A Pride of Gryphons

by Kristen S. Walker

  What she saw when they entered the courtyard in front of City Hall stopped her in her tracks.

  Refugees filled the open area with chaos. Families huddled together in little knots, guarding whatever meager belongings they’d managed to carry, comforting their crying children. Father Loranos and other priests and priestesses from the Temple District went through the crowd, offering aid by bandaging wounds and handing out food. The ornamental fountain in the center had been re-directed to provide fresh drinking water for relief from the warm day.

  Korinna whirled and grabbed Galenos’s arm. “Has the city been attacked?”

  Galenos took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “No, these are from the countryside. I told you that people were coming here for protection.” He added in a louder voice, “The city will remain safe.”

  “I thought you said that the nobles were helping them,” she said, dropping her voice to keep others from overhearing the conversation. She realized that saying the wrong thing could alarm people.

  He pointed to men and women, dressed in the livery of noble houses, circulating with supplies. “They’re doing what they can.” He paused, then added, “There are more refugees than there were yesterday.”

  She stood there in stunned silence and stared at the suffering people. Where would they go that night? What could she do to help them? When monsters had attacked her old farm estate, she’d sheltered her people in her own home and cared for them herself, but now there were too many. Her house in the city was small and most of the rooms were already filled with Egina and her children. Even spreading extra pallets on the floor would only fit a few of these displaced families.

  Galenos turned to a nearby priestess who was handing out supplies. He took a bowl full of water, handed it to Korinna, then filled his arms with cloths torn into strips for bandages. “This way,” he murmured, nudging her toward the wounded still waiting for treatment.

  As soon as she had something for her hands to do, Korinna automatically went into action. She knelt beside her husband on the stones. Most of the injuries were minor: scrapes caused by the rush to leave, bruises from falling debris, only a few wayward scratches from gryphon claws. Gryphons who got a grip on people tended to carry their prey into the air and drop them from great heights to finish the job, a fall that few survived. She knew without asking that those with more serious wounds would be slower to make it to the city—if they made it at all. She prayed that the soldiers would be able to protect those fleeing on the roads from being picked off in further attacks.

  Still, bandaging scrapes and cuts gave her something to do, and a kind word and a smile comforted the refugees. She tried to remember each face that passed before her, to learn their names and where they came from. When she ran out of wounds, she switched to handing out blankets, and she gave her purse full of coins to a novice priest to bring more food from the market.

  The sun was directly overhead, beating down on the open courtyard, when Galenos put his hand on her arm to stop her. “You should rest,” he said gently. “Let’s go inside. There are other matters that need our attention.”

  Korinna straightened up and felt her back protest. She hadn’t realized how tired she was. He was right, she needed to take a break, and maybe get something to drink. Her throat was parched.

  But first, she had one more thing to do. “We need tents.” She gestured up at the sky. “Awnings or something. To get these people out of the sun.”

  Galenos nodded, but kept hold of her arm. “I’ll send some people to take care of it. You’ve done enough for now.” He passed on the order to a city guard standing nearby, then led her inside City Hall.

  Korinna let out an involuntary sigh of relief when she stepped out of the sun. She sank gratefully into her chair, and didn’t protest when Galenos arranged extra pillows to cushion her aching back. A servant appeared with chilled juice and food. She ate and drank methodically, without really tasting any of it, but after half an hour or so she started to feel better. Her eyelids drooped with exhaustion, and she blinked to keep them open.

  Galenos nodded to the couch. “If you want, you can lay down and take a nap. I’m meeting with the Council in a few minutes to discuss where we will house the refugees, but we can manage without you. You’ve already done a lot for one day.”

  She looked longingly at the couch. “Can we just open City Hall to them? We don’t need this huge building just for government business. We should take personal responsibility for all of them.”

  “This isn’t really an adequate facility for housing people,” Galenos said with a patient smile. “There are better options we’ve used in the past, and the Council will enact a comprehensive emergency plan. I only had them brought here first so you could see that there are things right here that need our attention. Rest, and don’t worry about it any longer.”

  She held out her hand, and he pulled her to her feet. He helped her lay down on the couch. When she placed her head on the pillow, she felt her exhaustion weigh down body. “Just for an hour,” she murmured, looking up at him. “Wake me up so I can help again. I know there’s a lot to be done.”

  Galenos kissed her forehead. “I’ll check on you later,” he promised. “For now, just clear your mind.”

  He drew the curtains closed over the window and snuffed out all of the lamps save one, which he turned down low. She barely heard the door click closed behind him before sleep claimed her.

  ***

  Korinna woke up feeling stiff from laying on the couch. She stretched and blinked, looking around the office with sleep-blurred eyes. How long had she been there? Galenos had promised to wake her up after an hour, but she felt as if she’d been out for most of the day. At last, her gaze focused on the clock across the room. It was already past six—the Council would have finished by now. Had she been forgotten?

  She pushed herself to her feet and made her way out of the room. By the time she was out the door, her muscles had loosened and she was picking up speed. She went so fast around a corner in the hallway that she almost walked straight into her husband.

