A Pride of Gryphons

by Kristen S. Walker

  Tatiana shrugged. “Yeah, well, there were rocks at the bottom of the cliffs back home, too. You just don’t fall.”

  Thyrsis rolled his eyes and hurried off to scare someone else with his story of climbing the cliffs.

  Privately, Tatiana was worried about climbing up to the top of the fort because it was actually much higher than any cliff by the sea, but she wouldn’t admit that in front of Philagros. Since Delia and the others from Helyma hadn’t been chosen as rider candidates, her rivalry with him was the only thing from her old life that she had to hold onto. She worried sometimes that he would get annoyed with her hanging around him all the time, but she was too shy to try making another friend, and he hadn’t told her to leave him alone yet. So long as she kept up a brave front and didn’t burden him too much with her insecurities, maybe it would be alright for the next few months of training.

  She was relieved when she found out that they were allowed to use climbing gear for safety during their ascent to the top of the fort. The bulky rope and harness made it a lot more cumbersome to move up the rock face, but it also let her stop and rest on her way to the top. That helped since it was far longer than any climb she’d done back home. All the same, her shoulders and arms ached from hauling herself up long before she’d finished, and she didn’t try to race anyone for speed. She was just happy when the trainers finally pulled her up over the edge and she could collapse, panting, on the ground.

  Philagros offered her a hand. “I guess I should’ve taken that bet after all,” he said with a wink. “What would my prize have been?”

  Tatiana managed a tired smile and shook her head. “Too late to find out now.” She took a final deep breath and looked around the top of the fort for the first time.

  This was no military battlement with racks of weapons and cover from enemy archers. She realized that they were simply too high for anyone on the ground to fire at them. Instead, most of the area was flat and swept smooth for the marewings to take off and land. In the middle was a huge, round building with doors all around the edges: stables.

  When every candidate had reached the top of the climb, their three trainers, Navera, Itychia, and Orivan ushered everyone over to the stables where a stack of shovels and wooden pails awaited them.

  Navera nodded to Itychia, who took a step forward. The young woman looked nervous about her new role as an instructor. She cleared her throat loudly and scanned the group to see if everyone was paying attention. “The first step—” Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat again. “The first step to becoming a marewing rider is learning how to clean up after them. Marewings don’t tolerate any other human coming near them, so you’ll be responsible for doing everything for them. It’s not a glamorous job.”

  Groans of disappointment and disgust echoed through the crowd of candidates.

  Tatiana wrinkled her nose but picked up the shovel. She wasn't going to let hard work stop her now, no matter how disgusting. When Philagros raised an eyebrow at her, she just grinned. “Bet I can muck out more stalls before sunset than you can.”

  He laughed. “Alright, I'll take your bet this time. The loser owes the winner a backrub.”

  “You're on,” she said, then darted into the nearest stall before he could react.

  Each stall had to be cleaned out and filled with fresh sawdust and straw to manage the smell. She distracted herself by taunting Philagros and focusing on the race to finish first. Some of the other candidates got into the fun, tossing out their own challenges, and they made quick work of the stables.

  With so many hands to help, they cleaned out the stables well before sunset, so the trainers moved them on to other chores. By the time darkness descended, every inch of the roost practically sparkled with cleanliness.

  Only then did Tatiana look back to the cliff face and think about their return. “Do we have to climb back down tonight? I don't know if I can make it in the dark.”

  Sergeant Navera opened a door to a shack. Inside was a tunnel leading down, with a basket suspended from a rope. “We bring supplies up through here,” she explained. “The riders have their own quarters up here, but you'll go below with the regular soldiers for the night. We'll see you in the morning.”

  Tatiana let out a sigh of relief. It took a long time waiting in line before it was finally her turn to ride the basket down, but it beat climbing by a long shot.

  Later, at supper, Philagros took the seat next to hers. “We never settled who won that bet earlier.”

