***
They had just fallen asleep for the night when Sarah jolted awake. Was someone shouting? Steve’s snoring had all but eliminated the possibility of hearing background noises, but something had woken her up. Wait, there it was again. Multiple shouts this time. Someone was yelling about their arms. Sarah listened intently. There, more shouts about arms. Someone broke an arm? To arms? Yes, that was it. Wait. Wasn’t that an order to arm yourself?? Giving her snoring husband a not-so-gentle shove on the arm, she scrambled into her clothes.
“What is it? What’s going on?” Steve unceremoniously tumbled off of the cot and onto the hard ground. He noted his wife hastily dressing. He decided he’d better do the same. “Who’s shouting?”
Sarah was just finishing pulling her clothes on. “I don’t know, but it can’t be good. Come on.” She patted the medallion under her shirt, verifying it was there. Comforted, she moved behind Steve, eager to know what was going on.
Dressed, Steve positioned himself to keep his wife behind him as he cautiously poked his head out of their tent. Not much to see, however. It was pitch black outside. Steve glanced at the low level of flames just peeking over the rim of the hearth. It had been properly banked, intending to keep a small fire burning all throughout the night. The level of light emanating from the small fire was far from adequate, Steve thought. A split second later it roared up to five times its previous size, casting its much needed light out in all directions.
Kern ran up to them. “Lady Sarah! Sir Steve! Return to your tent! Ye do not want to present a target of yerselves!”
Sarah clutched her husband’s arm tightly. “What is it? Are we under attack?”
“Aye, under attack by a flock of griffins. They’ve been stirred up somethin’ fierce.”
Pheron appeared briefly, shouting orders. He glanced over at the blazing campfire and saw Kern gesturing wildly to the Nohrin. Good, he had stoked the fire. “Kern! Catch!” He tossed over several torches. “Light these and get over to the southern edge of this clearing on the double. Move it!”
Without a second thought, Steve turned to Sarah, kissed her tenderly, and looked her straight in the eyes. “Back in the tent. No arguing. You wearing your medallion? Good. If something happens, get yourself back to the castle. Don’t fight me on this, okay?”
“What do you think you’re going to be able to do? These are griffins!”
“From the sounds of things, they don’t like fire. If that’s the case, then they aren’t gonna like me at all.”
“Here, before you go,” Sarah ran into the tent and pulled Steve’s leather gauntlets out of their pack, along with his prized nohrstaf. “Put these on. Please, be careful, okay?”
Steve donned his gauntlets as Sarah helped him into the harness. Reaching back to verify the norhstaf was snugly in place, he kissed Sarah one more time. Feeling fairly armed, he took off, running as hard as he could towards all the commotion.
Pheron peered into the sky, trying to see from which direction these blasted creatures were coming from. Jalen was down, a nasty gash on his right leg immobilizing him. Rhein had sustained a crippling blow on his left arm, no doubt breaking it, but had still refused to abandon his companions. The lieutenant was able to see in the dark, thanks to his jhorun, but by the time he could shout out the locations of the griffins he could see, they had already moved off. Suddenly a large dark object swished by him at an amazing speed. A white flash of pain erupted in his right shoulder, his sword flying off into the darkness. With his right arm disabled, his choices were becoming bleak.
“My sword! I lost my damn sword! Fall back! We cannot fight what we cannot see!” Where the hell was Kern? How long could it take to light several torches? Gingerly feeling his shoulder, he could feel a warm sensation slowly spreading outwards. Outstanding. Now he was bleeding. Profusely by the feel of it. He pushed the pain aside. No time to worry about that right now. He had to find his sword.
Suddenly half the clearing lit up as twin jets of fire appeared out of nowhere, streaking upwards. Several griffins squawked loudly, swerving erratically to avoid the dual pillars of flames.
“Everyone behind me! Now!” Shooting blindly, Steve shot jet after jet of fire into the air. Squinting up into the night sky, he couldn’t see a thing. How was he supposed to hit a griffin if he couldn’t even see one? He had to be able to see what he was fighting. Okay, think light, think light. Something bright.
Pheron waved his good arm to attract his attention.
“Sir Steve, over here! Jalen is down and cannot move!”
