Thea's pov

Stay calm. We need to figure out what the King wants before we fly off the handle. I glance over to Shiva, knowing she is more likely to just go off on the King. To Shiva's credit, she is being still but is staring at the unconscious Mynas in the guards arms. Those knots look familiar.

"I'm sorry to be rude, but your man is holding an unconscious person under my grove's protection. Before we can have any kind of talk, I'm going to have to insist on you handing her over." King Ekon nods his head as he motions forward with his left hand. The guard steps forward at the same time Shiva does.

The two awkwardly shift the unconscious Mynas into Shiva's arms. When Shiva takes a step back and stands beside me, I glance over at Mynas. She seems to be ok, just unconscious and not showing any signs of waking up.

"What did you do to her?" I'm trying to maintain my composure, but I can feel my hands starting to shake with anger.

"Neither my people, nor I did anything to her. It was your grovemate, Jim, who knocked her unconscious. Then he tasked one of my scouts to bring her back to camp."

"Where is he!?" Shiva looks like she is ready to drop Mynas and chase after Jim. I lay my hand on her arm to try and calm her down.

"He's gone, long gone. My scout informed me that he summoned a magic vehicle from thin air and left in it. From what I can figure out, it was his truck. He is over the border, or at least close to it by now. There is no way you can catch him on foot." I feel a block of ice drop into my stomach at King Ekon's words.

"No." Shiva's voice is weak, almost like she has lost hope. I wrap my arm around her shoulder, being careful not to jostle Mynas as I do.

"It's ok, Shiva. We will catch up to him." My voice is not quite a whisper, but I'm still surprised that the King heard me.

"If you are willing to hear me out, I may have a way for you to accomplish that." My head turns slowly to face King Ekon. I know my distrust is etched on my face. He raises his left hand slowly to motion at the field behind the camp.

"In just a few hours, a group of people will be arriving that can help you catch your grovemate. I promise, just wait a little bit and I'll help you catch up to him." Shiva's ears twitch as she stares at the King.

"Why should we trust you? You are the one who let him leave!" I want to agree with Shiva, but at the same time I'm wondering if the King could have stopped him. When Jim gets something in his head, he pushes through until it's done. Would anything have stopped him if he already decided to leave?

"Shiva, do you really think he could have stopped him?" My voice comes out softer than I expected. It almost sounds like I've given up. Shiva turns to look at me and I can see the tears forming in her eyes. Her head drops down and she looks at Mynas as she slowly shakes her head.

"If I had tried to stop him, it would not have been easy. I would have lost a lot of men. Men I'm going to need to end this invasion quickly. Even then, there was no guarantee I would have succeeded." When I turn back to King Ekon, he looks almost ashamed.

"Can you really help us catch up to Jim?" I let my arm slip from around Shiva's shoulders down to her, pulling her close as I stare into King Ekon's eyes. He nods his head quickly as he takes a step closer to us.

"I swear. I can help you catch up with him. Maybe not tonight, but sooner than if you take off on your own. If you will come with me I will explain how." Shiva and I share a look before turning to look at the rest of our group. Jacob and Vaunea both shrug as if they are trusting us to decide. Sarge, however, nods his head once before speaking to us.

"We don't have a lot of choices right now. I say we trust him." I don't see a better option, so I nod to Sarge before turning back to face the King.

"There had better be a good explanation for how we are going to catch up with Jim." King Ekon nods his head slowly as he guides us towards the field behind the camp. All around us, members of the camp are shifting around quietly, but quickly. While we are walking, King Ekon explains his plan in a hushed tone.

According to him, every country is working on how to transport troops large distances quickly. While it's not a state secret for most countries, none of them are exactly sharing their methods or successes. Spies in each of the countries have given him a fairly decent picture of what each is working on. Not that he fully trusts the information he is receiving. He is sure the other countries are suspicious of any information their own spies manage to gather from Rathenk.

From growing up in the court of the Willow Grove, I knew the prevalence of spies. My father had them everywhere it seemed; watching his enemies and his allies. Shiva almost seems shocked as King Ekon continues to talk about spying on his allies. If I was guessing, I would assume she didn't realize countries keep an eye on their allies too.

King Ekon continues to talk as we enter the open field. At some point Mynas wakes up, and Shiva cuts her loose. The two take a few minutes deciding exactly what they are going to do to Jim when they catch him. Then they return to focusing on the story the King is sharing with us. The longer the King talks, the more sure I am he is trying to time his story. He keeps explaining the plans of other countries while avoiding talking about his. I get the feeling he is going for the big reveal at the end, not that his explanations are boring in the least.

Apparently, the Dwarven countries have been experimenting with portals and runes. They are trying to figure out how to build lasting portals with lower energy costs. From what the King has learned, they are having a moderate amount of success, but are still years away from a portable system. They are building a system of semi permanent portals to the major cities within their borders.

Several of the human kingdoms are trying magical vehicles. Hearing that makes my mind wander to Jim's truck. If they were able to copy its technology, it would solve all their issues. Magic vehicles use an enormous amount of mana over short distances. Where Jim's truck could easily be produced with very little mana and an enchanter.

When he starts talking about what the elven nations are working on, I let my mind drift a little. Unless there has been a major change in the last few years, they are probably still trying body strengthening. The basic idea being to surpass the limits of the typical body. This would lead to faster travel for troops across longer distances. Of course, it hasn't been going well as there is only so much a body can endure. Most of the test subjects, at least the ones I knew, couldn't take the strain.

