The Arrival: An Epic Fantasy Romance

by Nicole MacDonald

  'I did it!'

  The others had watched and all applauded, Cat and Sian whistled loudly to the surprise of Alek and Daron.

  'Well done,' Sabyn spoke into her ear. 'And I’ll bet in no time you’ll be able to do it by yourself.'

  Chapter Twelve

  Sabyn and Loi talked the whole flight, leaning backward or forward to speak in the others ear. He told her all about his family, she learned he had two younger sisters who commandeered much of their parents time. The twins, Lenia and Franti, were just sixteen and at that boy-crazy stage. 'It made the last visit we had at my family’s home embarrassing,' Sabyn shook his head at the memory.

  Loi laughed at the thought of the teenagers trying out their charms on the boys. 'I’ll bet that doesn’t go down well with Gredel,' she spoke in Sabyn’s ear. He roared with laughter.

  ‘What? What’d she say?’ demanded Tomiar. He relayed Laura’s words to her. Tomiar chuckled and sent him an image of the last time Gredel had visited—it showed the large man pasty white while the two girls closed in on him, their eyelashes fluttering, hands clasped demurely in front. Gredel had told Sabyn afterward, in no uncertain terms, that he would never again visit without Citaan.

  Audrey seemed to love the view. She’d managed to twist herself up so she could stand and stretch to see past Phroma’s wings. Gredel grunted in pain. 'Audrey, you’re standing on my bladder again.' He shifted her slightly. She twisted back to give him a big sloppy kiss then shifted back to her original position. ‘Ganooks.’ Gredel exclaimed to Phroma. ‘This dog is driving me nuts, she won’t stop squirming and standing on me.’

  ‘At least she’s enjoying herself,’ replied Phroma. ‘Just think of how bad it’d be if she didn’t. She probably needs to go for a good run.’

  ‘True, I think I’ll suggest it to Catherine.’

  ‘Cat,’ corrected Phroma.

  ‘Eh?’ Gredel thought in confusion, ‘No, Catherine, the woman.’

  Phroma snorted in amusement, ‘No silly, Catherine’s name is Cat for short, Kassandra is Kassie and Laura is Loi. It’s what they call each other all the time.’

  Gredel huffed, ‘Well I didn’t know.’

  ‘Now you do. Yes it’d be a good idea for Audi to go for a run, the energy she’s throwing off is distracting.’

  ‘Can I do anything to help?’

  ‘Maybe try stroking her and talking to her, it might calm her down a bit,’ suggested Phroma. Feeling a bit self-conscious, even if only Phroma could hear him, Gredel began to pet the dog and chat to her.

  Over on Tomiar, Sabyn showed Loi how to stand on the saddle. She felt rather pleased with herself; she’d managed to gloss over most of her home life details. Instead she'd told him all about jujitsu. It had fascinated him and he only promised to show her a saddle trick if she promised to show him a couple of throws. Now she crouched on the saddle, clutching the front pommel tight with both hands while seriously wondering if she’d overreached herself.

  'Loi,' Sabyn shouted into the wind. 'Strap this around your waist.' He held a heavy leather circlet. She slipped back into the saddle and he reached forward to help strap her in. 'This has a length on either side which ties to the saddle. With this and me behind you, you’ll be fine.'

  With the circlet fastened tight, Loi pulled both legs up again and crouched low over the pommel. Two large hands gripped her hips and Sabyn leaned forward. 'Ready?' he yelled.

  'Yeah!'

  'Okay stand.'

  Bracing both legs, she slowly let go of the pommel, pushing her head into the wind then straightened up. Sabyn kept a firm grip on her hips while Loi caught her balance. She spread both feet a little wider and seized the front strap from the saddle. What a rush! The wind roared past her ears so she couldn’t hear anything and she had to squint to see—but the view—rolling hills stretched out below them with distant rivers glinting in the sun and dark stretches of forest. So much green and blue. Loi started to laugh. The sensation of the wind with only her feet touching the saddle made it feel like she herself flew. Suddenly she understood why Sabyn had such a passion for this. It was magical. From this view point she could see the other griffons and watched them, spell bound. Even in flight they had the grace of large cats and flew with such ease. Loi caught sight of Sian gaping at her and couldn’t resist waving. She giggled while Sian watched with an expression of pure envy. Showing off wasn’t nice, but she and Sian always competed against each other. A little competition is healthy, Loi thought as she gave another wave.

