Chaos Storm (The Flight of the Griffin Book 2) (37 page)

Bartholomew Bask and the Princess were found unharmed and eating lunch below decks in
The Griffin
quite unaware the boat had stopped, and a battle fought around them. When told they had arrived, they had happily returned to the city with Bartholomew walking as fast as his chubby legs would take him in search of, 'Finally finding a proper meal to break me fast upon!'

Once Bartholomew and the Princess had gone, Loras transformed
The Griffin
to its animal form, and it reared up, shook itself as if awakening from a bad dream, and then flew up and far away as if fleeing the whole terrible experience of being blown apart and reassembled. Loras explained that he was sure she would come when summoned, but it would be best to let her heal on her own for some days – there was only so much that magic could do.

A day after the battle, back inside their chambers in the Royal palace, the crew debated their options. Pardigan was the most agitated, pacing to and fro, desperate for his friend.

'We have to go after Quint. He would come and find us we all know that. Send me in there Loras, I'm not scared of demons, I'll find him.' Loras tried to ignore him. They were all concerned for Quint, each intent upon his rescue, yet all looking to Loras to locate him. Even Elisop was quiet; the little spy was sitting playing with a piece of string watching Pardigan out of the corner of his eye. Magician Falk was the only one still asleep. So far the old Magician had refused to talk about where he had been and how he had come to fly into the battle behind the blue and yellow dragon. Elisop had shouted at him for a while, accusing him of throwing one of the King's finest intelligence officers out of the balloon and had then got into a verbal fight with Pardigan when the young thief had questioned his claim to intelligence.

'How dare you speak of the King's personal Spymaster in such a derogatory manner, I shall have you know I was educated in the finest…'

'Oh, please, go chew on a camel, Mr intelligent Spymaster,' sneered Pardigan. We need to find my friend and you're not helping.' He turned back to Loras. 'Please send me in there Loras; I can do it. Just open one of those door things'

'But Pardigan, I don't know where to start.' Loras glanced up from where he had been sitting with his head cupped in his hands. 'Think about it seriously, just for one moment. I just chose a place at random and opened the rift for Quint to throw the Emperor in, I certainly didn't expect Quint to go in with him and then for us to need to find him, he could be anywhere, the demon realm is huge.' He slumped back. 'Right now I can't do anything; I'm too tired to think. We all are. I do know that if anyone can survive down there it's going to be Quint. I will find him Pardigan, I promise I'll find him, I'll find him as fast as I can, it isn't easy, but I won't stop, I'll keep looking no matter how long it takes.'

'Oh Source, poor Quint.' Mahra sobbed and leant into Tarent's shoulder. They sat in silence, none of them knowing what to do next.

* * *

The return to Sterling Port didn't get underway for almost a week. Loras spent most of the time huddled with Magician Falk trying different spells to locate Quint. They opened countless rifts but found nothing but bad smells, darkness and demons. It was dangerous and futile at best. Despite pleading with them, Pardigan was continually refused permission to enter a rift and go in search of him. Until they could fix Quint's position, there was no point.

'I don't want to lose two of my friends into the Demon realm,' said Loras crossly when Pardigan asked for the umpteenth time. 'Listen, let me try and explain, so maybe even you can understand our problem. Imagine Quint was on Minster Island, and I set you down here in the desert to look for him, you wouldn't have much chance of finding him, would you? Well the Demon realm is as big as this realm, but it's darker, full of caverns and tunnels and we think there is some kind of sea down there, as well. We have no maps, and at the moment we have no way of knowing where is, it could be anywhere down there, so stop bothering me until we locate him, then you can go get him, we all will.' Pardigan sulked for the best part of a day.

The crew had excused themselves from all the celebrations in Dhurban, it just didn't seem right to dance in the street and celebrate while Quint was missing, their battle wasn't yet over. It wasn't spoken about, but each was imagining what he could be going through, what it must be like and how he was surviving. The thought that he may have been killed and eaten by demons didn't enter anyone's head, he was Quint, and he would be alive and trying to get back.

When it came time to leave, the crew travelled back on
The Griffin
while Bartholomew, Elisop and Magician Falk joined the first desert caravan to leave the city since before the battle. They were accompanying King Hugo and the remnants of his army and had to resign themselves to riding several days in the swinging palanquin platforms. The crew were delighted to pass on the palanquin experience. Loras called
The Griffin,
and she flew in, seemingly none the worse for being blown to bits, reassembled and sailed through a hostile desert.

