I had a terrible headache. I tried to move and instantly screeched with pain. Where was I? I was lying somewhere, but this surely did not feel like my bed. I slowly tried to open my eyes. I squinted as I looked at the lantern hanging on the wall just above me. What had happened? I gradually turned my head and moved to sit up. I put my back up against the wall and winced in pain at the movement.
Calen’s cry of alarm hit me at full force, and I struggled to remain upright. She could now sense that I was conscious, but I could feel her cries of pain. I couldn’t physically hear, but I knew she shrieked loudly deep in the forest, flying around aimlessly and trying to relay her strength to help me. I desperately hoped no one would be close enough to hear her. If she were found, it would be the end of both of us.
It hurt to imagine it. She was my lifeline, my absolute center of strength. When we were solidly near each other, we were one, an inseparable line of where I ended and she began. Our bond was stupendous when together. But apart, it was like a piece of my soul was missing.
“Good Heavens, child. Are you all right?” I heard from a voice coming down the stairs.
I turned to look at the owner of the voice and saw it was Falla. I immediately remembered where I was and what I was doing. I didn’t know how long I had been lying there after I ran into the knight, only that I must get Falla to the injured griffins.
“F..f..alla,” I tried to get out. “We need you. Fire. Griffins. Hurt.”
“Yes, I can hear the ruckus from the window. Come lean on me child, and we shall go together.”
She helped me get up, and I rested into her as she wrapped me in her arm. We started to walk down the stairs. Just then, her Fëa, a small orange Petaurus peeked her wet pink nose out from under Falla’s light green vest and looked at me with her beady black eyes.
Falla reached up to pet the black stripe that ran from her nose to midway on her back, as she said, “This is Halta.”
I smiled at Halta as she slid back in the comfort of Falla’s vest.
When we reached the lower courtyard, Falla must have seen the seriousness of the situation, for she started moving faster and soon we were practically running to the stables. The fire had gone down some, and the men were hurdling barrels of water to at least save half of the structure.
I followed Falla outside to where the injured griffins were lying in the grass pasture. There were three seriously injured, and the rest were put in the gallery that ran alongside the back of the castle.
She turned to look at me. “We will need your help. Are you well?” I still felt a bit dizzy, but I wasn’t going anywhere. I nodded, and we took toward the griffins.
We approached the first griffin, and as she placed her hand on its head, Halta came out to sit on her shoulder. Falla clutched my hand for strength, closed her eyes and began the healing process. Twenty minutes later, we moved onto the next griffin. After it was healed, we moved to the third, which lay about a hundred feet away from the first two. I looked down, and tears stung my eyes as I saw it was a baby griffin. It moaned in pain and whimpered in anguish.
I looked to Falla who regarded me intently. “We must hurry…he’s dying.”