Leonidas And Leksander: A Short Story

Leonidas’s heart lurched, and he scrambled up from his repose on the cave floor. He and Leksander had made a pact—whoever went wyvern first, the other would end it quickly. And now his brother was winging toward him, a silver bullet come to end his torment. Leonidas was ready... although his heart was pounding out of his chest at the site. Despite hours of trying to effect his death on his own, the prospect of it winging toward him charged him anew. His tail swished the cave behind him, and his blood rushed in his ears.
He stood, wings spread but outwardly as calm as he could manage, while Leksander landed at the edge the cave entrance. His silver talons screeched against the granite as he grabbed his purchase. He stayed back from the protection of the wards and peered intently at Leonidas, trapped in his magical cage.
My
All right, but once you’re inside, I’m raising the wards again. Just in case.
Leksander nodded his agreement.
Leonidas lifted his taloned claws and motioned to wipe away several of the wards he’d conjured. The focus of his fae magic and the slinky black lines of his runes skittering down his hard-muscled arm made fast work of it. Leksander stepped inside the cave, and Leonidas reversed the conjuring, raising the magical cage once more and locking them both inside.
He wasn’t too worried—Leksander had always been the strongest of the three of them. Born a minute after Lucian but a minute before Leonidas, Leksander was the cooler head, the keener eye, and the strongest in fae magic, as if a portion had been doled out to all three, but Leksander had gotten the larger share.
“You no, when Lucian locked himself in his tomb, I told him he was being idiot.” Leksander paced the small length of the cave—only about fifteen feet on a side—peering at the walls and Leonidas’s rough wyvern form by turns. “You, I’m not so sure.”
I fell in love, Leonidas thought in his direction. I could hardly help it. You of all people should