The Lost Heir (The Gryphon Chronicles, Book 1) (39 page)

Not hardly.
Jake rose to his feet, his eyes narrowed.

“Red!”

The Gryphon was by his side in a pounce.

Whatever Fionnula knew about his parents would have to wait. He did not want to interrupt this conversation, but Dani’s life was at stake—Gladwin’s, too.

As he jumped on the Gryphon’s back, he saw the fairy hanging onto the edge of Dani’s pocket for dear life.

Since Gladwin couldn’t fly anymore, she would fall off the balcony and die, just like Dani, if Jake didn’t save them.

Meanwhile, Derek was trying to reason with Waldrick. “Don’t harm the child, man—”

“Get out of my way, then! Move!”

“Easy. I’m moving. All right? Set them down safely and you can go. I won’t stop you. You see? You win.”

Jake knew it didn’t matter if Derek gave in.

Waldrick was too cruel to care, and with his plans in tatters around him, he had nothing left to lose.

Jake knew his uncle well enough by now to know that Dani and Gladwin were doomed either way.

“Hurry, boy,” Jake whispered to the Gryphon.

Red unfurled his wings with a whoosh and they were airborne, soaring straight for the balcony.

“You’ve ruined me!” Waldrick yelled wildly at Derek, while the spider on his shoulder reared up, hissing at Derek, throwing string at him.

As Derek ripped it off his face, Dani saw Jake coming.

“Hold on, Gladwin!” she yelled, reaching out with her other hand as Jake and Red swooped near.

Holding on to Red’s collar with one hand, Jake reached down with the other and grasped Dani’s wrist as the Gryphon sailed by.

He yanked her free of Waldrick’s hold and pulled her onto the Gryphon’s back behind him.

“Gladwin?”

“Got her!” Dani confirmed, clamping her arms around Jake’s waist as they swept over the ballroom. “Criminy, we’re up high.”

“Ha, this is nothing,” Jake boasted.

“Fionnula’s gone!” Gladwin yelled in her tinkling voice, pointing at the floor from the safety of Dani’s pocket.

“Blimey.”

Meanwhile on the balcony, Derek knocked Waldrick out with an expert punch in the face. “Jake! Get the witch!” he yelled as he stooped to arrest the unconscious aristocrat. “Stop her before she reaches the river or we’ll never catch her!”

Jake sent him a salute and guided Red out the high, arched window through which they had first blasted into the ballroom.

“Uh, brother,” Dani mumbled, her arms tightening around his waist in a vise-like grip like the Kraken’s. “Can I get down, please?”

“Little busy.”

“Ugh.”

“Don’t worry, Red won’t let you fall. Promise.” They flew over the roof of Everton House.

“I see her!” Gladwin called.

Jake spotted the sea-witch, too. He was amazed at the progress the old squid-hag had made by sheer determination. She had cleared the house and was dragging herself across the back terrace at top speed.

“Blast it. Hold on,” Jake warned his passengers.

The Gryphon sped downward on a steep angle, but whooshed right over Fionnula a heartbeat too late.

They all got a face full of river water as the sea-witch sent up a great splash, flopping into her element. Red roared indignantly as she disappeared beneath the dark water. Gladwin shook her tiny fist at her from Dani’s pocket. Red sailed over the surface of the river, his eagle-eyes searching for Fionnula.

“She’ll probably head for the sea,” Dani remarked.

Jake nodded, but he wasn’t sure what to do now. The headache and his anger at himself for failing Derek clouded his thinking.

But then the answer came to him. Hadn’t he learned by now that he didn’t always have to do everything alone?

“Glide a little lower over the water, Red!” Holding onto the collar with one hand, Jake quickly untied his cravat with the other, and pulled out his seashell necklace.

The last gift his mother had given him.

They buzzed an anchored merchant ship, then Red brought them low enough to skim the current with his paws. Jake took a deep breath and lifted the conch shell to his lips, summoning the water nymphs.

Captain Lydia Brackwater shot out of the water almost at once, her trident emerald glowing.

“Water nymphs!” Dani cried, spotting her attendants in the water.

“Lydia!” Jake yelled down to the bold warrior-maiden and her sisters. “It’s Fionnula Coralbroom! Stop her!”

“She went that way!” Dani cried.

“Sisters, toward the sea!” Lydia shouted. The sound of their dolphin-like cries filled the night.

Instantly, her squadron of water nymphs went racing after the octopus-lady.

