Part 8 (1/2)
Mosley waited for Shalee to stop kidding around, and then he directed his attention to Sam. He was comforted, knowing these were questions he could answer. ”I have the knowledge to answer your inquisitions. The G.o.ds have left suitable attire for you inside the temple. Shalee, I have no idea what you consider fab. If you don't like what has been provided, you'll need to speak with Ba.s.sorine.”
Shalee smiled and tapped the b.u.t.t of her staff on the ground. ”Don't you worry about that, once I figure out how to zap him good with this thing, I'll get his fas.h.i.+on sense up to speed.”
The wolf laughed. ”The G.o.ds will seal the temple to visitors once you've changed. They won't want the inhabitants of Grayham knowing about the crystal's disappearance.”
Mosley continued to answer their questions. ”Your second question was how many Peaks will it take to get to Brandor. If we travel by paw, it is a 56 Peak journey. Your final answer is-”
Shalee interrupted, snapping, ”Didn't he just say, from one Peak to the next is a day?” She looked at Sam for the answer.
Seeing her expression was a mix of anger and disbelief, the wolf's enthusiasm to answer their questions dwindled.
Sam responded, ”He did. Why?”
Shalee turned and gave Mosley a look. ”You listen to me, you big overgrown puppy. If you think for one minute that I'm going to walk 56 days to get to this Brandor place, you're crazy. I'm no Joan of Arc, and I'm definitely not a Mormon pioneer. I don't even own a wagon.”
She continued to vent. ”Who does this s.h.a.ggy mutt think I am anyway, the Crocodile Hunter's wife? For heaven's sake! There better be another way to get there. And where would we sleep tonight? I'm not about to wear these PJs two nights in a row. That's just wrong. They look terrible. Look at all the burn marks.”
She poked her finger through a few of the holes left behind by the lightning. ”I don't have money on me. This is nuts.” Looking back at Mosley, a new thought blurted out. ”I just got a pedicure, and my nails are looking delicious. I don't even have my hairbrush. How can you possibly expect me to deal with all of this without my brush? You're lucky I don't have a rolled up newspaper.”
Sam found Mosley's wide eyes. He could see the wolf was confused. He ignored Shalee and attempted to whisper into their furry guide's ear. ”Just disregard her for now.”
Hearing the comment, Shalee blew up. ”Disregard me? Who do you think you are, buddy? Who died and made you a king?”
Sam held Mosley's gaze. ”Like I said, just ignore her.” As he continued to speak, Sam could feel Shalee's glare stabbing him in the back.
Mosley decided to play along. He winked at Sam in his own wolfish way and then turned to Shalee. ”I said it was a 56 Peak walk, but I said nothing about sleeping. It will take twice as long to get there if we waste the moments necessary to rest. Did you expect us to stop? I can make the journey straight through.”
It was clear by Shalee's response that she failed to recognize the wolf's chiding. ”Oh, for all the angels in Heaven!” she shouted. ”You've got to be kidding me!” She flopped down on the wooden platform and started to cry.
”I said I wanted an adventure, not blisters. I don't have any suntan lotion for a trip like this, and I burn easy. I don't have my makeup. I don't have deodorant. I don't have perfume. I don't even have any clean panties. For Pete's sake, I hate this place. I swear I'll never wish again. Yep, oh yeah, I'll never wish again. Thanks, Mom, for feeding me a wonderful line of c.r.a.p about how wishes come true. This isn't even close to my idea of fun. This has got to be the worst granted wish ever.” Tears filled her eyes as she put her head between her knees and continued to crumble. ”I think I'm having a breakdown.”
Sam had to smile at Shalee's reaction. He looked at Mosley and leaned in closer to the wolf before whispering again. ”Just wait until she figures out she doesn't have any tampons. She's really going to blow then.”
Mosley tilted his furry head and whispered back, ”What are tampons, Sam?”
The human could only laugh. ”Aahhhhh ... forget it. Let's just say where we're from, most women don't find this sort of adventure entertaining. I also hope you have another solution for getting us to Brandor. I don't want to walk 56 Peaks, and we'll definitely need to sleep.”
Shalee lifted her head and whimpered, ”I need a soft pillow to lie my head on, Mosley. I'm not cut out for this kind of thing. How can I look decent if I can't get rest?” She buried her head again into her knees.
Sam changed the subject. ”Okay, okay. So how do we get down from the top of the cliffs? They don't look scalable.”
Nodding, Mosley responded, ”The G.o.ds did make the cliffs una.s.sailable. There are, however, stairs behind the face of the rock, but this isn't how we'll be traveling.”
Mosley turned to Shalee, who was still crying, and raised his voice. ”I have a way to get you to Brandor without making you walk! You can stop crying now. Let's get you dressed for the journey.”
Shalee wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her pajama top, and as she did, Mosley asked Sam to ring a large bell at the far side of the platform. ”The only way to get from the top of the cliffs to the land below, without using the steps, is to ride the griffins who live inside the cliffs.”
