FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

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Chapter Forty Nine

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Mirelle ran into the street in front of The Cathedral, clutching her maul. The storm that swallowed her city was like nothing she’d ever seen. There was no sign at all of Revaramek, not even a silhouette in the terrifying red and gold clouds that swirled above her. She had no idea what he was planning, no idea if she’d ever see him again. No idea if he was going to die. Mirelle squeezed her maul till her hands ached. Now was not the time to worry her newest friend, not when she had so many other people to worry about.

A howling gust blew down the street, blasting sand into her face. She cringed and turned away, shielding her eyes. “Beka, Tavaat! Get some cloth to cover your faces!” Mirelle beckoned at the others with her free hand. “Elrind, get your men to go reinforce the south gate. That’s the one Aylaryl damaged. I’ll meet you there soon! Make sure everyone in town is as prepared as possible. Chir’raal, Kurekka, can you fly in this?”

The gryphons trotted up on either side of her, glancing up at the strange clouds. Both sets of gryphon eyes looked dull, shielded by the same sort of flight membranes the dragon had. A ripple of pale blue light rolled through the storm above them, followed by thunder that sounded like a low, anguished scream.

Kurekka shivered, his feathers fluffing. “We can try!”

Chir’raal glanced at his mate and warbled. “I’ve never seen anything like this!”

“I doubt anyone has.” Kurekka rustled his wings.

Mirelle snarled, her face twisting. “Asterbury has! This is just like what’s in that story, the storms his people used to hide from!”

She turned away, gritting her teeth as the knights hurried past, assembling into formation in the street. How far was Asterbury going to take this? Every time she saw him he pulled out some new trick, a new depth to his power he’d previously kept hidden. Could this storm blast the whole town out of existence? If he wanted Enora to rule it, surely he wouldn’t go that far. Then again, for all she knew he might be planning to rebuild it anew. Or he might just lose control and erase them without ever meaning to.

Beka tapped Mirelle on the shoulder. She turned around, and Beka pushed a damp cloth into her arms. “Soaked it in some water! Maybe we should commandeer that fancy clothing store, on Redbud Street. They make wedding veils and things, might help keep the sand out of our eyes!”

Mirelle thanked her and tied the cloth behind her head to cover her nose and mouth. Her riding goggles would protect her eyes. “Good idea!” She pointed down the road. “Go get as many as you can for anyone else who may need them. Tell the store we’ll pay them back out of the council funds if we survive!” Then she caught herself, and shook her head. “Don’t tell them that last part!”

“Got it!” Beka waved her sword and Tavaat hurried to catch up with her, a cloth over the end of his muzzle.

Mirelle clapped him on the shoulder as he passed by. “Be safe!”

Nell emerged from behind the ruined Cathedral wall she’d been sheltering under. “Councilwoman Mirelle!” She shielded her face with an arm as she approached. “What can I do to help?”

“Get somewhere safe!” Mirelle squeezed the older woman’s shoulder, her clothes whipped by the wind. “If something happens to me, you, Sarel and Kendrick have to take charge! Chir’raal, get her to the secure buildings I showed you on the maps!”

“Secure feels very relative right now!” Nell pressed her lips together, her face scrunched. Mirelle knew the look well, it meant she wanted to argue. Thankfully, the woman relented. “Very well. Good luck!”

“The same to you! May we see each other again when this is over!” Mirelle went to Kurekka’s side. She set the maul down, and snatched up the safety rope, glad she hadn’t gotten around to untying it. A gust of wind first ruffled his feathers, then flattened them out against one side of his body. “I’m going to ride you to the gate, alright? I don’t know how well you two can fly in this storm, so stay low for now!” As she tied the rope around her waist she glanced back at Chir’raal. “After you get Nell to safety, come back here for Enora, and bring her to the front entryway to help negotiate!” She pointed when she realized Chir’raal might not know which gate that was. “Our two biggest gates are on the south and north sides of the village. I suspect that’s where the va’chaak will mass. Aylaryl damaged the southern gate, so that’s probably where they’ll start. Bring Enora there to meet up with us!”

