Gryphon ^

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"Ow!" Sam rubbed his head where a gash had ruptured leaving his hair smothered in clotting blood. "I didn't think asking would work."

"You think?" Mikyla mocked who too was just as bloody. "I'm just glad we landed on something soft-"

A sudden muffled cry came from underneath the duo. Wriggling ensued until the two were quickly shoved off by a a small group of red faced Nobles.

"Mikael?"

One of the Nobles who the duo had apparently fallen on asked stunned.

"Yes?" Mikyla responded as smoothly as the situation allowed.

"Mikael Fëanor? Is that really you?"

"Yes?" Mikyla nodded the situation getting more confusing by the second. Was she supposed to know them?

Suddenly, Sam popped up and a look of recognition and almost smugness spread across his face. "Well if it isn't Francis Irimë..."

"Fancy seeing you here too, Samuel." The Noble called Francis snarked back. "Still see you wagging your tail to the upper households- I don't blame you- after the scandal, it's the only thing keeping you afloa-"

"Shut it." Sam spoke softly but the leer in his eye gave Mikyla goosebumps. She'd never sensed such hatred- even her detest for Nobles was child's play in comparison.

Francis gulped and look towards his group for reassurance. "Yeah... I wouldn't want to soil Lord Fëanor's ears anyway... However, if the Fëanor household ever wants to drop in, feel free anytime. Just-"

"Don't fall from the sky?" Mikyla offered indifferently. She didn't know what past they had with Sam but she'd trust his distrust for now. "It's not the best feeling, especially getting scratched and all as we fell through the top layers of the forest. You guys did break our fall though so thanks for that!"

"Don't mention it." Francis shrugged off to which his lackeys imitated. "We'll just be taking our leave now, you can follow us if you choose but I'm sure that you'll be able to find your way out easy enough. Just be careful of the gryphons- there was a nest around her somewhere."

"Yeah, we know." Sam retorted, his voice freezing the air. "It was nice seeing you, hopefully we'll see each other soon."

Francis' group nodded before walking off. Sam watched them carefully until they were out of sight and Mikyla let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her wounds had finally all scabbed over but if the fall didn't knock the wind out of her, the tension seemed to squeeze the rest out.

"They." Mikyla wiped perspiration off her brow. "Were interesting."

"Yeah." Sam nodded as if they just met an old friend. "They were, weren't they?"

Mikyla nodded in agreement. She had a feeling she knew who their alter egos were and if Sade and all the other Drows were converted to Nobles, it made sense the Drow suck-ups were converted too.

"So..."

"We'll follow them." Sam stated blatantly.

"What!" Mikyla asked surprised. "Didn't you, you know, have a little bit of..."

"It happens." Sam gave Mikyla a weak smile. "It's the best option we have right now. The winds picking up again but if you don't want to go that way; I guess this is goodbye."

"I-"

"I'm not wagging my tail." Sam turned towards where the other Nobles left. "I thought we stayed together because we were friends but if you want to avoid scandal I understand."

"But we- we are..." Mikyla choked. She didn't know what she was saying. She hated the Nobles but if this was Sade then... "We are friends."

Sam stared at Mikyla with a blank expression until all seriousness was replaced by a goofy grin. "Then what are you waiting for? Come on!"

Mikyla shook her head but couldn't stop herself smiling either. She hated the Nobles but she'd rather hate a Noble when they weren't beat to the curb. At this point it seemed as if Sam needed her as much as she needed him. After all, Sam was her Noble guide.

"Mikael?"

Mikyla heard a small voice on the wind.

"Mikael!" Sam shouted this time as the wind seemed to get stronger with every step forward. "I asked you which way do you think!"

"Huh?" Mikyla yelled but as she cast her eyes forward she saw the road fork; two paths divergent. One was the obvious road less travelled, a trail leading into thicker woods and the other an open road towards what looked like... "Sam? Do you think that's it?"

