Close Encounters of the Magical Kind Read online

“Of course. The griffins. I can modify the spell to single out the locations that have had recent griffin activity.”

  “You can do that?” Barrett asked incredulously.

  “Of course,” Gareth scoffed. “It’s easy. Anyone can do it. All you have to do is…”

  “Perhaps explanations would be best left for another time, Mister Gareth,” Kri’Entu suggested.

  Gareth sheepishly smiled and cleared the markers off the map. His eyes closed and within moments he was chanting. Ten seconds later they watched as only two of the markers slid across the map. It was both of the locations in the Bohanis.

  “There you go,” Gareth announced, opening his eyes. He looked at the map and nodded. “It’s one of those two places.”

  Barrett nodded and tapped the first marker.

  “This one has potential. I don’t see any lakes nearby but there are trees to the north and south.”

  “What about caves?” Sarah asked, leaning forward to study the map in closer detail. “Are there any mountains nearby? We’re looking for a cliff, remember?”

  Barrett sighed, “Unknown, I’m afraid.”

  “And the other?” the king prompted. “What can you tell us about that location, Mister Barrett?”

  “I don’t see any lakes there, either,” Barrett groaned. “In fact, there’s not much detail there at all. I’m going to have to fix that.”

  Sarah pointed at a couple of squiggles on the map.

  “What are these? Mountains?”

  “Hills,” Barrett answered, after leaning forward to see for himself what she was pointing at.

  Sarah hastily stood.

  “That’s close enough. It’s gotta be it. Barrett, Gareth, thank you. I have to get going.”

  The king’s eyebrows shot up.

  “You’re going outside at night? Alone? This I cannot allow. You will need help, Lady Sarah.”

  “I’ll go,” Gareth volunteered. “I’m awake. And I think I owe it to them to try and make things right.”

  “What things?” Kri’Entu wanted to know.

  “Things I shouldn’t have done when we first, er, met.”

  The king nodded, “Ah. Carry on, Mister Gareth. I leave her care in your capable hands. Mister Barrett, you have my thanks. You are dismissed.”

  Chairs were pushed back as everyone rose to their feet. Barrett rolled his map up, stashed it back in his bag, and hastily departed. Sarah looked over at the young wizard and smiled.

  “Are you ready to go?”

  Gareth gave her an unreadable stare.

  “Why would you ask me that? I’m here. Obviously I’m ready to go.”

  “Maybe you’ll want to fix your pants before we leave.”

  “My pants?” Gareth glanced down at this trousers. “What’s the matter with… what the…? How did that happen? Did I actually walk in here looking like this? I don’t think I’ve ever put my trousers on backwards.”

  “I assumed it was a fashion statement,” the king mused as he headed toward the closest exit. “Lady Sarah, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors. Please don’t hesitate to call upon me again if I can be of assistance. Good evening to you both.”

  Sarah waited for Gareth to correct his attire and dry his clothes with a hastily constructed spell before teleporting them as close as she could to the second marker. Gareth conjured several fireballs into existence so that they wouldn’t stumble blindly about. She tapped Gareth on the shoulder.

  “Which way?”

  After a few moments of chanting Gareth pointed east.

  “Farther that way.”

  Once the young wizard informed her that they were in the correct area, Sarah looked around. She could see the bases of several hills to the east. She didn’t see any lake, nor could she smell any water in the air, but that didn’t trouble her too much. Nyx could have been off on the lake’s proximity.

  “Can you tell if there are any griffins in the area?” Sarah quietly asked.

  Gareth nodded, “Sure. Give me a moment.”

  While the wizard chanted, searching for nearby griffins, Sarah looked around. It was quiet. And dark. Without a moon to light the sky Sarah could see thousands of twinkling stars peeking over the treetops. She smiled wistfully. This was the type of night that Steve would have loved. Thousands of stars and no light pollution. She briefly wondered how he was doing helping the Fae queen harvest the flower’s pollen. She definitely owed her husband a favor since she had practically left him at Ria’s beck and call. She was halfway into planning a nighttime picnic when Gareth cleared his throat.