Chir’raal nodded in understanding, and glanced at his mate. “Fly safe, love!”

Kurekka bowed his head and clicked his beak. “You too! If you get yourself killed I’m going to have to slay Mirelle in revenge!”

“Hilarious!” Mirelle tied her rope, snatched up her maul, and clambered up onto the gryphon.

“You know I’ve…never ridden a gryphon before.” Nell worked her way up onto the gryphon’s back, nervousness tinting her voice. “Or anything with wings. Is…there a proper protocol, or…?”

“Yes!” Chir’raal glanced back at her, his blue-speckled crown feathers flared. “Don’t fall off!” The gryphon launched himself into the air in a single, smooth bound, vast black-barred wings beating the air. Nell clung to his neck as he vanished into the sandstorm.

“She didn’t even scream.” Kurekka turned his head to gaze back at Mirelle, mischief swirling in his hazel-green eyes. “Now that’s impressive.”

“You say that like I scream every time I go flying.” She tugged on a scarlet crown feather, making the gryphon squawk.

“Regardless, this may be a bumpy flight.” Kurekka shook himself under her, muscles rippling beneath his warm fur and feathers. “You ready?”

Mirelle tugged her goggles down over her eyes, bracing her maul against Kurekka’s back. “Ready as ever!”

Kurekka sprang and beat his wings, ascending into the storm. Up above the street, the winds were angrier. Gusts struck from one direction, only to reverse and blow even harder in the other. The gryphon lurched about in the air, and Mirelle’s stomach could not keep up. Every time it settled again, another blast of wind sent them dropping back to earth or surging upwards. Mirelle hunched forward to press against the back of the gryphon’s neck, clenching her teeth.

“Is this how it normally feels to fly in a storm?”

“I don’t normally fly in storms!”

Mirelle cringed and glanced down. It was hard to see the town through the swirling sands and disturbing, crimson mists roiling amidst them. She looked up. Higher above them there was an added darkness to the clouds, like churning layers of ink atop sand and blood. Flashes of light cascaded through the higher clouds, some brilliant blue, others icy white. Where she expected thunder, she heard only horrible shrieks, and anguished howls.

Out of nowhere, Asterbury’s voice cut through the storm, like the echo of thunder, rolling in all directions at once. “Greetings, one and all! I am Lord Asterbury, the Unstoppable Urd’thin!”

“Oh good!” Mirelle pressed herself tighter against the gryphon. “Your crazy friend is giving a speech!”

“I am the Prime Shaper!” Asterbury’s voice was the electric crackle of lightning. “The Teller of Tales! The Last Chief of my tribe! And to you, I am your Storyteller!”

“And he’s given himself some new titles.” Mirelle squeezed a handful of feathers, goosebumps breaking out across her skin. Calling himself such things didn’t exactly bode well. “Wonderful!”

“To all people of this city, I say this only once! Lay down your arms!”

Mirelle threw back her head, screaming out to the furious skies. “Will you just shut up!”

Asterbury did no such thing. “And to the Men in Robes, usurpers of my ancestor’s flame! Surrender your colony to me! Return your stolen lands! Yield, and hand your authority to Enora so that she may rule in peace. This is your only chance! Refuse, ye men in robes, and know calamity!”

“Yeah, that’s what we’re gonna do you little fluffernutter, we’ll-AAAAH!”

She gave a started cry when the winds tripled, jerking Kurekka around in the air. Mirelle flung herself against the back of his neck, clinging tight. The gryphon plummeted, then shot back up, only to be flung to the side by the ever-changing winds. Mirelle’s heart pounded so hard she could feel her blood pulsing everywhere. She dug her fingers into the gryphon’s feathered hide, hoping and praying she wasn’t about to test her safety rope.

“It’s getting worse!” Kurekka flexed and shifted his wings, doing what he could to ride the winds.

“I noticed!” Mirelle’s voice was muffled by the feathers on the back of his neck.

