Legend Warrior

by Liara Woo

  Katie leaned forward, peering into the gray gloom. Suddenly a tall black spire emerged from the clouds. Fendilon squawked in alarm. "By my feathers; we've passed it! I'm terribly sorry, Katie, but… griffins do not have internal compasses as accurate as those of the elves."

  "That's okay," Katie responded, holding tight to his neck feathers as he and the other four griffins carved graceful arcs in the clouds, diving from the fog. Fendilon's words had only made her sadness increase, and she closed her eyes, letting the wind dry the tears on her face. He's right. Halthren had a perfect internal compass. He was perfect in every way possible.

  The five griffins, led by Fendilon, righted themselves and began flying towards a new destination. "Well, Katie…what do you think?"

  Katie opened her eyes. She could clearly see their journey's end—a huge black palace perched on a snow-covered mountain peak. The castle had at least fifteen tall spires shaped like narrow cones, and the tallest spire was hidden by the sea of clouds above. The structure was made of polished black stone reflecting the surrounding skies and had multiple balconies and landing platforms, but there were no doors. Arian let out a piercing cry and banked again, turning towards the largest platform. The other four griffins followed him, and they circled lower and lower until at last their hind paws touched the ground, and they hovered for a moment before smacking their forefeet down on the hard stone.

  Before them was an ornately decorated opening in the side of the stone castle and out of it walked a sixth griffin, tall and proud. He had darker feathers, more brown than gold, and his fur was a dark reddish brown as opposed to Fendilon's tawny coat. His facial feathers were a snowy white. Like a bald eagle, Katie thought.

  As one, Fendilon and his companions spread their wings horizontally and lowered their heads in an unmistakable bow. "Emperor Occupinvi, we greet you," they said in unison.

  "Fendilon, who is perched on your back?" the emperor asked solemnly. "Is she a dragonling? She does have a Stone."

  "No, my lord. She is a human from far away. It is as if she sprang directly out of one of the old elven prophecies."

  Katie dismounted, taking that as her cue to speak. "The elves face annihilation. I must read the Book of Legends and find the Sword of Light, which only an…an Earthling may wield." She still wasn't comfortable using the term 'Earthling' to describe herself.

  Occupinvi tilted his head, his yellow eyes glowing with curiosity. "So you are the one called Legendheart?"

  Katie frowned. Don't cry. Remember the flowers. "Well, no, he's…he's dead, but…you'll still let me read it, right?"

  "It is not a matter of letting you read it," Occupinvi replied coldly. "All who enter the room where the Book dwells are instantly struck dead. Only Legendheart can enter safely."

  "My lord, Legendheart is dead," Fendilon cut in. "I thought it would not hurt to at least let the girl try."

  Occupinvi sighed. "It would hurt, Fendilon. It would hurt her."

  "But her need is desperate."

  Occupinvi sighed. It was a sigh that made Katie think that if he were a human, he'd be massaging his forehead. "Silverdrake's recent attacks are weighing on my shoulders, Fendilon. And now this Book of Legends problem is thrown upon me. I do not know what I am to do."

  Fendilon seemed to shrink as he bowed his head. "I am sorry, my lord."

  There was a tense silence that lasted for several moments. Then terrible shrieks began to sound. "Silverdrake is here! Silverdrake is invading again!"

  "Not now," Occupinvi moaned. "Fendilon, get the girl to a safe place. The rest of you, come with me!"

  As Katie returned to her place on the griffin's back, she asked, "You're going to attack a dragon?"

  Fendilon nodded as he took flight. "Dragons are a boisterous bunch. Some of them like to attack us for sport, but there isn't much they can do, since we can kill them with our lightning powers. Silverdrake, though… he's a nasty piece of work, as big as a small mountain and as fast as an elf. His brother is the renowned Shrikirlych the terrible; perhaps you've heard of him?"

  Katie's throat went dry. "Y-yeah, I know who that is."

