We followed her with the two guards flanking us. I didn't blame her for putting an armed escort on us. We were still unknown to her. You can be welcoming, but being wary was wise.
The entry doors were massive and propped open to allow lots of draft into the palace. The air here was crisp and fresh. The foyer inside was a two tone white with black marble floor that spanned until it reached a carpeted staircase. I wondered what the carpet was made from but then thought better of asking. The stairs led to a landing that was defined by a long strip rug. On the left side, a banister provided a look down view of the foyer while the right held paintings of battles and leaders. A few statues and decorative items broke up the pattern of the hallway. I felt bad dragging a bloody sack into such a nice place.
The end of the hallway opened up into a large square room. A huge balcony adorned both sides on the exterior walls. Before the right side balcony was a platform with a large central throne and nine chairs behind it. Duke Riza sat in the central chair with no crown or flair. He wore a simple dark blue pullover shirt and tan leather pants. He had dark eyes, a short amputated left arm, and battle scars on his face. Behind him, only two of the nine chairs were occupied. The second and the ninth.
Nestled against the walls perpendicular to the stage were bleachers filled with nobles. There were maybe a hundred members sitting in on court today. Important enough to not work, lazy enough to slouch and observe. I saw the fashion and demeanor of the nobility and I quickly came to the conclusion these people would starve in Fernlan. Well unless they had an army of servants which they did so I guessed they might be fine. It irked me to see so much wealth on display doing nothing better than attending daily court.
Lady Rain approached an old man with a stick that stood by the entryway and whispered into his ear. She then left him and took the third chair behind the Duke.
Smash! Smash! The old man hit the stick onto the floor.
“I present Gryff of the planet Redland, not of Vin. Tamer of griffins. Here on urgent news from Cern.” The old man declared. I worried the tamer of griffins lie might set Lydia off. But I heard no griffin in anger. Instead, I heard a mix of things. Gasps from those who believed, laughter from those who thought it was a lie, and finally outright calls of blasphemy from one old man. I tracked the call of blasphemy to a platform a few steps lower than the Dukes and off to the side. Close to the Duke but not among the nobles. My guess the section that held the old man and five of his colleges were advisors or some sort of council.
The announcer motioned for me to stand before the Duke. I grabbed Lily's hand to take her with me when a pretty young lady let out an eek noise. I paused and she rushed over and grabbed Lily's hand and led her off to the side. I guess I was doing my presentation alone. I was not comforted by how quickly I had been separated from Lily. When I reached the middle of the room I saw the Duke eye me with suspicion then take a long drink from his cup.
“Gryffffff was it. Whatttt do you come tooo begggg for?” The Duke slurred his words horribly, clearly drunk.
I had a couple of options, the wise smart man I was would make a deal with the drunk Duke and probably bribe one of his wives to enforce it. Too bad I was impulsive.
“I heard the Duke was a noble warrior. An honest man who upheld the laws of his kingdom and protected his people. I come on a diplomatic mission for the griffins of Cern. Yet I find you drunk and it is barely midday.”
Of course, this did not go over well. About the only person happy with me was Lady Rain who suppressed laughter. More comments from the gallery, but the Duke stayed silent and eyed me with a glare.
“You dareee?” he asked suddenly not as drunk as before.
“I do.”
“Duel? Bare knuckles, first to submit. Been a while since I fought a man as big and sturdy as you. Let me have a free first hit since I am missing half an arm.” He said proudly displaying this nub that ended before the elbow. “Lost the hand in my first duel with a chieftain, the forearm to an ogre!” He said proudly.
“Deal. First to submit loses.” I accepted his challenge.
I didn't hesitate. I may have been lucky with my sword and greataxe so far due to a lack of any training. If he had challenged me to a sword fight I would have declined immediately. A fistfight meant we could end up on the ground and I had excelled at wrestling in school. Add in the fact I had size, reach, and purple aura strength I was confident I could win. I did feel like I had been played. Both by Lady Rain and the Duke himself.
