Asgotl and Rialdiaj, Is'syal House of Mounts

"Good afternoon," a citadel guard wandered up to us, looking a little bemused at Riandiaj and the lack of any charm gems on his beak or talon claws. Free griffins were extremely rare in the forecourt of the House of Mounts. "It's Asgotl, isn't it?" She smiled up at me.

"Yes, it is my handsome self, in person, who has come to brighten your day with my charm and personality. And this..."

I didn’t get to finish my sentence. She dropped to her knees and put her hand over her heart, “May the blessings of the eleven gods be upon you, Great One.”

I sighed, “and also upon you, sweet lady. Please rise. This is my cousin, Rialdiaj, on his first visit ever to Foskos. I would like to request an appointment with the King at his pleasure. We can meet here or on the Queen's balcony, whichever would be most convenient for him."

"I can’t do that, Great One. The King is in the field. There are enemies at large that he is hunting down. Can I arrange a message for you, Great One?"

“Is the Queen still at Aybhas?”

“She is, Great One.”

"Then I will skip talking to the King for now and will head to Aybhas after we find something to eat. We've been flying since sun-up. Could you arrange a repast for us before we fly to meet with the Queen?"

"It would be my pleasure, Great One," she smiled. "We just in some fresh goat. I'll be back soon." She turned and ran up the human stair to the meat storage rooms for the griffins and eagles. Rialdiaj watched the exchange with his beak gaping.

"What? I asked.

"You just gave orders to a Cosm?"

"Well, I am a senior personage among the mounts," I tried not to sound too boastful. "Now, let me show you around." I headed through the outer doors and down the short vestibule to the inner doors. "See the bell pull?" I indicated the pull rope to the right of the inner doors. "There's another pull rope on the outside that we just walked past. During inclement weather, and that's measured by human standards, not griffin standards, the outer and inner doors are closed. You pull the rope to ring the bell and a pair of citadel guards or grooms or both, will open the outer doors and let you in. Then they close the door behind you and open the inner doors."

"So why is there a bell pull on the inner doors?" my cousin asked.

"Sometimes, like on a warm day when it's lightly raining, the outer doors are often left open so a flyer and mount can get inside where it's dry in the vestibule. Then, after the rider and mount have dried off with a drying charm, you ring the bell to enter the House of Mount through the inner door."

"A drying charm? What's a drying charm?"

I realized right then that my cousin didn't know how magic worked. "Oh. Right. A drying charm is Cosm magic that takes off the wet you acquire while flying in the rain and makes it go away. In less than a breath, you go from wet to completely dry. Poof. Just like that." I looked at my poor cousin. His beak was hanging again.

"Come on, and shut your beak unless you want to catch some horse flies, which unfortunately are a problem in the planting season when it first gets warm. It's the flying horses, you see. They attract the flies. They go away as soon as the Cosm notice and banish the pests with magic."

"What about talon midges?" Rialdiaj asked about the greatest warm-weather pest known to griffins.

"If you work for a Cosm, never again will you need to stand in a cold mountain stream for relief from midge bites in the growing season. See this little charm gem?" I held up my front leg so he could see the charm gem on my dew claw. "It's a charm gem that keeps all the little nasty bugs away."

"Wow," my country cousin was genuinely impressed.

"I'm a free griffin now," I pointed out. "My former owner and current employer gave it to me when I left her the first time, thinking that I would never return to her.

"Why did you?" Rialdiaj wanted to know.

"Well, two things," I admitted. "I managed to keep myself fed for about a half a year, and that was over the cold season. I am capable of keeping myself fed if I must. You were just one of the many little brats running around under your mother's wings at the time."

"Yeah, I remember what a big deal it was when you came home the first time. Your mom cried for at least a week because she was so happy. She wasn't happy when you went back, but she got better about it when you started visiting regularly."

"Yes, mother has never understood that a griffin can have significant friendships with people of other races." I sighed. "The biggest problem after I came home the first time was that I missed my friend. I realized after returning home, that my former owner was also my closest friend. Her ownership of me was in name only. She had always treated me as a friend and working colleague, never as property. It took half a year away from her to realize that.

“She's a very special person to me. In warm weather, we often hang out together outside. In the cold season, I often hang out with her inside her quarters at the palace. I played with her younglings while they were growing up."

"What?"

"Griffin backs, especially on big griffins like you and me, make great slides for human younglings. It's important to move slowly and carefully around the little ones, but I find it to be a lot of fun to play with them." I beak bumped him, "junior, your beak is hanging again."

"Well, if it isn’t the Blessed Asgotl!" Someone nipped at my tail. It was Niefl'flaf, General Bobbo’s mount. He wasn't the smartest flying horse, but he was easy-going and always friendly. "Haven't seen you in an age. I thought you were with the Queen? How’s life as a revelator? Are they giving you extra-good meals yet?”

"I wouldn't know," I admitted. "I started vacation five days ago but had to return early. I need to get back to Aybhas and stopped here, hoping to see the King."

“He’s out chasing soldiers who snuck into the kingdom. There were all sorts of big raids two nights ago, all over the place,” Niefl’flaf felt talkative. He always felt talkative; however, he always knew the best gossip too, so it evened out. “My human is still at the Healing Shrine so I didn’t get to go. We took out three ambush forces in Kesmat, Yuxnos, and Rigdit. All of the enemy forces in Esso escaped along with half of the enemies in Weirgos. This place is empty because most of the military mounts are in the field.”

“Five raids?”

"Five raids for five small forces set up to ambush us," Niefl'flaf snickered. "Good riddance. Too bad some got away. That's why no one is back yet. I heard a rumor the King is headed to Yant, but no one seems to know for sure."

“So, why are you here and not in Aybhas or at in your little house at the General’s place on Brewers’ Row?” I had to ask.

“Well, my flyer is still in bed and frankly, the mounts' residence in Aybhas is dull. I'd much rather be staying at the garrison, but the Aybhas garrison is hosting a quarter of the Black Falls garrison until the new fort is finished. There's no room for me there so I got sent back here. But since my flyer isn’t on active duty, the household here in town doesn’t get our usual mount allowance to feed me, so I’ve been eating here instead.”

“That’s not right,” I pointed out. “Mounts for the injured and retired are entitled to the feed allowance. Somebody is stealing your feed money, Niefl’flaf.”

"I didn't know that," the not-so-bright flying horse said. He's a good guy, but he's also as sharp as a marble. He's brilliant once he's in the air – one of the most talented flying horses I've ever met, but he makes up for all the talent with a lighter-than-average brain.

“I’m serious about this, Niefl’flaf: you need to mention this to someone and track it down because someone is making off with your feed allowance. Trust me on this.”

“Dang,” he knickered.

"On another subject, I'd like to introduce you to my cousin Rialdiaj. He's never been in a Cosm city before. He's thinking about employment."

"Oh," Niefl’flaf stepped back and looked my cousin up and down. "He looks like you. Hello, Riandiaj. I'm Niefl’flaf. Asgotl and I go way back."

"Er, hello," Riandiaj said. "Sorry, I'm tongue-tied. Being in a city is new to me, and I'm feeling a bit...a bit..." He laughed. "See, I'm so eye-popped I can't even talk straight."

"You're straight off an aerie?"

"Yep, never been in a human city before."

"Stick around for dinner, Rialdiaj," he advised. "This afternoon is one of the rare times there will be fish. I don’t eat meat or fish, but it’s popular with the griffs and the eagles."

"Fish?" I asked, surprised. Fish was indeed rare as a meal. "That's different. What sort of fish?"

"You will be happy, Asgotl," Niefl’flaf winked. "It's sturgeon. A bunch of shrine workers helping out in Uldlip returned this morning and brought back this huge haul of sturgeon from the lower Salt and Big Hook Rivers, enough for each eagle and griffon at the House of Mounts."

"How many sturgeon and how big?" If griffins drooled, I'd be drooling.

"Medium to large, and rumor has it that there’s enough for two sturgeon per mount since this place is so empty," Flav looked quite pleased. He was in his element, and we were his captive audience for gossip.

"Rialdiaj, we're staying here tonight," I decided. “We will leave for Mugash in the morning.”

I would regret that decision for the rest of my life.

Rialdiaj shook his head. "I've never seen anything quite as big as this. How do you feed this many hungry flying sapients?"

"Dedicated herds," I explained. "The House of Mounts has its own grain farms and its own cattle, bison, goat, hog, and sheep herds. Those farms and herds provide for any mount who serves someone in the government. Mounts who have private owners are not eligible. Their owners are responsible for their mounts' food. So, let's eat, and then I'll show you the rest of what's here. Since most of the military mounts are out, we can probably get into grooming without a wait.”

I originally intended to eat and run but with the cavalry mounts absent, I had no fear of running into Flavriansha. I would enjoy the things I had missed since the argument with Flav. Life didn't get much better than a good grooming, sturgeon for dinner, and a comfortable place to sleep out of the wind. What I fool I was not to head straight to Aybhas.