Still firing off blast after blast of flames into the sky, Steve ran over to Pheron, who was crouching on the ground. The other wounded soldiers all made for the protective circle Steve’s pyrotechnical abilities had created. A shield. He could really use a shield right about now. Without realizing what he was doing, he stretched his right arm behind him to grasp the nohrstaf strapped to his back. Pulling it out of its harness, Steve gave the small club a quick shake.
“Come on, sucker, I need a shield. Do your thing!”
The staff stubbornly retained its “billy-club” shape. Several loud squawks from somewhere above him had his eyes snapping back to the sky. Annoyed at the crackpot magician for giving him an experimental weapon, he decided to jam the club back into its holder. Suddenly, Steve grunted with surprise as his right arm was forcefully yanked downwards. The club had become a large heavy shield that he could barely lift off the ground. What good was this supposed to be?
“Excellent, Sir Steve!” Rhein exclaimed, taking the shield from the Nohrin. The soldier hefted it easily as he stood over his fallen companion, shielding Jalen from the attacking griffins. Both hands now free, Steve turned his attention back to the sky.
Concentrating furiously, he focused his jhorun, ordering it to create light, and lots of it. As before, the tingles started intensifying, but this time in both hands. Just as he aimed both palms straight up, his hands flared, the ensuing fireball spiraling high up into the sky. As a result, the entire clearing was illuminated, albeit only for a few moments as his jumbo flare flew high into the air. Hah! There they were! Steve counted a half dozen of the mythological beasties all circling overhead, deftly weaving in and around the blasts of fire.
“I see you now, you lily-livered sons of bitches. Have a taste of this!” Adjusting his aim to deliberately graze the pinfeathers of the closest griffin, he watched with satisfaction as the attacking creature screeched in protest and retreated higher into the sky.
Continuously blasting jets of fire to illuminate the surrounding countryside, Steve was able to keep the circling griffins at bay. Every so often one would skirt the flames and try to attack one of the men who had fallen in behind him, but an intense blast was all it took to send the offending griffin retreating back up into the sky, squawking angrily. However, while he was able to keep the griffins in check, Steve discovered that he was unable to let his attention stray, for if it did, then the ever observant griffins would attack the moment his flames lessened. Man, they were fast!
For the first time, he started feeling the effects of his draining jhorun. He was expelling a tremendous amount of energy into the air as he was protecting his companions from harm. If he kept battling like this, he could see himself becoming depleted soon. Either he’ll have to tone it down, or else frighten them away.
His jhorun apparently agreed. Steve felt the familiar sting coming from his right hand. Eyeing it, he watched as the ‘chaser-fireball’ formed, ready to be thrown. If he threw that, then that would mean…
“Alright, you guys, listen closely up there! I know you can hear me, and I know you can understand me.” That was actually a bluff. He didn’t know if they understood human-speech, but if a dragon could, then so could a griffin, right? “You guys are obviously pissed off at something. Rest assured, we didn’t do anything.”
Angry
screeches sounded from above.
“Now, I hereby swear,” Steve vowed, “that if you so much as try to attack us again, I’m gonna release this. See this?” He raised the fireball for all to see. “I let this go and at least one of you goes down, possibly more. You got that? I don’t give a shit if you’re species is ‘protected’ or not. I’m a non-Lentarian. What do I have to worry about?” He peered into the sky, barely discerning the circling shapes far above him. He hefted the chaser and tried one last time. “Don’t make me use this! I don’t want to, but I will!”
Several squawks filtered down from above as the irate griffins conversed amongst themselves. After several tense moments, there was a sudden silence as one of the creatures started circling lower and lower. Taking careful aim at the approaching griffin, Steve waited. This one was behaving differently, as if it was sizing him up as an opponent. It landed gracefully a safe distance away, folded its wings, and eyed Steve warily.
“Ye say ye are not responsible for destroying dozens of our nests?” The voice was high-pitched and somewhat nasally. “That ye know nothing of the torture our young suffered? Tell me why I should believe that, human.”
First talking dragons, now talking griffins. Pushing his amazement aside, he faced the courageous griffin.
“Someone attacked your nests? Do you know who?”
“Aye. Human soldiers.” Pointing a wing at the soldiers who were still assessing damage to themselves and to their gear, the griffin squawked angrily. “Them.”
Signaling the griffin to wait a moment, Steve extinguished the chaser and called out to the closest soldier. “Darius, have you seen Rhenyon? I need him over here immediately.”
