by Skyler Andra
“Best of luck, Tollens,” Vartros said to the group. “Be back in three days. Don’t try to run or I’ll send out sentries to apprehend you.”
Three days!
The gravity of the situation sank in as I tugged the envelope open and removed a piece of paper with the instructions on it. The note crinkled in my shaking hands and I forced a calm, steady breath. At first I didn’t absorb the words in blue ink on the front page. But then slowly the writing came into focus. My pulse charged as I read the first name.
“Great news, isn’t it buddy?” Jaz ruffled Pascal’s hair. I could tell he was trying to remain upbeat despite the disappointing news for him. I knew how much this meant to him. But, I had the authority to pick a second in charge, and that’d be Jaz any day.
Pascal gave him a brief smile. He didn’t let anyone but Jaz touch him. Spars were difficult with him when you had to wrestle with him. But lately he’d taken to using his musical tuning forks in the training room, emitting some kind of frequency that chilled him out enough to get through it without a melt down.
I glanced at my team. Jaz and Raze I could comfortably work with and trust. But I’d have to keep an eye on Tor, put him in his place and make sure he didn’t get out of hand. And I’d need to watch Pascal carefully. He might have been powerful with his mage magic, but his temperament tended to the nervous and fidgety. I folded that page and stuffed it back in the envelope. Now to the mission.
Chapter 3
Knoxe
I convened my team in one of the watchtower, where Guardian teams came to scour media, police reports and the news for signs of gantii on Earth. My team members leaned against the desks, staring at me, waiting for further instruction. Three pairs of eyes burned into me. Pascal watched the ground as usual.
My mouth went dry and my mind blank. To say I was wholly unprepared for this was an understatement. More like put on the spot. Uncertainty gripped my lungs, and I hated it. Even without the benefit of my own magic, I didn’t usually have a self-confidence problem. But all this crap with my dad, proving myself, and the added pressure of winning a coveted spot with the Guardians, weighed on me. I guess this test was an insight to how it would be as a Nezam.
“Right,” I said, scrunching my hands together, no clue where to start.
“The mission,” Jaz urged me.
“Oh, yeah.” Feeling like an absolute dick, I unfolded the second piece of paper and held it up. “Tark of House Longrider is a centaur wanted on the griffin home world for stealing a shipment of moonrocks, the griffin’s national trade, and illegally selling it across the galaxy as counterfeit Valancian Quartz.”
I glanced at the group. Every gantii world traded in resources, from precious metals, stones, food and herbs. But everyone in their right mind knew about the Valancian Quartz. A powerful stone used in rituals across many gantii worlds. Used on Earth for housing veil energy in our amulets. I touched my own amulet, gifted to me two months earlier for practice in magical combat.
“Centaurs,” Tor growled. “Flighty things. We’ll have to trap it so it can’t get away.”
I glared at him. He always liked to take charge. But since he wasn’t the team leader, he needed to learn to tow the line and show some respect to me.
“I’ll decide that.” Tor twitched at my show of force. “For now, let’s grab weapons and supplies and take a portal to the griffin world.”
From there, I didn’t have a next move. My mind was a jumble of panic and fear at failing.
“Roger that, boss.” Of course. A challenge from Tor.
I smiled at him. Suck it up, princess.
Raze and Tor exited the room.
Jaz and Pascal lingered. For a few moments, Jaz explained to Pascal what we had to do, speaking in song lyrics, musical terms, until Pascal nodded.
“Got it, buddy?” Jaz asked.
“Yes.” Pascal nodded furiously. “Catch the Longrider, his faith is broken, he stole the heart of the griffin, and sold it to devil.”
I held back a laugh at lyrics from songs which Jaz had used to express our mission.
Boy, was I ever glad I had him hear to help me communicate to Pascal. But sometime I’d have to learn to explain to my crew when they didn’t comprehend concepts.
As Pascal departed, and I behind him, Jaz grabbed my shoulder.
“You okay, buddy?” he asked.
“I’m freaking out here,” I whispered. “I don’t have the foggiest idea what to do after we question the griffins.”
Jaz smiled. “You’re a natural mate. You’ve got this.”
I relaxed a little at his words. They repeated in my mind. “You reckon?”
“Yeah.” Jaz’s confidence in me meant the world to me. He had a way of building me up with a simple word. “We’ll work it out together. As a team.”
A team. Yeah. Knowing I had my team to support me took a lot of the pressure of me. I stood straighter, my chest out, my head high.
“Okay.” I started for the door. “Let’s prepare and get out of here.”
***
Armed with magical blades, gin and tonic grenades, net guns and stun rays in our belts, I opened a portal to the griffin world with the veil energy in my amulet. The white window pulsed with energy.
“Best looking goes first,” Tor said, stepping through.
Jaz chuckled and shook his head.
“Guess I’m second best looking,” Raze said with a smile.
I raised my eyebrows as he crossed the threshold. He rarely said anything, and for him to joke, well, that was a first.
Pascal stood there, fiddling with his tuning forks, rubbing them with his thumb. “Find the Longrider,” he mumbled to me before leaping through.
