by L. R. W. Lee
“The most valuable wisdom usually isn’t,” Father encouraged.
“That wasn’t the next clue, was it?” Mom observed.
“What’s the other page say?” Mermin questioned.
Andy ran a hand over the second page, flattening it, then picked it up and read:
“Power and majesty ride on your wings;
With strength and wisdom, you’re every beast’s king.
In courage and boldness, none can compare,
Undying devotion, your heart knows no snare.
The agate you lay like a bird of the air,
And prowl about ’til your young it doth bear.
Noblemen’s treasure you safeguard with care,
Gold and silver, nay never foreswear.
Caution and care you must use in this task
For he’s wily and cunning, you’ll find if you ask.
The black barb of the beast to add to the brew,
The next ingredient, you must pursue.”
No clue has ever warned me to use caution. Andy swallowed hard.
Refocusing, Andy questioned, “The black barb?”
“A claw. Sounds like a gwiffin,” Mermin surmised.
“A griffin? Isn’t that the animal that’s half lion and half eagle?” Andy recalled.
Mermin nodded. “It is.”
“What do you know about them?”
“Their talons change colors in the pwesence of poison. When the talon comes in contact with poison it is particularly obvious. Judging by the other ingwedients for your potion, this may be why a gwiffin’s ‘barb’ is one of them,” Mermin speculated. “They are wise and wily cweatures.”
“Wily?”
“Clever—I’d never want to get into a debate with one. Lose every time.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Andy assured Mermin.
“Some say they have magical powers,” the wizard added.
“Really? Do you believe that?”
“I’ve never had the pweasure of meeting a gwiffin, so I couldn’t say. Many believe their magic helps them discover where pwecious metals and other tweasures are buried.”
“I wish I had some of that magic.”
“They mate for life. When one partner dies, the wemaining gwiffin continues alone, never searching for another mate.”
“That’s kind of romantic.” Mom grinned.
“They build their nests out of gold and silver, then lay their eggs. Adult gwiffins are too powerful to be captured, but poachers steal their young. As you would imagine, this has cweated quite the enemy out of these magnificent cweatures.”
“Enemy?” Andy winced.
“Only if you’re out to steal their tweasure or their young. If so, they’ll rip you to pieces.”
“And we’re supposed to get one of their claws?” Andy gulped. “So much for romance.”
“Otherwise, they’re known for their loyalty. Many a tweasure has been entwusted to them to guard, and they have never betwayed that twust.”
“Wasn’t it griffins I heard when Daisy gave me a sneak peek of the whisper stream? They were guarding the gold and silver in Carta if I remember right.”
“Indeed it was. Abaddon may have taken over Carta, but the gwiffins won’t let him have its gold or silver,” Mermin confirmed.
“Now I understand why the clue warned to be careful. So how am I supposed to get a griffin to give me a claw?”
Silence fell on the four as they contemplated the problem. At length, Mom offered, “I guess we’ll have to figure that out when we get there.”
“You’re coming?” Andy questioned.
“Short of locking me in the dungeon, you can’t stop me.”
Father growled, drawing the trio’s attention. “I’m sorry. For the sake of my safety, Regent Bellum would have my hide if I even suggested joining you. Just like all those years when I was confined to the castle, I detest sending others to fix my mistake.”
He’s denying his own desires for the sake of others, Andy noted. Does that ever end when you’re king?
Mom slid her hand over and patted Father’s arm, met his eyes, and nodded. “There’s nothing else to be done. We must go and you must stay.”
“If we can’t accompany you, we can at least help plan your twip,” Mermin offered.
Mom nodded.
“I’ll discuss this with the regent and see which of his men are available to accompany you,” Father intoned.
“I’ll let Yara, Alden, and Hannah know,” Andy added.
“Then it’s settled. Let’s start planning first thing tomorrow morning. I’d like to leave at sunup the day after,” Mom informed.
