Liam heard a cry from behind him and guided his griffin around in a tight circle. He urged the beast on to top speed as he approached the soldier who had cried out, his eyes scanning the ground.
*******
As the young magician collapsed, another stepped forward, forming the illusion in her mind as she did so. She was concerned for the young man who was now passed out in the middle of the street, but other matters were more pressing. She felt a cold knot of fear in her stomach as she saw a griffin begin to circle overhead and heard its triumphant cry.
*******
“Soldier, report!” Liam called across the intervening air to the soldier who had signaled.
“Commander, I thought I saw something on the ground below! It looked like houses sir!”
Liam scanned the ground below, but saw nothing but more sand and rock. He had heard tales that too much time in the hot sun could cook men’s minds, making them see things that weren’t there. Perhaps this was happening to his troops.
Everyone was on edge. They did not relish returning to the Emperor and reporting a failure. While it would be Liam who made the actual report, all of the men felt responsible and didn’t want to let their beloved Commander down.
“Do the griffins scent anything?” Liam asked.
The young soldier shook his head. “No sir. They haven’t given any indication that they’ve spotted anything.”
Liam nodded and made a command decision. “Very well soldier. I trust your eyes, but a man’s eyes can play tricks on him out here in these deserts. If the griffins haven’t spotted anything, I can’t fault any of you for failing to. We’re going back.”
He signaled to his officers and they formed up around him. “Men, this is pointless. If the magicians are down there, they have found a way to confound us. For now, we’re going to return home. Once the griffins are rested, we’ll deploy to the west and join up with the infantry for the assault on Yometh Robak.”
There were disappointed looks among the officers. None of them were eager to go to war, but they all felt the sting of failure. To a man they felt they had disappointed the Commander.
With a final signal and some shouted commands, the amassed griffins turned to the west and winged their way home.
2 comments:
all together now;
-big sigh of relief!-
I actually was holding my breath those last couple paragraphs! Very well written.
Thanks Katie! Good to know the tension is working. And that the ending wasn't anticlimactic.
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