Princess Willowyn's Arc

Chapter 26 of 70

The griffin flew for two days. Willowyn watched the land shrink and the water grow. On the second evening she saw it—a bright line where the world ended in blue. She pointed. Raven leaned forward and nodded. Willowyn steered the griffin down toward the shore. The great beast landed on wet sand. Its claws sank deep. Willowyn slid from the silver saddle and dropped her cloak on a dry stone. Her legs ached from the long ride. The griffin folded its white wings and shook the salt from its feathers. Willowyn led it up the beach, away from the tide, and let it rest. Raven climbed down last. Her fox jumped from her shoulder and darted across the sand, green vines trailing through its fur. It sniffed a shell and sneezed. Raven watched it a moment, then bent and gathered a piece of driftwood. She said nothing. That was her way. A year of training had taught Willowyn to read the witch's silences. "We need a fire," Raven said. "The animals are cold." They worked together along the shore. Willowyn carried her white minx in one arm and gathered wood with the other. The little creature pressed its warm body against her ribs. She stacked branches in a ring of stones while Raven cleared the sand. Willowyn sat and looked out at the water. It went on and on until it touched the sky. Waves rolled in and broke and pulled back. She had read of the sea in books. She had never felt the wind off it or tasted the salt. "I have never seen the sea," she said. She stroked the minx's soft head. Raven crouched beside her and set the last of the wood in place. Her fox curled at her boots. "It is vast and endless with wonder," she said. A rare smile touched her mouth. She reached down and ran her hand along the fox's green coat. Willowyn held out her palm toward the fire ring. She drew a thread of water from the wet sand and pulled the wood dry. Then she let Raven's spark catch. Flames rose. Warmth spread over both animals. The minx stretched and closed its eyes. They had crossed the first sea. Willowyn ate and watched the flames. Somewhere beyond that water lay the warring lands she meant to heal. She thought of Kai, who had sailed across water like this. Then she looked past the fire and understood the trouble. The griffin could not fly forever over open ocean. There was no land ahead to rest on. Raven followed her gaze to the dark water. "She cannot carry us across that," the witch said. "Not without a place to land." Willowyn set down her food. The fire cracked. The next kingdom lay beyond the sea, and the griffin had reached the edge of what it could do.