Bakkian Chronicles, Book I - The Prophecy (42 page)

“
From the sounds of things, they don’t like fire. If that’s the case, then they aren’t going to 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.”