  He stopped short just in time and reached out to touch her. “Is something wrong?” he asked, looking down at her with concern.

  She looked behind him to the open Council room door. “Is everyone gone already? I can’t believe I missed the whole afternoon! Why didn’t you wake me up?”

  He relaxed and put his arm around her shoulders. “We went late, but we just finished,” he said reassuringly. “I looked in on you a few hours ago, but you were sleeping so peacefully that I didn’t want to disturb you. I was just coming to tell you that it’s time to go home. Don’t worry, it’s all fine. Do you feel well enough to walk back?”

  She nodded, but she didn’t take her eyes off of the empty meeting room. “I wanted to help,” she protested a final time, but she knew that it wouldn’t change anything. She should never have agreed to take a nap.

  “I’ll tell you all about it,” Galenos said. He turned her toward the exit. “Let’s go home and have some supper. I’m starving.”

  Her own stomach rumbled in protest that she’d missed her afternoon snack. It was frustrating that her whole schedule seemed to be dictated by her body’s needs and the growing child inside her, but there was nothing else she could do right now. She leaned closer into his embrace as they walked out.

  Outside, she saw the courtyard was empty of refugees again, and someone had cleaned up most of the mess they’d left. There were only a few brightly-colored awnings, leftover decorations from some past festival, still set up around the edges to provide shade. “For tomorrow’s arrivals,” Galenos explained.

  She stiffened at the realization that there would be more refugees to come. “Have you heard any news about the attacks?”

  “My brother’s handling it,” he reassured her, but he didn’t meet her eyes. That meant things were still bad. He hurried on to describe where they’d taken the refugees and how the Council had already set up a relief fund to pr
ovide aid. Without a hint of bitterness, he named the wealthy families who had given donations, the same ones who had just sworn they could not give another coin to pay for rebuilding the city’s low income housing.

  Korinna listened to the Council’s emergency plan carefully, and she had to admit that she couldn’t think of anything she would have done differently. The only fault was that their strained budget for all of their other needs would be stretched even further after this. But that was a problem to deal with after the current crisis was over.

  Galenos also praised her care for the refugees that morning. “It heartened the people to see us out there getting directly involved,” he said with a smile. “Already, I’ve heard positive reports of morale improving, despite fear of the attacks. You see, there’s more than one way for us to be heroes. It’s better for us to be here where we can lead by example.”

  She knew that he was trying to make her feel better, but she didn’t like that he was using her own words against her from their earlier argument. She hid her resentment by nodding and making a soft sound of agreement.

  He didn’t seem to notice anything wrong, so he went on to tell her how all of the temples were helping with the refugees. Most of them had made room to take in families, and the main Temple of Deyos was holding a candlelight vigil that night to pray for those lost in the attacks. “If you have the energy, we can come back after supper,” he offered. “It’s another opportunity to show our commitment to the people.”

  It sounded a little too sleazy to use a public memorial for political gain. She shook her head. “No, that’s fine. I’ll light our own candles at home.”

  They had a somber meal, and then Galenos joined her to say the prayers at the shrine in their house’s foyer. Afterward, she felt drained, so she said good night and retired to her room alone.

  But her mind was still racing with thoughts of the attacks, and her body felt wide awake after the long afternoon nap. There was no way she could lay down to sleep. She sat in the dark on a wooden chair out on her small balcony that overlooked the central garden, foregoing her cushions, and watched the lights slowly go out in the other windows of the house. The cool night air invigorated her.

  When she was reasonable sure that everyone in the house had fallen asleep, especially her husband, she went back inside and lit a single candle. Her wardrobe had been meticulously organized through Aristia’s efforts, and she only needed a little light to find the things she needed. Quickly, she changed into her flying leathers, leaving the jacket unbuttoned over her growing belly, and packed a saddlebag with extra clothes. She carried her boots in one hand and slung the heavy tack over the other shoulder.

  She opened her bedroom door slowly, lifting it up a little on the hinges, and listened for a long moment in the hall. The house was silent. She tiptoed barefoot down the hallway, pausing outside the door to Galenos’s room, where she could just hear the sound of his slow breathing.

  What would he do if he caught her? Probably lock her in her room until the baby was born. But she had to do this. She couldn’t lounge on overstuffed couches while her people were dying.

  One stair creaked on her way down, and she froze, straining to hear any sound of reaction in the dark. But no one came. She sent a silent prayer of thanks to the ancestors who watched over her and made her way quietly out the front door.

  She went far down the street and around the corner to a small empty park, just to be sure, before she dared to call Sungold. The marewing was already awake and restless when she made contact, as if she had known that her rider would need her, but this didn’t really surprise Korinna. Their connection had been renewed with their brief flight the other day.

  Sungold landed delicately behind a copse of trees when she came in, keeping her brilliant coat out of the light of the streetlamp. She sniffed Korinna all over, then waited patiently as she wrestled with the heavy tack. Once it was on, the saddle made it easier for Korinna to haul herself up. She checked one final time that everything was secure, then gave her marewing the signal to fly.