The normally quiet soldier refused to take his eyes off the sky for more than a few seconds. He had had his back to Steve and therefore had not noticed the arrival of one of their attackers. “He was last seen tending Pheron, who was hit on his shoulder fairly badly.”
“Take his place then. This is important. You have to get him over here. Now.”
“Sir Steve, we are a little busy here. Can this wait?” His restless eyes darted back up into the night sky, looking for indications that the circling griffins were preparing to strike again.
“They aren’t going to attack. At least not anytime soon.” Steve looked back at the griffin, who nodded in agreement.
This human was different. Why, the griffin could not say. But it appeared as though he truly wanted to help. If this fire thrower had wanted them dead, then dead they would have been by now.
“And how can ye guarantee that we will not be attacked again? Ye cannot, can ye?”
“I cannot, true,” Steve smiled, hooking a thumb over his shoulder. “But he can.”
Darius’ eyes opened wide as he observed the griffin waiting silently ten meters or so behind Steve.
“What-”
“We have a bigger problem. Go get Rhenyon.”
“At once, sir.” In a flash, Darius was gone.
Turning back to the griffin, Steve raised his hands in what he hoped was a universal sign of friendship. It was then that he noticed both hands were still lit. Hastily extinguishing them, he gave the griffin what he hoped was a friendly smile.
“Tell me, your young, were they hurt badly? I know of someone that could help, if you’d trust me.”
The griffin stared at him. Slowly, he approached. Since when would a wizard care about what happened to one of his kind?
“How can ye help, human? What knowledge have ye about the physiology of a griffin?”
“Not a damn bit,” Steve confessed, “but I don’t have to. We have a vial of, um, some type of flower juice that is said to heal any wound.”
The griffin blinked his eyes, surprised. “And ye would be willing to share some of this elixir to heal our cubs?”
“Yes, I would. Well, I know she would.” At the quizzical cocking of the griffin’s head, Steve explained even further. “My wife holds the vial. She disperses the elixir to those who need it.”
Wanting desperately to believe this human, for his cub’s sake, the griffin fought an internal war. All his instincts warned him not to trust humans, but his parental instincts won him over.
“An ye can, human, I would ask yer assistance. For my cub and for the others that have been injured.”
Darius appeared then, with Rhenyon hot on his heels. The captain stared in amazement as he noticed the griffin waiting quietly a few meters off.
“Wizards be damned. Let us put an end to this once and…”
The griffin extended both wings and was poised to attack, or return to the air. Steve couldn’t tell which.
“Rhenyon, wait.” He hastily stepped between griffin and soldier. “He says that their nests were attacked, and their cubs were seriously hurt. He says that soldiers did it.”
In the process of unsheathing his sword, the captain hesitated. “What soldiers? My soldiers? I think not, griffin.”
“And if it’s someone else, masquerading as Lentarian soldiers, hoping to stir up trouble? What then?”
That brought the captain up short.
“Aye, it is possible.” Rhenyon conceded, turning to face the griffin. “I know it is none of our soldiers, griffin. We are stretched thin searching for a dwarf.”
“I will accept for now that yer soldiers were not responsible,” the griffin said. He craned his neck up and gave a long series of screeches and squawks. Within moments five other griffins were standing next to their spokesman, all eyeing the soldiers with distaste.
“Can you get the cubs here? I’m guessing you can bring them here faster than we can get to them.”
“Aye, that we can.” More squawks and high-pitched trills. Two of the griffins took flight immediately, disappearing into the night.
Steve turned to the confused captain of the guard. “Their cubs have been hurt and are being brought here. Several of you have also been hurt. Can someone go get Sarah for me? I really need her now. Make sure she still has her medallion on. Oh, and be sure to tell her that I’m fine. I don’t want her freaking out.”
“Darius, fetch Lady Sarah. On the double.”
When he returned, a breathless Sarah ran over to Steve, hugging him hard.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. A couple of the soldiers here could use some of that stuff in the vial. And we’re going to be helping the griffins. Some of their cubs were injured earlier.”
Sarah was appalled. “Their babies were attacked? That’s horrible!” Her eyes opened wide, staring at the soldiers. “Tell me they didn’t…”
“No, they didn’t. But we’re guessing it’s someone posing as Lentarian soldiers looking to start trouble.”
Sarah removed her pendant and activated the hidden switch. She took the small vial containing nectar of the rare kaormac orchid and removed the small crystal stopper. She surveyed the men before her.
