He went to take another drag, and I made a disgruntled noise in protest. He sighed and lowered the pipe. “They found a sheep. Our lost sheep, I’d say, since no one else reported one missing. It was killed in a similar manner as the cows.”
“That’s terrible.” I slumped. “Michael said that this gryphon didn’t even eat sensibly when it came to the cows. Is it the same for the sheep?”
When Father hesitated to speak again, Mother came behind him and rested a hand on his shoulder. “There were deer in the same clearing as the sheep. Two of them, killed in the same way. Nothing finished, everything torn to shreds. Laura looked so pale… Willy could barely speak about it. I don’t think they had ever seen anything like it.”
I furrowed my brows in confusion, gazing down at my palms. “I doubt anyone around here has. That doesn’t make sense. Gryphons don’t kill without eating. They don’t waste.”
“There were tracks.” Father spoke through smoke. His own expression was perplexed, as though he, too, was trying to figure this out. “Deep scores in the earth as well as markings on the tree around the clearing. Will has admitted he may be out of his depth. He told the hunting party as much. When Glenn heard that, he told us he had sent his eldest off with a letter yesterday. He’s tracking down a pack of mercenaries Glenn knows of. Didn’t even consult the guards first. They’ll be here within the week if they’re on their regularly scheduled route.”
“Was Willy angry?” I asked.
Father tilted his head. “No. He seemed relieved, to be honest.”
I was surprised that Glenn hadn’t gotten into trouble. There was a chain of command for a reason. It was sometimes loose with Willy, but in situations like this it seemed like he belonged in charge. Nophgrin was part of Lord Peyter de Nophgrin’s barony—though he had not been to his lands since the estates had passed to him. Even so, he should have been the one to call in for extra help. I asked my father why this had not been the case.
He rolled his shoulders. “The baron hasn’t been this far north in over a decade. When we’ve had troubles in the past—that hard winter a few years back, you remember?” I nodded, “We sent him a letter at his estate in Winterstag, asking for medicines and the like. Took a month for a response to come from one of his clerks that his lordship was wintering in the warmth of the capital. We were told a letter could be written to be sent that way if we thought it was ‘really’ worth troubling him.”
That winter we had lost two of my grandparents. Lords, I thought with disgust. They cared for no one but themselves. So, perhaps that was it. If I were Willy, I’d have been relieved to have the decision of whether to deal through them out of my hands.
“Do we know these mercenaries?” I asked out loud.
He shook his head. “Glenn knew of them through Thomas—Claire’s grandfather, not the young Thomas. Their barracks are a little more south than us, but I don’t recall them ever coming through town. Glenn says they usually come through Goatstrack, or Winterstag depending on the year.”
“Supposedly they specialize in this sort of thing,” mother put in. “Monster hunters is how Willy described them. He had heard of them before in his circles. He says they’re experts.”
I thought about this for a moment. “Well, who’s to pay these extremely good mercenaries?”
That startled a chuckle out of Father. “My shrewd girl! More than likely it will be paid for by those who think it’s necessary, and divvied up between us equally.”
I glanced up at him. “You think it’s necessary?”
Another smoke cloud proceeded his answer. “Normally I’d say no. If this were a gryphon and its mate that had dragged off a beast or even two and eaten them to the bones, I think we would have had no trouble in putting an end to the issue. A normal gryphon knows when to leave well enough alone.” He licked his lips. “However, what we’ve seen in two days speaks of viciousness. Maybe even madness. If there are professionals close by, I think it’d be just as well to have them come in and be done with it.”
“But in the meantime, there is some sort of rabid gryphon—or worse several rabid gryphons tramping through the woods?” I was hard pressed to keep a whine out of my voice.
“We’ll keep the herds inside at night and if any more attacks happen in the next few days we won’t take them to pasture at all. Still, I don’t think we’ll see any more attacks. Now that everyone knows there is a threat they’ll be keeping a much keener eye on their livestock, and it will move on to easier prey.”
