by Caleb Monroe
The distraught looking wingless griffins lethargically make their way to the door that will lead to freedom from their imprisonment. “You’re free. Shadow is going to get you home soon, but we have a few things to do first,” I say while petting an underfed yellow griffin behind the ears.
Without warning, the wingless griffins suddenly surge past me in a frenzy. “Where are you all going?” They leave the dark room filled with the debris of those deplorable prisons built by Pontis, and within a few seconds, I hear a scream originating from the main room. A human scream.
I run out and find the wingless griffins encircling the soldiers I tied up. “What are you doing? You can’t kill them.” I run up and try to push my way through the wall of angry griffins looking to exact their revenge on those who brought pain upon them. “If you do this then you are just proving Pontis right. You will be nothing more than just animals.” I get about halfway to the trapped soldiers when I see one of the griffins swing its talons, cutting one of the soldiers on his left arm.
The man shrieks in pain, but I cannot get to him.
“Shadow! Get in here, now!”
I hear a whoosh along with a mighty roar that commands every winged griffin in the room to stop what they are doing; however, the wingless griffins ignore his call as they are acting out of a murderous rage. They want blood, and it seems like nothing will stop them. Shadow slams his talon hard into the ground and roars again, and this time the wingless griffins pull back, cowering a little as they bow their heads to Shadow.
With silence filling this room, I can hear the destruction of the Gatekeepers beginning to quiet down in the other room. The griffins inside the room that used to hold the Gatekeepers begin emerging, and when they realize what the atmosphere of the room has turned into, they, too, bow.
As I watch the respect and submission that Shadow demands from the other griffins, I begin to envision what the Alpha was trying to explain to me. Shadow embodies everything it takes to lead the griffins on their home world, and I cannot allow him to abandon that task. He would only be hurting himself if he did not take his rightful place amongst the other griffins.
None of the griffins stir while Shadow stands before them. He begins to chirp and growl, prompting the griffins to raise their heads to look Shadow in the eyes. They lock on with their eyes and never lose track of him as he walks around the room. Shadow makes his way to my side once more and then stares at me while chirping.
“You want me to talk?” Shadow chirps again and nudges me in the side with his beak. I carefully make my way to stand before the griffins saying, “I don’t know what Shadow told you already, but I am sure he told all of you about the Mortem Mangoners that are sure to march on this kingdom at any moment. Now each of you has every right to want to leave this world and hate these people for what they did to you. I will be the first one to tell Shadow to open a portal to any world you choose if that is what you truly desire, but if you will hear me out, I am about to offer you the chance to prove these despicable people wrong about everything they said and thought about you.”
Shadow comes to my side as I tell the griffins, “I want you to stay on Liferné and help us defeat the crystal army that has hunted you and your kind for so long. They have captured and fed your brothers and sisters to the Imago as if you were nothing more than meat. They kill for no other reason than the pleasure they derive from it. So, I ask again, no I beg you, stay here with Shadow and me to prove to the people of this world that they were dead wrong for treating you like this. Show them that they should have let you live your lives free to roam this planet as you saw fit. Prove that you are more than mindless beasts and get revenge for all your fallen brothers and sisters who have died at the hands of the Death Riders—or retreat to another world, free to live your lives but avenging no one. Which do you choose?”
The griffins begin to look at each other, and I whisper to Shadow, “Think they bought our speech?” Shadow chirps to reassure me. One by one, all sixty griffins in the room begin to take a step toward Shadow. “Does that mean we convinced them?”
Shadow roars, beckoning the others to respond in kind. Their voices sing out and fill up this once dreadful building that was designed to keep them caged and drain their free will away. I climb onto Shadow’s back yelling, “Let’s prove them wrong and avenge the lives of your brethren who have fallen!”
Shadow rises a few feet off the ground and every winged griffin joins us in the air. The wingless ones turn and begin running for the front of the courtyard while the rest of the griffins soar above them.
Shadow and the griffins rise above the inner portion of the castle where they are joined by the other griffins. The sky darkens as the wings from over one hundred griffins nearly block out the sky.
Every man and woman below us stop fighting and stares into the sky at this striking sight. The ones fighting for Pontis are mystified by what they see. The courtyard, which only moments ago was filled with the sound of death and metal clashing, falls silent. But then I hear our soldiers starting to chant. It starts off small, but soon a chorus of chants can be heard rising from the castle floor.
They are chanting Cecilia’s name. I watch as the soldiers loyal to Pontis begin to lay down their weapons, understanding that they have lost.
“Land there.”
Shadow follows my directions and lands right on top of the main gates that he blew down not too long ago. Every griffin in the air mimics him by landing all around the high castle walls. Shadow is the first to roar, but soon every other griffin follows his lead. Our soldiers join in with their cries of victory and together we let the whole kingdom know that we have won the day.
As the cries die down some, Shadow and I descend to the courtyard where I dismount. “I need you to take thirty of these griffins and put them to work helping Captain.” Shadow growls at me after hearing my orders, and I tell him, “Of course you are coming back after you take them there. I need you by my side when the Mortem Mangoners get here.”
