Wings of Change (12 page)

“Asss I have misssed you.” The gryphon’s voice was as soft as she’d ever heard it.

“Thiss iss my mate, Grallorrin. I call him Lorr for short.” She winked at the male beside her. “It iss our hope we may sstay here with you, Lucccy. The lasst priesstesss of Alagarithia sshould not be without her gryphon ssisster.”

Tears flowed freely down Lucia’s face as she beheld the creature who had been her best friend in those last days before all she had ever known was ripped from her life. She’d missed Ella perhaps most of all, next to her family. And now the gryphon was grown, with a mate, and wanting to stay in this land of dragons with her. It was too good to be true.

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But there was more than just her own feelings to consider. Now she was on the verge of creating her own family and they had to be included in her decisions, her past and her future, as well.

“You would be welcome here, Lady Nrathrella.”
Linea surprised them by speaking.

“
Lucy should have friends near for her wedding.”

“Wedding?” Ella’s eyes sparkled with delight. “And who iss the lucky man?” Her beak shifted from side to side as she looked from Marcus to Kaden and back again. Lucia shifted back, unsurprised to find Kaden and Marcus on either side, with Rey and Linea towering behind.

“We both are,” Marcus and Kaden spoke in unison as they linked arms with hers. She supposed she should have expected something like this after accepting them both into her body the night before. She cringed inwardly, waiting for Ella’s reaction, but unwilling to gainsay either man. They were both hers now—shocking as that still seemed.

Ella and Lorr’s beaks clacked in laughter, surprising Lucia. “We had heard about your sstrange wayss, but until thiss moment, I didn’t quite believe it,” Lorr said.

“Congratulationss to you all.”

“Then all that remains is to receive our king’s blessing to have you stay for a bit.”

Linea took charge again, turning attention to Roland, who stood with his brother Nico and their wives.

“As long as you come in peace, you’re welcome in our land. We’d be honored to have you as our guests.” Roland was nothing if not diplomatic, though Lucy was certain he’d never expected to be entertaining gryphons in his throne room when he woke this morning.

“You will find, ssire,” Lorr spoke in sonorous tones, “that our enemy iss your enemy asss well. I think it iss a good thing to begin relationss between our peopless, before the real battle beginss. We may be the firsst of our kind to vissit, but we will not be the lasst. Even now, your brother makess friendss among our kind.”

The king and everyone in the room were instantly alert. “You know what’s happened to my brother, Wil?”

Lorr bowed his head in acknowledgment. “If what we ssurmisse iss true, he iss is no danger at the moment. Hiss journey back to you will be dangerouss, but he hass good companionss on his wingss.”

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The king asked more questions about his brother, young Prince Wil, who’d been kidnapped, and Lorr answered in the same reassuring, but vague way. Finally, the king gave up at his wife’s urging, seeming willing to accept for now that these strange, magical creatures meant no harm, but would not say anything further on the subject. Lucia was glad. She’d run up against gryphon obtuseness in the past and knew when to quit.

She was so thrilled to be reunited with Ella. She would concentrate on that happy event rather than the sadness overshadowing the castle since the prince’s abduction. 78

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Chapter Twelve

The gryphons caused quite a stir among the folk of Castleton who saw them flying to and from the castle along with the dragons. They were distinct. Their feathers and fur gleamed rather than sparkled like dragon scale. Their beaks were sharp and hooked like an eagle’s and their bodies those of great cats, tail and all. Their forelimbs were feathered like an eagle’s ending in wickedly long talons, while their hind legs were muscular and furred, with massive, clawed paws. Jinn minstrels who knew the tales of gryphon magic were in great demand the next day, though the gryphons stayed some distance from the people of Castleton.

Preparations were well underway for Lucia’s wedding. The knights began moving their belongings into a much larger suite on an upper level of the mountain castle that had a sand pit large enough for two dragons and a hatchling or two. Rey was flying and training every day so his wing would be as good as new, or perhaps even better. Having almost lost his ability to fly had made it all the more precious. Lucia spent much of her time, when not busy preparing her new home, with the gryphons. At first the knights and other Lair folk kept their distance, but she knew they were curious about the visitors. Ella and Lorr had been given an empty suite next to Rey’s and Lucia spent the better part of the first day of their visit, speaking with her old friend and learning what had transpired since her departure from Alagarithia. The following day, Prince Nico and his wife, Queen Arikia, came to call at the gyphon’s suite while Lucia was there. Nico insisted on informality and Lucia found it hard to resist his charming ways. Before she knew it, she was chatting with them both as if they were old friends.

