very helpful, is it.”
She turned the golden disk with the engraved stars back and forth. After a moment, she added another constellation, then made a thoughtful sound. “Okay, that narrows it down a bit more.”
“A general area might be enough,” Jared said as he stared down at the disk as well. “Those mountains look quite distinctive. And I think that mark has to be a river...”
Chiara hummed in acknowledgment, then opened Google Maps again.