//------------------------------// // The Entrance is an Exit is an Entrance Again // Story: Salt and Sapphire // by SirReal //------------------------------// Gobrend awoke in the middle of the night, greeted by the sound of Avarice’s snoring. Now was the time! He’d been given less than encouraging news regarding Green Springs’ health since his sudden disappearance thanks to Hagley, who’d been tasked with her care, but he was certain she could hold out just a bit longer. Tonight was the night Brocarius intended for them to escape. Shifting, he rose to his paws, careful not to rouse the sadistic pack leader from his slumber; this was a monumental task considering Avarice kept Gobrend on a leash since the start of his twisted games two weeks ago, but Gobrend, accustomed to skulking silently through the dark, managed in spite of that. The dog slept on a mattress with the gryphon’s treasured crossbow in his filthy paws, drool spilling from the agape maw which produced such ghastly sounds. As he drew closer, he caught sight of the key hung ‘round the neck of the Diamond Dog. Gobrend would have to be very cautious in his approach, for one errant twitch could spell disaster for him. He also didn’t want to wake Avarice’s brute of a guard dog. He reached, and the key was just out of his grasp when Avarice drowsily flipped away from him on the mattress. Persistent, Gobrend quickly but quietly rounded the dog to get a better angle, only to find that with him nuzzled up against his crossbow he would be hard pressed to do so. Gobrend trembled as he reached toward the string the key was attached to, feeling this would be much easier if he were to simply sever an artery with a talon and let the dog bleed out, but he didn’t need the Sapphires out for his blood if it put Green Springs’ safety in jeopardy. So it was with great patience and even greater restraint that Gobrend hooked a talon around the string, but as he lifted it up, he noticed Avarice’s eyes were open and staring into his own. His blood ran cold. Yet, after half a minute, something struck him as off: in particular, the vacancy of Avarice’s eyes, and, given Gobrend had been frozen in place for just as long, the distinct sound of his snores. The gryphon had endured many terrors, but he never wanted to experience that kind of scare again. Releasing a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, Gobrend quickly lifted the string over Avarice’s head before any new exciting developments occurred, spending the next thirty minutes slowly prying the leash from the dog’s fingers. He felt a wave of warmth wash over him when he realized at last just how much closer to freedom he was, after all these months, after these past few weeks! He’d of course return for his crossbow after everything was sorted out. He searched the top of Avarice’s desk to find a blueprint of the mines detailing their inner workings just for the purpose of plotting a convenient route for just that. He also grabbed a coin from the desk as a memento, ignoring the rolled up parchment which would no doubt be little more than dead weight. Gobrend allowed himself a hopeful smile before he felt the feathers on his neck raise. He was being watched. Animal instinct bid him to freeze yet again, but the feeling wouldn’t go away. Steadily, he turned his head, discovering two beady black orbs boring into him in the darkness. His heart pounded like a war drum when it became clear that glower belonged to the forgotten third resident. Flint stared intently at Gobrend, and Gobrend hesitantly met his gaze, the two sitting motionless. To be sure this was not the same case of open-eyed snoozing Avarice was undergoing, Gobrend moved slightly to the left and right, and to his distress the eyes followed his every movement from the corner of the room nearest the door. The gryphon took a trembling step forward. He was met with apathy. Yet another step. Still no response from the guard dog. He walked until finally he was directly in front of the hulking mass of muscle, his throat dry and beak quivering. “I-I’m sure you can guess I don’t intend to stay,” he began, his voice a low murmur. Flint gazed impassively at him. “I have someone I wish to save from… this. She wants to see the sky again.” Flint narrowed his eyes. Gobrend took a deep breath, steeling himself. “Are you going to try to stop me?” Flint cocked his head, a motion almost imperceptible, his gaze turning curious. At last, as an answer, he lowered his head, closing his eyes. Astonished as he was, Gobrend didn’t take a moment longer than necessary in taking his leave, lest Flint change his mind. He headed straight to the cells where Green Springs was being held, ignoring the nagging feeling of something strange on the air. He arrived as quickly as he