“You don’t think the gryphon will come to the pasture in the day?” Mother’s voice carried a stern quality. She was pulling the bread out of the oven, her back to us.
Father looked back at her. “From what I can tell this beast still has some care for humans. Enough that, for all it marked up its latest kill, the hunting party couldn’t find a trace of it in the surrounding area. That sounds like it fled from them. Besides that, it has not even come to our field yet.” Mother made an mmm noise deep in her throat. “If it will make you feel better I’ll take watch with the children.”
“I’m not a child and I don’t need minded like one.” Michael was in the doorway. He had come so quietly that he startled me. “A gryphon would have to come from the trees and cross a fair bit of distance in the open to take one of our sheep in the field. In the time needed to make that span, I’d shoot it down. Taryn could do the same.”
“What about on the road to or from the field?” I asked. He was all over the place when it came to this gryphon, it seemed. “As you said, those are much tighter quarters.”
“Right, and in such a case I’d already be dead before Father had turned in his saddle at the thump. I’m not trying to be pessimistic.” He brought his hands up in front of his chest and hurried on when I open my mouth to point out that he had praised Father for being a marksman not two days ago. “I’m merely saying that Father probably has better things he could be doing than babysitting us each day.”
Father appeared abashed when Mother looked to him to deny this. “I would like to start doing some scent warding around the house.”
Scent warding was one of the more certain methods of driving off a gryphon. Using a spray bottle, and the urine of either another gryphon, or less effectively, a similarly large predator, you worked your way around the perimeter of your land, spritzing the trees and brush with urine. A gryphon that came upon the smell, believing it to be the hunting territory of another gryphon would move off. It was, however, one of the more expensive methods of keeping gryphons out—because there was only one way to get a gryphon’s urine, and it was no afternoon stroll. We had a small bottle out in the barn that I could only remember him using one other time.
Mother’s eyes narrowed, and he plowed onward. “The field would also do very well with that, which means that I’ll be out in the field with them at least one of the days.” He puffed quickly on his pipe. The room now smelled richly of cherries and tobacco over top the bread.
I shrugged at Mother helplessly. The world had to continue to turn. I was as scared as anyone, but one bad gryphon didn’t mean our lives stopped. If we didn’t make sure the sheep fed properly we’d pay for it later when their wool was lackluster and their milk was thin.
“I can still come with you to town,” I told her. “I’d feel better doing that, even if Michael is right about it being pointless.”
“I didn’t mean it was pointless.” Michael shot me a warning look. I acknowledged my attitude, pursing my lips and tossing my head to the side. He turned a kinder expression towards Mother. “I can still come home with you as well.”
“I would like to go in to town tomorrow. I can’t wait to hear what everyone is saying about all of this,” she said.
“I don’t mind, although I think I’ll lead Hale on the way out so I can ride her back.”
Mother inclined her head. “That’s fine by me, so long as you think she’ll be all right. There are a couple of flocks of lesser gryphons nesting close to town, and I know s
he has never been a friend to them, and especially not since getting swiped.”
“It has gotten worse in the past year,” I admitted. “She should be all right though.”
We settled our plans for the next day. Michael and Father would ride out to the field together, where Father would scent ward. I would walk mother to town, and then help Father scent ward around the paddock. Scenting would make the farm animals unhappy, but there wasn’t much else for it. After that, I would go to the sheep, taking the crossbow from Michael before he went to collect Mother.
That evening as I readied for bed my thoughts buzzed with the events of the day. Our poor lone sheep, and the deer that Michael and I had both taken comfort in seeing. They had been ripped open at the chest and then left like there hadn’t been a point at all to it. I gnawed at a loose piece of skin around my thumb nail. It was irrefutably a gryphon, everyone who had seen the tracks, Father included, agreed to this. Yet, there had never been an attack like this. I hadn’t even known it was possible for a gryphon to contract a malady like rabies. Would it be able to spread whatever was wrong with it to other gryphons?