Shadow launches into the sky chirping and growling. I do not count the griffins that join him in the air, but it must be close to thirty if not more. They loyally follow Shadow as he leads them back to the base to help Captain.
“Why are you sending our troops away?” Tayus sheaths his sword as he comes to my side. “We will need every man, woman, and griffin to fend off the Mortem Mangoners.”
“Shadow is coming back after he drops those guys off with Captain. I need you to trust me. My trump card might be the only way we can win this war.” I point to the tops of the walls saying, “Besides, we have close to seventy griffins still here ready to fight. They want to defeat the crystal army just as much as we do.”
With that put to rest, Tayus turns and starts making his way to the throne room where this battle will end. “My father is in there with Cecilia and his personal guard.”
“Then I say it’s time we say hello.” Pointing at two of the wingless griffins I say, “Come with us.” They jog up, flanking Tayus, me, and ten other soldiers.
A few soldiers are ramming their shoulders into the throne room doors, but they are having no luck. “Why don’t you step aside, men.” Tayus speaks and his soldiers move clear of the doorway.
Without any need to be told what to do, the two wingless griffins use their cries and knock the large metal doors open, shattering the thick wooden plank that was placed on the inside of the door.
I enter first hearing, “Stay back! Stay back or I will kill her.”
I see that Pontis has two guards holding their spears up to Cecilia’s neck. “Nobody move! We didn’t come here to fight you, Pontis!”
“Really?” Pontis is hiding behind the white jagged throne he covets above all else. “Then why is it that you marched on my castle with enough men and griffins to kill every soldier I command?”
“You are wrong, father!” Tayus begins the long walk down the black walkway to the pristine throne. “This battle was never about killing you or your men; it was a
lways about placing the right person on that throne. The leader this kingdom needs. The leader we deserve.”
Pontis steps out from behind the throne, but all the while he keeps a strong grasp on it. “Can’t you see that I am the only one who can properly rule this kingdom? I was born to do this, not her.” Pontis spins around pointing at Cecilia while he falls onto the throne.
Cecilia, even with spears pressed against her neck, steps toward Pontis saying, “A true king would never put his people at risk the way you are doing right now. You are willing to sacrifice half of your kingdom if it means you and your coveted royals will survive. That is not how a king rules!” Cecilia’s eyes are burning with anger as she screams at Pontis. “I have been locked in this castle for months, and I know that nothing will ever persuade you to change how you perceive the people in your lower rings. You pretend like your life and the life of the royals closest to you are the only ones that matter on Liferné, and it disgusts me!”
Pontis sits upright in the seat of the throne, and using his most authoritative voice, says, “That is because they are the only ones that matter! My father taught me long ago that those less fortunate than we are only useful as tools to ensure our greatness lives on to be remembered. I have crafted the perfect system by placing this kingdom into rings. Can’t you see what I am trying to create?!”
“You will never understand, will you, Father? The lower rings will always just be a place for you to hold those you do not wish to associate with.” Tayus and I are now over halfway down the long walkway that will get us to the throne. You can hear the sadness in his voice.
“Don’t take another step closer, or I will have my men kill her!” Pontis yells as he jumps out of the throne.
“Don’t hurt her,” I plead. “No one take another step.” Everyone in the room freezes. Neither side seems to know what the next move will be.
It feels like we are caught in this standoff that neither side can win, and then suddenly it is broken by a third party I was hoping would wait a little longer before making its presence known.
“They’re here! They’re here!” A voice begins to echo through the back hall that leads to the throne room. “The Mortem Mangoner army is marching on the kingdom as we speak, and they have at least ten thousand men with them!” A scout enters the throne room falling to his knees as he tries to catch his breath.
Pontis runs over to the scout shouting, “What?!” Pontis grabs the young scout by his shoulders, shaking him saying, “You’re lying. The Death Riders are not on my world.”
The young scout shouts, “I saw them from the lookout! They are coming! There is no way we can survive this attack! There are simply too many for our army to hold back!” The young boy is trembling with fear.
I make my way to the edge of the platform that holds the throne saying, “I tried to warn you, Pontis, but you wouldn’t listen to me. I told you this was going to happen. We have to stop fighting each other and work together or else the crystal army will kill everyone inside this kingdom, even the precious royals you have tried so diligently to protect.” Pontis begins to frantically look around the room as if the answers to his problems are painted on the walls, but Cecilia’s face is full of terror.
“Pontis, you must realize what the greater threat is.” Cecilia tries to step forward again but is stopped by the soldiers restraining her. “This must be dealt with, with no delay. If you prolong this any longer, all will be lost. You must protect the entire kingdom!”
“What are your orders, your majesty?” One of the soldiers holding Cecilia asks.
“We… we… must protect… we must protect the royals! This must be a hoax. Yes, it is a trick by my son and the off-worlder designed to fool us into surrendering.” Pontis begins to laugh hysterically and starts speaking in such a rush that you cannot decipher what he is saying.
He is losing it.
“This isn’t a trick, Pontis! They’re coming, right now.” I take another step forward, leaving me only inches from the platform holding the throne.