“Follow them, Red!”

The Gryphon flew.

Lydia and her water nymphs sped through the water, leaping along like porpoises, each leaving a foamy wake in her path. They split up to veer around boats, raced under the low arches of Westminster Bridge, and suddenly caught up to their quarry just beside Parliament.

The children had an excellent aerial view of the battle as the water nymphs surrounded Fionnula and struggled to take the fugitive into custody.

“Oh, my,” Dani uttered, watching below as the water churned and frothed and splashed to a great height.

Big Ben’s glow gave them glimpses of dark fins and fish tails, wildly flailing tentacles. They heard angry shouts and cries, then a howl of rage—unmistakably Fionnula. Then at last, Lydia shot a beam of green energy out of her trident that subdued the sea-witch.

The children cheered as the water nymphs took her into custody.

The Gryphon hovered in place as Lydia turned and waved to Jake. “Tell Guardian Stone we’ll take her to the water-cell under Beacon House!”

He waved back. “We will. Thank you! Be careful!”

“Thanks, Captain Brackwater!” Dani called.

“Sorry about ordering you away before,” Jake said, remembering how rude he had been to the proud warrior nymph earlier. “It wasn’t entirely my fault, though. She put me under a spell.”

“Did she, indeed? Misuse of magic!” Lydia hissed at Fionnula, then prodded her with the trident. “She won’t be putting spells on anyone anymore!” Lydia’s fellow nymphs bound Fionnula’s hands and tentacles with strong kelp rope.

“Well done, ladies!” Jake congratulated them as a farewell.

“Ladies?” Lydia scoffed.

One of the other river nymphs splashed them with her fish-tail for this apparent insult.

“I was only being polite!” Jake exclaimed.

But before the Gryphon flew higher, Fionnula Coralbroom gave Jake a piercing look, like the evil eye.

Her glare reminded him of the information she claimed to have about his parents’ fate. Another reason why he was glad they were taking her into custody.

When the Order of the Yew Tree was done with Fionnula, he wanted a chance to question her, too.

He’d get to the bottom of this. Had she done something to those bullets Waldrick had used to shoot his parents?

Since the water nymphs had the situation well in hand, it seemed their work tonight was done. Jake leaned down and patted Red on the neck. “Well done, boy. Let’s give our friends a quick look from above, eh?”

Though tired, the Gryphon arched his neck in a nod and sailed heavenward.

“That’s not—really—necessary,” Dani said with a gulp as they climbed higher into the starry skies.

“You have to see this. Trust me. I want to show you London.”

“I’ve seen it every day of my life!”

“Not like this,” he promised with a smile.

CHAPTER FORTY

Born To Fly

“Ohhhh, look at it all…”

Jake was pleased as Dani gazed down in wonder at London stretched out in all directions below them. It
was
especially impressive from this height. But he didn’t intend to stay away too long.

Derek was waiting for them back at Everton House. There was still a lot to sort out. But after all the chaos in the ballroom and spending half of this mad night thinking he was going to die, Jake welcomed the peaceful quiet of the dark skies.

Soaring over London, they flew through the wisps of some low-hanging clouds. They marveled at the topside view of Westminster Abbey’s towers and flying buttresses, all silvered by moonlight. They saw the clusters of sleeping doves and pigeons huddled in its ancient roofs.

Heading west, the gas-lamps blazed down Pall Mall and Piccadilly like golden buttons shining in the dark. Carriages rolled through the royal parks. Millions of people just living out their lives, Jake thought. But when they passed over the West End and the fine neighborhoods where the guests from tonight lived, he shook his head. “I can’t imagine what all those people must be thinking after what they saw.”

“Who cares,” Dani answered. “Higher!”

He grinned and urged Red toward the moon. Dani laughed in delight. He was glad she wasn’t scared anymore.

They soared aloft for a couple more minutes, then Jake brought Red lower and began turning him to circle back.

“There’s Covent Garden Market!” Dani exclaimed, pointing, as they headed east.

“Lower, Red! I could go for one of Mr. Harris’s mincemeat pies.”

“Jake! You can’t land this animal on top of Covent Garden Market.”

“Watch me,” he retorted, landing the Gryphon on the market’s sprawling roof—just because he could. “If my old apprentice masters could see me now.”

“Criminy! Is that Constable Flanagan?”