Andy sat on Marta’s bed, his hand itching to reach for Yara’s not far away. Hannah sat next to Alden on the bed opposite them. Andy had rounded them up as soon as dinner concluded. The three now inspected the gold toys as Andy filled them in.
“A griffin’s claw!” Alden’s face turned ashen.
“What?” Yara questioned.
Alden shook his head wildly. “You can’t mean that.”
“What’s wrong?” Hannah twisted a lock of hair.
Andy countered, “Mermin said they’re dangerous, but—”
Alden cut him off. “You don’t understand! I remember overhearing my dad tell my mom about a pack of fifteen griffins hunting in our area a few years ago. They’d swoop down on our neighbor’s livestock, grab several, and make off with them. And they kept doing it, probably easy pickings.
“But then my dad decided to do something about it. He organized the neighbors to defend against the attacks. During one of his watches, the griffins swooped in. One of the neighbors said my dad had just sounded the alarm and taken aim with his crossbow when a griffin grabbed him, along with several of our cows.
“I was five at the time and I wanted to cry, but I knew I had to be strong for my mom and sisters. My mom put on a brave face, but that night I saw her crying. To hear her…it about killed me.”
Alden paused and averted his eyes to the floor. Hannah reached for his shoulder but he stood suddenly and started pacing, hands clenched.
“That night I vowed to be the man of the house and take care of her and my little sisters.”
Alden exhaled loudly, swinging his fists.
“The next few days I’d watch my mom stare out the window. I knew she wanted to keep hope alive, but her sighs told me that in her heart she knew it was hopeless. I’d try to distract her, to make her laugh. I kept my sisters busy and tended to the chores as best I could.
“Then about two weeks later, my dad stumbled into the yard. My mom saw him first and bolted out the front door, squealing. I rushed out and saw him sitting on the ground as she hugged and kissed him. His clothes were torn and he had lots of scratches and blood all over him, but he was alive.”
A tear trickled down Alden’s cheek. “I can’t explain what it was like to see him alive.”
“So what happened? How’d he escape?” Yara queried.
Alden once more sat next to Hannah and continued the tale. “He said they flew him to their home up in the mountains where they joined another thirteen griffins. He figured they’d kill him like the cows they savagely dismembered, but they didn’t. After they ate their fill, they shoved him into a cave with another griffin that sat on a nest of gold. He said she never took her eyes off him. As you can imagine, he wasn’t about to sleep, not with a griffin staring at him. Anyway, he started working out how he might escape. He’d just puzzled out a possibility when she interrupted his thoughts, like Daisy or the unicorns do. He said at first he thought he was going crazy, then he got really scared as he realized she could read his thoughts and knew his plan.
“She explained that the abundant supply of cows had meant the griffins could hunt close to home. I guess he explained the problem this created—all the money they lost on the cows. He told her that he and his family and neighbors couldn’t survive if the griffins continued. They came to some sort of agreement that she would relay his concer
ns to her leader. Then she told him to return to his family. Apparently she provided some sort of diversion that helped him sneak away. It took him the rest of the time to get home. The blood on his clothes wasn’t his, it was from the cows.”
Alden clenched his jaw.
“That night after I went to bed, I listened to him tell my mom the rest of the story. My bed stood against the wall separating my room from theirs. Way up on that wall was a knothole. If I stood on my tippy toes I could peek through and see them. I’d never seen my dad scared before. He was my dad. He wasn’t afraid of anything, right? That night he shook like a leaf.”
Alden ran a hand through his neon green hair and frowned.
“Did the griffins stop stealing cows?” Hannah questioned.
Alden nodded. “Now do you understand why retrieving the claw of a griffin is crazy?”
“But that’s the next ingredient to the potion that will break the curse,” Andy argued. “The one who gives these clues always seems to make it possible. Remember the pink serum we were given when we had to get venom from Abaddon?”
Hannah and Yara shifted.
“Look, I’m scared too, but there’s always been a way. I have to do this, it’s my destiny. You don’t.”
