A Forest of Secrets

Chapter 11

They ran as fast as they could, avoiding low branches and roots. Laurentius turned into a small bird and was soon out of sight. Whatever it was, his magic would at least hold it until they got to Gerard.

They stopped short when they saw that a griffin the size of a large cow-- overfed and overgrown-- was surrounding Gerard and Laurentius, batting its golden wings, cawing menacingly. The two men had their weapons ready: the mage held his staff tight, the knight his sword and shield.

Jo had never seen an actual griffin, she knew them only through pictures, but she'd heard and read stories about them. They said those beasts could eat a man whole, and you knew they'd done so because they shat the clothes and bones out, like a monstrous owl. Not something she longed to witness... or go through.

"Ontur's dirty toenails, guys," Wyn held them back with her small wiry arms. "It's calling for its friends: those two are done for."

Jo noticed Laurentius had conjured a magical shield around Gerard and himself, but would it hold long enough for them to escape? Maybe they could run as the mage held the barrier up...  but something didn't look right to her. Something was wrong.

"Why didn't Gerard just attack the thing?" Jo whispered. "I bet he's killed bigger creatures, why call us? And why would Laurentius put up a barrier instead of casting a spell to kill it, or at least drive it away?"

"They're not easy to kill, silly," Wyn answered, matter-of-factly. "Their feathers cut like the sharpest knives you can imagine, strong as steel: they would turn his sword into sad little shards," she made an explosion sound with her mouth. The griffin cocked its head in their direction, its beady eyes scanned the surroundings nervously.

"Shhhh," Jo pinched the little girl's arm lightly. The griffin sniffed the air, then decided it had been nothing: they were upwind, thank the creators, and some bushes managed to hide them.

"Well, that's not good," Alaric sighed. "Engaging griffins... that's a death sentence. I say we run fast, take Gerard and leave Laurentius as tribute," Wyn muffled a chuckle.

"While that's tempting..." Jo was also amused by the idea, "the mage has proven to be useful to have around- I'm afraid we need to rescue them both," but how? What option did they have that didn't involve them getting slaughtered? But she didn't have time to finish the thought: a flock of griffons landed, surrounding everyone. Jo unsheathed her dagger, even though she knew it would do no good. Alaric took her and Wyn by the waist, thinking way faster than them for once. Laurentius saw them on time and put the barrier down for just a second: enough for them to step inside the shield dome.

"Sorry, there was no time to ask nicely," Alaric blushed. He probably saw the annoyance on Jo's face, but it was fleeting.

"You saved us, but you'll pay for groping me later," she teased. Wyn snorted, then climbed like a squirrel on Alaric's shoulders. She used the backpack strapped to his back as a cushion.

"Hey, thanks for coming to the rescue," Laurentius was being sarcastic. "At least now we'll get to die together, like a big and happy dysfunctional family," Wyn cleared her throat.

"I told you to fly back and tell them about the griffin. I might have been able to escape, and..." Gerard was interrupted by the mage.

"I wasn't about to let you die, old man," the mage's face looked strained, sweaty. How long would he be able to keep the barrier up? "Then I'd be the only responsible for those three's lives: too much work," Wyn cleared her throat again, louder.

"Listen to me, soft skulls," she raised her raspy voice. They all looked at her, surprised. Alaric tried to angle his head to the side, but the girl was using his hair as reins. "I have an idea – it might get us killed, but... the griffons will most certainly get us killed too, so what's the harm? The way I see it, it's a 50/50 chance. Maybe less, but I'm crap at numbers," in other circumstances, letting an eight-ish year old concoct an escape plan would've sounded like madness: but that was a special situation and Wyn was no ordinary little girl.