Young Writers Society

"Whataya say, Elf Boy?" The newcomer had said. With a swiftness not only of his elven genes, but also his many years as a rogue and warrior, and wiht a strength that belied his nimble frame, Valin hoisted the blond-haired newcomer out of the wagon, and up to eye level with Valin, his eyes icy slits.

"What did you call me, barbarian?" Valin asked, his voice dripping with venom.

"I said, 'whataya say, elf boy' " he said, a small smirk on his face.

Valin went to change his grip on the man from his collar to his throat, and all at once he felt his arm twist and his grip on the man weaken. The man pulled him off balance in an effort to throw him, but Valin was the wiser, here. He broke the man's grip with a swift chop to the wrist, and went to wrap his arms around this neck from behind, in an effort to drop him to his knees. The newcomer proved to be the quicker, though, as he spun in Valin's grasp and delivered a swift headbutt that Valin only marginally deflected with his forearm. Then Valin saw an opening and took it. Steppeding into the man's guard, elbowed the man in the chest then knocked him to the ground with a swift foot sweep.

"Do not EVER adress me in such a disrespectful manner, drunkard. You know not who I am, and to insult me would be a grave mistake on your part. I suggest you start giving me some very good reasons why I should let you travel with us, or your body will be found on the side of the road"

Valin extended his hand the man, who took it and climbed to his feet.

"My master once told me of a man of a man named Seraph, of the Blood Plains--I can help you find him."

Valin studied Zel for a moment, judging whether this was indeed truth, or a lie. He nodded after a moment. "Fine."

He turned to the man in the crimson tabbard.

"Why are you here?"

Dreffan considered his words carefully a moment, then threw caution to the wind.

"I'm here...for you."

The elf's eyes narrowed and Dreffan smiled.

"My master knows you, and I believe you know him. He sends his regards."

Valin stepped forward, his shoulders square and his eyebrows narrowed.

"And who is your master?" By the tone of his voice, he already knew.

"The man who arranged your release. The same man who arranged your capture. The man who now asks for your attention."

Valin grimaced. "What do you want with us?"

Dreffan slowly, purposefully reached into his satchel and withdrew the remaining piece of parchment. This one was only slightly longer than the first. He held it out to Valin and smiled.

"This is for you. Do with it what you will."

Dreffan looked over to Finn and, with a smirk, winked.

Adrian sighed and tried to listen to the discussion, but the man face and words kept flying back into focus, "But... you're a man of god!" A man of god, sure a man of god would of spared him, prison had dehumanized Adrian. Before Becky had saved him he'd been ready embrace death cold touch.

The man after all had only been doing his job, he had no reason to kill him. The killing had all been his rage built up. Adrian drew up blood soaked blade, the blood dripped all over his hands, his hand caked in the crimson. He considered plunging the sword into him, it would end all this, he was going to hell anyway, he'd just speed it up.

The blade gleamed harshly, was he being selfish, then again not like anyone cared about him... maybe Becky but he was clueless as to what any of it meant. She'd find someone better.

Adrian sighed, he couldn't hear anyone anymore, he only heard his heartbeat, the heart he'd soon skewer right through it. With a deep breath he lifted the sword and pushed, out the corner of his eye he saw Becky tense and mime, "Don't!"

Adrian stopped at the armour, he was so pathetic, couldn't even kill himself. He dropped the sword with a loud clatter, looks like all that keep him going was revenge against Seraph for imprisoning in that hell hole. Becky looked up him worriedly, he was truly beginning to wonder if love felt like this, the concept didn't make sense. He went back to listening.

I stiffened as I looked up from picking a knot out of Nag's unruly mane to see Dreffan pulling a note out of his satchel. As he handed it to Valin, I could see that it was rolled in the same form and appeared to be of the same material that my own note was... I bit my lip hard, tasting blood. When Dreffan looked back at me and smirked, I scowled right back.

Gods... so it had been him who'd slipped the note into my pocket. Kill me. Seraph wouldn't ask for that. Would he? No. No, not unless he'd well and truly gone mad. And Seraph would never have arranged for Becky, Sirloaz, and Adrian to be captured and incarcerated so cruelly, for so long. No... Dreffan's master was someone else. Perhaps someone Dreffan did not agree with... someone he was bound to.

My eyes opened wide with shock as I realised it: Dreffan was asking me to kill him... to release him from this master of his. I quickly regained my composure as he strode toward Nag and me and prepared to mount.

"Off, you," he said, his amiable voice belying the authoritative nature of the words. I blinked at him. "I know how to handle horses. And I thought perhaps you'd be more comfortable behind me..." His smirk was charming, but a little discomfitting. "Guess not."

I slid to the ground quickly, keeping a hand on Nag's reins so she wouldn't bolt, and he winked at me and mounted quickly. I swung up behind him, using his foot and his proffered hand for assistance, and reluctantly wrapped my arms around his waist.

