Broken Wings

Into the Breach

How much time we spent weaving around, over, and through those mountains was something I never figured out. I learned to accept the gryphon's help in choosing the best route to follow. It had figured out I wanted to go west, and with its superior night vision, it was able to see dangerous obstacles long before I noticed them in the pale moonlight. However long it took, by the time we left the last jagged ridge of mountains behind and only the straight line of the inky black Pacific meeting the starry sky lay ahead at the horizon, the moon had sunk low enough ahead of us that the mountains' pitch black shadows had begun to stretch east, making even the keen-eyed gryphon nervous when crossing the passes. It was another profound relief to leave those close confines for the open sky over the foothills.

"Alright, B-Bird," I muttered, shivering, "Any idea where that-t road is?" Bird was what I'd been calling the gryphon. If it had a name, Skor hadn't mentioned it, and I hadn't thought to ask. It hadn't seemed important at the time, but I needed to call it something. Anyway, Bird didn't respond as far as I could detect. He just kept doggedly flying west, heaving a powerful flap every few seconds to keep the three of us aloft.

"Well, if you can't see it, I c-certainly won't-t from up here," I mumbled through chattering teeth, wiping my dry, itchy eyes with the back of my half-frozen wrist. I looked down again, but as bright as the moon was, it was still too dim to make out details on the ground from up here. I could see the contours of hills and where the dark ocean met the boulder-strewn beaches in the distant west, but that was about it. I signaled Bird to descend, and he instantly stilled his wings and began to sink. Maybe I would be able to see more from closer to the ground. If not, then it was time to find somewhere to land until morning.

Now that I thought about it, it might be smart to land and rest anyway. We were far enough from the Sylvan camp that they had no chance of finding us by searching on the ground. Once they realized I'd stolen a gryphon though, it wouldn't be hard for them to figure out I might be heading to Pineda. If the town had the most important thing I hoped to find there, then maybe stumbling into such a risky situation half asleep wasn't such a great idea. I needed to sleep at some point. I should do it out here where it was safe so I could be as sharp as possible to deal with whatever nastiness might be waiting in the town.

The big question was: if we touched down now, would Bird demand feeding before taking off again? If I had to hunt before getting a chance to appropriate some supplies from the town, that would cause an intolerable delay. Getting caught because you were too tired and made stupid mistakes would be even worse. I bit my lip, then gave Bird the signal to land.

"Alright, listen big fella," I muttered, mostly talking to myself to try and ease my nerves, "We're gonna take a nap until the sun's up. Then we're heading to the town, and I should be able to find some food for you there, somewhere." The gryphon didn't react to my words. He was busy looking for a good place to land since I hadn't given him any direction besides getting down. Seven or eight minutes later, he came to a jostling stop at the top of a hill in an area with only a few short isolated trees and many clusters of scrub bushes among the long grass. The gryphon bounded forward to bleed off the last of his speed as he folded his wings, and I noticed his gait was much more wide and awkward with the bulk of the sylvan strapped to his chest.

As soon as we stopped, Faolin started grumbling and demanding to be untied. I assured him I'd get right on that once I extricated myself from the saddle. He shut up then, and a few minutes later, I swung down to the ground with a little stumble as my legs gradually woke up. Bird turned to face me and thrust out his chest, earning another protest from Faolin in his eagerness to be rid of the bothersome payload. The sylvan was strapped in place facing the gryphon's belly, his hands bound in front of him to keep the wind from giving them frostbite. I had some trouble with the knots Skor's people had used, but soon enough, he came loose and thumped to the ground. I helped him untangle his feet and pulled him upright, but he jerked away from me and stumbled a few steps away before I could do any more.