Gryff the Griffin Rider 2

by Marcus Sloss

  “There are more ambushes. Let us sacrifice a few buildings that needed repairs anyway instead of more lives.” Lord Nova suggested and I agreed.

  “Back up to the middle of this intersection and box. Let the griffins finish this.” I said as I stared at Winst’s body that was chopped in half. “Hurry up, no more surprises.”

  We adjusted the formation and boxed with clear views around us. The fighting lasted another hour and nothing ever approached us again. Lord Nova called us out for cleanup. Victor was the only one who used Vole blood. That section of the road was ruined and the corpses liquefied. The rest of the dead could be salvaged.

  “Alright, teams of four. Sack everything, we brought plenty. If it can be fed to a rat, it is still in the sack. Let the new recruits at the mages academy sort it. Okay Nate, take both Brads and Markus. Lazra, take Victor, Fwar, and Janice. Rest of you are with me.” I said as large sacks were delivered by Traz. Nothing would be going to waste except for poor Winst, he would be buried out in the fields. “Actually, before you leave we need to march as one to the fields and give Winst a proper burial. It will have to be quick, but we can mourn him later. Help me load the body Nate.”

  I set a sack down beside the two halves of Winst and we scooped him up and onto the canvas. We respectfully covered him and as a unit walked him out of the city proper and by a farm field. Dina landed and dug a deep grave. Nate and I lined up the body and dropped the canvas with our friend.

  “This field shall forever be known as Winst’s Farm. May he find peace in his eternal resting place and his soul a happy home. We will miss you our friend.” I said and Dina pawed dirt into the hole covering Winst. That was it. The twelve of us returned to the dropped sacks and split up.

  There was lots of work to do. I mindlessly went about my task trying to rationalize how things went wrong. Fighting in confined quarters with a team was new to me. The moment that ogre revealed himself from the alleyway we were flanked. We could have stayed in the air and burnt everything. It was an ambush though, one I would have to learn from. I found the ogre body smeared into the building. It was missing both legs and half an arm from the impact of Lord Nova. Its chest was still in one piece though. The griffin lord probably missed crushing it on purpose know its value. It was bloody work but eventually, I plopped the stilled heart free of the chest.

  This was one item I was not letting the recruits handle. Dina landed beside me when I exited the rubble where the remains were.

  “Gryff, I will haul that back. I did a recon of the area, it seems there were hundreds of goblins sent out before, during, and after this barrier went up. They are scattered afield without guidance. They are hiding poorly from us and know they cannot get back in. Lord Nova recommends either a day of cleansing them or sending a second team north.” Dina said as I stuffed the heart into a pouch on her saddle.

  “Continue scouting, let me clean up this ogre then pen a note for you to fly home.”

  I had to admit to myself I was shaken up by the severity of my friend's death. Sure Winst was no Nate or Donnie to me. It still was bad to lose him. We trained every day for weeks together and survived combat. It was so instant too. I hated that about formations, I couldn’t break ranks and do epic things. I was bound to my role in the line. I sighed and hacked at the ogre into manageable parts. I walked and tossed the dead meat onto a flat sack laid out. Donnie, Tammy, and Addilyn were cleaning up the orcs further down the road. I was the best one to haul and part the large ogre.

  When I finished my task I grabbed a waterskin and rinsed my hands. I then retrieved a pen and wrote to Master Mage Lamont. I need to keep going north. Regardless of the extra loot, my focus had to be the tree worms. Long delays like this one needed to be avoided. I wrote to him to send students with instructors to clear these goblins around Uhara out. When he was done, I ordered him to return to normal classes. Griffins would ensure they stayed safe. I had more pressing matters to attend to. Also to send a replacement for Winst. With the message done, I stuffed the letter into Dina’s pouch and she rocketed off the ground. She quickly became a shrinking blob on the horizon. That griffin sure was fast.

  “Lord Nova, I have other teams coming, how much have we sacked?” I said to the air.

  “We have made a pile of the rest. Those bags tear too easily from our claws. We can freeze the other remains, send most of it home, and then go north.” He said and I agreed.

