The Phoenix Ring(31)

"I doubt it as well, but we must be sure," came the reply. "Follow him."

"And what should I do if he isn't the guardian?"

"Whatever you wish. Just so long as there are no survivors."

All three smiled and slipped off the wall, mere shadows in the night.





"You're absolutely sure that we need twenty seven gold coins?" Aidan asked, running his good hand through his hair.

"I'm sure," Aaliyah said, pain raking through her body, "That was the cheapest I could find."

Aidan closed his eyes. Maybe he should have followed Timothy and abandoned this hopeless pursuit.

It was then that they heard a crash from downstairs, followed by a man's scream.

Both Aidan and Aaliyah grabbed their packs.

"The window." Aaliyah said.

Aidan threw his pack out the window and then, mustering all the  willpower in his body, jumped out, careful not to land on his left  wrist. The fall wasn't really that high, since the first floor was  barely six feet tall, but it wasn't pleasant. Aaliyah came out a few  seconds after him, landing gracefully on her feet. As soon as she  touched the ground she started running, leaving Aidan to catch up again.  They took the same route as before, though this time when Aaliyah came  to the slave cart she skidded to a halt.

"Aaliyah, what are you doing?" Aidan whispered.

The girl didn't answer, but ran up to the cage and pulled a wire out of  her sleeve. The slaves were sleeping, and didn't wake until the door  swung open on rusty hinges.

"You're free, now run if you want to live," Aaliyah said.

The first three men scattered into the darkness, but the fourth had only  made it a few feet when a hand appeared out of the shadows and grabbed  him around the throat.                       
       
           



       

"What do we have here?" the amogh asked as his partner joined him from  the shadows. "A traitor, a sorcerer, and a criminal? I think we're going  to have fun tonight."

"Let him go." Aaliyah said, her voice shaking.

"I think …  no." And then the amogh twisted the trembling man's neck, just once.

Aidan felt, rather than heard the crack, as the slave's soul left his  body. Then the anger came from the depths of the young sorcerers heart,  unbidden and unstoppable. It washed over everything, akin only to the  rage he had experienced at the death of Jonathan Gerang.

The fires of his anger streamed out of his staff, hands, even his mouth, unrestrained, bathing everything in a purifying heat.

The amoghs only laughed. Until they realized that they were standing in between two burning buildings.

Aaliyah grabbed Aidan's right arm and ran with him as the buildings  toppled behind them. The mage was in a daze, unable to do anything but  follow Aaliyah.

Screams were starting to echo through the city as the fire spread,  unchecked in the arid landscape. As smoke and flame poured into the sky,  the blaze began to move faster than Aaliyah could run while half  dragging Aidan.





Soon the middle of the stone road was the only place not touched by the  flames. When they reached the griffin stables almost all of the  creatures had broken their harness and scattered, as had the stable boys  and merchants. The hay on the ground was burning swiftly, drawing ever  nearer to the stable's only occupant, the practically untamed griffin.  It was already saddled, the stable boy had explained to Aaliyah that the  last person to attempt to unsaddle it had received a claw mark in  gratitude.

Aaliyah ran to the creature, who was letting out frightened mewing  noises, and guided Aidan to its side. He was somehow aware enough to  climb up onto its back and curl into a ball. Aaliyah drew a knife and  slashed harness holding the griffin in place. She was about to leap onto  its back when a wave of pain ran from the base of her spine to her  neck. The griffin was about to leap into the air and leave the girl when  she felt a hand grab her wrist. She just barely managed to pull herself  onto the beast as it leapt into the air, shattering the stable ceiling.

Aidan sat up above the saddle to look down on the fast retreating city.

What have I done? he thought.

For half the city of Argentah, from the main road west, was burning.





15





Argentah was no stranger to disaster. From raiders to earthquakes, the  city was remarkably resilient. Fire was a common problem, due to the  shabby construction of most of the city. After a large blaze had  consumed most of the city five years back, the people of Argentah had  formed an efficient system for quenching the flames, each person with a  specific task. Whether it was to fetch water, man the well, or stifle  the fire itself, each person knew where they were supposed to be. It was  because of this system that most of the fire was contained within one  hour after the first two buildings fell. As the men began to walk back  to their houses, or what was left of them, two hooded figures joined  them on the road. They fell into place behind John Abbot, a griffin  merchant who had lost more than anyone else. Most merchants could afford  to lose some of their wares, but a griffin merchant could spend his  entire life savings on one beast, hoping to get a better return. John  had lost all but one of his griffins, who he was going home to care for.  It was a class two, and might offer enough reward for John to move out  of town and away from angry creditors.

He never noticed the two men following him into his stable, nor did he  feel anything when the taller one slid a dagger between his ribs.

The men saddled and mounted the griffin and took to the air without a word, leaving John Abbot lying on the ground, motionless.



A griffin's saddle is shaped more like a bowl than any other saddle,  which was a good thing for Aidan. He had imagined that riding a griffin  would feel exhilarating and free, but instead the constant up and down  motions of the wings only made the young mage nauseous. He spent most of  the ride curled up in the back of the four foot long basin, while  Aaliyah took the reins and fought with the stubborn beast, who had  decided that it would rather fly south than north. About three hours  before dawn they arrived at the northern seashore.

The first thing that struck Aidan was the smell. It was salty and fresh,  carried by a cool breeze over the waves lapping quietly on the sand.  The second was the water. Never in all his life had Aidan seen so much  water, shining as the light of the moon and stars bounced off its rough  surface.

Aaliyah steered the griffin downwards onto the seashore, and then made  the beast walk the last few feet to the tree line, all the time never  seeming to notice the raw power of the ocean that so overwhelmed Aidan.                       
       
           



       

She hopped to the ground, landed a little unsteadily, and then wrapped  the reins three times around a tree. Aidan managed to jump/fall off the  griffin, careful not to land on his left arm, as the amogh gave the  creature water from her flask.

Aidan knew that, in the absence of food, a griffin could survive on pure  magic, and so he had periodically given the creature a burst of power  from his staff. As he got off, he gave the creature one last stream of  magic.

I wish Timothy was here. Aidan thought. The spell he was using was far  too basic, most of the magic was lost into the atmosphere, leaving Aidan  completely drained and the griffin still hungry. Aidan was sure his  friend would know how to conserve energy and still feed the beast. I  wonder where he is now.

"What trees do you want for your hammock?" Aidan asked Aaliayah, who was sitting on a rock overlooking the ocean.

"I don't care," the girl answered, her voice barely audible.

Aidan sighed and went to sit down beside her. Neither spoke for a few minutes as a warm breeze blew from the ocean.

"You knew that wizard, didn't you," Aidan said. Aaliyah didn't respond.

The mage looked at the amogh and was surprised to see tear tracks  streaking from her eye, following the path of the scar down her face.

Aidan closed his eyes.

"I know you like to be strong," he said, "I know you don't want to show  any weakness or anger. That you feel if you do show weakness then you  won't be contain it, that it will flood out and consume you, I-" Aidan  had to stop and steady his breath. "I have the same burn in me. But if  you hold it in, then it will just keep building up until you explode."

For a moment, Aidan felt a rush of red hot power run through his chest.

"I know it's hard. But you don't have to do it alone."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Just when Aidan was about to stand to set up the hammock, Aaliyah began to speak.

"My parents passed away when I was a baby … "



Eric and Leonor Brennon trudged through the forest, the latter bearing  the most precious thing a person could hold. A human life. The child was  small, but already strong, as all amoghs were.