  He landed on a cliff overlooking a deep ravine, in which Katie saw a massive silver dragon, his head studded with horns. He was roaring and burning every tree in his sight with a sadistic grin twisting his scaly face. The griffins attacking him were unable to call down a single lightning bolt; the silver dragon knocked them out of the sky with his wings, tail, and forepaws before they had a chance. Sickening cracks resounded through the valley and Katie cringed.

  "Aren't you going to help, Fendilon?" she asked. The griffin shook his head hastily.

  "I'm not officially part of the emperor's military because I'm too young," he explained. "When we attacked the dragon earlier, it was one of my flock members casting the lightning, not me. I haven't been trained in battle."

  Katie frowned. "Can I do anything, then?" she asked. "He'll kill all of those griffins if I don't. And I can call down lightning too, you know."

  "Silverdrake would start bombarding us with flame, earth, water…everything in his magical arsenal if we attacked. And I'm under orders to keep you safe." He shuddered. "I don't want to find out what our emperor does to those who disobey him. He is a good and just ruler, but he hates being disobeyed."

  Katie's frown deepened. "I can't just watch this happen. We have to do something; your fellow griffins are being slaughtered!"

  Fendilon cringed. "I'm not old enough… I'm scared…I'm not a good warrior…"

  "Excuses!" Katie exclaimed. "I know an elven prince hardly older than I am, sort of, who is leading armies and fighting demons three times larger than him!"

  Fendilon was silent. The shrieks of the griffins below and the cruel laughs of Silverdrake filled the air, along with the roaring of flames as the trees in the ravine burned. Katie waited.

  "Prepare yourself," Fendilon said at last, a note of bravery in his voice. There was a metallic ring, and Katie saw for the first time that the griffin wore something like metal gloves on his feet, tipped with steel claws half as long as swords and twice as sharp. With a piercing cry, Fendilon launched himself off of the side of the ravine and dived towards Silverdrake, mist spiraling off of his wings. It was a very foggy morning; damp and dreary. That certainly didn't stop the silver dragon from attacking.

  "Dodge the wing!" Katie exclaimed, clinging to the griffin's feathers and relishing the thrill of flying something so much smaller and susceptible to the wind than a dragon. Fendilon angled his wings downwards and flew directly under Silverdrake's wing. "Grab the ear! It's weaker!" Katie yelled.

  "Thanks," Fendilon grunted, clawing at the frilly ear. Silverdrake roared and spun to see a golden-brown blur of feathers race past him.

  "Celed Vorello!" Katie yelled, striking the dragon's neck. Silverdrake groaned, shaking his head to clear it, and resumed his attack, launching into the sky after Fendilon. "Watch out for fire!" she shouted, and the griffin plunged downwards, narrowly missing a jet of flame. He was so busy trying to dodge the fire that he ran straight into the dragon's wing, smacking his head with a dull thud on the solid wing bone.

  Fendilon grunted in pain and lost consciousness, falling motionless from the sky, his wings limply blown back. "Fendilon!" Katie exclaimed in horror. None of her powers could stop the free fall. The griffin would break several bones upon landing. Katie closed her eyes, forcing her limbs to relax. Then the impact came, jolting her down to her bones, sending a wave of pain through her body. With a low moan she rolled off, only to come face to face with Silverdrake, his icy blue eyes boring into hers. She swallowed nervously. How many times do I have to fight giant evil dragons?!

  Silverdrake cackled. But instead of lifting her, his attention was drawn to Fendilon, just beginning to stir. The dragon lifted him in his massive forepaw and began to squeeze, slowly tightening his grip. Fendilon's beak gaped as he cried out in pain, struggling to free himself.