  “The closest griffin is less than a league away, due west. This must be the right place.”

  “Shoot,” Sarah was saying. “I was certain this was the right one. Very well. We’re on to… what is it, Gareth?”

  Gareth had a frown on his face as he stared at her.

  “I just said the griffins were nearby. Isn’t that good news?”

  Sarah shook her head, “No. Think about it. Nyx told me that she had gone outside her normal territory.”

  Gareth shrugged, “That’s right. I remember you saying that.”

  “If Nyx was hunting outside her flock’s territory then I would think the nearest griffins would be much farther away, unless you’re telling me that your spell can look for a young cub?”

  Gareth nodded, “Aye. I added in a layer to my spell which specifies the griffin we’re looking for must be an age between newborn and six months.”

  “And aside from the cub, there shouldn’t be any other griffins around him, right?”

  “Unless he’s been found,” Gareth agreed. “Based on what you’ve been telling me, I have to assume that he hasn’t been. Found, that is.”

  “So what can you tell me about this locale?” Sarah asked. “Is this the right one?”

  The young wizard gave her an appraising look.

  “My spell has indicated that the nearest griffin falls outside of my age parameters. You’re right. This cannot be the right place.”

  “I’m going to move us as close as I can to the other location. Put those out and get ready, okay?”

  Gareth nodded. He extinguished his fireballs. In the blink of an eye it was so dark that neither of them could see anything, even if they were waving their hands in front of their faces. Together they waited in silence.

  “Well?” Gareth finally asked.

  “Well, what?” Sarah returned.

  “Are you going to do it?”

  “What, teleport?”

  Gareth nodded, “Aye. I’ll relight the fireballs just as soon as we have arrived.”

  “Then get working on it. We’re already here. I need you to tell me where I need to jump us to next.”

  “Oh. That was… Never mind. Just a moment.”

  The small clearing lit up as two huge fireballs flared into existence. Sarah looked around. The forest was quiet. Eerily quiet. The only thing she could hear was the occasional chirp of some type of insect. She saw that Gareth had his eyes closed. An arm lifted, finger pointing northeast.

  “That way. I think we’re getting close. There are four… no, make that five griffins that way which look like they’re… no, sorry. There’s six. It’s hard to count them. They’re all moving around, as though they’re hunting.”

  Sarah smiled, “Maybe it’s Nyx’s flock and they’re searching for her.”

  Gareth shrugged, “Perhaps. That number is too small to be considered a full flock. I’d say our best bet lies in that direction.”

  “How far do we need to go?” Sarah asked.

  She was met with another shrug. She sighed. It looks as though they’d have to play the hot potato, cold potato game for a while. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too long. She wouldn’t be able to rest until she knew that Nyx’s cub was rescued and safe.

  Gareth sent one of the fireballs out in the direction they needed to go. Sarah zeroed in on the traveling orb of fire and jumped them several hundred feet at a time, all while keeping the speeding fireb
all within her sight. She dared not risk trying to teleport any farther than that due to the fact that she couldn’t see where she was going. She sighed. It was the best she could do.

  Fifteen minutes – and six jumps – later Sarah and her young assistant came to an abrupt halt. Directly in their path were two adult griffins. Both were standing so still they could have been mistaken for statues. Sarah smiled as she pictured the hidden griffin safe back home in her husband’s office. All that would be needed to complete that picture was to have the griffins raise their left foreleg. She glanced over at Gareth to make sure he saw the griffins, too. However, Gareth was facing the other direction with his eyes closed and his mouth moving in a silent chant.

  She tapped the boy on his shoulder. Gareth’s eyes snapped open and he gave her a puzzled look. Sarah spun her finger in the air, indicating he should look the other way. As soon as he did his eyes widened with surprise.

  “Are they, um, real?” Gareth hesitantly asked as he stared at the two immobile griffins. “Why aren’t they moving?”

  “Are you friend or foe?” one of the griffins asked, using the customary high-pitched nasal voice prevalent in all of their species.