King Ekon seems to be winding up to his big reveal, whatever that is. I turn my head to look around the clearing, noticing we are surrounded by the King's men. They are standing in small groups, and whispering quietly to each other. From what I can see, only about a third of the camp is here. I look in the direction of the border and it looks like the rest of the camp is forming up in the clearing on the opposite side of the camp.

"It was actually that idiot, Marcel, that helped me figure it out."

"Huh?" I feel my head spinning back to face King Ekon when he says that. Somehow, I was not expecting anything coming from King Marcel to have anything to do with Ekon's plans.

"His idea of using tamers and incorporating monsters into his army. It had a surprising amount of merit to it, even if it was poorly executed." From somewhere in the sky, a loud whistle pierces the night. As I'm tilting my head upwards, King Ekon continues.

"His mistake was using tamers that form low level contracts. Of course, a high level contract has its own issues. There are very few who can manage them and make more than one. So then you need to keep them on retainer, or they will seek employment elsewhere." The wind starts to pick up as King Ekon raises his voice. Dust starts to fly up around my face, forcing me to squint as something starts to appear just outside my vision.

"I don't mind holding them on retainer because their familiars can more than make up for it!" I'm forced to raise my arm to shield my eyes from the growing wind. A loud continuous thumping noise is threatening to drown out the King's voice as he speaks. Some kind of rectangular box is coming down from the sky, with four leathery looking wings flapping steadily on either end.

"Is that a dragon or something!?" I feel Shiva move in closer to me, pressing against me as Sarge moves in front of us. The hair on the back of his neck is standing on end, and he is growling loudly.

"He said they are using tamers, so it can't be a full dragon." The loud roar from above causes Shiva and I both to jump. A loud thumping starts to echo throughout the clearing, hurting my ears as we are pushed back by a strong gust of wind. When the wooden box touches the ground, two large scaled beasts perch on either end. The flying creatures let out a dealing roar before leaning their heads down to wrap around the edge of the box.

"They are dragons." Shiva sounds a mixture of scared and excited as her voice is barely above a whisper. Sarge is still growling, his eyes not leaving the winged lizards above us.

"Not dragons, even if I could afford to feed them, there is no way I could pay them. The way dragons hoard treasure." King Ekon trails off as he shakes his head slowly. "These are wyvern, or lesser dragons. They may not be as intelligent as a full dragon, but they can be tamed and fed fairly cheaply."

When I look around the clearing, there are several dozen more of the oversized boxes settling onto the ground. At the end of each one is a large wyvern, which lets out a loud roar when they stop beating their wings. As I'm turning back toward King Ekon, I see a tall thin man sliding down the neck of the wyvern closest to us. He is dressed in the typical equipment I would expect from a tamer. Heavy leather pants and vest, but with a thick woolen cloak wrapped around his shoulders. He steps forward, arms stretched wide as he greets the King.

"I told you that I would make it here in less than a day. You just needed to have a little faith in me." King Ekon wraps the thin man into a rough hug as he lets out a low laugh.

"I had more than enough faith in you, Awane. It's your motivations that I question." While the two seem to catch up, the wyvern he dismounted stretches its neck out towards us. Sarge's growl becomes lower, prompting it to slowly lower its head down to his level.

I feel my breath freeze in my chest as Sarge takes a step forward. The wyvern opens its mouth and lets out a low growl in response to Sarge's challenge. My eyes are glued to its mouth and teeth as it does. It looks like it could easily rip Sarge in half with its rows of razor sharp gleaming teeth. I'm taking a tentative step forward when I feel the air around us shift. Before I can blink, Sarge's body seems to double in size as he steps forward again. The wyvern pulls its head back in shock before shaking its head and retreating to the top of the box. Sarge lets out a loud exhale through his nose before he backs slowly until he is even with Shiva and I before sitting down.

"Well now, that was a surprise. Just where the hell did you find a beast like that?" When Awane starts to speak, it pulls my focus back to him and the King. The two of them are standing there, watching Sarge closely. I get the feeling the two watched the whole encounter, and waited to see how it would turn out.

"Tell him you didn't find me. If he tries it, I will kill him." I'm not sure what it is, but I pass along Sarge's message word for word. Awane's eyes flick from me, to Sarge before he settles on me.

"And just what is it that I am supposedly trying?" I can see the King is looking confused too, but he is remaining quiet. It's almost like the king is waiting to see what is going to happen next.

"He tried to use his taming skill on me. If he tries it again, I will kill him." Sarge doesn't seem to have any anger in his tone, he is just stating a fact. Even without asking, I'm sure that he is telling the truth. I don't even get my mouth open to speak before Shiva relays Sarge's message for him.

"He said you tried to use your taming skills on him. Also that if you tried again, he was going to kill you. Just so you know, he won't be the only one attacking you." Awane laughs loudly at Shiva's response, causing the wyvern closest to him to raise its head. When it seems to realize nothing is wrong, its head slowly slips back out of sight.

"I truly am sorry, I didn't realize he was your familiar." Awane bowed his head to Shiva as he was speaking, giving off an impression of sincere apology.

"He's not my familiar." Awane raises his head up, looking confused. King Ekon cuts off the question I can see forming on his lips.

