The Arrival (Birthright Trilogy #1)

by Nicole MacDonald

  With a concerned expression Alek reached for her but before he got there she’d sunk to the ground in helpless laughter and caused them all to start again.

  It looked like Gredel had got over his own embarrassment, Daron thought, as he watched him laughing hard with Kassandra. Sian, the petite blond, held one hand delicately in front of her mouth as she giggled, tears streaming down her face.

  I grabbed Alek’s outstretched arm and pulled him down beside me while I tried to contain the hiccups I’d developed.

  'I’m ‘hic’ so sorry. ‘hic’ I didn’t mean to stare ‘hic’ you do have a rather ‘hic’ good figure by the ‘hic’ way and ‘hic’ hey, I’m only human.'

  I leaned against him as I hiccupped and laughed, trying to catch my breath.

  Alek stared down at me in astonishment.

  'You are a remarkably honest woman.'

  I laughed.

  'Yep. And just try shutting me up.'

  He laughed then.

  'Well, I seem to have discovered one way to leave you lost for words.'

  I gave him a shove, 'Conceited much. You wait. IF there is a next time I won’t even spare you a glance.'

  Well that broke any awkwardness now, didn’t it?

  Alek looked down at the feisty red head; her green eyes gleamed with mirth, and laughed at her threat.

  'I’ll have to try harder then.'

  He stood and helped her to her feet. The others still chuckled and the formal mood had gone completely. Daron and Rumal chatted to Sian and Kassandra, and Sabyn had appeared with a plate of food for Laura who beamed in delight.

  I accepted another plate from Sabyn and sat down to eat.

  Afterward Daron and Alek carried our gear to the river so we could wash it. It seemed the chivalrous male was normal here. Nothing wrong with that, and I winked at Loi as she arched an eyebrow at me.

  I scrubbed the gunk off the daggers with handfuls of river sand, relieved to see the blades shiny again. Even my clothes survived a vigorous wash, which was great as I wasn’t going to wear them with even the slightest trace of gragnoll. When we finished we walked back to the campsite and spread our clothes over low bushes in the sunlight. The men waited for us and when we’d finished we all sat on the logs in the ‘dining’ area.

  Alek cleared his throat then began, 'Have any of you seen griffons before?'

  There was a pause as the girls glanced at each other for a moment, then Laura said, 'No, never.'

  Alek nodded.

  'We thought as much. Then let me explain some details about griffons and their riders. As griffon riders we’re linked with our griffons from their birth. Griffons use telepathy as their type of speech and when you link with such a creature it means you can ‘speak’ to them via telepathy too. It’s very useful at top speed in the air when vocally we wouldn’t be able to hear each other. Griffons are capable of being vocal and can roar like a massive lion when seriously threatened. But not much threatens a griffon, especially not five of them.'

  Alek smiled at his captivated audience then gestured with his arm to the griffons and men.

  'The Griffon Guard is well known over all the realms. Only those with a death wish antagonize us.'

  Wow, it looked like we'd fallen in with the right people.

  I wonder how? I shifted in my seat and exchanged impressed glances with the others.

  Telepathy, I guess that explains Gredel and Phroma this morning. I froze as I thought of something else. If you use telepathy couldn’t you then exchange images? Such as when Alek viewed my beetroot face as I tore off from the riverside. I smothered the blush that tried to rise at the realization they’d probably seen my moment.

  Guess that explains the hilarity.

  Alek continued so I tuned back in.

  'The Griffon Guard is under the command of Elena, the Sorceress of Elion. Since our King passed Elena has been regent. The heir made a promise to the King before he died and until the promise is fulfilled won’t accept the throne. It is Elena who commanded we find you when she foresaw your arrival.'

  Kassie’s eyes widened at that and she glanced at the others. They wore the same expression of surprise.

  A happy coincidence?

  I hope so, she thought. I wonder if the Sorceress knows where we came from.

  Maybe she can help us get back.

  A tiny surge of hope went through her at that thought.

  'Elena has asked us to bring you all back to the castle so she may meet you. The journey will take us about a week.'

  'A week?' I interrupted, 'We were told it’d take a month.'

  Alek smiled at me, causing me to catch my breath.

  Whoops, pay attention, I thought, he probably has a beautiful wife/girlfriend back at the castle anyway.

  'Griffons can travel quite far in a day.'

  'So you traveled a week to find us?' Loi stared at Alek and he turned his attention to her.

  I was astonished to feel a pang of jealousy as Alek’s eyes left mine and turned to Loi’s. I shook my head and listened to Alek’s response.

  'No, actually we left the castle at dusk on the evening we found you.' Alek could see the astonishment on their faces.

  'Elena told us she had seen your arrival and that you either were, or soon would be, in grave danger and she needed us to protect you.'

  Sian spoke up, 'But that’s only a matter of hours? How did you do that?'

  Alek explained, 'It only takes moments for us to travel that far but it took a bit longer to pinpoint where you actually were.'

  He took a seat and the other men settled themselves comfortably, they knew the story well.