The caravan departed, and the crew mounted
The Griffin
and took to the skies. As they flew, Loras sat last in line, holding tight onto Pardigan and was quickly oblivious to anything happening around him. He sat deep in thought, muttering from time to time, trying to analyse how he had opened the rift on the battlefield and what he must have focused upon. He was desperate to search the markets and shops in Sterling to purchase more books. There wouldn't be a map of the demon realm, but there would be small bits of information that he should be able to piece together. It would take a little time, but he was sure he could do it.

Tarent sat at the front, guiding
The Griffin
towards the distant coast, his headscarf wrapped firmly about his face, gazing through a narrow slit towards the distant blue line of the coast.

Inside his cloak, Mahra was curled up as a cat, warm and fast asleep, and Pardigan was sitting in between Tarent and Loras, still sulking, still furious that he couldn't go into the demon realm and find his friend.

The deep desert so loved by the Dhurbar was a vast featureless place, especially when viewed from over a thousand spans high through bleary, wind-whipped eyes. It was cold this high, but the chill was a welcome change from the desert heat they had endured for so many days. They were used to flying and after a short time were all within their own little worlds of thoughts and dreams, only vaguely aware of the desert slipping away beneath them. Which was why they were all so alarmed when a great red dragon swooped down barely missing them, its claws brushing against Pardigan's shoulder as it passed, screeching insanely and belching out a great wash of fire.

* * *

The Griffin
drew back in alarm and let out her own cry of anger as the red beast flashed past and dropped below them. Tarent fought for control while the others clung on as best they could and cast about trying to see where the dragon had gone.

'Where is it?' Pardigan leaned out to the side and Loras gave a cry as he started to slide from
The Griffin's
back.

'Pardigan, sit still!'

'Well, where is it? I don't see it any…'

Tarent pointed low to their left. 'Down there, look… that's the Hawk on its back. They're coming around again.'

Down far below, the great red dragon was soaring close to the sand, searching for a warm updraft to give it lift. Every once in a while it would flap its huge leathery wings and sure enough, it was rising quite quickly.

'I think they'll come in from above us again,' shouted Tarent over the rush of the wind. He coaxed
The Griffin
around towards the coast again, and she flew on, her head turning as she eyed the dragon suspiciously. It wasn't long before the dragon was higher than they were, rising effortlessly through the warm air. 'We're still a long way from the coast. Loras, can you do anything?'

Loras leaned forward and shouted so Tarent could hear. 'I'll try, but I'm not sure my magic will work. I read somewhere that dragons are immune to magic. Just keep going and we'll just have to deal with it if and when we can.'

The dragon passed high above them. They could see the tiny figure of Matheus Hawk perched on its back. The Magician was guiding his dragon, turning it down into a dive to attack
The Griffin
once again. Tarent searched the ground for somewhere to land - this was no sky battle that they could win. He needed somewhere that they could make a stand, some rocks or trees, a cave… but he quickly gave up because there was nothing below them but sand.

'Here it comes!' shouted Pardigan as the dragon dived, a screeching roar filling the air as it fell through the sky towards them, mouth gaping and fire blooming as it closed.

'It's going to hit us!' Loras produced a ball of blue energy and hurled it at the beast, and it swerved aside, just at the last moment. It flashed past, all red scales and sharp claws, the wash of its passing almost unseating them again, rocking
The Griffin,
forcing them all to cling on, desperate not to fall. As it dived away, the Hawk tossed a red ball of Chaos energy up towards them, but with a wave of his hand, Loras swatted it away. They watched as below them, the dragon seemed to shake itself then it did something strange, it rolled, and they all heard the Hawk scream then shout insults at the dragon. They could see him tugging on the reins leading back from the dragon's great head, pulling them from side to side as he fought for control. The two seemed to have an unhappy relationship, but after a few moments the Hawk appeared to be back in charge, and the dragon stopped trying to shake him off. They could see it searching again for another rising current of warm air.

'What, by the Source, are they doing?' Tarent turned
The Griffin
in a lazy circle so they could study their adversary. As the dragon rose and came closer, they heard the Hawk screaming insanely in a shrill panicked voice.

'Obey me dragon… I am your master, you will not unseat me, you will obey, you…' The dragon suddenly folded its wings and plummeted through the air. The sound of the Hawk screaming in terror drifted across to them, 'Aaaaaghhhhhh… Nooooooo!' The crew watched in amazement as just above the desert the dragon unfurled its wings with a snap, and they abruptly stopped falling and soared over the sand dunes once again. Catching a rising current of air they began to gain height.