“But tell me,” the Prince of Spies leaned back in his chair as he regarded the gyphons, “how did you know to come here? I suppose it had something to do with the magic Lucy worked.”

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“My ssire knew immediately when sshe called on hiss power. Our magic iss linked very clossely to oursselvess. Not like you dragonss.”

Nico and Riki both started, though Nico hid it better. Lorr trilled at his mate, stepping forward. “The dragonkin king sshould have known all of thiss already, but your ssire wass murdered before he could passs along the knowledge.” He settled into a sitting position near the Prince of Spies and his mate, eyeing them as a teacher eyes their student. “Dragonkind are not of thiss earth. Like sskithss, you were created wholly by wizard magic. Our kind, by contrasst, originate with two sspeciess that already roamed thesse landss long ago. Wizardkind meddled in our creation asss well, of coursse, but sstill, we are tied much closser to this world, while you are tied to itss people more than the land.”

“Fascinating,” Nico replied, clearly interested, “but why—?”

The gryphon cut him off with a raised claw. “I’ll come to the point ssoon, but you musst know the hisstory firsst.” Lorr settled onto his hind paws, sitting comfortably. “The wizard Gryffid created our kind. He took two beastss and merged them into one creation, ussing the power of the land that already flowed through them to make uss what we are. We took our sstrength from the land becausse we were part of it. We love thiss world and will do all in our power to protect it.” He sat back. “But becausse dragonkind were not tied to the land, the wizard Draneth ssaw a need to tie them to itss people. He did that by merging with hiss creation. You and your brotherss are the ressult. It wass a good plan.”

The gryphon nodded as if in approval of the ancient wizard’s ideas. Ella prowled up and sat next to her mate, picking up the story. “But the wizard Sskir grew jealouss of Draneth. They had alwayss been rivals and enemiess. Sskir created the sskithss to kill Draneth and all hiss creationss. At firsst, they were mighty creaturess—

even worsse than the sskithss you know today. Many dragonkin died. But sskithss had no tiess to the people or the land. They cared only for themsselvess. Sskir abandoned them when they did not ssucceed in desstroying all dragonss.”

“So you’re saying,” Queen Riki asked, “that both dragons and skiths were created by wizards, but only dragons were made part of the world they inhabit.”

“Yess.” Ella clacked her beak in approval. “Dragonss have a place here, with the people they have joined their magic to. Sskithss do not. They will alwayss be unnatural and evil. Dragonss may be unnatural, but they will never be evil becausse of the care their maker had for them and hiss willingnesss to become one with them and impart hiss own 80

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ssoul for their ssake. Dragonkind owess much to Draneth the Wise. Asss do we all.” She bowed her head in acknowledgement of the long-dead wizard.

“The plume Lucccy ussed came from my ssire,” Ella said after a respectful moment.

“He gave it to her when sshe had to flee. Gryphon magic is part of the land and therefore, sstronger even—in ssome areass—than dragon magic. It iss part of uss. We do not give our magic lightly. It iss tied too clossely to oursselvess. My ssire did not want to losse Lucccy permanently, sso he gave her meanss to both protect hersself and call to him, when the Mother Goddesss deemed the time wass right.”

“But why?” Lucy whispered.

Ella reached out a huge paw and touched Lucy’s leg. “You are beloved by all gryphonss, Lucccy. Can you not guesss why?”

“Or why the foreign asssasssinss came to kill off your entire line?” Lorr stood, facing her as she sat next to the royals. “They came from Sskithdron, ssent by King Lucan.”

Ella rose too. “Lucan sseekss to revive the old warss. He sseess himself as the heir to Sskir, though he hass no wizard blood. Sstill, he iss dangerouss.”

Nico leaned forward. “So that’s why he merged with the skiths? He sees himself as Skir and he wants to battle all of Skir’s old foes?”

