Part 10 (1/2)

Sam apologized again and then looked at Mosley, but on this occasion, he chose his words carefully. ”Is it my imagination, or does every glorious creature on this world understand how to speak English? How can any of this be possible?”

Mosley laughed. ”Not all of us 'glorious creatures' have the ability to speak your language. Most speak their own. Only those of us who live in service to the G.o.ds can speak every language of the worlds.”

Sam nodded. His mind took a turn as he looked at Shalee's watch. It's a good thing this works off kinetic energy, he thought. Sam determined by the position of the sun, combined with the griffin's explanation of when they would land, that the Peaks seemed to be similar to the days on Earth.

Mosley took note of the peaceful look on Shalee's face. ”She will sleep through the night and most of the next Peak. There are many landing platforms scattered across the lands of Southern Grayham where we can spend the night. I'm sure she'll be happy about that.”

From the way it sounded as Mosley continued, the hippogriffs flew during the day, unless ordered by the kings of Southern Grayham. It was only possible to fly to one landing platform each day because of the distance between them.

”I'll make the arrangements necessary for the night once we arrive,” Mosley said.

Sam looked at Shalee and wondered how he was going to explain everything. He still had a hard time believing what he had learned, let alone trying to make sense of it to someone else. Animals talked, griffins and hippogriffs acted as airborne transportation, and that was just the start of it. Magic, G.o.ds, swords, kingdoms, and everything he thought to be myth were true. He knew nothing of the culture, or even how to speak with the people to make the transition. For the first time in my life, I am truly out of my element, he thought.

Sam wandered as he thought about Earth. He had so many questions for Ba.s.sorine, and yet, this ”so-called” G.o.d was not around. ”How convenient,” he mumbled. He looked forward to their next meeting. He could not wait to ask the question that bothered him most. Why do I know Ba.s.sorine's face?

Sam moved his hand through Shalee's hair. She was his definition of sublime, and she had been leaning against him during the entire flight. He concluded much of his attraction to her was because she was his only anchor to anything normal. He pulled her close as he tried to stop staring at her face.

After flying over the Blood River, a name Sam remembered from his mental snapshot of the map inside the temple, he knew it would not be long before they landed. When he saw the platform standing high in the distance, he knew they were about to set down. He looked forward to a belly full of food and hoped he would be able to clear his mind to get some rest.

Sam smiled as they made their approach. The little village below looked like it had been plucked out of the heather on the hills of old Scotland.

Now, fellow soul ... if you're not one of the beings who lived on planet Earth, you might not know what I'm talking about or have any clue as to where Scotland was. I would have to say, you truly missed seeing a place of wondrous beauty.

The homes of the people who lived outside the king's cities were made from stones stacked on top of each other. The roofs were made of large bundles of straw that had been tied together and angled to allow the rain to run off. The structures were bunched together, and Sam could not wait to see how big the towns and cities were, especially if the people on this world called this a village.

Not far from the landing platform, Sam saw an arena that was out of place. Instead of Scotland, it reminded him of ancient Rome. If Shalee was awake, she'd probably critique the arena's architecture. It's nothing like the rest of the village, he thought.

The arena was not large, but it was big enough for hundreds of people to gather. He wondered what kind of sport or theatre was performed there. Maybe I'll check it out if I have the time.

Mosley was right, Grayham did remind Sam of Earth in some ways, but the setting sun splitting two colored worlds was hard to accept.

As they landed, Sam took note of the watch and stopped its timer. The flight had lasted eight hours and 10 minutes. He grabbed their gear and jumped from the griffin. Sam tied the bags together, hung them across Mosley's back, pulled Shalee off of Soresym, and then draped her over his left shoulder. He was careful not to strike her head against his bow as he adjusted the sword on his hip.

Preparing to walk down to the village, Sam saw that the sun was about to fall below the horizon. ”Thanks for the ride, Soresym. It was an honor,” Sam said as he walked toward the front of the griffin. He looked into the beast's eyes. ”Again, I'm sorry for my ignorance. It's easy to see how your kind is superior to humans. I'll make sure I speak your name with respect whenever I say it from now on.”

The beast looked down. ”Perhaps you're not so bad after all. I may yet decide to honor you by calling you Sam. It's clear your remorse is genuine. Your apology is accepted. On occasion, I run into one of you two-legs that I take a liking to. I sense you may be one of those men. May the G.o.d you serve be with you as you travel.”

Sam laid his free hand on the beast's feather-covered neck. ”I hope we meet again. Fly safe, and may the G.o.d you serve be with you as well.”

Sam turned to look toward the horizon. He reset the timer as the sun disappeared. He found what was left of the purple colored world that Mosley called Luvelles and watched it fall below the horizon.

The night sky was odd. No stars, no moons, nothing on which to focus for navigation. It was an eerie feeling. As the pitch black of a new kind of night surrounded them, they would need to wait until the torches attached to the landing platform were lit before they could make their descent.

