What…is this? Where am I?
My blurry vision swam like a torrential storm every time I moved my head. Everything made little to no sense, I could see what looked to be countless figures watching me, but they were completely distorted just like the world around me. And to make matters all the more confusing, I didn't seem even to have a grasp of time or even my own body.
Is this a dream?
As if merely having the thought, the world around me changed ever so slightly. I let my head lull down as it felt like I was holding something in my hands. In my arms was a vague figure; the only discernible thing about it was the abnormally bright crimson liquid that seemed to pool out of it.
And without reason, my hands moved to stem the infinite tide, only to fare miserably as my hands were stained red. At first, I felt nothing but disoriented. Then a deep-seated feeling gripped my heart—an immense loss.
But what did I lose? And how did I lose it?
I blinked, and the world around me rushed my senses. I felt my heart thumping in my chest as I looked around, dazed and confused. I looked right at my hands, free of the blood that stained them, the odd sense of loss gone like a ghost. The world seemed to fix itself.
It was just me, in my living room, along with a pair of sleepy blue eyes looking at me expectantly. "Daddy, did you have a nightmare?" Mila asked through a yawn.
I ruffled her orange hair and smiled. "I believe I did," I said.
Mila scooted up and wrapped her arms around my neck while she muttered, "No more nightmares, okay?"
The warmth of that hug was worth a thousand nightmares. I'd have one every night if it were the prize.
With a full heart, I chuckled and ran fingers through her hair. "Yes, no more nightmares," I said softly.
Seemingly pleased with my response, it only took a few breaths of time before Mila was back asleep for her mid-day nap. I let her drift off fully before laying her back down on the couch. My eyes narrowed as I reached into my mind.
Did you sense any foul play?
After a few deep breaths of time, a voice answered in my head, "None. It was just a normal dream as far as I could tell."
Are you certain? That dream…it felt odd.
"As most dreams are. Ruling out the meddling of these things can't be completely guaranteed, but at the very least, it wasn't overt," he said calmly.
Alright, that's better than the alternative. We are expecting an unwanted guest soon. Have you devised your means to handle it?
"Oh, I have. We'll be ready."
—
"Prince Xander," I said with a short bow.
"Lord Shadowheart," he responded with a curt nod.
"I wasn't expecting you to be the one to guide me," I said honestly.
Xander didn't let anything show on his face as he answered in an even tone, "Mother tasked me with arranging this…meeting. The man is not exactly the best of guests, nor a fine host."
"Then please, lead the way," I said.
Xander began taking me through the palace to meet with the man who held the entire Gryphon rearing and breeding operation in his hands, as his family was the only one who knew of the methods. Apparently, he was a difficult man to meet as he spent most of his time in the mountains with the flock.
He would only come down in times of great need when Gryphons needed treatment or riders needed to be trained, which was only a handful of times a year. And after the recent events, it just so happened that he was in town, sparing me the arduous journey to the west to find him and his secret base.
"What kind of man is this Mr. Graz?" I asked curiously.
Xander frowned at the mention of the man's name and muttered, "Difficult as he is eccentric."
I raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "If I didn't know better, I would believe that you didn't think very highly of the man," I said.
"The man himself? It's as you say. But his and his bloodlines' abilities speak for themselves. His arrogance is not without the skills to back it. And his loyalty to his mission is unquestionable. I can only wish he was more amiable," he complained.
All I could do was nod, and I couldn't help but notice the prince lacked his dilgent today. "Duly noted. Where is Sir Vasquez? Is he well?" I asked.
"Attending to his duties. He is too valuable to be strapped to my side at all times," Prince Xander said evenly. "We've arrived. Take care not to strike out. It's only protecting its master."
"Whose protecting who?" I asked cautosley as Xander opened the door.
"You'll see shortly," he muttered.