With that, Shalee started in again. ”If you think I'm gonna ride some giant whatever it is, you got another think coming. I'm not about to get on some creepy, flying thing. I don't know how to ride stuff like that. Do they bite? Goodness-gracious, I bet they bite. Oh my gosh, do they smell?”
Mosley had heard enough. He leaned in and breathed on Shalee's face. She fell unconscious as her body slumped over onto the platform.
”She will be asleep for a while,” the wolf said. ”I'm sure she'll be far more pleasant after she's had the moments to adjust. Are all the women from your Earth like her?”
Sam smiled. ”Only the ones worth keeping. I have to admit, I find her attractive. I like her sa.s.siness. She'll grow on you, Mosley. She's just stressed right now, that's all. But I am glad you knocked her out.”
Sam took a deep breath. ”I feel a bit off myself. Ever since I got here, so many things have reminded me of my dreams. It sounds like they have reminded Shalee of her dreams as well. I know I've never met her before, but I swear, it feels like I have. I wanted to tell her that, but that would've been too much for her to handle right now.” He looked down at Shalee. ”Just trust me, Mosley, you'll grow to like her. I'm sure of it.”
”I hope you're right,” Mosley responded. ”I find her annoying ... like a tick on my tail.”
Sam grinned and then changed the subject. ”Earlier, you mentioned the G.o.d of the Sun. Do all the G.o.ds have t.i.tles?”
Mosley thought long and hard before answering. ”They do amongst the Collective, but the G.o.ds do not allow their followers to know their true nature. Again, I know this only because of my service to Ba.s.sorine.”
”Why would the G.o.ds hide their nature?”
”I'm not allowed to answer your question, Sam. We should speak of another topic. Why don't you tell me more about your Earth?”
Annoyed that Mosley was unable to answer his question, Sam shook his head and started talking about Earth. Soon, a ma.s.sive, flying beast appeared from below the edge of the cliff and prepared to land.
Sam moved to the far side of the platform as the creature set down. The wind generated by the griffin's wings made standing difficult. Sam had to grab hold of the railing to maintain his balance.
The griffin-part eagle, part lion-was huge, its wings sporting dark-brown feathers with white tips. The feathers covering his head were also white, and his beak possessed an amber hue that matched the setting sun. The rest of its body was covered by tan fur. The beast's ma.s.sive paws on its back legs touched down first while its razor-sharp, front talons grabbed hold of a round beam that rested just above the surface of the platform. The creature lifted its head, scanned the area with its piercing eyes and then shrieked.
Sam watched in awe as Mosley walked up to the creature without fear. Though dwarfed, the wolf shouted orders in a foreign language. To Sam's surprise, he understood pieces of the language, but again, he failed to comprehend why. He made a mental note and kept the discovery to himself.
”I asked the beast to wait until we return from the temple. We should hurry. Griffins are not known for their patience.”
After Sam finished dressing, he changed Shalee and cautioned Mosley that, if asked, he was to tell Shalee a temple maid dressed her. He wanted her dignity to be left intact. But Sam did admit, however, that he enjoyed completing the task.
Sam's thoughts ran wild as he secured Shalee's headpiece. You're breathtaking. The outfit Ba.s.sorine left for you makes you look like a princess. How nice would it be if I was your prince?
Mosley showed Sam where a large pouch, full of food, had been prepared. The wolf explained the journey to Brandor would take 6 Peaks by air. Fortunately, the moments necessary would be provided to sleep, since the wolf really did need to sleep.
They made sure they had everything they needed before they left and watched as the temple doors were sealed. No one would be allowed to enter until the Crystal Moon was returned. The sign on the temple door read: Temple Closed For Inquisitive Minds, We are G.o.ds, and We Don't Owe You an Explanation (Fellow soul ... I'm just kidding. The sign didn't say that.) Sam lifted Shalee onto the griffin's back, and then he climbed up. After securing their weapons with leather straps that were attached to the saddle, he tied Shalee in. Sam gulped as the beast walked to the edge of the platform.
”Hold on!” Mosley shouted as best he could while biting down on another set of straps. ”This is going to be exhilarating!” The wolf dug his claws into the leather of the saddle.
They dropped off the edge and fell more than 4,000 feet before the griffin opened his wings and swooped out over the picturesque landscape.
Soresym [Sor-e-sym]
CHAPTER 5.
Broken Back LASIDIOUS WAS STILL SITTING at his table, watching through the transparent wall of his cave-like home as George continued to tumble. The Mischievous One was deciding how he wanted to make his introduction. After rolling up a map of Grayham, the G.o.d chose a field near the Enchanted Forest to stage his rescue.
Close by, was a town called Lethwitch. He would drop George just outside of town. This location would give the mortal the moments necessary to get the supplies he would need before heading north to the Pool of Sorrow.