A Warrant of Wyverns

by Michael Angel

  I let out a gasp. “But if several of the lords did that…”

  “Then the Kingdom of Andeluvia would either fracture, or fall apart completely. You’ve already sacrificed too much – even to the point of adding my involvement to this awful task – for me to just let that happen. So, we came up with the idea of the Albess charging you with paying a twelfth of the debt, while I effectively removed you from court.”

  “I don’t understand. Why do that to me?”

  Magnus chuckled grimly. “Because I need you for something far more important than sitting in that glorified staff meeting, trading snipes and jeers with the idiots who fill the seats.”

  “What, more courier duties for thee?” Shaw huffed.

  “No. Something considerably more dangerous.”

  Liam continued to stubbornly face away from us. His puffball tail flicked irritably as he heard Magnus’ last statement. By contrast, Shaw sat back on his haunches, an interested look on his face.

  “What dost thou have in mind, Regent?” he asked.

  Magnus’ voice took on a conspiratorial tone. “I’ve worked out a plan to allow Dame Chrissie to return to the Centaur Realm. For obvious reasons, I have not informed Sir Jorvath of this.”

  “You want me to return–” I sputtered. It took me a second to try speaking again. “You were the one who banished me in the first place!”

  He made a motion with his hand as if brushing the idea aside. “That was only to appease the angrier elements among my newly-formed government.”

  I had to admit that he had a point. Galen had explained that very thing to me when he’d read King Magnus’ message scroll announcing my sentence.

  “Wait a minute,” I objected. “Won’t my presence just cause more problems for you?”

  “Normally, it would. But I’ve got a ‘working agreement’ with the Regent left in charge of the centaur court,” Magnus assured me. “I need you to revisit my realm, because I need answers. And I need them before the Creatures of the Dark strike again at my kingdom…and this one!”

  “Well, you’ve got my attention, Magnus.”

  Off to my side, Shaw nodded his eagle head firmly in agreement.

  The Regent paced a little as he spoke, mimicking the movements of an excited or agitated centaur. “To start, I need you to go to Bloodwine Holt. The interim ruler will give you a warrant.”

  “A warrant? For what?”

  “To search the ruined city you found within the Hinter Lands, the one called ‘Keshali’. I want you to find out what happened to the wyverns. To determine who or what killed them.”

  “But…” I objected, as I tried to make sense of this sudden turn of events. “I thought I was blamed for what happened there!”

  “That’s the official explanation, yes. Most of my inner circle knows better. The Ultari invasion would have happened with or without your arrival in Keshali. Bonecarver and Caltrop saw to that.” The Regent sensed my warming to the idea, so he added a little more. “There may be an even bigger benefit to this expedition. Wyverns are, to my mind, a type of dragon. If we find out what happened to them, we may find out what happened to Sirrahon. If we find out what happened to Sirrahon, then we’ll have the Creatures of the Dark right where we want them.”

  Magnus’ argument was sound. I did want to find out what had happened at Keshali. The mass die-off of so many creatures on the eve of Bonecarver’s assault couldn’t have been coincidental. The crime scene analyst in me was practically pushing me to accept the challenge.

  But it wasn’t just me that had to decide. I looked over at Liam and Shaw.

  “What do you two think?” I asked. “I like the idea, and I’m sure that Galen will be on board with it.”

  “Where thy path leads, I shall follow!” Shaw said immediately. Liam’s tail flicked again, and he spoke without turning around.

  “You shall need me on this, Dayna,” he said. “I shall go for you, not for the Regent.”

  “It looks like we’re in,” I told Magnus.

  He smiled. “That is good. I know firsthand what you, Galen, Liam, and Shaw can do. I consider myself blessed that we are no longer foes.”

  Both griffin and fayleene mumbled something unintelligible at that, but I shushed them. “What about my reporting to you about King Fitzwilliam?”

  In answer, Magnus dug into one of his pockets. He handed me a broad-banded silver ring inset with several pinhead-sized sparkling stones. Each stone danced with the color of ripe blackberries. It looked like jewelry suited for a man to my untrained eye, but I slipped it onto my right hand’s ring finger.