"Yeah! That's what I thought too but I didn't know if you wanted a pit stop? I mean, we should have seen this coming. Of course there would be a rest station somewhere!"

"A rest station?" Mikyla repeated but sure enough, the longer she stared the more it became clear. The portal was right down that path and beside it was a beautiful lake a crystal clear water. "You're right! Let's go!"

It was a race. Mikyla and Sam were neck and neck, tearing there way through nettles and the like, not caring for the scratches on scratches, bruises on bruises.

To Mikyla, the lake was the most refreshing thing she had ever seen, it's dazzling water creating amniotic swirls that glistened in the afternoon light. The wind was barely nippy for Mikyla had grown numb over the course of the past few hours and she wouldn't stop at anything to soothe the sores scattered throughout her body. She needed the rest and she shouldn't have been surprised that there was one. This was a trial for the Nobles... there had to be some luxuries.

Suddenly, Mikyla stopped. Something in the water moved and by the size of it, it wasn't a fish. Ink spilled jet black turning the water murky and bubbles started to burst at the surface leaving purple fumes. Thick tendrils erupted from the bubbles wake and a elven figure started to surface.

"Sam?" Mikyla attempted to gain the Noble's attention but he was oblivious, racing off towards the portal.

The figures body contorted as it took on its final elven shape. Thick strands of black hair plastered to her dark skinned face but Mikyla could still make out the cold blank eyes staring straight at her. It walked along the waters surface, staining and rotting wherever her feet touched. Mikyla felt rooted the spot as if strangled by the ominous seaweed wrapped tightly along the figures body and it was only a yell of joy from Sam that distracted her from the elf who looked like a reflection of her former self.

"Bouncy castle here I come!" Sam whooped as he skipped along. "Wait for me, Mr. Cuddles!"

"Bouncy castle?" Mikyla muttered to herself before her past reflection as well as the once pristine lake was blown away by the wind. "Wait Sam! That's not a bouncy castle!"

"What do you mean?" Sam pointed towards where the lake once sat. "The bouncy castle is right there."

Mikyla shook her head. "Why would one be there?"

"I don't know. For a rest break?"

"Then what about 'Mr. Cuddles'?"

"Mr. Who?" Sam blinked and the glaze over his eyes shifted like earlier. "What? Where's the bouncy castle gone?"

"There wasn't one to begin with." Mikyla pursed her lips. "I bet that's not the real portal either."

Mikyla walked towards the portal just past where the lake once was. She felt tense, she didn't know why but she had a feeling that something was wrong. Sam followed closely behind and sure enough as they got closer to the portal it started to filter in the breeze.

Creeping closer, Mikyla paused as she felt her footing loosen and with a swift gust of wind, the floor opened up to reveal a deep pitfall trap where a few Nobles including Francis' group lay in a state of illusion amongst a series of wyverns and unhatched gryphon eggs.

"Holy cow." Sam breathed.

Mikyla nodded. "Another step and we would have fallen for it."

"Right. But what now?"

"We can only take the other path." Mikyla shrugged but then a lightbulb lit up in her mind. "...a path dusted with brazen."

"The riddle?"

"I think so. I haven't taken into much consideration so far but it seems the riddles offer warnings such as which path to take." Mikyla looked towards the sky as she walked back to the fork in the road. "It never mentioned anything about the gryphons though-"

The words 'and try not to die...' echoed in Mikyla's mind. It was true that the riddles provided warnings but they weren't sole protectors.
This was the real deal. With all the factors added up alongside the no time limit, it made sense. This wasn't some little test devised where you pass or fail. There weren't any hints or chances to quit. This was a survival game. It truly was life... or death.

—————

As soon as Mikyla and Sam passed through the portal, lightning struck between them as flecks of gold before coming together to form another fairy. Being shocked would be an understatement as the transition from a a disillusioned forest to nearly being fried to death was more of a wake up call from-

"Well, aren't you slooow-" The fairy placed her hands on her hips without giving the elves time to adjust. "I mean the other guys were slow but you're SUPER Slooooow!"

