by Bianca D’Arc
Lucia considered. “Perhaps, but my family ruled Alagarithia not by force of arms or political means. We were chosen to rule the human population by the gryphons themselves. It was more of a religious calling than anything else. My ancestors were priests and priestesses of the Lady. You call her the Mother of All. The gryphons serve Her and we serve both the gryphons and the Lady. The gryphon magic was gifted to certain members of my line, down through the generations, to benefit both our races in peace. My mother was the last chosen priestess and she had hopes I would be the next, but I was never consecrated. I don’t even know if I would have gained the gryphons’ approval once I reached my age of majority. By that time, I’d been away from them and my homeland for more than a decade.”
“I feel sure that if you’d been with them at that time, you would have been the next priestess in your line, Lucy. Their magic flowed freely through you and didn’t harm you. That’s the mark of a truly gifted priestess of any sect.” Queen Lana spoke quietly as their meal lay forgotten before them.
Lucia nodded solemnly. “I just don’t know if what I did was right. I mean…” she was quick to clarify, “…nothing could be more important than restoring Rey’s ability to fly, but I might have been selfish in my motivations. If Rey can fly, my own future is somewhat assured, after all. I was always taught the power should never be used lightly or purely for personal gain. I’m afraid I may have overstepped, though I didn’t see it at the time. And just this morning Linea mentioned children…” Terror filled her heart. “If I am cursed for having misused the gift, then I fear it will pass down my line. I didn’t think of that when I wanted to heal Rey.”
Riki came to her defense. “No, I’ll wager you only thought of Reynor. And Kaden and Marcus. If I were to judge, I’d say your motives were pure, Lucy. Any gift you have may well pass to your children, and if so, it will be a joyous thing.”
“Even here?” she challenged the Queen of Draconia. “In the land of dragons? Will gryphon magic be welcome here?”
“Any magic used for good,” a deep male voice spoke from the wide archway across the room, “is welcome in our land.” Lucy was surprised to see not only King Roland, but Kaden and Marcus standing in the wide opening. They’d heard everything, from the look of them.
The king strolled into the kitchen and kissed his wife on the cheek, motioning for Lucy to stay seated. “I’m sorry to intrude, but what I just heard makes recent occurrences much clearer. Lucia de Alagarithia,” his green gaze pinned her where she sat, “guests have arrived to see you.”
“Guests?” Lucia was confused.
“Gryphons,” Marcus clarified with a teasing grin. “A pair of them just flew in and landed on the battlements. They asked the nearest knight, very politely, for an audience with the king.”
“And then,” Roland picked up the thread of the story, “they demanded to see you. Seems they only asked for me out of courtesy. Polite brutes they are.”
Lucy dashed to her feet. “Do you know who? Who’s come?”
“Let’s go and see, Lucy,” said the king. “I’ve left them in the throne room, for the time being, with Nico. If they haven’t torn him limb from limb yet, perhaps we can find out.”
Lucia ran from the room, taking time only to retrieve the golden gryphon plume. Kaden and Marcus flanked her and the royal party came up behind. As they exited the suite, Linea and Reynor joined the group. Lucy walked fast and all scrambled to keep up with her. She didn’t even take time to tell Rey how good it was to see him whole and happy once more.
Gryphons had come! She was either in big trouble, or…well, she wasn’t quite sure what the alternative could be. Would they want to take her home? Would she dare consider leaving her new family?
Questions raced through her mind, but she knew immediately that no matter what, she would never allow herself to be parted from Kaden, Marcus, Reynor and Linea. They were her family now and she loved them more than anything. But still…gryphons! She couldn’t wait to see who had come or what they had to say. Her entire future hinged on the next moments and she was eager to greet them.
Marcus and Kaden guided her through the maze of hallways and into the more public parts of the castle. The throne room was immense and Lucy scolded herself to walk with dignity toward the magnificent beasts that stood facing the Prince of Spies. Nico had a devilish grin on his face and it was clear he was studying the new guests as much as they studied him.
Lucy wanted to run to the gryphons, but she couldn’t. She’d been trained since childhood how to approach a gryphon from a position of power. These were strong and magical beings who had strict protocols when it came to dealing with humans. She couldn’t show weakness now, though inside her heart cried out at the sight of the male and female gryphons, both showing signs of only recently growing out of their juvenile plumage. She could still see a few stray tufts of downy white where the new, golden, adult feathers had pushed through.