Dreffan wanted me to kill him... I could most certainly be of service in that area.

What did Seraph want?

Becky couldn't figure it out. No matter how she thought of it, it didn't make sense. And now this strange, cloaked man, Dreffan, had joined them, with some type of message.

Becky wished Valin would read the letter out loud. His eyes skimmed over it, and he frowned, slightly. Becky tapped her toe, and fiddled with her blouse. What did it say? Was it really from Seraph? Did it have an explanation as to why Seraph had imprisoned her, then had her released? She glanced from person to person. Finn looked annoyed, and determined. Her usual scowl had intensified, and seemed to be directed at Dreffan. Zel took a swig from his bottle, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Ria was stood beside Valin, reading the letter over his shoulder. Her blue eyes were expressionless.

Valin slowly rolled up the note, and put it in his pocket. Becky felt like tearing her hair out.

What did it say?

Ria looked over Valin's shoulder, but she could not read the symbols on the paper. Valin's read the paper quickly.

"Let's keep going," Valin said. Ria glanced over at Dreffan, then down to Finn.

"You can ride with me." Finn grunted something, before climbing up onto the wagon.

The horses moved forward as the group made their way across a valley. Dreffan led the way, while the others followed closely. The sun was directly overhead when a slight breeze passed through the valley. The grass on either side of them swayed with the breeze. The grass seemed to ripple for as far as the eye could see. Ria looked over to Kira.

"Kira, don't look at the sun, it is bad for your eyes."

"I'm not looking at the sun," Kira said.

Ria looked up, only to see a brown blur shoot out of the sun.

The blur shot out of the sun at a tremendous speed.

The next moment, it impacted against Dreffan and his horse.

The force of the impact was so great that the horse was tipped over, sending Dreffan flying. The impact had come out of nowhere and had come as a complete surprise. He landed several feet away and his first instinct was to reach for his spear. It had landed a few feet away from him.

Dreffan reached for it, but the gryphon was there. Dreffan reached for his mace and sat up. The gryphon pounced on Dreffan just as he swung his mace. The mace smashed into the gryphon's belly. Blood squirted out of the torn flesh and a large crack told Dreffan that several bones were broken as well.

That was all the damage Dreffan would do. The gryphon grabbed his four limbs with each of his talons and pinned him to the ground. Dreffan stayed still. The gryphon was heavier than a long distance pack and he didn't have the leverage to push him off.

"Alden!" Ria cried out in the distance. Alden's eyes rolled back and light began to encompass Alden. When the light had completely encircled Alden, a bright beam of light shot into the wound. Skin stretched out to cover the cuts, and inside the gryphon there was a bright glow in the shapes of broken bones. Dreffan watched as the bones moved and were realigned.

The glowing stopped after a short time and then the sphere of light disappeared. Alden's eyes rolled forward, just in time to let out a loud roar. It continued for several seconds and echoed off the valley walls for seconds after that.

"Alden," Ria said quietly.

Dreffan turned to see Ria and the others standing a few feet away from them. When he turned back to look at Alden, Alden smashed his head into Dreffan's. Dreffan went limp and Alden got off him.

"Ria, Stillman; tie him up."

"Ria, Stillman; tie him up." Alden said ignoring everyone's surprise

So he is alive after all, something different about him though. Sirloaz thought as he watched Alden. I'm not sure about this, Dreffan, yes he sprung us from jail, but who is he working for. I must remain on my guard should he try something treacherous, as always.

He is an ally, and it should do you well to treat him as such you insolent boy Zoalris spoke sharply

I was relieved when Ria offered me a seat in the wagon next to the gryphlet. Sharing Nag with Dreffan had been more than a little surreal, as this was the man who had asked me via note to kill him. That still weighed heavily on my mind, and I hugged my knees to my chest, dropping my chin against them.

Kira looked over at me. "What's wrong?"

I glared back. "Nuffink, Fluffers. G'back to bein' cute an' leave me alone, a'right?"

She snorted, an unnervingly adorable sound. "You can't even talk right. Don't go insulting me."

I glared again, then looked away again. My eyes fell on Becky, who, rather than seeming bored with the interminably repeating landscape, seemed to be glowing with happiness. Probably due to the whole just-having-been-released-from-prison thing. She was paler than before, and her hair was dull and scraggly; she'd never been the prettiest of girls but now she looked like she'd gone through a long illness.

I was distracted by Ria's gasp, and looked up as Nag squealed in terror. "Wh--"

Alden was alive? Alden had just tackled Dreffan? Alden was glowing? Alden had just headbutted Dreffan! Maybe he'd done my job for me... no, that was probably wishful thinking, as Alden told Ria and Becky to tie him up.

Well. This was certainly an interesting turn of events.

(placeholder! will post tomorrow after work!)