Both gryphons nodded solemnly. Lorr spoke. “He wass already opposssed to Draconia. He wantss your land and power for himsself. It’ss why he hass worked for yearss to desstroy your family, but the dragon magic in you hass made it difficult.”

Nico’s eyes shifted to Lucy. “Skir was also at war with Gryffid, wasn’t he?”

Ella clacked her beak. “You are asss quick asss your reputation.”

“I don’t understand.” Lucy was at a loss.

“You are beloved by we gryphonss, Lucccia de Alagarithia,” the gryphons faced her, both on their feet, “becausse your line desscendss from Gryffid and the first priesstesss, Leandra de Alagarithia.”

Shocking her to her feet, the two gryphons knelt on their forelegs, bowing to her. She well knew gryphons didn’t bow to anyone.

“This can’t be right.”

Queen Riki patted her hand, imparting a gentle tingle of magic that helped calm her. Lucia was glad for the woman’s presence and help as panic had threatened to overwhelm her.

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The gryphons stood once more, facing her. “It iss right,” Ella assured her. “Gryffid placed pairss of uss in sstrategic placess all over the world. We do not call any one land home. Insstead, we care for all landss. When Gryffid vissited Alagarithia, he left two pairss of our kind, but he alsso fell in love with a woman of great power. Leandra wass High Priesstesss of the Lady—what your people called the Mother Goddesss even then—

and Gryffid left her with child when he had to move on to the next land to fulfill hiss quesst. He promissed to return, but never did. The gryphonss knew he had not abandoned Leandra, but had fallen to his enemiess. He wass not dead, but he wass too weak to return to her. Her love never waivered.” Lucia felt tears gather in her eyes for the woman who had been her ancestor. “Sshe raissed their child, a girl sshe named Genfer, and helped look after the firsst of the gryphletss to be born. They forged a friendsship that has lassted through to thiss time. We resspect the fact that you carry Gryffid’ss blood, but we love you for you, Lucccy. You were the playmate of my firsst dayss and I love you asss a ssisster.”

Lucia did cry then, feeling tears slide down her face as she moved forward to meet the gryphon. She buried her face in Ella’s neck feathers, as she had when she was a little girl.

“I love you too, Ella. I’ve missed you so much.” Her whispered words were for the gryphon alone and they stood together, comforting each other for some time before the storm passed.

Lucia drew back, surprised to see everyone still there, watching her with understanding eyes. Ella stayed near.

“Your marriage is the first sstep,” Lorr said from her side. “Our brethren’ss involvement with Prince William iss another.”

“Steps in what?” Nico asked. Though it was clear from the tightening of his expression he wanted to know more about his missing brother, he focused instead on the bigger picture. For the moment. Lucia had no doubt he’d do his best to grill the gryphons about Prince William as soon as he saw a better opening.

“Sstepss in uniting the forcess that will be needed to fight Sskir if Lucan managess to free him.”

“Sweet Mother!” Nico started, clearly upset. “But I thought the wizards were all dead.”

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“Not dead. Not all,” Lorr confirmed. Sskir wass confined for hiss crimess in a place called the Citadel. He hass sslept in frozen ice thesse many centuriess. Lucan sseekss to free him.”

“So that’s what his search parties are doing in the north.” Nico shot to his feet.

“It iss what we believe. Gryphonss do not ussually fly that far north, but we have ssome friendss among the Ice Dragonss. They are wild, but they help protect the Citadel. It iss what they were created for.”

“Roland needs to know.” Nico made a move toward the door, but one very large, feathery wing stopped him.

“That iss why we told you, Prince of Sspiess, King of the Jinn. You, perhapss more than any other man, have many piecess of the puzzle already. You, perhapss, know more than even we gryphonss.” Lorr trilled, his amusement plain.

“We would create an alliance between oursselvess and the heirss of Draneth, as Gryffid and Draneth were allied in timess passt.” Ella cocked her head to the side, watching them. “The Mother Goddesss hass brought the line of Gryffid here for a reasson, we believe. The union of Lucccy with a dragon pair and their knightss, iss the firsst contact, but there will be otherss between gryphonss and dragonkin. Ssoon. This marriage will pave the way for our alliance if, and when, it iss needed.”