Page 44 of Queen's Griffon

Avera didn’t need to ask, she knew. Knew even before the foul-smelling hood was yanked over her head.

The captain had come for Avera.

Or more correctly, the Queen of Daerva.

Chapter 14

Griff

The fight endedand only then did Griff realize he’d lost the true battle.

The giant crabs infesting his town had been a distraction and he’d fallen for it, wasting time slaying them left and right. Then again, what else could he do?

The giant monsters had attacked his people, destroyed his city. They had to be stopped. What he’d not expected was that while he tried to mitigate damage and deaths, Koonis would abduct Avera.

Even worse, he might not have even known what happened if not for Monty. The young man had sought him out once the crabs had been defeated—their hard-shelled bodies disappearing into puffs of dust which left their local chefs disappointed. Monty interrupted Griff as he went through the bodies in search of his little queen, relieved when the corpses he overturned weren’t her, but getting more and more worried the longer he went without locating her.

“Cap!” Monty had yelled, coming towards him with a bloodied face, his left eye swollen shut. “Cap, they took the queen.”

Immediately, Griff’s blood turned cold. “Who did?” he asked, and at the same time immediately knew.

“Captain Koonis. He and his men jumped her. I tried to intervene, but they knocked me out.” Monty put a hand to the gash on his forehead.

Griff didn’t need to glance at the dock to see theEmperor’s Follywas gone. It sailed while they still battled. At the time, he’d assumed Koonis and his sailors were cowards who wanted to avoid a fight, but now… Now he knew the attack had been a ploy. Koonis needed Griff’s attention elsewhere while he stole Avera.

Greedy bastard. Saarpira might be an island of pirates, but Koonis’ actions and his disregard for their laws were unacceptable.

“Kreed!” Griff bellowed.

His first mate, who’d already been headed in his direction, hollered back, “What is it, Cap?”

“Get the ship ready to sail. We’ve got a traitor to catch.”

“Aye, Captain! I’ll have us ready to go within the hour.”

Only, their departure didn’t prove so simple. First off, the folks looked to him to take charge of the city. But as Griff told Yannis, the man in charge when he was at sea, “I don’t know what they want me to do. I can’t bring back the dead. As for the damage, there is only one thing to do.”Rebuild.

Griff put that more delicately in his speech given from the rooftop of the wharf tavern. He apologized for how he’d failed to stop Koonis from bringing this massacre to Saarpira. Once the citizens realized who’d been behind it, it didn’t take long for them to start shouting, demanding retribution.

And Griff promised them satisfaction.

However, he found his departure delayed. It appeared Koonis hadn’t just stolen Avera. While everyone had their attention on the crabs, his sailors sabotaged the docked vessels, those who’d usually be watching them having joined the fight.

Which was why Griff stood with hands planted on his hips, eyeing the hole in his hull. The damage was above the water line, but still needed to be repaired before they could go anywhere. The delay chafed and only boiled his blood hotter.

Garth arrived on deck, jangling with tools. “What are you waiting for to cast off?” huffed the portly man as he tossed down some of his equipment.

A sour Griff replied, “For the carpenters to fix the damage.”

“Bah. Those idiots will take way too long. We ain’t got that kind of time if we’re going to catch up to the emperor’s lap dog and get the girl back.” Garth had grown quite fond of Avera during their time together.

“Agreed. We need to move quickly, but we can’t exactly sail with a gaping hole. Even the slightest wind will lift the waves and send water slopping in, bogging us down.”

“That hole won’t be a problem for long. I just need to get a few more things and I’ll be right to work patching it. And before you say anything, we can get moving while I fix it. Just try not to rock about too much as whoever is dangling in the harness might get upset.”

Griff stared at his onboard mechanic. “Exactly how are you going to repair it? Didn’t think you worked with wood.”

“I don’t, but I know how to fill holes. I’ve been working on something in my spare time. A resin mixture that will not only seal that opening but make it stronger than before.”

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