Page 20 of Queen’s Griffon (Swords & Tiaras #2)

Chapter 19

Avera

While the ramp down into the city proved easy to navigate, that situation didn’t last once they reached ground level. Roads buckled and heaved, structures had crumbled, and in some large places, wide fissures split the ground. Add to that the existing buildings that towered and made it impossible to see around and they found themselves frustrated. They’d follow a road thinking it led to the mountain, only to realize it curved away from it. Then she’d choose another route, only to detour because of some issue.

Before long, Lenno was muttering, “You have no idea where the fuck you’re going.”

“No, I don’t,” she huffed. “I told you I’ve never been here before. Pretty much no one has since Verlora fell.”

“Not entirely true,” muttered Lenno. “I have a cousin who’s been a few times.”

“What?” Ron whirled to eye their leader. “Since when? And why are you just mentioning this?”

“Because Julio was sworn to secrecy. He wasn’t even supposed to tell me, but he spilled the news when he was sick with some kind of fever. While delirious, he told me how he’d been secretly visiting with a crew handpicked by the emperor.”

“Picked to do what?” Avera asked.

“Isn’t it obvious? To steal treasure!” Frisk yelled. “I can’t believe you hid this from us. It would have helped my nerves to know people have been coming and going without a problem.”

“I wouldn’t say without issue. Have you forgotten the snake?” Ron muttered.

“A snake I can handle, but the rumors about this place had us facing a monster that can eat a man with one bite,” Frisk huffed with annoyance.

Lenno sighed. “Those aren’t rumors.”

A rigid Frisk spat, “Meaning what? What did your cousin admit that you’re not telling us?”

“Wasn’t my cousin who told me about the monster in Verlora. Trust me, if he’d told me about a dragon, I’d have never come.”

“Dragon?” squeaked Ron.

“Now you’re fucking with me,” a disgusted Frisk spat.

“I wish I were. I saw it while you were off scouting a path down.”

“Bullshit!” Frisk shook his head. “Dragons aren’t real.”

“Ask her majesty. She saw it, too.”

As Munro, Frisk, and Ron eyed her, Avera shrugged. “He’s telling the truth. We saw it in the sky, carrying what looked to be a kraken to the mountain.”

“Oh, no. Fuck no.” Frisk swore and paced. “How the fuck did your cousin not mention that?”

“He was out of his mind, delirious. He only said something about beware the lizard with big teeth. Given he’s not the best fighter, his skills being more in lockpicking and stealth, I didn’t pay it much mind,” Lenno explained.

Frisk remained unhappy, though. “But he knew about it, which means the emperor does too, and yet he still sent us to this god-forsaken continent.”

The statement turned Ron’s lips down. “We shouldn’t be here. My grandmum used to tell stories about dragons, how they used to rule over the land until humans chased them away. She claimed one day they’d come back and have their revenge.”

“Old wives’ tales,” scoffed Lenno.

“Tell that to Verlora,” retorted Frisk. “Anything else we should know? Maybe the real reason we’re here, and don’t feed me some bullshit about the queen here sniffing out something that’s been lost. She ain’t never been to Verlora so I don’t see how she’s supposed to be able to find shit.”

The quiet Munro was the one to turn to Avera and murmur, “Could have to do with her being one of the old-blooded. The Voxspira line stretches back as far as the imperial one.”

His mention reminded her of the times her blood had done miraculous things, such as releasing the people from Zhos’ mind control in Fraegus Spire.

“What are we looking for anyhow?” Frisk demanded. “It better be good, seeing as how we’re risking our lives.”

“We’re looking for rocks,” declared Lenno. “Five special rocks,” he added with a roll of his eyes.

“I’ll bet it’s those witches that done put the emperor up to this,” Ron grumbled. “I should have listened to me da and gone to work for him in the bakery.”

“Maybe you should have if you’re going to be a whiny coward,” Lenno snapped.

“It’s not whining to want to live,” insisted Ron. “We already lost Collin and Kenny and we ain’t even found these stupid rocks yet. I don’t wanna die.”

“Then don’t. Keep sharp. If my idiot cousin can survive, then so can we. Now, enough yapping, and let’s get this done before Captain Koonis decides to leave us because we’re taking too long.” Lenno glared at her. “You gonna start leading us in the right direction finally?”

“I’m not doing it on purpose,” Avera hotly replied.

“You also don’t know where the fuck to go,” Lenno stated with a scowl.

“I know where they are,” she murmured.

“How when you ain’t never been here? Or are you holding back on us?”

How to explain? “Munro might have a point about my blood. Ever since we landed, I’ve felt a tugging in the direction of the mountain.”

“Felt?” drawled Frisk. “Oh, that’s just fucking great. We’re following a feeling.”

Her lips pinched. She understood his skepticism, but he didn’t understand the pull within.

