The Compass Key (Book 5) (17 page)

Fizzle nods in agreement and flutters into the air. He devours the apple and burps a small cloud of rainbow mist. The drite quickly sucks the cloud back in before it can reach any of his friends. With a loop in the air, he vanishes from sight. Everyone feels a stiff breeze as the drite darts out the window.

“I didn’t mean right now,” Delvin mutters. He rubs his eyes and yawns, the exhaustion of the last few days catching up to him. “I think I have a plan in mind, but it’s foggy. Please tell us what we don’t know, Lord Skyblade, and maybe I’ll have something by the time you’re done talking.”

Groaning as he gets to his feet, Daniel rubs his sore shoulders and walks to the nearest window. He watches the torches of the night patrols moving steadily through the streets. The shadows of griffins constantly pass over the yellow moon. The nobleman can feel
the citywide tension in the air and turns to stand near the warm fireplace. The light from the fire illuminates the bags under his eyes and dirt on his fine clothes.

“I’m afraid you know more than us. Our forces have focused on keeping the chaos elves contained
. They snuck in and took over the dockyards within a day. The only reason a full-scale battle never occurred was because the chaos elves made it obvious that they had no intention of pushing forward. We tried a few assaults, but their queen and this halfling warrior have kept us at bay. Both sides have had casualties, so we’re waiting to see what they do. We handle the scouts that appear in the streets by using small patrols. The griffin riders keep an eye on everything from above.”

“Any news on their hostages?” Timoran asks after a momentary silence.

“They released all children, the elderly, mothers with infants, and injured,” the nobleman answers with a small laugh. He can see the surprise on the three warriors’ faces. “We didn’t expect that either. They kept all of the healthy sailors and anyone connected with a merchant vessel has been contained on their ship.”

“So, they have a few wealthy hostages in case they get into trouble,” Luke calmly mentions. He is about to stretch his arms when he notices Daniel staring at him. “I don’t like that look.”

“I forgot about that problem. Damn it!” Lord Skyblade angrily swears. He approaches Luke and corners the half-elf against the chair. “There is a ship called the Matriarch and it is part of the Grasdon shipping fleet. Kira Grasdon is on that ship.”

Within seconds, Luke is standing on the chair and leaping onto
its back. He jumps over Daniel only to get caught and pinned to the ground by Timoran. The half-elf thrashes and screams, repeatedly kicking his friend in the legs. A piercing shriek erupts from Luke’s mouth and feathers grow out of his neck. His hands turn into eagle talons and his body is pushed up as wings grow out of his back. The chaos ends when Delvin strikes the half-elf in the side of the head with the hilt of his longsword. Slowly transforming back into his true form, Luke slumps on the ground with a large bump on his head.

“What just happened?” Delvin asks while checking his unconscious friend’s pulse.

Daniel pours a small vial of healing potion into Luke’s mouth. “You didn’t know that Luke is engaged to Kira Grasdon?”

“That’s the Kira he’s been talking about?!”
the other warrior exclaims. He sits next to Luke and watches the half-elf’s shallow breathing. “I’ll find a way to calm him down and assure him that we’ll save her. From what you said, the hostages are safe, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Kira is used against us. I remember when most of my problems were caused by pirates, bandits, and monsters.”

“Being a champion makes life interesting,” Timoran claims as he
puts Luke over his shoulder. “For this one in particular. If we did not move quickly, he would have transformed and started a large scale battle. We should talk to him about his habit of turning into a griffin and flying off.”

Delvin smirks as an idea comes to his mind. “Or we could let him get it out of his system. Under supervision, of course.”

Timoran and Daniel Skyblade exchange confused glances before looking at the unconscious half-elf. They notice a single feather sticking out from beneath his blonde hair. They jump when Delvin claps his hands, turns on his heel, and happily walks off to bed.

8

Roaring shrieks break the morning silence around the rocky mountain that sits on Gaia’s shoreline. Griffins stretch their wings to bathe in the rising sun, flapping as they rear back on their leonine back legs. Those waking up begin to preen their wings, creating a gentle rain of feathers on the surrounding buildings. A few lazy beasts continue to snooze on the shadier side of the mountain within man-made nests of wood and dry grass. They finally stir when doors open around the mountain and soldiers appear with food. All manner of meat has been prepared for the treasured mounts, including a full-sized black bear that is immediately claimed by the largest griffin.

“They really are beautiful creatures,” Delvin says, staring at the mountain in awe. A violent shove at his back forces him to turn around. “Don’t get angry at me, Luke. This is a great way to get a look at the city and check for Kira.”

The griffin ruffles her neck feathers and sits on her golden haunches, defiantly refusing to move. She tries her best to scowl at Delvin, but she is not sure how it looks on the face of a stern eagle. Tapping her talons on the cobblestones, the beast hears Luke wish they could find a way to communicate while in her form. For what feels like the thousandth time, the griffin spirit thinks to him that it will happen and he needs to be patient.

