by Lucas Flores
Blackheart was shocked to see how big the creature had become just two days after it hatched. The last time she saw the beast, he was only the size of a dog. This time, he was the size of a horse and his wingspan was almost the length of the entire room. His body was covered in rich golden fur and his wings were lined with large feathers that fanned outward. The animal’s head and feet were a lighter shade of gold. The beak and talons were stained red.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace. The gryphon made a feast of the foreman,” a guard said as he gestured toward a pile of bloody clothes. The foreman’s body was unrecognizable.
Blackheart chuckled. “Good. That must be why it has grown so much. What a magnificent creature.” She stood in awe as the gryphon kicked and pulled against the restraints. In addition to chains, it took nine men to rope and keep the animal from moving.
Blackheart slowly stepped closer and looked deep into the creature’s beautifully colored red and green eyes. “I can strengthen an entire armament, even if I have to bleed you dry,” she whispered.
Blackheart couldn’t help but get carried away by her fortuitous circumstances. The gryphon’s growth in size ensured that there would be plenty of blood to fortify swords and armor. Also, Red was on her way to oblivion.
Blackheart smiled. Her new life was coming together nicely.
Eager to begin, she had the guards line up outside to check in their swords and spears. When they came in one at a time to lay their weapons down, the gryphon pushed and jerked its body to get free. Each time, Blackheart quickly corrected the beast with a swift slash of her dagger.
She could feel his steamy breath as he breathed heavily through the pain.
“That’s a good boy,” she said as she struggled to cut through the animal’s hind leg with her dagger. “Do we have all our armament ready?” she asked over her shoulder to one of the guards.
“No. Not yet, Your Grace,” he replied. “We’re still bringing in the rest of the blades from the workshop.”
“Good. I want every single piece of metal bathed in the gryphon’s blood. And make sure the blades are sharpened before doing so.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied. “I’ll have the blacksmith bring the sharpeners.”
Blackheart picked up a sword and ran her fingers along the blade, wearing her usual unforgiving smile. “I’d like to see those lepers try to escape me when I’m done with you,” she whispered as she stared into the gryphon’s eyes. “It’s such a shame. You’re such a beautiful creature, regal. Fit for a queen.”
Maybe after she was done with the animal, she’d mount the gryphon somewhere in the palace.
The ground vibrated and subsided beneath Blackheart’s feet and roused her from her thoughts. The gryphon grew in size one final time. With a shudder of his body, the animal snapped through the chains as if they were mere thread. Sparks flew throughout the room. The men who once held the beast at bay were crushed against the stone walls by a single flap of his powerful wings.
Blackheart ran and grabbed the nearest sword from the pile that sat against the wall. She paused to determine where best to strike and cripple him.
But before she could move, the animal pounced on top of her. She folded beneath the weight of the beast as he sank his claws deep into her chest and pinned her against the ground. He reared his head right and stared at the sword clutched in her hand.
Blackheart choked on her own blood. She tried to scream as hot searing pain filled her torso, but all she heard was the sword as it clanked against the ground.
The gryphon swung his head forward with his large golden beak gaping open. He clamped down on her shoulder.
Blackheart’s collarbone snapped.
The animal dug his beak deep into her flesh and jerked the front half of his body upward. Ripping through bone and flesh, he tore through her shoulder and bathed the walls with crimson streaks of blood. He lurched upward, sprang into the air, and smashed through the ceiling.
Stone and wood showered down onto Blackheart and buried her.
* * *
From horizon to horizon, the sky was bright and blue.
The gryphon rose higher and higher. He could feel the child’s presence and sense that she was in danger. He knew exactly where she was and that he was needed.
The animal soared into the sky. The earth below was still and quiet. The gryphon, christened with the sun’s energy, was bathed in hues of gold and auburn. With every push of his wings, he soared higher.
He arched his body and gave a final flit of his wings. He dove back down toward the earth. Air rushed past his body as he rocketed through the sky. His green and red eyes honed in on his target.
* * *
Red quivered as Zane and his men formed a tight circle around her. Zane aimed his sword at Red’s chest and steadied his stance.
A loud screech echoed in the sky. The sound repeated over and over again.
Red looked straight up. A small object approached, nothing more than a tiny shadow. The sun’s fierce glare concealed what was coming, but she could see it was getting larger.
“Zane, what is that?” one of the men asked.
A thunder-like boom echoed as the animal planted its paws and talons onto the ground and landed in a crouched position. It stretched out its wings, arched its back, and stood with incredible posture and poise.
“It can’t be,” Zane said. “It’s the gryphon. Only it’s much bigger now. Get in formation boys!”
The men backed away from Red and unsheathed their swords. Zane used hand gestures to signal where each of his men should stand. All moved into various places in front of him.
Red backed away from the group.
