Betrayal's Price (In Deception's Shadow Book 1) (20 page)

“Sorntar?”

He stood
proudly, his wings folded to his body, long tail flared out behind him. He
arched his neck. A crest, as long as she stood tall, crowned his regal head. A
wickedly curved beak, which would inspire fear in even the most stout-hearted
of warriors, descended towards her face.

“It’s still me,
you have nothing to fear.” His speech was clear, even accented as it was with a
heavy musical lilt and an occasional soft hiss.

Ashayna circled
him. Even looking at him from different angles didn’t make him seem any
smaller. Coming to his side, she tentatively traced her finger along the large
primaries of his wing. At her touch he crooned, brushing his hooked beak
against her hair once, before turning his attention back to the sky. His
appearance, a strange combination of raptor and exotic parrot, awed the eye
with its beauty. Though, she had no doubt he was all predator. After a moment
he studied her with an intense look before glancing back at the sky a second
time.

“I suppose you
expect me to fly with you at some point.” Mirth bordering on hysteria boiled up
from where it had long been concealed, escaping in a long peal of laughter,
surprising herself. She continued to chuckle for a few more moments, and then
explained it. “My sisters would never believe this. They know how much I fear
heights.”

“I fail to see
the humor.” Sorntar rumbled over her head.

“I’m thinking
of compromising good sense, which has long told me never to climb to a height I
can’t safely fall from. And for what? A male—a giant bird at that. Lamarra and
Sorsha would laugh for a moon’s cycle if they found out.”

“Should I be
flattered or insulted?” He sobered a moment later and turned one large, dark
eye to study her. “I know you miss your family.”

Ashayna
swallowed hard and nodded.

“I shouldn’t
get your hopes up, but before all this happened, my mother wanted me to return
with a small delegation to River’s Divide and discuss a few issues with your
father. She hoped to solidify peace between our peoples.”

“You mean I
might be able to go home for a visit?” She couldn’t keep the excitement out of
her voice.

“My mother may
not be so eager to let us go now, but I will try. Besides, the treaty
stipulated we must present you to General Stonemantle at least once a year to
show we have treated you well.”

“Thank you,
Sorntar.”

“You’re
welcome.” The feathers of his crest rose a little higher. “But enough talking
on such a lovely day. Come hunt with me.”

Her earlier joy
turned to ash in her mouth.

“Hunting? Now?
I didn’t bring a bow.”

He flexed his
talons, tearing up large chunks of grass and dirt. “I require no other weapons.
You need only fly with me to a rich hunting ground and wait while I hunt. I’ll
not be gone long enough to upset our Larnkins.”

Ashayna saw no
way to escape. She would have to face her fear. If not now, then later, and
later might come at a less opportune time. She sighed as she steeled herself
for this task. “Very well.”

The big phoenix
nodded his head once solemnly and hunched down with one wing lowered to aid her
climb.

She gathered
what remained of her dignity and climbed up, using fistfuls of feathers as hand
holds. Walking on his back was a little like walking on the deck of a boat,
another mode of travel she endured but didn’t enjoy. When she was situated,
with her legs stretched to either side of his neck—which thankfully wasn’t as
wide as the feathers made it look—he swiveled his head to look between her and
his damaged feathers, then back to her.

“Sorry.” She
mumbled by way of apology. Her next words were snatched away as he took to the
air in three hopping leaps. With a few powerful wing beats, the ground fell
away below them.

Ashayna
screamed, uncaring who heard or how far away the sound carried. She screamed as
loud and fast as she could draw breath until her mind was suddenly shrouded by
Sorntar’s. His fierce joy eclipsed fear, burying it under a bombardment of
sensory details. The presence of wind racing along his body, tugging at his
feathers, whistling past his ears. The varying currents twisting all around
him, some chilled and others warmed from the ground below. He sought out a warm
thermal to carry him higher.

The wind
carried odors from far and wide. The briny scent of the ocean, faint and far
away. Closer at hand, the stronger smells of sun-warmed grass, sweet and
pungent. He curled a wing tip to soar toward an escaping thermal, but had to
correct his course as the weight on his back shifted and nearly rolled off.

Ashayna
disengaged from Sorntar’s thoughts with a scream and grasped at fistfuls of
feathers as she slid sideways. Sorntar twisted, rolling to keep her from
overbalancing and falling off. When she was back in place, she burrowed into
his feathers as tight as a tick and she didn’t care if she drew blood. It was
his stupid idea to go hunting.

“Ash, I’m
sorry. I forgot myself,”
he said directly into her
mind.

“I’ll
forgive you later…maybe,”
she answered in kind,
since the roar of the wind stole the words from her mouth.
“I’ll think about
it after my heart and stomach crawl back down to where they belong.”
She
rested her head against his feathers, inhaling his spicy scent. She kept
telling herself flying wasn’t as frightening as bonding, or her trial in the
tower of the oracle. That realization allowed her to unclamp her jaws and raise
her head. She didn’t look down, but directly ahead.