Jake looked in the direction she pointed and saw the mustachioed bobby driving an open wagon, but it seemed he wasn’t on duty. Without his helmet and uniform, he was dressed like a regular bloke, with a sturdy wife beside him on the carriage seat and a passel of kids in the back.

“You better not let him see you.”

“Why not?” Jake replied with a sly smile. Urging Red back into motion, he flew as casually as you please over the constable’s wagon, waving as he went by.

The Flanagan children yelled in amazement and jumped to their feet, waving back, while their mustachioed father nearly fell off the driver’s seat in shock. “What the—!?”

They laughed, but as they climbed back higher into the sky, Dani holding onto Jake’s waist glanced back grimly over her shoulder. “The rookery looks so dark.”

Because it is,
Jake thought. “We should be getting back. Derek’s waiting for us.”

“Are you all right, anyway? I swore you broke your neck when the Kraken threw you.”

“Nah, I’m fine. You?”

“Fine.” Dani paused for a long moment, reflecting on it all. “I saw a talking spider tonight,” she remarked as though she still couldn’t believe it.

Jake snorted. “Malwort. We’ve met.”

“Does your Gryphon talk?” she asked suddenly.

“No, but he understands.”

“I’ll bet Isabelle would know whatever he has to say. I miss Teddy.”

“I’m sure you’ll see him again soon.”

“I don’t know. Maybe he’s better off with them.”

“Don’t be daft.”

She sighed. “Thanks for saving me, anyway. I thought you were still mad at me for telling on you.”

“Only girls hold grudges.” Jake paused. “Sorry about throwing you out of my uncle’s house.”

“It wasn’t your fault. You were under a spell.”

“I guess. But I don’t have that excuse for the rotten things I said to you at Bradford Park. I am sorry,” he forced out awkwardly. “I didn’t really mean it.”

“I
know
.” He could hear the smile in her voice. “I’m used to you by now, you blockhead.”

He laughed, relieved. “Well, I’m big enough to admit it—you were right. I should’ve listened to you and not dragged everyone off to the village. Then I would never have been put under that spell, and all this could’ve been avoided.”

“But then you wouldn’t have had a chance to rescue Gladwin. Isn’t that right, Gladwin? Gladwin!” she suddenly exclaimed. “What’s wrong?”

Jake glanced over his shoulder, but couldn’t see what was troubling his passengers.

“Jake, we’d better land. Gladwin’s crying!”

He frowned and murmured to his winged mount to get them back to Everton House quickly. A couple minutes later, the Gryphon came fluttering down out of the night sky, landing on the garden path.

They dismounted and Dani gently took Gladwin out of her pocket. “What is it, Gladwin?”

The fairy held her face in her hands. Her tiny shoulders shook with each sob. “Please, Gladwin. You can tell us. We’re your friends,” Dani cajoled her.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” the fairy choked out, trying to brush away her tears. “It’s just—being up in the sky like that and knowing—I will never fly again.”

Dani’s eyes watered, too. “Oh, Gladwin, please don’t cry. We’ll get Dr. Celestus to help you, I promise—”

“Aye, we’ll figure out something for you.” Jake stood there awkwardly, trying to be of help. The Gryphon nudged him with his head. “Not now, Red,” he mumbled.

But when the Gryphon reached his tough, leathery beak toward his wing and plucked out one of his own red feathers, Jake’s eyes suddenly widened.

The mythical beast waited patiently, offering him the feather. Jake accepted it in wonder as understanding dawned.

“What is it, Jake?” Dani asked. “What does he want?”

“I think he’s got an idea. Here, hold Gladwin up.”

Dani raised her hands with the teary-eyed fairy sitting on her cupped palms.

“With your permission?” Jake mumbled. “I think I know a way to help. But you’ve got to trust me.”

The ruined fairy shrugged. “I’ve got nothing left to lose.”

Jake gave Dani a hope-this-works look, then he took the feather between his palms and began to rub it back and forth, fast, as he had seen Fionnula do.

Please work.
It had to. He could feel it growing warmer in his hands.

Red seemed unconcerned. He tucked his lion haunches under him and sat, wrapping his tufted tail around him in contentment. Dani watched in confusion.

Jake concentrated with all his might, rolling the feather faster between his palms. He willed himself to believe. If the Gryphon’s magic was powerful enough to restore the squidy sea-hag to her original beauty, then surely it could also help the injured fairy somehow…

The feather began to turn into sparkling gold-red dust in his hands.