“Athera!” A familiar voice called. Tarquin was walking up to her excitedly. His cloak was lopsided and on his shoulder perched a gray bird with red tail feathers. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Where have you been?”

From his shoulder the bird whistled. It had a strangely shaped beak that was a bit scuffed.

“Where did you get that?”

“Get what?” Tarquin glanced at his shoulder. “Oh. From the sea traders. They only had this guy left, but never mind that, I think I found Tallis!”

Athera froze, hardly daring to believe her ears. “Really?”

“Yes! It took me longer than I thought to find a bird and I overheard a couple of merchants talking about griffin kits that would be going up for sale in early spring--that’s enough time to wean off Tallis's litter.”

A bit of his excitement was beginning to rub off on her. “Where are they?”

Tarquin tugged at his cloak. “That’s the hard part. I don’t know exactly. Just that the seller is south of Skystead.”

Her heart plummeted. More confirmation that they were in the infernal city, but nothing she could do about it.

“I think Soot here might be able to help us,” Tarquin said, rubbing the strange bird’s head. “The closer we get to some messed up alchemy the more he’ll be able to let us know. I already confirmed with the merchant that he was acting very odd the day we saw the pirate, so we already know he can sense it.”

Oh, Tarquin. The poor bird would be liable to fly away before they ever got close. She frowned as she remembered what Alaric had mentioned. That was if the pirates even had the catalyst and were stupid enough to use it around griffins.

Wait. The griffins. “Tarquin, you genius!” she exclaimed. She went to hug him, but Soot flared his wings and chirped a warning.

Tarquin grinned. “All we got to do is take our little friend--”

“Not him, we can take Cedar! He’ll be able to track Tallis better than anyone else--especially if there’s kits in the mix. They never shut up.” She started off toward the menagerie, Tarquin hot on her heels.

A couple of startled stablehands later and they were headed south of Skystead. Trotting along the open fields left her feeling so exposed. A cold breeze blew post and she drew her cloak further around her. They always went north to the forest for this exact reason, what would have happened if she had had them go south just once?

“Is he getting anything?” Tarquin brought Leather to her flank. His new bird was patiently perched on his shoulder. It had clacked its beak angrily at a couple of pegasi at the menagerie. All things considered, it was very well behaved.

Athera reached out to scratch between Cedar’s ears. “We’ll have to be pretty close before he can pick anything up.” The griffin gave an excited head shake and started to veer towards one of the farmers. A gentle nudge of the reins was enough to avoid traumatizing the man.

“That looks promising,” Tarquin said, watching the griffin.

Cedar bolted again and Athera realized he wasn’t angling for the farmer, but a grove of trees not far off. “Alright boy,” she murmured to him. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

The griffin took off as soon as she let the reins go slack. Athera leaned into his neck, letting him go into a full gallop. He seemed to respond to it, picking up his speed and unfurling his wings. With a rush of wind they were airborne, soaring over the head of the farmer.

She looked down just in time to see the farmer drop his sickle.

Cedar landed just in front of the trees while making excited huffing sounds. Athera slid out of the saddle with a firm hand on the reins. Tarquin and Leather alighted a few moments later.

“That,” Tarquin said, dismounting Leather. “Is the best sign we’ve had yet.”

Cedar was straining at his bit, fixated on something a little further back in the trees. It was all she could do to keep from letting both of them sprint wildly in that direction.

She gave up as soon as she saw the ship.

It didn’t look the way it had in the village, not with the sails having been removed and the wooden structure just sitting there among the trees. A few trees had been cut back to make room for the ship and she allowed herself to wonder how the pirates had managed to get it among them without someone from the city noticing.

No matter. They had finally found what they were looking for.

Cedar leapt up to the deck and Athera followed, using a small wooden ladder that had been left out. The griffin had wasted no time in finding a hatch and was busy scratching at it.

“Who the?” a muffled voice came up from the hatch. “Aurelia, we’ve talked about this, you have to do the code.” The hatch creaked on its hinges as whoever was below started to push it off.

A cold rush went through Athera. They didn’t have a plan. They were confronting an entire pirate ship with what? A griffin and a hippogriff? She felt at her side, relieved to find her rod there. At least she was armed this time.

A tall man with gray streaks in his brown hair emerged from below the deck. He took one look at Cedar and his eyes widened. Tarquin, mounted on Leather alighted on the deck before the pirate or Athera had a chance to react.

With an excited screech, Cedar rushed forward. The pirate rolled to the side, but he didn’t have to worry, Cedar was headed for the hatch. He disappeared down with grace that defied his size.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Who are you?” the pirate spluttered. From below panicked human cries were mixing with the excited sounds of griffin chatter.

“You really don’t recognize us?” Tarquin asked, his voice cold.

The pirate, looking still bewildered, pulled a curved knife from its side sheath.

Athera glanced at Tarquin and he nodded. He could take a singular pirate with Leather. She dashed for the hatch, half expecting hands to grab her, but none did.

Below deck was a bit of a different story. There was a long hallway, one that Cedar was at the end of and scratching at a door. A stout pirate man stood behind him, completely befuddled with what to do in the turn of events.

His eyes met hers and a cold gleam came into them. Rampaging griffins? That was outside of his pay grade. But a random girl? Now that he understood. Or at least that’s how Athera chose to read it.

He charged at her. Unarmed.

She whipped out the rod at her belt, the tip igniting into sparking flames in the same movement. “Get back!” she shouted at the man.

He hesitated for only a moment and then ducked under her sweeping arc. Sharp pain flooded through her as his fist made solid contact with her stomach.

