by Owen Crane
Lavina. The Queen"s griffin was lying with the others preening her feathers and
swishing her long tail. She watched as Ariella approached, her orange eyes clear
in the dark night, following every step she took.
“Hello beautiful,” whispered Ariella, holding out her hand. This time
Lavina didn"t hesitate. She nuzzled Ariella"s hand and gave a squawk. Ariella
threw her arms around Lavina"s neck and buried her head in the soft feathers.
“Good night, you amazing thing.”
With that Ariella curled up next to her warm lion fur and fell fast asleep.
A hard beak being knocking against Ariella"s cheek woke her from her deep
sleep. She batted away the beak as Lavina gave a low cry. “I"m awake, I"m
awake,” she mumbled, wiping her eyes.
The sun hadn"t yet risen above the hills but Ariella could see the warm glow
in the sky and the promise of a bright day to come. The others had started to stir
as Ariella took a quick look around. The place they had landed was a natural
bowl in the side of a hill covered in rich green grass. The sides sloped gently
upwards blocking their view of the surrounding hills. Off to the north Ariella
got her first true glimpse of the scale of the Khan Mountains. Before her peak
after peak towered into the sky.
Indio saw her taking in the view. “Those are just the small ones,” he said.
They get bigger the further you go north. There are some in the far north that
have never been climbed. The air is too thin to breathe. Many have died trying,
but only the griffins go up that high.”
Eleazar strolled over to where they were talking and reached into his
backpack. “Here,” he said tossing them each an apple. “I had a few supplies for
the road. Had to pay through the nose for these, there"s not much that"s been
spared from the curse”
“Thanks Ele,” said Indio, crunching down on the apple. “What do you
reckon Ari, have a look around?”
She nodded “Yep, we need to find the Willowbank and track its source. Any
idea which direction to look?”
“No,” said Indio, “I think it"s over that way,” pointing to west of the bowl,
“but I could be totally wrong.”
“Gather your weapons,” she replied, “just in case. Then we"ll take a look.”
The team spent a few minutes getting their gear together and then set off
towards the edge of the bowl where Indio thought the Willowbank would be.
“What about the griffins?” asked Jaron “are we just going to leave them
here?”
“They’ll be good for a few minutes until we get our bearings,” said Indio. “If we need to we can use them to scout around.”
The edges of the grassy bowl sloped upward at a steep angle. The morning
dew made the ground slippery underfoot but they made it to the top.
The green foothills of the Khans spread out before them. Pockets of
woodland dotted the hills here and there. A few hundred yards below them was
a winding river, narrow and fast.
“That’s it,” said Indio proudly
“It’s pretty small,” said Eleazar. “Are you sure that’s it?”
“Definitely,” he replied. “This is just the beginning. It grows the further south you go. This is the Willowbank.”
“It looks easy enough to get down to. Let’s check it out.” Said Ariella
She had just stepped over the edge of the bowl when Jaron grabbed her
shoulder and pulled her down. She hit the ground hard, banging her hip.
“Bloody hell, Jaron what was…”
Before she could finish Jaron’s hand was over her mouth and he was
pointing the griffins. Eleazar and Indio followed his lead and were lying down
flat in grass.
“Look at the griffins.” Jaron whispered
Each of the nine griffins had pressed their bodies hard against the grassy
bowl. Their eagle heads were erect, eyes narrowed. Their tails were twitching
and their claws were extended.
“They’ve heard something,” said Indio, “something they don’t like.”
The griffin’s eyes were locked on the far side of the bowl.
“I can’t hear anything,” answered Ariella.
“Me neither” said Eleazar
“That’s because you two aren’t griffins,” said Jaron. “We better go see, slowly and stay low.”
Jaron rose to a low crouch and inched his way across the bowl without
making a sound, the others following, although only Eleazar could match Jaron’s
stealth.
How do they do that? Indio and I sound like a pair of old cows stomping through
here. I’m going to have to get them to teach me that when we get home…if we get home.
Just to confirm her thoughts Indio stepped on a stick hidden in the grass.
The sound of the snap seemed to be amplified across the bowl. The griffins
snapped their heads round and glared at him.
Jaron winced and he held his finger up to his lips. Indio held his hands up in
apology.
Nice one Indio, so glad that wasn’t me.
They followed Jaron and Eleazar as they approached the steep sides where
the griffins were staring. Jaron flattened himself on his stomach and crawled
forward. The others copied him, inching their way slowly after him.
They reached the top of the bowl and lay still. The rising sun was breaking
the horizon, the glow of dawn gliding across the hills.
“I don’t see anything,” Indio whispered but fell silent after Jaron gave him a withering look.
They lay there in silence for a long while before Jaron slowly reached out his
hand and pointed.
