Page 21 of Queen’s Griffon (Swords & Tiaras #2)

Chapter 20

Griff

“What the fuck!” Simhi screamed as they watched Mohan disappear into the ground, snatched by an enormous beetle.

Griff had no words. What had happened to this country? He knew for a fact oversized bugs such as that one weren’t supposed to exist—or, at least, hadn’t during his youth. Its presence added a perilous layer to their rescue mission, one he couldn’t subject Simhi and Monty to.

“Head back to the boat,” he ordered.

“We’re giving up on the queen?” Monty asked.

“I’m not, but you are. Head back to the skiff, out of harm’s way.”

Simhi cackled. “Oh, that’s funny, Cap. You think us getting in that tiny boat is safer? What if there’s another kraken, or worse? Not to mention, I ain’t letting you go off by yourself. Avera needs all the help we can offer. Right, Monty?” She eyed her fellow sailor.

“I’m with Simhi on this one. We knew it would be dangerous, and now we’re finding out why. A sea monster, enormous insects, and a dragon so far. Already enough story fodder to have me drinking in the bar for free for a while relating this tale.”

Griff’s lips pursed. “I don’t know if we can fight the thing that just ate Mohan.”

“Then we should avoid it,” Simhi suggested.

“Kind of hard to do, seeing as how it burst out of nowhere,” Griff grumbled.

“Actually, it came through one of the cracked sections,” Monty pointed out. “It’s probably using the lava tunnels under the pavement to travel.”

“Meaning they could be anywhere.” Griff rubbed his jaw.

“Underground. But what if we travelled over?” Simhi slyly asked.

“Mohan was overground when he got taken.”

“I mean higher than that.” Simhi raised her gaze to the rooftops. “We could try traversing the city from up there.”

“The buildings are spaced too far apart, not to mention, I don’t know if I’d trust the roofs. The wooden ones are in pretty bad shape.”

Monty asked an interesting question. “What do you think drew the bug?”

“Maybe it smelled him,” Simhi guessed.

“While the pavement might have been cracked, I doubt a scent would have penetrated.”

“Was it because Mohan was yelling and making noise?”

“Possible. He wasn’t exactly being quiet,” Griff mused.

“If it’s drawn by sound then that should mean if we’re quiet, we might not draw notice,” Monty suggested.

“I’d also suggest we stagger-walk,” Simhi stated.

“Stagger-walk? You want us to get drunk before we get going?” Monty sounded confused.

Simhi patted his cheek. “It’s a good thing you’re pretty. What I mean is, we shouldn’t walk in a straight line or use an even cadence. Like this.” Simhi showed them in the empty vestibule of what was once a clothing store. Her left foot went wide. Her right, short and close. Each step unevenly paced. She glanced at them. “Regular steps cause rhythmic vibrations in the ground. Stagger walking is more random, making it seem like the noise is accidental instead of purposeful.”

“It’s worth a try,” Griff stated. “I’ll go first. Stick to the least damaged-looking areas. Stay close to the buildings.”

“What makes you think it’s safer indoors?” Monty asked with a creased brow.

Griff swept a hand. “No holes in the floor.”

“But wide-open doors on most places.”

“That bug wouldn’t have fit. And if you’re going to argue, you’re welcome to stay behind and wait.”

“No way am I staying here alone,” Monty exclaimed.

“Then let’s get going, and let’s avoid talking.”

They emerged from the building one at a time, and Griff couldn’t help but glance often at the hole where Mohan had disappeared. Thieves might have been stripping Verlora with some success, but that didn’t mean his country was safe. Given what he’d seen thus far, it didn’t seem like it ever would be.

Using their uneven cadence, they made their way deeper into the city, heading for the mountain and the lab nestled within. It bothered him that he’d not seen a sign of anyone passing—aka Avera. Then again, they might have come ashore in a different area. They might not even be in the city.

As they travelled, the damage from the volcano became more pronounced. Entire streets were destroyed by lava flows. Gaping holes where buildings once stood, and skeletons. So many skeletons left lying in the dust, their bones bleached by the sun. While Verlorians didn’t have elaborate burial ceremonies, they did cremate their dead and hold a ceremony of remembrance and farewell.

