by Amy Sumida
“You seem surprisingly okay with that,” I observed.
“I am.” He stroked the hair away from my face with a smile. “Because I know we will love each other. There is no doubt in my mind that we are perfect together.”
“Maybe we are a little,” I teased.
“What?” Gage asked with more intensity than was warranted.
“I was just—”
“Sorry, not you, Elaria. My father is speaking to me,” Gage said gently, then lowered his gaze, focusing inward. “You did? Yes, of course. Uh, Father, wait. I have someone I need to bring back with me; someone you should meet.” Gage glanced at me, and I widened my eyes at him. “Yes, all right. We'll be there soon.”
“Your father found something?” I asked.
“He says there is some evidence of an intruder. He wants me to return, collect the information, and bring it here to be analyzed,” Gage reported.
“Does this mean I'm going to meet your parents?” I asked nervously.
“Are you scared, Spellsinger?” Gage teased me, nuzzling my neck.
“No, but I'm a little worried,” I admitted.
“It will be fine.” He slipped out of bed and started pulling on his clothes. “Wear your blue trousers; they will appreciate a woman warrior.”
“Blue trousers?” I frowned. “My jeans?”
“Jeans.” He repeated the word. “Strange name; but yes, those resilient pants.”
“All right.” I chuckled and hopped out of bed. “But I'm taking a shower first.”
“No!” Gage grabbed me before I made it to the bathroom. “You have my scent on you; it will make things easier for us.”
“You don't mean that they're going to smell me?” I lifted my brows in horror. “And you—on me!”
“Not in an obvious manner.” He rolled his eyes—something he'd picked up from me overnight. “Griffins have a good sense of smell. They will know you're important to me the instant they meet you, and that will gain you respect.”
“I get props for sleeping with you?” I laughed. “Well, ain't that a neat twist. With humans, it's the other way around.”
“Humans don't like sex?” He looked shocked.
“No, they love sex, they just have negative opinions on women who engage in it as quickly as I did with you.”
“But you're my mate.”
“They don't mate like that.”
“Ah, right.” Gage scowled. “What about men who engage in sexual activity quickly?”
“Oh, you've just stepped into a double standard that has pissed women off for ages,” I huffed. “Men are considered more masculine if they sleep with lots of women. They are virile while women are called whores.”
“Hmm,” he considered it. “Now, that is barbaric.”
“Well said, griffin.” I nodded approvingly.
“It's not just my opinion; it's nature.” Gage shrugged. “They are imitating savage animals; males spreading their seed to promote the growth of the species while females are left to care for the young. Noble beasts establish nurturing relationships with their mates and bond, if not for life, then at least long enough for the young to mature. They care for their offspring as well as each other.”
“Noble beasts like lions and eagles?” I smirked knowingly.
“Just so.” He nodded sagely.
“Lions take a whole pride of females,” I pointed out.
“And the male protects them and looks after his family,” Gage countered. “Eagles also mate for life; they return to their nest every mating season.”
“I suppose that's sweet.” I frowned, thinking of the non-mating season, and wondered where birds slept when their nest was empty.
“Sweeter than mating with a flock of other birds and then scorning the females for accepting you,” he growled. “That is the definition of hypocrisy.”
“Very true.” I gathered my things; slipping my iPod down my top, my contact charm around my neck, and my travel stone into my pocket. My list of things that I never left home without had grown. “So, what would happen if they didn't smell you on me?”
“When I introduced you as my mate, they would call for proof,” he said.
“Proof?” I went still and stared him down.
“A courting ritual; nothing too intrusive,” Gage huffed. “We're a civilized people.”
“A courting ritual?” I wasn't convinced of the civilized part yet.
“One you couldn't participate in, which would make things very awkward.” He grimaced.
“Why couldn't I participate?” I stuck my hands on my hips. “I did just fine with you last night.”