"Don't worry about that now, Awane. We have more important matters at hand. For one, where are your sons? Were they unable to procure the beast I requested?" Awane turns back to the King, laughing as he does.

"Don't worry about my boys. They are even better at taming monsters than I am. Their mounts saw something suspicious from the border, so they went to investigate. They should be here soon." The King tilts his head as he opens his mouth.

"What do you mean by something suspicious?" Awane shrugs his shoulder as he glances upwards for a moment.

"It's hard to communicate in the air, so I didn't catch all of it. From what I heard, there was a bright flash and a huge amount of fire and smoke rising up. Like I said, they should be here soon. Their monsters fly faster than mine." I'm opening my mouth to ask what kind of monster his sons tamed when a loud piercing scream echoes out from overhead. Several of the wyverns shuffle around at the sound, but none move from their spot.

When I look up again, I can see five giant griffins slowly coming in for a landing. Each one has an elongated double rowed saddle on its back, with a tamer sitting on its shoulders. When they finally come to rest on the ground, I'm taken aback by their sheer size. A normal griffin is anywhere from a little smaller than Jim's truck to twice its size. The griffins that just landed are easy three times the size of normal ones. I feel more than see Sarge move himself between us and them.

"It's alright, Sarge. I think they are on our side." One of the griffins, a male judging by its thick mane just below its eagle head, seemed to notice Sarge's display. As it's tamer slides off its body, it slowly moves in our direction. The man who had been riding it doesn't seem to notice as he is walking in the same direction.

The griffin kneels down on its front legs when it gets closer, turning its head to stare at Sarge with its right eye. Sarge moves forward slowly as his body's stiff. I can feel the waves of mana rolling off him with each step. When I glance in the King's direction, the King, Awane and the new tamer are watching the interaction closely. When Sarge gets within five feet of the griffin he lets out a low growl, which somehow seems to echo over the entire clearing.

The griffin's eye narrows as he looks at Sarge. I can feel Shiva tense at my side, my own body feels on edge. It feels like a fight is about to break out at any moment. If it does, I'm not sure what the hell we could hope to do in order to break it up. Regular griffin's bodies are extremely hard to damage. It takes an insane amount of brute force to even hurt them. Most swords, spears and arrows just slide off them like they aren't there. I don't even know how much more resilient a giant griffin would be. I've only ever heard stories of them, none of which prepared me for the sheer size they actually are.

I'm about to yell at Sarge to get back to try and prevent any conflict when the griffin surprises me. It nods its head one time, then lowers its beak to the dirt at Sarge's feet. Sarge stops his growl, then licks the edge of the griffon's beak before walking back to us.

"Don't try it, son." When I look back, the man who had dismounted the griffin is staring at Sarge.

"I've never seen anything make a Giant Griffin back up like that. How can I not try? Hell, how have you not tried?" Awane lays a hand on the man's shoulder before he starts to speak.

"I did try, then he threatened to kill me if I tried again." The man, who I'm assuming is Awane's son, looks shocked as he turns to face him.

"It can talk!?" The man seems more surprised about that than he was about the griffin backing down.

"Now isn't the time to get into that. We need to get the men loaded and you back in the air." Awane turns his head back to King Ekon as he speaks.

"Why do we need to get moving so soon? I was under the impression that we would have the rest of the night to rest up?" The king nods his head before he shrugs.

"Originally that was the plan, but the situation has changed. We made contact with the hero, and he left a few hours ago to kill that idiot, King Marcel. So now, we need to get moving sooner. If he succeeds, the kingdom will fall to chaos for a short while. If he fails, I want my men there to try and salvage the situation." Awane nods his head as he lets out a high pitched whistle.

"Well, get your people loaded and I'll make sure my men know where to drop them." As Awane starts to walk away, I see the boxes the wyverns had been carrying start to open. Inside each one is four rows of heavy looking wooden seats. They look like they are fastened to the walls and floor. When Awane's son starts to walk away, the King grabs his arm and waves me over.

"Braylon, this is Thea. You will be taking her group along with my men." Braylon starts to open his mouth but the king cuts him off before he can speak. "The hero is her grovemate. Your group is going to the capitol, so she is going with you. Before you start to argue, you should know. If you try and say no, you are liable to bleed out right here." Braylon looks from me, to Shiva, then down to Sarge.

"Is the dog coming too? If he is, we will need to figure out how to haul him?" Vaunea steps up beside Shiva and I, speaking with a shaky voice.

"I can hold him, so you won't have to figure anything special out." Braylon looks Vaunea up and down before nodding.

"Yeah, if you are holding him he should be fine. Question is, will you be alright? You are already looking kinda pale." Vaunea nods her head once before glancing at the griffin beside us.

"I'm not looking forward to flying, but I'll be fine." Braylon nods his head as he turns back to the King.

"So besides these four, how many am I takin' with me?" Around us, men are moving into the wyvern's boxes with the spaces filling up fast. However, a smaller group of men are standing a short distance away, eyeing the griffins closely. Unlike most of the soldiers that are loading up, there doesn't seem to be any uniformity to these men and women.

Every man and woman's armor seems to be different. Their weapons are also widely varied; from short swords, to bows or spears. My eyes drift to the edge of the group, noticing for the first time En'Las and Tarril are standing there beside another pair of night elves.

"They are working in a mercenary capacity right now. At least, until their new grovemates contracts are up next month." Mynas voice is a whisper in my ear, making me jump. I didn't even realize she moved so close behind me. I don't get a chance to respond before the King's voice pulls my attention back to him and Braylon.

"It's five and the dog actually, or at least I'm assuming it is." The king turns his head to look at me, but it's Jacob's voice behind me that answers.

"You're not wrong, we are all going." I turn my head, seeing Shiva spinning around to face Jacob. I guess we were a little more distracted than I thought we were. Mynas sneaking up on me is understandable, plus she was already here. However, Jacob hadn't been with us when we walked into the clearing.

"Jacob, are you really coming with us?" Shiva seems to be just as surprised as I am that Jacob is coming too. Jacob nods his head as he looks over at the King before answering.

"Jim is my friend. He's stood by me and helped me out when he had nothing to gain. So yeah, I'm going too." He looks over at the nearest griffin as it starts to pick at its clawed front foot. "Like Vaunea, I'm not looking forward to not having my feet on the ground, but I'm going." The King nods his head, then turns to face Braylon.

"Five extra and a dog, can you handle the added load?" Braylon nods his head as he turns back to his mount.

"Yeah, but I'm going to need to adjust a few things. I have more than enough seats on the saddle, but the weight distribution is going to be a bitch to figure out." Braylon shakes his head as he walks over to the griffin, his hands working quickly to adjust several of the straps on the saddle. The other four griffin's riders slide off of their mounts as well, quickly speaking with Braylon before they start to adjust their straps too.

"I'm sending my elites to the capitol with you. If the hero is still alive, they can help secure the city. If he isn't, then they can still secure the area and possibly finish what he started." The King pauses as he looks over the crowd of people who are starting to settle into their seats and secure themselves.

"The rest of the ones leaving now will be going to secure key strongholds in Dolus. With a little bit of luck, they will manage to take care of any troublemakers before they have a chance to become problems." He pauses as the group of mismatched soldiers, and En'Las and Tarril begin to mount the griffins. "Hopefully, this will be the shortest war in recorded history."

I nod my head as one after the other the wyverns and their loads rise into the air. I have to admit that I can see the genius in his plan, if Jim actually manages to kill the King. Then the country will be scrambling for new leadership. At the same time, he will have troops moving to cut off any nobles that might try and claim the throne for themselves. It still doesn't change the fact that I'm going to beat the shit out of Jim when we catch up to him.

"I need to go and get the remaining troops in camp going. We will be marching towards your location at dawn. If things go well, we will see each other again in less than a week. Till then, may the Gods watch over you, and I leave you in Braylon's capable hands." The King and his bodyguards turn and leave before I have a chance to respond. When I turn back to Braylon, he is helping Vaunea and the rest of our group get settled on the griffin's back.

When the hell did they start climbing on? I'm not really expecting an answer as I start walking towards the griffin. When I stand next to it, I'm still shocked at the sheer size of it.

"They started getting on while you were distracted with the king." I shake my head slightly as I reach down to scratch the top of Sarge's head. I'm not sure why I didn't notice when they started to move, it's almost like I lost some time there.

Thanks for clearing that up for me, Sarge. Now, what did you do to the griffin to make it back off? That's the real question I want the answer to. Sarge lets out a low huff that sounds like a laugh as he jumps up, settling into Vaunea's lap. The Goliath is already starting to go pale as her hands seem to dig into Sarge's fur.

"I just told it that if it tried anything, I'd feast on its corpse. Then I hit it with a wave of mana and malice to make sure it understood it needed to be afraid of me. When it realized I wasn't prey, it backed off." I nod my head as Braylon starts to speak to me.

"You're the last one, then we can take off." Braylon cups his hands together and gives me a boost into the saddle. When I'm settled in, he explains how to tighten the straps around my legs so I don't fall off. After I'm secured, he swings up into his own seat directly ahead of mine. Shiva's seat is beside mine. I look over, and notice she is glancing around excitedly. Somehow, I get the feeling she is the only one actually excited to be on this thing's back.

"Hold on!" As soon as Braylon finishes yelling, he lets out a sharp whistle. The griffin crouches, then leaps into the air. Its powerful wings beat a furious tempo as it rises into the air. The sound of its labored flapping is almost deafening from where I'm sitting.

"How long will it take to reach the capitol?" I have to yell for Braylon to hear me. He shrugs as he turns his head back to me. The ground below us keeps getting farther and farther away, making my stomach lurch.

"We should reach it sometime just before noon. It would be sooner, but the griffins need to eat. If we don't let them feed, they are more likely to chow down on one of us!" I feel my stomach churn as the griffin's body tilts in midair to turn towards the border.

"I thought you had tamed them!?" Braylon laughs as his eyes scan the ground below us.

"I have, but until the contract is set they are still mostly wild. The more powerful the monster, the longer it takes to set. If we push them too far, we will lose them. It's best to feed them when they get hungry. It won't take long, and they can take down their own prey. It will still be faster than horseback, I promise you that!"

I feel Shiva's hand thread into mine, which makes me look up into her eyes. She doesn't say anything, but I feel a warm wave of emotions coming from her. I try to smile at her as I do my best to push the same feelings back to her.

Why does it feel like this is still going to take too long?

King Ekon's point of view

"My King, is something wrong?" I'm watching the griffins fly away as my aid, Darrius, is trying to get me to move along. I let out a long sigh as they disappear into the clouds above.

"Do you think I'm an evil man, Darrius?" I don't have to turn my head to know he is looking at me with a shocked expression.

"No! You are one of the best men I know, my King. What would make you ask such a thing?" I know Darrius is telling the truth as he is one of the few men in my kingdom who I know will always be honest with me. Part of that is because it's his job to tell me the truth. A bigger part is that he is my closest friend. We have grown from children, into the old men we are now, together.

"I didn't lie to the hero, or his people once the entire time they were here. Yet I led them all into a situation they will most likely die from. Is that not the act of an evil man?" Darrius is silent for a moment as the camp moves around us.

"No, my King. It is not the act of an evil man. It's the act of a king who is doing what is best for his country. Any man in your position would have done the same. Besides, the hero could still survive." A dry laugh escapes my lips as I start to walk.

I feel the chill from the wind seeping into my bones as we move through the camp. Even with the court magicians channeling mana through my body regularly, there is no mistake for what's happening. I'm an old man, and I'm getting older with each passing year. I know soon I'm going to have to turn over control of Rathenk to my son. If it wasn't for what is happening in Dolus, I would have before now.

"If he does survive, I've done him more harm than good. How do you think the kingdoms will react to him after that? A single man capable of destroying a country by himself. He will be persecuted and hunted no matter where he goes. That is why I asked you if you thought I was an evil man. I used that young man as a stepping stone to protect Rathenk from any backlash. Justified or not, there is always backlash from a war." I pause and look up at the night sky, around me men and women pass unnoticed.

"If he survives, I'll try to help him. If it comes down to protecting Rathenk or protecting him, I'll throw him to the wolves. The fact that I know this, but still hope that he succeeds makes me pause. I worship his Goddess, and I'm willing to cast him out." I lower my gaze to Darrius, seeing the shock on his face. "Does that not make me more evil than that idiot, Marcel? At least, he was motivated by greed. What was my motivation?" Darrius is silent as I turn my head back to the sky.

If the King's head is bowed, is it from respect, or the weight of his crown? My father asked me that as a child, and I never knew the answer. I wonder if he knew himself?

Thea's point of view

When Braylon said he had a spot picked out to feed the griffins, I didn't think he meant the border. According to him, whatever came through here scared the army so bad they immediately retreated. They left their dead behind. While the griffins ate, Shiva and I confirmed what I already suspected. It was Jim and his truck that killed these men as the tracks are unmistakable.

After the griffins ate, we were off again. The bright light of the sun is nearly blinding me as we fly. The wind has been tearing at my eyes the whole time, but doesn't seem to be bothering Shiva at all. I asked her at one point, but all she did was smile and point to her eyes.

"Here, try these. I need your eyes in case the hero hasn't made it to the capital yet!" Braylon hands me a visor of thick dark glass surrounded by a clunky wooden frame. It takes a second for me to get them situated on my eyes. The whole time I'm thinking about how much more streamlined the ones Jim had were. When I look down at the ground, the earth seems darker, but at least it's easier to see.

"So how will we be able to spot the hero? I mean, a single man traveling will still be a pain to see, right?" I feel my lips pull up into a grin at Braylon's question.

"He is in a vehicle about a third the size of these griffins. It's black, and loud. Trust me, you can't miss it." Braylon doesn't look too convinced, so I go ahead and let him know what Shiva and I confirmed. "It was his vehicle that killed those soldiers at the border. You know, the ones your griffins fed on." Braylon looks shocked, but turns around and starts to scan the ground below again.

I'm not really sure, but it feels like we are getting close to the capital. The landscape is starting to look familiar to me. The few times Magnus took me outside the castle, we passed through some of these places. He was trading for goods that he couldn't get inside the city's walls. I feel a shudder run down my back at the memory of those trips.

"We are only a few minutes out from being able to see the capital. Maybe your man didn't come this way. It could be…" Braylon is cut off as a loud boom seems to shake the air around us. He curses as he fights to regain control of the griffin. The griffin finally seems to settle down, but it's now flying away from the capital.

"The fuck was that!?" Braylon tries to turn the griffin back in the direction of the capital, but it's fighting his every attempt.

"That would be Jim! We need to reach the capital, now!" Braylon look's shocked, but redoubled his effort to turn the griffin around.

"I'll try, but he's fucking scared, and I've never seen a griffin scared of anything before." He pauses as he looks behind us. I see relief wash over his face as he turns back around.

"At the very least the rest of the griffins are sticking with us. I was worried they would split off on their own out of fear." He finally gets the griffin heading in the right direction after several minutes of fighting with the reigns.

"Are you sure that was your man?" I feel my lips curl back into a grin as I start to answer.

"Jim does three things very well. One is making things explode!" When I glance back, Vaunea looks even paler than before. Jacob is clutching the side of the saddle getting sick. However, the other four griffins are following along close behind us.

"What's the other two things!?" Shiva laughs loudly, leaning in close to Braylon.

"Kill, and fuck!" Shiva is laughing again as she leans back in the saddle, giving me a grin. Braylon shakes his head, almost like he can't believe what she just said, then I see a flush start up the back of his neck.

Wow, he sure blushes easily. I can feel my body riding forward in the saddle, urging the griffin to move faster. Beside me, Shiva is bouncing in her own seat.

