A Feather on the Breath of Ellulianaen

  ~

  After Kereth Chufire awakened from his own sleep, the first thing he did on being told why Halomlyn was there was to walk straight to the eyrie to see him, to apologize for bringing his own war into their territory. Halomlyn had just awakened, and he was very impressed by this act of courtesy, for the epics and odes do not tell of humans who have good manners, but are rather more scathing about human habits, in general. “Thankyou, Chufire,” said Halomlyn. “You are truly Glaïfym’chadul, a Gryphon-Friend.” And Halomlyn told Kereth everything that had happened to them.

  Then Kereth had a tale to tell. He told him, “I got waylaid when I were crossing a valley just north of the Iaruiolae Plain, and I had to go south again, for the Nomoi soldiers was looking for me, and I had no desire to be captured and tortured again. Then did I go and hide in the Ioslirae forest, near where the Gubilae joins the Iothuiolmae river, and I went south, hoping to make my way around again, and come back to the north. I knew there to be places in the north where men and women still rule themselves, as in the ancient days. The Nomoi publish a portrait of me on the wall of every guard-post with a message below it saying ‘partisan’ I would warrant, so I thought I might be safer if I could go further north, where their beastly tentacles’ reach is tentative at best. But whilst I was hiding out in the forest, I saw the strangest thing in the sky, about two weeks ago, under the crescent moon in the early morning – I saw a gryphon attacked by wyverns. I watched from my hiding place, and the wyverns captured the gryphon! But the next day, or perhaps it was the day after that, I’m not quite sure, for days in the forest blur into one another, but I truly did see what I saw, whatever the day may be – I saw the gryphon fight the wyverns. One wyvern was mortally injured, by the other’s flame, but the other wyvern escaped and limped along behind the gryphon, shouting insults at it. The gryphon may have said something about Ellulianaen, and the wyvern could have said something about reading minds, but I could nae hear it well but for a word or two, nor could I understand it, for by then they were too far away.”

  Then Halomlyn became very excited and said, “Aye – the sagas say that wyverns can read minds – and I told Hwedolyn that name of Ellulianaen can protect a gryphon’s thoughts from mind-reading Mages. Ah, this could glad tidings indeed! He tried it with wyverns, perhaps – and who knows but that it might have worked… It very likely was Hwedolyn! So he is flying south. Dare I hope? I must hope – this is truly the first clue that I have found of Hwedolyn’s whereabouts. Thankyou, Kereth, thankyou! I am indeed indebted to you, partisan, you are truly Glaïfym’chadul! Can you tell me no more?”

  Kereth said, “Indeed, I am sorry to say I can tell you nothing further, gryphon. For, so soon as this had happened I crossed the river and a farmer friendly to the partisan cause gave me the horse on which I rode here to Hinfane’s tavern and met you.”

  Then Hinfane said, “Well gryphon, if there be any way to help you in your search, my miners and I would be very glad to do so. This stable will always be here for you, kept stocked up with wood, a comfortable place to sleep, and is big enough for four or five of your mighty kinfolk I would warrant.”

  Halomlyn said, “Perhaps gryphon-lore was wrong on this point – for all our legends say that we gryphons should never trust the sons and daughter of Udim. My sister and her husband will be arriving within the day, and I will talk to them, and see if they wish to use this eyrie to rest for a short while before we head south again. Thankyou, taverner Hinfane.”

  And in the last moments of twilight before dawn on the next day the young Duke rushed around and knocked on the doors of all the houses. “The gryphon’s leaving! The gryphon’s leaving!” He had been watching the stable all night from through the gap in his window-shutters to see if the gryphon came out.

  The townsfolk came out of the houses to watch Halomlyn going aloft, golden and mighty of wingspan, his wing-feathers glinting in the glow of the morning sun. They saw him fly southeast, and watched him disappear into sun-brushed clouds on the far horizon. Soon afterwards, Halomlyn descended from the same clouds with two other gryphons, and together they flew back to the town and the stable that Hinfane had converted into a sort of eyrie, and the townsfolk marvelled to see the three gryphons.