The chained gryphon was still resident at the far end of the arena. Jorrell had stopped by its side a couple of times to give it a pat, and he’d spoken a few words to it every time he’d passed. The gryphon had been far more relaxed this morning, almost as if it found Jorrell’s continuous trips across the space hypnotic. It had lain on its belly, its deadly forepaws crossed in front of it, and had watched. It only tilted its head or shuffled its wings to acknowledge anything Jorrell said to it.
Jorrell paid attention to the En Dek while he worked. They appeared to be performing some sort of training exercise. He watched them closely, trying to figure out what they were doing and to see the reasoning behind it. He wasn’t the only one watching them; the recalcitrant gryphon also paid attention. Jorrell thought he might be going a little mad from the stench, but the beast seemed wistful, almost as if it wanted to join in, but didn’t know how. Jorrell understood that feeling.
There was more laughing and joking over the midday meal, which was served in the echoing cavern that was the dining hall of the barracks. Long, rough wooden tables ran the length of the room. They were banded on either side by benches - that would have been full of splinters, having been crudely constructed - except that they’d been worn smooth by thousands of backsides rubbing over them over the years. The food was plain, uncomplicated fare, but that was to Jorrell’s taste, too. He sat between the En Dek and the Felthissian army, feeling included in both groups.
Being mostly uneducated, the soldiers had a way of speaking that Jorrell was not used to, they were far more liberal in their use of profanity, but he was experiencing a companionship that he’d never felt before. He’d been brought up with Serwren and Erkas, and although he would always count Serwren as his truest friend, Jorrell had never experienced such light-hearted banter, such relaxed male company. He hadn’t realised he’d been missing something, but he loved it. He felt more comfortable, more at home than he did in his own house. As the day progressed, an idea began to form in his mind.
Of course, while they’d been eating, the gryphons had been partaking of their meal, too, and it wasn’t as if they’d resisted emptying their bowels during the course of the morning. When Jorrell returned to the arena and saw the fresh piles of dung, he wondered if he hadn’t been given a never-ending task.
“Hey, boy.”
Jorrell turned at the call to see En Balamon walking towards him.
“Come with me.” El Balamon beckoned as he walked straight past Jorrell and across the arena. Jorrell dropped his shovel into the barrow and hurried to catch him up.
En Balamon did not stop walking until he reached the chained gryphon. The great animal pushed to stand as the En Dek approached. It backed up a step, but it showed no aggression.
“This one is known as Kai,” En Balamon said as he produced a large key and unlocked the weighty iron collar. The gryphon chuffed at the sound of its name, but stood patiently while it was released.
Jorrell repeated the name, and the gryphon chuffed again.
“Do you want to learn to ride a gryphon, boy?” En Balamon asked him with a sly smile as he hefted the collar onto the grit of the arena floor. The heavy chain settled with a series of grinding clinks.
“This one?” Jorrell wasn’t sure whether he’d just been handed the opportunity of a lifetime or a death sentence.
“Might as well. You’ll need to follow us to the Isle tomorrow somehow, and riding is the quickest way. The other beasts are taken, and this one seems to like you. Maybe it won’t buck you off.”
“Maybe?” Jorrell scoffed.
“Maybe,” En Balamon returned. “Now you get on by calling ‘Hi-ek’.” At the command, the gryphon dropped to kneeling on its forelegs. “Huh, that’s the first time it’s obeyed that.” En Balamon shrugged. “Now, use its knee as a step, use its wing as a handle and a stirrup, and get yourself onto its back.”
Jorrell felt like his brain was playing catch-up. “There’s no saddle,” he said dumbly.
En Balamon motioned at the gryphon. “Look at it, boy. It’s fucking huge. It would take the leather of twenty cows to make a saddle big enough to fit it. And besides, it isn’t needed.”
“Not needed?”
“Boy, are you simple? It’s not a fucking horse. A saddle won’t help you stay on a gryphon if the gryphon wants you off. Now try and get on the fucking thing.”
The gryphon, Kai, huffed, as if offended at En Balamon’s choice of phrase and impatience.
Not wishing to appear simple in the mind, or afraid, Jorrell followed En Balamon’s instructions. He was more than a little nervous about being quite so close to the wickedly sharp beak, but the gryphon only blinked its golden eyes as Jorrell scrambled ungraciously onto its back. It took him a moment to find his seat. The gryphon’s body was warm, almost too hot, and the even heaving of its breathing nearly unseated him.
“Not the most graceful way to do it, but it’s not the worst that I’ve seen. You’ll get used to it,” En Balamon pronounced. “Now, ‘Shai’ is an all encompassing command for fly, go faster, anything of that nature. ‘Loh’ is the opposite. Shout that to slow down or to land.”
“Is it hard of hearing? Is that why I have to shout?”
Kai chuffed as En Balamon laughed. “Yea, gods, no. But it’s fucking noisy up there when its wings are going and the wind’s rushing past you.”
“Okay. What else?”
“Hold on and try not to fall off.”
“That’s it?” Jorrell asked incredulously.