“
I am giving you more control than usual, so do not make us look childish,”
the griffin suddenly warns him. Luke sighs, which comes out more like a gentle purring warble.
“They will know you are not what you seem to be. Act respectful and they will be nice. Above all else, be respectful to the flock master.”

“She’s talking to you again?” Delvin asks, breaking
the griffin out of her trance. “You’re going to be in her world, so I’d listen.”

“In regards to your rider, you must be loyal and nice to him,”
the griffin explains, giving Luke the sense that she’s staring at Delvin. She takes enough control to make Luke roll his head, the griffin equivalent of a smirk.
“You can still play with him like a cublet. To let our guard down around a rider is a sign of loyalty.”

“We should get going, Luke,” Delvin whispers when he sees a few of the griffin riders look in their direction. “Let’s hope I can fake this.”

The warrior approaches the griffin riders with Luke trailing behind him. Delvin already has his introduction on the tip of his tongue when an orc in platemail steps in front of him. The towering guard glances down at the shorter warrior, his breathing raspy and loud. Crossing his powerful arms, the orc releases a chuckle that grows into bellowing laughter. He wraps an arm around Delvin’s shoulders and turns him toward the other griffin riders.

“Look who it is, guys!” the orc shouts across the street. “This piece of troll spittle is the one that never let me beat him in my academy days. Never thought I’d run into you again, Delvin, or that you’d show up with a griffin.”

“I’m just full of surprises,” Delvin says, nervously laughing along with the others.

“Do you remember when Selenia paired us up for the first time?” the orc asks with a toothy grin. A line of drool falls over the front of his jutting lower jaw
, which lands on his scuffed boot. “We broke two swords each and he won with a shot to the back of my knee. I was so tired that I couldn’t get up and had to quit. So, how have you been?”

“Well . . . I’m sorry, but I don’t remember your name. I’m really bad with names,”
Delvin humbly admits. He can feel the orc’s grip briefly tighten. “I do remember sparring with you, but I don’t remember names. It’s a bad habit that I have to fix one of these days.”

“Culverk,” the orc calmly states. The look of recognition that appears on Delvin’s face makes the
guard shake his head in amusement. “How many blows to the head have you received since graduating?”

Delvin lets Culverk lead him to the other griffin riders and happily jokes,
“Fewer than you would think. So, I was in the area and thought I could help. I’m between jobs and groups right now, but you don’t have to worry about paying me. Just happy to help and get some excitement.”

The griffin riders look at him suspiciously, including Culverk who rubs at one of his incisors. They turn their attention to
the griffin, who is patiently standing in the street. She eventually looks up to watch the other griffins and rears back to flap her wings. A few of the griffins peer down at her, but quickly go back to their breakfast.

“Your griffin seems friendly and a little attention starved,” Culverk mentions, walking around Delvin to examine
the beast. He gently puts his hand out, which Luke pulls away from for a few seconds. “She doesn’t know how to interact with other griffins, does she? Her little display was rather desperate. Where did you find her?”

“When I was a mercenary, we broke up a smuggling ring in Everthorne,” Delvin calmly answers
, rubbing the griffin on the head and subtly gesturing for her to nuzzle his hand. “We thought it was weapons, but it ended up being griffin cublets. They were going to be killed and cooked for some bizarre monster eating organization. I adopted this one since she was the weakest and needed extra attention. I had to leave her with a friend who knows more about griffins than I do, but I visited enough that she knows me.”

“I’m assuming you want to join our patrols
. I’m also assuming you can fly her.”

“I’m not the most skilled, but I can travel on her without falling off. She does most of the work,” Delvin replies. He reaches out to catch Culverk
by the arm, stopping the orc from continuing his inspection. “I really want to help the city, old friend. With this situation, you need all the manpower you can get.”

“We can’t take anybody.”

“But you know me.”
“You forgot about me.”

“You know my reputation.”

Culverk stares into the warrior’s icy eyes for a few seconds before turning to walk back to the mountain. Without looking back, he waves for Delvin and Luke to follow. They catch up to him as he passes through a pair of large, wooden doors. Inside the hollowed stone, griffins are everywhere. Mothers with their cublets are in penned nests along the floor while saddled griffins gracefully leap among the wooden beams above. Luke can feel the griffin spirit yearning to jump among the lattice and sharpen her claws on the aromatic wood.

“If we must stay here overnight, we will pick a place to sleep up there,”
the griffin whispers in his mind. Luke is not sure if she is talking to him or if she is so excited that her inner thoughts are coming through.

“As you stated, I know your reputation,” Culverk says while leaning against the door of a pen. A griffin lays its head on his shoulder and he reaches up to scratch its beak. “I’ll talk to the directors about you, but I can tell you now that you won’t be used for much. At best, we might
hire you as a city scout to fly solo over the areas far away from the hot zones. We need to keep our best men on the important jobs.”

“If that’s the best then what’s the worst?” Delvin asks, feeling the tension ebbing off Luke’s rigid body. “You’re not going to take Lucy from me. She won’t let anyone besides me ride her.”