As sunlight glinted off the blades, the gryphon rushed the men. It trampled over them in a flurry of activity. Its wings swatted those furthest away while its talons slashed the faces of those nearest. The animal hopped from one guard to the next and drove its talons into their bodies as a final blow.
Zane took a few steps back. “Don’t go anywhere or that thing will tear you in half. And if it doesn’t, I will!” he shouted at Red.
Red inched further away from Zane. Her legs twitched. She wanted to run.
Zane charged toward the gryphon. The animal swung one of its wings. Zane crouched down and rolled sideways through the grass. He dodged the attack and sprang back onto his feet. He thrust his sword up underneath the gryphon’s wing. The blade made contact and pierced into the animal’s thick skin. Zane struggled to hold onto his sword, but it fell to the ground with a clank.
The creature screeched as it turned and faced Zane. Both hesitated. Zane dove for his sword. The gryphon reared back on its hind legs and brought its talons down on either side of him. He grabbed his sword and sliced into one of the gryphon’s legs.
“No!” Red screamed.
The animal screeched again. It hopped back and planted one of its talons down onto Zane’s forearm. Zane dropped the sword and roared in pain. He squirmed under the weight of the animal. The gryphon snapped its beak onto Zane’s shoulder and latched its talons into Zane’s body.
Zane cried out again as the animal gripped him tightly and jumped into the sky.
The scene reminded Red of how a bird of prey would catch a helpless rodent. She looked up and shielded her eyes from the sun. The gryphon flew higher and higher. She could just barely make out the shape of the animal and Zane’s limp body.
Silence.
The gryphon released Zane.
Red cringed and squinted in concentration as his body plummeted to the ground. No yells or screams.
Alone, Red stood in the middle of the sun-drenched field. The bodies of Zane’s men were strewn throughout. A couple were bloodied and torn open while another was bent into a funny, unnatural position. All were dead.
She was afraid to move but felt like she had to do something. She tried to listen for the gryphon. Nothing. All she could hear was the sound of the wind as it blew through the grass. She warily took a step, looked around, and then
darted as fast as she could to the carriage.
Red knew what had happened, but didn’t want to believe it. She didn’t want to believe that the tiny, cute animal that she helped hatch had become so big and so violent. Though she felt a little more at ease sitting inside the coach, she was now completely alone out in the middle of nowhere. She didn’t know what to do or where she should go. She stared out the window and waited.
A shadow enveloped the coach. Red leaned closer to the window and looked up.
The gryphon jetted across the sky. At a distance, it made a wide turn and extended its bright wings as it glided lower. Unlike before, the gryphon didn’t shoot down to the earth with a crashing force. This time, its wings flapped in a slow and steady fluid-like motion until its large feet and talons hovered just inches above the ground before finally making contact. The animal calmly walked to the coach and peered inside.
Red held her breath, inched closer to the door, and stared up into the beautifully colored eyes. The gryphon blinked and lowered its gaze, as if bowing. The animal then took a step back, yawned, and sat down a few feet away from the coach.
“It is you,” she whispered. Red opened the door and slowly climbed out of the coach. Even though the gryphon’s vast size still intimidated her, she took a few steps closer and slowly extended her trembling hand.
The gryphon lay on the ground and stretched its head forward, under Red’s hand. It then pushed its face upward against her fingers.
Red smiled and exhaled a sigh of relief. She caressed the side of the whiskered face. The animal blinked its large, beautifully colored eyes as Red stepped forward and leaned into her savior. “Thank you,” she whispered as she closed her eyes and patted the gryphon’s neck.
EPILOGUE
Red sat atop the gryphon and held onto the animal tightly. She stretched her neck up to look over its shoulders. The lands below her were vast, bigger than she could have ever imagined. Tall mountains lay as far as she could see on one side. On the other side, thick sprawling groves of trees.
“That must be the Caterpillar’s Forest,” she said. Marie had told her about its inhabitants and how dangerous it was to wander in there.
“I wonder what it’s like,” Red said as the wind whipped through her hair. All of her worries grew smaller the higher the gryphon flew. The palace was the last place she wanted to go, but there it was. The gryphon headed straight towards it.
* * *
Stillness filled the air in the stables of the palace.
A loud and mumbled chanting echoed against the blood stained walls.
“. . . shall be your torment. You will age, but never die. You will live, but life around you will be sucked dry.”
Elzana Blackheart thrust her hand upward and broke through part of the rubble that pinned her against the ground.
“You will age, but never die,” she repeated as she swatted the larger pieces of stone and wood off of her body.
Sitting upright, covered in dried blood, Elzana lifted both of her arms and examined her mangled body.
She placed her left hand over a gaping wound that stretched across her right shoulder and up her neck. She slid her fingertips against her collarbone, exposed and broken. It jutted out sharply and caused her entire head to wobble and tilt uncontrollably leftward. Despite all of this, she felt no pain or discomfort.
A smile crept onto Elzana’s face. “Well, well, well . . . ”
