Elsa left the manor on quick feet, not daring to look back. She was glad her little excursion was over and vowed to never mention this to her aunt. As she hurried back through the forest, following the map Xeleus had given her, light snow began to fall around her. The snow blanketed the ground, and it was quite peaceful. Elsa couldn't hear a sound as she walked through the wood beside the crunch of her own feet.
Wait. That wasn't right. It was the beginning of winter, surely she'd hear all sorts of creatures scurrying about. Magical or not, all the creatures of the Shadowed Wood were bound to be preparing for the winter's hibernation. Normally, there would be all sorts of sounds. But there wasn't, which could only mean that something was horribly wrong.
She treads carefully now, listening for a sign of danger. She continues to walk down the path, head swinging from side to side. The crack of a branch to her right catches her attention, and she turns to face the sound. At that moment, a pack of hungry Griklos circled her, eyeing her with predatory eyes. Elsa covers her mouth so she doesn't scream.
Griklos are similar in every way to Lynxes, except for the fact that they have wings. Plus the teeth of a saber-toothed tiger. They continued to prowl around her, getting closer and closer to her. Elsa knew she'd be harmless against the Griklos, so it was all she could do to stand there and wish for a quick death, her heart beating wildly against her chest.
Meanwhile, in the library, Xeleus was reading a book on alchemy, when he felt a sudden pain in his chest. It was the kind of pain where you knew something was horribly wrong. But not with himself. With her, his mind said urgently, but he chose to ignore it. What did his mind know, anyway?
Finally, one of the Griklos pounced on Elsa. Unluckily for it, it got a mouthful of cloak instead of actual food. It snarled and continued its assault on her clothes, clawing at her skirts as she tried desperately to run away.
Xeleus felt yet another pain in his chest, this time strong enough to send him falling on the floor and out of breath. He knew she was hurt, and that he had to do something. He was not, however, willing to go out himself, so instead he sent someone who would.
By now, Elsa had four Griklos clawing at her, creating scrapes and bruises along the exposed skin of her legs and arms. She screamed out in pain, wishing that she could just be back at home, with her aunt, safe and warm. Instead, she was close to being eaten by a bunch of hungry beasts. She closed her eyes tight, waiting for the Griklos to devour her.
But suddenly, she felt the weight of the Griklos lifted off of her, and she opened her eyes to see a Griffin flying high above her, four Griklos in its claws. Except, as she looked closer, the Griffin didn't have the head of an eagle, it had the head of a grey owl.
Elsa was losing a lot of blood from the scrapes, and the last thing she saw before she fainted was the Griffin flying towards her with claws outstretched. The Griffin picked her up, gently carrying her in his claws as he flew back towards the manor. When he reached the tower, the Griffin gently put Elsa down, transforming back into his original form before flying off once more.
Xeleus was waiting at the tower, with a potion at the ready. He casts spells to stop her wounds from bleeding before using magic to bring her to the chambers she had inhabited before. He put the potion on the dressing table, leaving a not that said;
Dittany Potion
Put on wounds to stop infection and to
help with pain
Any sane person would've called his actions sweet.
And perhaps they were.
YOU ARE READING
The Sorcerer and the Sphinx
RomanceA great sorcerer has found himself locked in his abandoned manor for quite some time. Because of that, he has grown cold and callous, shunning himself to the rest of the world. Until one day a young woman stumbles upon his manor and finds a way to s...