  Korinna had not flown much at night before, but she trusted Sungold’s instincts in the dark. She looked down and enjoyed the view of the city falling away below them. Only a few lights glowed in her neighborhood, but she could soon see other districts lit up: the night market, the temple with its candlelight vigil, the mercenary compound. That last one she avoided, knowing Varranor would only send her back to his brother. She signaled Sungold to give the other marewing paddocks a wide berth and then turned her head toward the main fort where the Storm Petrels were stationed.

  The distance to Fort Ropytos was half a day’s travel on foot, but only an hour at the average flying speed. Korinna let Sungold take it at a leisurely glide that was comfortable for both of them.

  She’d chosen her leather uniform which still had the Storm Petrels insignia sewn on it, so the night guard acknowledged her signal without hesitation when she flew over the wall. Sungold touched down in front of the main building to let her off. Korinna took the time to remove the marewing’s tack and rub her down before sending her off to the fields. She’d find her own friends among the other marewings while she waited for her rider.

  Korinna felt a little stiff even after a short flight, but she refused to show it. She straightened her uniform as best she could to cover her growing midsection, threw back her shoulders, and marched into the officers’ building like she belonged there.

  ***

  Korinna wasn’t surprised to find the building still full of light despite the late hour. The commander’s office was empty, but she could hear voices echoing down the hall. She followed them to the War Room.

  The guard posted outside the door saluted when he saw her. “Your Grace,” he said, hesitating for only a moment. Then he turned to open the door. “I’ll admit you at once.”

  He opened the door and announced, “Duchess Korinna.” Then he bowed and moved aside.

  Several of the company’s officers all rose quickly to salute her as she entered. She returned the gesture, then waved it away. “Please, don’t stand on formality for me. I’d like to see what you’re working on.”

  They were standing around a table covered with maps and charts, and at the far end sat a disheveled mage who hadn’t bothered to rise in her presence. “Well, now we have to start over,” Ameyron said in an annoyed tone. “Pay attention so you can catch up quickly. You’ve been reading my previous reports?”

  Korinna had encountered the scholar mage’s gruff manner a few times before, but she stopped short at his question. “I—I haven’t received any reports from you,” she admitted. Had Galenos gotten reports and kept them from her? She peered at the nearest map for clues. “You’re studying the gryphons?”

  Sergeant Navera, her old mentor, got up from her seat next to her partner, Itychia. She came around the table and pulled out an empty chair for Korinna. “Yes, the mage is monitoring their attack patterns and advising us on the best plan to stop them. You’d better sit down.” She looked down at the duchess’s belly and gasped. “Oh! I’d forgotten about your… condition. Did you fly all the way here by yourself? Are you alright?”

  Korinna reflexively touched her middle, but she shook her head. “I’m fine. I had a short flight the other day and the physicians said I was none the worse for it. Sungold flies very gently when I tell her.” She sat down and leaned forward to get a better view of the table. “Please, tell me everything.”

  Ameyron flipped through a battered notebook. “There’s no time to tell you everything,” he grumbled. “I’ll have to summarize.” He cleared his throat, and the others settled in, anticipating another of his long lectures. “The gryphons were first reported by a small farming village on the eastern bank of the river approximately eighty-seven miles north of the city.” He pointed to a pin on the map. “Initial attacks were brutal, resulting in nearly sixty percent casualties and the loss of virtually all livestock. Although we originally dismissed their claims of three dozen gryphons as a
n exaggeration, there were corroborating reports from other villages during subsequent attacks,” he went on, pointing to several more locations, “and that number seems to have grown. Our own scouts last counted fifty-two gryphons—”

  “Fifty-two?” Korinna exclaimed. No one had told her the number before. “How can there be so many of them?”

  Ameyron looked a little annoyed at the interruption, but he turned to another page of his notebook. “Gryphons live and hunt in a family unit known as a ‘pride.’ In the average pride, one adult male protects several females and their offspring from rival males. The females normally do all of the hunting. Hunts are short, concentrated attacks for food, where they fly in, grab their prey, and fly away again, whereupon the male gets first choice of the kill—”

  Sergeant Yoren coughed. “What he means to say is, this isn’t a typical hunting party, because they keep coming back. And they’re not just taking food, they’re killing everything they can.”

  Ameyron swept his hand over the clusters of pins on the map. “Monsters prefer to hunt near the fringes of human habitation, where we’re most vulnerable. These attacks started at the river and spread outward through the highest concentration of farm land. Lots of families and valuable resources, but no walled towns or forts to protect them. They strike at our heart, like a skilled strategist.”

  Korinna looked over the recorded carnage with growing horror. “It’s almost like a war.”

  The mage nodded vigorously. “As I was saying, fifty-two is much more than the largest pride on record. There have been observed instances where two or three males will form an alliance to share protection and mating rights over a larger number of females, but there are too many even for that.” He tapped a pile of scouting reports. “We’re being attacked by at least ten males, in addition to the females. This is a war, launched by an army like we’ve never seen before. And we don’t know how to stop them.”