  "Celed Vorello!" Katie exclaimed without hesitation. S
he struck the dragon's head. Silverdrake stumbled, one paw on his forehead, and then he roared in fury and hit her in the side with his tail. Katie breath was forced from her lungs in a cry of pain as she went flying through the air and her head met with the rocky side of the ravine. Millions of tiny black specks danced before her eyes, and her head throbbed with pain, burning and piercing, as hot as a blue flame. She slumped to the ground, holding her head, her vision still swimming. Vaguely she became aware of a second dragon roaring. It was a familiar roar somehow. Then she heard a clear masculine voice rise above the noise, singing a beautiful, deadly song. Something about that, too, was familiar.

  The roaring stopped. She felt the ground tremble as something heavy landed nearby. A few moments later she saw an anxious face peering into hers, gazing at her intently with beautiful silver-blue eyes. Impossible. He's dead, she thought, slumping into unconsciousness.

  * * *

  Gradually Katie became aware that she was lying on a bed in a dark room. Pale morning light seeped in through a window, falling across her face.

  I'm at home. This has all been a dream. A terrible, wonderful dream.

  "Katie? Are you awake? Can you hear me?"

  There was her father, waking her up for school…but it was summer vacation. How could he be waking her up for school? And his voice…it wasn't her father's voice. It was much younger and smoother. She blinked and slowly sat up, rubbing her aching forehead. "I'm awake," she mumbled.

  It was then that she remembered she wasn't at home. She was in Allagandria, in the griffin emperor's palace. The room was dark because the walls were made of black stone. On the edge of her bed sat Halthren, looking at her anxiously, kindly. Her eyes widened. You were dead…

  "How are you feeling?" he asked gently.

  "I'm not sure," she answered hesitantly. "I think I'm still dreaming. But if this is a dream, I don't want to wake up, because it means you would be dead again." She couldn't stop looking at him, and in a way his appearance verified that it was a dream. His left arm wasn't in a sling, and somehow he'd obtained a skin-tight sky-blue tunic with long sleeves that fit snuggly around his wrists and a v-shaped neckline that ended well below his sternum, providing a glimpse of his chest that made her cheeks burn.

  "By dead, do you mean falling off of a waterfall and being struck by lightning?" Halthren laughed, his voice airy and light. "A griffin named Arian healed me."

  "And Loriina?"

  "She's fine. She's lucky; she escaped with only a few bruises and a bit of water in her lungs. But she's perfectly fine now. Do you remember what happened before you lost consciousness?"

  Katie gasped as the memories came flooding back to her. "Fendilon! Oh my goodness, is he alright? It's my fault he was wounded… please tell me he's alright!"

  "All of the griffins attacked by Silverdrake are completely healed," Halthren answered.

  She stared at him, astonished. "Is this a dream?" she asked directly.

  Halthren shook his head. "It's perfectly real. Loriina and I are not dead, and none of the griffins are dead, either."

  Katie still didn't believe that what she was seeing was real. She pinched herself, wincing at the jolt of pain that followed. It was real pain. Halthren really was alive. Sudden joy flooded her, and unable to contain her delight, she launched herself at Halthren, embracing him tightly. "Then you are alive!" she exclaimed, pressing her face into his shoulder.

  "Of course," he answered. She could hear the smile in his voice as, hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her. "I was worried about you, Katie… I'm so glad you're alright."

  "What happened to Silverdrake?" she asked, looking intently into his eyes, drinking in their dark, midnight-blue depths.

  "Loriina and I killed him," Halthren answered hesitantly.

  "How?" she asked earnestly.

  "Through a combination of our magic," he answered. "Loriina dive-bombed form above while I…er, I sang."

  Katie fought the urge to laugh. "And…what exactly did that do?"

  "Elves can do certain combative magic that isn't swordplay or archery. Melodies that we sing can call all kinds of plants into existence. The one I sang created thick, thorny vines that burst out of the ground and wrapped around Silverdrake like a net, and they held him still while Loriina… ripped off his head." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Songs like that can't harm demons, so nowadays at least, we don't use them much."