  Bloody, weary, and frustrated we mounted back up. Traz hovered Janice over the stacked bodies and she froze them solid with a spell. A dozen griffins left south with bloody sack in pursuit of Dina to make it home. We continued north determined to move on with the mission.

  “We will have to take it slower than before, some of us exerted more aura than we should have. If we camp in Livina tonight we should mostly be recovered. I am estimating a three hour flight maybe four.” Lord Nova informed me as we drifted north.

  ∞∞∞

  “I am proud of you for delegating. There was a part of me that was going to demand you to do so. I become perturbed by such thoughts. My role has always been held back and yet, you have set me free. I want you to know that I appreciate the latitudes you afford me and I remember my place as your helping wife and not a bossy overlord.” Addilyn said four hours into our flight north. I had mostly been silent contemplating the previous engagement. “I love you Gryff.”

  She snuggled into me and I replied in the same. The sun was roughly two hours from setting and I was hoping we would arrive soon. Everything I had heard of Livina was positive before the war. It was unknown as to what befell so many of humanity’s greatest cities. There was far less thrill in getting to inspect Livina after Uhara fiasco. I considered it a failure but the reality was Uhara was now secured. We sacrificed one of tens of millions for another warmer city. I sighed and let it go.

  “When do you think Livina fell?” I asked Addilyn and Lord Nova. They both shrugged which was unique as we were flying. The little drop was unusual but minor.

  “I remember we were watching reports from the north. There were cities west, south, and north that kept reporting in. Livina is not too far from the Horde portal. Maybe a week's march by foot or six hours flight. Anyway, I remember father being frustrated. He had a sister here and she never made it south. All word vanished, and we assumed the Horde had claimed another city. We will find out soon enough what happened…” Addilyn said pausing to point out in the distance. Sure enough, the city and its shallow bay increased in size as we approached. “We should have brought a historian with us.”

  I chuckled at this remember the poor Deltan man Dvar I had voluntold to be a historian of Salvoni’s death. Addilyn raised an eyebrow and I filled her in. Over the next few minutes, we gazed in silence as we watched. Ships by the hundreds materialized anchored out at sea. A few dozen were smashed into the reefs breaking free of anchors at some point. We slithered across the barrier and as we neared Livina I grew more confused.

  There was a mighty exterior thirty foot tall, by ten foot wide wall. It shined from a smooth bright marbled construction. There was no damage to it, no marks, or broken sections. The buildings were flawless, none torched. When I reviewed the scene I had to shake my head in my own disbelief. As if I was viewing a mirage. Nope, it was still the same.

  The white walls led into a business section right inside the city. As if the port was pushing its good out from the docks to sell to everyone who entered and exited. This was a wealthy city, the slums did not exist here. Off in the distance not even a five minute walk to the north, a torched and decimated smaller town rested in pieces. That had to be where the workers lived because Livina was nothing but lavish estates and high rise buildings. Some even five stories tall. This was a pinnacle of wealth. Lord Nova flew us slowly as he too was intrigued by what happened.

  “Land on rooftops then silence!” Lord Nova demanded to his fellow griffins.

  This command was precise and loud. The griffins landed and the air quieted. We waited like this fo
r ten minutes. Ten agonizingly long minutes where I had no idea what was happening.

  “Thank you for your patience, we are going to land at the docks. It was my mistake as much as it was yours for what happened in Uhara. We have amazing hearing, and we never slowed or quieted to listen for the ambushes. Now we did. The city is clear. There are some cats and rats but that is it. Well, fish in the bay… But no Horde. Something is off here. I would not eat or drink anything. There are skeletons everywhere with signs of battle.”

  I then cued into his line of thought. The populace had clearly died. The Horde knew this as it was never sacked – bypassed to focus efforts elsewhere. Why would you leave it intact city undisturbed unless you knew you have eradicated the threat this many people would pose? Maybe it was left untouched as a future bartering tool? There were many what-if scenarios running through my head as we flew to the docks.