“Again, your mind goes straight to sex.” Gage came over to me and grabbed my hips, angling his own against me. He smiled wickedly. “It's a courting ritual, not a mating one.”
“Then why?”
“Because you're not a griffin,” he said as if it were obvious, then he went back to wrapping all that leather around himself.
“Oh.”
“You need wings and claws to perform the death spiral,” he said casually.
“The what?” I gaped at him.
“A couple who find themselves attracted to each other will go to a high cliff, transform into their griffin forms, and leap off it together,” Gage explained. “They lock talons mid-air and plummet in a tumble as their lion hindquarters slash at each other. If one breaks off, their bond was not strong enough.”
“But don't they have to break away before they hit the ground?” I asked. “Not doing so sounds like it could be fatal, even for an immortal.”
“You prove your worth by holding on till the very end,” Gage said like it was obvious. “You let go of your lover only at the last moment, approximately ten feet from the ground.”
“It's like a game of chicken,” I whispered in horror. “A horrible, gory game of chicken involving someone you care about.”
“Chickens have nothing to do with it,” Gage growled.
“No, chicken is... never mind.” I waved it away. “That doesn't sound so civilized, Gage.”
“We are a warrior race,” he said. “Strength and fortitude are very important to us. We must be certain that we take a strong griffin to mate.”
“And what happens when a griffin mates someone of another race?”
“I don't know,” Gage went serious. “It's never happened before.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
“Relax, it will be fine,” Gage said after we reformed on Torr-Chathair.
“You just told me that I'm the first non-griffin anyone has ever brought home to mama, and you want me to relax?” I huffed. “This is insane.”
Then I took a good look around.
Gage had his own version of a traveling stone, but his was a preserved piece of eggshell—his shell. As in the egg that he was hatched from. Yep, Gage was hatched! The eggshell had creation magic in it that was aligned with him. After a griffin was born, its parents would enchant a piece of the egg and preserve it for their child. It allowed the griffin to journey through the realms in the same way a traveling stone does.
After showing me the rock-hard, polished piece of porcelain-esque eggshell, and then calming me down from the subsequent “You were hatched?” freak-out, Gage had embraced me and used his baby-griffin-shell to bring me to Torr-Chathair.
“It's beautiful, isn't it?” Gage asked in a reverent tone as he came to stand beside me.
I had wandered to the edge of the ledge he'd brought us to, without even realizing that I had moved. The view was of a glistening green valley, echoing with the cries of birds and beasts, and spotted with vivid colors. The forest spread back to the horizon, and it was green as far as the eye could see. It was also midday, with the sun shining bright overhead, but I stood in shadow. We weren't just on a ledge; we were also within the overhang of a cave... hundreds of feet above the forest floor.
“This is...” I turned to Gage and noticed that there was a door set into the cave wall behind him—a door recently opened
by a stern-looking man with a strong resemblance to Gage. “Amaron,” I whispered.
“No, this is Saeiqa Territory; Amaron is my father's name,” Gage said slowly, as if he couldn't understand what had confused me, then he noticed the direction of my stare. “Oh, yes; that is Amaron. Hello, Father.”
“Gage,” Amaron nodded regally. “Who is this woman and how does she know my name?”
“This is Elaria Tanager.” Gage gestured me forward. “She's a spellsinger and a warrior. She recently saved the realms by stopping a Shining One invasion.”
“A Shining One invasion?” Amaron blinked in surprise. “Did they try to take the Earth again?”
“Yes.” I laughed. “They never seem to learn.”
“Stupid fucking fairies.” Amaron shook his head. “I assume you bore the witch relic?”
“Yes,” I said, even more surprised.
“Interesting that it took a spellsinger,” Amaron murmured.
“Why was I never told about such things?” Gage asked.
“There was no reason to tell you.” Amaron shrugged. “It has nothing to do with us; not our culture or our problem. We have enough to concern ourselves with as it is.”
