The Prison (Cryptogriff Chronicles Pt. 2)

I raise my sword high. The griffin—the creature lying on the ground in front of me, offering no resistance as I’m about to kill her, even though she supposedly is somehow my mother—closes her eyes, bracing for the impact. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the crowd leaning forward on their seats, seemingly holding their breath.

But instead of slicing my sword through the griffin’s neck like everyone expects me to, I throw it down on the ground with a clatter.

“I forfeit!” I announce. “Battle over!”

The crowd gasps. They did not see that coming.

Before this moment, I never imagined I’d be saying those words. Winning the Sun Festival Griffin Battle has been my dream since I was little. At the age of twelve, I could have become the youngest fairy warrior—as well as one of few girls—in the kingdom of Tyren to earn a griffin feather and the title of Legendary. All I would have had to do was kill the griffin. But I no longer want to. Because even though it’s impossible to see how a griffin could be my mother, something in me believes she is telling the truth. And I want to learn the whole story.

The griffin opens her golden eyes and stares at me. At first her expression is one of surprise, but then it shifts to something else. Relief? Pride, maybe? It’s kind of hard to tell.

King Sygor, sitting on the balcony that overlooks the battle arena, stands up, giving a cold smile. “I’m afraid that’s not allowed, Kora Joltaire,” he calls down to me. “The battle isn’t over until I say it’s over. And I only say it’s over when either the warrior or the griffin dies.”

You’ve got to be kidding me. “Pardon me, Your Majesty, but what if neither of us dies?” I ask.

“Then the battle will continue until you do.”

I give the griffin a helpless look. She looks back sadly.

I am sorry, she says in my mind. There is nothing we can do.

“But I don’t want to kill you!” I mentally protest.

Neither do I want to kill you, so I will allow you to end this. We have no other choice.

“There is always a choice! That’s what you told me, remember?”

I remember. But there truly is nothing else we can do. The griffin pushes the sword to me with her paw.

I shake my head. “I’m not going to do this to you!”

I leap into the air, my wings flapping madly as I hover where everyone in the entire arena can see me. I look directly at the king. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but I just can’t kill this griffin. Well, I guess technically I can, but I won’t.”

“And why not?” the king demands, crossing his arms.

“Because...killing a creature just to win one of its feathers as a prize isn’t right.”

King Sygor smirks. “Well then, if that’s what you believe, then why did you choose to fight this battle?”

I look at the ground. “Because I was foolish,” I admit. “I was so caught up in having the chance to gain riches and honor that I didn’t stop to consider how the griffin would feel about being the victim.”

The king bursts into laughter. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard! Who cares about how a griffin feels? It’s just an animal!”

The whole crowd laughs along with him, just because he’s the king and it’s a way to demonstrate their loyalty to him, whether they actually agree with him or not.

Just an animal. For some weird reason, those words sting. But I take a deep breath and try to stay cool. “I used to think that too,” I say when the laughter dies down. “But now I’m starting to realize I was wrong. This griffin in particular seems like so much more. So I can’t kill her. I’m sorry, but I just can’t.”

King Sygor looks at me, long and hard. Then he just says, “Okay.”

Wait, so that’s it? “So...I can go?” I ask.

King Sygor laughs again. “Oh, of course not. The battle still won’t be officially over until one of you dies. So since you don’t want to kill the griffin while you have the chance, I guess the beast will end up killing you. After all, food is otherwise impossible to come by in the underground dungeon.”

“I’m sorry, did you just say—”

The next thing I know, a net falls on top of me, slamming me to the ground so hard that I black out.

I sit up and open my eyes again, only to see nothing but darkness. There is a slightly damp, moldy smell in the air.

What happened? Why can’t I see anything? Am I blind? Or worse...dead?

Do not panic. The dungeon has always been this dark. It was designed with the intention to disorient its prisoners. Besides, you are not alone.

Something furry brushes against my cheek. The griffin.

I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to call her. I know she claims to be my mother, but even though I believe she’s telling the truth, I still can’t quite wrap my head around that idea. But it doesn’t seem right to just keep calling her “the griffin.”

I understand how you feel. You do not have to call me “Mother” if you are not comfortable. And I promise, I will explain everything to you when the time is right. But for now, you may call me Astri.

“Okay. And by the way, are you always going to be reading my mind?” I ask. “It’s kind of creepy.”

It is not something I can control. Griffins hear each other’s thoughts as easily as if they were spoken aloud. You are doing the same thing to me, remember?

“Oh, right. I guess I don't even realize it. Anyway, why can’t you just explain everything to me now? I mean, it’s not like we’re going anywhere. King Sygor put us in here so we can starve to death, or at least to see which of us is going to eat the other first—” I shudder at the thought “—so don’t you think I should know the truth now, before we die?”

First of all, it is not something I can simply explain to you. It is a long and complicated story. And second, I do not believe Lumenos has led me to find my daughter again only for us to die in this prison.

“Who’s Lumenos?” I ask.

I hear Astri sigh. It saddens me how Tyrenian culture does not recognize Lumenos. He is the Ultimate Light, the creator of all things, and the one whom I serve. He is everywhere, including right here with us, even though you cannot see him. No matter what happens, Kora, we can trust Lumenos. He is in control and he will take care of us.

“I don’t understand,” I say. But I want to. Maybe it’s just my desperation, but there’s something comforting about the idea of someone watching over us. Maybe Lumenos can help us get out of this dungeon.

I will tell you more later, Astri says to me. But right now, we must rest. It has been a long day, and we must build up our energy if we ever hope to escape.

“I guess you’re right.”

I lie down on the stone floor, resting my head on my arm like a pillow and pulling my knees to my chest for warmth. I don’t know how I’ll be able to sleep like this.

I feel Astri’s warm body settle next to me. She drapes a wing over me, whispering into my mind, I’m here, Kora.

I sigh, settling against her. There’s something about her that just makes me feel safe and secure.

I'm not sure how we’re going to escape this dungeon. I don’t even know if we’ll survive. But right now, it doesn’t matter.

All I know, all that matters, is that I’m not alone.