Mystia, Jenna [web based ebook reader txt] 📗

where the creature’s canines should have been.

The wolfish beast lowered its head a few inches and leaped through the air, right toward Dawn. She let out a long gasp and sprinted away. She could hear the thing’s paws thudding heavily on the forest floor behind her, trampling everything in its path. Now it was so close she could feel its breath and saliva tickling her arm.

Suddenly a sincere, almost pitiful whine rang out behind Dawn. She reeled around sound faded back into the quiet darkness. The wolf was gone. No, it was just farther away, off the trail a ways and lying on the ground, dead, or maybe unconscious. It was holdings its leg at an odd angle, and there were four long gashes in its side that streamed blood.

What just happened? Dawn stood there, frozen, as she stared at the mangled body, then snapped out of it and looked around. Something stronger; faster; more dangerous than the wolf was out here somewhere. She was about to turn and run when a dignified, queenly voice behind her said, “Confused?” She whipped around, sending her hair flying in the wind again.

There, sitting in the clearing right next to the wall, was a huge creature. Maybe a lion?—No, lions were smaller, and didn’t have wings, Dawn realized when she saw the feathers at the animal’s sides. The creature was sitting with her tail curled around herself and her head dipped majestically.

“Wh-what are you?” she stammered, eyes wide.

The lion-eagle looked at her like she had just asked what color the sky was. “Of all the things you could be asking at the moment, child…why, I’m female, of course.”

“No, I mean—”

But she seemed to understand. “I’m a griffin, obviously.”

“And you can…t-talk?” She bit her tongue, trying to keep from stammering anymore. She felt the blood draining from her face as she watched the griffin wiping her claws of blood on some grass. Would the griffin would be any safer than the wolf? Sure, she had saved her, but why? And why was she even here? Griffins were fairytale creatures, weren’t they? Her knees felt weak. This had to be a dream. It couldn’t be real.

The griffin gave Dawn a questioning glance. “Yes.” She turned back to the lifeless wolf. “I’ve been looking for someone just like you. We need to get back to Cobalt.”

“What? Who’s Cobalt? What do you mean, someone like me?”

She didn’t answer either question. “We’d better get out of here. I don’t think I killed that thing, and when it wakes up I’d rather not be here.”
As Dawn watched, she saw the wolf’s side rise and fall heavily.

The griffin spread out her eagle’s wings and let out an ear-piercing shriek, tilting her head back.
To Dawn’s surprise, the creature came charging right at her. She braced herself, closing her eyes and preparing to be trampled. She screamed as she felt herself being lifted into the air. She took a deep breath and opened one eye. Her breath caught in her throat. She was eight feet off of the ground, at least. It didn’t take more than a few seconds for her to realize why. She was on the griffin’s back—and the griffin was preparing for takeoff. “No!” Dawn cried. “Put me down!”

“What? Those wolves heal fast—it might even be well again by the time it wakes up, and when it does it’s not just going to go home. I have to get you out of here.”

Now the wolf’s paws were twitching, and so was its snout. It was going to wake up. Her eyes squeezed shut as she used every muscle in her body to cling to the huge creature’s back.

Now the griffin was spreading her wings to lift into the sky. Her feathers ruffled. The wings gave a powerful flap, and all at once, they had risen up into the air. Dawn shrieked and clung to the creature’s back even tighter than before as her stomach dropped, thinking of nothing but falling off.

I’m going to throw up! She thought, gulping and shutting her eyes.

Without warning the griffin turned vertical and Dawn was looking straight up into the night sky. The clouds had cleared in some areas, revealing bright stars twinkled down at her and a full moon, but she barely noticed them. “What are you doing?” she screamed at the griffin. “I’m gonna fall!”

“Just hang on!” the griffin called back as they sped through the air. The force was so strong that Dawn thought for sure it was going to push her right off. She screamed again, but even she didn’t hear it. Her voice was lost on the wind that seemed to be made of bricks—a pile of bricks crashing right down on her. She used all of the strength in her arms, trying to ignore the way that her legs were dangling uselessly.

Most of the trees were only dots now, but Dawn thought she could see the wolf. It looked like it was conscious, but it wasn’t going to get her now.

Unless she fell. She stifled a gag as she imagined falling that distance. They must have risen a mile into the air by then.
The griffin tipped her body forward so that they were horizontal again. Dawn nearly collapsed with relief. Maybe I won’t die after all, she thought. That was like a roller coaster. Ugh—I will never go on a roller coaster again.

She let herself relax. “Um…thanks for rescuing me,” she said. I think, she added silently.

“It was my duty. I am assigned to protect the human representative.”

Dawn pondered that for a moment. There were a few questions that statement demanded answers to, but the one she decided on was, “Protect me? Why?”