I climbed into bed and drew my blankets up over my shoulders, lying on my side. If whatever was wrong with this gryphon was catching then this situation had the potential to become horrifying quickly. My mind drew up images of a drooling, sickly gryphon with murderous eyes. Goosebumps raised on my arms as the wind howled through the trees outside. How close to the house had the sheep been when the gryphon seized it and carried it off? If it was hungry enough, would it try to come into the house?
For the first time since I was a small girl I fell asleep with my blankets pulled all the way over my head.
Seven days passed. Martin returned with the news that the mercenaries were not far behind. A pig went missing from its pen, and though there was no proof that the gryphon had done it, everyone was positive that it had. Every morning as I dropped Mother off at the well there was more talk of someone seeing a shadow pass by their window in the dead of night.
Willy was looking more and more harassed every morning, and I pitied his position. The hunting party had told their families what they had seen, and those individuals had drawn up their own conclusions as to how much trouble we were in.
The merchant families had declined any future picnic invitations until the matter was solved, but from what I heard they were more than willing to front the entire cost of the mercenaries if no one else was willing. Luckily for them, it seemed every farmer in town had a mind to pay whatever it took to feel at ease again.
On the ninth day, the mercenaries arrived. Mother and I came to town to find a long list of names already written onto the roster for the day. Fifteen people all told, and two names were written in characters which I didn’t recognize. The uniform hand writing suggested that what we were looking at was a copy made by Laura and sent over to Willy by a runner.
“They came early this morning,” Willy said as he took the slate back from us. “Actually, their caravan was waiting at the gate when Laura went to open. After they signed in, three of them came to meet me.”
“What are they like?” I asked leaning forward so my arms were on the booth. Behind me Hale snorted. Mother took the reins from me and led her to the post to be tied until I returned for her.
Willy propped a fist against the front of his chin as he thought. “They’re hard folk, miss. Not the kind of people you’d want to live with, but they seem decent. It was good of them to stop by before they’d even rested their heads. I wouldn’t mind taking a meal with them and listening to what they’ve seen. Their leader, Aedith, she reminds me of my captain back at school. A real hard ass, but she seems to be fair.”
“Are they staying at the inn?” Mother asked.
Willy grimaced. “I asked Aedith, and she said they brought tents. I told her it seemed like it’d be cold and wet and that the inn would give her a good price, but she was insistent. They’re set up with their caravan over towards the southern entrance to town.”
I felt a small thrill in my stomach at the thought of warriors in town. With them here, at last the threat would be squashed and things could get back to normal. Not to mention, they’d have stories, and hopefully one or two of them wouldn’t mind sharing them with us.
“Mother can we have supper in town tonight?” I asked eagerly.
She gave me a knowing look. “Ask your father, but I don’t see why not—although, you know it’s going to be crowded. Everyone is going to want to get a look at these people, and they might not even feel like coming out tonight.”
“They’ll want to meet your husband and Glenn.” Willy’s voice was oddly glum now. “As well as the rest of the hunting party who saw anything as soon as possible. Aedith seemed to be a down-to-business sort of woman.”
I inspected the guardsman carefully. At first, I’d thought he seemed less tense than he had been the last couple of days, but his voice didn’t sound that way. Upon closer inspection, his eyes were bloodshot, and the furrows above his brow were deep. I imagined it was hard to have to outsource for the protection of the town when it was his whole job. I opened my mouth to say something kind, but I didn’t know what to say, so I shut it again.
“Taryn, are you walking me to the well?” Mother was already moving in that direction.
“Coming! Willy, I’m glad you’re here to handle them,” I said quickly, and then turned to dart after Mother. I didn’t dare to wait to see what response he had for such an awkward comment.
Today the washing well was packed with everyone who might have come out. We made a beeline for Mother’s usual group. Gladys, Naieed, Beth, and Claire were all in attendance. There was one other addition, Francine. She was a larger woman with red hair, who was related to Claire on her father’s side.