“You need more instruction than that?” En Balamon asked with a wide smile.
“No. I suppose not. What do I hold onto, though? Do they not have bridles at least?”
En Balamon laughed again. “Boy, you take a gryphon into battle because they eat your enemies. They’re not much fucking good at that if you wrap the bitey end up in leather, rope and metal. Just try not to pull his feathers.”
“Does that hurt them?”
“Of course it fucking does.”
Jorrell decided to treat it like riding a horse bareback. A really big horse. He would have to rely on gripping its body with his thighs and knees. He settled his seat as firmly as he thought possible, braced his hands on either side of the wide, muscled neck, just about where the feathers became down and then fur. A thought occurred to him. En Balamon was walking backwards, getting out of the way.
“Wait. Is this a... is it male or female?”
Again the gryphon chuffed as En Balamon laughed. Jorrell felt its tail flick the back of his head, and got the sense that he’d just been chastised for being impertinent.
“Why? You think you can charm this one as well as you charm that lovely young miss who came by this morning?”
Now it was Jorrell’s turn to laugh. “Oh, I’m under no illusions. Serry’s the one that does the charming.”
En Balamon chuckled. “Yes, that she does. Disturbingly well, I might add.” He waved at the gryphon. “But yes, Kai’s a female, if that makes any difference to you.”
Jorrell thought maybe it did. He didn’t lessen his grip on the gryphon's body, but he took a moment to stroke the silken feathers of its head before he resumed his hold and shouted “Shai.”
Jorrell was almost jolted out of his seat as Kai stretched and flapped her wings. He tried to remember not to yank at her feathers, and instead used the great rolls of muscles over her shoulders as a handle. The gryphon gave an almighty shove with her hind legs and launched herself into the air.
All the breath left Jorrell’s body in a whoosh at the sheer exhilaration of the moment. He was caught between the solid, sleek body beneath him, the endless sky above and the power of the immense wings moving in a relentless rhythm on either side of him.
He whooped and laughed as Kai wheeled and soared over the barracks, swooping over the palace and down over city, almost brushing the higher roofs with the tips of her wings on the down stroke. They flew out across the bay and over the sea of Thleen. The water stretched out endlessly
below them. From this vantage, Jorrell could see that the water was not a solid colour, but mottled shades of green, blue and turquoise thrown up by reefs and shoals emerging amongst the depths.
The feeling of absolute freedom, the certainty that they could fly until they had crossed the sea completely, that they could go anywhere, made Jorrell dizzy. The only tether that made him nudge Kai until she swooped into a low arc back towards the coast was the knowledge that Serwren was in the palace, waiting for him. Jorrell thought about being the one to show Serwren this exhilarating freedom; he would give much to be able to have that opportunity.
En Balamon had been right. Jorrell was almost deafened by the rush of the wind and constant bass beat of Kai’s wings forging their path through the air. He barely needed to call out the commands in the air to control Kai, she responded exactly as his horse did to the slight pressure of his thighs and knees. Jorrell leant forwards. He braced his forearms along the gryphon’s neck and used its head as a shield.
They flew close to the ground on the way back to the barracks, hugging the line of the coast. Something on one of the sandy spits of beach caught Jorrell’s eye. He brought Kai to wheel in a circle so he could get a better look. A second glance confirmed that he’d seen Erkas’ horse, and yes, that Erkas was lying on the sand, a short distance from the prancing animal. Jorrell seriously considered for a moment, the possibility of commanding Kai to eat Erkas, but he discounted the thought before it was fully formed. People would notice that the sneak was missing.
“I wonder what the command is for ‘shit’.” Jorrell wondered aloud as they wheeled over the beach again.
The gryphon appeared to understand him perfectly. Jorrell felt the roil of the body beneath him, and the bunching of muscles behind him as Kai lifted her tail high. Jorrell beckoned the gryphon to soar higher and to wheel back around. They turned just in time for him to see the steaming pile of dung splatter directly over Erkas.
At his command, Kai landed perfectly neatly, almost daintily, in the arena of the barracks. Jorrell was reluctant to dismount and bring the enthralling interlude to an end. He kept his seat on Kai's back, stroking and patting her neck in appreciation. En Balamon walked over as Jorrell was still breathlessly recovering from the excitement.
“Well, boy. Looks like your charm worked on her. She’ll be your ride for tomorrow.”
~o0o~
Jorrell was no less bleary-eyed the next morning when he arrived at the barracks. He’d spent longer than was prudent in Serwren’s room, barely dragging himself away from her before dawn broke. They had spent the night talking and making plans, in between passionate caresses. Jorrell had not wanted to give up the feeling of Serwren asleep on his chest; it was too sweet a peace to end it. But if he were to be found in her room, then no amount of pleading would persuade anyone to take their courtship seriously.
She was standing beside her father now, her brother at her other side. Jorrell was beside Kai, at the end of the line of gryphons and their riders who were standing to attention in the presence of the First Father. En Balamon was speaking his last words with Dimacius, Jorrell's own father and General Hitaal. His little sister, Elthrinn, had been deemed too young to attend, especially as she had wailed and cried until she exhausted herself into sleep when he’d told her that he had to go away for a while.
