Windsworn: Gryphon Riders Book One (Gryphon Riders Trilogy 1)

by Derek Alan Siddoway

  Wynn took off down the passage, leaving Eva, Fury, Sigrid, and Tahl in the cell.

  “You don’t have to come,” Eva told them. She tried not to think about wandering in the pitch black of the Catacombs with only Fury by her side. “You’re already both going to be in enough trouble.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” Sigrid said. “Of course we’re coming. Right, Tahl?”

  Tahl looked away. “Well…ow!” He rubbed his shoulder, and Sigrid raised her fists, prepared to punch him again.

  “You’re either coming, or I’ll knock you out and lock you in here,” Sigrid said.

  Tahl hesitated, and for a moment Eva thought Sigrid would follow through with her promise. “Fine!” he said at last. “But if we get court-martialed, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Using Wynn’s secret tunnel, they made it out of the dungeons and down to the lower levels without running into anyone else. When they reached the bottom of the storehouse floors, Eva stopped. The immaculately carved tunnels gave way to raw slabs of jagged rock, marking the beginning of the Catacombs.

  “Are they still searching?” Eva whispered to Tahl.

  He nodded. “Let me go first, a little ahead. If they catch me, you two can still make a run for it, and I can pretend like I’m delivering a message or something.”

  They agreed, and Tahl took the lead, traveling by the light of a shuttered crystal lantern he’d procured along the way. After only a couple of levels, however, it sputtered out, leaving them in darkness.

  “Great,” Sigrid hissed. “How are we supposed to see a storming thing down here? If we don’t run into a patrol, we’ll probably fall down some pit and break our necks!”

  “They aren’t just lying around everywhere, you know,” Tahl said. “I was lucky enough to find one at all!”

  “Oh for crying out loud,” Eva said, pulling the Wonder out from beneath her uniform. It cast a dim light ahead, just as good at the crystal lantern. “Can we keep moving?”

  Tahl shot Sigrid a questioning glance, but she shook her head. Now in the front, Eva led the way with no idea which way to go. It was the deepest she’d ever been in the mountain, and the chill of the dark seeped through her uniform. The passage narrowed until they had to walk single file: Fury, then Eva and Sigrid with Tahl in the back. All of a sudden, Fury stopped, causing them all to crash into one another.

  Sigrid cursed. “What’d you stop for?”

  “It’s Fury,” Eva said. The gryphon raised his beak into the air as if sniffing the air. He let out a low hiss and, without warning, sprang away into the darkness.

  “Fury!” Eva, Sigrid, and Tahl ran after him. After a few dozen paces they came around a bend and were met with a three-way fork in the road.

  “Storming little monster!” Sigrid said. “Eva, which way did he go?”

  Eva had no clue, but she closed her eyes and tried to summon the same connection she’d felt with Fury the night of the attack. Nothing came to mind.

  “I…I don’t know,” she said after a long moment. At the same time, voices echoed up the tunnel to the right, growing louder.

  “Well, you’d better figure it out!” Sigrid hissed. “We’re about to have company!”

  Eva gritted her teeth, heart pounding in her ears. She had no sense of the direction Fury had taken. Straight or left? The voices grew louder, and the first flicker of light reflected around a bend.

  “Eva!” Sigrid said. “Just pick one!”

  “Hold on!” Eva’s eyes flickered back and forth between the path, and now she could hear footsteps accompanying the voices. “Ahh…”

  “No time, pick!” Tahl whispered.

  Eva took a deep breath and pointed an uncertain hand straight ahead. “This way.”

  They sprinted down the middle tunnel, several sharp bends hiding their light from the patrol approaching the split in the tunnels. The voices of the patrol faded in the background, but they saw no sign of Fury. Eva started to second-guess herself and thought about turning back. At the same time, the path slanted downward, and she stepped tripped, then fell headfirst.

  Unable to stop, Eva tumbled down the slope, banging into the rock walls. Sigrid and Tahl crashed behind her, but after several yards the path leveled out again and they all rolled to a stop. As soon as they did, a large stone rolled across the tunnel, blocking the way they’d come.