'That is one unhappy partnership,' said Tarent. He pulled
The Griffin
back on course, but they all kept their eyes on the dragon as it continued to gain height. The next time it dived they were watching more with interest rather than apprehension. It spun towards them, turning round and around with its rider shrieking long and loud.

'It's definitely trying to get rid of the Hawk,' shouted Pardigan, 'look at his face.' The spinning dragon passed them. There was no attack; it didn't even attempt to come close.

'Go down after it Tarent,' shouted Loras. 'There's more to this than just trying to attack us.'

The Griffin
descended, circling gently, soon catching up to the dragon and the sickly looking features of Matheus Hawk as he sat hunched forward on the dragon's back. The dragon was again searching for an air current and showed no concern as
The Griffin
flew alongside, the crew studying the dragon and its rider. While the dragon ignored them, its rider stared back, his face a terrible mask of contorted loathing. With obvious effort, the Hawk sat back upright, rigid in the saddle and said nothing, just stared at his hated enemies.

They could see he was well strapped in, there was no way the dragon was going to shake him loose. He looked white and sick, but once again, determined. With a flick of his wrist, the Hawk summoned a ball of Chaos energy and tossed it towards them, but it was a half-hearted effort at best and fell away to the desert below before it got half way to them. Pardigan laughed out loud, and Loras sent a small ball of Order energy back. As it dipped below the Hawk they saw him smile, but then the smile vanished as he realised the ball wasn't aimed at him, but the strap holding his saddle onto the dragon's back. They watched as his mouth opened with an
'Oooohhhhhhh'
and he slowly slid sideways, clutching desperately at the dragon as the saddle, with him strapped into it, parted company with the dragon's back. The dragon flew free while the Hawk simply fell heavily, landing some twenty spans below them in a rolling cloud of sand.

* * *

It was intensely dark, but slowly his eyes were beginning to adjust. It also stank, really badly, but so far his nose wasn't adjusting at all, it still stank as bad as when he had first arrived. The shelf of rock that he had found to hide on was about three spans from the cavern floor. Below him, the snuffling, wet-tearing sounds of the demons feeding upon the Emperor, Djinn Tsai's, body had become less, and he figured there was only one or two of them there now. The others must have slunk off in search of their next meal somewhere else. Beside him, Nhasic shifted, the little demon's eyes glowing dully as it glanced over the edge at the bigger demons below and let out a little whine of fear. 'Shhh.' Quint stroked the little demon's fur and tried to still his own beating heart.

Water, or something that sounded like water, was dripping nearby. In Quint's mind it was water dripping into a cool pool, he swallowed and licked his lips at the thought; he was thirsty. He hoped it was water and that the demons below would leave soon so he could go and find out, while they remained he wasn't going anywhere.

A warm breeze wafted around the cavern, carrying with it the heavy, pungent mixture of smells that he was already coming to loathe. Covering his mouth and nose in the fold of his arm, he willed himself to remain still and silent. He knew his friends would come looking for him, but until they did he had to survive in this terrifying place and that meant keeping quiet and avoiding the many demons that were prowling about.

A scraping noise sounded from below… close, and his attention snapped back, fear tightening his stomach. He carefully edged forward and glanced over the lip of his hideaway, the demon that was climbing up towards him took one look and burst upwards in a ferocious growling shadow of fury. Sharp talons slashed out, and Quint felt it miss his face as he drew back, but rip across the skin of his upper arm. The demon was suddenly on the ledge, hissing – hot, fetid breath washing over him. The evil looking creature moved in and snapped its head forward to bite, its sharp teeth very visible in the dim luminous confines of the cavern. As it sprang forward, Quint's hand stabbed up under the demon's jaw, the knife he had been clutching seeking the soft spot, tearing through thick heavy skin then forcing through and up into the creature's brain as it twisted and twitched like a fish on a hook, hot black blood splashed all over his arm. Watching the light go dim in the creature's eyes, he felt it shudder, claws skittering on the rock face before it stilled, dead. It wasn't a big one, thank the Source, but big enough. He let it fall away and heard it land with a dull lifeless thud onto the cavern floor. Silently, Quint tried to still the tremors of disgust and fear that threatened to overcome him as he wiped his hand and arm on the rocks attempting to cleanse them of blood, and listened, trying to keep his breathing low and controlled. Nothing else seemed to be climbing up for him, and there didn't seem to be anything running in to eat the dead body. He slid over the side and clambered down the sticky rock face as fast as he could, hating the feeling of his legs being exposed as he descended, almost expecting to hear a roar and the feel of a demon dragging him down, but nothing did.

