Gryff the Griffin Rider 2

by Marcus Sloss

  Velia turned to Bella who handed off the paperwork she had in her hands to Addilyn. Velia nodded at her and swapped places so Addilyn was in front of me. Poor Bella looked miserable.

  “The market for torches was in great demand for a while. My father buying most of your excess in a bulk order. The value has gone down with oversupply empire wide. Not that many underground cities in production yet. There is good news though. The lava rock’s slow production but vital warmth keep them in great demand. Everyone is bracing for winter, and the rumor is flying around the Empire that warm balls of magic may be coming to a market soon. You need to promote Baron Strin to a Count, and he submitted a request to increase production for winter. Mages are immigrating to Malvia for the extra work. The to be approved paperwork is on the board. Pipi can you grab it for our lord.” Addilyn said and Pipi walked to retrieve my paperwork. We waited for her while Velia patted Bella’s back. When Pipi returned the documents were set on the table and I signed them. Hurrah, Baron Strin was now a Count and fifty more gold was invested to increase the production of the vital heat balls.

  “Your coffers have seen a boost from your diligent efforts, but your expenditures have been drastic. The imported fish that used to be paid for by the Emperor. Well, now it has fallen to you and King Horus. You were in that meeting, my understanding is a transportation tax is being applied to goods shipped via griffin. Simply put, the griffins and King Horus are asking for taxes no longer going to Deltan to shift to purchasing fish. So far it has mostly been your burden. The ogres right outside of Fernlan and the dead settlement from Malvia helped, but you’re spending more than you’re making at this point. It is was not too big of a deal when you were killing stuff daily. My recommendations.

  “Time to close out some workers contracts. You extended a few far too long at excellent rates to them. I understand there may be times where the excess personnel are warranted, but for the most part, the hard work here is done. Every day I see idle workers waiting for tasks. It is not their fault, but more of a circumstantial effect. You had to offer them nice deals to get them here, but now that things have stabilized it is time to fix the outflow of coins. The best bet is to off them a buyout or a reduced extension. Next, take off your open purchase offer. You are sweet Gryff and for the villagers of Fernlan more than a simple Knight. Yet as this place grows people are buying wants disguised as needs. Like end tables, and couches. I would reword the offer for essentials, like clothing for work, and reduce the furniture to beds only. What else did I notice?

  “Oh… The horses, so I know it is not popular, but you got twelve too many here. Move a dozen to Xiq. You should do that before traveling to Streb honestly. I don’t think you can though… the reports I have been reading from father’s captains say Fernlan’s exterior is swarming still. Lastly the mage academy, you have yet to set a price for attendance. Master Mage Lamont has not set tuition because he wants you to set the rate. This means the students not only are being accepted in mass but for free. I ran the numbers, even with the extra ogre hearts being actioned you will run out of funds by mid-winter assuming you change nothing. I recommend five gold, while Master Mage Lamont says ten gold per year per student. If a student is not from a wealthy family then do a long term loan, but there needs to be a cost for coming to learn here. If add the tuition then the accounts will balance, until the teachers and instructors demand wage increases. Did you know the Deltan Academy rate is fifty gold per student per year? Think about that Gryff. Most will pay the drastically smaller fee with family funds. Mages are great earners and easy to get repaid by. Which adds into you offering student loans. They have never been offered by Deltan. Back when Emperor Igrad ruled before the war it was a common practice. The recurring income will help balance the treasury over the long term.”

  Addilyn paused and bit her lip. She seemed hesitant to keep going. “Why the month wait my lord. Pipi and Bella have come to an understanding. Pipi said if spring arrives and we are still thriving then she will start on children. This is a great compromise and has bridged the division. My sisters are gone and as you can clearly see you could use my help. Bella was schooled in how to manage some household aspects but I have experience working for my father and as a widow of an estate.”

  She stayed quiet after this. It was Bella who set the bucket down and broke the silence. “You need her Gryff. We have welcomed her into the fold and want you to add her to the family sooner than later so she can help run things while I am pregnant. I am so tired, and Velia wants to manage Streb as a farm. Princess Addilyn will have to hold either consent to marriage or marriage document to help rule Fernlan, Dais, Xiq, and Zenith. Oh for all that is holy to the gods…” She paused to vomit again.

  It was mainly a dry heave. I was hoping to be done with this conversation soon. The smell of morning bile stank, I was fully geared, and my troops were probably waiting. Addilyn came forward with a document.

  “What is this?” I asked.

  “This is our engagement in legal terms. Very common among nobility. It helps cement alliances. Normally it is for two children destined to entwine but in this case, it is so I can reveal something. While I know you are a nobleman of heart and character this is important enough I require this signed first.”

  I gave in, I did need Addilyn for a few reasons. We got along great and I enjoyed my time with her. She knew the pulse of my home and could manage it better than Bella. Especially if Bella was sick. The fact I mentioned to solve a few problems and I get cornered by my wives working as one showed she did indeed fit in. I never wanted more than one wife and here I was taking on a fourth…

  I pinched my nose, let it go, and became focused. “Come here Addilyn,” I said setting my weapons aside. She was a mere foot away in a heartbeat. I got down on one knee. “I Earl Gryff of Fernlan gladly welcomes you into his family.” I kissed the back of her hand and her cheeks pinked slightly. “Now Bella had me the marriage document you surely have stuffed in your bust.”