  “Storm it all,” Sigrid moaned as they struggled to their feet. “I’ve had about enough of wandering around in this sky-forsaken hole!”

  While Tahl tried to budge the stone slab, Eva untangled the Wonder stone from around her neck, grateful it hadn’t chipped or broken. The light revealed a small, round cavern, the path continuing just ahead of them.

  “This isn’t going anywhere,” Tahl said, smacking the rock with his hand. “Guess we’re committed.”

  On one hand, she felt relieved they couldn’t be followed. One the other, she realized, it also meant no help would be able to reach them. They were on their own.

  They passed around a sharp bend and saw an orange light just ahead, glowing like coals in a forge. Eva tucked her Wonder inside her tunic, guided by the fiery gleam. The tunnel opened into a large cavern, and she saw Fury ahead, sitting and staring up at an enormous archway built against the far wall.

  Eva shuddered and knew without a doubt they’d found the cavern from Ivan’s dream. Illuminated by a series of raw crystals set in nooks in the wall, the runes carved into the arch loomed jagged and harsh. Eva’s skin crawled, and she tore her eyes away. When she walked to Fury’s side, however, he acted like she wasn’t even there, staring up at the carvings.

  Sigrid made a short search of the chamber and swore. “Dead end. We’re stuck.”

  In spite of the ominous feeling it gave her, the arch pulled Eva’s eyes back to it. Soon they were all standing in a line, staring at the wall.

  “I wonder if it’s some kind of altar.” Tahl said in a hushed voice.

  “Storming magic,” Sigrid said in the same disgusted voice she’d used when Eva first showed her the Wonder stone. “Let me take a look.”

  Both Eva and Tahl turned to look at her, surprised. “Some of the characters look like the runes the Bersi use.”

  “Sigrid’s Bersi,” Tahl said, seeing Eva’s confused look. “They’re a small southern tribe, distant cousins to the Scrawls.”

  Eva stared at her. Despite Sigrid’s hawkish features and raven-colored hair, she’d always assumed the girl was Sorondaran. There were a few recruits from some of the other cultures across western Altaris, but they were a rarity and Eva had only seen a handful in all the months she’d been living in the Gyr.

  “If you tell anyone, I swear I’ll punch your lights out,” Sigrid said, still staring at the runes. Although her concentration was fixed on the wall, Eva still took a step back.

  “It’s sort of a secret,” Tahl explained. “Only myself, the lord commander, and a few others know.”

  “Your secret’s safe with me,” Eva said in what she hoped was a convincing voice. But Sigrid wasn't listening. She peered closed at each rune, mumbling things under her breath, and she traced the outline, brow furrowed in concentration.

  “Bring me some light,” Sigrid said, waving her hand for Eva to step closer.

  Eva pulled out the Wonder’s chain from beneath her tunic and held the stone up as high as she could. As soon as the pale light touched the rock, the rune markings started to shine. Soon, the entire arch glowed like a blade just pulled from the fire and the entire chamber shone like the noonday sun. Pulled from his apparent trance, Fury hissed and backed away, the humans following suit.

  Like blood leaking from a wound, the light spread from the rune carvings out across the wall within the arch. Glowing spiderweb cracks appeared in the rock. The webs of light spread faster and faster until the stone cracked and snapped, crumbling to the ground.

  “We’ve got to get out,” Tahl said, grabbing Eva by the arm. “The chamber’s collapsing!”

  “Wait!” E
va said, pulling her arm back. The last chunk of rock fell away, and the dust settled, revealing a passage on the other side. A second later the orange glow flickered out, leaving them in the light of Eva’s Wonder.

  No one moved or spoke. Grit and dust filled the air, and Eva coughed, breaking their stunned silence. Undaunted, Sigrid stepped through the opening.

  “What are we waiting for?”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The glow of the Wonder stone cast long shadows down the passage, and dust shone in the stale, still air. More ancient runes were carved into both sides of the rock tunnel. Eva tried not to look at them. She sensed a dark presence exuding from them, untold years of malice and hate bearing down on her. Their meaning seemed clear: You should not be here. The Windsworn hold no sway in this part of the mountain.

