Several tons of flesh collapsed toward him, threatening to crush the ogre. Using the sword roughly as a pole, Golgren steered the heavy body away from him as much as possible as he tried to jump away.
It was not enough. The badly wounded beast fell awkwardly on his right side, one huge leg draped across Golgren’s head and face. Fighting for air, he squirmed under the flailing giant. His lungs felt crushed and burned from a lack of air.
As the griffon’s struggles grew more chaotic, the leg blanketing Golgren rose and convulsed. The grand lord thrust his arm up, protecting his face from another blow from the leg. The grand lord took in as much air as he could then used his other arm to drag himself out and away from the huge animal.
Someone grabbed hold of his shoulders and pulled the ogre leader free. Golgren caught a glimpse of Idaria’s solemn face.
The thrashing griffon suddenly noticed them. Crawling, it made for the pair, its sharp beak snapping at Golgren’s ankle.
The elf thrust a shorter sword into the half-breed ogre’s hand. Golgren lunged as best he could.
He jammed the blade into the griffon’s maw with such force that the hilt and his hand sank deep into the monster’s gullet. All the griffon had to do to relieve the grand lord of his sole good hand was to clamp its beak shut and chop it off.
But the ogre’s strength and desperation were such that the sword not only penetrated the back of the griffon’s throat, but tore through sinew and flesh until the point burst out the back side. Instead of biting down, the griffon opened its beak wide in a failed attempt to dislodge the blade. Twisting its head back and forth, it pulled weapon and wielder up in the air.
As he flew off the ground, Golgren dropped the second sword. No matter, for the griffon, overcome by injuries and loss of blood, finally stumbled and fell, flopping onto its back. With the short blade still lodged in its throat, the behemoth shook once and at last died.
Golgren managed to roll and land on his feet, although the impact shook his bones. He exhaled in relief and victory. However, another animal shriek reminded Golgren that the nightmare was far from over. As he fought to keep his wits, the grand lord saw that Stefan was keeping the second griffon occupied, but his situation was desperate. The two guards still stood with the knight, but their skills were clumsy compared with the human’s, and if anything, the ogres impeded the knight.
But the griffon had had enough. Flapping its wings, the creature sprang to fly away and escape for good. Because of its special breeding and size, however, the creature rose no higher than two yards into the sky before plummeting back down like a rock … on top of a guard who had been gaping up at it.
The frustrated griffon tore into the hapless ogre with abandon, scattering pieces of flesh everywhere. Some of those in the crowd abandoned the area without care for anything but saving their own hides. Golgren swore; it was more humiliation for the grand lord, and the fleeing witnesses would spread the news of his fall from Garantha’s patron spirit’s favor.
The Solamnic bravely pressed the attack, trying to force the animal back. That only served to infuriate the griffon. Scattering aside the gruesome remains of the ogre, it lunged for the human.
The beak clamped down on Sir Stefan’s arm. If not for his armor, much of his limb would have been ripped away. As it was, Stefan did lose his grip on the sword. It was all he could do just to keep his footing as the griffon stomped about.
Finding that it could not bite through the knight’s armor, the winged creature angrily shook its head, tossing the Solamnic back and forth like a doll.
As Stefan struggled, other guards produced a massive net to toss over the griffon. They tossed the net over the animal’s head but overshot their mark, entangling the griffon’s wings.
The net briefly distracted the griffon, who did not notice that Golgren had sneaked up behind it. With a spear seized from one of the strewn corpses, the grand lord maneuvered stealthily toward the beast. If he hoped to salvage the situation, it was a matter of utmost importance that he, and he alone, slay the beast and win back the day.
At a gesture from Golgren, those guards nearest the knight withdrew cautiously. Stefan, preoccupied with fending off the griffon, noticed neither their withdrawal nor Golgren’s advance.
Then the grand lord tried a trick, imitating the barking of a young amalok, a plaintive cry as though one were separated from its mother. Sure enough, instinct made the griffon turn swiftly in his direction, momentarily dropping its defenses.
Golgren thrust.
The spear penetrated the eye nearest to him. The griffon let out an enraged scream and caught the weapon’s staff in its beak. With a single bite, it snapped the spear. Then, shaking its head wildly, it managed to dislodge the dripping tip of the weapon from its damaged orb.
The winged behemoth, shrieking with anger and fury, saw only Golgren. It swung completely around to face the grand lord, incidentally swatting away with its tail and killing instantly an ogre guard who had strayed too close.
Golgren did not have much of a weapon left, only the splintered end of the spear. Regardless, he grasped the piece and used it cleverly to parry his monstrous foe’s talons. Yet one sharp nail drew a red line over his forearm.
Staggering, Golgren sought the griffon’s throat. He could not hope to impale the beast, but perhaps he could do some damage.
The griffon leaped at him. The move was so sudden, the grand lord almost lost his head as the beak snapped at where his own throat might have been if the giant predator hadn’t misjudged its leap-likely owing to the loss of one eye. Instead, the beak slammed the ogre leader in the chest, striking him like a blow from a battering ram. He was thrown back.
As the griffon readied another leap, a sound drew Golgren’s attention. A length of chain dangling from its metal collar dragged beneath the beast. The grand lord thought for a moment then lunged down to grab the loose links. Seizing up the chain, he grabbed hold of the griffon’s shoulder and pulled himself up.
His stunt would have failed immediately if he hadn’t deliberately picked the beast’s blind side. As it was, Golgren barely got hold before the creature’s beak came whipping around, trying to bite off the ogre’s leg.
Golgren took the chain and quickly looped it around the griffon’s thick neck. The moment that was done, he wrapped the remainder around his waist then leaned back as much as he could and pulled with all his might, tightening the noose.
The griffon let out a complaining rasp as Golgren threw his weight and strength into it. The grand lord struggled to keep his grip as the winged giant writhed and staggered. Because of its wings, the griffon was not likely to roll onto its back, although all bets were off in its dire situation.
As Golgren strained and pulled, the griffon’s head arched upward. The griffon’s rasping grew harsher, more rapid. The beast stumbled about as though drunk. It flailed its talons in an effort to remove the obstacle around its throat but only succeeded in scarring its own feathered and furred hide.
The knuckles of Golgren’s hand went white with strain. He felt his heart pounding, his own breathing fast and hard.
Rising to its hind legs, the griffon clawed at the air then tumbled over on its side.
Golgren jumped off the creature just before being partially crushed by its heavy body. He landed hard on the stone walkway.
Immediately, Khleeg and a host of guards surged toward the scene. Khleeg signaled for several ogres with spears to dispatch the griffon, which was momentarily quiet, perhaps unconscious.
“No!” snapped Golgren, biting back the pain coursing through his body. “No!” he repeated. “Gya ku f’han!”