by L. R. W. Lee
“What’s your name, sweetheart?” I lean in to the girl.
The child doesn’t speak, only nuzzles her mother, so I turn to the boy.
“What’s your name, son?”
“Asa, and that’s Ida.” His voice is hushed, but I don’t blame him.
“Well, Asa and Ida, I’m going to tell you the story about how the first chimera was put down.”
Both children cower at hearing the creature’s name.
I focus on the kids, as gryphons begin circling in the distance.
“Once upon a time, there was a brave warrior named Bellerophon. Have you heard of him?”
Asa shakes his head. Ida’s gaze shifts between her brother and me, head smashed against her mother’s shoulder, two fingers in her mouth.
“Well, Bellerophon accidently killed someone, and as a punishment, he was sent to the king of Tiryns, Proitos.” I tell them how the queen lied about Bellerophon, omitting details about her claim of him raping her.
“What’d he do wrong?” Asa asks, worry lining his brow.
“Bellerophon didn’t do anything wrong, but the king didn’t know that.” I tell them about the king sending Bellerophon to serve his father-in-law Iobates, the king of Lycia, as a punishment.
Ida’s big eyes search me up and down, but she hasn’t let go of her mother.
“Before Bellerophon left, the king gave him a tablet to deliver to Iobates. Asa, do you know what the message said?”
The boy shakes his head.
I glance over to see gryphons diving and soaring.
“It told King Iobates to kill Bellerophon at the first opportunity. Not very nice, huh?”
Asa shakes his head.
“Bellerophon, being honorable, of course didn’t read it, and when he reached Lycia, he gave the tablet to King Iobates.” I tell them about the king deciding that rather than killing him outright, he’d send Bellerophon on a mission to kill the chimera that had been hurting his people, something none of his best warriors had succeeded in doing.
As if sensing me telling its story, a blast of flame shoots into the sky. Thankfully, we’re too far away to hear the scream I fear, as a gryphon and its rider plummet to the ground.
I tense. Please don’t be Idris.
Keep going, Pell, my inner minion says.
Right. Right.
I exhale.
“I’d have been afraid if the king sent me to fight the chimera, how about you, Asa?”
The boy bobs his head vigorously.
“But Bellerophon wasn’t. He was actually glad he could help, and he prepared by seeking wisdom from the goddess Athena by building an altar to her. As he slept beside it that night, he dreamed that she appeared and placed a golden bridle beside him, telling him that if he took the bridle to the well of Pirene, he would find the famous winged Pegasus, taking a drink.”
“Have you ever seen a pegasus, Asa?” My tone is far lighter than I feel.
He shakes his head.
“It’s a beautiful white horse with wings.”
Both Asa’s and Ida’s eyes light up. Ida sits back, still in her mother’s arms.
Perhaps there are no pegasi here. A pity.
My heart accelerates when another blast of fire lights the dim sky, but thankfully it doesn’t hit any warriors.
“The next day, Bellerophon finds Pegasus just like Athena says.”
“Pony,” Ida interjects.
Asa smiles at his little sister.
“He put the bridle on it, and the pair flew into the sky, after the chimera. As they neared its lair, Bellerophon saw scorched earth all around and could feel the heat of the beast’s burning breath.”
Both children’s eyes are wide.
Another blast of fire lights the sky, and two gryphon and their riders dive an instant later. I exhale when I see them continue flying.
“Bellerophon spotted the chimera and made several passes, shooting it with arrows, but the beast either burned them in flight, or the ones that hit it, somehow bounced off. This went on for some time, and Bellerophon got frustrated. Asa, do you ever get frustrated?”
The mother chuckles, and Asa looks up at her, rolling his eyes.
“But then Bellerophon had an idea. Do you know what it was?”
Asa furrows his brow, giving it consideration. Ida just watches her big brother.
Give me a refresher concerning his idea, story lady, Harpoc chimes in, but there’s no humor in his voice. Our efforts to hit its heart aren’t working.
That’s right. The chimera’s secret was that its heart is full of poison. My stomach twists.
“Bellerophon thought about how hot the chimera’s flame was and knew that it would melt metal.”
Asa tilts his head.
“Bellerophon guided Pegasus back to earth and found a block of lead, which he mounted on the tip of his spear, then launched back into the sky.”
That’s right, I’d forgotten. Thank you, love. Harpoc sounds reassured. I pray I helped because that thing’s virtually impossible to kill.
One of the gryphons lands seconds later—it must be Notus—because based upon those horns, I make out Idris bounding from him and running toward a group of soldiers.