  Tatiana looked up sleepily. She’d almost forgotten their contest. “Um, sorry. What do you think is fair? I think I saw you finish the stalls first…”

  He shrugged. “I think that was a tie, but then you definitely swept more of the floor when we moved on to the riders’ quarters. You should win.”

  Tatiana blushed when she remembered the prize was a backrub. Suddenly the thought of him touching her shoulders seemed far too intimate. “We could just call it a tie and skip the prize. I think we're both too tired, anyway.”

  “I'm not that tired.” He got to his feet and stood behind her. “I keep my word. Unless you don't want a backrub.”

  She bit her lip and looked down, unsure what to say.

  When she didn't say no, he reached for her shoulders and began to massage the knots away. His fingers sent warmth into the sore muscles, easing the ache. She closed her eyes and held very still, not wanting to ruin the moment.

  “Oh, the food’s here.” He stopped abruptly and dropped back into his seat. “I'm starved. Was that enough?”

  Her eyes snapped open. Big platters of grilled vegetables and chicken on skewers were being passed down the table. “Sure, that's fine,” she mumbled, looking at the food instead of him. “Thanks.”

  She couldn't admit that she wanted him to keep touching her, afraid of how that would sound, so she concentrated on the food. After the meal, she said a hasty good night and hurried away.

  “Hey, wait up,” he called, running down the hallway after her. She was forced to stop to avoid a scene, although she couldn't quite meet his eyes. “I'm sorry about earlier. I guess you didn't care for the backrub. I won't touch you again.”

  She forced her eyes up to meet his. “It's not that. I'm just tired.” She forced a grin onto her face. “I have to get my energy back so I can beat you again tomorrow.”

  Philagros laughed. “Oh, right. Well, then I'd better hit the sack, too. See you.”

  Tatiana nodded and hurried away, hoping her blush didn't show under her sunburn.

  Orivan II

  Orivan looked over his class of nervous candidates with a proud smile. In just a few short weeks, they'd come so far in their training. Today, they would finally get their first taste of flying.

  Navera had explained each phase of the training to Itychia and Orivan as they went. “We almost never put another passenger on our marewings because it's so hard for them to accept a stranger,” she'd told them the night before. “But this is one of the most important things that we do with the candidates. You can explain the theory of flying to them over and over, but nothing beats the real thing. They need to be comfortable with the reality.”

  Itychia folded her arms. “Why does it matter if they're comfortable or not? You don't let them fly enough to learn how to do it right, and being a passenger is nothing like controlling your own marewing. You might as well put them on the back of a cow.”

  Orivan snorted. “What, and dangle the cow over the edge of the mountain?”

  Navera leveled a stern glare at her partner. “Their mental attitude makes a huge difference when they catch their marewings. In some companies, they just send raw recruits up into the trees with no preparation. They have a much lower rate of success.”

  Orivan swallowed hard. Only one in three candidates succeeded in becoming a rider. “We have a high rate of success?”

  Navera nodded. “It's hard to predict, even with our careful selection criteria and candidate training. I've honed these techniques over year
s as the training officer.” She shot another look at Itychia. “You may try your own methods after you've learned mine, but remember what is at stake. Every candidate who falls is a good fighter lost to the company, whether they're a rider or not.”

  Itychia frowned but didn't argue the point any further.

  Orivan wondered how their relationship was getting on during this training. Navera had hinted that teaching could bring people together, but their clashing approaches to teaching seemed to be driving them apart instead. Was it hard to be in a relationship with a superior officer? He couldn't help but think of what could have happened with Varranor. Maybe he would have come to resent the commander if he got an order that he didn't like, or Varranor would have treated him as an inferior.

  But he was supposed to be here so he would stop thinking of Varranor. Orivan banished the warlord from his thoughts and focused on the training flights.

  There were so many candidates this year that all of the marewing riders posted at the fort had turned out to fly them. With thirty-five marewings currently in Aelyzoai, and sixty candidates, that meant most of them would be doing two flights. Navera assigned pairs to each rider and then let them split off to introduce their marewings to their passengers individually.