The gryphons must have heard her approach across the massive room. The female’s head turned and Lucia was struck by an amazing sense of familiarity. It couldn’t be!
She motioned the group behind her to stop as she walked right up to the female. She stood firm, her eyes never leaving the enormous creature who looked down on her with narrowed eyes. Gryphons were about the same size as dragons, but sleeker, with feathers and fur rather than scales. And their beaks were formed in such a way that they could speak, with practice, though some people found them hard to understand.
“I am Lucia de Alagarithia, lately of the Jinn. I greet you, and ask your forgiveness.”
One talon rose to push against her shoulder. Lucia knew the gryphon used only a fraction of her immense strength to push against her. Still, Lucia had to brace herself not to stumble back. This was a good sign. The gryphon was tempering her strength. It meant she was willing to parlay.
“Do you not remember me, my friend?”
Lucy searched the gryphon’s mobile features. They were so familiar…
“Ella? Nrathrella? Is that you?”
The female gryphon clacked her beak in their version of laughter. “I am grown up. Asss are you, if you are indeed, the Lucccy I remember.”
“It’s me, Ella. I still have your sire’s feather.”
“Ah, yess. That iss what bringss uss here. We felt the magic of it dayss ago and have flown long to find you.”
“I’m sorry. I had to use the magic. Reynor was injured too badly. He would never have flown again if I hadn’t intervened.” She was frantic, unable to understand what was happening. These gryphons were acting so differently than she remembered. “Please forgive me.”
Lucia felt a warm presence at her back. A quick glance over her shoulder showed Reynor moving up behind her. That he would stand with her against two such powerful beings touched her deeply.
“There iss nothing to forgive.” The male gryphon spoke for the first time. “To losse the ssky you were born to navigate iss a ssad thing. We do not begrudge your usse of our magic to resstore a dragon to the air.”
“We are pleassed that you have found your birthright and that by sso doing, we have found you, Lucccy. I have ssearched for you mosst of my life. Do you not sstill feel the bond?”
“Oh, sweet Mother, Ella. I do. Bless my soul, I do.” Lucia moved forward once more, reaching out to stroke the soft feathers of Ella’s face as she had when they were little. “I’ve missed you so much, my sister.”
“Asss I have misssed you.” The gryphon’s voice was as soft as she’d ever heard it. “Thiss iss my mate, Grallorrin. I call him Lorr for short.” She winked at the male beside her. “It iss our hope we may sstay here with you, Lucccy. The lasst priesstesss of Alagarithia sshould not be without her gryphon ssisster.”
Tears flowed freely down Lucia’s face as she beheld the creature who had been her best friend in those last days before all she had ever known was ripped from her life. She’d missed Ella perhaps most of all, next to her family. And now the gryphon was grown, with a ma
te, and wanting to stay in this land of dragons with her. It was too good to be true.
But there was more than just her own feelings to consider. Now she was on the verge of creating her own family and they had to be included in her decisions, her past and her future, as well.
“You would be welcome here, Lady Nrathrella.” Linea surprised them by speaking. “Lucy should have friends near for her wedding.”
“Wedding?” Ella’s eyes sparkled with delight. “And who iss the lucky man?” Her beak shifted from side to side as she looked from Marcus to Kaden and back again.
Lucia shifted back, unsurprised to find Kaden and Marcus on either side, with Rey and Linea towering behind.
“We both are,” Marcus and Kaden spoke in unison as they linked arms with hers. She supposed she should have expected something like this after accepting them both into her body the night before. She cringed inwardly, waiting for Ella’s reaction, but unwilling to gainsay either man. They were both hers now—shocking as that still seemed.
Ella and Lorr’s beaks clacked in laughter, surprising Lucia. “We had heard about your sstrange wayss, but until thiss moment, I didn’t quite believe it,” Lorr said. “Congratulationss to you all.”
“Then all that remains is to receive our king’s blessing to have you stay for a bit.” Linea took charge again, turning attention to Roland, who stood with his brother Nico and their wives.