  They continued downward at a slight slope for a few more minutes until Sigrid stopped abruptly and threw up a hand to hold Eva back.

  “What is it?” Eva said, peering ahead of them into the gloom. It looked like the corridor widened into a large room.

  “I’m not sure,” Sigrid said, examining both sides of the tunnel. “Just a hunch, but…”

  Tired of waiting, Fury pushed past Eva’s and Sigrid’s legs and bounded across the threshold of the larger chamber.

  “Fury, no!” Eva snatched at his tail, but it was too late. As soon as the gryphon’s rear paws touch the stone floor at the end of the tunnel, a loud click sounded followed by rock grinding on rock.

  “Get down!” Sigrid leaped back, driving Eva to the ground with her. Eva felt a whoosh of stale air and looked up. A massive stone hammer swung down from the ceiling, cleaving the air where Eva and Sigrid had stood a moment before. It took several passes before its momentum played out and the hammer hung in the center of the chamber entrance, harmless.

  They three of them rose, and Eva shuddered at the thought of what the hammer would have done had it connected with any of them. She scowled at Fury, who sat unharmed on the other side of the entranceway, head cocked to the side, waiting for them.

  “He’s going to get us all killed,” Sigrid muttered.

  “All right?” Tahl asked, face ashen.

  Eva nodded. Her heart continued to race, and a tremble ran through her body.

  “From now on, nobody goes in front of me unless I say so,” Sigrid said. She pointed an accusing finger at Fury. “Understood?”

  The gryphon rolled his head in exasperation but waited and fell in behind Eva when she passed. The chamber was cut into a many-sided geometric shape. On the wall opposite were three tunnels. Each had a different rune carved above the entrance.

  “Hold on,” Sigrid said, holding up her hand for them to stop. “Before I get smashed to a pulp, why don’t you all stay back while I take a look at things?” She walked within an arm’s reach of each entrance but made sure no part of her body passed the threshold.

  “What do they say?” Tahl asked after she’d studied them in silence for several minutes.

  “This language is all jumbled,” Sigrid muttering, shaking her head. “It’s old — far older than the runes any of the southern cultures use. I can only make out about a third of the words. From what I can tell, two passages lead to death, while the third continues deeper to something called the Heart of the Mountain.”

  “So, how do we figure out which is which?” Eva asked.

  “I don’t know, send that crazy gryphon of yours through and see what happens!” Sigrid snapped. Glancing at Fury, Eva decided to let Sigrid work things out on her own.

  Muttering under her breath, Sigrid stared at the three tunnels for another long stretch. Eva grew more anxious with each passing minute — they didn’t have time for this. She looked at Tahl, who cleared his throat.

  “Couldn’t we just throw something through each one and see what happens?” he asked.

  Sigrid turned around and rolled her eyes. “Oh thanks, golden boy,” she said. “Why hadn’t I thought of that?”

  She knelt down in front of the middle tunnel and pointed to a large square block cut into the rock. “That’s a pressure plate, just like the one Fury stepped on that made the hammer swing down. If you step on the wrong ones, something very bad will happen.”

  “Then can’t we just jump over it?” Eva asked, although she was pretty sure she already knew the answer.

  Sigrid shook her head and pointed deeper down the tunnel. “There’s plates going back farther than you can jump. More than likely, whichever one you step on first will trigger something else nasty. You might get pulped by another hammer, impaled on a spear that shoots out of the wall, dropped into a pit…take your pick.”

  “So, what do we do, then?” Eva asked, growing more frustrated. “Sit here until we die of old age or until we go insane and each walk through a tunnel to see who doesn’t meet a nasty ending?”

  Sigrid’s eyes narrowed, and but as she opened her mouth to retort, understanding dawned on her face. “That’s it!”

  Eva glanced back at Tahl, who shrugged. “I think she’s lost it.”

  “No, idiots, listen,” Sigrid said, motioning to them to come closer. “That’s what we have to do — all three of us will step on a plate at the same time!”

  Eva looked at Tahl again — he seemed just as reluctant as her to step on any more plates after what had just happened. “Are you sure, Sigrid? Last time we did that, a giant hammer almost squished us.”