As a young boy, Griff had rejected offers to hold a vigil for his father, refusing to accept he might be dead. After a few years, when he realized his father would never return, he’d still not done anything to honor him. Couldn’t. A part of him wanted proof, because what if they were wrong? What if his father simply couldn’t sail away from Verlora?

Being here it became clear his father had died long ago. The how of it didn’t matter. Dragon. Bug. Poisoned air. No way he’d survived. The little boy grieved.

The man forged ahead, determined Verlora wouldn’t steal another life. He would find his little queen and save her like he hadn’t managed to save his father or anyone else. The guilt he felt at surviving didn’t care he’d been just a child. He’d lived while so many died. He wouldn’t flee again.

As they entered the central part of the city, more and more doors were closed. Out of curiosity, Griff entered a multi-family building, the kind set over a few levels with individual apartments.

“What are you looking for?” Monty asked as Griff entered the first home.

“Seeing if the thieves made it this far.” Seeing the table set with dishes, a chair knocked over, the furniture still intact if dusty gave him his answer.

Monty held up a mechanized fan, the kind that could be cranked so that the blades spun for a while, moving the air. “Do you know I saw one of these being sold for the price of a horse in The Fool’s Bazaar?” A marketplace in Okkilam.

“Verlorian artifacts are priceless now that we no longer produce them.”

“Can I take it?” Monty asked.

“If you want to carry the extra weight, then go ahead.”

Monty stuffed it in his knapsack, making the bag bulge.

They emerged to see the sky starting to darken as the sun began to set.

“We should find a defensible place for the night,” Simhi suggested.

Griff wanted to argue. Avera needed him.

She needed him alive not stumbling in the dark with unknown menaces to be discovered.

His shoulders slumped. “I guess.”

“What’s the dragon doing?” Monty pointed and they all looked to the sky to see it swooping suddenly from the mountain, diving straight down, as if it had spotted something.

Griff began running, uncaring if his pace was rhythmic. All he could think was the dragon had spotted something and was hunting.

Possibly Avera.

Never mind he’d never reach her before the dragon finished its plummet. He couldn’t stop if he tried.

Simhi bolted past him, huffing, “Gonna try and keep up, Cap?”

Brat. He tucked his head down and ran, eyes on the ground.

As quickly as the dragon had dropped from the sky, it suddenly reappeared, talons empty. Then again, given its size, it could have eaten a person in a single bite. It flapped its way back to the mountain and Griff’s pace slowed enough Monty caught up, puffing heavily.

“I really need to exercise more,” the man panted.

“Agreed,” Simhi taunted, leaping from the asphalt to grab hold of a pole that once held a light that ran on gas and was lit at night. She shimmied up and smirked. “You old guys rest while I try and get a peek.”

She leaped from the pole to a balcony. Then from there to the one above, climbing them as if they were stairs. A glance at the door showed it buckled in the middle. They wouldn’t be getting inside easily if she needed them, and he doubted he or Monty could be as acrobatic.

Simhi, though, needed no aid. She made it to the seventh floor with its view over the last few streets separating them from the mountain—and whatever the dragon had done.

He and Monty waited for her on a stoop, the solid concrete safe from any burrowing bugs. When she descended, she had a somber expression.

“What is it?” Griff asked. “What did you see?”

“Not Avera, if that’s what you’re wondering. Whatever the dragon went after, it’s gone. We’re three streets away from a giant crack, though. It’s huge, and knowing what lives underground, it’s probably not a good idea for us to go near it.”

“Then how will we get to the lab?” Monty queried.

“There is another way,” Griff murmured. A secret passage known by few at the time, and only him in the here and now. “It’s not too far. Follow me.”

Despite the decades, this section of the city remained familiar to Griff. He’d grown up near here. Passed these buildings on his way to visit his friends and go to the stores. The park where he used to play ball had turned into a barren patch of land. Only stunted weeds grew. Past it, the gate that had never been closed in his youth creaked as he pushed it open.

Simhi sounded reverent as she said, “What is this place?”

Looking upon the castle etched into the mountain itself, Griff’s voice emerged choked as he said, “My home.”