Ominous

by Linn Tesli

  “Exactly. Birken, you are a fine…” Everine stumbled for the right words, “…a fine Earthling. But I need you to know that I would not be in your company constantly if we were to come with you. I could not see you every day. What I am trying to say is that Ayva will need a mother who does not get distracted.”

  Birken watched her intently as she spoke. She touched the corners of her mouth with her fingertips, self-consciously. Her lips were undoubtedly pale and dried out.

  Still frowning, Birken exhaled a puff of smoke into the cave. “You never thought perhaps she could do with a father as well? Besides, it’s always good to share the load with someone.”

  The affection in his eyes was enough to decide the matter for Everine.

  “Birk, she is not your load to share,” she said with finality. “Once we cross the border to Caradrea, we will go to Cazib, and test our luck there. I am sure Ayva and I will find a good place to settle. The southern outskirts of Caradrea are said to be quiet, and we can grow what we need in the soil there.”

  He shook his head in disagreement, staring at his knuckles. “It’s Silverling country, you know.”

  “I do know, which is exactly what makes it a safe place. The Silverlings already own Caradrea, so the Zila’r-nath are far more likely to pursue their vile missions elsewhere. Once they’re home, they are just that—home.” Everine was not as sure about her plan as she sounded, but she had made her choice.

  Birken snorted at her logic but did not press the matter further.

  The rest of the night was spent talking about the places Birken had visited and the many things he had seen on his travels. Everine enjoyed his stories and appreciated the fact that he likely skipped over any gruesomeness and fighting for her sake. His warm voice drew her mind into his tales until she finally slept.

  When she awoke, a comforting buckskin covered her body, and her head rested on a bed of moss. Frost gathered in the air as she exhaled. It must have been a cold night, though it had not bothered her. Summer was coming to an end.

  Everine stared at Birken as he entered the cave, wishing briefly that he were less kind. After a few polite exchanges while going through their usual morning rituals, they headed back outside. A mountain pass lay ahead; they would reach the Land of Air before noon.

  Everine eyed Gryphon Peak. Had they been anywhere else on the mountain, they would have had to climb much higher before descending again. The odds of their descent involving a deathly fall would have been much higher.

  The path veered off down a small hill where the mountain split open onto a passage to the other side.

  At last, the undulating outskirts of the Caradrean plains lay before them—the former domain of the unicorns. It was their birthplace, and it had been their sanctuary.

  Everine wondered about the cruelties those magical creatures of old must have endured. The free unicorns were near extinction nowadays, and yet here Dandelion was, aiding a woman from Êvina and her frail infant.

  The unicorns had once been among the most powerful creatures in the land. As they rode, Everine recalled a conversation with Birken a few nights prior. Birken had explained how, after the Fall of the Elementals, the unicorns had been enslaved by the Silverlings and whipped into submission.

  She was appalled at the monstrous way this had been achieved, and how it was still done to this day. The Silverlings would saw off the unicorns’ horns, which were their greatest pride and the inherent source of their magic.

  The horns’ incredible healing powers made them especially coveted, but the Silverlings had no knowledge of how to harness its magical powers. Even so, the unicorns were so different from regular horses, and the Silverlings still benefited greatly from their size and speed.

  Everine and Birken exited the mountain pass and ventured onto a small footpath that led them further out onto the Caradrean plains. The grass and soil under their feet soon changed to rocks and sand. The landscape opened in front of them and lay in waves, concealing the dips between the ridges of sand.

  “I will ride with you until you have Cazib in your sight,” Birken insisted.

  It would have made more sense for him to head northwest toward Bermunnos after they had gone through the mountain pass, not northeast toward Cazib, but Everine was reluctant to part with him and did not object.

  This was certainly the unicorns’ homeland. Their hooves barely touched the ground, and they all but flew across the warm sand. Everine closed her eyes, allowing the late summer wind to stroke her face. The scent of hot sand and opportunity was liberating. Turning her back on Beregend had been a risk, but, as they rode across the dunes, she had hope that they might stand a chance after all.