“I think I need to land!”

A bolt of searing, blue-white lightning cut through the clouds alongside them, accompanied by a sound like a furious, shrieking banshee.

Mirelle cringed, lifting her face from the gryphon’s feathers long enough to reply. “I agree!”

Below them, something shattered. Then there was a loud crack, and another, followed by sharp tearing sounds. Mirelle leaned over the gryphon as Kurekka descended. Windows were broken on a few buildings lining the street. Roofing tiles were torn away and hurled into the air. Another building lost all the thatch of its roof. Further down the street, a wall ripped from its moorings and tumbled down the road, breaking into several chunks that lofted into the air. And deeper in the distance, beyond where she could see through the storm, she could hear other crashes, more thumps and shredding sounds. Lightning cascaded above them in a nearly endless stream of light.

“Shit!” Mirelle grimaced as the gryphon touched down on the cobblestone, bumping beneath her. “He’s tearing the damn city apart! Watch out for debris!”

“I’m clinging to the hope that since he likes me, you and I are safe, at least!” Kurekka broke into a trot against the wind, winding through the city.

“I don’t think his storm shares his discriminating tastes!” As if on cue, the worst of the winds ebbed away. It still howled and blasted sand through the streets, but it stopped ripping pieces off of exposed buildings, and leaves and boughs from trees. Kurekka glanced back and opened his beak, and Mirelle cut him off. “Don’t say it!”

“Actually, I was going to say I think he’s trying to give you a chance to surrender.” He clicked his beak, picking up his pace. “I’m not sure I should take back to the skies yet, though!”

Mirelle patted the gryphon’s neck in agreement. As he hurried along, she glanced up side streets they passed. Most of them were empty. Some of them were littered with debris. Down one she saw a few guards helping a family get into the shelter of an inn constructed of stone brick. Though their valiant effort warmed her heart, she could only hope that building would hope if the storm raged once more. “If you see anyone who needs help, we do what we can!”

“Understood!”

They pushed on, and soon the storm’s power grew once more. Its strength and anger rose and fell in unpredictable waves. Howling winds buffeted them with stinging sand. Little golden dunes quickly formed where it piled against walls and other obstructions. A few more windows shattered in another screeching gale. A cart tipped over, spilling fruit across the road. Half an inn’s roof was wrenched into the air, flipped over, and wedged into an alley between buildings.

“Watch your paws! There’s a lot of broken glass!”

“I noticed!” Kurekka picked his way around the debris lying near a shattered storefront. “How close are we?”

“Halfway maybe?” Mirelle sat up a little straighter when the wind ebbed. She brushed sand from her goggles, and glanced around. Down the street, she glimpsed a green, scaly tail banded with gray vanishing through a doorway. “Look! There’s va’chaak down there!”

“They must be slipping in where they can, under cover of the storm!”

‘Then let’s use it the same way!” Mirelle pointed to the building she’d seen one vanishing into, a storefront that sold tools forged at the smithy next door, along with a few basic weapons. “Sneak up on them!”

Another wave of sand and furious winds blasted against them. Kurekka soldiered on, his feathers dusted in gold and flattened against his body. “I think I could practically roar at them without being heard over this maelstrom!”

“Gryphons can roar?” Mirelle quickly undid the knots at her waist. “I thought you screeched, like an angry hawk!”

Kurekka tried to ruffle his feathers, but didn’t work very well. “We can do both! We just usually choose not to.”

“If you say so!” As they drew near the building, Mirelle slipped off the gryphon’s back.

“Where are you going?” Kurekka clacked his beak, hissing.

“To draw them out into the street.” Mirelle patted his neck. “Unless you like the idea of getting stuck in the doorway while they smack your beak around and stick you with sharp things!”

“I wouldn’t get stuck!” The gryphon cocked his head, sizing up the doorway. “Probably.”

“We don’t have time for a debate.” Mirelle pressed herself to a wall, glancing down an alley. “I don’t see any more here, but keep your eyes open, just in case. I’ll draw them out into the open and then help you kick their scaly asses!”

