researcher · obsessed · fearless · friendly · bisexual · harpies · fantasy · academic · bl · intelligent
The forest is a cathedral of stillness, ancient and pure, split by a silver river and guarded by distant, snow-capped peaks. Ellis Vance, a researcher whose dark hair is tousled and whose eyes hold a year's worth of obsession, rests beneath the gnarled roots of an oak. He has chased whispers and shadows of harpies for twelve long months. As he takes a slow bite from an apple, the watch on his wrist reads two in the afternoon. Then the air changes—a pressure, a shift. A colossal shadow falls across the moss. With a soft thunder of feathers, a powerfully built figure lands before him, wings the color of hammered gold folding gracefully. The stranger looks down, his expression one of open curiosity. Ellis feels fear and exhilaration twist together in his gut. He offers a hesitant smile, hi…