The Arrival: An Epic Fantasy Romance

by Nicole MacDonald

  Laura jumped in at his pause. 'Who’s Jenviet? Why didn’t she want you to succeed?'

  Alek smiled at Laura and held up one hand. 'Let me continue with this first.'

  She flushed. 'Sorry.'

  'Then Kerak joined us and finally it began to work. We practiced traveling distances and increasing them slightly each time. The only downside is that it’s incredibly tiring for the griffons. They can only leap once or twice a month, hence we’ll be traveling back to the castle at normal griffon speed.'

  I looked over at the griffons, a bit concerned now. Loushka lounged on the ground, sunning herself. Kerak and Audrey played a game they’d invented which involved Audi trying to nip Kerak’s paws while he whipped them out of the way. It created a decent dust cloud but they both seemed to have a lot of fun. Gredel had Phroma’s enormous head cradled in his lap and gently scratched her above the eyes and around the top of her beak. She had a dopey look on her face, like Audi when I scratch behind her ear. Gredel looked in sharp contrast to the nervous wreck from before. I studied the man for a moment; he seemed so happy and content with Phroma, it made me smile. I hope his wife is lovely.

  Loi waited for Alek to answer her questions but he didn’t. She took the opportunity to get closer to Sabyn’s griffon. She’d covertly watched the man since their arrival. She didn’t usually go for blonds but he had such an aura of quiet confidence and self-sufficiency that she felt intrigued. It made quite a change from the boys she’d met on Earth.

  The dark, almost black griffon twisted its head to look at her, the gesture just like that of a hawk spotting prey. Loi stilled, feeling her eyes widen. 'Hi Tomiar,' she whispered. The griffon made the softest warble, a hint of melody and turned her body to face Loi, watching her with sun sated, half-lidded eyes. Shuffling, Loi inched closer, staring in fascination at the beautiful deep green that appeared to almost emanate from the griffon’s dark wing feathers. Keeping a respectful distance, she sat back, enjoying the sun too.

  Sian watched the griffons relaxing in the sun and turned to Daron, seated on the ground near her. 'So we fly on the griffons with you?' He nodded. Now curious, she began to question him about it; where they sat on the griffons, how the saddles worked, if they needed special clothes for flying.

  Daron smiled down at the enthusiastic woman and offered her his hand. 'Come, I’ll show you.' She gave him a brilliant smile and placed her small hand in his. Daron felt a jolt pass between them when his hand closed around hers. Sian appeared to feel it too and kept her grip firm while she stared into his eyes curiously. They walked over to Nesha who dozed under a tree. At their approach Nesha rose slowly, stretching his limbs in a distinctly cat like manner.

  ‘Yes, friend?’ Nesha studied the small female that his friend held. ‘Good choice, I like that one.’ Nesha gave a purr of satisfaction.

  Daron blushed and dropped Sian’s hand, feigning a sudden itch on his arm. ‘Cut it out,’ Daron growled at Nesha, ‘I brought her over to show how the saddle works.’

  Nesha gave him a smug look then showed the image of his face when Sian had smiled at him. Daron gulped. I’ll just ignore that, he thought and turned to Sian. 'The saddle has two loops for the hind legs and two straps for the front with a joining chest strap. This way Nesha can flap his wings without any interference.' Stepping back he pulled Sian with him then gestured to Nesha who slowly extended his huge dark tan wings. When he moved them up and down they caught the light, showcasing a beautiful blue color within.

  Sian watched the movement, her head to the side while she considered it. 'Wouldn’t the saddle hinder the muscles in his back when he uses his wings?'

  Daron had Nesha pull his wings back in and then led her forward to look. 'No, the saddle’s a narrow design and actually lifts off Nesha’s spine so the weight is carried just behind the wing muscles. This way it’s very comfortable for him, even if another rides with me or we have lots of gear.'

  Sian listened while Daron enthusiastically showed her Nesha’s saddle. He has such an open smile, she thought, it just makes me want to smile. She snapped out of her daydream and blinked, looking up into Daron’s expectant eyes. 'Sorry? What was that you said?'

