The Hunt
Grayson strode past the two girls and crouched by the blood-stained riverbank to examine the crimson snow, his abrupt departure catching Elyra's attention first. She peered over inquisitively.
"What interesting thing did you find?" The young girl sprang up and hopped over to Grayson, leaping onto his back with her chin resting on his shoulder. She looked down to see the conspicuous bloodstains before him.
"Yikes! Are you bleeding?" she exclaimed dramatically, startling Katheren, who hurried over in concern. "What's happened? Are you hurt?"
"Don't mind this imp's clamor; I'm fine!" Grayson reassured, glancing up at Katheren while playfully tweaking Elyra's nose. "I think we've found the trail of those two fleeing black-robed figures."
Katheren observed the blood-dyed snow and a fragment of black cloth in his hand.
"This fabric is exclusive to cloaks, and the blood hasn't been covered by last night's snowfall. The ice beside the blood has significant breakage, indicating they've tended to wounds here," Grayson explained, pointing out the clues to Katheren as he spoke.
Pushing Elyra gently off his back, he stood and surveyed the sky, then declared, "It seems we're on the right path, just took a roundabout route without straying far from their escape direction."
"Let's hurry after them!" Katheren urged, her excitement evident though she looked around, a bit lost. "But which way should we chase?"
"This way," Grayson indicated upstream. "The ice on this river isn't thick—a person could easily break it just by stepping on it, let alone two. The ice in the river's center is unbroken, meaning they didn't cross."
He pointed to the river's edge, "There is clear damage here where they likely walked to avoid leaving footprints in the snow. They continued upstream, consistent with the direction they came from downstream."
Turning to Elyra, Grayson urged, "Little one, fly upriver and scout for those two from the air. Katheren and I will follow behind you!"
"I'm hungry; I can't fly!" Elyra complained, pouting cutely.
"No worries, if you can't fly, you can bounce along after them!" Grayson replied, lifting the young girl and tossing her skyward.
Midair, Elyra let out a shriek as she transformed into the little owl, shooting Grayson an angry glare before flying off, warning, "Bullying a child has its price; watch your provisions!"
"I'll wait for you to come back and eat, my dear!" Grayson smiled and waved, watching Elyra fly away in a huff before beckoning Katheren to follow.
They chased along the path Elyra had taken, finding two sets of footprints at a bend in the river. Grayson dispatched Elyra to track the targets, and she swiftly returned, reporting two figures about a kilometer ahead.
With the morning light glaring off the snow, Elyra's eyes couldn't bear it, rendering her vision like that of a blind person, unable to continue flying. She nestled into Grayson's hat for cover.
"We carry on the chase; we must catch them!" Grayson said, not wanting to trouble Elyra any further. He and Katheren raced forward, quickly gaining sight of the two figures.
Their pursuit startled the black-robed figures, who, recognizing Grayson, panicked and dashed into the woods. Katheren aimed her pistols, ready to fire, but Grayson pressed her gun down, advising, "Don't shoot; at this distance, it's tricky to aim, and a fatal shot leaves us with no one to question. You follow behind; I'll catch up to them!"
Grayson charged toward a towering tree, scaling it with hands that seemed to cling like suction cups. He glanced at the direction of the fleeing figures and leapt from the treetop, swinging from branch to branch through the forest canopy, closing in on the black-robed men with incredible agility.
Just as Grayson was about to pounce, the branch he grasped snapped, and he plummeted from the sky. Reacting swiftly, he caught a tree trunk, leaving deep gashes in the bark with his fingers, drew his sword, and pushed off, landing squarely in the middle of the path to block the escapees. They gasped, drawing swords at the sudden apparition.
"After such a run, it's time for a rest. Cooperation isn't so hard. Tell me, where is the relic? Who's commanding you besides 'Bloodhand' Wystan? What's your organization's name?" Grayson asked, planting his sword into the ground and lighting a cigar.
The black-robed figures exchanged a glance, silently lunging with their swords from both sides. Grayson, unfazed, threw his sword at the taller figure to the right and bare-handedly charged at the shorter one on the left.
Dodging the sword of the tall figure, Grayson incapacitated the shorter one with a crushing punch to the arm. A roundhouse kick sent the tall figure reeling back, clutching his stomach in agony.
The short figure struggled to his feet, thrusting his sword at Grayson's back, but Grayson ducked, and the tall man's thrown sword pierced his accomplice's chest instead.
"Let's hope you're more in sync next time—if there is a next time."
With the short figure collapsed in the snow, Grayson's gaze fell on the tall figure, who, having accidentally killed his partner, leaped to his feet and fled.
"Hey, sweetheart, took your time, didn't you? Maybe I should have fought slower, to wait for you," Grayson teased Katheren as he reclaimed his thrown sword, patting her heaving shoulder. "Come on, we're close to the final interrogation!"
The black-robed man ahead desperately sprinted, but Grayson and Katheren closed in. As they neared, the man halted abruptly at a steep slope leading to an expansive snowfield, devoid of any cover from the forest, entering an endless sea of white.
Panting, he glanced back at the approaching pair, then leaped down the slope, tumbling through the thick snow like a rolling snowball, his cloak gathering white powder as he descended.
Grayson and Katheren reached the slope and watched him scramble up and stagger northward. As they prepared to slide down, a flurry of wings filled the sky—over a dozen griffins descended, encircling them.
"Grayson, where will you run this time?" Duglas, astride a griffin, pointed his long spear at Grayson and bellowed his challenge.