  I watched as he closed his eyes for a moment a slight frown on his forehead. A lock of his dark hair fell over one eyebrow and my fingers tingled with the urge to brush it away. I decided to sit on my hands for the moment, it seemed the safest course.

  Kassie caught the slight movement and smirked. I gave her my best innocent look. Alek cleared his throat and we turned our attention back to him.

  'You may or may not be aware that there are also dragons in this realm?' Alek stared questioningly at us.

  Sian nodded enthusiastically, making everyone smile.

  He continued, 'Dragons have the ability to “leap” through space and time, allowing them to think of a place, then, appear there.'

  We sat up, now fascinated.

  What a fantastic ability, so griffons can do it too?

  Alek smiled at the sudden change of mood. The women went from politely interested to completely fascinated. He continued to explain while he watched Catherine’s green eyes.

  'Griffons traditionally haven’t had the skill, but when the Griffon Guard was formed the late King and Elena decided to see if they could be taught. The five of us came into our abilities at around the same time and, with the exception of Rumal, have been with our griffons since then. You must understand Loushka isn’t a pet like your Audrey is.'

  He spread his hands in a calming gesture, as Catherine’s eyes narrowed.

  'I mean no offense, Catherine, but Loushka is a citizen in her own right. As are all the griffons of the guard. The care of griffons in our society is a vital duty. Griffons don’t reproduce often, very rarely in fact, and only have one pup at a time. Anyway, Elena befriended a green dragon named Orion who spent quite a few years training us. Orion, tragically, was murdered by Jenviet, who didn’t want us to succeed. At first, it appeared that she’d won.'

  Laura jumped in at his pause, 'Who is 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 and they can only leap once to twice a month, hence we will be traveling back to the castle at normal griffon speed.'

  I look
ed over at the griffons, a bit concerned now. Loushka and Phroma lounged together on the ground, enjoying the sun. Kerak and Audrey practiced 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. It was such a contrast to see Gredel like this when he’d been a nervous wreck 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 was intrigued. It made quite a change from the men she’d met on Earth.

  Even the fact that he has long hair hasn’t put me off, Loi mused, though he does keep it back in a neat plait and it only reaches the bottom of his neck, it suits him.

  Sian watched as the griffons relaxed 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, if they had saddles and 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’s hand locked around hers as he felt a jolt pass between them. Sian appeared to feel it and kept her grip firm as she stared into his brown eyes curiously.

  They walked over to Nesha and Tomiar, who were dozing under a tree. At their approach Nesha rose slowly and stretched his limbs in a distinctly cat like manner.

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

  Daron blushed and dropped Sian’s hand as he feigned 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. He 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. As 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 as 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 is 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 is riding with me or we have lots of gear.'

  Sian listened as 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 blond who almost danced in excitement.

  'Well come on then.'

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

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

  Sian sat up in the saddle as Daron smoothly leapt up from Nesha’s bended knee. For such a muscular man he was surprisingly agile, she was impressed.

  I’ll have to learn 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, her face pressed against his back.

  Nesha smirked at Daron’s thoughts when the pretty little human girl wrapped her arms round his waist.

  'Ready?' Daron called back to Sian, he felt her nod against his back.

  ‘Okay, Nesha, lets go.’

  Nesha growled in excitement, which made Daron smile. No matter how aloof Nesha liked to hold himself, he was always like a pup when flying.

  Sian hung on tight to Daron as 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 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 is going to 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 flight was smooth and didn’t seem to require an awful lot of effort from the griffon.

  Wanting to see how high they were, she squirmed in her seat to try to find a good view. Because she was so short she couldn’t see over Nesha’s wings, but she could see if she leaned a little to the side of Daron and peered over his knee and through the gap by Nesha’s shoulder.

  She gasped and clung tight to Daron, then leaned a little further forward. They were SO high.

  Daron felt Sian shift and leaned back to her.

  'Did you want to sit in the front? That way you can see better and I’ll point out places if you like.'

  Absurdly pleased by her nod, he let Nesha know what they were doing.

  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 as 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, which you were at the beginning of when we found you. Over to the right is part of the main river in Elion, the Wegrive.'

  His voice was pleasantly deep and his lips were right by her ear, almost tickling her. Sian’s thoughts drifted to a rather pleasant place when her rational voice butted in to remind her to pay attention. She made an effort to focus on what he pointed out and was delighted when he indicated to Lothost. Sian twisted in her seat a little so she was sideways to Daron.

  'That was where we first 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, acutely aware of how close his lips were to hers, 'Of course.'

  On the ground the women had been very impressed by Nesha’s take-off. 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 and her lips pressed flat together.

  Kassie glanced up and noticed Alek’s confused look at Cat’s expression. They watched
as 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 be able to manage?'

  Kassie nodded her head vigorously.

  'Oh yes, but she’ll need to psyche herself 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 as they had a week of it ahead of them. And if they were who Elena hoped they were, there was a good chance they’d be on a griffons back often.

  I really hope Kassandra’s right, Alek thought somberly, and after a few days she’ll be okay.

  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 river was in full sun, deep and meandering. It was 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.