“How’d he mount a block to his spear?” Asa asks, brow still furrowed.
His comment returns my focus, and a corner of my mouth hitches. “I don’t know, Asa. I guess he was just really smart and made it work.”
The boy gives me a satisfied nod.
I’ve no idea what they arm Idris with, but he’s back on his mount, and they’re lifting off a minute later.
I continue story time saying, “They launched back into the sky, and when they were nearly upon the beast, Bellerophon plunged his spear into the Chimera’s goat throat, the one that breathed fire.”
Asa’s and Ida’s mouths drop open.
“The lion part roared, and as it did, the goat part’s breath melted the lead, which dripped down its throat, blocking the thing’s air passage. It died when it couldn’t breathe.”
The beast looses another blast of fire. I want to look away, bite my nails—but for the sake of the kids, I restrain myself—because Idris and his gryphon dive.
“And they lived happily ever after.”
Asa smiles. Ida claps.
I exhale sharply when I see Notus, the general still aboard, soar up a second later.
I hadn’t realized the other adults were listening to my story time, too, but Asa’s father bends down and says, “Thank you for calming the children.”
“It was my pleasure.”
I scan the village. The gryphons are landing.
Harpoc.
It’s done. I didn’t want to interrupt to tell you, but Idris used the same trick.
My shoulders slump. What a relief. How bad?
I walk with the family and the others who joined us, back toward the village.
Half of the village is burned, but most life was spared.
My legs feel wobbly. What a relief.
I overhear Harpoc say, “Yes, any who need lodgings—”
He’s busy. I won’t distract him, asking where to find him.
A group of four soldiers dressed in black leathers approaches us as we’re nearly to the village.
“Thank you again,” the father says, as I break off from them and head toward the warriors who can, no doubt, point me to my mate.
As I get near, I notice that while the soldiers’ leathers are black, they aren’t identical to mine—they lack that distinctive rose emblem as well as those wings that gryphon riders get. They must be lower on the totem pole.
“Have you seen the emperor?” I ask.
The tallest of the four’s eyes go wide.
I tilt my head.
Something about him looks familiar, but I can’t place it.
Aqua eyes, Pell!
Glass! He was one of the soldiers who confronted Harpoc and me in Drystrand.
I suck in a quick breath, and it’s enough to announce I
recognize them.
I envision the field I was just in, telling that story, but damn, my ring’s on, forbidding secret magic from working. As I reach for it—
“Grab her,” the tall one says.
Two sets of strong hands latch on to my arms.
I kick, aiming between a pair of legs. I’ll make it count.
But a foul-smelling cloth is pressed down on my nose a second later.
Harpoc!
But that stuff is strong, whatever it is, and my thoughts become sluggish. What is it… with enemies… trying to knock… me out… this way?
My legs, my arms, everywhere tingles a minute later. My head’s fuzzy.
Pell!
I can’t think, but I still struggle, giving it everything I’ve got.
But my legs…
My legs collapse as my muscles go limp.
Hands catch me as I fall.
Pe—!
Just before blackness claims me.
This is the end of book two in God of Secrets, but it’s not the end of Pell and Harpoc’s adventures by any means. What’s next?
Empire of Glass
Book Three in the God of Secrets series, Empire of Glass, takes place in Glass so you’ll get to experience that world as well! It’s coming in just (hopefully, fingers crossed) eight weeks! So preorder your copy now!
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She’s a dream weaver at odds with her king. He's a prince, a broken royal unable to love. Can they survive a celestial nightmare?
Dreamweaver Alissandra refuses to let her powerful father enslave her Wake realm charges. Forced by the formidable god to choose a side, she sacrifices her immortality and flees Dream realm, only to find herself naked in Prince Kovis’s bedroom, their magical dream-connection shattered. But before she can warn him of the threat, she’s suspected of being a spy, and swiftly thrown in prison.
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Lullaby is the first book in the completed four-book, enthralling Sand Maiden paranormal romance series. If you love books that connect with your soul, destined lovers, potent sorcery, and unique retellings of ancient myths, then you’ll adore binge reading L. R. W. Lee’s vulnerable, intimate and gritty tale.
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Blast of the Dragon's Fury is a coming-of-age, epic fantasy adventure featuring fast-paced action, sword fights, laugh-out-loud humor, with a few life lessons thrown in. It's perfect for fans of Eragon, Fablehaven, Percy Jackson, Magemother, and Aster Wood!
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