  "That's still amazing," she admitted, smiling admiringly into his face and laying her head on his shoulder. Briefly she felt an urge to rest her hand on his chest, where the neck of his tunic revealed his skin, but she pushed the thought away. "Do you sing in peaceful ways, too?"

  Halthren's cheeks turned pink self-consciously. "Er…yes," he answered softly.

  "Would you sing for me?" Katie asked shyly.

  Halthren looked at her and smiled. "Of course," he murmured, gazing into her eyes. For you, I'd do anything. Then he began to sing in a low, clear voice, singing ancient words to a lovely, flowing melody. Though Katie couldn't quite make out the meaning, it was beautiful and seemed to contain some magic. As Halthren held her in her arms, looking into her eyes and holding her against his chest, he meant every word of the song he sang, even though she didn't understand them. The words exposed the true feelings of his heart…fear, joy, pain, and love. In singing his heart to Katie, he was giving it to her…leaving himself completely at her mercy, because he trusted and loved her like he'd never loved anyone else before…

  The Book of Legends

  The Book of Legends

  As midday came, Loriina flew around the palace chasing griffin hatchlings in a game of tag while Katie, Halthren, and Occupinvi gathered in the center of the black palace—a long, oval shaped room with a high domed ceiling and floor as smooth as ice. The walls were tall arches letting in the golden sunlight of the wintery afternoon.

  "So there were demons in Fliuviel," the emperor mused thoughtfully when Halthren had finished explaining what had happened after he and Loriina fell from the waterfall. Occupinvi tilted his head to one side and narrowed his eyes, regarding Halthren closely. The elf shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Why?" the griffin asked.

  "I don't know," Halthren admitted. "But seeing as there's a spy in Kylaras, Nashgor most likely knows that Katie and I were headed to Fliuviel. Since I killed the Shape-Shifter and Katie has the ability to destroy Nashgor forever, It probably wants to capture us and take us to Kratchene."

  "What would Nashgor want with us?" Katie wondered aloud.

  "It most likely wants you to turn Dark," Halthren responded with a shudder. "Katie… I must tell you something. You have elven Light within you; I can feel it. If you tried hard enough, you could summon it from your soul just as elves can. If Nashgor tries to cloud your mind, if I fail to prevent you from being captured, you must use your Light against It."

  Katie nodded solemnly. "I will."

  "What does Nashgor want with you, Legendheart?" Occupinvi asked, a note of curiosity in his tone.

  "I killed something that made It vulnerable, and I can read the Book of Legends, thus finding out where the Sword of Light is hidden," Halthren murmured. A memory came to him of Kylaras talking to him as he lay on a beach in the Ocean of Storms. You were chosen by the stars to bring to pass the destruction of evil. That, he was certain, was why Nashgor wanted him imprisoned. "My guess is…that It wants to return me to Vernisgard Prison." His voice trembled. A shadow of fear and agony briefly clouded his fair face. "As—as punishment, and to keep me from interfering any more with his plans."

  "As of now, the Dark forces haven't taken you," Occupinvi noted. "As you lay in Arian's nest, why did the demons not take you?"

  "Loriina was nearby," Halthren answered. "Nothing would be foolish enough to go near something a dragon was protecting."

  "That is true," Occupinvi nodded in agreement. "Now we must decide what to do next."

  "I think that's obvious," Katie responded, reaching up and touching Halthren
's shoulder. "You need to read the Book of Legends and find out where the Sword of Light is hidden."

  Occupinvi's bowed his head in acknowledgement before reciting some sort of poem that really didn't rhyme, just like the prophecy about Katie coming to Allagandria:

  "On a dawn of fire and fog,

  Through the mist and through the flames,

  An elf with eyes of moonlight

  Astride a dragon silver-blue

  Shall come into our lands

  And stop the pain of the good.

  The Book of Legends, sealed forever,

  Unlocked will be; its mysteries unfolding.

  But be forewarned: