The Horn of Moran - Forman Mark L. Страница 40

Alex knew the griffins would only stop them if they were evil. Evil, however, was not the right word. He had read about griffins and stories about people who had encountered them. Griffins didn’t see things simply as good or evil; they looked more at intentions, at a person’s conscience, at the reasons people had for doing what they did.

“It has been a long road,” Bregnest commented in the darkness. “I hope we find what we came looking for.”

“It must be here,” said Andy. “The sphinx said the prince did not return, and there’s no other path he could have taken.”

“The sphinx said that others had passed and did not return,” Sindar corrected. “We don’t know who those others might have been.”

“I agree with Andy,” said Halfdan. “Usel said the prince traveled this way, so the Horn must be here. I’ll feel better once we have it and are away from this place.”

“Do you doubt your ability to pass the griffins?” Val questioned.

“No,” said Halfdan. “But everyone may hide some evil inside of them, even from themselves.”

“And few of the mortal races know themselves as well as they think they do,” Sindar added.

“Is it different for elves?” Alex questioned.

“Yes and no,” answered Sindar in a quiet voice. “We know ourselves far better than mortals do, but even so, evil may hide where we least expect it.”

They fell silent for a time, each of them searching their own hearts and thoughts. Alex wondered if his growing pride in being a wizard might be considered evil. He wasn’t sure how the griffins would judge him, or what they might consider evil that he would not.

“It will do no good to worry,” said Sindar. “The griffins will judge as they see fit, and only another griffin would truly understand the judgment.”

“How will we proceed in the morning?” Andy questioned. “Will we stand before them as a group? Or one at a time?”

“One at a time,” Bregnest answered after a few moments of thought. “I believe we will all pass, but I think we should each stand alone before the griffins.”

“And if all do not pass?” Val asked.

“The judgment of the griffins is not the same as man’s,” Bregnest answered. “If any of this company fail to pass, none here will speak against them.”

They all became quiet once more, though Alex didn’t think any of his companions were sleeping. He was worried about getting past the griffins, but he was more worried about what waited for him at the tower. His mind burned with thoughts of the lower library, but he still didn’t have any answers about how to destroy it.

The wind picked up as the night went on, and it was getting colder. Alex thought about how long they’d been in Norsland. By his count, they were only just starting their fifth month. Andy had said there were at least five or six months of good traveling weather, so why had Usel warned them to start back so soon? Surely they had at least a month before winter would return. Faced with more questions than answers, Alex slowly fell into a light sleep.

A terrible, screaming cry snapped him awake. Alex jumped to his feet, his hand reaching for Moon Slayer at his side. He looked around to see where the cry had come from.

Everything was dark, but he could hear something large moving nearby. The griffins were awake in the darkness, and they sounded both angry and pained.

“Bregnest?” Alex called, looking around but seeing nothing in the darkness. “Sindar?”

There was no reply, only the angry sounds coming from the griffins.

Alex stood for a moment, unsure of what to do. Where were his companions? Why were they not answering his calls? His thoughts were numbed by the darkness, and fear was growing inside of him. He knew that he had to do something—anything—and fast.

With an effort of will, Alex conjured up a half dozen weir lights. As they floated gently around him, the fog in his mind began to clear and the darkness around him fled. He felt like a great weight was suddenly lifted from him.

Looking around, he saw that his friends were all still on the ground as though they had not heard the screaming pain of the griffins and were simply resting, waiting for dawn. Then he noticed that only four of his friends were there. Val was gone.

“Bregnest!” Alex shouted, bending over his friend and trying to shake him awake.

Bregnest didn’t answer. Alex tried to wake each of his friends in turn, but none of them would wake up. When he shook Sindar, the elf mumbled slightly, but he, too, seemed completely dazed.

Alex didn’t know what to do. He needed to help his friends, but he also needed to find Val. Where had he gone? And what had caused the griffins to cry out in such terrible pain and anger?

Simple solutions,he thought, remembering Whalen’s advice. He had to think of something fast and simple that would help his friends. Fire. That might help. Fire was the adventurer’s friend and ally.

Stepping away from his friends’ blankets, Alex conjured a blue-white fire. The heat from the flames pushed back the cold mountain air. As fast as he could, Alex moved his companions as close to the fire as he dared, still trying to wake them. Only Sindar spoke, but his voice was a faint whisper.

“My pendant. I need my pendant.” Sindar pulled at his shirt with his right hand, desperately trying to find something.

Alex pushed aside Sindar’s hand and pulled open the top of the elf’s shirt. There was no pendant, only a dark red line where something had been yanked from around Sindar’s neck.

Alex searched Sindar’s blankets and the ground around him. He forced more magic into the weir lights, changing them from gentle gold to dazzling white. The bright light glinted off something, but as Alex reached out for it, his hand stopped. Sindar’s pendant was made of true silver, but there was no mistaking the design. It was shaped like a flower, the same flower as the pendant Alex’s father had hidden.

Alex retrieved the pendant, but almost dropped it as it burned his hand with cold. The cold was gone almost as soon as the pendant was in his hand, the burn forgotten, and a gentle warmth seemed to flow out of the metal flower.

“Here, I have your pendant,” Alex said, forcing it into Sindar’s hand.

Sindar took a few deep breaths. His muscles relaxed, and his eyes fluttered open. For a second he seemed confused, and then he spoke in a desperate, pleading tone.

“Val. Some evil has taken over his mind.”

“What?” Alex asked, wondering if he’d heard Sindar correctly.

“Val carries a great evil with him. He will go to the tower. You must stop him before he reaches the lower library,” said Sindar, blinking slowly.

“But I can’t leave you and the others,” Alex protested. “The others won’t wake up, and you can barely speak.”

“Go, quickly,” said Sindar, his tone becoming urgent. “I will recover soon. I will care for the others while you are gone.”

“Sindar, this is madness,” said Alex. “What evil does Val carry?”

“Go,” Sindar repeated. “Go now.”

Alex looked at Sindar and his other friends. If he left them, they might be lost, but what could he do for them if he stayed? If Val was carrying some evil and he reached the lower library, it could be disastrous.

Alex knew what he had to do. “Do what you can for the others. I will return as soon as I can.”

Sindar seemed to nod, but he said nothing.

Alex put out the weir lights but left the fire burning, then he ran toward the Tower of the Moon with only one thought in his mind. Stop Val. Stop the evil.

“Stay,” an angry voice commanded as Alex ran toward the stairs that led to the tower.

Alex slid to a stop. He had forgotten that the griffins were still there, and they were angry.

“What do you seek in the Tower of the Moon?” the griffin growled.

“I seek the evil that has gone there,” Alex answered.

“The evil you seek traveled here with your company. It attacked us, blinding us with its dark magic. Why do you seek it now?” the griffin demanded.