by Caleb Monroe
The Battle for Liferné
Book Two of The Wind’s Cry
By
Caleb Monroe
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
Text Copyright © 2018 Caleb Monroe
All rights reserved.
Published 2018 by Progressive Rising Phoenix Press, LLC
www.progressiverisingphoenix.com
ISBN: 978-1-946329-72-1
Printed in the U.S.A.
1st Printing
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Edited by Mary Villaume.
Cover Artwork: “Griffin Rider” by Gordon Napier, Buckinghamshire, UK (http://dashinvaine.co.uk). Used by permission of the artist,
© Copyright 2018 Gordon Napier.
Cover design by William Speir
Visit: http://www.williamspeir.com
Book interior design by Polgarus Studio
Visit: http://www.polgarusstudio.com
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
EPILOGUE
Author Biography
Introduction
The Battle for Liferné is the second installment in The Wind’s Cry adventure books, and follows the adventures of Jacob and Shadow, the griffin who becomes Jacob’s best friend and companion. But this installment is only the beginning of what I’m creating. The Wind’s Cry is a multiverse that’s about to break open with an unstoppable force that’s looming over everything I’ve written up to this point. New characters, new plots, and new adventures will fill this multiverse, ultimately coming back together in the future installments.
I challenge you to search through Breaking Free and The Battle for Liferné to see if you can discover which plot points (both large and small) will have dramatic effects on all that is to come. The journey initiated with Jacob and Shadow is only the beginning.
They are coming…
Caleb Monroe
April 2018
Chapter 1
I’m in front of another crowd in another ring in another house, as I have been for three months, and it never gets any easier. After three disastrous meetings, I realized being a motivational speaker was not supposed to be my “calling.” I also realized that if I give into the stomach-churning uncomfortableness of my self-appointed charge, there is no hope that Cecilia or the people of this kingdom will ever be free from Pontis.
I look out into the faces of the craftsmen and their families, and realize that the inhabitants of this ring, just like the people in the two below it, are thirsting for a leader who can make them feel as if their lives matter, again. I have practiced this speech a hundred times with the griffins as my audience and given it at least another thirty times to different gatherings in the lower rings of the kingdom of Liferné.
I take one last deep breath before I begin my recruitment speech.
“I want to thank all of you for coming out tonight. I know that you are risking your lives, along with the lives of your families, just allowing me to come here and speak with all of you this evening.”
“How do we know we can trust you?” Shouts a man too afraid to step into the light and ask me face-to-face, fearing for his safety.
“You know, I get asked that every time I hold one of these meetings. It doesn’t matter if I am speaking with the farmers of the lower ring, other craftsmen of your ring, or the builders in the second ring. The first thing anyone wants to know is how they can be sure they can trust me. Honestly, you can’t. I’m not asking for your trust, I’m asking for your help.” I learned after the fifth meeting that my words will never be enough to earn their trust. I am an outsider, an off-worlder, and even worse, someone who is wanted by the king. I hold my gaze and snap my fingers. I show no fear as I stand before them.
The door behind me opens and Shadow, accompanied by four other griffins, makes his grand entrance. There is a collective gasp as everyone realizes just what they are seeing. Although Shadow stands nearly ten feet tall with his back rising to nearly six feet in height, he looks even larger stooping to fit through the door frame. He would make a Clydesdale look petite.
The soft light swinging above us illuminates the room enough to see the stark contrast in Shadow’s dark black, cat-like body as it connects to his eagle head. The pure white feathers of his mane give off a slight, grey glow that gives the appearance of a halo around his head. In moments like these, I am reminded how much reverence is due to him for all he has done for me.
When Shadow stands next to the other griffins, it is easy to see that he is special. He is nearly two feet taller than the rest, and he has at least a hundred more pounds of muscle, making his body even more imposing.
“You really are him.” A woman sitting near the front of the crowd says softly. “You are the man who stood up to Pontis and set those griffins free three months ago.”
Shadow comes directly to my side. I pet his soft mane while saying, “That was us. Shadow and I brought Cecilia back to Liferné so she could reclaim her throne, but what she found here bore only a soft resemblance to the great kingdom Liferné once was. Cecilia was outraged when she saw what Pontis had transformed this kingdom into. The idea that Pontis had taken you, the beautiful people of this kingdom, and placed you into rings that are meant to represent the value of your lives was detestable to her, and Cecilia could not stand for this egregious act.”