Using Shalee's staff for balance, Sam motioned for Mosley to lead the way. They headed down the long flight of stairs resting high above the ground. The large, but still quaint village below was beginning to fill with the flickering torch lights of a new reality.

Ba.s.sORINE is still looking for Lasidious. The G.o.d of War's anger is increasing. Ba.s.sorine has spoken with nearly everyone on Ancients Sovereign. No one has any idea where Lasidious is. The G.o.d of War can be heard throughout the hidden G.o.d world as he keeps calling for the Mischievous One to show himself.

SAM followed Mosley to an inn where he laid Shalee on a mattress filled with vestle chick feathers. He left with the wolf to find dinner and have a mug or two of ale to calm his nerves.

LASIDIOUS is inside his home beneath the Peaks of Angels. Although he can hear the screams of Ba.s.sorine echoing throughout the world, he is ignoring them. The protection he and his beautiful G.o.ddess put on their home has kept the G.o.d of War from popping in. The Mischievous One is laughing with disdain.

Thank you for reading the first edition of the Grayham Inquirer Left to right Athena, Susanne and Mary

CHAPTER 7.

Breaking and Entering The Town of Lethwitch On Southern Grayham AS SAM WAS FINIs.h.i.+NG his flight, George was rus.h.i.+ng through the field toward the town of Lethwitch. Dusk was approaching. George stopped, looked back in the direction where he landed on Jason and wondered if the schmuck's friends had ever picked him up.

George turned to run through the last part of the field and enter the village, but before he could, two men appeared out of thin air in front of him. They seemed foreboding and were blocking his path. One had a bird perched on his shoulder while the other had a serpent wrapped around his neck.

”What the h.e.l.l?” George blurted. ”Where did you cats come from?” He studied their appearance.

To his left, this man was tall and lanky. He had dark hair and wore a brown s.h.i.+rt with black pants. The raven on his shoulder glared at George as he looked at his companion. ”I think this is him,” the man surmised. ”I love it when they're confused. That's typical for humans.”

”You guys have got the wrong guy,” George barked before the other man could respond. ”I just got here. There's no way in h.e.l.l you're looking for me.”

Both men ignored George's question. Unlike his companion, the second man was dressed in dark-blue robes, and gold chains adorned his waist. His hair was also dark and long, and the serpent around his neck had yellow and green scales. Its eyes were pitch black, and they gave George an uneasy feeling as the man spoke to his companion. ”I bet he's hiding it.”

The man with the raven on his shoulder responded. ”I think he swallowed it.”

”Swallowed what?” George snapped. ”You guys are clearly looking for someone else.”

The second man removed the serpent from his neck and allowed it to wrap itself around his right arm as he scanned George from head to toe. ”Perhaps we should open him up and see if it's inside.”

Rather than listen to another word, George reached into his pocket and pulled out his pistol. ”Cut me open?” he jeered. ”You must be out of your d.a.m.n mind.” He pointed the barrel of the gun at the head of the man with the raven and c.o.c.ked the hammer. ”You guys picked the wrong man to screw with.”

The man with the gun in his face laughed. ”It thinks it has power. It thinks we fear it.”

George stepped forward and placed the barrel of the gun on the man's forehead. ”You're not too bright, are you? You're asking for a hole in your head.”

Before another word could be said, the man on George's right extended his arm without the snake around it and clenched his fist. Instantly, pain surged through George's arm that was holding the gun.

Frightened, George tried to pull the trigger, but he was unable to. The harder he fought to squeeze the trigger, the more intense the pain became.

The man with the gun in his face reached up and placed his finger against the end of the pistol. He invoked his magic and grinned as frost traveled up the barrel and onto the handle.

George could feel his skin burn as the frost turned to ice and bit the inside of his hand. Instinctively, he released his grip and the pistol fell to the ground. ”d.a.m.n it!” he shouted as he pulled his hand close to his body to warm it against his s.h.i.+rt. ”What the h.e.l.l do you guys want?”

The taller of the two men responded, the raven on his shoulder squawking as he did. ”What did Jason tell you? Did he tell you about the map?”

George feigned his surprise. ”What map? I don't have any idea what you're talking about. Who in the h.e.l.l's Jason?”

The man held up his palm in front of George's face. A ball of energy appeared inside it. The heat cast from the sphere warmed George's face and the sound it made as it crackled in the stranger's hand frightened him. ”I would not lie to me if I were you, boy,” the man threatened.

Trembling, George stumbled over his words. ”I ... I ... ummm, Jason's over there. He's on the far side of the field. He was talking gibberish. He's drunk. I swear, I don't know anything about a map.”

A wave of force erupted from the man's palm and knocked George to the ground. ”If you're lying to us, we'll find you. I suggest you stay away from the Pool of Sorrow. The treasure is ours.”