  He smiled. 'Would you like to go for a little flight? As practice for tomorrow?'

  She stared at him for a second then nodded. 'Yes, yes. I’d love too!'

  Daron laughed at the blonde who almost danced in excitement. 'Come on then.'

  ‘Nesha can you lean down so I can get her up easier?’

  Nesha obliged, bowing his upper body low and, with Daron’s help, Sian scrambled up.

  Sian sat up in the saddle when Daron smoothly leaped up from Nesha’s bended knee. For such a muscular man he’s really agile, she thought, impressed. I’ll have to learn how to do that, I want to look like I know what I’m doing. Daron settled into the front seat easily and turned back to Sian. 'You’ll want to hold onto me until you’re used to it. Once you’re confident enough you can use these hand holds.' He pointed at the sides of the saddle. 'At least at first if you’re holding me I’ll know you haven’t fallen off.' When he turned back to Nesha she scooted forward and slipped her arms around his waist, face pressed against his back.

  'Ready?' Daron called back to Sian. He felt her nod against his back. ‘Okay, Nesha, let’s go.’ Nesha growled in excitement, making Daron smile. No matter how aloof Nesha liked to hold himself, he was always like a pup when flying.

  Sian hung tight to Daron when Nesha crouched low his muscles bunched underneath them, then sprung up at least twenty feet into the air. Heart in her mouth, Sian managed to respond to Daron’s query. 'I’m f-fi-fine,' she stammered. 'I had no idea that was how they took off.'

  Daron gave her hands a gentle squeeze. 'You’ll look like an old pro at it tomorrow.'

  Yep, thought Sian, and Cat will freak. Leaning her head against Daron’s back Sian watched in awe at Nesha’s huge wings and the enormous power in his muscles. The smooth easy flight didn’t appear to require a lot of effort from Nesha. Wanting to see how high they were, she squirmed in her seat to try to find a good view. Being so short she couldn’t see over Nesha’s wings but she could if she leaned a little to the side of Daron and peered over his knee, through the gap by Nesha’s shoulder. She gasped clinging tight to Daron then leaned a little further forward; we’re SO high.

  Daron felt Sian shift and leaned back to her. 'Did you want to sit in front? You’ll can see better and I’ll point out places if you like.' Absurdly pleased by her nod, he let Nesha know.

  Nesha sent him a mocking look, ‘Take it nice and slow, you don’t want to drop her.’

  Sian sat up and let go of Daron’s back when he turned to her then unexpectedly gathered her up in his arms and moved to the back seat of the saddle, placing her in front. She blinked in surprise at the sudden change of view and felt a flush of pleasure when he wrapped his arms round her waist and leaned to her ear.

  'If you look to our left you’ll see the end of the Orlan forest, you were at the beginning when we found you. Over to the right is part of the main river in Elion, the Wegrive.' His pleasantly deep voice and the lips that gently brushed past her ear now and then allowed Sian’s thoughts to drift to a rather agreeable place before her rational voice butted in, reminding her to pay attention. She made an effort to focus on what he pointed out and felt delighted when he indicated to Lothost.

  Sian twisted in a little her seat so she sat sideways to Daron. 'That was where we went when we arrived. Can we fly a little lower?'

  Daron stared into Sian’s sky blue eyes for a moment before he registered her question. 'Yes.' He smiled at her, eyes fastening for an instant on the soft lips temptingly close to his. 'Of course.'

  On the ground the women watched Nesha’s take-off in awe. Kassandra and Laura both questioned the men closely about the griffons and flying. Alek smiled at their obvious enthusiasm. Then he noticed Catherine who sat and listened, but with a pale face, her lips pressed flat together.

  Kassie glanced up a
nd noticed Alek’s confused look at Cat’s expression. They watched when she stood and called for Audrey then walked off toward the river. 'Is something wrong?' Alek asked.

  'Not exactly,' Kassie hesitated a moment, knowing Cat wouldn’t really like her weakness exposed. 'You see, Cat’s… well… Catherine’s really scared of heights. Actually, terrified is probably a better description.'