  Sigrid nodded and pointed to the runes. “I’m sure… mostly. The trick will be to step at the same time. And whatever you do, don’t move until I say we’re clear. Eva, you take the left. Tahl, middle. I’ll take the right.”

  As the other two took their positions, Eva looked back at Fury. “Don’t. Move.”

  The gryphon cocked his head to the side and chirped before lying down.

  “Okay,” Sigrid said. “On my count.”

  “One.”

  “Two.”

  “Three.”

  Eva held her breath and stepped onto the plate. As soon as both feet touch the square stone, she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for something horrible.

  “Hold very still.” Sigrid said.

  Eva felt a rumbling in the ground and clenched her teeth, willing her body to stay on the pressure plate instead of running away like every fiber of her screamed to do. The rumbling grew louder, and she could feel the ground beneath her quaking. She started to panic. What if the pressure plates dropped out from beneath them? What if something fell out of the ceiling above her?

  “HOLD!” Sigrid yelled.

  A boom like thunder reverberated through the chamber, knocking all three of them off their feet. When Eva looked up, a large slab of stone had fallen in front of her, sealing off the passage. To her right, Sigrid’s tunnel was blocked as well, but Tahl’s remained clear.

  “I thought I said nobody move?” Sigrid said, climbing to her feet and dusting herself off.

  They all shared a nervous laugh, then Sigrid led the way again. The tunnel beyond the chamber was just wide enough for them to fit single file. But Sigrid refused to carry the Wonder, although she remained in the lead. Tahl’s shoulders brushed against the walls, and his head almost touched the ceiling. Just as Eva started to feel claustrophobic, they came to another open room again, this one about half the size of the first. A small square table sat in the center.

  Motioning for the others to hang back, Sigrid took a cautious step forward, then another. When she made it to the table, she turned and beckoned them to follow. Joining Sigrid, Eva saw three of the four corners had a rune cut into them. The fourth was blank.

  “What do we do?” Eva wondered. She looked around the room but couldn’t see any pitfalls. The walls were solid rock, without any way out save for the way they’d come in.

  “It’s some kind of puzzle,” Tahl said. “I think the table will spin if we push hard enough.”

  To illustrate his point, he braced himself and shoved at one corner, and the table shifted a few inches before Sigrid yan
ked him back.

  “Don’t. Touch. Anything,” she hissed. “There are consequences to everything we do down here!”

  “Sorry,” Tahl muttered.

  Sigrid shook her head, swearing under her breath, and traced the runes on the table with her finger. After a moment, she looked up at the wall. Using her arm, she wiped away the grime and cobwebs, revealing a larger version of one of the runes on the table. She dusted off two other spots on the wall and found runes matching the other two on the table’s corners.

  Eva looked down at the table then up at the runes carved into the wall. They were one off from matching their positions.

  “So, we just line them up?” she asked

  “Looks that way,” Sigrid said. “But I’ve got a bad feeling there’s more to it.”

  They fell silent as the dark-haired girl tapped a finger on the table, glancing back and forth from the table to the walls.

  “Okay,” she said at last. “Right now, the blank space faces the way we came in, and all the other runes are off one to the right. So, by that logic, if we turn the table to the left, two of the runes will line up. Which means there’s no way for all three runes to line up.”

  Eva felt a sinking feeling as she realized the puzzle was more complicated than they’d first thought. Even so, she was impressed — until then Sigrid hadn’t seemed like much of a thinker — unless you counted thinking about bashing someone with a sword. She knew already they could have never made it without the other girl.

  “Maybe…” Eva said, voice trailing off as tried to untangle her thoughts. “What if there’s more than one other passage out of here? What if each rotation opens another passageway?”

  “Not a bad thought,” Sigrid said. “The only problem is I’m not sure which way we want to go. I’m also not sure what will happen if we just start spinning things around.”

  She stared at the table and the walls, and then her eyes widened as they fell to the floor. “Of course!”

  Eva and Tahl looked at each other as the girl dropped to the ground and started sweeping at it furiously with her uniform sleeve. “Don’t just stand there like a pile of pigeon droppings, get down here and help me!”