“Just you and me now,” Jaz said to me and we traveled through together.
Three griffins awaited us on the other side. Tall creatures of about six feet in height and as wide as a lion. Not a gantii I wanted to pick a fight with.
I quickly absorbed our surroundings. Crisp, golden skies, trees as far as the eye could see, full of nests.
One of the griffins bowed his head and said something in his own language. I assumed it to be the leader of the group.
The translation transmitted from a device we each wore on our arms. “Guardians. Thank you for coming. We’ve been waiting for your arrival.”
I examined them for a moment. Proud and fierce creatures with an eagle upper half and a lion’s back half. White neck feathers, brown wings, and a caramel backside and tail.
They each examined us as if trying to determine the dynamics of the group, to figure out who lead the team. I lifted my chin, holding my fingers on the butt of my stun ray in case needed.
Jaz nudged me in the ribs.
“Er, can you show us to the location of the theft?” I asked, and waited for the translation to feed out of our device.
The leader bowed his head again. “This way.”
These beasts made a heck of a noise as they walked, front claws clacking and back paws stomping. They nodded at fellow griffins as they passed. We received curious stares as we moved deeper into the world. The leader led us out of the forest and into a cave system where griffin hauled crates with wheels out of the mineshaft.
“Given to us by the Guild,” the head griffin explained to me. “Exchanged for moonrock for your jewel there.”
I touched my amulet, the veil energy within it crackling at my fingertips.
“Do you trade a lot with Earth?” Jaz asked from behind me as the incline of the tunnel steepened, and rock crunched beneath our feet.
The last of the fresh air vanished, giving way to an earthy, stale smell.
The griffin turn his long neck and blinked his eyes. “Yes. We are a simple clan. Before the crate, we carried the stones out with our beaks. A slow process.”
This news struck a note in me, a curiosity to know more about the world outside our own, to discover the ins and outs.
“There’s a lot of activity here,” I said to the griffin. �
��Miners, carriers. How did the centaur sneak in and steal the stones?”
Feathers on the back of the griffin’s head stood on end. “The mine closes at night. But it is guarded. We believe the centaur had an accomplice.”
An accomplice. Awesome. That meant we had to question the guards.
Ten minutes later, we came to a pile of stones, another cart, ropes and pulleys. The griffin nudged the stones into the ropes and emptied them into the carts for transport.
“Thank you,” I told the leader. “We’ll take it from here.”
But instead of leaving us to our business, the three griffins remained.
“We have orders to remain while you conduct your investigations,” the leader advised. “For the preservation of our resources.”
Understandable. They didn’t trust us. We didn’t need to steal from them. The Guild traded fairly for the product, as evidenced by the carts, ropes and pulleys.
“If you must.” I nodded, and they retreated, pausing by the entrance, watching us.
I glanced at my team.
“Raze, do your thing,” I ordered.
He couched to examine the ground then stretched out a finger, tracing something, then lifting it to sniff. “Centaurs stink like horseshit.”
Jaz, Tor and I laughed.
No duh, man.
Raze held up something pinched between his fingers. A hair. Coarse and dark. “This will help me track him.”
I proceeded to stand beside Pascal. “Pascal.”
His glance was fleeting and shy.
“Think you can scan this area for anything out of the ordinary?” I asked.
He nodded, his head bent low. Lifting his tuning fork with one hand, he removed a tone bar from his belt. He struck it, sending waves of frequency out. This he repeated in all directions, over and over, testing different toning bars, as if he assessing something different each time. I watched, intrigued, wondering what he searched for and how he interpreted it.
Tor stepped forward. “I’m going to go question the workers.”
Raze held out a hand. “Careful.” He pointed at the ground where a footprint had crushed some moonrock shavings and small stones that had fallen through the cracks in the rope.
Tor crept backward.
Heat crawled up my chest.
“Tor,” I barked, and his head snapped up. “You’ll do as ordered.”
Jaz stared at me from my right.
Tor’s eyes narrowed into a cutting glare.
“You’ll speak to the guards,” I said, nice and slow, so his arrogant brain digested every word.
Tor bowed with a hand in front of his chest. “Yes, your royal highn-ass.”
“Smartass,” I muttered as he strode off. “If we get appointed into a team, and he’s on mine, I’m going to kill him.”
Jaz pressed a hand on my shoulder. “We’re all trying to make an impression to land a position in the Guardians.”
“That doesn’t mean he need to be a dick,” I growled, my fists curling.
“Cut him some slack,” Jaz said. “If we work together, not lead with our egos, we might just get it.”
Jaz’s words slammed into me, causing a physical pain in my chest. I had to get my shit in check if we we’re going to work as a functional team and apprehend this damn centaur.
Chapter 4
Tor
“What can you tell me about the night of the theft?” I crossed my arms, doing my best to intimidate this three-ton griffin, which could kill me in a single swipe if I pissed it off.
My translation device communicated in gantii’s language, and the guard’s eyes widened.