  Orivan smiled at his two candidates, Tatiana and Philagros. He'd made a point to learn everyone's name but he didn't know much about them beyond that. “Um, hello,” he began nervously. “I think I've seen the two of you together before. Do you know each other?”

  Tatiana blushed and looked at the ground shyly, but Philagros grinned. “Oh, yes, practically our whole lives. We both grew up in the same village.”

  Orivan nodded. “Wow, that's nice. What village?”

  “Helyma,” the young man answered. “It's a fishing village up the northern coast.”

  Orivan’s eyes lit up. “Really? I came from a fishing village, too, out in the islands. Did you sail on the boats?” What a coincidence that he got the two candidates with the same background as him.

  Philagros nodded. “Yeah, at least, I did. Up before dawn to haul out the nets. Still miss the smell of salt in the air.”

  “I know the feeling,” Orivan said with a sigh of nostalgia. He looked at Tatiana, hoping to draw her into the conversation, too. “What about you? Didn't care for sailing?”

  Tatiana peered up at him for the first time. “Girls weren't allowed on the fishing boats. I gathered shellfish at low tide and helped repair the fishing nets.”

  Orivan raised an eyebrow. “Huh, that seems like a waste. You were probably taller than most of the men in your village, though, right? And I've seen your strength.”

  She blushed again but just shrugged.

  Maybe she was self-conscious about her height. He turned and whistled for his marewing to come join them. “This is Moonshadow,” he said with a hint of pride. “If you want to ride her today, you're going to have to win her trust. The first step is staying calm.”

  Philagros and Tatiana both froze as the gray marewing landed on the ground next to Orivan.

  Fortunately, Moonshadow was easy-going compared to most of her sisters. She sniffed at the candidates with mild curiosity and kept her distance, but she didn't lash out.

  Orivan put his hand on Moonshadow’s bridle to keep her steady and stroked her neck. “She responds well to touch and to a soothing tone of voice,” he continued, shifting his speech to demonstrate. “Yes, she's a good girl, aren't you, dear? But before you can touch her, the proper introduction to a marewing is to give her a treat.”

  Philagros looked at the monster nervously. “Hello, Moonshadow, nice to meet you?” He tried to match the gentle tone, but his voice cracked at the end.

  Moonshadow snorted and rolled her eyes at the young man, but she didn't move. Still, Philagros took a step back.

  “No, stay calm,” Orivan cooed in a singsong voice. “Here, try giving her the treat.” He opened his pouch and took out a pickled cloudfruit. He didn't want to spoil Moonshadow too much, so he tore it carefully and gave half to Philagros. “Hold it out, keep your palm flat and your fingers out of the way, and offer it to her slowly but without hesitating. Don't tease her with it.”

  Philagros copied Orivan's movement, stepping closer to the marewing and offering the fruit. The marewing flicked her ears forward with interest, then stretched her head out. She nipped the fruit delicately out of his hand and savored the treat.

  Orivan felt her relax a little, so he nodded and beckoned Philagros forward. “Good, good. Now, come put a hand here--” The young man hesitated, so Orivan took his hand and placed it on her neck. “There, gentle strokes. Nice. Scratch behind her ears, she likes that. There you go.”

  He guided Philagros through petting Moonshadow, and with his reassurances, both the candidate and the marewing relaxed. Once she accepted him, he showed Philagros how to mount using the stirrups. When Philagros was comfortably settled in the saddle, Orivan mounted in front of him.

  Philagros cleared his throat. “What do I hold onto?”

  “Put your arms around my waist,” Orivan said, turning his head back over his shoulder. “Don’t be shy—you need to hold on tight so you can keep your seat.”

  He waited until the young man had a firm grip around his waist before giving Moonshadow the signal to fly. She ran for the edge and jumped into the sky. They had to maneuver a little to keep clear of the many other marewings taking off with similar training flights, but with a few wingbeats, they were up and away.