  The docks were not expansive or deep. They reminded me of mere fishing structures. A few shallow dingies had succumbed to the neglect of time and ravages of storms. They breached the shallow water partially submerged. The long narrow sections of extended docks raced out for hundreds of feet. Perfect for fishing with plenty of pillars and shade for meandering fish to live. The narrow plankways led to a wide wooden section where abandoned vendors, strewn about chairs, and tables rested. It was a perfect gathering place for us.

  Our twelve man team was covered in blood from dealing with the bodies in Uhara earlier. My first order was a strip down and bath. Addilyn, of course, was against this. Her upbringing as a proper princess prohibited her from being naked in front of others. So I tossed her into the four foot deep water armor and all. This got a mix of an evil stare and a smirk. Those eyes said she would get me back. I had no qualms getting naked and quickly hopped into the shallow water. A school of small fish gobbled up the gore as I washed it into the water.

  “Gryff,” Nate said getting my attention. “What do the griffins think happened here?”

  I knew I was not the only curious one. I found ten sets of eyes looking to me for an answer. Tammy was shielding Addilyn while she quickly bathed. Girls… “Well it is an educated guess but we think poison. Either airborne or from the water. The bodies are mostly face down that I noticed. So maybe a slow fatal poison. I have no way to confirm that.”

  Janice raised her hand. “I may be able to reveal some truth to the matter. I went and graduated from the mage academy in Deltan and learned us water mages can taint water. The catalyst is a heart from a sea monster found not too far offshore here. They are incredibly hard to kill though. This was a hushed closed door type lesson. Most didn’t want it getting out that water mages could kill so thoroughly without notice.”

  I scratched my growing beard. Instantly Pipi was forefront in my mind. I let her fade as I assessed the situation. “We have an intact city, with long dead skeletons in it. There was no battle here, and shamans do not know water magic. So…” I let my sentence hang.

  “Yes Gryff, this city was murdered by a human. The next logical conclusion was a deal was struck. I wonder if we find more cities like this. There were no other reports. Maybe that water mage is teaching at the academy. Maybe they are in another world. I wish I knew more but I can say it wasn’t me or anyone I know who uses water magic based on age. Unless it was an instructor from Deltan. It would be hard to prove without a confession though.” Janice said while scrubbing her toned body.

  I glanced over my shoulder and Addilyn had swapped into regular clothing and had her armor on the docks to dry. I went over to my bag on the shore and did the same. Fully dressed in casual clothes I kept my sword on my hip.

  “The griffins can hear everything, and I mean everything. They tell me there is no ambush I trust them. You can decide what to wear. No looting yet, I want an idea of what is here. If you see something you want, remember to mention it tonight at dinner. Take the next two hours to explore. We light a fire here once the sun sets and we sleep in these estates near the water. Any questions?” I asked and most shook their heads no.

  I went over to Addylin who was drying out her black hair. Her brown eyes bore into me then softened. “It is funny, I bug you to adapt to Vin, and I fail to adapt myself. If I am in the field with you, we will communally bathe. Are you okay if I get naked in front of other men?” She asked.

  “Yup,” I said and left it at that. I was wanting to go exploring and not get dragged into a masculinity debate. If my wife was covered in blood, she needed to get clean, so be it. She had the same body parts I saw on Janice. Although much nice and younger. Well, everything was better about Addilyn naked, but my point was valid.

  “Okay, only in the field and if it is needed. I will try to be more a member of the team and less a princess. Now… this city was famous, one of the few that stuck the slums in its own walls. Let us go tour shall we?” She crooked her elbow and I fastened mine into hers. Tammy trailed behind us silently and when Addilyn noticed she extended her arm for her. “My right arm Tammy. Perfect. Not for this trip but the skeletons have to go. The amount of wealth here could work one of two ways. Sell the estates as is… or send it to a central city. Maybe Deltan once Savloni is gone and things stabilize. What do you think husband?”

  I walked by children dead in the street, their parents or strangers collapsed beside them. There were bleached remains everywhere. “I am thinking that necromancy better not be a real thing. It is in stories, and this world is as close to a story as it gets. If these little kids rise up and try to kill me I will be one upset man.”