  “I’ve enchanted that bauble so that it can transport any paper or parchment across worlds,” he explained. “Merely touch it to your document and it shall appear in my hands. My reply can return to you in the same way. I believe this method will allow us to keep our correspondence private.”

  “I’m all in favor of that,” I agreed. “Um, I’ve already put a plan in motion to pay that ‘twelfth’ of my debt. When any of my three knights return, I’d appreciate it if you could speak to them in private and then inform me of their doings.”

  “I shall, Dame Chrissie,” he assured me. “And now I must return to the Great Hall, for there are other matters that require my attention. As we say in my Realm, ‘may your hooves fly across the miles’.”

  Magnus bowed to us respectfully then left in a swirl of crimson and purple. I fiddled with the ring for a moment before speaking again.

  “Are you guys sure you’re okay with this?” I asked.

  “This mission requires a tracker,” Liam replied dutifully, as he turned to face me. “Nothing else need be said.”

  “And I for one am overjoyed!” Shaw declared.

  “What?” Liam eyed him curiously. “I can’t for the life of me see why!”

  “Mine own brain sees it plain enough!” The griffin raked his claws against the floor, shredding another one of my poor carpets in his excitement. “We seek a being with enough power and cunning to slay an entire species! ‘Tis the best possibility for us to perish gloriously ‘ere we battle Sirrahon!”

  So, at least Shaw was looking forward to this. Great.

  I made a mental note for the future: Avoid any journey that a griffin is excited to go on.

  Chapter Five

  It’s a good thing I can work two-handed.

  Using my left hand, I went through the spare forensics kit I’d brought to Andeluvia. The battered aluminum case was identical to the one I lugged around for the OME, only I had to outfit it with items purchased on my own dime. Luckily, I’d just refilled the thing with fresh reagent materials as well as a few new items off the shelf.

  My right hand was busy stuffing my face.

  Whoever had ordered in brunch to the Dame’s Tower had done so with gusto. While Ghaznavi and Quinton had already been at the plates before I sent them off, an awful lot remained. I ended up making a sort of sandwich from a breakfast biscuit, a fried egg, and a slice of gravy-topped sausage the size and thickness of a hockey puck. The sausage slice dripped grease when I bit into the thing, so I suppose that Shelly would have approved.

  Liam ended up with a big dish of something that looked like minced broccoli topped with goat cheese. He was busy burying his muzzle in it and making happy deer sounds, so I guess it sufficed. As usual, Shaw was the easiest to feed. I simply scraped all the leftover eggs, sausage, and biscuits onto one platter, dumped out the contents of the gravy boat on top, and put it on the floor for him to have at it.

  “‘Twas quite good,” the griffin declared, after polishing off the mound of food. “Now that I have taken on proper ballast, I can serve thee as a proper griffin.”

  Satisfied with my equipment check, I closed my case up with a snap. “That’s good, but I’m hoping that we can pick up some extra provisions at Bloodwine Holt.”

  “Why is that, Dayna?” Liam asked, as he finished his meal. His little pink tongue licked along the side of his wet black nose, cleaning it and making
him extra cute at the same time.

  “We don’t know how long this exploration is going to take,” I said, as I adjusted the shoulder holster under my gray Andeluvian cloak. “The timing is a bit unfortunate. I’ve only got the rest of today to visit Keshali, then I have to be in Los Angeles for two whole days. You might be on your own for a bit, and there’s nothing green – or worth hunting – anywhere in the Hinter Lands.”

  The fayleene nodded gravely. “I remember you telling me about what you found there. In truth, it sounds like a most forlorn place.”

  “Fear not,” Shaw reassured me. “Thou art lucky to have a griffin by thy side. I can forage over long distances, hunting for plants as well as meat. I can bring back sustenance, even for the weakest and most tender members of our party.”

  Liam shot his friend a sour look at that, but he let it pass this time.

  “Right,” I said. “Just be alert for threats when I bring us to Bloodwine Holt. The centaurs are not going to be happy to see me, no matter what King Magnus says.”