“As long as you come in peace, you’re welcome in our land. We’d be honored to have you as our guests.” Roland was nothing if not diplomatic, though Lucy was certain he’d never expected to be entertaining gryphons in his throne room when he woke this morning.
“You will find, ssire,” Lorr spoke in sonorous tones, “that our enemy iss your enemy asss well. I think it iss a good thing to begin relationss between our peopless, before the real battle beginss. We may be the firsst of our kind to vissit, but we will not be the lasst. Even now, your brother makess friendss among our kind.”
The king and everyone in the room were instantly alert. “You know what’s happened to my brother, Wil?”
Lorr bowed his head in acknowledgment. “If what we ssurmisse iss true, he iss is no danger at the moment. Hiss journey back to you will be dangerouss, but he hass good companionss on his wingss.”
The king asked more questions about his brother, young Prince Wil, who’d been kidnapped, and Lorr answered in the same reassuring, but vague way. Finally, the king gave up at his wife’s urging, seeming willing to accept for now that these strange, magical creatures meant no harm, but would not say anything further on the subject. Lucia was glad. She’d run up against gryphon obtuseness in the past and knew when to quit.
She was so thrilled to be reunited with Ella. She would concentrate on that happy event rather than the sadness overshadowing the castle since the prince’s abduction.
Chapter Twelve
The gryphons caused quite a stir among the folk of Castleton who saw them flying to and from the castle along with the dragons. They were distinct. Their feathers and fur gleamed rather than sparkled like dragon scale. Their beaks were sharp and hooked like an eagle’s and their bodies those of great cats, tail and all. Their forelimbs were feathered like an eagle’s ending in wickedly long talons, while their hind legs were muscular and furred, with massive, clawed paws. Jinn minstrels who knew the tales of gryphon magic were in great demand the next day, though the gryphons stayed some distance from the people of Castleton.
Preparations were well underway for Lucia’s wedding. The knights began moving their belongings into a much larger suite on an upper level of the mountain castle that had a sand pit large enough for two dragons and a hatchling or two. Rey was flying and training every day so his wing would be as good as new, or perhaps even better. Having almost lost his ability to fly had made it all the more precious.
Lucia spent much of her time, when not busy preparing her new home, with the gryphons. At first the knights and other Lair folk kept their distance, but she knew they were curious about the visitors. Ella and Lorr had been given an empty suite next to Rey’s and Lucia spent the better part of the first day of their visit, speaking with her old friend and learning what had transpired since her departure from Alagarithia.
The following day, Prince Nico and his wife, Queen Arikia, came to call at the gyphon’s suite while Lucia was there. Nico insisted on informality and Lucia found it hard to resist his charming ways. Before she knew it, she was chatting with them both as if they were old friends.
“But tell me,” the Prince of Spies leaned back in his chair as he regarded the gyphons, “how did you know to come here? I suppose it had something to do with the magic Lucy worked.”
“My ssire knew immediately when sshe called on hiss power. Our magic iss linked very clossely to oursselvess. Not like you dragonss.”
Nico and Riki both started, though Nico hid it better.
Lorr trilled at his mate, stepping forward. “The dragonkin king sshould have known all of thiss already, but your ssire wass murdered before he could passs along the knowledge.” He settled into a sitting position near the Prince of Spies and his mate, eyeing them as a teacher eyes their student. “Dragonkind are not of thiss earth. Like sskithss, you were created wholly by wizard magic. Our kind, by contrasst, originate with two sspeciess that already roamed thesse landss long ago. Wizardkind meddled in our creation asss well, of coursse, but sstill, we are tied much closser to this world, while you are tied to itss people more than the land.”
“Fascinating,” Nico replied, clearly interested, “but why—?”
The gryphon cut him off with a raised claw. “I’ll come to the point ssoon, but you musst know the hisstory firsst.” Lorr settled onto his hind paws, sitting comfortably. “The wizard Gryffid created our kind. He took two beastss and merged them into one creation, ussing the power of the land that already flowed through them to make uss what we are. We took our sstrength from the land becausse we were part of it. We love thiss world and will do all in our power to protect it.” He sat back. “But becausse dragonkind were not tied to the land, the wizard Draneth ssaw a need to tie them to itss people. He did that by merging with hiss creation. You and your brotherss are the ressult. It wass a good plan.” The gryphon nodded as if in approval of the ancient wizard’s ideas.
