19 - ABANDONED CITY

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"So, let me make sure I understand," Bast said, sitting on a rocky ledge, legs swinging in the air. "After you died, some woman named Tara forced your soul from the Duat and put it in the body of her brother, Colt, who she had killed in order to do so. Then she tried to convince you A.K.—sorry, Amneris—was a bad guy to get you on her side, but she didn't count on you truly turning against her which is why she threw you and A.K.—Amneris—off a cliff. It was then and only then that A.K.—Amneris—found out that you are really Assar because you were trapped on the dreamscape. By this point she had made you immortal, which means you are now forever stuck as Colt. Oh, and both your son and daughter are alive. Sort of. And you have been on a whole bunch of adventures over the last . . ."

"About ten years."

"Over the last ten years," she continued, "despite the fact you were, well, dead for a bit over five thousand of those years. Such adventures include defeating your killer, your mother, a woman from the past, a few minor deities on side adventures, a group of Rebels and a robot—"

"Cyborg."

"—and now you have to stop all of Creation shattering and falling into that Void place, whatever it is, which is currently where your use-to-be-but-still-is-technically-your-wife is. How am I doing so far?"

"Pretty well," Colt said, crouching to look under another ledge.

"Damn," Bast said. "And I thought my adult life was complicated." She tilted her head. "Why did A.K.—Amneris, I will get that—change her name?"

"You would have to talk to her about that." Colt glanced at her over his shoulder. "Are you going to help me look or just sit there?"

"But here is what I do not get," Bast said, potentially ignoring the comment. "Was there no way to return to your old body instead of being stuck in a random guy forever? Do not take that the wrong way, the look suits you, but it is a little confusing. Especially since you now go by his name."

"Bast, we have more important things to worry about right now. Like finding baby griffins and returning them to their mother as an apology for you crash-landing in her nest."

"That was not my fault. Blame the rift thing." She jumped to her feet. "You will never find them like that. Baby animals can be quite clever when they do not wish to be found."

Colt's eye twitched. "I suppose you have a better idea?"

'Definitely. What do griffins eat?"

"Meat, I suppose. Why?"

Bast pulled her staff from the rope securing it on her back. She muttered a basic summoning spell under her breath. The biggest silver fish Colt had ever seen appeared between them. Bast grabbed his wrist and dragged him behind a large boulder. The two peaked out.

A quiet chirping came from the left, under the ledge Bast had been sitting on. A small head poked out, looked around, and chirped over its shoulder. Five griffin chicks cautiously picked their way toward the fish. They took a final look around before digging it, tails wiggling happily as they ate.

Bast squealed quietly. "They're so cute!"

Colt, however, found himself frowning at the scene. How were they going to get five chicks up such a large cliff? No way the creatures would trust them to wait patiently as each was flown up one at a time. Even then, they looked quite heavy. Colt pressed his head to the warm stone and sighed.

Bast placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled. "We will think of something. And by 'we' I mean 'you'."

"I got that." Colt shot her an annoyed glance. "Why do I always have to come up with the plans? You should come up with one, for once."

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