  “Friend,” Sarah answered.

  “Identify yourself,” the second griffin demanded.

  “I am Sarah and my friend here is Gareth.”

  “What are two humans doing in the middle of the woods at this hour?” the first griffin asked.

  “I could ask you the same thing,” Sarah countered. “Griffins aren’t typically nocturnal. What are you two doing here? Better yet, what are your names? We gave you ours. What are yours?”

  “I am Archadius,” the first griffin said. “This is Thalian.”

  “What are you two doing here at this time of night?” Sarah asked.

  “We asked first,” Archadius informed her.

  Sarah nodded, “Very well. We’re looking for signs of terra tremors. We believe a griffiness lost her life protecting her cub and now we have to see about rescuing the cub.”

  “Cub?” Thalian asked, cocking his head. “You search for a griffin cub?”

  Sarah nodded, “Yes. Now, what are you two doing here?”

  “How is it two perfect spheres of fire burn suspended in the air?” Archadius asked, looking up at the nearest fireball.

  Sarah waggled a finger at the griffin, “Nuh uh. That’s not the arrangement. We answered your question. It’s your turn to answer. What are you two doing out here?”

  “Investigating that,” Archadius answered, extending a wing and pointing it at the fireball. “When reports of fire in the forest reach our ears we investigate.”

  “Sorry, that’s just us. We’re only using it as light. Nothing is being lit on fire.”

  “What do you plan on doing with this griffin cub should you happen to find it?” Thalian suspiciously asked.

  “The plan is to save the cub and reunite him with his father,” Sarah said. “That’s the promise I made to Nyx. Why? Is that a problem?”

  Archadius jerked his head up and his wings snapped open, as though he was ready to return to the air.

  “How do you know that name?”

  “How do you know that name?” Sarah countered. “Was she a member of your flock?”

  “Thalian and I are part of an exploratory team sent out to ascertain what has happened to Nyx. She is overdue and no one knows where she went. Do you speak the truth? Has Nyx perished?”

  Sarah sadly nodded, “Yes. She died saving the life of her cub. This was about three days ago. Will you help us? The cub is nearby. We have to find him.”

  “How do you know this?” Archadius asked. “We have been scouring the land for the last several days. Thus far, no traces have been found.”

  “She was killed by a terra tremor. Her body has been concealed by a landslide,” Sarah reminded the griffin. She pointed at Gareth. “Besides, I’ve got him.”

  The first griffin looked at his companion and started to squawk out orders.

  “Thalian, bring the others. Notify them what we have found. Tell them I have decided we will aid the humans. Hurry!”

  The second griffin disappeared into the darkness, heading rapidly south. Archadius turned to look at Gareth, giving him a querulous squawk, before turning back to Sarah. He pointed a wing at Gareth.

  “Is he responsible for the floating fire?”

  “Yes,” Sarah nodded. “Gareth is a wizard. He’s helping me look.”

  “And you’re certain Nyx is somewhere in this area?” Archadius asked, turning to Gareth.

  “I am, yes,” he answered. “Within the last seven days this area has seen recent terra tremor activity. This has to be the place.”

  “And how do you know this?” Archadius asked.

  “Oh, don’t ask him that,” Sarah quietly groaned.

  Gareth grinned, “It’s easy. All I had to do was look for recent terra tremor activity, cross referenced with localized griffin activity, followed by current griffin proximity, with a sublayer specifying the griffin’s age between newborn and six months. Now, if you take…”

  “You’re a whiz with spells, no doubt about it,” Sarah interrupted. She looked at Archadius and nodded. “If he says the cub is nearby then the cub is somewhere around here. We just have to find him.”

  “Nyx’s cub had been buried in a landslide?” Archadius’ wings rustled nervously. “I do not think we will find the cub alive.”

  There was a mad flapping of wings and in the blink of an eye four more griffins were standing before her.

  “Where’s Finndar?” Archadius asked. “Has he become lost again?”

  “Griffins can get lost?” Gareth quietly asked, leaning forward to whisper his question in Sarah’s ear.