“What?” Ariella asked, “I can’t see…”
Then she saw them. A long way in the distance moving down the side of a
steep hill where a small group of people, maybe six, it was hard to tell from this
range. They moved quickly, with purpose, down towards the young, free
flowing, Willowbank River.
“Who are they?” Asked Eleazar
Jaron didn’t say anything, he kept watching.
The group disappeared out of view for a moment as they dropped behind an
outcrop of one of the hills. They emerged again, closer, heading towards the
river. Ariella could make out more details now. There was definitely six of
them, all men she thought, except one. A hooded figure in the middle of the
group, she couldn"t make out anything about that one. They were talking but
she couldn"t make out any words.
“Crap,” muttered Jaron turning to look at the griffins. They seemed agitated,
tense; one of them was clawing the ground.
“What?” Said Ariella, “Who are they?”
“These griffins,” he asked, “they"re trained to fight?”
“Bloody right.” answered Indio.
“And who, specifically, are they trained to fight?
“Well, anyone really.” said Indio, “But I suppose the people they love to
fight is…oh crap.” Indio looked at the griffins and then at the group.
“Will someone please tell me what is going on?” begged Eleazar “Who are
those people?”
Then Ariella saw it. A shaft of light broke out from behind a hill and the
group was fully illuminated. Their weapons glinting in the sunlight, white skin
and red tattoos on full view.
Ariella gripped the grass in front of her, her voice almost a snarl “Gho
st
Raiders.”
Chapter 21
“This is mad,” said Indio. “Ghost Raiders are never this far from the sea. It
must be a couple of days walk from the nearest coast to here, across half of
Trevena.”
“They must be up to something important to risk the journey,” said Jaron.
“If any of the Knights of Trevena caught them crossing their land they"d have
been killed on sight.”
The four watched in the silence as the Ghost Raiders moved across the hills
in front of them. They left no marks on the soft grass of the foothills and made
little sound save for the odd, brief conversation.
“They’re heading for the Willowbank,” said Jaron. “I wonder… ”
“Could it be them?” Asked Eleazar
“I don’t think so,” he replied. “I’ve never heard of Ghost Raiders having the kind of magic that would do as much damage as the Blood Curse.”
“Besides,” said Ariella “they spend their lives raiding the coast of Trevena for food and supplies. I’m not sure it’d be in their interest to poison the whole
country.”
“Unless,” said Jaron. “Someone is making it worth their while.”
“You mean paying them to do it?” Said Indio.
“Maybe.” He replied.
“Who?”
“No idea.” Said Jaron shrugging his shoulders.
“What do you reckon?” Asked Indio, looking over at Ariella.
“They’re Ghost Raiders. We kill them.” Her voice was soft but angry. Jaron
and Eleazar exchanged nervous glances.
Jaron spoke up. “There’s six of them Ari. There’s only four or us. We
wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“They’re Ghost Raiders.” She stated again as if that was answer enough.
Ariella felt the blood rise in her with every step the Ghost Raiders took. It
was the first time she had ever seen one in the flesh. She had heard stories and
seen pictures in books. But here, on a lonely hillside, miles from anywhere, she
saw them. And she hated them.
She hated them for everything they had taken from her. The precious
moments she should’ve spent with her father. The days hunting in the woods
around Lightharbour and long summer walks through the palace gardens. They
had taken from her his smile, his laugh, his arm around her shoulder. And she
hated them.
“We kill them, we kill them all.”
She glanced over her shoulder.
“Not four, thirteen. I think these griffins hate Ghost Raiders almost as much
as I do.”
Lavina flicked her tail and stretched out her talons in agreement.
“Good girl.” Ariella smiled. “Let’s stalk them and see where we can set an ambush. Then we’ll come back for the griffins.”
“Are you sure you want to do this Ari?” Jaron asked. He had a worried look
in his eye. “We"re talking about killing people.”
“No Jaron. Not people. Ghost Raiders. They"re monsters. We show them
the same courtesy they showed my father.”
“And mine,” said Indio. The young red head had tears running down his
cheeks and a determined look in his eye. “They killed both my parents. It’s time to repay some debts.”
“That settles it,” said Ariella. “Are you with us?” She looked long and hard at Jaron and Eleazar.
They looked at each other and nodded. “We’re with you.” Said Jaron.
“We"re a Knot right?” Added Eleazar. “The harder you pull us the tighter we get. Let’s go stalk some Ghost Raiders.”
The Ghost Raiders had dropped out of sight, down into a valley. The four
slipped over the crest of the slope, keeping low to the ground. Jaron led the way;
parallel to the path the Ghost Raiders had taken. He kept them behind the ridges
of the hills, stopping regularly to listen to the murmurs of their enemies and
keeping them on track.