  “Whoa,” Philagros breathed, looking down at the land stretched out below them. “It’s so beautiful.”

  Orivan smiled. “There’s no other view like it.”

  He kept Moonshadow to a gentle glide, all the while talking to Philagros and explaining how to keep a proper seat on the marewing’s back by moving with her through the banks and turns. He felt the other man gradually relax and grow more comfortable with the idea of sitting astride a monster with nothing but air below them.

  He could have stayed up there all day, swapping stories with Philagros about fishing and sailing. They had a lot in common and Philagros had a good sense of humor, laughing at all of Orivan’s jokes. It was easy to put all of his concerns behind him for a little while and just enjoy the flight.

  But Sergeant Navera had warned them not to stay in the air for too long and wear out their charges, and he still had a second flight with Tatiana, so Orivan turned back to the fort after less than an hour. He warned Philagros to brace for the impact of landing.

  Tatiana was waiting for them, and when she saw Philagros coming back, her whole face lit up. She quickly tried to hide her smile behind her hand, but Orivan had already seen the eager look and recognized it for more than just a friend’s welcome.

  Philagros swung down from Moonshadow’s back and rushed forward to her, taking her by both hands. “That was amazing,” he gushed. “Just wait until you get up there. You won’t believe the view.”

  Tatiana looked at him with wide eyes. “Were you scared?”

  “Actually, no.” Philagros turned back with a grin. “Orivan is a great teacher, and I knew he wouldn’t let me fall.”

  Orivan flashed a quick smile, then busied himself with dismounting and praising Moonshadow for her flight so he could hide his face. Well, it had been a silly fancy to think he could get close to Philagros when he clearly was attracted to his childhood friend. He shook his head to banish his thoughts and turned around with renewed enthusiasm.

  “Well, then,” he said, turning to Tatiana. “You saw how Philagros did it. Are you ready for your turn?”

  Tatiana looked at Philagros a final time, who nodded his reassurance. She took a step forward and held out her hand, palm flat. “Yes, I’m ready.”

  Orivan nodded and handed her the second half of the cloudfruit. If attitude counted for much in catching a marewing, he would bet that both of these were strong contenders for becoming riders. He could take pride in training them and helping them grow, at least. Maybe being the assista
nt trainer was a good position for him after all.

  Galenos II

  The summer had flown by with all of the details, small and large, to juggle in running a city. To Galenos, it seemed that he blinked just after the New Year festivals, and when he opened his eyes again, it was almost time for the Longest Night. The winter rains would be arriving soon, and farmers were preparing their fields for planting, while priests traveled around the region to bless the land and ward against wyld magic.

  There was one important event that happened before the Longest Night, a private holiday only observed by marewing riders and would-be riders: the cloudfruit harvest. Each year, all of the riders in Kyratia traveled to a secret valley where the cloudfruit tree grove stood. During the full moon, the cloudfruit all ripened at once, attracting wild and tame marewings from all over the region. The candidates were given their one chance to catch a marewing of their own, and the other riders flew their own mounts to gather as many cloudfruits as they could, to pickle and preserve for the rest of the year. It was a rite of passage and an annual tradition which brought them all together.

  Galenos didn’t know if it would be appropriate for the new duke and duchess to take part in the trip. “It reminds everyone that we’re marewing riders,” he said to Korinna in their shared office at City Hall one afternoon. They’d pushed their desks together side by side to share the paperwork, so he only had to turn his head a little to see her, and he found that their closeness let him voice his thoughts aloud more often. “We want to distance ourselves from the mercenaries. People shouldn’t think of us as fighters.”

  “But we are marewing riders,” Korinna said, lifting her chin with her usual stubborn pride. “Our citizens see us as heroes for the fighting we did to save this city. Why wouldn’t we go? We’ve had barely any contact with the company for months.”