"Can't this thing fly any faster!?" Shiva apparently is just as impatient as I am, yelling at Braylon as he urges the griffin on.

"Not as loaded down as we are." I glance back at the various other people on board who all are staring at me.

"Just please hurry!" Braylon nods his head as he stares at the smoke rising up ahead of us. We are nearing the farthest edge of the cleared ground before you get to the city. That's when I hear Braylon let out a surprised grunt.

"The fuck happened to the city!?" Shiva and I both lean outwards at the same time. The wind tears at my face, but the clunky glasses shield my eyes. The main portion of the palace is in ruins. The walls and a huge chunk of the building are smoldering and in a giant heap. The city's buildings closest to it are in worse shape. The wooden framed buildings have been completely decimated. A huge roaring fire is spreading outward at an alarming rate. I shake my head for a second when I see a giant on the far edge of the city, climbing over the outer walls.

What the fuck would a giant be doing here?

"That would be Jim again!" Braylon shakes his head as he pulls the reins gently.

"Heads up, we have another party in the skies!" He raises his left hand to point at one of the few remaining towers on the palace. A griffin is slowly coming in for a landing against the tower. It doesn't seem to be as large as the ones we are riding, but at this distance I can't be sure. The rooftop it is landing on has two men standing on it. One seems to be calmly waiting, while the other is pacing back and forth.

"If it's not one of yours, then don't let it leave!" Braylon nods his head as he urges his mount towards the griffin. My eyes are glued to the animal, and I nearly miss what happens before it falls from the sky. A long man comes charging from the stairwell and flings his sword at the beast. When the blade actually penetrates the griffin's chest I feel my chest seize. There is no doubt in my mind who that lone figure is.

That's Jim. Hurry, get there now!" I'm leaning forward in my seat, my hands tapping out a quick rhythm on Braylon's back.

"I'll do what I can, but I already told you this is as fast as they can manage." I know it's unfair to keep yelling at him so I do my best to clamp my mouth shut. All I can do is stare at the top of the tower as Jim fights by himself. I'm not sure who he is fighting against, but if he is going after them they can't be a good person.

"What is he doing!?" Every step he took in the fight has been too fast for me to follow. It's been a series of him moving, then him reappearing several feet away while bleeding. Something about this last time seems different, I just don't know what.

"Noooo!" When Jim reached his opponent this time he never slowed. Instead, he tackles him. Both of their bodies have just slipped over the edge of the building.

"Faster, faster. Please faster!" Shiva is yelling beside me. I hear Braylon curse as the griffin enters a steep dive.

"I told him. If he doesn't catch boss, I'm going to kill him. Braylon isn't controlling it right now. It's doing the best he can on his own!" I hear Sarge's words, but it doesn't change the fact that we are still moving too slow. There is just too much space between Jim and us.

Please, Ava. Please let me reach him in time! My prayer is useless, and I know it. There is just no way for us to close the distance. I can't tear my eyes away, even as I'm watching Jim fall to his death. Tears start to sting my eyes and I shake them away quickly, tearing the glasses off my face. In my head, I'm yelling a prayer out to anyone who will listen.

Jim is less than three floors from the ground when something launches from the ground. A vaguely humanoid shape crashes into the two falling bodies, pushing them apart as it latches onto Jim. A pair of wings fly out and start to flap wildly in the air, slowing the descent of the two. I feel my heart leap for joy before plummeting again when I realize they are still moving too fast. I lose sight of the two figures for a split second as they strike the ground. Then the bodies seem to bounce off the hard stones and collapse into a pile.

"No!" I'm not sure who is yelling, me or Shiva. It might be both. The griffin lands at some point, and before they come to a stop I'm clawing my way out of the saddle. The straps that had held me on end up cut away when they take too long to undo. Shiva and I are sprinting towards where Jim fell. Sarge darts past us after only a few steps, his legs blurring as he runs.

"Jiiiiiiiimmmmmmmm!" As I'm running to where Jim landed, my mind keeps racing.

Why did the damn griffins land so far away!? Jim has to be alright, he has to be! Why didn't he make them land closer!?

In the back of my mind I know Braylon did his best. When we had got close to the tower the griffin begun to pull away again. I'm not even aware of the tingling on my skin until Shiva and I slide to a stop, nearly tripping over Sarge.

Sarge is pacing back and forth in front of the thing that caught Jim. Every time he tries to get closer, a blast of wind knocks him back. When he gets pushed back again, I try to slip past him to get to Jim.

"Fuck!" I don't feel the attack, but I'm flying through the air. Shiva's arms wrap around me, pulling me back to the ground.

"The fuck is that thing!?" I can feel blood dripping down from my shoulder, but I ignore it.

"It's a harpy. They can use wind magic and build barriers with it." Shiva is staring at the monster crouching over Jim's still body. I take a split second to catch my breath before I take my first good look at the thing.

It's shorter than I first thought, maybe five feet tall at most. It's hard to tell by how it's crouched. Its body looks mostly human with a tattered wrapping of some kind covering its chest and waist. A pair of bright green eyes peer at me from under a mess of dark black stringy hair. Where a nose and mouth would be on a person, a curved dull brown beak sits. It gives the harpy a predatory look as it continues to stare at us.