  Tomiar cocked her head to look back at Laura. ‘She’s having so much fun. And the first of the bunch to do it,’ she thought smugly.

  ‘Yes, though I bet Sian will be next,’ he sent an image of Sian watching Loi to Tomiar.

  ‘It’s good for them to learn. They’ll need to be confident with flying for some of the things coming.’

  Sabyn paused, waiting to see if the griffon said any more. Tomiar often showed a gift for seeing events that had yet to pass. It wasn’t unusual for griffons or dragons for that matter, Elena thought it might have something to do with their ability to leap. When Tomiar didn’t elaborate he let it go. She would tell him if she knew for sure, but when she only caught glimpses she didn’t usually bother.

  ‘Gredel, look.’ Phroma thought excitedly.

  Gredel looked across and spotted Loi standing on Tomiar, a huge grin on her face. ‘You wait, she’ll be free-falling in no time.’

  Audrey spotted Loi and turned to bark at her, but the wind whipped the sound away so Loi and the others didn’t even notice. The dog grumbled and slouched back against Gredel who smiled down at the put-out creature. He ruffled her fur and talked nonsense to her until her tail started to wag.

  ‘I can’t wait to tell Citaan about the baby talk,’ Phroma teased.

  ‘I’m just practicing,’ Gredel thought, refusing to rise to the bait. ‘You never know, Citaan might have a surprise for us when we get home.’

  The suggestion thrilled Phroma. Citaan had lost a baby nearly a year ago, she often spoke to Phroma about her longing for another. Phroma knew the lovely blue haired woman didn’t mention it to Gredel because she didn’t want to upset him. He’d taken the miscarriage hard. If the griffon calculated correctly then the fourth month mark would be soon. It’s sure to be a healthy babe this time round, Phroma thought assertively, reassuring herself. Though it isn’t surprising Citaan hasn’t said a word yet, better to wait until the babe grew some more. Phroma felt a glow of warmth at the thought of a child for her friends. It made her think of her own pup, safe in the castle nursery.

  ‘You must be missing little Ageip,’ thought Gredel. He loved the little pup. Ageip looked the spitting image of his mother, right down to the black wings with violet undertones.

  ‘I am,’ Phroma sighed. ‘But it’s nice to be out. We haven’t been for such a big trip in a long time.’

  Loi decided she’d had enough of standing and with Sabyn gripping her hips again she lowered herself to the saddle.

  'How are you?' Sabyn spoke into her ear.

  'Shaking,' Loi said in surprise. 'It’s a lot harder than I expected.' Her legs trembled as though she’d done hours of training.

  He laughed softly. 'You were up longer than I managed my first time. Shows how strong you are.' He wrapped both arms around her.

  Loi felt flattered and relaxed back against him with a smile. 'Thanks.'

  I could just see the village in the space between Loushka’s wing and neck. It didn’t have a fence like Lothost had. I leaned back against Alek’s chest, he obligingly ducked his head so I could speak into his ear. 'Why isn’t it fenced? Lothost was.'

  'They have a large number of dogs here,' Alek said. 'Audi will be popular. They also regularly host griffons and their riders. That’ll scare off most of the carnivores.'

  That idea intrigued me and I asked, 'How many griffon riders are there? And what makes the five of you so special?' I felt his chuckle through the breastplate.

  'You don’t think I
’m special?' he teased.

  'I didn’t mean that.'

  'There are around eighteen griffon riders at one given time. The five of us were selected by Elena and trained by the late King. The other griffon riders are normal creatures who have connected with a griffon in the same way some connect with dragons. They’re in high demand as messengers and guards. In times of war they join forces with us and the General Guard at the Castle.'

  'Do all griffons and dragons link with a human?'

  'No. Out of say, several hundred creatures, one may link with another being.'

  I thought about it for a moment. 'What do the normal creatures think of those who have linked?'

  He smiled against my ear; it sent shivers down my spine. 'It’s seen as an honor.' Loushka made a loud whistle and Alek fell silent for a moment while they spoke.