We made it to the side of palace, a wide open grassy space spanned quite a distance until a towering stone structure made of stone could be seen. Holes were cut into it, and Grpyhons constantly flew in and out of them, some resting in their nooks lazily.
A handful of people moved to and from the bottom resting holes, tossing in the occasional slab of meat. The giant monsters greedily devoured entire chunks in a single nash of their beaks. While Gryphon nights stood by their mounts, some readying them for flight, or just returning from somewhere else.
Although Xander was leading the way as he began reaching the central stone tower, his steps began to slow. And it wasn't long until the reason why became clear as an ear-piercing screech rang through the air.
Xander put out a hand to stop me as a white streak flew from the sky and skidded over the group, tearing up the grass and tossing it in every direction. An enormous Grpyhon had appeared, twice the size of even the largest one I had personally seen.
The Gryphon reared back, spreading its wings to their full length as if it stopped us. Unlike most of its kin, its feathers and fur were entirely black. The creature loomed over us and glared down at us with its golden eyes. But it didn't radiate any bloodlust, nor did it seem ready to actually attack.
"This must be that bodyguard," I asked
Xander slowly nodded his head. "Yes, a matriarch of one of the flocks and a personal beast to Mr.Graz. It won't let people get too close to its master unless Graz gives permission first," Xander said.
"Smart beast," I said in admiration.
"Still a beast, sadly. Can't distinguish who should rightfully be where," Xander griped.
Little big for a guard dog, but who's to complain?
Xander didn't say anything else as he impatiently waited for Graz's arrival, even if he tried not to show it. Thankfully, one of the stable hands had made an effort to go fetch the man. And after a few minutes of waiting, he finally came.
Xander's comment about the man being eccentric wasn't just about his personality, it seemed. The Human man was rather short, wore a thick coat of fur and feathers that was undoubtedly that of a Grypons. It was worn down from time and use to an extreme degree and clearly was not designed for him, let alone tailored.
But it wasn't that he was too young to fit in the coat, no, he seemed rather old, far older than I expected. His long black hair was thin and wispy, and with a bright patch of freckled skin directly at the top. It was…not the best of haircuts. Or maybe they were just difficult to find in the mountains.
Graz walked up the large Gryphon as he gently patted its wings, his eyes never leaving us. The large monster let out a squawk of happiness as it glared at me specifically before flying off.
The man licked his dry lips and said, "Wat you want, Sir Prince?"
Prince Xander narrowed his eyes but eventually just sighed in defeat. "My mother sent the request, which you approved. Your guest is here. Please see to him and hear him out," Xander said.
Graz's dark green eyes drifted to me, looking me up and down before asking, "Whose this guy?"
Well…it's been a while since I heard that.
"Viscount Kaladin Shadowheart. You may be more familiar with his title of Dragonslayer, though," Xander answered.
Some light of recognition flashed in Graz's gaze as he nodded, impressed all of a sudden. "You the Dragonslayer, huh? Guess I was thinkin you'd be older. You did right by me, heard you saved a lot of my flock in these fights. I'll hear ya out," he said.
"Much appreciated, sir," I said. As I walked toward the man, I noticed Xander was coming and asked, "Coming along, Your Highness?"
"No…I believe that I'm not required. Do enjoy yourselves, I have work to attend to," he said with a curt wave.
"Come along, Dragonslayer. Tell this one of your tales and all that," Graz yelled.
I followed the man into the central tower, where a group of stable hands were working on a sleeping, or more likely, sedated Gryphon. The pungent stench of animals and some kind of medicinal herb wafted over to me, making my eyes water. Graz went right back to his rickety wooden chair and began pointing out where a stable hand had applied too much of the salve.
I cleared my throat to grab the man's attention, and he turned toward me slowly. "I'd like to have this conversation in private. At least with out other people," I requested.
Graz clapped his hands and showed the others away. "You heard the man, move yourselves out here. I'll come get you all later," he bellowed.
