Iorrjaer

Chapter 30

Graphiel made it to the tavern, just in time to see Barsabel and her group turn the corner and disappear. When he caught up to where they had been, they were gone and there was no trace of them. He found himself turning in place for a bit, trying to get a sense of where they could have possibly disappeared to but it was like they had been a mirage and were now lost to his imagination.

He started onwards again and as he neared the gatehouse, he noticed shadows on the ground following him. They were swooping down and then veering off, seemingly at the last second. He found himself ducking as air brushed past him and he started to realize that he was being pushed off his course. Whatever was bombarding him, were attempting to get him to detour from his path.

He fought the urges to turn away and the increasingly strong breezes that were trying to push him. Soon, he started to feel talons grabbing at his jacket. He was able to roll away as he felt the sharp talon start its grip but after a few successful dodges that left his pursuers to caw and hoot in disappointment, he was tackled full bodily by a black feathered foe.

The bird-like being tumbled, twisted and flung its wings back to stop itself as it tore its arms from its wings and then flung itself into a full speed charge. Its black beak was long and its beady red eyes were full of murderous intent. It barreled, hungrily, towards Graphiel. Arms outstretched, fingers extending into long talons, eager to grip and tear at his flesh. Graphiel, thought quickly and flung himself back, thinking of what he saw Barsabel do when Häsmæl had surprised her with a feinting grab. The black feathered fiend flew over Graphiel, tucked and sprang around. Graphiel hit the ground on his back hard and he felt the wind escape his body.

He, panicked and desperate, kept up his dodging, despite his laboured attempts to catch his breath. He was able to, frustratingly, keep up his dodging as the bird-like person failed to grab him. He ducked, weaved, and tripped over himself, always keeping just out of reach.

The bird-like person finally trapped him, catching his leg as he crisscrossed them to catch his balance after a narrow dodge and he fell hard onto the ground again. His legs pinned and tightly held, an iron grip that betrayed the bird-like person's wiry frame, the bird-like person, leered down at him like a menacing predator. Graphiel panted, still catching his breath, and met his advisory's eyes. He was not going to die a coward.

⸙

Barsabel led her party through the maze of homes and found that she was noticing strange shadows flying overhead. Rin had given them all a small aura to protect them from the shadows and from that faint light she could see the hovering shadows attempting to detour them. Karael made a quick mention of seeing something ahead and Barsabel quickened her pace.

Just as they turned the final corner, against where the flying shadows were trying to push them, they came across the scene where a large bird-like person loomed over Graphiel and was poised with a hand of sharp, razor-like talons, ready to strike a lethal blow against the pinned and prone man.

Shedmoth shot ahead without warning or pretense, Bethar still on his shoulders, batting away other medium sized bird-like people as Bethar flicked tiny flames at on-comers. The large bird-like person noticed the giant barreling towards him and in a deft move, tucked his arms back into his wings and took flight, narrowly avoiding Shedmoth's great hand reaching out to grab him. Bethar rubbed his fingers rapidly against his palm, causing a mass of sparks and flames to produce and collect, he then flung the gathering mass of fire towards the bird-like person and it swatted the ball of flame away with a wing. Bethar narrowed his eyes at it and it at him.

The other bird-like people swarmed around the larger and then they all took off back towards the ziggurat. Barsabel and Kârael caught up to Shedmoth and a still stunned Graphiel. He was holding his leg and pulling at his trousers to check if there was any blood. His ankles hurt, as did the rest of his body but he was more concerned about his legs.