  'Right. We’re going to land, so hold on.' He wrapped his arms around Catherine and this time she locked hers over his. Loushka made a slight sweep upward to align correctly then dropped.

  A crowd waited to greet them and the girls kept themselves slightly behind the guys. Audi pressed herself against Cat’s leg while they waited for their introductions. Kassie watched as Rumal called out to someone. A couple pushed through the crowd with huge smiles on their faces while they greeted the men and griffons.

  They introduced us to absolutely everyone in the crowd, all the names went straight over my head; as long as I remember our hosts’ names I’ll be okay—Brece and Melanite. I kept smiling until my jaw hurt. They were all friendly and accommodating, but I began to feel claustrophobic. Sian bumped into me and I turned to look at her. 'Want out,' she whispered.

  'Me too.'

  'Me three,' said Kassie softly behind us. I turned to see Loi bob her head in agreement. I looked around and managed to catch Melanite’s eye. 'Could we see our rooms?' I asked. 'We’d like to change.'

  'Oh I'm sorry, I should have thought. C'mon this way,' Melanite said with an apologetic smile.

  Waving to the guys, we hurried after her. The Inn opened up into an enormous space. Made fully of logs, the ceilings seemed excessively high compared to the other buildings I’d glimpsed when we landed. 'So the griffons can join their riders if they like,' Melanite explained. She led us into a large and airy room, its shuttered windows wide open. 'Will you need anything else?'

  'Yes,' I said. 'I’m not sure if you’ll be able to help, but I’d like to go for a run with my dog. I was hoping for maybe some ankle boots as these,' I indicated my thigh high boots. 'Aren’t ideal.'

  'No they’re certainly not,' she agreed. 'I’ll find some and bring them to you shortly.'

  In the common area of the lodge the men caught up with Brece and several of the town’s committee members. While Alek listened to the conversation he noticed Melanite hover near Brece, who turned and conversed with her.

  Brece turned to Alek. 'One of the women in your group wishes to take her dog for a run, will you accompany her? We’ve had sightings of tehnears lately, so I wouldn’t want her to risk it by herself,' he paused. 'You do still run?'

  'I do, I'll go get changed. Elena will have my head if anything happens to any of them.' Alek pushed his chair back and stood, working at the buckles on his arm greaves as he walked to his room.

  A soft knock sounded at our door and Melanite poked her head in. 'Hello?' She had a pair of boots hanging from one arm and some garments in the other. 'Here are the boots and I also brought the clothing I used to use when I was a messenger. They're clean, of course. The shorts have a drawstring so they should fit. The laces on the top pull it in so it can fit a variety of sizes.' She walked to the bed and laid down a pair of shorts and a short tunic top. 'Are you a messenger?' She looked at me curiously.

  'No. Why do you ask?'

  'Well, why would you run otherwise?' she asked in surprise.

  The four of us stared at her for a moment then Loi smiled brightly. 'Oh, Cat hasn’t run any messages for ages. She just runs for fun.'

  Melanite nodded then pulled out another garment that she’d concealed under her top. It was a long length of cloth with darts placed along it. I stared at it in confusion and the others gathered to stare at it. 'What is that?'

  She winked. 'It’s to stop you from bouncing.' And gestured at my chest.

  'Ohhhh,' we chorused in unison.

  I looked at it closer now. 'How do you put it on?' She quickly explained how to strap it then excused herself, needing to sort out the other rooms.

  'Alek is going to meet you out the front?' asked Sian.

  'That’s what Melanite said,' I replied while Loi and Kassie, each with one end of the "bra", walked around me.

  'Not too tight,' I half gasped. 'I need to be able to breathe.'

  Five minutes later and I sat on the bed, all bandaged up in the bra, while Sian quickly braided my hair.

  'Do you think it’ll work?' Kassie studied the bra.

  'I hope so,' I grunted, when Sian yanked on my hair, making the braid nice and tight. 'Bouncing isn’t fun.'