After half an hour they came to the top of a steep slope. Below them they
saw the fast flowing stream that would eventually become the massive river that
watered all of Trevena.
Jaron led them along the ridge, keeping them from becoming silhouetted
against the bright blue sky. They stopped to listen.
Silence.
Jaron led them on slower than before. He was bent low to the ground,
almost crawling.
The Willowbank was on their left as they crept up towards a ridge where
they heard low voices.
Jaron flattened himself on the ground and held his hand up, stopping the
others. He slid forward on the last ten yards to the ridge top. He pulled his dark
green hood over his head and peered over.
After a minute he beckoned the others up to him. The four looked down at
the scene unfolding below them. The Ghost Raiders had stopped at a bend in the
river where a small pool collected before the water rushed off again down
through the hills. They were only a hundred or so yards away and Ariella could
see them clearly. Their hard faces seemed to be fixed in permanent scowls.
Blood red tattoos covered their bodies. The red stood in sharp contrast to their
white skin.
As she watched them move about the banks of the stream Ariella"s mind was
suddenly filled with flashes of her father’s smiling face. Tears filled her eyes and
she shut them tight. She still imagined his face, so full of joy, but then turning to
one of horror and despair as life drained from his eyes. She shoved her fist into
her mouth to stifle the sob.
She lay there for a moment then opened her eyes, blinking away the tears.
The Ghost Raiders had stopped moving. Five of them remained on the bank
while the hooded figure waded into the water, thigh deep.
What the hell is going on?
The figure stooped down, stretching out both hands and stroking the water
making small ripples that flowed outwards. They stood again and held out their
left hand. One of the Ghost Raiders stepped forward, drawing a vicious looking
dagger with a curved blade. He took the hooded figure’s wrist and slipped his
blade across their open palm. Drops of scarlet blood fell into the stream. Ariella
could see tiny spots of pink, expanding outwards where the blood had hit the
water.
Then, ever so slowly, the figure began to speak. It was low, rhythmic, the
syllables drifting on the still air.
They’re chanting. Some kind of spell? Blood magic? This is wrong, this is very
wrong.
Ariella glanced at the others but they were transfixed on the proceedings
below them.
The chanting changed pace, growing faster and louder. She could hear
clearly every syllable but none of it made any sense to her. She had never heard
the language before, not from any of the sailors she had listened to back in
Lightharbour.
As the sound of the chanting grew louder Ariella noticed the blood that had
dropped into the river. The small patches of pink had grown dark, almost black.
It’s exactly like the colour we found on the plant roots. This has to be it; they’re cursing the river.
Louder and swifter the chanting grew. The hooded figure seemed to be
shaking under the intensity of the words. The dark patches of blood were
growing at the speed of the chanting. Soon all around the hooded figure the
water had turned darkest red and seemed to be pulsatin
g.
The figure was screaming now and their shoulders were moving violently,
almost convulsing.
Suddenly, at the height of the figure"s crescendo, the pool of blood seemed to
explode down the river in a violent surge. The water kicked up, spilling over the
banks and withering the grass it touched. The whole stream, for just an instant,
turned blood red, as the figure collapsed backwards into the arms of the waiting
Ghost Raider.
As the figure fell, their hood slipped down revealing a thick braid of blonde
hair and beautifully pink skin.
Indio gasped, too loudly.
The Raiders spun as one, cold, cruel eyes spotting the four watching faces. In
an instant weapons were drawn from their sheaths and they began sprinting up
the steep hill towards them.
Jaron reacted first, leaping to his feet and fitting an arrow to his bow in a blur
of motion.
“Run!” he screamed, firing an arrow at the leading Raider. The Raider
swung his curved sword in a sweeping arc, cutting the arrow from the sky.
“Run!” Jaron screamed again, fitting another arrow.
The others had recovered from their shock, Indio and Eleazar tearing off
down the ridge in the direction of the griffins.
Ariella hesitated as Jaron took aim again. “You too, run!”
Jaron had learned his lesson as the Ghost Raider drew closer. He aimed
low, catching the Raider off guard and sending the arrow deep into his thigh.
The Raider toppled like an oak, cursing and screaming in pain.
“Now Jaron!” Ariella cried pulling his arm before he had time to notch
another arrow. Three of the Ghost Raiders were now only fifty yards from them.
They ran together down the slope following Indio and Eleazar. Ariella kept
her head down and ran with all her strength. They were gaining on the others as
they struggled up the next steep slope, taking the quickest route back to the
griffins.
She felt her lungs begin to burn as she gasped for breath. They were about a
thousand yards from the grass bowl where they had spent the night. Indio and
Eleazar were about forty yards in front of them, running full speed. She glanced
over her shoulder and saw the three Raiders barrelling down the hill towards
them.
They’re gaining on us. We can’t out run them. How long until we reach the
griffins?