“What if I know them?” Kurekka slunk after her, wings tight to his body.

“Then you can apologize to the survivors!”

Mirelle moved along the wall, crouching low until she reached the doorway. Kurekka slipped into the alley, out of sight. She peeked inside. In a quick glance, she counted at least six va’chaak, including both males and females. As far as she knew, their people considered females to be equally capable warriors to males. Much as she liked the sound of that, right now it just meant they were all dangerous. A couple of them wore armor made from the bones of what she hoped were animals, others simple leather and hide gear. Some of them had emblems painted on their scales in vibrant red and blue.

Glancing back, Mirelle saw Kurekka peeking out with a questioning look, ears perked. Mirelle flashed him five fingers, then a single finger, indicating there were at least six. Then she held an open hand, and shrugged, trying to tell him there might be more. The gryphon gave her a blank stare, and slowly tilted his head to the side, looking like a very confused owl. She flashed him another hand signal, and Kurekka slunk towards her. Gritting her teeth, she waved him back. He mouthed something she was glad she couldn’t read. Then he thrust a paw at her. She shook her head. He uncurled a single claw, and thrust it at her, next. Was he insulting her, now? Mirelle rolled her eyes, shaking her head. It wasn’t her fault gryphons didn’t understand human hand signals.

“Hey, Girlie.” Mirelle froze as a rough voice called to her from the door way. Oh. Right. He was warning her she was about to be spotted. “You lost?”

“As a matter of fact, yes!” Mirelle rose to her feet in a smooth motion, turning to the green and gray va’chaak standing just inside the entryway. He stood a head taller than her, with long, curved daggers strapped across the bone armor of his chest. A quick glanced told her he wasn’t too armored. “I was just out for a walk, gotta break in my new boots, you see. And this damn sandstorm-”

“Whassat for?” The va’chaak gave a little growl, pointing at her maul. A few more were watching from nearby, hands on their weapons, while others were seemingly arguing about who got to loot what.

“Oh, this?” Mirelle glanced down at her red-painted maul. “This is for kickin’ ass and splittin’ skulls.”

As soon as he went for his weapon, Mirelle stepped forward and kicked the lizardman in the balls as hard as she could. With a great yowl, he dropped to his knees in an instant. His eyes bugged out over his muzzle and all his little frills stood on end. As he gave a deep, wheezing groan, three more of them bound forward, one drawing long knives and another hefting a spear. Mirelle twisted around and brought her maul to bear, smashing its handle against the side of the first va’chaak’s head. The impact knocked him sideways and he sprawled out on the ground, blood leaking from broken scales.

The second lizardman tripped over the first, falling onto his hands and knees. Mirelle slammed the head of her maul down onto one of his hands, crushing it with a splatter of blood and a sickening crunch. He screamed, writhing in pain in the entryway. The third was female, and leapt over the first two, brandishing a curved blade in each hand. Mirelle scrambled back, meeting the lizard’s lunge by driving the end of maul into the female warrior’s throat. She gagged, stumbled, and dropped her weapons to clutch under her jaw with both hands.

“Shall I just sit this one out, then?” Kurekka tossed his head, feathers ruffled.

Then the largest va’chaak Mirelle had ever seen squeezed through the doorframe. He bore an equally immense axe of bone and iron, and most of his dark green scales were hidden beneath layers of armor, crafted from the same materials as his axe. Ceremonial sigils marked the shoulders of his armor. He towered over Mirelle, advancing slowly, cautious yet menacing. Muscles bulged under his scales and armor.

Mirelle scrambled back, glancing over at the gryphon crouched in the alley. “Actually, now would be great!”

Like a coiled serpent, Kurekka sprang on the startled va’chaak. The immense lizardman toppled to the cobblestone street beneath the gryphon’s weight, thrashing. Kurekka hooked his claws into the va’chaak’s armor, and reared onto his hind legs. He hoisted the va’chaak in both front paws, parallel to the ground, and then hurled him through the nearest storefront. The armored lizard howled as he smashed through the wall. A cloud of dust followed in his wake, swept away by the raging winds.