  “Apparently,” Sarah whispered back.

  “It was decided he should return to the flock,” Thalian said. “More help may be needed.”

  “And you selected Finndar to be the one to do this?” Archadius incredulously asked.

  Thalian stepped forward and nodded, “He volunteered. He said he was positive he could find the flock.”

  “Is there a problem?” Sarah quietly asked.

  Archadius gave her an unreadable look before giving her the approximation of a shrug.

  “Finndar would lose his own tail if it wasn’t permanently attached to his backside. I fail so see how he’ll find his way back.”

  “What was this griffin doing on your search team if his sense of direction is as bad as you say?” Sarah wanted to know.

  “His father is the Prime,” Thalian answered. “What choice had we?”

  “How may we be of assistance?” one of the new griffins asked. “We understand you are searching for the same thing as we. We have already searched this area but have discovered nothing. We were planning on moving on at sunrise tomorrow. Where would you like us to search?”

  Sarah turned to Gareth and gave him a questioning look. Gareth closed his eyes, was silent for a few moments, and then pointed east. Five griffins immediately turned around to look in the indicated direction.

  Sarah nodded, “Perfect. Let’s –”

  “Just a moment,” Gareth interrupted. “Before we go anywhere we need to wait just a little bit longer.”

  Sarah blinked her eyes a few times as she stared at the boy.

  “What was that? You want us to wait? Why?”

  “We need to wait for another set of eyes.”

  “We’re waiting for someone?” Sarah asked, perplexed. “Who? Who have you called for help?”

  “Me,” a strong female voice answered from behind them.

  Sarah and the griffins whirled back around to see that a very large object was now sharing their small clearing. Sarah craned her neck to follow the massive form’s shape up until she reached a pair of gold reptilian eyes. Those unblinking eyes were staring straight at her. It was a dragon!

  “Greetings.”

  Sarah smiled up at the sleek wyverian form, “Pravara! How nice to see you
! My, you’ve gotten big. What are you doing here?”

  The dragon, who had been sitting on her haunches, leaned forward until all four legs made contact with the ground. Her head lowered until it was resting on the grass-covered floor. A quick glance around the area confirmed that all of the griffins had surreptitiously moved closer to the trees.

  “I was in the area,” Pravara explained, glancing over at Gareth. “I noticed the increased levels of activity in this area and decided a closer look was warranted.”

  “You are over exaggerating just a bit, aren’t you?” Gareth asked, looking up at the large wyverian. “Why don’t you just tell them the truth?”

  “The truth?” Sarah repeated, confused. She looked at the huge form lying in the grass. “What does he mean by that, Pravara?”

  “I, er, may have been eavesdropping,” the large dragon sheepishly confessed.

  “Are we to believe you are here to help us search for the cub?” Archadius suspiciously asked.

  Pravara’s gaze shifted from Gareth’s to the griffin’s. She nodded, “I am. The death of the young one is nigh. If that is to be prevented then action must be taken now.”

  “Wait, you can see in the dark, can’t you?” Gareth asked.

  “As can we,” Thalian hastily added.

  “I can,” Pravara announced. “A dragon’s visual ac-”

  “Whoa!” Sarah exclaimed, throwing her hands up into the air and leaping between dragon and griffin. “Am I the only one that noticed it? Did you hear what Pravara said?”

  The griffins eyed each other but remained silent.

  “What did we miss?” Gareth asked.

  “Pravara said, ‘the death of the young one is nigh’. Do you know what that means?”

  “The cub still lives,” Archadius excitedly exclaimed.

  Sarah rounded on the griffin, “Exactly! Pravara, where is he?”

  Everyone turned to watch Pravara stretch her neck out, narrow her eyes as she studied a point off in the distance, and finally lowering her head back to the ground.

  “While I cannot give you the exact location I can confirm that the youngling lies in that direction.”

  “Are you sure?” Sarah asked.

  The huge dark green dragon nodded, “Aye. A strong scent of griffin emanates from that direction.”