“Alright now, who’s hurt?”
She was directed to Pheron first, who had obtained a very deep gash across his right shoulder. His right arm also appeared to have been broken. The bleeding had yet to stop and was evident that the lieutenant was in serious pain. His eyes were glazed and he winced at every movement he was forced to make. Withdrawing the tiny dropper from within the vial, Sarah administered the smallest of drops to his wound. Right before her eyes, Pheron’s skin sealed itself back together, torn muscles reattaching themselves, severed tendons becoming whole. The fracture in his right arm withdrew into itself until it was no more as well.
Pheron blinked. One second he was in immense pain, and the next? Nothing! It felt as though his wound was gone. What ointment was this? Gingerly, he prodded his right shoulder. No pain. Probing further, he couldn’t provoke an ounce of protest from either shoulder or arm. Baffled, he sat up and pulled the bandages off of his chest. Flexing his right arm, he stared at Sarah.
“My shoulder and
arm are healed? How can that be?”
Sarah smiled at the lieutenant. “Job security. Excuse me.”
The newly appointed Director of Medical Services moved off in search of others that needed her help. Kneeling down in various spots, she administered aid to every soldier but Darius, who was uninjured.
Steve smiled as he watched his wife moved amongst the soldiers. If they weren’t devoted to her before, they sure as hell were now! Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the griffin watching his wife applying more of the precious elixir.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think to ask. Have you been injured?”
The supple neck snapped around. “I am unharmed. We did sustain several injuries. One of our scouts had most of the feathers on his left wing burned. I presume that ye are responsible for that.”
Sarah returned in time to hear the griffin mention one of his group was hurt.
“Which one? Who’s hurt?”
The surprised griffins all eyed each other. Would they be willing to let this human female heal them? The griffin with the scorched feathers stepped forward. His left wing still stung, threatening to ground him until he had a chance to heal. If this human female could heal him, then he’d be more than willing to take the chance.
Sarah nervously approached the griffin, which was holding out his injured left wing. Feathers were darkened and scorched everywhere. A single, tiny drop restored them to their full luster. Squawking appreciatively, the healed griffin rejoined his fellows, only to be pushed aside as the others approached the human woman, presenting beaks, talons, wings, and so on.
Sarah had just finished healing the last of the company of griffins when a screech sounded in the distance. She instantly scooted behind Steve, waiting to see what was heading their way this time.
A group of twenty griffins landed, with a dozen or so holding spindly cubs in their beaks. She started towards them when the leader of the griffins spoke. “Do not approach yet, human female. Ye will more than likely be attacked. A moment, if ye please.”
The griffin moved amongst his fellows, squawking and chirping, no doubt explaining that the female human will heal them if they allow it. Several times they heard indignant screeches. Finally, the injured griffin with the previously torched feathers squawked his own defense for the humans. The females finally relented, approaching tentatively with their young. Ever so cautiously, with no sudden movements, Sarah applied a tiny drop to each of the creatures that requested her services.
Thirty minutes later, the newly healed phalanx of griffins, with their cubs hovering close by, stretched their wings and forelegs, settling down in the clearing as far from the humans as possible.
Rhenyon sidled up to Steve. “What is this? Why are they not flying away?”
Steve shrugged. “I have no idea. I just figured they’d go about their business. Maybe something is wrong. I’ll go ask.”
Waving his arms finally got the attention of the head griffin, who decided to draw near the powerful human once more. With his newly healed cub in tow, the griffin approached.
“Human. What is it?”
“Everyone calls me Steve. What’s your name?”
The griffin hesitated before answering. “Pheris.”
“Pheris, is everything alright? We can’t help but notice that you guys haven’t flown away. Is there something we can do to help?”
“My fellow griffins are tired,” Pheris explained. “We never had a chance to finish our hunt. Myself and a couple others are now forced to hunt at night.”
“Do you typically hunt at night?”
The griffin shook his head no.
“So you and the others are hungry, is that it? You didn’t finish your hunt?” The griffin wearily nodded. “Would you permit me to see if we can help out one more time?”
The griffin looked down at his cub, his eyes full of pride and concern. He looked back at the human.
“There are over thirty of us. How can ye hunt for numbers such as this?”
“How do you plan to? Besides, I never said I was going to hunt. But we should still be able to help. Wait here, we’ll take care of this.”
