Bakkian Chronicles, Book I - The Prophecy (43 page)

Sarah was appalled. “Their babies were attacked? That’s horrible!” Her eyes opened wide, staring at the soldiers. “Tell me they didn’t…”

“
No, they didn’t. But we’re guessing it’s someone posing as Lentarian soldiers looking to start trouble.”

Sarah removed her pendant and activated the hidden switch. She took the small vial containing nectar of the rare kaormac orchid and removed the small crystal stopper. She surveyed the men before her.

“
Alright now, who’s hurt?”

She was directed to Pheron first, who had obtained a very deep gash across his right shoulder. His right arm also appeared to have been broken. The bleeding had yet to stop and was evident that the lieutenant was in serious pain. His eyes were glazed and he winced at every movement he was forced to make. Withdrawing the tiny dropper from within the vial, Sarah administered the smallest of drops to his wound. Right before her eyes, Pheron’s skin sealed itself back together, torn muscles reattaching themselves, severed tendons becoming whole. The fracture in his right arm withdrew into itself until it was no more as well.

Pheron blinked. One second he was in immense pain, and the next? Nothing! It felt as though his wound was gone. What ointment was this? Gingerly, he prodded his right shoulder. No pain. Probing further, he couldn’t provoke an ounce of protest from either shoulder or arm. Baffled, he sat up and pulled the bandages off of his chest. Flexing his right arm, he stared at
Sarah
.

“
My shoulder and arm are healed? How can that be?”

Sarah smiled at the lieutenant. “Job security. Excuse me.”

The newly appointed Director of Medical Services moved off in search of others that needed her help. Kneeling down in various spots, she administered aid to every soldier but Darius, who was uninjured.

Steve smiled as he watched his wife moved amongst the soldiers. If they weren’t devoted to her before, they sure as hell were now! Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the griffin watching his wife applying more of the precious elixir.

“
I’m sorry, I didn’t think to ask. Have you been injured?”

The supple neck snapped around. “I am unharmed. We did sustain several injuries. One of our scouts had most of the feathers on his left wing burned. I presume that ye were responsible for that.”

Sarah returned in time to hear the griffin mention one of his group was hurt.

“
Which one? Who’s hurt?”

The surprised griffins all eyed each other. Would they be willing to let this human female heal them? The griffin with the scorched feathers stepped forward. His left wing still stung, threatening to ground him until he had a chance to heal. If this human female could heal him, then he’d be more than willing to take the chance.

Sarah nervously approached the griffin, which was holding out his injured left wing. Feathers were darkened and scorched everywhere. A single, tiny drop restored them to their full luster. Squawking appreciatively, the healed griffin rejoined his fellows, only to be pushed aside as the others approached the human woman, presenting beaks, talons, wings, and so on.

Sarah had just finished healing the last of the company of griffins when a screech sounded in the distance. She instantly scooted behind Steve, waiting to see what was heading their way this time.

A group of twenty griffins landed, with a dozen or so holding spindly cubs in their beaks. She started towards them when the leader of the griffins spoke. “Do not approach yet, human female. Ye will more than likely be attacked. A moment, if ye please.”

The griffin moved amongst his fellows, squawking and chirping, no doubt explaining that the female human will heal them if they allow it. Several times they heard indignant screeches. Finally, the injured griffin with the previously torched feathers squawked his own defense for the humans. The females finally relented, approaching tentatively with their young. Ever so cautiously, with no sudden movements, Sarah applied a tiny drop to each of the creatures that requested her services.

Thirty minutes later, the newly healed phalanx of griffins, with their cubs hovering close by, stretched their wings and forelegs, settling down in the clearing as far from the humans as possible.

Rhenyon sidled up to Steve. “What is this? Why are they not flying away?”

Steve shrugged. “I have no idea. I just figured they’d go about their business. Maybe something is wrong. I’ll go ask.”

Waving his arms finally got the attention of the head griffin, who decided to draw near the powerful human once more. With his newly healed cub in tow, the griffin approached.

“
Human. What is it?”

“
Everyone calls me Steve. What’s your name?”

The griffin hesitated before answering, “Pheris.”

“
Pheris, is everything alright? We can’t help but notice that you guys haven’t flown away. Is there something we can do to help?”

“
My fellow griffins are tired,” Pheris explained. “We never had a chance to finish our hunt. Myself and a couple others are now forced to hunt at night.”

“
Do you typically hunt at night?”

The griffin shook his head no.

“
So you and the others are hungry, is that it? You didn’t finish your hunt?” The griffin wearily nodded. “Would you permit me to see if we can help out one more time?”

The griffin looked down at his cub, his eyes full of pride and concern. He looked back at the human.

“
There are over thirty of us. How can ye hunt for numbers such as this?”

“
How do you plan to? Besides, I never said I was going to hunt. But we should still be able to help. Wait here, we’ll take care of this.”