Alden studied the floor and nodded. “Let me think on it.”
Sleep played a game of tag with Andy that night. His mind kept replaying the pictures Alden painted.
What would it feel like to have that happen to Father? What will it be like when I break the curse and lose him?
Andy’s mind could never envision life in Oomaldee without Father. It refused to paint that canvas and he was not about to force it.
What will life be like without Mom?
His stomach twisted into knots.
Foggy morning light washed over Andy, chasing slumber away. He yawned, slunk out of bed with eyes half opened, stumbled to the wardrobe, and managed to locate jeans and T-shirt. Halfway down to the dining hall he realized he had not brushed his teeth or combed his hair. Ah, forget it.
“Andy!” Father boomed across the hall as he always did upon seeing his son.
Mom, Father, and Mermin occupied their usual places at the head of the long communal dining table.
Father stood and engulfed him in a hug when he reached the table. Mom followed suit as he rounded the end and found his seat to her right.
“A comb and toothbrush would do you a world of good, especially before you see Yara,” Mom whispered. Andy felt his cheeks warm.
The four had just finished cereal, eggs, and toast when Father declared, “We have much work to do today to get you ready to go.” As they all stood, he pushed up the long sleeves of his black T-shirt, nonchalantly observing, “And there’s Princess Yara, right on time.”
Andy’s eyes bulged and he ducked down.
Mom winked.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Courage
Yara wore a pastel-blue satin dress, and with her blonde hair done up in a bun, it made her blue eyes pop. The sprig of baby’s breath she had woven into her hair coordinated with the white stitching accenting the front of her outfit.
Andy’s shoulders sagged.
MiniMe cleared his throat. “That garnish of mint leaves on your plate would help.”
Thank you! Andy popped the foliage into his mouth and chewed. While its taste proved strong, he took a gulp of water and swished it around as Yara reached them.
The princess glanced at the top of his head and a corner of her mouth rose. Too late, Andy realized his unruly hair was the culprit. He brought both hands up in a flurry of motion, causing a broad smile to explode across Yara’s face.
Father, Mom, and Mermin chuckled unapologetically.
Andy glanced at the ceiling and shook his head.
“You’re so funny,” Yara giggled.
He shuffled his feet as he replied, “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks.” A flush crept across her cheeks.
Father cleared his throat, easing the pressure on the pair. “Well, let’s head up to Mermin’s library, shall we? Will Alden and Hannah be joining us?”
Andy shook his head. “They’ve got chores to do. I’ll fill them in later.” I hope Alden decides to come.
Minutes later, Andy pushed open the heavy door to the wizard’s study. The old wood creaked and protested. Nothing had changed since the last time he’d been here. Mermin’s oversized oak desk still stood on the red rug, its top buried under open books and rolled up manuscripts. The table to the right also remained covered in parchments. An old trunk identical to the one in Andy’s attic and overflowing with scrolls sat next to the large stone fireplace. The multitude of books lining the walls from floor to ceiling looked undisturbed. And the smell of old parchments brought a smile to Andy’s face.
He breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly, at which Yara smiled.
Mermin scrounged in the trunk of scrolls, eliminating several before he located his prize and pulled it out. He perched atop the stool behind the parchment-covered table. “Move those aside, please,” he indicated, nodding at three scrolls cluttering the upper portion of the surface. Mom did so and the wizard unrolled the familiar map of Oomaldee. Andy added stones to the top corners while Mermin did the same at the bottom.
“So then, the gwiffins guard the gold and silver mines in the northern part of Carta, here.” Mermin pointed to a spot at the far right.
“Wait!” Andy blurted, drawing curious looks. The center of Carta’s power…can I find it when we go? He opened his mouth to speak, then realized anything he might say would reveal the existence of the trunk in his attic. “Oh, nothing,” he covered. “I’ll be interested to see people with all those different hair colors.” Lame.
Yara smiled and bumped his shoulder with her own. “You’re so funny.”
