A Feather on the Breath of Ellulianaen

  ~

  Not long afterwards they met at Halomlyn’s eyrie.

  Milélyn’s bony face shone in the firelight as he argued passionately that they should leave this borough and find a place more distant and wild, where the sons of men would not go. Ever was Milélyn one for arguing this way - was it that he was a slight gryphon, and had to prove himself brave enough to leave? Or a coward who wanted to flee? Halomlyn, as usual, argued squarely from the gryphon-lore that the humans were their friends now, and the tavern-keeper relied on them for the goat for her stew. “Seldom is it that gryphons may dwell anywhere without fear; but now these humans are indebted to us, and for the moment at least we are safe and do not need to be afraid.”

  Gloomily Milélyn folded his sinewy wings and said, “It is not just the humans that we need fear. The elf-mage himself now has a grudge against us and I fear he will return and wreak vengeance upon us, for we fought against him and won.”

  “He ought to fear us,” said Halomlyn, squaring his jaw, “for we have sent him packing.” He added, with a gryphonesque smile, so to say, which means that the cheek muscles beside his beak were taut and his lower eyelid slightly crinkled, and his neck feathers slightly distended, “Well, Hwedolyn and Atdaholyn sent him packing, anyhow.”

  Milélyn, taut-faced, not smiling, said, “What if I am right about this, brother? What if he plans his vengeance even now?”

  Halomlyn said, “Brother, you worry unnecessarily. Everything will turn out alright in the end, and all manner of things will be well. The Mage is gone. He will not be back. He is an elf – they have a reputation for cowardice, a quality that elves name rationality. He is gone. And we have survived this ordeal. Cease your ceaseless worrying, gryphon.”

  So they decided to stay.

  Had they known the tragedy that was about to occur, they would no doubt have left their eyries there and then and found another place to live. But no forthtelling was granted to them, no dream told them to leave.

  Ellulianaen was silent.