“That was fun!” Kurekka dropped back to all fours, his beak wide in a gryphon grin.

One of the others yelled something to his kin. With hisses and snarls, they all started backing away.

“Did you hear that, Mirelle?” Kurekka chirruped smug laughter. “He said, they have a gryphon, run!”

“You speak their language?” Mirelle peeked into the broken store to make sure the big one wasn’t getting up. He’d smashed through an entire display set of furniture and house wares, and a banner advertising a sale had fallen across his head. He hadn’t removed it. “He’s out. Good work!”

“Of course it’s good work, I’m a gryphon.” He tried to fluff himself, but the sand coating his feathers and the angry winds flattening them down made it impossible. “And yes, I can speak enough of their tongue to get by.”

“Then tell them to yield and let us tie them up, or you’ll kick their asses!”

Kurekka called out to them in a series of harsh syllables Mirelle realized she was going to have to learn if she wanted to help make peace. The lizards still standing took off down the alleyway. The gryphon squawked. “I think my accent is terrible…”

“If they’re not gonna surrender, go speak a language they will understand!” Mirelle thrust her maul towards the alley.

“Right!” Kurekka bound after them, then leapt and beat his wings, alighting upon a nearby roof. “There you are!” He jumped down into the alley, out of sight. A moment later and another va’chaak hurtled right back out into the street, tumbling head over tail.

Nearer Mirelle, the one she’d struck in the throat had finally gotten her breath back. She looked around for her dropped daggers, and Mirelle snatched a heavy hunk of wooden debris from the broken wall. Just when the va’chaak scooped up her weapons, Mirelle hurled the broken beam. It clobbered her across the snout, and she dropped to her knees. The lizard warrior’s knives fell from her hands and, blood gushed over her fingers as she clutched her muzzle. Mirelle charged in and twisted her maul to slam the handle across the wounded va’chaak’s ear hole. She gave a sharp scream and pitched onto the ground, eyes rolling back.

Hefting her weapon right side up again, Mirelle glanced around. “Anyone else gets up, I’mma put you down for good!” Though Mirelle didn’t want to kill anyone, she wasn’t naïve enough to think they could make it through battle without people dying. She’d do what she had to do.

From nearby, there was another yowl, a loud thump, a crash, and then a terrified scream. A va’chaak arced up into the air, only to come crashing down atop one of the buildings. He rolled across the roof, and fell into the alleyway below. Mirelle jogged over to him, but he was either already unconscious or dead. She stepped over him and hurried down the alley to find Kurekka.

The gryphon emerged from another alleyway, panting. He cocked his head when he saw her, and perked his ears up again. “That’s all of them! Hey, this acting heroic bit is rather exciting!”

“Glad one of us is enjoying ourselves.” Thankful he wasn’t hurt, Mirelle clambered up onto Kurekka’s back again. “Let’s go! Keep watch, there might be more raiding parties slipping in.”

“These alleys are better sheltered from the storm.” The gryphon shook sand from his feathers while he had the chance. “If I can fit through them, can you guide us to the gate this way?”

“I think so!” Mirelle took her goggles off, and blew the sand out of them. “Head south.”

“How the hell am I supposed to know which way south is when I can’t see the sun?” Kurekka twisted his neck, glaring.

“I thought you gryphons were supposed to have a good sense of direction?”

“My sense of direction is based upon the sun, the moon, and the stars! Not to mention familiar landmarks. All I can see right now are clouds of sand and what I’m hoping isn’t actually blood! Plus a bunch of walls that all look the same!”

“And I thought Chir’raal was the whiny one.” Mirelle tugged her goggles back on. “Just go that way!” She patted his neck for his attention, then pointed down a side street that led to a wide alley.

“Got it!” Kurekka broke into an immediate gallop, his body rolling beneath her. Then he squawked. “Hey!”

“Just watch where you’re going.”

