Chapter 50 - Escape

Tiffaniel walked into the water at its edge and knelt, her hands spread, fingers fanned and just touching its surface. Breathing deeply, she concentrated. Ice and frost started to form on the bank; the air grew cold, swirling and chill against her skin despite the inferno behind her. Creaking and sharp cracking sounds of water rapidly freezing and expanding filled the air. A path of ice started to grow across the river, a bridge of frozen water. Growing louder, the sound of ice freezing and expanding in the warmer water took over the night amidst the booms of fireballs and the shrieks of the gryphon. She felt the chill flow of her own blood in her veins as her heart pounded like a hammer in her chest while she drew on the thread of the demon within her.

“Tiffaniel, behind you!” she heard Groyven scream in the split second before she was knocked to the bridge, her cheek heavily meeting the ice.

Ignoring the searing pain in her shoulder and the weight pinning her down, she continued to concentrate on the bridge single-mindedly, focusing and channeling the power of the demon’s thread. She heard a deafening shriek over her and then the weight was lifted off, a splash sounded in the water a little way off. She struggled to her knees, a roaring noise was building in her head. Her vision narrowing as she used every last shred of her energy to form the bridge.

Groyven quickly looked over his shoulder to see Tiffaniel slumped over, lying sprawled on a wondrous, low-arched, narrow bridge of ice that spanned the opposing shores. Momentarily distracted, a wolf jumped through the dwindling wall of fire right in front of him. He stumbled backwards, snapping his fingers as he managed to keep his feet under himself, blasting the wolf back through the curtain of flame. Continuing to back away to the bridge and Tiffaniel, he started when Hendosfyre landed in a bluster of wind, fanning the flames higher. The gryphon gestured with his head towards the bridge and turned, standing guard behind the flames.

Groyven gave one quick look back, the wolves gathering beyond the fire, waiting. With a few quick steps he reached his sister’s side, sliding on the slick ice. Glancing back at Hendosphyre, he hooked his arms under hers and proceeded to half-lift and drag Tiffaniel along the icy span. Shuffling backward as fast as he could without falling. Shrieks of rage could be heard from the shore as the gryphon defended the bridge, blocking the path while the wolves that dared the flames harassed him.

Groyven moved as fast as he could manage on the slick surface. He slipped again, gathering himself at a crouch, cradling Tiffaniel’s head and shoulders. He looked down, white light seeping from her closed eyelids. Frosty air snapping around them, maintaining the bridge. He straightened, again shuffling backward. He looked to the shoreline to note that the wall of fire had died down. Hendosphyre’s impressive form was outlined with a fiery halo while rearing, his wings outstretched. In a forceful move, the gryphon brought his wings forward with such force that there was a clap of air. Instantly the flames were snuffed with the heavy buffet from his wings, tumbling the gathered wolves backward, throwing cinders and loose gravel into their coats and eyes. For a short moment the wolves were scattered, Groyven saw Hendosphyre glance at them, his bright eye on him.

“Run!” came the command within him, his eyes widened in shock, had he heard, or was it his inner self screaming at him to move?

Continuing to drag Tiffaniel across the ice, he could see the wolves spread out, gathering their strength in numbers and waiting to attack Hendosphyre. Waiting for an opening. The dark tumultuous water of the river surged below the narrow span of ice, its current threatening to swallow anything that fell into its maw. He could feel that he was on the descending arc of the bridge, his footing was becoming more tenuous and he was finding himself slipping more often than not. He looked back over his shoulder, only several yards remained. He looked at her face in the glow of the moonlight, flames started to flicker to life in his eyes.

“Tiff? We are almost there.” Groyven said, his voice hoarse.

Finally reaching the far shore, he felt the sandy pebbles underfoot. He continued to pull his sister along until he reached the edge of the trees. On the opposite side he could hear angry shrieks and howls as Hendosphyre kept the wolves at bay. Cupping his hands over his mouth, he yelled out to the gryphon, his voice barely making the distance. A loud shriek rang out in return, then the howls of anger from the wolves when the gryphon took to the skies, unceremoniously crushing a pair, his claws sinking deeply into their bodies before dropping their lifeless corpses into the river.

Groyven took one last look at the far side, the grey and white mountain cat had joined the fray as a ball of fury, tearing though the black bodies, silvered claws and emerald eyes shining in the moonlight. His eyes flared, the flames quickly responding to his call, he looked up while crouching, grabbing a fistful of the river sand and then looking to the heavens, the unfamiliar red star glinting brightly. His eyes burned brighter as he drew more, his fist full of sand igniting at his side. He breathed deeply, concentrating on a particular spot in the night sky, blotting out all sounds as he centred and directed his power. Raising the flaming fistful of sand, he bled off every drop of Sialin’s borrowed strength, bending his will to a feat he only saw her enact once weeks before, a skill instinctively inherited from her ethereal fire and mark. Her shapeless sigil burnt behind his ear in response as he screamed, punching his fistful of fire into the ground at his feet, dropping to one knee as a bright blue flash of blinding light burst from his fist.

His borrowed fire was immediately snuffed, the blue ethereal flame spent. He staggered to his feet, searching the heavens, his eyes smoldering quietly. Quickly, he spotted a new pinpoint of fiery light in the night sky; a grim smile came to his face. He could hear the wolves on the bridge and easily made out their dark forms on the icy span. A deep rumble of thunder was in the air. Again he looked to the speck of light, except that now it was growing at an alarming speed as it fell. He ran, gathering his sister and scrambled into the trees, partially dragging her. The earth shook beneath them, throwing him from his feet as the small meteor crashed through the bridge beyond the trees. The sound of ice shattering, wolves howling, the thunder and hissing of molten rock drowning in the river assaulted his senses.

Ears ringing, he continued into the forest stumbling and exhausted. He felt a sense of relief as Tiffaniel started to respond, struggling to get her feet under her. Stopping for a moment, he helped her, getting her to hang onto his neck, he crouched, hitching her legs to his sides and stood. She was not speaking, instead she rested her head limply on his shoulder while he staggered through the forest with her on his back.

His hearing returning, he heard the sound of something crashing through the forest and trees. Making his way around a large trunk, he reached into the pouch and withdrew another glowing blue vial of ethereal flames in readiness. His eyes flared to life yet again, flickering at little more than the glow of a smoulder. He struggled back a cry, clenching his jaw as he raised his shaking hand, stretching his arm out with his fingers ready to snap.

Groyven involuntarily burst into tears of relief as Hendosfyre appeared through the underbrush in front of him. Dropping to his knees he assisted the great gryphon with Tiffaniel, helping to get her up and onto Hendosphyre’s back. In the distance he could just make out the sounds of fighting. With one last look toward the river he climbed up, settling himself behind his sister and holding onto her as Hendosphyre broke into a brisk run. Groyven suddenly realised what Hendosphyre intended, the gryphon loosening his wings, drawing them up and ready to fully unfurl them while he picked up his pace through the trees. Hendosphyre meant to take to the sky at the first chance. Bursting into a clearing, Groyven gripped tightly to Tiffaniel and hooked his legs in harder as Hendosphyre immediately opened his wings and burst into a run, wings dragging at the air, launching himself from the ground and swiftly bringing them above the canopy of the forest in a smooth glide.

In the calm moments that followed the gryphon taking to the air, Groyven felt a sticky dampness under his hand, shifting it he saw what he feared most. The shoulder of Tiffaniel’s robe was torn open, and by the light of the moon and the red star he could just make out the jagged tear of a wolf bite, and the midnight shadow slowly spreading from it.

Shadow of the Eclipse: Chapter Timeline

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