(OOC: I hope this doesn't interfere with your post, Sab!)

Something had fallen from the sky.

For a split second, Becky thought that Kira had somehow got out of the wagon, and flew down in front of her. But no, the little gryphon was at her side, and the being in front of her was something different, glowing and magnificent. Dreffan tumbled to the ground like a leaf, his cape fluttering. In a whirl of feathers, the shape was upon him, pinning him to the ground. Becky heard the crack of breaking bones as Dreffan swung his mace.

"Alden!" Ria shouted.

Suddenly, he was gone, surrounded by a golden light. Becky took a step forward, raising a hand to cover her eyes. He was floating, suspended a few inches off the ground by the magic that was healing his wound until there was no trace of it. The light faded, and he roared, shaking his great head like a lion's mane.

Becky couldn't believe it. It had to be some trick, some evil sorcery intended to trick them.

"Alden." Ria again.

There was a sickening thump as the gryphon's beak connected with Dreffan's head. He collapsed, and the gryphon looked up, making eye contact with her for the first time.

"Ria, Stillman; tie him up."

Alden was back.

"Yes sir," Becky said dumbly, as Ria handed her the rope.

So.

He had survived.

The do-no-wrong griffon had survived.

The fool should have stayed in the river.

"My Lord." The Scryer's voice interrupted my thoughts.

I looked to him, expecting him to continue. Never speak unless your words are worthy of being heard.

"My Lord, I have some information that you may not know about the group you follow."

Doubtful.

"Speak."

"Lord; the ranger that travels with him; Sirloaz--" the man was choosing his words with great care. "--He is my son."

"I fail to see the significance, Cleric," I told him. It took my most human restraint to keep from destroying him.

"He--he holds a demon within him--it is named Zaolris. When he was a child, I imbued him with--"

"Get to the point, Cleric."

"My--my Lord, I merely--"

"The demon--is he a threat?"

"To you? No, my Lord, I--"

"To the party, you fool. To Dreffan. To the mission." The final word rang through the hall, carrying with it the weight of a threat.

"No, my Lord. Sirloaz is strong, he should be able to control--"

Suddenly he was against the wall, my fingers wrapped across his face. His surprised shout and pleas for mercy were muffled against my palm. I would have ignored them anyway.

A moment later, I dropped what remained of the Cleric to the floor. A fresh tattoo carved itself into the skin of my right calf.

Alden moved away from Dreffan. Ria and Becky moved in with some rope to tie him up.

"You're late," Valin said.

"I almost didn't make it. We can talk about that later. I had to fly through some storm clouds to get here. It won't be long until they reach us. We need to find shelter before they hit." Alden turned and looked into the sky.

"The sooner the better," Alden said.

"Shelter you say?"

They all looked at Zel. "You know somewhere we can hide?" Valin asked.

"Sure do! Not too far from here there's a cave I used to sleep in from time to time during my travels in this regein. Stocked with more rum 'n wine you lightweights could drink!"

"Where is it?"

Zel looks around the area, aimlessly searching for something until he noticed an upturned rock just off the road. He approached the rock and ran his fingers across it. "Ahh, yes. This is the marker. We need to go this way through the forest, the path we're on won't take us there. We just need to cross a river, jump over a small cliff and we're there." He lifted his head, as if suddenly remembering something. "Oh, yeah. We'll have to ditch the wagons bout half way. We can come back for them when we're ready to leave again."

"Oh, yeah. We'll have to ditch the wagons bout half way. We can come back for them when we're ready to leave again" the strange, seemingly uncoordinated, blonde man spoke, his voice slightly slurred.

The scenery had changed for the better, almost like home Sirloaz thought a thin smile had broken his generally emotionless face. This Dreffan character, not sure if he is one to be trusted; and Alden, where in the nine hells had he come from. Last i heard he was dead.

"No, you insolent child! They are all to be watched very closely, especially Alden; Dreffan however, he and I are linked through a very faint but strong connection." Zaolris spoke quietly, his last words echoing in Sirloaz's head.

It felt good to be free from that cell, free from those chains, the light armor only slightly a burden unlike Adrian, who looked like hell, and was sweating profusely due to the heavy armor he was wearing.

"We move on foot from now on" the blonde man said, stopping for a few minutes as the wagons were unloaded. "not too long now".

The man reminded Sirloaz somewhat of Cyrus and Henry; almost always slightly drunk and lighthearted. "Valin" Sirloaz said as he jogged over; "Do you know what became of Henry and Cyrus?". Valin just shook his head and walked on.

"Good riddance, such annoyances; although their heads would do well if they were mounted on a couple of spikes" Zoalris whispered with disgust.

"Don't push me Zaolris, I'll find someway to destroy you" Sirloaz muttered under his breath.

"perfect, rage..."

"We're here" the blonde man said, motioning to the cave.