The Gryphon Chronicles- Book 1: The Corrupt King

Ch. 8: Exploring the City

"So, lemme get this straight."

The two girls were just finishing up their tarts at a quaint cafe after a day of magic training Alita sat in a third chair between them, and Cyra was desperately trying to explain to Zephyr what exactly went down when she tried her first spell.

"So lemme get this straight," Zephyr began. "You copied his spell, and then blue glowy marks appeared. Do I have this right?"

"Yeah, pretty much. It was kinda cool, actually."

"Were the marks anything like the ones that appeared before we met Aeon?"

"Actually, I think they were the same. I didn't mention it, though."

"And the spell worked fine?"

"Yeah it worked, it just did that too. Also, are you gonna eat the rest of that? There's like a bite left and you've been staring at it for the past ten minutes."

"How dare you. Of course I am. I'm just distracted by the fact that my sister can turn into a glowing mage."

"Fair enough."

Zephyr scarfed down the last of her Malva Moon tart, and the two continued to explore the city. Cyra had taken it upon herself to find out where Aeon had disappeared to. This meant that poor Zephyr was stuck being dragged along behind her as she ventured off on her wolf goose chase to find a huntress who apparently didn't want to be found. Alita kept up with them so that she could lead them back when they were done. She stuck closely to the girls, but was rarely in the way.

Having Alita was proving to be very useful. She knew all sorts of shortcuts and backways through the city. They had gotten all the way across the city in half the time it took when they had arrived.

"Hey, check it out," Zephyr said. "There's a leatherworker just down the street."

"Isn't that a candle maker?"

"No, behind that. Come on, I'll show you."

Zephyr grabbed her sister's hand and pulled her through the crowded streets. More than once, they almost got kicked or stepped on by a walker thrice their size.

Finally, they were able to get into the leatherworker's shop. Strips of leather hung from the ceiling, and a palomino walker in a thick apron was hunched over behind the counter. When she heard them enter, she straightened and pushed her safety goggles up.

"Ah, customers!" She smiled. "The name's Ona. Nice to see you, Alita. You here for the gauntlets? You'll have to tell him they aren't finished yet."

Alita shook her head.

"We're just here to look around," said Zephyr.

Cyra leaned on the counter. "What was that about gauntlets?"

Ona thought for a moment. "Let's see... the human ordered them a couple days ago. Something about 'things stirring', now that his brother was getting bolder. No idea what his problem was, but I can't finish the gauntlets until I get more of the studs. Too bad the merchant got held up, else I would've been done already."

"Why'd the merchant get held up?"

"He's a fae merchant, and security is increasing. If you ask me, it seems like the majesties are gearing up for something." The leatherworker stretched up with a sigh. "But that's just my opinion. Anyways, was there anything specific you wanted, or are you just exploring the city?"

Zephyr looked over from the display, where she was inspecting a set of tools. "How'd you know we were exploring?"

"You're fae in a walker city, and I haven't seen you around before. Plus, I heard from my friend Nari that she met two fae the other day who were lost and looking for the Master's Study."