  Her hope was short-lived.

  Everine opened her eyes to find a thick layer of smoke clouding the air ahead as they neared the top of yet another huge bank of sand. The daunting smoke spread endlessly in either direction.

  Birken signaled for her to stop. They dismounted, leaving the unicorns and Ayva at the base of the ridge before crawling to the top of the sand bank. Together they hunched down and peeked cautiously over the edge.

  A sense of terror clogged Everine’s throat at the sight below. An enormous Silverling encampment stretched across the plains as far as her eyes could see.

  Tents were densely packed across the plains. Zila’r-nath banners, portraying an enslaved, prancing silver unicorn, rose above the tents, fluttering in the breeze. The plains of Caradrea leveled out at the edge of the camp and would provide no shelter to conceal them. Beyond the encampment Everine saw nothing but desert.

  “We cannot possibly pass them unseen,” Birken whispered as they edged back down the slope. “They’ll have scouts patrolling all over this place, and Silverlings have extraordinary sight, like that of a hawk. They can see much farther than either of us.”

  “Could we try to go around?”

  “If you’ve no sense of self-preservation, I guess you could give it a crack.”

  Everine stuck her tongue out. “Okay, I get it. We turn around, then. We’ll head back the way we came for now.”

  They climbed onto the unicorns with less confidence than when they first touched Caradrean soil.

  When they entered the mountain pass again, the sound of thundering hooves rolled through the passage ahead of them.

  Still on the other end of the pass, a band of Silverlings riding unicorns with sawn-off horns closed in. Everine shook with fear as she looked over at Birken.

  “This way!” he shouted.

  Everine turned Dandelion to follow him away from the pass. Birken stopped and dismounted Blaze when they approached the northern foothills of the mountain. He hurriedly removed the belongings from Blaze’s back before taking off the unicorn’s saddle.

  “What are you doing?” Everine cried.

  “Get Ayva—and release Dandelion. We take only the essentials we’ll be able to carry while climbing.” Birken dumped their belongings to the ground.

  “What?”

  “The unicorns cannot climb this mountain. It would be the death of them. But it might be our only chance of escape.” Birken stroked a hand over his head. “They belong to the plains of Caradrea. They’ll find their way.”

  “There is no chance I am leaving Dandelion to be slaughtered.” She shook her head wildly, holding the creature close to her. The yellow unicorn nudged her gently with her muzzle.

  “Ev, you have to. Besides, she’s a weed, remember?”

  Tears filled Everine’s eyes as she looked at Dandelion. Everine brought Ayva from the basket and placed her securely back under her cloak before fastening a waterskin to her waist. She put the bow and quiver over her shoulders and placed the dagger in her boot. Dandelion lifted her front hooves high in the air and backed away from Everine. The unicorns set off in a gallop.

  “Be safe,” Everine whispered after them.

  Hooves pounding against stone echoed through the pass.

  Everine tightened her cloak around Ayva and followed Birken u
p the ridge of the mountain. Though she had dreaded the thought of them before, now she wished desperately for those frightful stairs she had seen on the far side of the mountain. As it was, they faced what nature alone had created.

  The first part of the climb was bearable, broken by flat areas and natural erosion to guide them. After a time, however, it became increasingly difficult to scale the steep peak. Beads of sweat trickled down the nape of Everine’s neck as she ascended the treacherous mountain. Loose rocks made it difficult to latch on to its exfoliated stonewalls.

  Her dress caught on stony spikes, and the increasing wind pulled at it. The climb had steepened, and the sun was dropping to the horizon when they found a small ledge where they could rest.

  “You won’t be able to climb much further in that dress,” Birken said.

  “I don’t think I can climb any further at all,” she confessed.

  Birken leaned against the wall, wiping his brow. He eyed Everine before his gaze shifted, and something like a shadow drifted across his face. “You’re going to have to find a way,” he said, folding one clammy hand around her chin, and turning her face downward.