“Lucy . . . cute name,” the orc mutters with a grin. He rubs at his bald head and looks up at the lattice of beams. “That is the worst case scenario, but I doubt it will come to this. You are a noted strategist and a decorated mercenary. The directors wouldn’t want to upset you. So, if we don’t use your services as a griffin rider, you will simply be allowed to fly around the city without supervision. That means you’re on your own and become a wild card that we won’t step in to help if you find yourself in trouble. Just come into the office with me and we’ll discuss things.”

“Lead the way
. You try to stay out of trouble, Lucy. I know how much you love causing mischief.”

With a ruffle of feathers,
the griffin smacks Delvin with her wing and sends the warrior tumbling to the floor. All of the griffins begin to shriek in approval while the riders laugh at the display. Delvin brushes the dry grass and scraps of dry meat off his chainmail as he stands and shakes his head at the beast. Without a word, he follows Culverk into a nearby office where a haggard-looking calico is sitting behind a large desk. The door closes on oiled hinges, leaving Luke alone among the trained guards.

“Be prepared for them to get curious,”
the griffin tells him. The sound of flapping wings has already begun to die down as the other beasts roost on the beams.
“You should be able to speak with them without a problem.”

The front doors open with a loud creak as the large griffin that claimed the dead bear walks in. Its golden fur is immaculate and it has wings of black feathers instead of the common brown. Luke stands at attention, refusing to back away as the larger griffin approaches him. Towering two feet above
the other mount, the noble beast stops a few feet in front of her and cocks its head to the side.

“What brings you here?”
the griffin politely asks.

“My rider wanted to help with the chaos elf invasion, so he brought me here,”
Luke answers, regretting the subservient sound of his actions.
“I mean . . . I came with my friend to help out.”

“You are not right,”
the griffin bluntly claims. The flock master moves around the newcomer and hunkers down to look at her underbelly.
“You have a male voice, but your body is female. What creature are you?”

“I’m going to be honest with you,”
Luke declares, turning to the griffin and bowing his head to the ground.
“I’m a half-elven forest tracker, who was blessed by Uli to take the form of a griffin I was forced to slay. My friend and I want to help, but our mutual enemies would recognize me on sight. So, we decided that I would stay in this form while we helped patrol the city.”

The flock master sits on
his haunches and looks up at the quiet gathering in the rafters. A few are whispering in chirps and hisses while they stare at Luke. The riders relax and watch the beasts, a few picking up ropes in case a fight breaks out. Two riders go to keep the doors open to allow Luke an easy escape to the sky.

Everyone jumps when the black-winged griffin takes a sudden swipe at Luke’s bowed head.
The smaller beast is quick to get out of the way while keeping her head down. Riders start to move in with their ropes when several griffins drop to the ground, creating a circle around Luke and the flock master. Rearing back, the flock master spreads his wings wide in an intimidating display, but the other griffin continues to remain in her bowed position.

“I’m not sure what you want me to do,”
Luke admits as the flock master returns to its feet.
“I don’t want any trouble. I just want to help. Once the chaos elves are gone, I’ll be out of your territory.”

“It is clear that you do not know about our ways
. The one inside you has not taught you much. We shall help you in return for your help.”

“Thanks, but I won’t be around
long enough to get into anything complicated,”
Luke politely states. The door to the office opens and the director shouts for the riders to get to their mounts.

Delvin hurries toward Luke with a worried expression on his face. He
leans in to whisper low enough so only Luke can hear him. “They are going to let us do scouting, but we have to stay away from the dockyards. The other requirement is that you stay here until this is all over. I know you’re not going to like staying as a griffin for so long. I’m sorry about this. I have to get some special gear at the barracks and then we’ll take a ride around the city. I promise to look for a way to give you a chance to shift back. I’ll only take an hour. I promise. I’m really sorry about this, Lucy.”

Luke watches Delvin leave the mountain, the warrior giving a final glance back and shrugging helplessly. With a mournful purr,
the forest tracker turns back to see the flock master staring. She raises her head and shakes her wings before sitting on her haunches. The larger beast approaches to gently knock his head against the newcomer’s beak.

“I guess I’m going to learn about being a griffin,”
Luke states, tapping his talons against the ground.
“Where do we start?”

*****

Timoran ducks as he enters the quiet tavern, his eyes immediately searching for an empty chair. Finding a stool by the bar, he takes a seat and drops a few gold coins behind the counter to make sure he is constantly supplied with fresh ale. Most of the patrons are nursing their drinks while watching a small group of men and women whisper at the central table. Timoran is surprised at the silence, but is thankful that it gives him the chance to pick out a few words from the whispering group. He grins as he hears the words that tell him he has finally found the right place.

A few minutes pass before the group stops talking and a female orc in leather armor orders a round of drinks for the table. People begin to talk amongst themselves, unable to remain silent any longer. The dwarf in the group scowls at the noise until the well-dressed halfling shakes his head. Pulling out a long pipe, the halfling leans back in his chair and puffs out a few clouds of cinnamon-scented smoke. He ignores his drink while his friends greedily empty their mugs. With a gentle sigh, the halfling slips his pipe into a belt loop, picks up his drink, and hops onto the table.