  Addilyn raced over and grabbed the document herself. I giggled at my correct guess. I was handed the marriage certificate and signed it.

  “Perfect husband. I knew you were the one for me the moment I laid eyes on you when I arrived. You have widowed wives and a kind enough heart to take on children. No offense Pipi, it is an incredibly rare thing among nobility. Well, your money problems are solved. Large dowry that went to my former husband who died went into escrow. When his estates sold, I added to the pile. I will need to get this document signed by the Duke or Father and then some funds sent this way. We are still implementing the changes I recommended though. No way am I paying for all the nobles’ children to get free schooling.”

  “Problem solved set the tuition at seven gold for full paying students and eight for those who need loans. It is a win for both sides, I doubt many will storm off at the going rate. Offer scholarships for those who actively battle the Horde.” I said making the decision. It was fair though. Definitely cheaper than schooling in the capital.

  I thought on the money Addilyn was bringing figured there would be a dowry, not that it mattered to me. I choose her for many more reasons than finances. Coins were easy to come by. I was sure the market for catalysts were back to their highs, nobody farmed the Horde in bulk. Time to change my slump in exported Horde body parts. I kissed each wife and was followed out by Velia.

  “Smart move, she was the best choice out of them all. A humble hard working woman. Her sisters were nicer on the eyes and rounder on the hips. Yet she was the clear winner for us. I know it is hard on you, know we love you and are proud of you.”

  I realized Velia was in her riding gear. Guess she was coming to Streb. “Does this mean I will have you and Pipi once every three nights or how does that work?”

  “Time will tell. Maybe I will swap between her and Pipi so I get you every two of three nights. Depends if she wants a baby right now. I do. We will work it out eventually. I am going to travel with you to Streb, then back home and sort it out. We need
to move down into Dais today. Our estate is ready. The girls will be doing that and have a tour ready for when you get home. Oh hey, Nate and everyone is waiting. Sorry about Deb, I know you liked her,” Velia said running a compassionate hand down my arm. She then waved to my team giving me an excuse for being tardy.

  Deb’s belly swelled a few days after Una died and I never saw her after. We still had the monox who occupied Markus’ shoulder. A brown with blacked striped male monox who was constantly on the lookout. Every few days I would get an inventory list from Count Conway on what was for sale. The available livestock had been reduced for winter.

  “Saddle up, a half hour or so ride and we will have our recon ready upon landing. Get your heads the game.” I said and the dozen team members mounted griffins. All of us minus Fwar were in matching armor crafted in Lakeland. Fwar was boisterous in his excitement and I grinned at his enthusiasm. I saw Dina eye me and I raced up. The trio of terror were bounding our way trying to fly. “Uh… Velia hurry up before Dina takes off without us.”

  We scrambled into the saddle and shot off for Streb. We exited to the west and flew over the creek to the river where my fishing lines still were anchored. A half dozen orcs were set up in ambush. Not far away three dozen enemy warriors waited as reinforcements. So much for fishing… I really missed fishing. The Horde knew we could do nothing against those numbers. So we simply chopped trees or cleared land around Fernlan.

  The river fly over was calm for most of the way. Velia pointed out a war boar being hounded by a pack of orcs but they were in between villages and beyond our ability to deal with. The next ten minutes went fast as we soared to Streb.

  Last time I had flown over this village there were many structures standing. It was a ghost village, abandoned in haste before the accords and any raids. The villagers fled before realizing a protection was granted. Maybe they knew and still escaped for a bigger city regardless. I had to imagine any small village struggling would not be enjoyable. It was a shame to tear down all the structures but I let the guilt fade quickly. It was impractical to turn this village into anything other than a farm. The number of boards piled taller than at Xiq as I glanced around. The fields were a similar mix of picked vegetation intentionally grown and wild shrubs native to the area. Bare earth was quickly being reclaimed by nature as grass competed with weeds in old home slots.

  The roost was another simple two story structure. It had the same landing and sleeping area for griffins up top. Human rooms for resting and storage down bottom. Traz was waiting for us. A map of the local area was drawn into the wall where the griffins landed.

  When we touched down inside the upper floor of the roost I quieted the men and women of my unit. They followed me to the wall to gaze at the map. Streb rested due east of the river by a twenty minute walk or ten minute run. South was brush and light forest. North more of the same with a few old farmhouses dotted in the area. East was cliffs that ran north-south until they curved to meet the river in the distant south. Probably why no one set up farms south. The cliffs at the northern end bent right and a chokepoint for the valley rested a half hours hard march east. Traz bulked his way through the other griffins to stand by the wall.

  He never said a word to me, which were his orders. For now, we needed to become accustomed to briefings without me. The griffin pointed to a location on the map than an easy goblin image. Then the image representing the hundreds. Traz then drew an x in the air above the image for orcs, trolls, and ogres. This got me scratching my head for now.