He stood for a moment, panting, his heart beating loudly in his ears and strained to hear anything approaching, but the only sounds to reach him were the steady
'drip, drip'
of the falling liquid coming from a small tunnel and the sounds of creatures prowling in the distance coming from two larger tunnels to either side of the cavern. With no demons close, he took a deep breath, regretted it immediately as the smells assaulted his senses and trying not to vomit, he moved off.

He entered the smaller tunnel in search of the water with Nhasic skittering along at his side and strained his senses, trying to hear and feel the approach of any possible danger. The air in the tunnel was hot and vile enough to make him retch finally, but there was nothing in his stomach to come up, so he just spent a moment coughing and spitting uselessly. 'Oh Source,' he whispered. He had to find water, he had to eat, and he had to get out of this awful place.

Nhasic came up to watch him. 'Come on little friend,' he whispered as the little demon stared up at him. He was incredibly grateful for Nhasic's company, and although they weren't exactly friends, they appeared at least united by their common interest of survival. He realised that it couldn't be easy being Nhasic's size in the demon realm, everything must think of him as food. 'Show me where to go. You know where you are better than me.'

Nhasic glanced behind them towards the cavern, and then quickly moved on further down the tunnel, chattering softly but urgently in reply to Quint's words. Quint had no idea what Nhasic was saying, but he sighed and hoped it meant there was food, water and somewhere safe to rest ahead. He began muttering softly to himself as he staggered on, desperate and terribly scared. 'Come and find me Loras, I know you can do it and I know you're trying.' He stumbled on. 'You have to be looking for me, I know you are, I know you are.' He bumped the side of the tunnel and clutched at his arm, feeling the stickiness of fresh blood and the sharp pain as he touched the deep cut the demon's claws had made. Two cuts, one above the other. Stopping a moment, he leaned against the rock and tore a piece of cloth from the sleeve of his thin jerkin. Wrapping it around his arm he tied it and hoped it would be enough to stop the flow. From further along the tunnel, Nhasic ran back several paces and chattered impatiently, probably telling me to hurry up thought Quint, so he stumbled on, his knife held out, sweeping the path in front of him in the gloom.

As the two shapes moved off down the tunnel, three small demons, much the same size as Quint, slipped in and followed. They had seen the other demon fall and watched the human climb down, but at the time had been content just to watch and see what the human did. They pushed each other on. Being smaller they were scavengers and certainly weren't the bravest of demons. However, they were quickly coming to the conclusion that the two ahead seemed to be easy enough prey and one, they knew, was wounded, they could smell the sweetness of blood in the air leaving a trail that made their mouths drip steadily with thick saliva. They were gathering their courage, following as closely as they dared. Almost ready to run in and tear the two apart, almost. They knew it had to be done soon before any other demon chanced upon them… these were easy prey.

The leader of the three came to where Quint had dressed his wound. It sniffed and pushed its muzzle to the floor, a long thin tongue slipped out to lick at two fallen drops of human blood. Eyes widening as the taste registered on the demon's senses, it leapt up and dashed forward ahead of his companions, eager to close and gorge on human flesh, there was no need for caution, this meat was human, humans were weak, it would be his.

* * *

Matheus Hawk was a mess, and he knew it. He gazed up into the faces of the three young people who stood over him and shuddered. It had all come to nothing, why was it always
he
that failed,
he
that ended grovelling in the sand. A movement drew his attention to the side, and he looked on incredulous as the small Magician stroked the nose of the great red dragon,
his
red dragon, without the dragon breathing fire into his face. Anger flared through him, but as he tried to move his arms the anger fell away, instantly replaced by pain as his broken body refused to move and tears of defeat and frustration ran down his cheeks.

'Loras will heal you, just enough so we can get you back to Sterling.' Tarent nodded to Loras who walked over and placed a hand upon Matheus shoulder. The Hawk winced as several bones snapped back into place and closed his eyes as the pain consumed him before ebbing away. Loras stopped and stood back long enough for Tarent to wrap a rope around the hunter, binding his arms to his side. Together with Pardigan they managed to sling Matheus over
The Griffin's
back, tying him down like a travelling pack so the hunter couldn't move. He turned his head ready to swear his vengeance upon them, when Loras waved a hand and a gag of air covered the hunter's mouth, silencing him. Then Tarent and Pardigan clambered on, and
The Griffin
leaped up into the air.

Loras and Mahra watched them go then turned to look at the dragon. It eyed them, then snorted a puff of smoke from one scaly nostril and shook its head.