could, avoiding the patrols on the way to his objective. In time, he made his way to his old cell, only to find it empty. Worry for his cherished friend poisoned him in that instant, and he checked every other cell as well, finding nothing. Where was she!? On his way back out, he was snatched up, his mouth covered and limbs held to his body, rendering him near helpless. “Shh, shh! It’s me, Hagley!” a familiar voice whispered. Gobrend muffled a response, still resisting, though less frantic. “I’ve got info about Green Springs’ whereabouts.” That got Gobrend’s attention. “Brocarius and I were waiting for you for some time, but he’s gone ahead to ensure the path is still clear and safe. He couldn’t grab the filly before that because that’d risk the mission. Now, I’m going to put you down. Don’t attack me, alright?” With that, he did as he said. Gobrend wiped his beak off in disgust, taking a few deep breaths to stem his fury. “Where is she?” “She was moved to her own private cell some time after you were tossed in solitary for attacking Ren, said she was feeling sick and couldn’t stomach anything. They’ve supposedly been keeping her isolated to make sure whatever she has doesn’t infect the rest.” “Is she alright?” “Right, well, shortly after that I was rotated out of guarding that particular area, so I couldn’t keep tabs on her, but she seemed to be making something of a recovery during that time. You remember where they kept you before Avarice?” And so Hagley explained where Gobrend was to find Green Springs, offering his own key before the gryphon showed him that he already had one in his possession. He also made mention that Gobrend’s old cell had been cleaned out and that he and Brocarius would be waiting for him on the outside. Gobrend thanked the dog less harshly than the customary way he thanked dogs—that being with slight disdain as opposed to overt repulsion—and was on his merry way. As Gobrend neared his destination, that sense of wrongness from before grew more poignant. Try as he might he could not shove aside the thought of this all being too easy, going too well. If his time on the road told him anything, it was that there was always silence before the snare. He took note of the agitated twitching of his working wing. As he approached the door to the prison cell containing Green Springs, he could swear he was walking toward the hangman’s noose, as the crushing weight of finality sunk its teeth into his exposed neck and ripped his equilibrium away in a fetid shower of searing despair. He ran. Gobrend skidded to a halt in front of the silent cell, tears in his eyes, breaths shallow and panicked, and he fumbled with the key for a moment before unlocking the cell door and throwing it open. What he discovered inside that hollow, sullen cell caused his eyes to widen in horror. Brocarius looked up at the sky, narrowing his eyes. “What is taking that damned bird so long?” he growled. “He’s on his way, boss. He does have that filly tagging along, y’know? Likely slowing him down.” “With or without him we’ve gotten what we came here for; if he doesn’t kick it into high gear, and fast, they’re going to have to find their own way back to civilization.” An echoing of dragging footfalls caught their ears, and the two hid in the underbrush. Out from the tunnel stepped Gobrend, the gryphon staring out into nothing. In his hands, he carried Green Springs. “We’re outside, Spring. Like I promised. You can see the sky once more. See? Because I promised you would…” he muttered. After a long pause, he inhaled, closing his eyes. “Even out here I’m not spared the stench of dog.” Brocarius furrowed his brows, looking to his partner. Something wasn’t quite right. Hagley seemed just as, if not more, confused than even he, and they both cautiously stepped out of the foliage. Brocarius’ eyes immediately settled on the filly in Gobrend’s arms, his lips parting in mute shock. “By the Flame…” Hagley stammered, his voice warbled and unsteady. “I-Is she…?” Gobrend inhaled deeply yet again, gently resting the filly on the ground before stepping over her, his tail whipping from side to side and his good wing flaring. His deadly eyes pierced Hagley when he reopened them, and the dog’s hair had nary a moment to raise when he realized that this gaze held murderous intent within. Gobrend was on him in an instant, claws tearing away at him, ripping and shredding. The dog was screaming, howling in terror and confusion, his arms covering his neck and most of his face. Brocarius sprung into action, slamming a hoof into the side of the frenzied gryphon’s skull, neatly knocking Gobrend unconscious and leaving his friend whimpering in the grass but a few feet from Green Springs’ lifeless body. All three friends… His head churned violently.