The creature didn’t reply for awhile. When she did speak again, it wasn’t to answer. “In your language my name is Amethyst. I am your guardian, and I’m taking you to the land I’m from. I’m sorry about your little run-in with the werewolf.”

“What werewolf?” asked Dawn. A chill went down her spine.

“The one that attacked you back there in the woods. Did you think that was just an ordinary wolf?”

“Well…yeah, I guess.”

“You can tell it wasn’t because the eyes were a weird color, and it had the body shape of a human. Plus it didn’t have any fur on its paws.”

“Oh,” said Dawn. Now that she thought about it, that had struck her as strange. “So, where is this…land you’re taking me to?” Her teeth chattered. Right then she just wanted to go home, or at least get some answers.

“It’s off the coast a ways. You’ve never seen it. Only the inhabitants have. If one of them doesn’t grant you that ability, it will just look like the rest of the ocean.” She dipped a little, and Dawn clenched her teeth and grabbed onto Amethyst’s neck. “Sorry. I forgot you’re a beginner. You actually did well for your first time.” A vibration went through her, almost like she was laughing. “But there was a magnetic force keeping you on my back the whole time. As long as I’m conscious, it’s pretty much impossible for you to accidentally fall off. Didn’t you notice that my feathers were wrapped around your feet?”

Like Velcro. You’re kidding me. A wave of anger rose through her. “You couldn’t have told me?”

A strange grunting sound erupted from Amethyst. She was laughing—at her. “I’m sorry. Usually I torment beginners a bit. I suppose I should have told you, since you are a human.”

“And?”

“Well, humans are…I say…not among the creatures we like being with. Our riders are always elves or dryads.” Amethyst threw her a fish-eyed glance. “Actually, none of us have ever even seen a human. All I got to find you was a vague description. I don’t think Cobalt has seen a human before, either. He said to bring back the first one I found.”

“So you people have never seen a human…but you hate us?”

“I did no say that.”

“You meant it."

The two of them continued on in silence. Wait a minute…if there’s a magnetic force holding me on Amethyst’s back, then—

Dawn let go of the griffin’s neck and held out her arms to either side. She stayed perfectly upright without any struggle. Of course. Dawn crossed her arms. Okay, if that griffin causes me anymore stress, I swear—

“I’m going to go fast here, if is okay. We are behind schedule.”

“Fine with me,” Dawn answered, clenching her jaw a little tighter and forcing herself not to look down. It was tempting, but she knew she would throw up.

Amethyst shot forward, lion’s tail streaming out behind her.

She started to wonder what her friends would do when she didn’t show up, thinking back to when this had been just a regular camping experience. That was all out the door now. Here she was riding a griffin who didn’t speak English very well after narrowly escaping being mauled by a werewolf. She wondered if this could possibly get any weirder, but she didn’t think so. She sat back and strained to enjoy the ride. Before long she didn’t have to force herself. Listening to the wind whistle past her ears, she closed her eyes. It sounded to her like a song so peaceful, she leaned back and fell asleep.

She wasn’t sure how long she slept, but when she awoke it was to the screeching of an eagle. The grey light of the morning confused Dawn. Where am I? She flipped over on her side. Since when is my bed this comfortable? Oh right—I’m not in my bed. I’m camping. It wasn’t until she looked over the side of her “bed” and realized that she was thousands of feet above the ground that she remembered the happenings of the previous night.

Amethyst let out another ear-piercing shriek. “Get ready,” she said. “There is another griffin coming, vaolo tierda.” She seemed very excited. She said something else that was inaudible.
Dawn didn’t know what “vaolo tierda” meant, but Amethyst was looking straight ahead, so she did too, and saw a small dot that was gradually growing bigger and bigger.

“I’m going to land. You want to hold on.” With that, she dove straight down to the ground. Dawn screamed long and loud and hung on for her life, forgetting that she was like Velcro on the griffin’s back. She didn’t stop screaming until Amethyst’s claws touched the ground. When they did, she collapsed—almost fainted—and rolled to the ground.

“Ugh,” she grunted faintly.

Her eyes opened. As adrenaline pumped through her, she realized she was laughing—hard. So hard that tears rolled down her cheeks. “That was awesome!” she cried, sitting up.


CHAPTER 2
COBALT

Amethyst let out her grunt of a laugh. “We must do this again,” she chuckled.

Dawn grinned, then gasped as she realized that what had been a dot was now visibly a griffin even bigger than Amethyst. “Look!” She pointed upward.

“That’s Cobalt,” Amethyst said, without even having to look. She dipped her head. “He is our king.” There was a ray of sunlight streaming through the trees that made her fur shine and made it apparent that it had a purplish tint. Well, that’s weird, she thought. And ironic…She