Francine didn’t often come down to the well, though she was often the hostess when gatherings were held. She had married a fur merchant and could afford to have someone else do most of her laundering. Today it seemed there had been enough incentive to come down herself. Like everyone else, she was a little scarce on laundry to be washed due to her help coming down every day this week to gossip. She scrubbed delicately at a handkerchief as she spoke.
“They’ve completely churned up the earth on the south side of town, setting up their tents and their fire pits. I don’t know why they can’t stay in the inn. It’s right there, and the gods know that it would help the town to have their business.”
Beth wiped her brow. “Benjamin says they’re probably afraid of leaving their caravan too far away,” she said, naming her stepfather. “Who knows what kind of weaponry they’ve got hidden in that thing.”
Naieed gave me a wicked grin, flashing teeth as she saw us arrive. “I’d like to see what kind of weaponry they’ve got hidden away. Right Taryn?” I flushed.
“Naieed curb yourself,” Mother said dryly as she sat, and Naieed let out a peel of laughter.
“I’m sorry Mother Wynn. I only mean that Taryn is a weapons enthusiast. Everyone has seen her ogling at the blacksmith’s and we know that’s not about anything but the steel in his window!”
Claire was sitting to Naieed’s right today, and she nudged her with a toe. “But you were up this morning when they arrived right? What did they look like?”
Naieed was twirling a stocking that was clearly clean in the hot water. “I was getting some lamb from the butcher when they rolled through. One large wagon, driven by a tall man from the south east—dark hair, gorgeous,” she made sure to add. “Twelve a-horse, surrounding the thing. One woman was at the lead. I’d take her for their boss, and I’ll tell you, she was scary! She saw me gawking and she stared me down until I had to pretend I needed to retie my boot laces!” There was a murmur at that. Naieed’s nature did not lend to her scaring easily. “There were five other women that I could see, the rest men. They’re all brutish, strong looking, and clad in leather armor.”
“If you saw thirteen, then that means two were either in the wagon or e
lsewhere in town already,” I said thoughtfully.
Francine turned her sharp gaze on me. “How do you figure?”
Mother spoke for me, seemingly pleased to have a bit of news to share. “We saw the roster as we came in this morning. There were fifteen new names. Willy says the leader is called Aedith.”
The group next to ours had picked up on this information, and I heard it slowly spiral out to the rest of the men and women. Little echoes of our words came back to my ears, not always entirely correct. I smiled. You couldn’t beat the small-town rumor mill for its efficiency.
“All right,” I braced my hands on my knees to stand, “I have to go. I’ve got Hale waiting.”
“Oh no! Stay!” Naieed protested. “We’ve barely had the time to talk.”
“You can always come with me to the gate, but I have no washing to do,” I told her.
She sighed gustily, and addressed Claire, her lower lip jutted out. “Will you watch my laundry? I promise not to tease you for two days if you do.”
Claire rolled her eyes. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Naieed, but do go. It will make it so much more peaceful here.”
“Oh, I am wounded! You can’t mean that. After all we’ve been through!” Naieed clutched at her heart and threw her body against Claire’s, who laughed and shoved at her.
“Go! Maybe while you’re walking you’ll catch more of the newcomers, and if you do, I want to be the first to hear about it.”
“No, I do!” Beth shot her hand up.
“You’ll both hear it at the same time, same as the rest of us,” Gladys said, and she and Mother shared an exasperated look that screamed, Kids, what can you do?
“Let’s go.” I tugged my friend to her feet, and together we left the steamy circle, our arms linked. When we were out of earshot a glance at her reaffirmed my suspicions. “You’ve done your hair up.” I giggled as she ducked her head. Her long hair, a brown so dark that it was almost black, smelled of rose oil and it was braided and looped into an intricate bun at the back of her head.
Of Gryphons and Other Monsters (Taryn's Journey Book 1) Page 10