  At the foot of the mountain, a group of what looked to be more than a hundred Silverlings were dismounting their enslaved unicorns. Everine’s heart raced. She scanned the foothills, relieved not to see their former mounts anywhere. But her relief was short-lived after the largest of the Silverlings pointed a finger straight up at her, shouting something to the rest. The throng of Silverlings dismounted their unicorns and started to tackle the ridge of the mountain in furious pursuit.

  Everine stroked Ayva absently on her head, and she responded with soft grunts.

  “Knife,” Everine said, extending her arm. Birken handed her his knife, and she made two long cuts down the front of her dress, from hips to hem. Then she handed the knife back to him. “Make a cut down the back of my dress. It needs to run from the top of my thighs to my feet. Be quick about it!”

  Touching her waist carefully with his left hand, Birken sliced through the thick material. He released her and moved back.

  Balancing on the narrow ledge, Everine pulled the front of her skirt between her legs and wrapped it around her waist. She tied the rest around her ankles to form makeshift pants. She checked once more that Ayva was secure and Birken nodded his approval.

  He stifled a laugh. “Go on, then.”

  As they resumed their climb, Everine saw that the Silverlings were gaining ground. Birken picked up a loose rock and hurled it at one of their pursuers. The Silverling plummeted downward from the impact.

  An arrow flew towards them and bounced off the mountain wall not far below their feet. Another almost hit Birken’s neck. “Faster,” he shouted.

  Fatigue rolled over Everine, but she willed her legs to move faster. In her haste, her hand slipped, and she lost her grip. She nearly tumbled down the mountainside, but Birken’s hand grabbed onto her arm, flinging her to his back.

  “Can you hold on to me?” Birken asked.

  “I’ll try,” Everine gasped.

  Birken quickened his pace, and the gap between them and their pursuers grew.

  Everine had no idea how long they had been climbing when she caught the sound of something sailing past them through the air. It was dark now, but the moon cast an eerie light.

  A flock of gryphons had surrounded them. Their size was greater than Everine had imagined. They varied a great deal in size and color individually, but the wingspan of the largest gryphons was roughly equal to the height of six men. Their eyes and beaks were much like a hawk’s, and their bodies, though they resembled those of lions, were covered with feathers. The rest of them was blanketed in soft fur.

  Birken cried out in pain. Everine saw that an arrow had gone straight through his right calf. He stopped for a heartbeat, but then clenched his teeth and resumed his climb. Somehow ignoring the pain, he continued to gain speed as he went.

  A copper gryphon swooped by, diving towards the Silverling with the bow. The gryphon grabbed at his arms with its claws before it skewered him between his shoulder blades with its beak and threw him aside. His screams faded as he fell out of sight. Everine flinched, but was glad to see him go.

  Gryphons were said to be proud and kind, apt to shy away from a fight if they could. Still, after what she had just witnessed, Everine felt she would not want to anger them.

  Down the spine of the mountain, their remaining attackers continued their ascent. The foggy mist surrounding the mountain peak was a blessing, shielding Everine, Birken, and Ayva for the last part of the climb. It would not be long before they reached the top.

  No more arrows came their way. Though it might have been thanks to the shield of mist, Everine thought it was likely because the gryphons did not tolerate the Silverlings’ attacks. Everine was thankful that the creatures had come to their aid.

  With a final burst of effort, Birken heaved himself over the ledge above them, pulling Everine up after him. They had reached an enormous plateau that stretched out from the mountain’s very peak. Birken collapsed to his knees, panting from the climb.

  Several yawning caves opened into the peak of the mountain. Scattered across the plateau Everine saw nearly a hundred gryphons, many relaxing on the stony ground or strutting serenely across it.

  The air brushed Everine’s face as a gryphon swooped down. He alighted with ease a few feet away before he trotted over. His eyes echoed the light blue of his feathers, which covered his neck, the ridge of his back, and his enormous wings. The rest of him was coated in thick fur as white as snow.

  “Birken, you great fool,” the gryphon said good-naturedly. His deep voice surprised Everine. “You are injured,” the gryphon observed. “And you have brought company.”