“You got something better?” barked Lenno with fists clenched by his side. “Because otherwise, shut your trap. I’m not happy to be here either, but the faster we get this done, the faster we’re out of this accursed place. If you don’t like it, then you’re welcome to go back by yourself and explain to the captain and the emperor why you abandoned your mission.”

The men ducked their heads.

“Now, if you’re done whining like women, let’s get going.”

With Lenno’s inspiring threat galvanizing them, they once more began trying to make their way to the mountain, only the closer they got, the more obstacles sprang up in their path.

Avera eyed the massive fissure that blocked them and sighed. “Guess we’ll have to detour again.” Which disappointed because beyond the crack only a single line of buildings remained between them and the mountain.

“Fuck finding another path,” Lenno grumbled. “We’ve already wasted enough time. We need to get across and soon if we’re gonna be inside the mountain or one of those buildings before nightfall.”

“What happens after dark?” a shaky voiced Ron asked.

“I don’t know, and don’t want to find out,” Lenno muttered.

“How do you suggest we cross?” Avera waved to the crack. “It’s too wide to jump, or were you planning to build a bridge?”

“If I thought any of the wood in this place would hold, I would. I’m thinking we should climb down and across.”

“Down into the hole?” Ron’s eyes couldn’t get any wider.

“It ain’t that deep. You can see the bottom.” A statement that had them all leaning over the edge for a peek. Sure enough, while a good thirty or so feet below them, they could see the lumpy bottom. “We’ve got some rope in the packs, enough to get down, cross, and come up the other side.”

Avera actually found no flaw with his plan and his comment about being inside before dark struck a chord. “Let’s do it.”

Lenno already had a coiled rope pulled out which he looped through an open window and doorway, the firm stone—of a type she’d never seen as it appeared to have been molded—held firm despite him and Munro leaning their weight against it.

“That’ll hold us, but just in case, we’ll go down one at a time.”

“I ain’t going first,” Ron huffed.

“Didn’t think you would. I’ll go and then Munro will pull up the rope and harness her highness to lower her.”

“I can climb,” she insisted.

“If you fall, I ain’t catching you,” Lenno warned.

“Believe it or not, I’ve done this before. At least this time the house isn’t on fire,” she muttered.

Lenno went over the crevice lip, and they watched as he rappelled down without issue, the rocky chasm providing toeholds that minimized the strain on the arms. When he reached the bottom, he hollered, “Let’s go, your royalness. We ain’t got all day.”

A pity the snake hadn’t chosen to crush him, she thought as she gripped the rope and wrapped it around her forearm. She drew in a deep breath before lowering herself over the side, wondering at how she’d gone from a pampered existence to wearing filthy men’s clothes to climbing into a fissure on the devasted Verlorian continent in the company of the emperor’s thugs on a mission to find some rocks.

The only positive? Zhos’ influence didn’t appear to extend this far.

Avera focused on the climb, her grip on the rope tight, her eyes focused on the rocky face as her toes sought purchase. She went slowly to Lenno’s annoyance.

He kept cajoling, “Move faster. Could you be any slower? Fucking women.”

She made it safely to the bottom and then it was Munro’s turn. The big man struggled a bit, his weight making it more difficult for him to hold on. When his foot slipped, he fell the last few feet. He grunted as he hit but stood up immediately.

“You hurt?” Lenno asked.

“Nah. Just a few bruises.”

Frisk came down the quickest, rappelling agilely, the gloves he wore allowing him to slide his grip on the rope as he bounced down.

“Show off,” muttered Lenno before he glanced upward. “You coming, coward?”

Ron peered over the edge. “Maybe I should keep watch.”

“Go ahead. You can keep the dragon distracted.” A reminder that galvanized Ron into gripping the rope and beginning his descent. Soon he, too, stood at the bottom of the chasm which ran far enough in both directions Avera couldn’t see an end.

The ground they stood on wasn’t dirt or stone as it had appeared to be from the top, but rather solidified lava, the porous texture of it quite distinctive. Magma had once run through here, maybe still did further down given the heat radiating underfoot.

“Okay, now for the harder part.” Lenno grimaced at the opposite wall they’d now have to ascend. “Who’s going up to tie off the rope?”

Munro shook his head. “I already know I can’t without something to hold on to.”

“I’ll go,” Avera volunteered.

“Like fuck. You’ll just take off,” Lenno spat.

“I’ll do it,” Frisk volunteered. “Used to rock climb all the time when I was young, looking for roc eggs in the canyon.”

Lenno loaded him with a coil of rope, and then Frisk set off, the man nimble, his hands and feet finding nooks and crannies to ascend.

As he neared the top, Ron said, “What’s that noise?”

“I don’t hear nothing,” Lenno stated, keeping his gaze on Frisk who’d almost reached the edge.

Avera frowned. “Are you sure? I hear it too.” Almost like a scratching sound, but not. She couldn’t describe it.