  Alek looked astonished then concerned. 'Do you think she’ll manage?'

  'Oh yes,' Kassie assured him earnestly while mentally crossing her fingers. 'But she’ll need to psych herself up for it. Which is probably why she wandered off.'

  Alek glanced at her. 'Are you or Laura scared of heights?' He smiled wryly. 'I can see Sian isn’t.'

  Loi, who listened to the conversation, gave a little laugh. 'No, Kassie and I can handle heights fine. Actually, its insects that tend to creep us out more, Cat deals with those for us.' Then Sabyn caught her attention again and she turned away.

  Alek didn’t like the thought of Catherine being uneasy with flying, especially with a week of it ahead of them. If it turned out they were who Elena hoped them to be, then they’d often ride with the Guard. I hope Kassandra’s right, Alek thought somberly.

  I sat beside the river and stripped my boots off, dipping my feet in the wonderfully cool water. I could see why Alek went for a swim; the sun shone directly over the deep and meandering river, making it a very pleasant place to relax. Audi climbed onto the bank beside me, dripping wet after enthusiastically chugging around in circles in the water. I gently stroked her head and focused on calming myself. I know I will be safe. I’m very sure I will be safe. Pretty sure… I lay back on the grassy bank and sighed, of all the stupid fears, mine had to be heights. Hearing the crunch of footsteps I sat up, shading my eyes. Alek smiled down on me, I flushed his gorgeous smile causing me to catch my breath. Maybe it won’t be so hard to handle the heights, I thought, subtly studying his muscular form. There certainly were worse ways to travel.

  Alek took a seat beside Audrey who’d obviously been swimming. She sat up, wagging her tail at him. 'Why don’t you go see what Loushka’s up to?' The dog perked up at the griffon’s name and disappeared off down the track. 'You know, she’s very bright,' he commented to Catherine.

  She glanced fondly after her dog. 'She is. Sometimes too clever though and she does naughty things when she knows I can’t see her.'

  He laughed. 'As they do. What’s she done before?'

  Catherine frowned while she thought about it. Alek watched her with a smile; she has such an expressive face, I’ll bet she’s an awful liar.

  'I know. One time after we’d had a roast chicken I’d removed the meat we didn’t eat from the bones and placed it in a bowl to cool. I’d made sure it was far back on the counter, so out of the way, but when I came to look for it later it was gone. Just a clean, empty bowl on the bench. I checked with the others, in case they’d put it somewhere, but no, they hadn’t touched it. Then as I came down the corridor, Audi passed me and just as she did she cringed ever so slightly.' Catherine smiled triumphantly at him. 'And I knew it! She got a smack on the backside and had to spend the rest of the night outside. She was not a happy girl.'

  He laughed at the thought of it, he could just imagine Audrey being that sneaky. 'She cleaned the bowl completely? And no noise? Such a pity for Audrey that she’s so honest.'

  Catherine agreed, 'Yes. She’d committed the perfect crime. If only it weren’t for her conscience.'

  He laughed again then proceeded to tell her about a dog he’d had when he was young. 'His name was Zane, father and I chose him from a litter when I was five. My father decided it would be a good way to teach me compassion and responsibility.' He smiled at the memory of the stocky, determined puppy he’d selected.

  'Were you a right little terror?' Catherine teased.

  'I had my moments.'

  'So, did it work?'

  He chuckled. 'Do I seem so irresponsible? Yes and no. Zane and I were inseparable. If there was ever any mischief going on it meant we were both involved.' He continued to talk about Zane, successfully distracting Catherine.

  Back at the campsite Rumal and Kassie sat deep in conversation about which creatures she knew of that existed in this realm. Kassie felt vaguely comforted to discover lions, tigers and bears—oh my!—existed here. Cats, dogs and chickens did too. Ridiculous as it might seem, but right at the moment Kassie needed those familiar things, little as they were. The sky still showed blue and the people seemed normal-ish. The enormous griffons lazing around them enjoying the sun, thrilled one part of her mind and terrified the other. What else could be here? What if we can’t get home? What’s happening at home?