I nodded and squished my mouth up in agreement. Don't go borrowing trouble; it's a good motto to live by.
“It would have been our problem if the Shining Ones had upset the balance of the realms,” Gage countered.
“The witches have always handled the Shining Ones,” Amaron argued. “And we have always trusted them to handle any issues concerning Earth, while we—”
That was when the wind shifted. Amaron broke off, mid-sentence, and took a deep breath. He looked at me in shock, and then toward his son.
“She's also my mate,” Gage confirmed.
“A spellsinger?” Amaron whispered. “Fucking falcon feathers! I send you to the Human Realm to hunt monsters, and you return with the rarest creature of all.”
“Um; I don't think I'm a creature per se,” I muttered.
“It was meant to be a compliment,” Gage whispered to me. “Griffins also have a love of treasure, and a rare creature is precious.”
“We do not love it,” Amaron corrected. “We guard it. We are guardians.”
“Sure, Dad,” Gage said then gave me a look which said the opposite.
“A warrior, spellsinger mate for my son,” Amaron said proudly. “I couldn't be happier.” He clapped Gage on the shoulder and then turned to give me a hug. “You are most welcome here, Daughter.”
“Um, thank you.” I hugged him back tentatively, patting his leather-clad shoulder.
“So, that was the urge you felt to leave,” Amaron said to Gage. “It was the draw of your mate.”
“Yes, it was.” Gage gave me a quelling look.
Right; so we weren't mentioning the love spell. Got it. I hoped we weren't mentioning my other spell either, not unless we absolutely had to.
“I'm also the target of these monster abductions,” I added.
“The target?” Amaron scowled. “How can abductions be... oh. Are you saying that someone stole the beasts to send them after you?”
“After people I care for,” I corrected. “The thief has been leaving me taunting messages.”
“We shall help you hunt this enemy,” Amaron declared grandly.
“Thank you, but it's not that simple.”
“Elaria doesn't know who this enemy is,” Gage explained. “She's made her fair share of them.”
“Haven't we all.” Amaron grimaced. “That's why you're here? To look at our evidence?”
I nodded.
“And I wanted the family to meet my mate,” Gage added. “So that you'll understand why I may be leaving Torr-Chathair.”
“Leaving the Torr-Chathair?” Both Amaron and I asked together.
“Well, I must be with my mate,” Gage huffed, then looked to me. “Don't you want me with you? I assumed that you wouldn't want to live here.”
“Of course I want you with me,” I fumbled for words, “but you have the ability to travel between realms; there's no need for you to give up your family.”
“Not entirely, no,” Gage amended. “But I will live with you.”
“Oh, okay then,” I whispered. “I'm glad that's settled.”
So stupid, but I hadn't thought of the consequences of bonding with Gage. Declan and Banning had their own homes and heaps of responsibilities, but Gage had nowhere to go in the Human Realm, and it looked as if he had nothing keeping him in Torr-Chathair.
“Is that a problem?” Gage asked.
“Of course not,” I said immediately. “I have more than enough room for you. I just don't want you changing your entire life for me.”
“Wise and just,” Amaron agreed. “You've been given a good mate; listen to her.”
“We'll talk about this later, Father,” Gage said firmly. “For now, let's concentrate on finding Elaria's enemy.”
“Who is our enemy as well,” Amaron agreed. “They have stolen from us and attacked my son's mate. This is not acceptable. Don't worry, Elaria; whoever is doing this; they're as good as dead.”
“Thank you,” I said sincerely.
Vivian had said that with a griffin on your side, the war was as good as won. Now, it looked as if I had a whole tribe of griffins to help me.
“Of course.” Amaron nodded. “But before we head down to the site of the abductions, I must introduce you to my mate. She will turn into a harpy if she discovers that you arrived and I took you to see evidence before her. Along the way, you can tell me how it is that you recognized me.”
Amaron strode out of the cave. I made to follow him, but Gage stopped me.