Munro pulled his axe. “Boy’s right. Something’s coming.”

“Is it the dragon?” Ron squeaked.

“Does this gap look big enough for a dragon?” scoffed Lenno.

It didn’t, but Avera also didn’t want to see what kind of beast lived in this crevice. When the rope got dropped over the edge, she didn’t wait or ask permission. She grabbed hold and began to climb.

“Hey, what are you doing?” yelled Lenno.

“Getting to the other side.”

“Hold on, Queenie. I’ll pull you up,” Frisk stated as he began hauling on the rope. Avera didn’t argue because her arms remained weak from her descent and the noise had gotten louder.

Soon Frisk had her beside him and dropped the rope for the next person. Lenno came huffing and red face up it, glaring at them both as he heaved over the side.

“Munro, grab hold, and we’ll yank you,” Lenno shouted.

He and Frisk grabbed the rope and began hauling. Avera could have stood by, but instead, she added her strength to their pulling. As Munro crowned the edge, they could hear Ron panicking.

“Shit. Shit. What is that? Oh fuck. Get me out of here,” the young man blubbered, scrabbling at the wall.

“Hold on, I’m tossing down the rope.” Lenno dropped it so that it dangled by Ron’s face.

The man grabbed it and squealed. “Pull. Pull. It’s coming.”

What was coming? Avera could see nothing in the chasm, not even the bottom as the sun had begun to dip in the sky, lengthening shadows.

The men hauled, and since there were three, Avera kept watch, Ron’s face the most prominent thing in the gap until…

She gasped. “Faster. There’s something below him.” She couldn’t see it clearly. Whatever climbed after Ron blended with the encroaching gloom.

The men heaved but the thing that climbed proved quicker. Ron shrieked and his body went taut as something grabbed hold of his lower legs.

“Argh!” He kept screaming and wiggling, swaying the rope until?—

Ron lost his grip and plummeted. His cries of terror abruptly ceased but there wasn’t silence. A skittering filled the space, a scratching din at the bottom of the crevice that appeared to be rising.

“We need to move,” Avera yelled, throwing herself back from the edge. “Something’s coming.”

She bolted across the wide-open space that once might have been a courtyard of some kind. She headed for the building straight ahead only to skid to a stop as something emerged from its open double doors. A thing borne of nightmares.

Avera had never been scared of bugs, not like her sisters or other girls. She’d found them fascinating—when they were small enough to be squashed. The one that came scuttling was bigger than even Munro. Avera veered away from it, heading for another building, one with doors still intact.

Behind her, she could hear the men.

“Giant fucking snakes and now giant fucking bugs! Fuck me,” hollered Frisk.

“Save your breath and run,” ordered Lenno.

As for Munro, a quick glance over her shoulder showed the heavy-set man just tried to keep up. Doubtful he’d manage to evade the tide of darkness spilling over the crevice’s edge.

Avera stumbled and almost fell as she saw the bugs. A wave of them skittered out of the chasm, not all of them huge, some dog and cat-sized, but all of them sported dangerous-looking mandibles that clacked.

Not good. Not good. To think she’d worried about the dragon. This might be worse. She poured all of her energy into making it to the closed door. A sealed entrance surely meant safety.

“Munro’s down,” Frisk yelled. “Fuck.”

She made the mistake of looking, and this time fell, horror overwhelming her like the bugs did poor Munro. The man didn’t deserve to be enveloped by chitinous nightmares. The unnatural things proceeded to scour the flesh from Munro’s bones. Worse, once they’d finished stripping the body, they resumed coming after the remaining party.

Lenno hauled Avera to her feet as he went to run past. “Move,” he yelled. “Move your scrawny royal ass.”

They pounded up the steps to the doors. Safety in reach. Frisk grabbed the handle and pulled.

The door didn’t budge. He heaved again and again before slumping against it. “We’re dead.”

Avera felt the same hopelessness as she turned to see the black wave of limbs scuttling for them, close enough for her to spot their faceted eyes and the fine hairs on the mandibles and legs.

What she didn’t see or expect?

The dragon that suddenly swooped. It landed amidst the bugs and began gulping them down, the sinuous neck weaving the head around as those powerful jaws grabbed and crunched.

The bugs decided the humans weren’t worth being eaten and turned around. The wave of beetles raced back for their crack in the ground. The dragon took a few steps to catch the slower ones, snatching and gulping.

Even quicker than they’d arrived, the bugs left.

Left them alone with the dragon turned to eye them, a beast so huge Avera’s heart stopped.

A creature so beautiful she almost didn’t mind it would kill her.

It stared at her, and she could have sworn it spoke, Who are you?

Before she could reply, a bright light shot out from the window at their back and detonated into sparks with an explosive bang. The dragon immediately lifted off, fleeing for its mountain.

As for them?

The door at their backs suddenly opened and they tumbled inside, landing at the feet of an older man who drawled, “Well that was close.”