Potter's Field

Chapter Three/Part Six: The Wyvern

By the time the entire lizard had emerged, Mars was already sitting back, yawning overtly, and taking a bite out of a chocolate square.  “Really, Silver?  Is that all?  With all your theatrics, I thought it would be my griffin feather, at least.”

Silver smiled and raised an eyebrow, still holding the wyvern up for Mars’ inspection. It was quite large in her arms, but she held it easily, turning it this way and that like a saleswoman.   “Really, Mars?  Is that all?  You really believe you can fool me into thinking you aren’t the least bit interested?”    

Mars looked the wyvern over.  The little creature seemed to be muttering under its breath, something that sounded like, “Bad pocket, bad pocket, bad pocket.”  It held its clawed fingers over its eyes as if afraid of seeing where it was, running one hand down to the stump where its tail should have been.  Mars did like wyverns, very useful creatures, though he was loathe to admit it to Silver.          

“It seems to have a limited vocabulary.  Rubbing off on it already, are you?”

Silver scoffed.  “If I were rubbing off on it, it’d already be speaking Japanese.”

“Where did you get it?”  Mars asked suddenly.  “Wyverns aren’t exactly common.”

“Oh, so I’ve made the great magician Mars curious!  An impressive task indeed!”  Silver infused so much fake enthusiasm into her voice, she sounded positively breathless.  Mars stared at her, chin resting on his interlaced fingers, refusing to ask the question again.  She waited a second as if convinced he would continue the banter, before sighing and answering, “I found it in the graveyard.”

Mars sat back.  “And what was it doing in the graveyard?  A strange place to find a wyvern.”  He very much doubted she’d found the wyvern on the island, but if that was her story, she was probably sticking to it.

Silver’s eyes narrowed.  “I didn’t steal it, if that’s what you’re trying to imply.  I have standards.  The only one I steal from is you.”

“Yes, I know,” Mars answered dryly.

Silver drew herself up, puffing out her chest in all her unwarranted pride.  “I caught this wyvern red-handed, digging up graves on Potter’s Field.  And, being the noble and courageous soul that I am, I thought to bring the trespasser to you so it could no longer defile the graves of those poor bodies buried on your expansive graveyard!”  The entire statement was so dramatically stated that Mars couldn’t help smiling.  Silver smiled back, a bit feral-like.  “For a small price, of course.”

“Yes, of course.  I expect no less from someone who’s such a noble and courageous soul.”

“Thankee kindly, good sir,” she ended with a sarcastic, flourishing bow, somewhat ruined by the fact that she still held the wyvern in her arms.  Seeming to notice this, she set the wyvern on the floor, telling it, “Don’t even think of trying to get away.”

The wyvern trembled, curling up in a fetal position and whimpering. 

Mars stood and set his cane on the coffee table.  “It’s obviously terrified by your face, Silver.  Stand back, and let me get a good look before I make any decisions regarding The Illuminator.”  Silver huffed loudly but stepped aside.

He knelt down so he was eye level with the wyvern, staring straight at it as he tried a reassuring smile.  “Don’t worry, little fellow.  We aren’t going to hurt you…at least, as long as you don’t give us any reason to.  I would be terribly remiss if you suddenly relieved yourself on my carpet.”

The wyvern’s eyes widened as he stared at Mars.  A squeak of, “Mad Mars, mad Mars,” escaped its lips before it suddenly fainted with a loud thump.