“Any objection to me clearing the wine from my system?” He asked as he walked over to the advisor seating area.
“Why, you seem fine to me? You asked for this duel. You clearly love to fight. Why not be sober and ready for one?”
A shot to his pride. The crowd gave an 'oh' gasp at my audacity. He stopped moving toward what I assumed was a healer and stomped to within five feet of me.
The announcer paced over to us and quietly asked if we were ready. I tossed the bloody sack down a few feet away. I took my armor chest piece off and placed it on the bag. I performed a quick stretch and got back into place.
Smash! Smash!
“As agree upon by Duke Riza of Lakeland and Gryff of Redland a duel of bare knuckles will commence after the Duke gets first free strike. Winner by knockout or submission.” The announcer declared loudly.
My blood was pumping and I started to get nervous. The Duke had a gleam in his eye that bespoke of an upper hand. Something was afoul here, but I was too far in to back down. I watched as he jumped toward me, his right arm swung at my face with all his might. I grimaced and tried to adjust my face to take the blow on the forehead but it caught me in the upper cheek.
Crack!
The sound echoed across the assembly room multiple times. I staggered but did not fall. My cheek felt like it was broken and it radiated with pain. I got lucky he didn't catch my jaw or I would be flat out. My first reaction was that he had the purple super strength aura also.
This time the gasp I heard came from the Duke himself. He was stunned and flat footed, clearly expecting me to go down from the hit. So had the rest of the room. A silence loomed loudly until Lily hollered “Get em Gryff!”
That broke me of my inaction. I bull rushed the Duke into a tackle that sent us sliding across the floor with me on top. He tried to get his guard up but I was fast. The first blow hit across the jaw and he was out.
“Winner, Gryff of Redland by knockout.” The announcer declared.
A shocked hush fell over the room in an awkward silence.
A healer rushed over to the Duke and revived him. The Duke immediately began to vomit profusely. When he finished emptying his gut and finally stopped dry heaving he ordered my cheek fixed. The healer glared daggers at me and muttered curses under his breath. The moment he finished healing my cheek I psyched him out by pretending to attack him. It was only a slight movement but the healer panicked in fright and landed on his ass. The whole room had a giggle as he righted himself and stormed off. I went over to my armor and tucked myself back into it.
I grabbed the bag and planned to go stand in the middle of the room when the bag's tie undid. The contents rolled across the floor.
A few ladies shrieked in terror at the sight of the four bloody heads. Three orc’s and the boar’s lifeless eyes frightened the masses. Guards stepped forward in a sign of aggression.
“What is this?” The Duke walked up to the orc head with the crown attached. The neck had been cleanly severed at some point as it no longer had the shoulders attached. “And that is a war boar. By the gods! Clear the court! Reconvene in two hours!” The Duke Riza ordered and people hastily filed out.
I stood there patiently as the Duke examined the crown, then brought it over to his adviser group. His second wife got up from her chair and approached me. She was the tallest woman I had seen on Vin, at almost six feet. She was tow
ering over the other women and even some men. She wore a riding outfit that was for function, a stark contrast to the rest of the women at court in their dresses. Her outfit was closer to what Nalia the rider from Cern had worn. That was what brought her to me, she was a griffin rider. Before she was able to corner me and talk the Duke got my attention.
“Gryff come with us into my war room where we may discuss some things in private, I had many questions before and even more now. Fret not about the little one you arrived with my daughter Bella will keep an eye on her and give her a tour.” The young lady who had taken Lily's hand earlier nodded at us. Lily shyly waved then went with her with a smile on her face.
Ten of us entered into a medium sized room filled with massive maps. The map on Elan’s wall was tiny compared to these. I got lost in it all when I felt a poke on my shoulder. Reflexes took over and grabbed the hand. The second wife let out a cry and yanked her wrist free.
