Page 5 of Eggsactly the Right Gargoyle

I move back to my workbench and gesture for her to join me. “How did you find yours?”

“It was just there. When I woke up this morning and went to check on my seedlings.” She places her egg next to mine on the workbench. The two objects immediately roll toward each other until they touch, their lights pulsing in synchronized patterns. “What about yours?”

“It appeared next to one of my sleeping companions.” I nod toward Griswald’s motionless form. “He’s in deep hibernation and won’t wake for another decade at least.”

“They just appeared. Out of nowhere.” Talia leans closer to examine the eggs. “And they’re playing a love song.”

“Love songs?” I ask, surprised by her specific identification.

“Yes. They’re both playing ‘Heart’s Embrace’—an old witch’s ballad about finding your magical complement.” She looks up at me. “You can’t recognize the melody?”

“I recognize it as music,” I say defensively. “I don’t categorize by emotional intent.”

“Maybe they’re some kind of practical joke?” she says, her lips quirking into a smile.

“No.” My response is immediate and firm. “These are clearly magical artifacts of unknown origin and purpose. We should approach them with caution, not romantic speculation.”

Talia shrugs, seemingly unperturbed by my gruffness. “Whatever they are, they’re connected. Look.”

She points to where the eggs touch. The patterns on their surfaces have aligned, creating a continuous design that flows from one egg to the other. “Have you tried any revealing spells?”

“Three different kinds. None worked.”

“What about a resonance amplification? Since they clearly respond to sound.”

I hadn’t thought of that. “No.”

“May I?” She gestures to the eggs.

I step back, giving her space. “Be careful.”

Talia closes her eyes, and the golden rings around her irises begin to glow visibly even through her eyelids. She hums softly, matching the tune of the eggs but adding subtle variations. Her fingers move in small, precise gestures above the eggs.

Both eggs rise several inches off the workbench, spinning slowly in midair. Their glow intensifies, and the music swells. Patterns of light project from their surfaces onto the chapel walls, showing intricate, intertwining designs that remind me of ancient fertility symbols.

“Oh.” Talia’s eyelids snap open in surprise. “That’s interesting.”

The projected patterns shift, forming words in an ancient magical script that I haven’t seen in centuries. I translate automatically:

“When stone meets sun, winter’s done. Hearts entwined, souls aligned.”

“It’s a prophecy,” she whispers, her voice tinged with awe. “Or a riddle.”

“It’s nonsense,” I counter, though I’m not entirely convinced. The script is authentic, and the magical energy powering it is older than me, possibly older than Evershift Haven itself.

The eggs slowly descend back to the workbench, dimming their glow slightly, but the music continuing.

“Stone meets sun.” Talia looks pointedly at me. “You’re stone. I’m a sun witch.”

“That’s a literal interpretation,” I say dismissively. “Magical texts are rarely so straightforward.”

“Sometimes the simplest answer is the right one.” She touches one of the eggs gently. “I think these were meant for us to find.”

“That doesn’t explain what they are or what they do.”

“Maybe they don’t ‘do’ anything. Maybe they’re just...messengers.” She looks around my chapel, taking in the ancient stonework and stained glass. “This place has strong magical foundations. It could have attracted the egg to your gargoyle friend as the most receptive vessel.”

It’s not an unreasonable theory. My chapel was built on a convergence of ley lines, which is why I chose it as my roost centuries ago. “And yours appeared in your herb basket because...?”

---