  “Okay enough of this. Everyone got that. There are goblins east at this choke point. Are you telling me that mighty caravan we saw weeks ago is finally ending and they left their tail exposed?” I asked in excitement.

  “Exactly, wagons that are five times the size you are used to being pulled by a Yakin. The largest of the yak family. This is a rare opportunity. The valley chokepoint even has the warg patrols further south. If you race there you may get three or four wagons. They are hurrying through because they know they are exposed.” Traz said.

  “What did the ugly griffin say?” Nate said playfully only to get knocked over by Traz.

  “Get up you slouch, were running hard east for fifteen minutes. No way are we walking. I hope you can keep up Fwar. Let’s go!” I shouted in excitement and lead the team down the ramp. The moment my feet hit the hard earth I was off at a sprint. It was time to do some killing. Goblins were going to die. I worked myself up and then calmed the raged in anticipation.

  CHAPTER 3

  The tingle of the barrier shifted through my body as I ran. The cleared fields quickly blossomed into dense underbrush and pines. There was no time to pull my to do list out of my bag, but getting the perimeter of Streb cleared was going on it. As I smashed my way through the underbrush I mumbled and grumbled. The wild lands here were exactly that, overgrown and chaotic. There was no trail or cleared path for me to follow. It drastically slowed my progress to reach the goblins.

  I spooked a loose wolf who bolted and then paused at seeing a human. The hair on his neck quickly retracted as its defensive growl ceased. I kept going and he decided to join the brush crashing party. Maybe he thought I would feed him or was cruising along for the action. I was happy to have him with us either way.

  “Creek ahead, be ready to leap,” I shouted a warning behind me as I cleared the small waterway. My feet avoided the loose rocks that had collected. The reprieve of smashing through shrubs was short lived as we once again entered thick underbrush. I must have run through a hundred spider webs and I consciously imaged some crawling for my exposed face cover. Stupid spiders. At least these were small. The last thing I needed was a spider big enough to eat humans, wrapping me in silk.

  “You are almost there, I need you to slow by the rocks you see ahead and let your team prepare,” Traz said.

  I looked to find him, but between the thick trees, I was unable to locate the griffin in the skyline. He had a view of us though somehow. My last few bounds were arrested when I panted behind a large rock. I could barely make out the cliff wall to my right. The opening of fields were dead ahead. The barest of glimpses of our targets were available. The outline of massive carriages was clearly defined though and my adrenaline pumped in anticipation. The team trickled in slowly to regain their breath.

  Fwar surprisingly kept up, maybe he trained in running before he arrived at Fernlan, or the brush allowed him to keep pace. Either way, the twelve of us were a sweaty and panting group. We huddled in a semi circle behind our cover before proceeding.

  “Update Traz,” I said at a normal tone. Donnie had his back to us and was facing north, while Nate faced south, both ensuring we were not surprised. The lone wolf had turned into three that cautiously approached. I rummaged through my bag to find a snack. I tossed a few jerky goblin chunks to them while we waited for our update.

  “Good and bad news. You made it in time to capture four wagons. The bad news is I noticed three shamans in the very rear cart. I have some catalysts on me, but my orders from Lord Nova are clear. No fire magic can be seen by any living Horde. In this case, some goblins will certainly escape. I can rush to get a few more griffins to try to distract the shamans. Hopefully, we can soak up some aura before you attack. Best I can offer in aid… sorry.

  “I recommend you race for the valley choke point. There are six orcs stationed there. Defeat them and close off the last four wagons from the rest of the train. Then push north and kill until you reach the shamans. This will add fodder between you and your biggest threat. They may even flee before you have to combat the shamans. They may flee knowing they are isolated.”

  This revelation had me concerned. There would be orcs and shamans. Granted they were separated, but it would turn my planned goblin rout into an actual battle. Still, we had magic now, and I was thirsty for blood. I rapidly concluded what needed to be done.

  “Okay update, six orcs guarding the valley point. We will jog to the cliff then follow it east. Once outside the protection
of cover, we will sprint out of formation until close to the orcs. Crossbows and fireballs at the six orcs. Should down them. Then we will push forward as a wall into the wagons. Tammy you are going to have your hands full keeping arrows off us. The goblins will certainly have weak bows firing. Janice, freeze some feet and extinguish unwanted fires with water. Victor conserve aura for the enemy mages unless you see an opening that can alter the battle in our favor. You are our primary damage dealer so I want you ready for those key moments. Winst your goal is to herd our foes. Change the elevation of retreating enemies to drop them or get them to climb. You are our ace though… If somehow wargs race to us you will need enough aura to create a pit for them to fall into. The rest of us, one crossbow for the orcs. Save your backup for drivers on the wagons or key targets.

  “Questions?” I asked and Fwar raised his hand. “Ask while we jog. To the cliff face let’s go.”

  “Should I be conserving mana?” Fwar asked.

  “No, we are not far from Streb, worst case we get healing from griffins inside the barrier. It will be seven hells painful, but better than death. This is a winner take all battle, at least I think it will be, and I plan on stealing it all. The moment we make contact, things tend to shift rapidly. So keep us healed for all the potential surprise scenarios,” I told the dwarfish Earl.