If he hadn’t been looking at her, he would have been surprised when Serwren suddenly broke away from her father’s side and ran towards him. She threw herself into his arms with a sob. Jorrell caught her. He was astonished, but not displeased. They’d never made such a public display of their affection for each other. Jorrell could only think that it might help their cause, but then Serwren was reaching up and kissing him and he was helpless not to kiss her back. His mind filled only with thoughts of how much he was going to miss the girl in his arms.
He didn’t want to let her go. He wouldn’t have, except her father shouted her name.
“Serwren!”
When she pulled back, Serwren was pale and her cheeks were wet with tears. As he wiped them away with his thumbs, Jorrell looked over to Dimacius, making sure to stand tall. He would not cower, could not, if he was to prove himself a worthy suitor. Dimacius was blatantly furious, but that wasn’t what turned Jorrell’s blood to ice.
Erkas face was etched with rage. He had always been jealous, Jorrell had thought Serwren’s brother had always coveted their close friendship, but in that moment, he knew that Erkas coveted more than that, much, much more.
“Take care, Serry. Protect yourself.” Jorrell whispered before he kissed her forehead. He had to unwind her arms from around him before he could give her a gentle push to send her back to her father.
Sending her back to the watching ranks was the absolute last thing he wanted to do. His fingers curled into claws with the need to hold her close, to keep her with him, where he knew she would be safe. But unless they planned to elope on an unpredictable gryphon, he needed to carry out the rest of his punishment, and he needed to come up with a plan for his future so that he had something of worth to tell the First Father when he asked for Serwren’s hand in marriage.
Jorrell knew that there would not be one moment in the coming days when he would not be fearing for Serwren’s safety. He could only whisper prayers to the gods that they would keep her safe in his absence.
Chapter Five
During the first night of Jorrell’s temporary exile, Serwren didn’t sleep at all. It wasn’t Jorrell’s absence from her bed that kept her awake. That he’d spent the previous two nights with her had been an anomaly rather than the norm. It was true that he often visited her after dark, but he rarely stayed until dawn. They were both too fearful of discovery. He didn’t visit her every night. Sometimes, their official lives intruded on their private existence, and they had to make way for duty.
It was the knowing that he was going to be gone for several nights that kept Serwren awake, as well as fear for herself. She knew that Jorrell would be alright, deep below the superficial anxiety, she knew. It was the sort of situation that he excelled in. There was something about his manner, something open and easy, that enabled him to communicate with strangers in a way that she could not. Where she was naturally guarded and careful unless making an effort not to be, he was free and relaxed.
Her fear for herself stemmed from her brother and her father, although, she wasn’t sure she was quite in her right mind when thinking such things. Erkas was her brother; he wouldn’t hurt her. And yet, when he’d spoken to her, after Jorrell had left for the Isle of Gryphons, there had been menace in his tone, something dark that she hadn’t heard before. When Jorrell had whispered to her to protect herself, she hadn’t understood his meaning, but after speaking with her brother, she began to wonder. The fear of her father was purely anxiousness about the plans he obviously had for her that he hadn’t expanded upon yet.
Having hardly slept the night before, Serwren was pale and listless when morning came. Her ghostlike state did not improve as they day progressed. She found it difficult to settle at any task. She couldn’t find any enjoyment in reading, or her studies. Consul Remmah had been angry and disappointed with her lack of attention in class. As the only pupil that day, Serwren bore the full brunt of the consul’s caustic tongue.
Erkas had been nowhere to be seen. It was unusual, even for him, to be so absent. Serwren wondered what he could be doing; she was sure it would be nothing good. Consul Remmah had muttered about speaking with her father about Erkas’ negligent attendance, but Serwren doubted that either the consul’s or their father’s scoldings would have much effect on her brother. He would endure the chastisement and then do as he pleased anyway.
Following her classes, Serwren wandered aimlessly through the palace gardens. It wasn’t the season for the displays to be at their peak; expanses of soil were visible in the beds between the barren, dry stalks of the plants. It wasn’t really warm enough to enjoy the space properly, but she passed the varied plants and shrubs without
seeing them. She was only waiting for the day to pass.
A maid informed her that Dimacius had invited both his children to dine with him that night, but when Serwren arrived at his suite, she was the only guest. A maid answered her knock, and showed her through to the ante room before scuttling out of sight. The large window that bisected the wall from floor to ceiling was shut against the sharp evening air, and showed only the remnants of the sunset over the expanse of the waters of Thleen.
Her father greeted her cordially, and they soon settled down to eat, but although the dishes presented were some of her favourites, she couldn’t find any appetite or enthusiasm. Usually, she found the chairs with their padded seats and their high carved backs adequately comfortable, but this night they were as soft as a boulder. Neither she nor her father spoke while they ate, or rather while he ate and she picked at her food. He didn’t address her for conversation until their dishes had been cleared and their goblets refilled.
Lost in the Dawn (Erythleh Chronicles Book 1) Page 5