  'Pigs?' Rumal suggested breaking her panic for an instant. Kassie blinked then nodded with a half smile, relief and fear making her more anxious. Making an effort to relax, she let a breath out.

  'Yes. We have them too.'

  Rumal smiled at Kassandra, amused at how relieved the girl looked to recognize some of the species he’d rattled off. Is where they come from so very different, he thought, Kassandra doesn’t look any different to a normal woman. The mass of crazy curly locks she had reminded Rumal of an older woman he’d met at court years ago, with similar hair. Surely if she and the others seemed so normal to them, there must be a lot in common with their realms.

  Kassie couldn’t help staring at Rumal, distracted by the dark skinned man and his incredible liquid gold eyes. Every motion he made looked graceful, almost feline and the slanted gold eyes only added to the illusion. His black hair was shaved so short it looked almost nonexistent. 'Rumal, where are you from?' Kassie asked, curious. 'You don’t sound like Alek or Sabyn and you certainly don’t look like them.' He smiled down at her. 'I’m from an island called Delanta in the Delos Sea. East of Elion.'

  'Where are the others from?'

  'Alek and Sabyn are from Plusian and are distant cousins. Daron is from Gartolle and Gredel is from Vo Arum. When Elena felt our griffons call us she summoned us to the castle along with the griffons so we could begin training.'

  The shock at the idea of this place being so large that it had islands and countries almost took Kassie’s breath away. Anxiety made her stomach cramp, she sat straighter to try and ease it. She still wanted to pretend this wasn’t really real, but the truth of them being on an entirely different planet kept eating into her mind.

  Rumal watched while various emotions flickered across her face and felt a surge of protectiveness at the woman’s predicament. Elena hadn’t had much time to explain but had said that the women they were being sent to collect weren’t from this time or place. She’d told them to think of them like newborns in the sense that they would have little idea about what was dangerous here and what wasn’t. He reached out, gently placing his hand on her arm. She jolted in surprise and looked up. 'Are you alright little one?' he asked very quietly. 'I understand this must be all so strange to you.'

  The gentle concern in his voice bypassed any annoyance Kassie would have usually felt at being called "little one", hitting the spot of fear and confusion she’d fought to stamp out. She burst into tears.

  Gredel glared at Rumal from the other side of the clearing, a what-have-you-done? look. Kerak looked up to see what had happened. ‘Rumal, what’s wrong? Is she hurt?’ the young griffon demanded in concern. Rumal gathered the sobbing girl into his arms, replying, ‘She’s okay I think. Just missing home. I suspect yesterday was the first time she’s really fought for her life.’ Kerak came over to where Rumal sat, rocking back and forward, gently stroking Kassandra’s hair.

  Kassie felt mortified to cry all over a man she barely knew, but the need to sob out the stress from the past few days overrode her desire to stop. The strong arms around her, cradling her, offered a sense of security she didn’t realize she’d needed. No wonder Lucky likes pats so much, she thought when Rumal stroked her hair, it’s so comforting. She blushed when that thought registered and sat upright, wiping the tears from her face.


  Loi and Sabyn observed quietly from a distance. It’d been hard for Loi not to run to her friend but Sabyn had caught her arm when she’d made to move toward them. 'Don’t. She probably needs a good cry. Rumal will understand that.'

  She watched her friend a moment longer then turned to Sabyn. 'You’re right. It's just hard sometimes, we’re all so close.'

  Sabyn nodded before smiling at her, hoping to distract her from the couple, to give Kassandra the space she needed. 'Would you like to learn a game we play at home?'

  She looked astonished. 'Err?'

  He explained, 'I thought it would give us something to do without feeling the need to interrogate one another, it needs three people so Gredel can join in.'

  It sounded a good idea. Loi had no desire to burst into tears like Kassie, which she knew she probably would if she thought about all the events of the past few days. 'That sounds fun. Why don’t we play it on the other side of the tent, so they have a little privacy?'

  Gredel headed over to where Sabyn and Laura stood. At least she wasn’t crying, weeping women always made him fall to pieces, he reflected sourly.