Mermin cleared his throat, then repositioned his finger on Castle Avalon. “I wecommend you head through Oops, past the Fowest of Giants, and into the foothills of the Zwellow mountains.”
“But we’re headed right for the herewolves and therewolves,” Andy objected, eyeing a straight line between the castle and their destination.
“There’s no better way. You need to get awound the wall that suwwounds Oomaldee. Going the southerly woute will send you thwough the twoll’s tewwitory, not to mention take much longer with all the mountains.”
The memory was not something Andy would soon forget: while traversing the troll’s territory in search of unicorns, he, Alden, and Hannah had endured agony as they scaled a plethora of steep mountains. He nodded his agreement without further comment.
Mermin continued his monologue but Andy’s mind started mulling over possibilities. What’ll it take to fix the center of Carta’s power? Will it require a test like with the Giant’s Ring? Andy reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, to which Yara tilted her head and mouthed, “You okay?” He nodded as his thoughts tuned back in to Mermin’s exposition.
“There are a few tall mountains just past the Fowest of Giants. After that the tewwain is hilly but passable.”
Yara and Mom nodded.
“Now, when you get to the herewolves and therewolves tewwitory, whatever you do, stay away fwom the lykosamative plant that gwows in shady wooded areas. It attwacts those beasts like nothing else.”
Andy and Yara’s eyes met.
“It’s got bwight wed leaves and small white flowers. Wub up against that and you’re sure to attwact unwanted company. It’s found only in that awea, which is why the herewolves and therewolves make their home there.”
Mom raised her eyebrows. “We’ll keep that in mind.”
“When you get thwough that awea, look for the wall. You want the Lykos watchtower. Like the others, it has a hidden door wunning underneath that will take you into Hadession.”
“Hadession?” Mom questioned. “But we need Carta.”
Mermin pointed at the map. “It comes out just north of Carta. You’ll turn wight and head south. But do not venture there at night or when i
t’s dusk. Those who seek to steal gwiffin eggs or their young do so in the dark. So you’ll understand that these cweatures have—” Mermin cleared his throat. “Let’s just say they’re quite pwacticed at eliminating thweats.”
Father, Mom, Andy, and Yara ping ponged looks.
“We’ll definitely make sure the sun is up,” Mom assured.
“Any suggestions as to how we approach the griffins when we find them?” Yara questioned.
“Slowly. Gwiffins will wip you apart if they think you’re out to harm them or steal their young or their tweasure.”
A loud rapping at the door drew everyone’s attention. “Enter,” Father commanded.
“Pardon the interruption, Your Majesty,” a servant apologized as he popped his head through the cracked opening. The towheaded boy quickly moved aside as Regent Bellum pushed the door fully open and strode through.
“There you are!”
“Thank you, Sedgewick. That will be all.” Father dismissed the lad with a nod and greeted the balding, barrel-chested man. “Ragnar!”
The officer knelt and kissed the King’s ring then moved on to his queen’s hand before standing again. “Prince Andrew, Princess Yara.” He clicked the heels of his shiny black boots together and bowed.
“Sire, you asked me to organize a security detail to accompany the queen’s party on their journey tomorrow.”
Father nodded.
“I have done so, but I want to try once more to dissuade you from leaving the safety of Castle Avalon. Highness, you’ve seen the state citizens are in. It’s as if many have lost their minds—folks I never thought would steal or kill have done just that. I cannot guarantee your safety or the safety of your party.” Regent Bellum frowned.
Father patted the man on his uniformed shoulder. “That, Ragnar, is why I’m not going. I knew you’d have my hide if I even brought it up.” Father smiled but the man did not reciprocate.
“I deeply appreciate your concern for my safety, as well as that of the group, but I will not be dissuaded,” Mom asserted. “I will accompany them. I will not have Prince Andrew, Princess Yara, or the others wandering about the land without me, especially when, as you point out, it’s in such a condition.”