Unlike the harpies I've heard about before, this one has an actual pair of arms. Its wings come out of its back, with long singed looking purple feathers. Its legs seem more human too, at least up until the knees. From her knees down, her legs are covered in short, downy looking feathers. It has a pair of hawklike feet tapping against the stones.

"We have to do something!" Shiva nods her head in agreement as her eyes flick down to Jim's still body. I can just make out the shallow rise and fall of his chest, so he is still alive. The growing pool of blood under him and the white and red bones sticking out from his limbs aren't a good sign. I know we don't have much time to heal him before he dies. Even now, I can see wisps of a thin cloudy substance leaking from his body and floating away. I don't know how I know, but I know it's his mana escaping. His body is literally failing in front of me, and I can't get to him.

"You and Sarge circle around, come at her from the sides. If you can draw her off for a second, I'll drag him away from her." Shiva nods her head as she and Sarge begin to move at the same time.

"Alexis, if this is one of yours, have her back off!" I don't know if yelling is doing any good, but it makes the harpy tilt its head at me. Just as Sarge and Shiva are about to attack, Braylon's voice yells out behind us.

"Stop!" Shiva pauses as Braylon comes running up, his boots slipping on the stone and making him fall as he tries to stop.

"Stop, you can't hurt that harpy!" Shiva sneers as she turns back to face the harpy which is glaring at her.

"Like hell I can't!" Braylon nearly trips over his words in his rush to explain.

"No, I mean you physically can't. That's not just a normal harpy. It's a high harpy! Their defense is on a completely different level, and they have huge pools of mana for a monster! Their wind magic and barriers are extremely deadly, and they are masters of using minimal amounts of mana to cast magic. You can attack it all day and you won't slip past it!" Sarge seems willing to test that, he is growling low in his throat and stalking forward.

The harpy scratches at him, and then Sarge goes flying away again. When he gets his feet under him, he shakes his head before running forward. With each step he takes, his body gets bigger until he is almost the same size as when Jim bridged us all together. This time when he is blasted back the harpy takes a half step back, almost like it's been knocked back.

"That's not going to do any good dammit!" Braylon yells at Sarge who continues to ignore him, charging back at the harpy every time he is knocked back. I don't know if it's lucky or not, but Shiva is keeping her distance.

I hear boots slamming into the stones behind me, so I turn to look. Vaunea, Mynas and Jacob are running towards us, followed by the rest of the King's men. When they get close, the man in the lead yells out orders, causing the group to split up and run into the palace.

"Well what do you suggest, if attacking isn't going to do any good!?" Shiva is pacing back and forth, her eyes glued to Jim as she does.

"High harpies are extremely intelligent. She didn't kill him when she grabbed him in the air. For whatever reason, she seems to be protecting him. Try talking to her, it's your best bet." I take a gentle step forward as Sarge stops his blind rush. When I do, the harpy turns to stare at me, her eyes unblinking. Her green eyes seem to be contemplating me, so I raise my hands in a non-threatening gesture.

"Hey, can you understand me?" The harpy doesn't respond with a sound. She just tilts her head to the side. "Look, I don't know why you grabbed him, but he is my grovemate. Do you know what that means?" Again there is no sound, just a deadly stare directed at me.

"He is my mate, hers too." I slowly point at Shiva, making the harpy turn its head for a split second. "We don't want to hurt him, or you. We just want to help him, to save him, like you did." Each slow step I take brings me closer and closer to the harpy. I'm almost within an arm's reach and she still hasn't attacked me. I keep talking, keeping my voice and body language low and non-threatening.

"You helped him, and I don't know why. He's hurt though, can't you see?" When I point at Jim, the harpy looks down. She seems to prod his body gently with her feet before turning back to me. "I can help him. I'm a healer, please let me help him." Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sarge tilt his head at the harpies screech.

"She says, you can't steal her….there's not a good word. Protector of hatchlings, food giver, breaker. I don't know what she means." My mind is racing as I try to figure out what the harpy means.

"I'm not trying to steal him. I'm trying to help him." The harpy screeches again, and Sarge steps forward slowly.

"She says, she is staying. You can help, but she is not leaving his side. She owes him, something I don't understand."

"What, now you can understand her?" Shiva sounds annoyed, and I can hear her moving closer. The harpy squawks at her, and a gust of wind blows past me.

"Not completely, it's like she is saying ideas, not words. It's hard to understand, and harder to translate for you." I push all that to the back of my mind as I focus on Jim and how to help him.

"You want to stay and watch over him?" The harpy nods as her eyes stare into my own. "You can, I promise. We won't try and separate you from him. Just please, let me help him before he dies." I can feel pain coming off Jim, not like I could through the bridge, but I feel it all the same. As many times as I've pieced him back together, something is bleeding over even with the bridge severed.

The harpy stares at me a split second longer, before taking a step backwards. I'm falling to my knees beside Jim before her body moves completely out of the way. My mana reaches out for his and I feel his body shudder as my mana slips under his skin. There is so much broken and bleeding I'm not sure where to start.

"Sarge, I need as much mana as you can pump into me!" I don't wait to see if he understands before I start casting every spell I can. I start with my strongest spells, the pull on my mana nearly makes me fumble. Even after casting Giga heal twice, Jim's body is still failing. The bones are not set right, but the bleeding has stopped. I can't figure out what is going on. It doesn't make sense. His body is still leaking mana out as fast as I replace it. It's almost like something is forcing it out of his body.