“I saw them, I swear I saw them. They are only a few hours away.” The scout tells the soldiers loyal to Pontis. “We must act now, or they will kill us for sure.”
“Can’t you see that he is going to get us all killed!” Cecilia says to the soldiers holding her.
“There is nothing to fear, because this threat is not real!” Pontis runs up to Cecilia, stopping inches from her face. “I am going to save MY people. We will live on to preserve our culture while those in the lower rings serve their most important duty in life. They must die so that we can go on. The royals will be saved, and that is all that matters. I am the king! I am the…”
Cecilia pushes the spears away from her neck and neither of the soldiers does anything to stop her as she punches Pontis as hard as she can across the right cheek, knocking him unconscious. She turns around to face the soldiers, “I am the rightful Queen of Liferné, and I am ordering you to prepare your troops for battle with the Mortem Mangoners!”
The soldiers look back and forth between Cecilia and their fallen king. They stop when they realize Pontis is not waking up again, saying, “Yes, Your Highness!”
I run down the aisle and leap onto the platform holding the throne, and I pick Cecilia up into the air the moment my arms can reach her. When she comes down, I kiss her saying, “My Queen.”
“About time, Jacob.” She kisses me back.
“Sorry it took so long; we had a few things to take care of along the way here.”
Cecilia begins to walk toward the door and we all follow her as we leave Pontis behind on the platform he used to control. “We have a lot of work to do! Will you follow me? Will you fight for your Queen?” Cecilia walks out into the courtyard to cheers from the fighters and the griffins sitting atop the walls. She turns back around looking at Tayus and me saying, “Here’s what we are going to do.”
Chapter 16
“That was quite the unexpected find,” I say while closing the set of metal doors behind me.
“Sir, the Queen has requested your presence at the top of the western wall.” The young scout from earlier salutes me by putting a fist over his stomach, and I cannot help but notice that his hand is still trembling.
“No need to salute me, and definitely no need for the ‘sir,’” I say while walking past him.
“I’m sorry, sir. I mean Jacob.” I can hear the fear in his newly changed voice.
“Much better. What’s your name?” We get to a door that will allow us entrance into the interior of the castle wall and we make our way to the stairs to our right.
“My name is Baal. I am the top scout of my division.” He hurries to stay at my side as we ascend the winding staircase.
“Nice to meet you, Baal. Where are you from?”
“King Pontis placed my family in the seco…”
I spin around and quickly descend the stairs separating us, stopping one step above him. “Pontis is gone. He is locked up in a cell deep below the castle, and he will never be able to control you again. Your Queen, Cecilia, wants you to embrace who you are and where you come from. So, I’ll ask again. Where are you from?” I hear how abrasive that sounded, so I put on a quick smile, hoping to help Baal relax.
He composes himself and proudly declares, “I was born in a southern city of Liferné. I am proud of my father, who is a master builder, and my mother, who loves me more than anything.”
I turn to walk back up the stairs saying, “That’s what I like to hear. Now go find them, wherever they are in the fourth ring, and tell them you love them. Then go out and fight with everything you have.”
“But my Queen ordered me to escort you to her side.”
“Don’t worry about her. I will take full responsibility for your leaving. There is nothing…” I hear a thunderous noise as Baal takes the stairs by two as he runs off to find his parents. I open the door at the top of the stairs, and the first thing I look for is the foreboding pillars of smoke. “They’re almost here,” I say
as I approach Cecilia, who has her entire attention devoted to the catastrophe marching on her kingdom.
“We estimate that they are at least two hours away from reaching the castle.” Cecilia turns to me, but there is no smile to be found, and I would not expect there to be one at this dire hour. Her people, whom she loves more than anything, face the possibility of extinction. This is not the kingdom she planned to rule, but she will fight until her last breath to make sure she can return it to its former glory.
“We’re going to survive this.” I make my way to her side as she turns once again to gaze upon her broken and frightened kingdom.
Cecilia never takes her eyes off the pillar of smoke that is slowly creeping toward her kingdom. “You can’t guarantee that. You saw the crystal army yourself, twice. You know they have enough soldiers to kill every man, woman, and child in my kingdom and burn it to the ground, so that no one will ever be able to inhabit this land again.”
When I get to her side, I look out into the fourth ring that only hours ago belonged to the royals. “Our plan will work. You and Tayus came up with a great strategy that will save all of us, and I have something I have been working on that just might turn the tide for us if we need it. Where is Tayus?”
“Where the general of my army needs to be.” She points to a large mass of soldiers in the fourth ring who are marching for the gates. “He is leading his men to the third ring where they will encircle the castle to wait for the crystal army to arrive.” She looks me in the eyes, and I can see the doubt that has begun to take root inside of her. “You are sure that this is the best place for them to fight? It would be far more advantageous if they met the Mortem Mangoners in the first or second ring. The area with which they could fight in those rings is far greater than here.”
“I know that, but the surprise I have waiting for the Mortem Mangoners is being set up in the third ring, plus if we can get the Mangoners to squeeze into the third ring, it might help us deal with their superior numbers. They won’t be able to spread our troops thin this way.”