“My,” he grinned as Athera stumbled back. “Skystead’s constables really are in shambles.”

She rushed him, feinting for his shoulder and then ducking under his outstretched arm. Two could play at that game.

“Cedar!” She called. The griffin perked up, looking at her with clear excitement in his eyes. Her beautiful boy was an idiot. “Fetch!” She threw the rod’s sheath at the pirate. She had to press herself against the wall as Cedar bounded past.

The pirate screamed and she smirked. Cedar wouldn’t hurt him, but he had been dealing with Tallis. He sure didn’t know that.

Run. She wouldn’t have long to do this. The door she needed was already marked with long scratch marks from Cedar. She skidded to a stop in front of it and shoved it open, some part of her surprised to find it unlocked.

Amber eyes peered back at her when she opened the door. Wonderfully familiar amber eyes.

“Tallis!” Athera cried out happily.

The griffin bolted towards her, stopping just shy of knocking Athera over. Soft rumbling sounds were coming from the griffin as she began to wreathe around Athera, her tail flicking across her shoulder. Some part of Athera had been terrified that they’d find Tallis horribly injured or worse, but she seemed fine. Her feathers were glossy and her beak unchipped. She buried her face into Tallis’s soft shoulder. They had finally done it. She was safe.

“If there’s anyone I didn’t want to see,” a voice said softly. Athera jerked up to find the one thing she had been too excited to notice. The pirate from the market was also in the room. He held a griffin kit, a gorgeous gray and black male that was nestled against his shoulder. “It was you,” he finished coldly.

Athera reignited her rod and pushed past Tallis. “You have a lot to answer for.”

He watched her coldly. “You’d risk hurting one of the babies? Some keeper you are.” Almost gently, he set the sleeping kit down at his feet. “I think they have a better life here with me.”

Athera leapt at him, her rod extended to hit him square in the chest. Before she could make contact, he grabbed her arm and spun her painfully around.

“What’s it take for some village girl to chase a crew of pirates halfway across Ignis?” he hissed in her ear. “You really had nothing better to do?”

She swung up, abandoning her rod in favor of punching him in the face.

He cried out and stumbled off her, clutching a bleeding nose. “You little! What is wrong with you?”

“I don’t like it when people take my griffins and start the end of the world,” she shot back. Rage coursed through her, pounding through her ears and sending strength to her limbs. “Have you ever considered that?”

“The end of the world? So you’re just crazy. Got it.” The pirate drew a dagger from his side sheathe.

Athera squared her stance, ready to fling off any strike the pirate could throw at her. He lunged, but before Athera could get the immensely satisfying feeling of dragging a piece of flaming iron across his smug face, Tallis leapt between them. She snarled at the pirate, hackles fully raised.

The pirate skidded to a halt. “Come on mamas,” he said to the growling griffin. “We’re friends now, remember?”

Athera gave a hollow laugh. This insolent man! “Tallis,” she said with her fist raised. “Catch.” she brought her hand down in a smooth motion, pointing directly at the pirate.

With a sharp screech fueled by the eagle half of her, Tallis pounced on the pirate. He gave a cry of fear when her talons came dangerously close to his head, but they found their way to his shoulders instead.

“Mamas, come on,” he panted, being crushed by the weight of the griffin.

Athera kicked his knife away. She couldn’t risk Tallis being hurt again. “Now,” she said through her clenched jaw. “Like I said, you’ve got a lot to answer for.”

“Get away from him!” a new voice had joined the fray. Athera glanced over at it and froze.

Nestor stood in the doorway with a blonde girl standing just behind him. Some part of Athera’s brain recognized her as the shopkeeper that Tarquin had pegged as a fence. He had been right, but Athera couldn’t bring herself to focus on that.

Her brother was here.

All the rage and adrenaline that had been pounding through her moments before faded, stopped cold by the new powerful surge of emotions going through her. Worry? Joy?

“Nestor?” she asked softly.

His eyes, so like their father's, narrowed. He held a sword aloft, but his grip on it was shaking slightly. “How do you know my name?” he demanded.

A surge of pain went through her. Of course he couldn’t recognize her, it had been eight years. Slowly, she reached up for her mask and unfastened it, exposing the scarring across her jaw and down her neck. “Nestor…it’s me, don’t you remember?”

The sword lowered slightly, but his glare remained fixed.

“Your sister,” she said, begging him to understand.

The sword clattered to the ground. “A--Athera?” he choked out.

“What?” the pirate asked from the ground. She ignored him.

“I’m so sorry, Nestor. If I had known you survived I wouldn’t have abandoned you. You wouldn’t have had to join a pirate gang.” She took a tentative step toward her brother, but he backed away, shaking his head.

“No, no, no,” he murmured. “You’re…you’re dead!”

A pang went through her as she remembered waking up in the hospital and being told the same thing about him. “No, I survived, just like you. It’s ok.”

“No! I killed you! I killed everyone!” His voice rose and Athera froze.

“Nestor?” she said softly. The same voice she would use to soothe a panicked animal. “I’m ok. It’s ok.”

“No it’s not!” he screamed back. “I…Mum and Dad are still gone. I destroy everything I touch!” Tears began to form in his eyes and her heart twisted at the sight. He turned and fled, leaving the blonde girl to chase after him and Athera to stand there staring at his abandoned sword.

As the thud of the hatch opening and closing sounded, the pirate that Tallis had pinned cleared his throat. “So, Athera, was it? I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot.”

She kicked his shin.