Running back to Rhenyon, who had overheard the entire conversation, he motioned for his wife to join him as well. The three of them huddled together.

“
Exactly how do ye plan to provide meals for that many griffins?”

“
I’m not, Rhenyon. Sarah is.”

Sarah choked. “Me? I can’t hunt!”

“
You don’t have to, babe. I’m willing to bet that the castle has everything we need. Think you can teleport the supplies we need here?”

“
I don’t know where they keep that sort of thing! Why would you think that I could?”

“
Just trust me. If I can get a pack full of meat back on the bed in our quarters, you could bring it here, right?”

“
Well, yes, but how are you going to do that?”

“
Get word to the king,” Rhenyon immediately answered. “He will do whatever he can to help. He
is a strong advocate for fostering interspecies relations
.”

“
I can only send things back and forth in that pack from our quarters,” Sarah explained. “I don’t think the king will be in our quarters.”

Rhenyon thought a moment. “Can ye place a message on his desk in the Antechamber? That is where he would be right now. He does not retire until much later than this.”

Sarah concentrated, bringing up a mental picture of the Antechamber and the king’s desk. That’s where the map was, she recollected. The king had given an overview about the kingdom of Lentari to Steve there. Yes, she could visualize that desk very clearly. She was sure she could drop a letter right on the desk, if that’s where the king was.

“
Yes, I believe I can do that.”

After parchment and ink had been retrieved from their camp, Rhenyon hastily scratched out his request:

Sire, are ye there? If so, respond here on this parchment. Will wait a moment before
retrieving
– Rhenyon

He folded up the paper and handed it to Sarah. She took it, closed her eyes, and conjured up the image of the king’s desk. In case he was leaning over the desk for any reason, she chose to drop the letter several feet over the surface of the desk and let it fall the remaining distance. If he wasn’t at the desk, but in the Antechamber, it should attract notice. The paper in her hand vanished. She looked at Rhenyon.

“
Now what?”

“
We shall give him a moment to notice it, read it, and write a response. Then you can bring it back here.”

After giving the king about thirty seconds to respond to the message, Sarah retrieved the paper. She handed it to Rhenyon, who unfolded it at once. There, below his message, was the king’s neat handwriting:

I am here. What is it?

Rhenyon composed his response:

Brokering deal with griffins. Crucial. Will explain later. Need ye to take the pack ye have been filling with food and fill it to the brim with raw meat. Put in same spot for Sarah to teleport. Will return it as soon as emptied. Will need to keep refilling until advised. Awaiting response.

He refolded the paper and handed it back to Sarah, who sent it to the king. After giving him a full minute, Sarah returned the parchment.

Acknowledged. Ready in ten minutes.

Rhenyon smiled. “Excellent.” He took the pen and wrote back,
Understood, sir. Our thanks.

“
Be ready to teleport the pack,” he said to
Sarah
. “But we will have to help ye with it. It will be full of meat, so it will be very heavy.”

“
We’ll be ready,” Steve assured him.

In ten minutes time, standing in front of the skeptical griffins, Sarah teleported the pack into her arms, then toppled forward. It must have weighed over seventy pounds. Luckily, there was a ring of soldiers standing around her, all waiting to grab the pack the moment it appeared.

Kern and Pheron got to it first. They gently set the pack on the ground while Steve untied the drawstring opening, gesturing for Pheris to come over. The skeptical griffin peered in the pack and squawked with surprise.

“
How do you want us to do this? Just dump it out or would you like to take the pieces out and hand it out yourself?”

“
This will not be enough, human, but I do thank ye. We will let the cubs feed, and if there is anything left over, we will eat what we can.”

“
Ummm, you don’t understand. As soon as this is emptied, it’ll be sent back to be refilled, where it’ll then be brought back here. We can keep doing this until everyone has eaten their fill.”

The griffin studied the fire thrower. “We are in yer debt, human.” Several squawks had the griffins forming a line, much like you’d find at a buffet, with Pheris guiding them along.

It took two refills before the griffins were sated. It was Rhenyon who made the surprising next step.

“
If ye like, all of ye are more than welcome to share the clearing with us. Ye can rest yerselves here before returning back to yer nests.”

The griffin shook his head. “Appreciated, but we will return to the forest. On behalf of myself and my fellow griffins, I thank all of ye for yer kindness. It will not be forgotten.”

In a massive flapping of wings, the griffins took to the air and disappeared into the blackness of the night.

The following morning found everyone sitting together amidst their partially-dismantled camp. Steve’s eyes travelled around his companions. Rhenyon’s eyes were bloodshot. Pheron met his gaze and nodded his head. He was yawning constantly. Apparently no one had slept as well as he had.

Why wasn’t anyone talking? Even when
Sarah
brought them their breakfast (still warm!) they had barely mumbled their thanks and sat back down, huddling together. Jalen and Rhein were nervously scanning the skies. Apparently they were expecting something to drop in unannounced. They weren’t disappointed.