“That hurt you brute. I am Lady Ona, second wife of Duke Riza, rider of griffin Grank. I would like to see you prove you can speak to griffins.” She said to me with anger. Her squinted hostile eyes produced many worry lines.
I guess I deserved that hostility, I did knock out her husband and grabbed her wrist roughly.
“What is in it for me?” I asked.
“Men! I will owe you a favor, but careful what you choose. Nothing perverse.”
“I am a gentleman, your virtue is safe.”
The Duke chuckled about his wife’s virtue. That got him glares from her.
I walked to the balcony doors and opened them. A nice breeze blew in and I got a great view of the back gardens. Whoever did the bushes in this place was a master. I looked over the awesome hand carved statues and got lost again. Before the poke landed I dodged to the side.
“What! Fernlan is literally eight shacks and some pits to shit in. I like this palace. Who names a griffin Grank? Hey Grank! Come to the back fields and land please.” I didn't raise my voice for the second part. Everyone in the room paused from their activities to watch as a griffin almost twice as large as Lirkon landed on the back lawn.
This male was massive. I thought the skinny griffins of Cern were huge but this guy was almost fifty feet long. Yup, he was a dude, his balls probably hurt to fly around with. Maybe caused hip problems the same way women got back problems with big breasts. I didn't want to look but it is like that guy with a giant mole on his face, you just noticed the huge mole. I adverted my gaze and saw his coloring was mesmerizing. His feathers weren't white with a tip color like all the Cern pride. Well, former Cern pride. He had deep purple feathers with light gold tips. The ball on his tail was maroon with bright gold tips.
“By the gods, you are a fine looking griffin. I am sure the ladies chase you endlessly. What is your true name good sir?” I asked.
“It is Grank” Lady Ona impulsively said.
“I am Lord Nova of the Lakeland tribe, but I am the pride master of the whole kingdom. The king’s matriarch bows to my rule. Well met Gryff of Fernlan, Lydia speaks well of you. I hope the Duke listens to your plea regarding the Cern issues. I will bow to you out of respect for you saving some of my kin. Do not get used to such displays .” Lord Nova said with a stern and slow voice.
Lord Nova executed a perfect bow. I mimicked him in return.
“Did he bloody bow to you?” One of the Duke's advisors asked.
I ignored him.
“Lady Ona, this mighty griffin is known as Lord Nova. He says all roosts in this realm are under his leadership including the king’s roost. Give me a moment.” I paused in thought. “Yes, that would do. Lord Nova, Lady Ona and well most humans do not believe we can speak. She asked me to prove it. Can you tell me something about the Lady that only you would know?”
Lord Nova contemplated then told me what he knew of Lady Ona that would prove we could talk.
I blushed and laughed. “I would rather not,” I said out loud.
“No fear of reprisal here, spill it if you want the debate ended that you can really speak to Grank.” Lady Ona said.
I cringed at the wrong name again. Fine, she asked for it. “He said you constantly complain when in the air about how the Duke pretends…” I paused for tension. “That it is too dark and tries to slip it in your butt...”
I caught the smack before it landed. “Uncalled for,” I told Lady Ona.
The Duke was in a roaring laugh while his advisors blanched.
“How could you Lord Nova, no grooming for a week. Sorry, I lost my temper Gryff of Redland. I will leave you, to discuss things of war and take an embarrassed exit.” She said and stormed out of the room.
“Impressive display. Okay, come over here. While in a private setting like this you may call me Riza. We are going to start at the beginning with you. I have Fernlan on this map being here. Verify it please.” The Duke ordered. He pointed to the correct spot and I confirmed it. “Okay, where did you acquire this head? Tell us every little detail of the battle with it also.”
It took some time but I retold the story of how Lydia scouted for me. Of how I got ambushed by a perimeter guard and then charged by the chieftain. How I got lucky with my distraction and cleaved the orc in two. They asked many questions about the fight. When they asked about the war boar they seemed uninterested after they found out I discovered it dead.