“I’m perfectly capable of watching out and arguing with you about-”

A crack of thunder so loud it made Mirelle clap her hands over her ears cut through the air, followed by a concussive thud she felt in her chest. She heard more windows blow out in the distance, in the direction of the council hill. When the sound faded, she eased her hands back from her ears, glancing around.

“What the hell was that?”

“Nothing good.” Kurekka flicked open a wing to point to the sky, above some low buildings they passed by. “Look!”

“Oh, what now?” Through glimpses in the red and gold clouds, lightning flickered in the distance, high above the city. A wavering blue glow now shimmered over the hill, casting its pall across the storm that covered them. Mirelle pressed her hand to her face, groaning. “Please tell me that’s not his lightning sphere thing.”

Kurekka clicked his beak. “I think it’s his lightning sphere thing.”

“Some friend you have.” Mirelle sat up straighter, then pointed down another alley. “That way!” She patted Kurekka’s neck when he turned. “Let’s just hope that means Rev’s plan is working, and Asterbury’s really, really pissed off about losing.”

Kurekka warbled bittersweet laughter. “No one pisses ‘em off like Rev.”

*****

Mirelle and Kurekka hurried down the alleys, keeping themselves as protected from the sand as they could. Mirelle sure as hell wasn’t about to let Kurekka take to the skies again while that uncontrolled lightning raged somewhere in the storm. Her hands ached from clutching her maul. Now and then she brushed dust from her goggles. In the distance, a dark shape loomed through sand, standing watch over the city.

“I think that’s the outer wall up there!” Mirelle patted his furry shoulder, then gestured with her maul towards a side street. “That’s Blue Water, take it. It loops around to the gate. If there’s any more va’chaak infiltrators already, they’re probably staying off the main streets for now. Hopefully there’s already enough soldiers at the gate to hold back any larger attempted incursion.”

Kurekka nodded his feathered head, glancing back. “You know, you probably won’t make a terrible leader.”

Mirelle leaned forward, grunting. “Thanks, I guess. Can’t say I’m proud that my first official act seems to have been accepting a blackmail offer from some gryphons.”

Kurekka flicked his crown feathers up. “At least it’s working out in your favor!”

“Just don’t think I’ve forgotten my part of the bargain.” Mirelle jabbed a finger into the back of his neck.

“Making Enora and us citizens?”

“Kicking both you blackmailers right in your feathery balls!”

“They’re furry, not feathery! And I don’t recall that being part of the deal.” Kurekka cut down the street she’d indicated. “More an extra demand you threw in at the end.”

Smirking, Mirelle bumped him with the head of her maul. “Be glad I’m only gonna use my boot.”

Kurekka made a nervous, cooing noise. “Very funny. Tell you what, if we survive this and end up official citizens, I’ll let you kick Chir’raal in the stones. He’s got one coming.”

“I’m going to tell him you said that.”

The gryphon pinned his red-brown ears back. “Well…he did laugh at me while I was so cruelly stricken upon the ground! He should have been defending my honor!”

“Oh yeah! That was pretty funny!” Mirelle laughed, shaking her head. “But he got Rev back for you…”

“Yes, and then he flew away rather than stay by my side!” Kurekka laughed with her, tossing his head. “It’s a matter of honor!”

“You seem awfully keen on your honor.”

“Of course! If your own beloved mate won’t defend it, who will? I’d have stuck around to defend his honor.” He gave a squawk to punctuate his words. “I can tell you that.”

“You’d have stuck around to laugh at him if he was the one squirming in the grass.”

“Of course!” Kurekka fluffed up his feathers, shaking sand from them. “But I’d have stayed to comfort him. There’s a difference, after all, between…” Kurekka came to a stop, tilting his head down an alleyway. “Mirelle, look! It’s your knight friend. He must have gotten separated from the others during the worst of the storm.”

Down the alleyway, Elrind, wearing his helmet again, stood surrounded by four va’chaak. Further down the street, an elderly woman in a red shawl, and an old man in a brown tunic and breeches stood in a doorway. The man shook a cane at the lizardmen, while the woman shook a pair of darning needles.