Running back to Rhenyon, who had overheard the entire conversation, he motioned for his wife to join him as well. The three of them huddled together.
“Exactly how do ye plan to provide meals for that many griffins?”
“I’m not, Rhenyon. Sarah is.”
Sarah choked. “Me? I can’t hunt!”
“You don’t have to. I’m willing to bet that the castle has everything we need. Think you can teleport the supplies we need here?”
“I don’t know where they keep that sort of thing! Why would you think that I could?”
“Just trust me. If I can get a pack full of meat back on the bed in our quarters, you could bring it here, right?”
“Well, yes, but how are you going to do that?”
“Get word to the king,” Rhenyon answered. “He will do whatever he can to help. He is a strong advocate for fostering interspecies relations.”
“I can only send things back and forth in that pack from our quarters,” Sarah explained. “I don’t think the king will be in our room.”
Rhenyon thought a moment. “Can ye place a message on his desk in the Antechamber? That is where he would be right now. He does not retire until much later than this.”
Sarah concentrated, bringing up a mental picture of the Antechamber and the king’s desk. That’s where the map was, she recollected. The king had given an overview about the kingdom of Lentari to Steve there. Yes, she could visualize that desk very clearly. She was sure she could drop a letter right on the desk, if that’s where the king was.
“Yes, I believe I can do that.”
After parchment and ink had been retrieved from their camp, Rhenyon hastily scratched out his request:
Sire, are ye there? If so, respond here on this parchment. Will wait a moment before retrieving – Rhenyon
He folded up the paper and handed it to Sarah. She took it, closed her eyes, and conjured up the image of the king’s desk. In case he was leaning over the desk for any reason, she chose to drop the letter several feet over the surface of the desk and let it fall the remaining several feet. If he wasn’t at the desk, but in the Antechamber, it should attract notice. The paper in her hand vanished. She looked at Rhenyon.
“Now what?”
“We shall give him a moment to notice it, read it, and write a response. Then you can bring it back here.”
After giving the king about thirty seconds to respond to the message, Sarah retrieved the paper. She handed it to Rhenyon, who unfolded it at once. There, below his message, was the king’s neat handwriting:
I am here. What is it?
Rhenyon composed his response:
Brokering deal with griffins. Crucial. Will explain later. Need ye to take the pack ye have been filling with food and fill it to the brim with raw meat. Put in same spot for Sarah to teleport. Will return it as soon as emptied. Will need to keep refilling until advised. Awaiting response.
He refolded the paper and handed it back to Sarah, who sent it to the king. After giving him a full minute, Sarah returned the parchment.
Acknowledged. Ready in ten minutes.
Rhenyon smiled. “Excellent.” He took the pen and wrote back, Understood, sir. Our thanks.
“Be ready to teleport the pack,” he said to Sarah. “But we will have to help ye with it. It will be full of meat, so will be very heavy.”
“We’ll be ready,” Steve assured him.
In ten minutes time, standing in front of the skeptical griffins, Sarah teleported the pack into her arms, then toppled forward. It must have weighed over seventy pounds. Luckily, there was a ring of soldiers standing around her, all waiting to grab the pack the moment it appeared.
Kern and Pheron got to it first. They gently set the pack on the ground while Steve untied
the drawstring opening gestured for Pheris to come over. The skeptical griffin peered in the pack and squawked with surprise.
“How do you want us to do this? Just dump it out or would you like to take the pieces out and hand it out yourself?”
“This will not be enough, human, but I do thank ye. We will let the cubs feed, and if there is anything left over, we will eat what we can.”
“Ummm, you don’t understand. As soon as this is emptied, it’ll be sent back to be refilled, where it’ll then be brought back here. We can keep doing this until everyone has eaten their fill.”
The griffin studied the fire thrower. “We are in yer debt, human.” Several squawks had the griffins forming a line, much like you’d find at a buffet, with Pheris guiding them along.
It took two refills before the griffins were sated. It was Rhenyon who made the surprising next step.
“If ye like, all of ye are more than welcome to share the clearing with us. Ye can rest yerselves here before returning back to yer homes.”
The griffin shook his head. “Appreciated, but we will return to the forest. On behalf of myself and my fellow griffins, I thank all of ye for yer kindness. It will not be forgotten.”
In a massive flapping of wings, the griffins took to the air and disappeared into the blackness of the night.
The Prophecy Page 24