Gryphons Quest Read Free

symbols were painted on his forehead and cheekbones in a shade of garish, blue woad as ceremony demanded. They matched the Celtic knots which had been tattooed at childhood on his biceps and inner thighs, marks of his position as a warrior.
    Finally, Shayla turned to Gryph with a smile on her face. He walked forward, and more for the benefit of his parents, kissed her outstretched hands. She gave him a disparaging look, and he knew she wasn't fooled.
    "Gryphon, I was told you received my message two days ago. I trust you have a plausible excuse for your delay?"
    "There's no excuse except I simply couldn't get here any faster." He just wanted her to get on with it.
    "I couldn't have made myself more clear. Circumstances here are very serious," she replied with condemnation.
    "Sorry, Shayla. I wasn't able to file a flight plan with the local authorities. I got here as soon as I safely could."
    "That had better not be sarcasm, young man. I don't tolerate it well," she warned.
    Gwyneth placed a hand on Gryph's arm. "Please, Gryphon, don't make her angrier. This isn't the time."
    Gryph heaved a sigh, glanced at his father's reproachful countenance and decided his exhibition of disrespect could wait until another time. A time when he and Shayla were alone, and he didn't have to guard his words for his parents' sake. "Just tell me what you want me to do, Sorceress."
    She raised her eyebrows imperiously and shot Gryphon a look that would have sent less bold men into hiding. For now, their personal battle could wait. She took a deep breath to quell her anger, then proceeded.
    "Several weeks ago, friends from the North sent word that an ancient burial mound had been desecrated."
    "You want me to find out who did it?" Gryph asked.
    "We know who it was. What we didn't know, until quite recently, is what was taken." She walked toward the largest of the stones in the circle. "Along with ancient jewelry and weapons, three stones were taken. While it was criminal enough that the personal items were stolen, the stones are the most serious of the missing objects."
    Gryph's eyes narrowed. "Why? What's their meaning?"
    "The stones are old. They are so ancient, at one time these stones were referred to as having Ogham markings. They date to the time before the Romans came. They were buried with the remains of an ancient Celtic family who were sworn to protect them at all costs. Their power is unspeakable. Should they fall into the wrong hands and their original use be discovered, horrors will walk the Earth." She paced back and forth in front of the fire. "Unless we undo what's been done, the entire Order is in danger."
    Gryph felt his skin grow cold. For the first time in his life, he saw Shayla show signs of fear. He'd never seen her in a state of agitation. She never paced, never clutched at the crystal she used to call forth her spirit guides, and he'd never ever heard her voice shake as it was now. This wasn't the normal assignment. Now he had second thoughts about delaying his response to the Sorceress' summons.
    Behind him, he heard his parents' gasps.
    "Shayla, what were these stones?" James asked as he walked forward and stood beside Gryph.
    "Marks of the oldest of our Druid kind were chiseled into them," Shayla answered. "These were the marks of making, of shape shifting."
    "By all that's sacred. No!" James whispered. "The Rune Stones of the Tuatha De Danann."
    Gwyneth grasped her husband's hand in fear, the blood pumping through her veins visible in her flushed features.
    Seeing his parents' response, Gryph looked at Shayla. "Explain," he demanded. "I know of the old ways and have studied ritual objects, but I've never heard of these stones."
    "That isn't surprising, as they were kept very secret. The name your father has given them is what they are now called. Their magic may have been derived from wisdom within ancient Ogham writings. The Tuatha used these writings to embed powers into the rune stones. Anyone who deciphers the stones