“My life has already changed, Elaria,” he whispered ardently. “Entirely. It was altered the moment I heard you sing.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Amaron took us through hallways carved out of solid stone, large enough to allow giants to pass through without hunching. The rock walls were unadorned and polished, but the floor was rough and gouged in places. As we walked, I told Amaron about Vivian and his feather. He smiled brilliantly and asked after her, but then caught a disapproving look from Gage.
“I'd be grateful if you didn't mention the Lady Vivian to my wife,” Amaron said to me. “She's a sore subject.”
“So I shouldn't talk about how stunningly beautiful Vivian is?” I teased. “Or how she's a powerful witch elder?”
“Please don't,” Amaron groaned.
“No problem; I got you.” I chuckled.
After experiencing the cave entrance to the Saeiqa village, I'd expected Gage's people to be living within the mountain. But the formation turned out to be more than just a mountain; it was a massive crater. Basically, the griffins lived in an extinct volcano. Sheer peaks surrounded the griffin town, serving as both protection and vantage points; a natural fortress. The volcanic soil was also rich in nutrients and crops thrived within the crater. It was the perfect place to build a village. Amaron was still explaining it all to me as we came out onto another ledge, giving us a spectacular view of everything he'd been describing.
Saeiqa Village was more modern than I'd expected. Grand, stone palaces were nestled amid patches of woods and croplands, with a paved courtyard in the center of town. A waterfall poured over a cliff at the opposite end of the basin from us, adding some moisture to the air. The falls fed a pool which became a stream that ran the length of the valley. If valley was even the correct word. I feel like “crater” is too misleading; it makes you think of black rock and smelly steam. This was as far from that as you could get; a tropical haven.
We ambled down a sloping road, right into an orchard. The scent of ripening fruit made my stomach growl; we'd forgotten to eat breakfast. Gage picked an orange-skinned fruit off a nearby tree and handed it to me.
“You can eat the skin,” he said. “There's no need to peel it.”
I took a bite, and sticky-sweet juice poured over my tongue. I giggled as it dripped down my chin.
“It's called a ranbun,” Gage said with an indulgent smile.
“It's like a cross between a mango and an apple.” I took another bite of the firm flesh and licked my fingers.
“That's a good description.” Amaron nodded.
“I didn't see a huge amount of buildings,” I noted to Amaron. “Does each home house a large group, or is your tribe small?”
“We aren't an abundant race,” Amaron said without regret, “and we had to split into tribes in order to guard the planet. The Saeiqa Tribe is just over a hundred in number.”
“Is there a reason for that?” I asked. “The small numbers, I mean.”
“We mate for life, and generally have only one clutch.” Amaron shrugged. “Gage is one of three children.”
“You have siblings?” I asked Gage with interest.
“Two brothers.” Gage nodded.
“My mate laments the lack of females in our clutch,” Amaron said with a smirk. “But she's proud of our sons; they're all strong griffins.”
“I'm sure they are,” I murmured.
“Finteren is mated,” Gage said, “but Rentar is still at home with us.”
“He will be upset to hear that you've beaten him in finding a mate.” Amaron laughed then looked to me. “You know how brothers are.”
“I can imagine the rivalry between brother griffins.” I grimaced.
“It's good for them,” Amaron said with a grin, “makes them stronger.”
“I used to wish for siblings,” I murmured.
Gage gave me a curious look.
“Growing up on an island, without other children, was rough.” I shrugged. “It would have been nice to have someone to play with.”
“I'm sure your parents did their best by you,” Amaron said generously.
“They absolutely did,” I agreed. “Don't get me wrong; I had a wonderful childhood. I just didn't have a lot of social interaction until after I was able to control my magic.”
“Ah, then your parents made the right decision,” Amaron said approvingly. “Better to keep you and everyone else safe.”
“Safe is good.” I tossed the ranbun pit into the woods we were emerging from. “But it's not very fun.”