Once it was just us, and since I didn't have a seat, I decided it was best to get things over with. "Judging by your character, I'll get straight to the point, Mr. Graz. I need Gryphons, ones that are different from the usual type I imagine," I said.
As if a switch was flipped, the aloof man's gaze darkened. "My flock you want, huh? Seeing as it's you and it was Queen's request, I'll at least hear your request. But be known, if it's just war birds, you ain't gettin a single one. I don't sell to people, even someone as great as you, son," the man warned.
"That's perfect. I want Gryphons that wouldn't make the cut for war birds. I want ones that have a high amount of stamina, moderate strength to bear loads, and aren't afraid of going high and can be stable in the air with said weight," I said politely.
Graz licked his dry lips as his eyes narrowed. "Sounds like you want merchant birds? I don't do that kind of stuff for people. Some old ones get used by the kingdom, but that's their business. Give'em a good life after battle, far as I'm concerned. Sorry, son," he said, turning around.
"Who said anything about merchants? They'll be carrying cargo, but not designed for the market. No, they'll be against enemies. Specifically dropping them atop their heads," I said.
Graz hesitated for a moment before turning around, parting his thin hair from his face. "Mmm, you ain't the first, son. Many have tried, so just know it's a waste of time, I tell you, mages on war birds are far better," he said.
"I promise you, Mr. Graz. You've never seen, nor could you even guess, what I plan to do. Tell me, you said mages are ideal, right? Out of the four basic elements, what's the best choice of mage for targeting large groups or key points of interest?" I asked.
Graz stuck his tongue out slightly as he brought up a finger. "Well, the best of the best is a good fire mage. Those little alchemy fires or whatever people call'em can't hold a candle. Group of fire mages can level an army if they ain't paying attention, not to say much of some poor town."
He brought up a second finger and said, "Earth gotta be next best thing. Dropping big rocks on a man? Don't need a genius to know what that's gonna do. The other two? Better at defense and close fights."
"And consider for a moment that both of those have to be relatively close to their target. They have to see their enemy and be in range of spells. Not to mention finding a mage, training them, and even having a pool of mana sufficient for a lot of usage. Even then, most are going to be Intermediate, maybe some Experts. But once they are out of mana, they need at least a day to rest most of the time. I imagine the Gryphons could go longer if they could," I pointed out.
Graz nodded to himself a few times before shrugging. "Yeah, that's about how it works," he muttered.
"Then what I'm doing is going to need no mages. The stamina required would be purely on the Gryphons themselves. And the power? Every single Gryphon and rider would be able to produce an Intermediate mage's firepower, if not greater, while staying so high in the air that the enemy won't even have a chance to fight back," I said confidently.
Graz narrowed his eyes again as he wagged a finger. "Tall tales, Dragonslayer. If that be possible, it be done," he said.
"Aren't you curious if I'm right? Your family did the impossible once. Why not change history a second time?" I offered.
Graz seemed to mull it over for a moment before coming to a decision. "You ain't a normal guy. Hard to say you lying when Queen is behind you. And if you can kill a Dragon, why not this? Mmm…alright, I'll play along, but you ain't getting more than one for now til you prove yourself. If you can't manage a show with that, you won't be getting anything else outa me. My flock is not your test table," he said.
"Perfect, how long to train the bird and the rider? Rider only needs a moderate amount of mana enhancement and has a decent enough talent for learning," I asked.
Graz put up a hand and stopped me. "Never said it was free, Dragonslayer—seven large gold. This is comin out my pocket, and Queen ain't gonna fund me for a one-time deal, nor am I gonna ask. So—oh…" he trailed off.
Seven large gold marks fell into the man's outstretched hand. "So about that timetable?" I asked.
Graz looked concerned but shrugged to himself. "Gimmie til winter. I'll have a bird that makes those specifications of yours. Gonna have to send me an estimated weight though," he said.
"Consider it done. It'll be a pleasure changing the world with you, Mr. Graz."