SJ watched as the wyvern took off into the sky again and headed north. From her current position south of the town, she couldn't see where it was going. Heading north was okay as long as it didn't suddenly decide to head towards the crags where SJ knew the townsfolk had headed. After considering that thought, she would need to check. As she removed the communication stone from her inventory, she called Cristy.
"SJ!" Cristy answered after only a couple of rings.
"Hi, Cristy. How is everyone?"
"Terrified. The Asterfal support group has just arrived this morning, but there aren't enough soldiers to even attempt to return us."
"Where are you?"
"We have camped down in the basin at the base of the valley."
"How many?"
"Too many, a large number, have continued on foot towards the north. There are several villages in that direction, not just Cuopi, and they are seeking a place to stay. Here in the basin, Alice is trying to rally the remaining townsfolk."
"Why don't you head to the cottage? You know the skeletons will help as much as they can."
"We kept that place secret for a reason, remember. We don't need half the town finding it."
"Circumstances change," SJ said.
"I will mention it to Alice. Where are you now?"
"In Killic. I portalled back after your message. Fas arrived back recently, and I will be meeting up with him soon. The forces on the ridge were unharmed. They managed to clear the area before the enemy reached them. They are hiding in an old mine to the west of the lake. Lythonian and Zej are with them as well, or should be soon."
"Thank the gods. I was wondering where they had ended up." SJ could hear the relief in Cristy's voice. She may still be young, but most of her friends were the direct friends that SJ had made since arriving in Killic, and she knew that she cared for them as deeply as SJ did.
"How's Alice holding up?"
"As you would expect from Alice. She is stoic, not showing her emotions in public, although I know she is hurting." Cristy's tone shifted, lowering. "With both Darren and Zigferd still on the other side of the crags, she is terrified."
"Tell her Darren is fine; he was at the ridge, and also that I spoke to Zigferd. He is a prisoner of the draconians, but was okay when I saw him last."
SJ heard the relief in Cristy's sigh. "I will do."
"What about Kerys, Fhyliss, Bert and Floretta?"
"Bert had returned to the troll village in the mountains, so he wasn't in Killic when they attacked. Kerys, Fhyliss and Floretta are doing as much as they can to support those in the valley. Trying to feed well over a thousand beings isn't an easy task."
"I know you don't want to lead them towards the cottages, but at least get Brian, Charlotte and Terence and ask them to come and help."
Cristy didn't reply immediately. "I will if I get a chance to nip away."
"I forgot to ask. How's the pack?" SJ felt guilty not asking earlier, but there were so many that she cared about.
"Apart from the initial loss after the valley attack, they are fine. They are back on the plateau. I spoke to Patch this morning. They are at the northern edge of the lake. It's where they lived originally."
"That's great to know."
A wyvern suddenly nudged SJ's hand that held the communication stone, making it slip from her grasp. It fell onto the grass-covered ground.
"Don't," she hissed at it, her voice harsh.
The wyvern squeaked and backed away from her as she picked the stone back up.
"What was that? Is Kibble with you?"
"Erm... That's a little more complicated to explain," SJ chuckled weakly.
"What is?"
"The wyvern has attacked the town."
"WHAT?" Cristy shouted. "But... how?"
The hatchling again nudged SJ's side as she spoke to Cristy, SJ automatically pushing its little head away, as she would an overattentive dog.
"Calm down... Kibble is sorting it out."
"Say again?" Cristy said, confused.
"Kibble has taken control of five wyvern hatchlings, and the mother of those hatchlings is the one who had been attacking Killic previously. The reason it hadn't been seen in ages was apparently because it had been nesting. Now that they have hatched, it has returned. Probably drawn by the fighting."
Cristy didn't reply for several moments as the words she had just listened to were processed. "You just said, Kibble has five wyvern hatchlings?"
"Yes. Yes, but it's not the time to explain it now."
"But how?"
"Not now," SJ said
Cristy had seen and heard enough from SJ previously not to question her further, as she replied in a slow, deliberate voice. "Okay!"
"Anyway, I'd better go. I need to check on Kibble. I can't see him from here. He is trying to speak to the wyvern mother."
SJ could imagine Cristy shaking her head in disbelief when her comments met with silence.
"Oh, one last thing. I spoke to Petunia and Wystria. I am hoping that more troops will be sent soon."
"That's amazing. The mage who usually sends the messages didn't escape. He is still in Killic."
Most of the communications that were undertaken on behalf of the town were directed through the one mage. He had always completed all the town announcements and would transmit messages to the mages in Asterfal or other towns when asked to.
"I will see if I can get one of these stones delivered to you. I have one for Petunia and one directly to the chancellor as well. I don't need them all here with me. It would make sense for you to have them there."
"Okay, that would be great," Cristy said.
"Right, I will call later."
