The Gryphon Stone by Thomas Watson

Author:Thomas Watson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: chimera, multiverse, swords, Clarke's Law, parallel universe, portal between worlds, heroic quest
Publisher: Thomas Watson
Published: 2017-11-06T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

WE CLIMBED INTO THE hills soon after. The tallest shoulders of stone looked over the roundabout, down and past ranks of outcrops and boulders through which the stream tumbled before it flowed into a small lake. By then we’d changed into spare clothes; the condition of those we’d cleaned did not pass muster with Mistress Malley, who took them in hand. We wore our swords and great coats, and I carried a pair of blankets for sitting. These were all the comforts Island tradition allowed. We’d eaten a light supper, but brought no food or water with us. I could feel the eyes of our fellow travelers follow us up the slope. Word had spread; they knew where we went, and they knew why. This was made clear by so many of them making the sign of the Two, as we passed by.

Sid picked a flat boulder perched at the top of the hill and, as the sun slipped below the horizon, we climbed onto it. At that high point we arranged the blankets and stood facing each other. “Our blades will lie between us, unsheathed,” she said, drawing hers. “They must not touch. We will sit back-to-back, and we will not touch or speak or look upon one another until you see the sun rise. When it clears the horizon, you will tell me the vigil has ended.”

“Got it,” I said. I drew my sword, and it caught a gleam of red light from the fading sunset. It was completely quiescent in my hand. I could only hope the same was true of Sid’s weapon. We set them down, side by side, hers pointing south, mine north. Sid turned to face the sunset, and I followed her gaze.

How recently had we watched that fierce red glow fade in the west, and not long after made love beneath the stars? And now we would keep a vigil beneath those same stars, as my lover sought absolution from deities I didn’t even believe in. The strangeness and frightful beauty of this life I’ve led never ceases to amaze me. I suppose, on balance, that’s a good thing.

As the sky darkened overhead, Sid started to sing a hymn in the language of the Islands. I didn’t know the language then, but the pleading sound of her voice, and the tears I could hear beneath it, made my heart ache. All the more so, knowing there was nothing I could do. The hymn went on and on, with short pauses for breath. I didn’t dare so much as take her hand in mine. It wasn’t just that she’d told me not to touch her. It felt like the wrong thing to do.

Only a dark band of blue remained above the western horizon as the song ended, and Sid indicated that we should sit. I did so, facing east, Sid at my back, both of us wrapped in coats. I settled in for a long night.

It was a very long night indeed.

I’ve kept long watches, in my day, and gone without sleep more times than I care to count.

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