captured Shalee’s. “A Tralapataise is the rarest, most elegantly fragrant flower on Grayham. I compared your beauty to a true delight.”
“Why, Soresym, if you were a man, I’d eat you up. You may flirt with me anytime. I like a man who can talk special to a woman.” Shalee turned and gave Helga a high-five.
BJ grumbled and spit off the side of the landing platform. “Stop with your ridiculous gestures,” he said as he watched the spit hit one of the support rafters of the platform.
Helga looked at Shalee, then at Soresym, “BJ’s cute when he’s grouchy.”
The griffin chuckled as he turned his head in Sam’s direction. “Don’t worry about your woman, Sam. You have nothing to fear. It’s not possible for my species to mate with females from yours. I’ll allow her to remain with you.”
“Gee, thanks,” Sam chided. “You’re a feather-covered comedian. Who would have thought?”
Shalee smiled as Soresym looked toward the horizon. “Sam, where are you off to today? I’ll give you a ride. Since the gods have shut the temple, my moments are free. I’ll travel with you, so that you may reveal how you acquired your size.”
Sam nodded, “Sounds like a plan to me.”
The griffin addressed Shalee. “The weather is perfect for flying. Climb up. I can easily carry you all, but it will be a tight fit. You will need to sit close.”
Everyone climbed aboard.
BJ sat at the rear with Helga just in front of him. He put away his grouchiness and replaced it with something more tender. Taking the opportunity to reach around her waist, he pulled Helga close and whispered in her ear, “I’m doing this for your safety. It’s only right. A man should ensure the women around him are safe.”
Helga managed to twist around far enough to find BJ’s smile and his adorable wink. She accepted his advance and then nestled into his chest. She put her hands on top of his and enjoyed their ruggedness.
Sam and Shalee were not aware of the exchange as the griffin launched from the platform. Sam would talk with Soresym during the entire flight, and many laughs would be exchanged.
The Hidden God World
Ancients Sovereign
It was Early Bailem when Mosley arrived and began sniffing around the God of the Sun’s home that rested atop Bailem’s Aubade, the highest mountain on Ancients Sovereign. The outside of the structure looked more like an ancient Greek temple than a place that would provide creature comforts, and the inside was just as barren. As the wolf trotted through Bailem’s capacious home, he admired the many grand openings that led to the outside world. Giant, stone columns, all white as snow and standing 144 strong, had been perfectly placed. They supported a dark, stone roof with an enormous circumference.
At the top of the structure, a faultless dodecagon gem with a canary hue had been set at the center of the roof, and a beam of light formed as the sun passed through the stone. The ray that was produced hit the floor and then slowly moved across it.
Mosley teleported onto the roof to get a better look. At just over 12 paws wide, he admired the size of the gem. His godly eyes were now able to see so much more than they had before. The sun’s rays reflected throughout the facets of the jewel, and the millions of crystallizations inside the stone were mesmerizing.
Curious as to why the gem produced a beam, Mosley teleported back inside and watched the ray approach one of 12 angelic statues that were standing atop a large, circular platform. A diameter of 24 paces separated the 12. They each faced one of their counterparts while they stood upon yet another smaller, circular base. Every statue had a gem embedded between their feet that protruded above the surface of their pedestal.
Eventually, the beam struck the gem of the statue that resembled Bailem, and as if the ray brought life with it, the statue animated. It adjusted its robe, assumed a new position and then looked toward the ceiling before it solidified.
Mosley was astonished. He had never seen anything like this before. The wolf waited for the beam to pass across the floor and hit the jewel of the next statue. It was during this series of moments that one of Bailem’s fallen brothers animated and assumed a new stance. Though many of this statue’s attributes did not resemble Bassorine, some of its facial features reminded the wolf of the fallen God of War. Before the