Once the call ended, SJ turned and glared at the wyvern, who had nudged her hand, making her drop the stone. It lowered its head in response to her look and stepped back, squeaking. She then glowered at the others, who were standing nearby.
"You don't do that," SJ said to them.
The offending wyvern squeaked again in response.
"He only wanted petting," Dave said, now that SJ had stopped talking.
'And how do you know that?' SJ thought.
"If it had wanted anything else, it would have bitten you," Dave laughed.
SJ was filled with frustration. She wished to check on Kibble, but was currently stuck, hatchling sitting, while he attempted to influence the adult wyvern.
The mill's roof had collapsed under the weight of the mother wyvern. It shrieked in response to its sudden unfooting and plummet into the depths of the mill. Thankfully, it hadn't fallen too far before hitting a solid beam, which it now clung to. Kibble dropped down next to it, where is now sat, hissing angrily.
The problem was that now that it was almost entirely inside the building, it couldn't extend its wings. The beam it clung to creaked under its weight as it shifted agitatedly.
Kibble chirped and squeaked at it, the wyvern turning its head to look at him. Only its head was now visible above the edge of the building, and upon looking at one of its wings, it was clear that it wasn't folded properly. He hoped she wasn't injured, but looking at her, she might be.
Kibble flew closer, hovering, looking at her wing. The mill's roof wasn't very wide; its circular top was only just large enough to accommodate the wyvern fully. The problem was that if the wyvern couldn't jump to clear the edge and have time to open its wings, it could end up being trapped, and if so, it would be at the hands of the enemy forces to deal with.
Shouts and cries were coming from the town's direction, but none of the hostile forces had approached the mill, although several were formed up at the town's border. Kibble couldn't be sure if they had already been formed there or had appeared since the wyvern had left in this direction. He needed to try and help her; after all, she was one of his kind. Ideas flashed through his mind as he tried to decide what would be best. The thatching had fallen inside, along with the cracked roof beams that had held it all together.
If the wyvern could get up on the edge of the wall, it would give her enough time to open her wings. She hissed angrily, snapping at the thatch that covered her, throwing it off angrily. One of the pieces of the beam was lifted from the hole and thrown with a flick of her head. Kibble had to dodge as it sailed by, falling to the ground below.
Clicking, chirping and growling, he explained to her what he wanted her to attempt to do. Thrashing about inside was not going to benefit her in any way; it would only worsen the situation. The beam she stood on creaked angrily. Kibble wasn't sure how long it would hold. He supposed she could try to bash the wall down, but looking at the thick stone blocks that made up the mill's walls, he doubted she would get through, or, being honest, what might happen to the rest of the structure even if she did. If it collapsed further, she might end up at the bottom of it all.
The wyvern hissed and snapped at Kibble. It was angry and young, with a short temper. Kibble knew it was hurting, and he sensed some of it was due to its pride rather than actual injury. He growled authoritatively at it and then triggered his influence ability.
It wasn't a skill; it was innate to his race. Every miniature wyvern from Fas's explanation had the ability, if it had the intellect, to do so. Kibble knew that his intellect was very high. He wasn't sure how he knew, as no one had ever explained anything to him about statistics or similar, but he knew it was since he had bonded with SJ and then received the gift the chancellor had given to SJ.
The wyvern clicked a reply to Kibble. Its anger-filled snaps are being replaced. Kibble again growled and continued a series of chirps as he explained what he wanted it to attempt. It appeared his influence was helping at least, although his level of concentration wasn't anywhere near what he had needed when he had done the same thing with the lizard previously.
The wyvern tilted its massive head, one eye blinking at Kibble as it watched it fold its wings as close to its body as it could. It had injured one of them, though; it wasn't folding in as tightly. Kibble just hoped it wasn't hurt too badly, meaning that it could still fly. He was nervous about the attempt, though. The wyvern pushing down to get lift from the beam could easily break its securing, and he looked at the rusted iron bolts that secured the beam in place.
He backed away from the opening and watched nervously as the wyvern ducked, coiling its limbs, if that was the word to describe it, before pushing off from the beam.
Kibble heard the snapping sound as the wyvern lifted into the air. As it appeared out of the hole, it scrambled frantically for the lip of the wall. There was an almighty crash and clatter of things falling inside the mill as the beam broke, falling through the mill's interior and crashing to the ground far below.
The wyvern scrambled as its wings started to open. It cried in panic, scrabbling for a hold. Kibble, though it was about to disappear back into the depths of the building, growled deeply. One of its sharp, taloned feet is gripping the edge of the wall. It flapped its wings. The injured one was not fully open, but enough to keep it from falling, as its second foot managed to find a secure resting place.
The air was filled with a cry of success as the wyvern let rip. To any other being, it would have sounded like a battle cry, but to Kibbles' ears, it was celebratory. It slowly moved its injured wing, where it now perched. Of all the things to injure this beast, it falling through a roof hadn't been the one Kibble would ever have expected.