This was my third interview so far, with one of the greeting party griffins tagging behind me, to ‘watch over me.’ All three guards had solid alibis and witnesses that checked out with the others on duty. But they all had reported a fourth had disappeared for ten minutes to take a leak. So either these guys had all gotten together to point the finger of blame at that guy which could indicate their own collusion in the crime or number four was my man. Every clue had to be investigated, no matter how trivial or seemingly innocent. Even skipping out for a pee. That’s what The Silver Strand, my favorite comic heroine, did in solving her mysteries and flushing out the bad guy.
“I saw nothing out of the ordinary,” the guard stammered, his eyes darting from me to my escort. “I did my normal rounds. Keeping guard at the top, switching to patrol the tunnels three times, and inspect the pit.”
Uh-huh. I could spot a liar in action. Nothing got past Tor.
“That’s not what your friend said,” I lied, hoping to provoke a confession.
“What?” The griffin’s feathers ruffled. “What did he say?”
“That he saw you depart protocol to leave and enter a closed tunnel.” Sweet mother of moonrock that stretched the truth. If the gantii caught on, I was a goner.
I wanted answers to solve this mystery so bad that my palms itched. A position in the Guild of Guardians, minus the whole prison side of things, was a dream come to me. A real-life bunch of superheroes fighting supernaturals. For a fan of comics, and someone who’d always dreamed of being a superhero, the Guild was my every wish come true.
The griffin closed his eyes. “I had to.”
Hah, payoff!
Victory was so close I could smell it. Like a hamburger fresh off the grill and smothered in cheddar and bacon. Something I’d celebrate with as soon as we caught this damn centaur.
A growl rumbled in the chest of my escort. I ignored it. He could deal with the guard once I got answers, but not before.
“Why?” I seized the opportunity, channeling my comic book heroine.
“He’ll hurt my sister,” the griffin admitted.
I took a step forward, puffing out my chest, doing the whole make myself look bigger and threatening in the eyes of a predator…even though I was the size of a three day meal for this guy. “Who will hurt your sister?”
The griffin shook its head, and its wings clamored against its body.
My escort growled again.
But the guard wasn’t talking. His beak pressed tight, and he stared at the ground.
Time to use my powers to persuade this sucker to give me the rest of the story. Nothing was getting in the way of my completing this mission and apprehending the centaur. Tor Helms was destined to earn enough points to get out of the Guardians. Destined for greatness in the halls of the Guardians. Destined for fame, fortune, and lots of attention from the ladies… although, I was a one woman guy like my fave hero Dragonfang.
Intent on getting answers, I conjured up a vision of a sweet looking female griffin being kidnapped and transported out of this world. I projected the image into the mind of the guard and my escort.
“No.” The guard stamped his feet, and scratched the rock with his claws.
Dammit. He wasn’t breaking. I had to apply more pressure. To my vision, I added a nice long sword to the throat of the female, held by a shady looking centaur with beady eyes.
The guard rocked with distraught panic. “Shea-na, no,” he squawked.
“This is what’s going to happen if you don’t talk.” I changed my vision to the female being chained and escorted by the Guardians to the griffin courts—a trial for her part in the conspiracy of the theft of the moonrocks.
“No.” He roared this time, like a lion, deep and threatening.
“That’s enough,” my escort growled at me.
No, it wasn’t. Not until I got my answers. I continued the vision of his sister being judged guilty and thrown into griffin prison as a result. I had no clue if this was how the griffins penalized their criminals, but it was worth a try.
“Enough.” The threat of my escort’s irritated whip of his tail was enough to make me stop.
My skin burned with irritation. To prove myself worthy of the Guardians, and bring the guilty centaur to justice, I would do whatever I had to even if it meant reducing a guard to a sloppy puddle of tears.
Bu
t, in Guild politics, maintaining relations with the gantiis was imperative to avoid strained tensions with the Guardians. If we wanted to be able to move freely between the worlds to catch the scum of the supernatural world, we had to have the gantii onside. That meant playing by the rules. Even superheroes had to adhere to a code to save the world.
Besides, the griffin wouldn’t cooperate if I pushed too far. Better to back off, despite my mind screaming at me to continue and get the answers I needed. I let my vision fade in the guard’s mind, and he sighed.
“I let him in,” the guard panted. “Let him escape.”
You beauty! Tor, you are a true superhero!
This news might actually make Knoxe smile. Get that stick out of his ass.
My escort growled in a different tone that held the vibration of the word traitor. I wasn’t getting messed up in that situation. Once I got a few more details, they could fight it out among themselves. It had nothing to do with me.
I relaxed my stance to show the guard I was no longer a threat. “Where did the centaur go?”
His eyes welled up. “He took a portal to the Nascal realm, taking the moonrocks with him.”
Nascals. Cave dwelling fae.
“Did he have a device to open a portal?” I had to know what we were dealing with here. Some of the races had technology to jump worlds, while others used magic, or their own spit to tear a hole in the veil to cross.
The guard glanced at me as if I asked a strange question. “An amulet.”
Sensing he had no more information, I clapped my hands, and said, “Thank you for your cooperation, the Guardians will ensure you get protection for your sister.”