Looking around the room and seeing that I have them hooked, I continue, “From the moment we landed in the courtyard of the castle, Cecilia knew that measures had to be taken to right the wrongs done to her beloved home. She confronted Pontis and demanded that he tear down the walls separating the people of this kingdom into a hierarchical order that he believes accurately measures the value of an individual’s life. I was with Cecilia when Pontis paraded us around the castle proudly showing off what he was doing to protect those he deemed worthy of living in his kingdom. I watched as his select royals trained your sons to be cannon fodder on the battlefield ensuring that when war came, those he deemed expendable would die first.”
I hear a loud gasp from the back of the room, so I make sure to sell my point proclaiming, “That’s right! Pontis actually said that there is a right order for your deaths. The most expendable are the people in this ring and the two below.” The crowd is becoming restless, and I can feel the anger and tension in the air. The griffins, sensitive to human emotion, are beginning to stir.
This is my cue.
“Cecilia did everything she could to stop Pontis, but with the army and the royal guard backing him, there was little she could accomplish alone. She was quickly shackled and told by Pontis that he would publicly force her to yield the throne. He is going to use her as a puppet in his schemes, because he knows how much you love and cherish her, but you must understand that Pontis fears her.
“Cecilia, unlike the other royals, is not afraid to walk and talk with you on equal footing. She doesn’t look over her s
houlder when she strolls down your streets fearing that one of the lower inhabitants will try to steal everything she has. Cecilia believes that your lives are equally as important as the royals. She sees all life as precious and worth protecting.
“Cecilia loves all of you so much that when I broke her out of Pontis’ hold, she chose to stay behind rather than leave with me. She gave up her freedom because she knew that if she left, Pontis would hurt all of you just to get his revenge on her. Her love for her people is indisputable, and she freely chose to stay locked up with her enemy in order to protect the people of Liferné.
“That is the kind of leader she is. The kind of queen, who when given the opportunity to ride off in the sky with Shadow and me, decided to remain imprisoned in order to protect you. SHE is the ruler you deserve, not Pontis!”
The roar of cheers is deafening and the sound never grows old.
The leader of the third ring’s Guild of Craftsmen approaches me with his hand held out in front of him. “You have our guild’s full support. We will do whatever you need us to do to set Cecilia free. Pontis must be stopped.”
I shake his hand saying, “Thank you. With your guild added to our ranks, I now have the support of the whole third ring.”
The guild master slaps me on the back, and says, “That means you have the support of all three of the lower rings. So, when do we attack?”
“There is more work still to be done,” I say while holding my hands up in caution. “But it will not be much longer until we finally take Pontis down and put Cecilia in her rightful place of power.” Shadow gives a small chirp to agree with me.
I feel a slight tug on the back of my robe. “Is it true that you can really ride that griffin?” I hear a small, soft voice ask.
I look back and find a little girl holding onto my robe while she stares wide-eyed at the griffins in the room. I bend down saying, “I can. You see that big one right there?” I point to Shadow. “That is my best friend, Shadow. I found him when he was a baby and not much bigger than you, and we have been friends ever since. Do you want to meet him?”
The little girl meekly nods her head yes, but she will not take the first step toward him. I give Shadow a nod to get closer, and he slowly makes his way to her side. Shadow bends down and starts to sniff the little girl, causing her to laugh as his breath tickles her cheeks. The little girl bites her lips as she slowly extends her hand toward Shadow’s head. She is so small that Shadow has to lower his head so that she can reach him. When she gets closer to his head she stops, and it seems like fear has grabbed hold of her.
Shadow feels her trepidation and moves a step closer, putting his head against the little girl’s tiny hand. Her face lights up the moment she touches his feathers, and it’s as if all her fears just melt away. She pets his mane, and then confidently moves down to pet the fur that covers his side. I cannot help but see myself in this girl. Shadow can destroy the fear inside of us, and I will never be able to thank him enough for that.
She turns to me and says with a smile, “He feels so soft.” Shadow turns his head and licks her on the cheek, and she bursts into laughter. The rest of the children in the room have been watching, and now they too begin to approach the other griffins with no fear.
“You want to ride him?” I ask her.
“Really?” The joy inside the girl boils over as she throws her hands up in excitement.
I pick the girl up and place her on top of Shadow’s back. He carefully walks around the room using his wings to keep her from falling.
“I was a boy the last time I saw a griffin work with a partner.” I turn to see a man standing next to me. “My name is Rondo,” he says while extending his hand to me.
“Jacob. Nice to meet you.” I say as I shake his hand.
“That is my little girl there,” Rondo says with a proud smile on his face.
“She’s precious.”
“You really are going to try and take Pontis down, aren’t you?”
I turn to face Rondo saying, “I certainly am. Once I have the support of the fourth ring, I’m going to march into that castle and set Cecilia and the rest of the griffins free. I know that Cecilia as queen can right the wrongs done to this kingdom by Pontis and the other royals. I want to see this place be a kingdom where everyone works together, especially with the griffins. They deserve to feel loved by us, not subjugated.”
