Chaos Storm (The Flight of the Griffin Book 2) (38 page)

Mahra eyed it back, suspiciously. 'Have you spoken to it Loras?'

Loras reached out and gently stroked the dragon's ear. It was hot, the scales of its hide hard and sharp beneath his fingers. 'Not really spoken to it no, not really… but we can sort of communicate with each other. I know it's very young, and if it were a dog it would be a puppy. I don't think it liked the Hawk very much. I think it's been trying to get him off its back for some time. I also get the impression, because that's what I get pictures or impressions that it had a sort of friend, which it lost, I think it means Nhasic, but I'm not sure. I just get the impression of a very small friend.' The dragon nudged him with its head again, one huge, yellow eye gazing up at him. 'It's going to take us to Sterling, and then it's going to try and find more of its kind. I told it to fly north, to the mountains because I think that's where the Hawk found it.'

They climbed gently up onto the dragon's back, and it quickly rose up as soon as they were on. They had to hang on, grabbing hold of the spikes on its back to stay seated as it skittered up to the top of a dune like a huge lizard. At the top, it didn't stop, but leapt, its wings snapping out to catch the rising air current and they soared up into the deep blue sky.

In Sterling Port they reunited with Tarent and Pardigan and after handing Matheus Hawk over to the King's guard, they replaced the skulls in Sterling Temple and settled down in the cabin of
The Griffin
to plan their next move. Loras had already been into the market and bookstores of Sterling and had bought a collection of books and scrolls pertaining to everything they could find about demons and where they dwelt. When Magician Falk arrived he eagerly joined him, and they were soon drawing a map of the demon realm. It was days before they decided to open their first rift. Pardigan and Tarent were standing eagerly by, weapons drawn in case they could leap in and save their friend. But there was nothing in the first, and then rift after rift showed nothing but blackness and demons - there was no sign of Quint.

'I'm going to find him,' Loras repeated after every failed attempt, but firstly weeks and then months went by with no sign of success.

Pardigan and Mahra eventually returned to Bedlam and searched for the three children who had helped them cross into Mayhem. They found them in the same drain with Nipper still singing his song. The children were almost overcome with excitement that their friends had come back, and it didn't take a lot of persuasion to get them up onto
The Griffin
for a ride back to
The Esmerelda
where they met with their new, if not slightly reluctant guardian.

The Realm returned to a time of peace and with the skulls in place under a heavy guard, the seasons flowed again as seasons should.

The crew all received rewards and the titles of protectors of the Realm from a very grateful King Hugo. The ceremony took place in the palace on a fine spring morning, yet all the smiles and honours only brought renewed thoughts of Quint to the crew making it a sad affair. At the same ceremony, Bartholomew Bask, who had been trying to hide a the back of the small crowd, was called forward and officially pardoned by King Hugo on the grounds he was now guardian to three orphans and swore under oath that he would remain a humble merchant and never have contact with, 'Riff-raff Magicians nor thieving brats ever again and that his new charges would be educated to be upstanding citizens of the Realm and would never be hungry again.'

Elisop was soon sent on a fresh, and very secret mission back over the border into Morgasta's land of Barbarians. Whether it was a necessary mission or because King Hugo was tiring rapidly of the little spy was unsure, but he was soon sending back reports of Barbarian troop's unsuccessful efforts to breach the strange wall within the Bolt.

Matheus Hawk was finally sentenced to a life of imprisonment in a tower especially designed by Magician Falk that would stop the hunter from using any of his magical spells and abilities, he would never again be allowed to walk as a free man.

And so the normal daily flow of commerce and life returned to the Realm, and the crew of
The Griffin
entered into a life of trade between Minster Island, Sterling and Freya. Loras continued to search for Quint, vowing never to give up on his friend, however, they all knew their lives would have to go on until that day. And that day did eventually come, but it wasn't to be until some considerable time later…

The End, for now…

The End

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Chaos Storm
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