  I picked up the case in one hand and grabbed hold of my medallion in the other. My two friends stepped close to me as I envisioned the central room inside Bloodwine Holt. A white flash enveloped us, filling my nostrils with the smell of burning fabric and bleach.

  A flash-bang, followed by a jolt, and then the eye-frying white melted into the warm amber tones marking the centaur’s version of the Royal Court. As before, the vast inner space reminded me of an upscale ski lodge. The walls were built of roughly shaped logs, the daytime illumination pouring in from opened skylights; the ceiling held up by stout beams of dark wood.

  I’d selected this location to make my appearance in the Centaur Realm as the safest bet. I knew from experience that it was mostly deserted during the day. And if anyone was there, I figured that I could quickly appeal to whomever was running things not to kill me out of hand.

  Well, at least I got one out of two of those bets right.

  A male centaur stood at the raised stone platform used by the King to address a gathering. He was blond, armored in mail, and his beard hung in twin gold plaits. He whipped around at the sound of our rather noisy arrival. His sword slipped from its sheath with the slick sound of metal on leather.

  “Death take you, intruders!” he bellowed.

  “Wait, wait!” I cried. “I’m not an intruder! I was sent by King–”

  “Not an intruder?” the centaur growled. He scowled at me. “You look like the human known as ‘Dame Chrissie’. The human who has been banned from our Realm.”

  “Yes, I am. As I said–”

  “Death take you, Dame Chrissie!” he bellowed.

  It figured. The one time I was recognized by someone outside of Fitzwilliam’s kingdom, and they wanted to kill me.

  Shaw let out a roar and spread his wings as Liam charged forward and I desperately went for my firearm. The centaur charged off the platform, swinging his sword overhead in a vicious arc.

  Liam leapt to intercept it, my heart similarly leaping into my throat as he did so.

  The weapon came down between two points of his antlers with a metallic spang. The impact shivered up the centaur’s arm and down into Liam’s neck, but the fayleene stag shook off the blow, twisting his neck sharply to one side.

  The warrior’s sword caught between two of the antler’s points, pinning the weapon as if it were stuck between the tines of a fork. As Liam moved his head, the blade bent into a useless curve before popping out of the centaur’s grasp, slipping free of Liam’s antlers and landing on the floor with a clatter.

  The Protector of the Forest let out a warning snort. Shaw appeared at his side, an equally hostile growl rumbling in his chest. The centaur backed off in a clatter of hooves, eyes darting between these two new foes. He held one hand up as if to ward off both of his attackers while the other reached down and behind towards a saddle bag, groping for another weapon.

  A gruff older woman’s voice barked, “Stay your hand, Sir Leydelf!”

  The centaur hesitated. “Regent, Dame Chrissie has invaded the inner sanctum!”

  “Is that so?” The clop-clop of hooves at one of the room’s entryways resolved itself into the heavily muscled pinto form of Galen’s mother, Inga Skallgrym. “If we must worry about ‘invasion’ from a single human woman, then we centaurs might as well hang up our battle axes and hitch ourselves to plows from now on!”

  Sir Leydelf looked confused, but he stepped back a pace. My two friends followed suit, and Inga trotted forward to take my hands in hers.

  “Such an awful way to greet you,” she said, after giving my palms a gentle (for her) yet painful (for me) squeeze. “Forgive Sir Leydelf, he’s only a stallion, and what can you expect from such a creature?”

  “Ah,” I said diplomatically. “I take it that you’re filling in as ruler while Magnus is off being Regent in the human kingdom.”

  She nodded sadly, brushing a stray bit of her cinnamon-colored hair out of the way. “He is my brother, after all. I must do what I can to help, for I am from the House of Jormund, after all. We stick together, through plenty and famine, life and death.”

  Life and death. The words gave me a twinge inside.

  “Inga, I’m sorry about what happened at the Battle of the Oxine. I swear, the return of the Ultari wasn’t due to our visiting Keshali.”

  “Apologies aren’t needed,” Inga reassured me. She took a shuddering breath. “I lost my husband, that is true. But you did keep my children safe. And you gave me back my brother. Those deeds count for a great deal.”