“That would be a beautiful sight to see. My father used to tell me stories about how the griffins would walk freely through the streets and play with the children just like your griffin is doing right now.”
We both turn and see a sight most of the Lifernians have only heard tales about. This room is full of people and griffins coexisting in harmony. I turn to Rondo saying, “This is what Cecilia believes in. That is how her kingdom will be.”
I make my way around the room shaking hands and thanking everyone who came. I want them to know that Cecilia and I are here for them. I need them to believe that together we can do this, or else this war is already lost.
The blackening sky filled with large, brilliant stars catches my eye as I pass before a small window. I find the guild master and tell him, “I cannot thank you enough for allowing me to do this.”
“If there is anything I can do to help you, then just ask. The third ring is another home for you now.”
“I actually do have one favor to ask of you. I ask this of every house I visit.”
The guild master graciously accepts my offer, so Shadow and I prepare to leave knowing that we have accomplished something great today. We leave the house of the guild master and quickly take to the sky to make sure that no one can connect these families to us. We must keep them safe. Anonymity must be a priority on these missions.
“Make sure you stay in formation.” I tell the other two griffins who are accompanying us to the next meeting. “We need to get to a higher elevation to ensure no one sees us entering the fourth ring. The royals there are not going to be as welcoming as the other three rings.”
Shadow and our two escorts use their powerful wings to rocket us high into the safety of the dark night sky. I have been doing this for three months now, but soaring through these beautiful star-filled skies will never become lackluster to me.
I bask in the beauty of the sky as Shadow pilots us to the next ring. Cecilia was right when she told me how stunning the night sky of Liferné is. I gaze at the stars surrounding me and remember wishing to get this close to the sky as a child camping with my parents. That was before their brutal murder, which left me paralyzed with fear for most of my life.
I feel my throat catch as I think about my parents and Cecilia, and I cannot help but wonder how she is doing. I haven’t seen her in months. I don’t even know if she is still alive. Shadow and I do plenty of flybys over the castle, but we have yet to see her or even the slightest inclination that she is still there. I get lost in thought, but Shadow gets my attention by throwing his wings out and stopping abruptly.
I look down and see the red smoke coming up from a house below. “Good eye, buddy. That is the signal we are looking for. You two,” I point to the other griffins, “stay in the air. Shadow will drop me off, and if I need help, I will call.” The two griffins chirp, and I give Shadow a pat on the side.
He takes my cue and folds both wings tightly against his sides. We start to dive head first at a tremendous speed toward the ground. I tighten my grip on Shadow’s mane as the cold air hits me in the chest and causes my stomach to drop into my shoes.
We get nearly twenty feet from the ground, and Shadow quickly releases his wings to pull up from the dive. Shadow only slows down a little, and as he soars a few feet above the ground, I jump from his back and hit the ground running. It took us a few weeks and a lot of bruises to get this right, but now I can quickly gain my composure and slow myself to a walk, while Shadow takes off for the safety of the night sky. This maneuver keeps Shadow moving and able to escape from harm and prying eyes.
I quickly pull the
hood of my robe over my head, knowing the danger I am in just being in this ring. As I pass the row of shops, I see a familiar face staring back at me: the wanted poster with my face plastered in the middle.
I look around the rest of the street and see things that remind me of my home on Earth. The buildings here are a mixture of brick and metal that make you feel as if you traveled back through time. Everything here seems so modern, from the street lights to the stores that have fully lighted interiors. I almost feel like I am taking a stroll down Main Street in the 1960’s.
This is a far cry from the medieval feel of the lower rings. Everything in the first three rings was rudimentary and ancient. This ring feels cleaner and has the modern conveniences I am used to. I pull the hood back a little to see that the house with the red smoke is only a block away now, so I quicken my pace to make sure I get inside without any soldiers noticing me.
The strange thing is that the last time I was here, there were soldiers crawling all over the place. I can’t tell if this is my lucky day, or if I should brace myself for a surprise attack. I steel my resolve and shrug off my doubts and fear. I already lost my parents; I will not lose Cecilia, too.
I stand across the street from the house where the meeting will occur and wait a minute before going inside just to be safe. I have been trying to get a meeting with any royal who will talk to me for the last two months and at the last minute this was given to me by my inside man.
I case the house to get a feeling for what to expect. It looks normal and I hear voices coming from inside and I see the red smoke coming out of the chimney. I know that for my plan to work I will have to retain support from at least a quarter of the fourth ring. I just hope that tonight I can get a small foot-hold into this ring and pray that something good will come from this.