  Now ready to go, I did some quick stretches, getting a feel for my "new" jogging gear. The boots fit well, though the thin soles felt strange compared to my running sneakers. Audi whined at me; she knew all the moves. She raced over to the others then to the door, back to me, and back around again. I laughed and opened the door, waving to the girls and moved out the way when the dog shot past.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Alek paced at the front of the lodge while he waited for Catherine. About to go in search of her, he stopped when Audrey appeared at his feet, whining and crying with excitement. He laughed and bent to pat her.

  'She’s super excited,' Catherine called out as she walked in.

  Alek looked up to greet her then stopped. She wore shorts that revealed shapely legs, and a fitted tunic. He gaped at her for a moment. 'Run?! Err, I mean go for a run?' He flushed when she gave him a funny look, suddenly aware of his abrupt tone.

  'Yep, are you feeling alright?' Her green eyes stared up at him in concern.

  Shake it off Alek, he thought to himself. It’s not like you haven’t spent the last two days together. 'I’m fine. It’s just warm in here. What did you do to your hair?' he changed the subject quickly, studying the intricate braid that ran down the back of her head.

  I turned to show the plait off. 'Sian did it for me. It’ll keep my hair out of the way.'

  'Clever,' he commented then gestured with his head. 'This way.' We wandered through the village until we reached the north end, meeting a dozen dogs along the way. It made me very relieved that in dog world Audi was submissive, so she only said a brief hello before zooming back to us. Alek had already confirmed with the locals as to which track to take, but on our way out of the village we were stopped and warned to be careful by a variety of people. Way to install confidence, I thought and asked, 'What are we to be careful of?'

  Alek looked down at Catherine. Her eyes seemed troubled so he decided to deflect the question a little. 'Do you always go by Catherine? Can I call you Cat?'

  She looked surprised. 'Um. Well, my friends and family call me Cat.' Then she grinned at him, 'So you can certainly call me Cat.'

  The bubbly response amused him and he flashed her a smile while explaining. 'There have been tehnear sightings lately, that’s why they’re warning us.' Seeing her confusion he continued, 'It’s a large carnivore, but I don’t think we’ll have any issues. The griffons should scare anything like that off.'

  He said it nonchalantly so I wasn't bothered. Even after our encounter with the gragnolls and elgrids, not to mention the griffons we rode each day, it still seemed bizarre that this land had things that would eat us. Such a vast difference to back home. If Alek isn’t concerned I guess there's no reason for me to be, I thought. I followed him past the village entrance.

  We turned and began to jog along a track, just wide enough for us to run side by side. Audrey ducked from my side to his and back again, prancing as she did when happy. All my stress and tension b
egan to dissolve while we ran along. I hadn’t realized how off I’d felt. Going for a run felt like such a normal and pleasant thing, just what I’d needed. We started racing each other down the track, darting through the trees. Okay so I raced and he just ran but we had fun, laughing at Audi darting between us. I didn’t notice her disappear at first, the easy track made it effortless to dash along. When I realized she’d vanished I stopped and twisted to look back. Alek halted abruptly. 'What?' He looked around in confusion.

  'Audrey must have scented something, she’s disappeared. I want to make sure she catches up.' I looked around, listening carefully. I couldn’t hear anything yet, but didn’t panic, knowing how much Audrey loved to explore.

  Alek looked up and down the track too, a lock of black hair brushing his eyebrow. My stomach did flip-flops at the sight, especially when he turned that blue gaze on me. 'Should we call for her?'

  Too busy mentally swooning, I took a moment to register his words. 'What? Oh right.' I turned. 'AUDDRREEYYY!'

  Alek winced. Cat certainly has a good set of lungs, he thought. The contrast between the attractive woman beside him and the voice that sounded like a bull roaring…The edges of his lips twitched with repressed laughter and naturally, that was the moment Cat glanced up. She gave him a wide grin. 'I know, I know. Not exactly what you’d expect from me.'

  He laughed. 'I’m learning to expect the unexpected with you.'

  I stopped laughing when I heard the snap of twigs behind us and spun back. 'Audrey! Where have you been?' I scolded, peering for her. I couldn’t quite spot her so I walked a couple of paces into the bush, off the track. Please don’t let her have caught something; I wasn’t worried that she would have killed it, but most of the creatures Audi’s caught before die of shock rather quickly and it always devastated her. I think she has it in mind to mother them.