  “But Angbor–”

  “Hush now. I shall mourn in my own way. Be assured, I know that Caltrop the Bastard roused whatever lay within that city.” She reached into her own saddlebag and brought out a small scroll of parchment, sealed with blob of purple wax and the Royal Centaur Seal. “I charge you, Dayna Chrissie, with a warrant to explore Keshali and slay whatever evil remains therein.”

  Sir Leydelf fidgeted as I took the scroll, seemingly beside himself at Inga’s words. His discomfort at seeing his Regent give a royal task to someone who was supposed to be executed on sight grew even further as she greeted my friends.

  Inga bent slightly to get a better look at Liam. “And what in the world is this beastie? I’ve never seen a stag like you before.”

  “I am one of the fey peoples, known as the Fayleene,” Liam replied, giving one of his adorable cervine bows. “I am the Protector of the Forest for my people.”

  “Well, you do ‘protect’ very well. You bent a piece of centaur-smithed steel with those antlers of yours. That is quite a feat!”

  “I do what I must for my friends, Regent.”

  Inga then turned to Shaw. “You’re looking well, Griffin. I must say that you did a fine job looking after both of my offspring last time you went to the Hinter Lands.”

  “‘Twas no great burden,” Shaw demurred.

  “Well, you’re taking my son back there, and it’s no less dangerous a place now.” She aimed a thumb at Liam. “If I were you, I’d take some fighting lessons from the strongest member of your group.”

  Shaw’s stern eagle face broke into a look of shock. In comparison, Liam’s expression was as smug as a cat with a fresh bowl of cream.

  A second clatter of hooves announced Galen as he galloped into the room, his saddlebags laden to bursting. He wiped a sheen of sweat from his brow as he joined us.

  “Forgive my tardiness,” he gasped. “I was still packing for our expedition when I heard the transport spell bring you here. Given the barren nature of Keshali’s environs, I felt that we needed to bring extra supplies as well as a pair of magical items for Dame Chrissie.”

  “No worries,” I said. In truth, I was relieved that my centaur friend had thought ahead. “I suppose that if we run out, you could blip back to one of the Holts.”

  “So, even you support this madness, to return to the ghost city!” Sir Leydelf spat, as he stared at Galen. “I want nothing more of this, for too many of
my House have already suffered!”

  The blond centaur flicked his tail and galloped out of the room without a look back. Galen moved to follow, but his mother’s beefy arm restrained him. He looked at her, confused, but she quickly reassured him.

  “Never you mind that big blond oaf,” she said. “If he gets too obnoxious, I’ll just challenge him to a duel.”

  “I’d rather not see you injured, mother!” Galen objected.

  “Him? Hurt me? There’s little enough chance of that! Not only did I make his very weapons, but I’m from the King’s immediate family.” She smirked at that for a moment. “Imagine if he won. Magnus the Wizard would return, furious that someone beat up his little sister and took his throne. Trust me when I say that nobody wants to face off against your uncle.”

  I couldn’t help but grin. “I’m glad you’re on our side, Inga.”

  “Make no mistake, he’s going to cause you some problems,” she cautioned. “There are more than a few centaurs that’ll want to take your head for returning to Keshali. But it’ll take a few days for word to get back to Braceward Holt. Then a couple more to cross the Hinter Lands. After that…I suspect that you’ll be able to spot them coming.”

  “And I shall be ready,” Shaw said firmly, with a quick glance towards Liam. “Fayleene or no, I shall be able to handle thy countrymen.”

  “Then what are you waiting for?” Inga asked, making a ‘shooing’ motion with her hands. “Get going! Daylight is burning, and they’re not making any more of it!”

  Chapter Six

  The blazing white of the transport spell had only just begun to fade when Galen spoke, bringing his hand down in a diagonal slash.

  “Nidher-slä!” he shouted, and I felt more than saw the centaur’s Shield of Turning wink into place around us. Aside from protecting us from arrows, it could also partially block overwhelming stench. That had proven quite useful during our past visit.