Ella prowled up and sat next to her mate, picking up the story. “But the wizard Sskir grew jealouss of Draneth. They had alwayss been rivals and enemiess. Sskir created the sskithss to kill Draneth and all hiss creationss. At firsst, they were mighty creaturess—even worsse than the sskithss you know today. Many dragonkin died. But sskithss had no tiess to the people or the land. They cared only for themsselvess. Sskir abandoned them when they did not ssucceed in desstroying all dragonss.”
“So you’re saying,” Queen Riki asked, “that both dragons and skiths were created by wizards, but only dragons were made part of the world they inhabit.”
“Yess.” Ella clacked her beak in approval. “Dragonss have a place here, with the people they have joined their magic to. Sskithss do not. They will alwayss be unnatural and evil. Dragonss may be unnatural, but they will never be evil becausse of the care their maker had for them and hiss willingnesss to become one with them and impart hiss own ssoul for their ssake. Dragonkind owess much to Draneth the Wise. Asss do we all.” She bowed her head in acknowledgement of the long-dead wizard.
“The plume Lucccy ussed came from my ssire,” Ella said after a respectful moment. “He gave it to her when sshe had to flee. Gryphon magic is part of the land and therefore, sstronger even—in ssome areass—than dragon magic. It iss part of uss. We do not give our magic lightly. It iss tied too clossely to oursselvess. My ssire did not want to losse Lucccy permanently, sso he gave her meanss to both protect hersself and call to him, when the Mother Goddesss deemed the time wass right.”
“But why?” Lucy whispered.
Ella reached out a huge paw and touched Lucy’s leg. “You are beloved by all gryphonss, Lucccy. Can you no
t guesss why?”
“Or why the foreign asssasssinss came to kill off your entire line?” Lorr stood, facing her as she sat next to the royals. “They came from Sskithdron, ssent by King Lucan.”
Ella rose too. “Lucan sseekss to revive the old warss. He sseess himself as the heir to Sskir, though he hass no wizard blood. Sstill, he iss dangerouss.”
Nico leaned forward. “So that’s why he merged with the skiths? He sees himself as Skir and he wants to battle all of Skir’s old foes?”
Both gryphons nodded solemnly. Lorr spoke. “He wass already opposssed to Draconia. He wantss your land and power for himsself. It’ss why he hass worked for yearss to desstroy your family, but the dragon magic in you hass made it difficult.”
Nico’s eyes shifted to Lucy. “Skir was also at war with Gryffid, wasn’t he?”
Ella clacked her beak. “You are asss quick asss your reputation.”
“I don’t understand.” Lucy was at a loss.
“You are beloved by we gryphonss, Lucccia de Alagarithia,” the gryphons faced her, both on their feet, “becausse your line desscendss from Gryffid and the first priesstesss, Leandra de Alagarithia.”
Shocking her to her feet, the two gryphons knelt on their forelegs, bowing to her. She well knew that gryphons didn’t bow to anyone.
“This can’t be right.”
Queen Riki patted her hand, imparting a gentle tingle of magic that helped calm her. Lucia was glad for the woman’s presence and help as panic had threatened to overwhelm her.
The gryphons stood once more, facing her. “It iss right,” Ella assured her. “Gryffid placed pairss of uss in sstrategic placess all over the world. We do not call any one land home. Insstead, we care for all landss. When Gryffid vissited Alagarithia, he left two pairss of our kind, but he alsso fell in love with a woman of great power. Leandra wass High Priesstesss of the Lady—what your people called the Mother Goddesss even then—and Gryffid left her with child when he had to move on to the next land to fulfill hiss quesst. He promissed to return, but never did. The gryphonss knew he had not abandoned Leandra, but had fallen to his enemiess. He wass not dead, but he wass too weak to return to her. Her love never wavered.” Lucia felt tears gather in her eyes for the woman who had been her ancestor. “Sshe raissed their child, a girl sshe named Genfer, and helped look after the firsst of the gryphletss to be born. They forged a friendsship that has lassted through to thiss time. We resspect the fact that you carry Gryffid’ss blood, but we love you for you, Lucccy. You were the playmate of my firsst dayss and I love you asss a ssisster.”