  Birken nodded weakly.

  “Please, sir…um…he is injured,” Everine said.

  The gryphon looked at her with wise eyes. “My name is Ondox, miss. You’re not safe up here and there is no way to get you safely off this mountain—besides flying, that is.” He winked one bicolored, slanted eye at her—his irises were both blue and white, framed by a black circle.

  “That’s why we came. Ondox, we really need your help. We could not escape our pursuers on the ground.” Birken’s voice was feeble.

  “I can see that.” The gryphon snorted. “Exactly how far do you expect me to get you? The Silverlings are everywhere these days, and they hunt anything that moves within their range. They have even turned to the skies. I hear they are recruiting Vulkan hawks now,” he said with distaste.

  Everine shuddered. The Vulkan hawks were enormous, almost the size of a large gryphon. “I would like to get as far as Cazib,” she said.

  “I’m afraid that is asking too much.” Ondox shook his head. “I fear I would not return. The space is too open for anyone to miss a gryphon my size landing somewhere in those parts.”

  Birken grunted. “Will you take us to Bermunnos then? If you do, I will owe you a great deal.”

  The gryphon pondered Birken’s words for a short while, before admitting, “It is an interesting proposition you make. Your bargains are usually favorable. I am still not sure, however, what you have to offer that would make me inclined to take such a risk. It would be dangerous for me to aid you more than I already have, Earthling.” He pawed his front claws lightly on the stone surface.

  “Please, take your time,” Birken said, clearly agitated.

  The fabric across Everine’s chest shifted, and Ayva made a disgruntled sound.

  Ondox slanted his head. “What is that?” The gryphon’s eyes narrowed as he stepped closer.

  Everine took a step back, placing a protective hand over Ayva.

  Birken tilted his chin at her. “Ev, it’s alright. Ondox would never hurt her.”

  Reluctantly, Everine presented Ayva to the gryphon. His eyes widened with wonder. Deep within her irises lay blue skies and happy gryphons flying through the air.

  “What a dazzling little apparition. Where di
d you come upon her, Birken? I would very much like to hear the tale.”

  Everine drew Ayva back to her and swiftly strapped her to her chest. “If it pleases you, sir, I will tell you as we fly to Bermunnos. Will you do us the honor?”

  After hesitating briefly, Ondox bowed his head and bent his knees to allow them to climb onto his back.

  Birken struggled to mount the gryphon, but eventually they were all in place. Birken sprawled across Ondox’s back on his stomach, and Everine sat behind him, making sure Ayva was strapped securely to her chest. Everine glanced at the arrow still embedded in Birken’s calf. There was no time to deal with that now. The gryphon spread his wings wide, turned, and raced for the edge of the cliff.

  Two Silverlings clambered onto the plateau. Spotting their fleeing prey, they ran, pulling out their bows and arrows. They were still stringing their bows when a pair of young gryphons went for their throats. The Silverlings dropped their weapons. They leaped sideways, pulled out their swords, whipped around, and cut down the attacking gryphons. The remaining gryphons shrieked, and a throng of Silverlings entered the plateau.

  One huge gryphon spread his wings, allowing the air currents to barely pull him off the ground before he plunged his claws into a couple of Silverlings in front of him, wrapping his wings around them. Pools of blood seeped through his pink feathers, darkening them. A group of the newly arrived Silverlings descended on the gryphon, slashing and cutting through his wing joints until they fell away from his body in pieces. One of them plunged his sword into the hollow of the gryphon’s beak, and the gryphon fell back with a cry.

  Ondox’s squawk filled the night as he banked sideways. He hovered a short distance away from the peak.

  One more Silverling reached the plateau. He was much larger than his companions. A gryphon with vibrant emerald feathers and sun-yellow fur charged him. The Silverling drew his sword, dropped to his knees, and thrust his blade into the approaching gryphon’s chest. When another gryphon followed after the first, the Silverling swung around once and cut the gryphon’s head clean off. Another two gryphons went down as the Silverling slashed through their legs.