"Theeeeaaaaaaa!" I hear the high pitched voice getting closer, but I can't pull my focus away from Jim. If I stop working he is liable to slip farther away, and I'm not sure if I can keep him alive now. If his condition gets worse, I know there will be nothing I can do.

"A pixi!?" There is a loud slapping sound which I try to block out as I struggle to focus. Sarge's mana washes over me, easing the fatigue and helping me along.

"Don't try it, Braylon! What is it Vixi?" Shiva has it handled. I need to stop splitting my focus. I'm forcing Sarge's and my mana through Jim's body, but it's harder than it should be. I can't figure this out. Jim should be getting stronger, but he keeps getting weaker. Something cool is pressed against my forehead and a flash of light blinds me for a second.

"Fuck! Thanks Shiva, and you too Alexis!" The crystal Shiva had placed against my head was full of information about what is wrong. Jim wasn't just hurt, he was poisoned with a nasty one. Alexis had first come into contact with it in Shevel, then again here. It is a nasty mixture, one that strips your body's defenses away and then tears it apart. Somehow, Jim had mostly purged himself of it when he was first poisoned, but the man on the roof had cut him again.

Alexis spent a lot of time researching the toxins when she first found it. Even with everything else, she was still working on a way to counteract it. She figured that we might run into a situation where we needed to be able to. As it turns out, she was right. I think she was surprised it was Jim that needed the cure.

From what the crystal showed me, it was Jim who had helped her figure it out. When he pulled it from his body with the spell cleanse, it let her see how to extract it. Of course, the way Jim did it was not a good way. So she had figured out one that any healer would be able to use. Well, any healer with a giant mana pool to draw on.

"I'm sorry, Sarge. This is going to hurt." Sarge lets out a low whimper as I forcibly pull his mana from him as fast as I can. When I channel our mana through Jim again, I wrap it around the poison in his system. It immediately starts to corrupt the mana, leaving a sickly black ichor behind. I focus on the ichor, drawing it out like an infection.

Sarge sees what I'm doing and he starts pushing his mana out faster. I can feel him getting weak, but he never slows. His body shrinks back down to normal size. The strain of using his mana forces his body into his normal size to protect itself.

My vision is getting dark as Jim begins to hack up the ichor. The poison running out of his mouth and nose as I force it from his body. Shiva's hands move in front of me to roll him on his side. I ignore her and the movement of his body, focusing on pulling the toxins from his blood. I feel the darkness in my vision creeping over more and more of my sight. I force myself to stay conscious. If I pass out, Jim could still die. Just as I feel the last of the poison working its way out of his body, Sarge collapses beside me. The loss of his mana nearly makes me black out, but I grit my teeth and focus. I feel the last of it leaking out of his nostril, then the world goes black around me.

Please be ok, Jim!

Shiva's point of view

I feel so fucking helpless! I'm glaring at the harpy again. I know it's not its fault, but it's here and I'm pissed. If it had moved away sooner, Thea could have helped Jim earlier. Please be alright, please!

Thea sways as Sarge collapses beside her. I wrap my arms around her shoulders, but it doesn't feel like she notices. Fuck, please be ok! I'm not good at channeling mana, but I force what I can through the bridge. Sarge and Thea are still scared, but I can feel Thea's determination too. Then, right as I feel a surge of happiness from her, she goes limp in my arms.

I hurriedly check to see if she is ok. As far as I can tell she is. She just feels like she pushed too hard, and her body passed out.

Did it work? I'm looking around for Vixi as my mind races. If it didn't work, then it was all a waste. There isn't another healer right here. If she didnt save Jim, then he is as good as dead. I finally spot Vixi, hovering on the other side of Jim. Her eyes are staring at Jim's face, and she is nodding slowly.

"Well, is he going to be ok!?" Vixi jumps at my voice, but flies up next to my face.

"He will be fine. Thea got the poison out of his system. It might be a while before he wakes up, but he is doing a lot better already." Vixi flies over to Mynas, landing on her shoulder.

"I don't have time to explain right now, but I need you to help. You need to get everyone not in Jim's grove off the palace grounds. I can't tell you why, but you have to make them leave." I hear Vixi's words, but I'm focusing on my grovemates right now. I'm afraid if I look away something will happen and they could die. Jim's body is hard to move, but I manage to pull him into my lap beside Thea. Sarge shifts beside me, until his head is pressed against my thigh.

"We will let them know, and get them out of here." Jacob is already moving as he speaks, his boots almost silent on the stones. Vaunea's heavy footsteps are right behind his, only Mynas seems to still be standing there. Well her and that asshole Braylon.

What kind of idiot lands a griffin so far away from who we are trying to save? Something is said behind me I don't hear, then another pair of boots starts to walk away. Jim's hair is damp against my hand, the sweat and grime making it feel greasy.

"We are going to have to clean you up." My voice is barely a whisper, but it makes Thea shift against me. She moves her body the smallest amount, but it's pulling her closer to me. I feel something in my chest ache at that movement.

"Hey, I have to go help get everyone out of the palace, but I'll be back, ok?" I nod my head to Mynas, not taking my eyes off Jim and Thea.

Have to keep my family safe. When I look up, the harpy has taken up a position across from me. Her back is turned away from us, and she is scanning the area around us. Why was she protecting Jim? I decide it's not important right now, I'm just glad she is here so I can focus on my grovemates.