“Do you know what this crown says?” An advisor asked. The man had a black beard with patches of gray in it and a shaved head. He was the fattest man I had seen on Vin so far. I shook my head no. “I am Derfran, a man of learning. I can read, write, and speak Horde. It was no easy feat to learn so...” The Duke stopped him from rambling. “Back on topic. This crown has Horde written into the side of it. 'Allows entry into villages 112323, 125454, 148494'. Then right here it says '300kg'. We know what this crown does, we have seen them before. Yet this is the first time we have seen one up close. This crown being in our possession is a first, and when I say first, I mean for the entire empire. No way can this stay here in Lakeland. This crown will go to our King, then to the King of Kings the Emperor. It will cause a ripple across human lands that a crown was captured so soon after the peace accords. This will make the Duke look very well in the eyes of his superiors. I can only guess how long it takes for the Emperor himself to summon you to hear your tale.”
I glared at the crown, finally realizing the implications this may have on my life in my tiny corner of the Empire. I had so many questions but before I could ask Derfran continued.
“Riza, my lord, this is the location of three villages with barriers north of Lakeland without portals. 125454 is coordinates for exactly where Fernlan is on the map. The other two are here at village Xiq, and here at outpost Straddleback. This crown is the key that lets the local orc chieftain collect the dues. Without this key these three villages be will free of quotas until the shamans make a new crown for the new chieftain.”
“That doesn't make sense. I passed outpost Straddleback on my way down, it was intact but empty.” I said. I set my paperwork down and pulled out my map. I compared it to the Dukes map and they matched. “I was wondering how it had not been raided, but with no one there the barrier should be down from lack of payment. How could the barrier stay if no one was providing the required food? Wait a second... Elan the leader of Fernlan said this was the Orc who collected the good from the village. He said they took about three men's worth of weight and then left the rest. That must mean each village owed a hundred kilograms but was collected from only one point. Would explain the number on the crown and makes sense to collect from a single village. No wonder the people of Fernlan are skin and bones. They have been paying three times the quota.”
All the men nodded in agreement at this rationality. I was not happy but relieved that I had found some answers about Vin and the crown.
“How long do you think until the next crown is made and repl
aced?” I asked
“Depends, my first guess is the next chieftain will be a direct underling of the dead one. He will not want to report his old leader's failure. It will probably take another leader change to force the orcs to admit their loss. The shamans are unforgiving, they will not happily replace the crown. If anything they will send a challenge to remove the settlement to other orc tribes with the new crown and promise of free human food as a reward. Which is why it may never get reported as lost.
“What I learned during the days of the peace accords is that the crowns were given out with rules. No duels and no unnecessary risks. Loss was to mean death as they were melded into the heads of Horde leaders. We never saw them though. All the major cities have a portal.
“After the peace accords were signed tens of thousands of shamans created the spell of the barriers that enclose our cities. After that, they broke down into groups of a hundred and entered every city. When they entered, they picked a central location. Here in Lakeland, the center of our barrier is right outside the drawbridge in the fields. At that spot, they spent three days casting a spell in devotion to the evil god Muarta. Muarta is said to be the god of portal travel. How he provides the travel and what he requires to make it work is unknown. After the three days, a circle of black stone rose from the ground at completion. Etched on it was the instructions of our quota to the horde that was clear during the day and glowed at night. Gryff, there are thousands of gods we humans believe in. Never have we heard of one aiding our world by sending a traveler such as you. Can you disclose how you were sent or by whom?” I told him I could not say anything and the man continued talking.
“Lakeland owes two hundred logs and two thousand kilos of food. The shamans explained the conversion ratios of weight to us. We have no trees to fell inside our barrier but plenty in the wild lands. We have come to the conclusion that some things are off limits from attack. Men chopping down trees have been safe, probably so we can meet our two hundred log quota. We pile everything on the portal at the first of the month, and like your leader, over deliver.
Gryff The Griffin Rider Page 14