  Tammy fielded this one. “No necromancy ever recorded. It would be a game changer for the Horde. Thankfully it is beyond everyone. It is sad. Janice can test the water right. Actually, I know that girl. She probably headed right for a water source with Victor.” Tammy said as she pointed at the biggest three story estate with waterfront views and dock access. “Why not look into this one? It is the largest one on this block.

  We had only wandered a dozen feet from the docks. The road was marbled and dirty from time. There were sidewalks here, only ones I had seen anywhere. Again marbled and even a step up to prevent wagons from easy access. We approached a lavish gated fence that was open. The hinges and the frame itself were in need of a fresh sanding or paint. Which got me thinking, how did the people of Vin avoid rust?

  “Addilyn, this is rust, how is it dealt with?” I asked and Addilyn shook her head.

  “May I mistress?” Tammy asked.

  “You would be the one to ask in the first place,” Addilyn said with a huff.

  “Well, rust is air and water mixed to eat away at the metal. I simply apply a blast of air…” Tammy focused her thumb and index finger at an orange hinge and blasted the surface with a torrent of pressurized air. The result was instant and the dull metal looked freshly formed. “There you go… Easy breezy.”

  Of course, we all chuckled but it really was not that funny. More or less the damper of the Uhara and the dead of Livina were being deflected by fake laughter.

  The gate led into a small seating area with a round table. Again a white marble. It became obvious a while ago there was a quarry nearby somewhere. A fact I might have to hide from Amber if the griffins had their way. Honestly, I didn’t care for aesthetics and moving large quantities of stone was hard. I wouldn’t volunteer to haul it via cart for the month long trip it probably was – if not longer with the stone loaded down.

  The first floor of the structure was open and breezy. This had to be where the servants worked because it was a kitchen, laundry room, and storage. There were a few bodies down here all face down. We walked up the stairs for the second floor and found the family. This was a greeting area. Four bodies huddled together. I noticed there was a view here and we toured the room. Everything was frozen in time. Sure some things had decayed but most of it was still fine. The third floor held the master suite and no dead bodies. There was a large bedroom overlooking the bay. A private table rested on the balcony. Fine decorations were everywhere. The art on t
he walls depicting nature instead of the battle I was used to seeing. Tammy helped herself to the jewelry box and had Addilyn clasp a fancy necklace for her.

  “Well, there goes our money problems. We don’t need a castle when we got the pick of the places here. I am laughing so hard at my sisters who scorned you for marrying Pipi. Sure they had nicer tits, wider hips, and could probably pop out a hundred little ones. But they missed the point with you. You were special because you were different. If there weren’t dead bodies in this home I would ravish you so hard right now.” Addilyn said to me and her eyes sparkled with lust.

  “We will remove them later and I will give you a baby tonight, fret not, dear wife. We need to check in with Janice. I want to see what she learned. You two ready to go, or do you want to stay?” I asked intending to leave but seeing they wanted to stay.

  “This has the most amazing views. The only three story estate on the wharf. The best one for certain. We will stay and make it presentable for our lord's temporary estate. The way I understand Sandworm Isle, we will be coming back here to stay between farming sessions. You go ahead and we will remove the bodies. Love you, babe…” Addilyn said as she ran over and planted a deep kiss on my lips. I went down the stairs and I heard her squeal in delight. “This place is amazing!”

  Glad she liked it, it was rather nice for a graveyard of a city. The sun had about an hour before it set. I called out for a griffin escort to help find Janice and Traz was nice enough to guide me to her.

  “Conclusions?” I asked as I approached Janice and Victor. The two were in a heated debate.

  “Poisoned, and I have an idea of who. Victor was arguing with me. He is a third cousin to Instructor Zaman. It adds up, Zaman said he came from a humble beginning and got lucky leaving before the Horde arrived. He wrote an article on this very spell that was cast. There are numerous ways to cast it, this was done exactly as he instructed in his writings. As if he wanted to be caught later if anyone found out his sins. It also adds up to how he became extremely wealthy and an instructor at the mage academy. You either were extremely talented or extremely wealthy. He was wealthy, his aura barely bigger than mine is now with decades of more experience. Sorry Victor, it all adds up, and I know we are a potential for long term love but this needs to be told. I will hand it to Gryff and I hope you forgive me.” Janice said.