"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.