“He probably stayed behind to help that old gran and her husband get to shelter. C’mon!” Mirelle thumped his shoulder with her free hand. “We have to go help him!”

Kurekka turned down the alley, jogging towards the group. “Why is she carrying darning needles?”

“She’s probably a member of the banner-weaving society, taking her work with her to shelter as a distraction.”

“A member of the what?”

“Some of the older folks can’t be as industrious as they used to be. So a lot of the old grans have taken to making banners, and clothing and-”

“A lot of the old grans?” Kurekka glanced back, his green-flecked hazel eyes wide with disbelief. “How many old grans does this town have? I’m starting to re-think my interest in becoming a citizen!”

“We have a surprisingly high standard of living here, so, life expectancy is-You know what?” Mirelle hefted her maul as they neared the knight and his attackers. “It doesn’t matter! One issue at a time!”

As they neared Elrind, the knight’s muffled voice echoed down the alley.

“Very well then, you filthy rapscallion!” He thrust an armored finger at the old lady he’d been escorting. She gave her husband a confused look. “If you shan’t listen to reason, I shall have to teach you some manners!”

“You watch your tone with my wife!” The old man shook his cane harder.

Elrind stumbled back, flailing an arm. “You’ll bone me for my life? Well, have I got something for you! Firstly, a knight never stoops to bargaining for survival.” All four va’chaak glanced at each other, looking baffled. “Second, I find your foul offer repulsive and repugnant! Why, I’d sooner die than make whoopee to a filthy, invading barbarian!” He put his hand upon his sword scabbard, turning away from the elderly couple to face a trash barrel in the alleyway, instead. “Last chance to lay down your arms peacefully!”

Kurekka warbled, glancing back at Mirelle. “Did he just say…make whoopee?”

“Don’t ask.” Mirelle hopped off the gryphon, clutching her maul. “Alright, you leap over him and take out the two on the far side. I’ll go after the two nearest us, and if yours go down before mine, feel free to help me out.”

“I ain’t layin’ down my arms.” The nearest lizard snarled, tapping a dagger against the knight’s visor. “I’m gonna cut you open and take all that armor.”

“You’ll mate with all our farmers?” Elrind waved his gauntlet, stomping an armored boot. “I say, does your depravity know no bounds? I’ll not sit here and let you use your serpent’s tongue on an entire class of good, hard working people! Wait…that didn’t come out right.” All the va’chaak started laughing. “Very well then, you had your chance! Have at thee!”

The knight drew his sword and swung it at the nearest va’chaak. The blade went wide, but his momentum carried him around so that his armored gauntlet smashed full on into a different lizardman’s muzzle. The injured creature cried out in pain, stumbling back, blood running down his snout. Another came forward, lashing out with a small axe, but as Elrind twisted around to follow up his own misplaced strike, the axe blade only struck a glancing blow.

The impact of the axe scraped his armor and sent him stumbling backwards, right into the scaled invader he’d tried to hit in the first place. The weight of the fully armored knight knocked the va’chaak off balance. He wobbled away, got his feet tangled in a shredded banner, and tripped backwards. As the lizard fell, he banged his head on a wall hard enough to send him crashing to the ground, completely limp. After glancing at each other, the two remaining va’chaak rushed the knight. One of them grabbed at him, trying to pin his sword arm.

“Unhand me, you scaly perverts!” Elrind yanked his arm back, only to drive his elbow into the solar plexus of the va’chaak behind him.

“ARRRFF!” The lizard coughed and doubled over, wheezing.

“I told ya to wear yer armor, Merga!” The only va’chaak not yet injured snarled at his friend. He yanked his own blade free from a strap across his chest. “I’m gonna cut you out of that armor bit by-AAAAH!”