Now all Kibble had to do was try to talk it or influence it into moving away from the area. He wasn't sure if he would be able to, but he also knew that if it was injured, it wouldn't want to stay where it could be attacked easily. The mountains would be its safest bet, the sharp rise to the east of the town providing it with the loft it would need to prevent anyone from following it. That was only if it could get there, though.
It looked at Kibble and gave him the faintest of nods, and Kibble clicked back in acknowledgement. They may not be the smartest beasts around, but they did understand basic etiquette, it seemed.
Kibble scoured the land. If the wyvern couldn't fly, then it was going to be killed as soon as it touched land. There was no way it could withstand the attacks of the lizards, especially after what it appeared now as a weakened state after using its acidic spray.
Kibble thought frantically.
The wyvern looked towards where the hostiles were at the town's edge, hissing towards them.
'The lake,' Kibble thought. His race could swim. They weren't graceful, but they could stay afloat in water. It was the only feasible option he could see, where the wyvern could remain from being attacked. The river that ran from the mountain, past the mill into the lake, powered the mill's sails usually, and its position was close to the lake edge. Not right on it, but if she could at least glide, she could reach. Kibble again squeaked his ideas, chirping and replying to its remarks as he used his ability.
The wyvern let out a cry in response, letting Kibble know that it had never entered water before. Kibble then had to calm and inform it that it would be fine; their kind could swim.
The beast, for all its ferocity and ability to inflict terror on others, was, as Kibble kept reminding himself, still a youngster in wyvern terms.
After a further few minutes of Kibble cajoling and influencing, the wyvern looked towards the lake again, before hopping around the edge of the mill and facing it. It cried as it spread its wings again, the injured wing causing it pain once more. Kibble wished he could heal it, but he had no way to. With one last effort, the wyvern launched into the air, and the top of the wall, which had probably stood for years, broke away as it pushed its whole weight against it, flapping its wings as best as it could.
Kibble watched the immediate tilt from its injured side as it started to glide towards the water. He couldn't be sure, as the enemy hadn't come close enough to see the wyvern, but due to its actions, he expected that they realised, as cries rose from the town's edge, and three draconian riders suddenly started towards the mill as the wyvern glided. One hundred feet, fifty feet. It came down just short. It shrieked in anger, its head turning toward the attackers as the lizards started to run towards it.
Kibble turned towards the attackers and hissed, diving towards them, and throwing lightning in their general direction. He doubted it would harm them at all, but it might delay them as the wyvern hoped towards the lake edge. If SJ had been watching this, Kibble knew she would have told him to forget about the wyvern, but he couldn't; he was, after all, a wyvern himself and even though a different breed, didn't wish to see his kind being injured or killed by others.
The lightning struck the ground in front of the leading lizard as it swerved, its snaking form out of its path. A hiss escaped its large jaws. Kibble's next bolt, now that he was closer, was directed towards the rider. The lizard again swerved directly in the path of another, causing it to snap angrily at its blocker. Kibble glanced around as the wyvern hopped closer; it only had a few feet to go and would be in the water. Slowly but surely, as though time was going slowly, it reached the water, Kibble hearing the splash before seeing it as he threw another lightning bolt.
The lizards continued to power towards it, the field they traversed being torn up as their clawed feet tore into the soft earth, fresh from harvesting. Clods of earth were scattered in their wake.
Kibble was too high for the lizards to be a threat and flew towards the lake as the wyvern hopped through the shallows, before there was a loud splash as it reached deeper water. It shrieked in panic as its body disappeared under the surface. Its head was sticking up frantically. Kibble flew towards it, shrieking, telling it to spread its wings. He didn't know how, but he knew it would help.
The wyvern flailed as its head disappeared under. It was coming back up as it frantically tried to control itself.
Kibble hissed angrily and spat lightning at the water. His blue bolt crackled across its surface. It wasn't aimed at the wyvern, but did draw its attention. He shrieked at it again, telling it what to do. As he watched, its wings started to unfurl fully, or as far as its injured one could, and as its thrashing calmed, it began to float. Its wings are behaving as pontoons on the surface.
Kibble cried in glee at seeing it float as the lizards reached the lake's edge, stopping, not even attempting to enter the shallows. The water terrified them, and Kibble could understand why after coming from such an inhospitable dry place as the desert, especially where the oases were so deadly that their waters were toxic poison.
Kibble watched as the wyvern slowly floated out further into the lake. It wasn't doing anything to propel itself, just floating like an ungainly cork, bobbing in the lake's current. It kept letting out cries and shrieks, but it was safe, and that was all that Kibble cared about at this moment. The current would carry it across the lake to the far side, where the lake emptied down into the valley below via the waterfall, so it would be there a while, floating, Kibble doubting it could even lift off the surface if it wished to.
Gnolls joined the riders by the lake edge, angrily barking, shouting and hissing, filling the air as they watched the wyvern float to safety.
