Griffin Yardley's Arc

Chapter 5 of 5

The western unit crested a rocky rise just as the sun reached its peak, and Griffin saw riders approaching from the north. Two figures, moving fast. His hand went to his sword before he recognized the blue cape streaming behind the first rider. Florian pulled his horse to a stop beside Griffin, dirt flying from the hooves. BelloSaros reined in next to him, and both looked like they'd ridden hard through the night. Griffin wanted to reach for Florian, to ask if he was hurt or just tired, but Daveth was already dismounting and the moment slipped past. "The eastern front pushed them back," BelloSaros said, answering the question no one had asked yet. "We're riding west to join you." Griffin felt something loosen in his chest — not relief exactly, because they were still riding toward fire and death, but the certainty that he wouldn't face it without Florian beside him. They rode together through the afternoon, and the road turned south where a wooden signpost marked the way to Gracia. A man in gold armor stood waiting there, purple cape draped across his shoulders and a crimson scarf tied around his neck like a banner. He didn't move as they approached, just watched with the stillness of someone who knew exactly what he was worth. Daveth raised a hand and the unit slowed. "Leandre," he called, and the mercenary inclined his head. "Daveth. The duke of Gracia sent word you'd be coming this way." He pulled a sealed letter from his belt, the wax stamped with a duke's mark, and handed it to BelloSaros. "He's hired me to fight the Citya. Looks like we're riding together." Griffin watched Florian's face as Leandre joined their company, saw the way his jaw tightened when the mercenary's gaze lingered too long on BelloSaros. This was what war did — it pulled strangers into your ranks and forced you to trust them with your life before you even knew their names. Griffin had wanted to prove himself as a squire, to earn his knighthood through skill and courage, but now he understood that becoming a knight meant learning to fight beside people you hadn't chosen. Niniva rode forward and offered Leandre a nod, no words needed, and Griffin realized she'd already made that choice. He urged his horse closer to Florian's and their hands brushed, just for a moment, before they turned south together toward Gracia and whatever waited beyond it.