Everglade: The Underaged

Chapter 24

She looked at him. She had long black hair, and brown eyes.

"Well, are you going to tell me who you are, or keep staring like an idiot?" she asked.

"My name is Luke." Luke told her.

"My name is Justice. I don't know where I am or how I got here."

"You're outside of Everglade, you were kidnapped, a bond was forced between you and that Hippogriff, then you were put under mind control by the Band of the Crows," Luke told her.

"I remember the bonding part." Justice told him.

"Where are you from?"

"Erilda."

"Erilda has fallen to The Crows." Luke told her.

"How do you know?"

"Because they're after Everglade."

"Why?"

"Because I got an egg at the Partnering. They want me and Eclipse, my Griffin. They want to use us to take over Everglade."

"So, I'm in Everglade?"

"Outside the city." Luke glanced around. He had no idea where they were. He'd never been to this part of the woods before. He turned to Eclipse.

Can you take us to the others? He asked her.

Yes. She answered. Luke got onto her back.

"You can come with me, or you can make your own way, if you want." He told Justice.

"I'll go with you." Justice told him. "I've got nowhere else to go."

"Follow me, then." Eclipse took off. Luke looked back to see Justice mounting her Hippogriff. It took off and followed them. Luke wondered if he could communicate telepathically with Justice's Hippogriff like he could with Fionntan and Eclipse. He reached out his mind to the Hippogriff.

What is the boy doing in my mind? The Hippogriff thought.

I can talk to you telepathically! Luke told it.

You... can talk.. To me?

Yes! I can talk to Dragons and Griffins too.

Not Hippocampi?

I've never tried. Luke had never tried to talk to Zlatru before. He respected Ailwin. He felt like talking to Zlatru without permission was wrong. Fionntan had reached out first. The Hippogriff read his thoughts.

Talking to me without my partner's permission is different? It asked.

I don't know her like I know Ailwin. Luke told it. Was it right that he was doing this? Justice had been under mind control until he freed her. He'd seen a few things about her when he freed her. She'd had twin younger brothers who were in custody of The Crows after they got Dragon eggs. The eggs had given them a psychic link to each other. They could talk to each other telepathically. There was a giant blast of wind that sent Eclipse spinning off course. Luke clung to her feathers. He looked. There was a pair of Dragons coming after them. Their riders were Justice's brothers.