"But!" Mikyla tries to interject. She was sure the others were trapped in the pitfall but she's shut down by a sudden jolt that runs down her nervous system.

"Nah, ah, ah! No questions."

Mikyla felt her hair stand on end more than they already were as the fairy started to glow, gathering static from the air. She took a breath like a sonic boom and with the force of thunder, she rapped a riddle faster than Mikyla could blink.

"Ideals- pitiful shadow- true like,
With- to and fro- tow,- nurtured shrike.
Who's- nought plan breeds dismay- split- a,
-not the past- last, before time-"

"Wait, wait!" Mikyla stuttered, slightly dazed from the electrifying performance. "Can you repeat that slowly?"

The fairy raised and eyebrow before shaking her head. "Sorry, can't do that. It's against the rules - besides, I gotta go!"

Before anything could be done, the fairy left in a flash of light causing sun spots as Mikyla tried to blink away the sudden spark of events.

"That- that-" Mikyla clutches her head in her hands. "I didn't get anything that was just said."

Mikyla groaned and almost jumped out of her skin as another lightning bolt struck the earth only a few meters away causing debris to scatter into the air. It had only been about a minute since they retraced their steps to the fork in the road where the forest gave way to a path that led them to the stormy realm but Mikyla could already tell she didn't like it.

What the last realm had as wind was here as chaos. The sky was ashen and nothing could be seen without the illumination of constant flashes of sheet lighting. The autonomous rolling of thunder was a deceleration of war and Mikyla could already feel the effects of a migraine coming along.

The land once rolling plains and thickets of greenery had turned into a nightmare of carbonized wasteland. The ground was burnt to ash and scarred with the snakes of lightning remnants, some still glowing red as if threatening to spill the insides of the earth itself. Mikyla could barely make out Sam's silhouette in between the intermittent flashes of blinding yellow and as her face became taught with worry she swore she saw a ghost of herself in the reflection of his eyes.

With the riddle come and gone in the crack of the whip, for once, Mikyla felt she was doomed. Having just worked out the benefits of the riddle, Mikyla could only slump to the floor as she felt her throat carry a large lump as if weighing her down. Things were just going too fast and even though the wind was dry and lifeless, she could swear she heard the remnants of manipulated air.

As the lightning flashed on, drowning the sky in its brilliance, the faux pas in the air continued with its steady unnatural rhythm until Mikyla snapped her head around towards the source. Immediately Sam stopped what could only be described as beatboxing in the midst of a storm and Mikyla could only hope to better her glare as he tried to ween his way into innocence with a cheesy grin. How could he remain so calm? The heavens appeared to have a battle raging within it and there was no definite plan of action for an indefinite amount of time. How could Sam not care about any of that? How could he just sit there beatboxing when the sky looked like it was going to fall on top of them?

"Sorry." Sam meekly apologizes. "I thought it was catchy."

"What did you say?" Mikyla lit up, hoping he knew the whole thing.

"Sorry? It was catchy?"

"No." Mikyla rolled her eyes. "Repeat the rap."

"Oh." Sam grins. "You liked it too, huh?"

Mikyla shoots Sam another glare. "Just repeat it."

Sam pauses for a second but decides it's better to get started.

"Ideals with action, but a pitiful shadow, of the worlds true like,
With plans to and fro, wits till the tow, the prey of a nurtured shrike.
Who's to say, nought plan breeds dismay, whilst speech be split at the a,
Regret not the past, do while you last, before time is swallowed by gray."

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Word Count for Chapter 19: 2268
Total Word Count: 30635

Authors Note:

Hope you liked the UNEDITED chapter 19! Don't forget to press on those magical stars to light up Mikyla's future path and leave a comment telling me what you like so far or what you don't like. Thanks for reading so far.

Happy reading 
~ Dracollavenore