While he was busy speaking, Elrind whirled away from him. He drew his sword all the way back over his head as if preparing for a killing blow, but the momentum proved too much for him to handle. He stumbled backwards, the sharp blade slicing through the air just in front of the suddenly scrambling va’chaak. When the knight caught his balance, he twisted around again, and as a result the tip of his sword sliced through the straps holding the lizard’s armor and clothing in place. Hunks of bone toppled to the alley, and his leather breeches nearly went with them.

“The hell’s wrong with you?” The lizardman stumbled and bent forward, trying to grasp at his leather garments.

Meanwhile, the lizard with the bloody muzzle got his spear hefted and tried to drive it into Elrind’s armor. The impact dented the metal but did not quite penetrate it. Instead, it shoved Elrind forward so that his heavy breastplate crashed into the head of the va’chaak trying to pull his pants up. The impact crunched something other than metal, and the scaled warrior flopped to the ground, breeches around his ankles.

Everything happened so fast that by the time Kurekka was soaring over their heads, two of the va’chaak were already incapacitated. Maybe they were dead, Mirelle couldn’t tell for sure. One of others twisted around towards Kurekka, jabbing his spear in flurry of panicked strikes. The gryphon snarled and lashed at the weapon with a broad paw, snapping it in half.

At the sound of the snarl, Elrind whirled around, his armor clanking. “So you’ve got beasts on your side? Well I’ll never yield!”

He lashed out his sword, and this time sliced right through the end of the va’chaak’s tail. Blood spurted and the lizard fell against the wall, screaming. Elrind swung his sword a few more times, forcing even Kurekka to scramble back. The gryphon snapped his beak, darting out of range of the flashing blade.

“Cut it out, you incompetent oaf, I’m on your side!”

“This deaf bastard’s berserker crazy!” The only remaining va’chaak, the one with the bloody muzzle, backed away from the armored man. “He’s going after his own allies!” The va’chaak spun around, blinking in surprise when he found himself facing Mirelle.

“Hello!” She hefted her maul and smashed the end of it into the lizard’s already broken muzzle. He gave a muffled scream, his knees buckling, fresh blood pouring down his scales. She stepped over his wailing form, glancing down at him. “You get up again and you lose a knee! She took a deep breath, calling out to the knight. “Elrind! Knight Commander Elrind! You’ve won!”

At the sound of her voice, the knight spun around. He lifted his visor, glancing around. “So I have. Lady Mirelle! Well, this is unexpected!”

Mirelle glanced around at the four va’chaak with varying degrees of injury. She scratched her head, half wondering if the knight had even needed their help. With blind luck like that he might well have taken down the entire opposing force by himself. Her eyes met Kurekka’s, and the gryphon stared at a few of the crumbled and bleeding warriors. He flexed his wings in confusion, as surprised as she was.

“Unexpected is right.” She thrust her maul to the elderly couple. “I assume you were getting them to shelter? Carry on then, and meet us at…the…”

Mirelle trailed off when all the churning clouds began to dissipate like morning fog under the hot sun. The whole storm seemed to crumble all at once, bits of red and gold clouds breaking away and vanishing into nothingness. Sand drifted to the earth, piling into existing dunes, coating the streets. Even the lightning that roiled in the distance faded little bit little.

She glanced at Kurekka. “Is this a good sign, or a bad sign?” Mirelle stared up at the sky, suddenly noticing a strange, rounded platform floating over the hilltop ruins of the council chamber. “And what the hell is that thing?”

“I’ve no idea.” The gryphon tilted his head back, following her gaze. “And…I’ve no idea.”

Mirelle seized the knight’s armored arm. “Elrind, get those people to safety, and then meet us at the south gate.”

Then she hurried over to the gryphon, leaving the va’chaak where they laid. None of them were in any condition to be much of a threat now. She wasn’t even sure two of them were still breathing. Part of her felt a little bad about leaving injured creatures behind, but the rest of her knew she had to worry about her own people first. It was their choice to invade her city, now they had to deal with the consequences. She scrambled up on Kurekka’s back again.

“If the rest of them are going to do something, it’s going to happen soon! Get me to that gate.”