Gryphon's Glenn

Chapter Seventeen

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The events of the previous day hardly seemed real. Luna was still baffled as to who her mysterious ally had been. She was also trying to figure out how much trouble Marta might be in for helping her escape. "Has there been any word from Julian or Matty?" Luna asked as she approached Sphinx while everyone was eating breakfast. 

"The False King lives, unfortunately," Sphinx replied. "Terros arrested the guy who shot him... Hiro called him Scythe, right? No one in the castle seems to know his identity."

"Herrick knows him. He was in his shop buying almost as many weapons as we usually do," Luna replied. "What about Helena?"

"They were able to heal her, but she's in shock. Flynn's been staying with her while the False King recovers. Julian thinks once she sees that Girard's okay she'll snap out of it. Anyway, we've got other problems... The most elite of the Knights were told that Princess Taylee was abducted. Guess who the False King blamed."

"No shock there. What's one more count of treason against us at this point?" Luna shrugged. "Obviously, they're going to execute Scythe. How long do we have before he loses his head?"

"They're waiting on Girard's order, in case he wants to question Scythe before they kill him. So, I guess we have until he's back on his feet?"

"We have no time to plan this out... We need to go after him now, while we still can."

"Lu... I know you want to help him, but-"

"This guy saved my life, Sphinx. He's not dying for that. We're getting him the hell out of that castle, alive."

Sphinx nodded. "Okay," he agreed. "But how?"

"I can help," Raven said softly, surprising them both. "Captain... Sphinx... I know every inch of the castle grounds. I know where they'd keep someone who dared to try to assassinate the King. I can get you in and out."

"It's too dangerous, Raven," Luna said. "I won't risk your safety."

"Then risk mine," Hiro said as he joined them. "I've drawn every detail of the castle. I know the same secrets Raven does and probably more, and unlike him, I'm legally old enough to choose to take the risk of sneaking in. Besides... It's Scythe. Trust me, we could use his help."

"You're not doing this without me, Hyung," Jason said.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Jase," Hiro replied.

"Can I come, too?" Chris asked.

"Ooh, me too!" Nat chimed in excitedly. "I've never been on a rescue mission before!"

"And you're not going on one now," Luna said, making Nat pout. "You're the Princess of Gryphon's Glenn, and you have the attention span of a toddler. We can't risk you coming along this time, Nat. Chris, your power might come in handy, so yeah, you can come."

"Actually... I'd like to go, too," Jennifer said. "And not just because I really want to meet Scythe after seeing him in the anime and manga. I feel like the five of us need to do this... Which means Nat needs to come, too."

"Yay! See?" Nat asked.

Luna scowled. "This isn't just some fun adventure, guys. We're not playing dress-up and fucking around. This is war, and the Knights and the False King will try to kill us. I am not risking anyone unless I have to. Where I go, Sphinx goes. Hiro knows the castle better than any of us do. The Pretty Boy is coming to back Hiro up in case of an emergency, because they balance each other. Chris can freeze time and teleport people out if we run into any trouble we can't get ourselves out of. I'm not bringing anyone else."