The world
around her was a dream of bright blue and pale wispy clouds.

“I guess
this isn’t so bad,”
she whispered into his mind.

The farther he
flew, the higher into the mountains they climbed. Taking several deep breaths,
she looked over his shoulder. Looking down should have sent her into another
fit of screaming, but it didn’t; instead, she took in the lovely view of a
green valley far below. It was different now.

“I know this
is out of character for me, but Sorntar, thank you for whatever magic you’re
working.”

“You’re
simply coming to trust me. I’ll make it a short trip. No need to tax your
newfound strength just yet.”

They flew in
silence for the remainder of the journey. As he promised, it was short. A
mental call warned they were about to land. On the heels of Sorntar’s warning,
the ground below rushed up towards them. Landing proved to be worse than take
off. She didn’t stop screaming until Sorntar alighted upon the ground.

Grace deserted
her as she dismounted, stumbling to land in a rough crouch. Happy to have her
feet firmly on the ground, Ashayna didn’t care if Sorntar laughed as she tripped
a half a dozen steps before collapsing. Dew soaking her clothing had never felt
so wonderful.

“With luck, I
should be able to make a kill before our Larnkins complain about the distance,”
he said aloud.

“Sure.” Complex
thoughts were still beyond her.

He took a
hopping step forward and rubbed the curve of his beak against her chest, knocking
her back three paces and driving the breath out of her lungs. A phoenix’s idea
of affection left something to be desired. She rubbed at her aching breast
bone.

“You loved flying,
admit it.” His beak gaped with mirth.

“Love is a big
word.”

He didn’t give
her time to continue the argument. With a series of powerful wing beats, he
took to the air.

She tracked him
as he flew between steep slopes to hide his approach from prey in the valleys
below. He was magnificent. He flew in a smooth glide, harnessing the wind to do
his bidding. She continued to stare long after he was out of sight. Finally,
she looked away to see what she could do to distract herself from the hollow,
empty feeling in her heart.

Kicking loose
pebbles and a few larger stones with the toe of her boot, she cleared a space
to build a fire. Once she had it burning merrily, she sat down to wait. After a
short time, her Larnkin’s first tinge of warning told her she was too far
distant from Sorntar. The first shallow throb was followed by a second and a
third, but true to his word, Sorntar crested the nearest peak, preventing a
fourth stronger pain from manifesting. Ashayna stood up to wait for him.

He carried a
large tri-horn deer in his talons. Even before he landed, his thoughts invaded
hers, and for once she was glad of them.

Sorntar dropped
the carcass, and it landed with a thick smack in front of her. He hopped back
two paces, giving her time to slice a chunk of meat for her own meal. When she
was finished, Sorntar returned to his kill and tore into the meat.

Hunger.
Satisfaction. Blood-taste, warm and metallic.

Staggered by
the sudden assault of his hunger and blood lust, Ashayna floundered, battling
to regain control. Sorntar slammed up a shield. The stream of emotions cut off
so fast she could almost have thought she’d imagined them. She gave him a
questioning look. “I’ve glimpsed much more private thoughts…and you hide these
ones. Why?”

“You’re not
ready.”

“I’m a scout, I’m
sure I’ve seen worse.”

“Strong
emotions are easily shared and one mind can accidentally overpower another. Did
you really want to feast on raw meat?”

“Ah. I’ll be
over here.” She hastily nodded to the sun-warmed rock next to her small cooking
fire. She arranged her midday meal over the fire, and then sat back and watched
Sorntar reduce the deer to bone shards.

After eating,
Sorntar spread his wings slightly and settled on the ground to rest. She
reclined just beyond his shadow to better enjoy the warmth. There they lazed
for many candlemarks, with the breeze blowing in hair and feathers.

When at last
the sun was at the horizon and the breeze had begun to blow cool, Sorntar stood
and stretched. He extended one wing in her direction. She acknowledged his
invitation with a smile and climbed up on his back.

Dark shadows of
a distant tree line marked the end to the Sea of Grass, the great plain where
much of the santhyrian nation resided. For more than four days, grass and more
grass of every shade imaginable had filled Ashayna’s sight as Sorntar sped
through clouds in his immense bird form, his wings slicing through the air,
propelling them towards the eastern horizon.

Six-and–a-half
days ago they had set out from Grey Spires to visit her family. The official
reasons—so Sorntar could show that Ashayna had been treated well and reinforce
the peace treaty. In truth, Ashayna doubted Sorntar’s mother cared about the
Empire. Queen Talnarra wanted them out of the city, saying others, besides
councilors she knew, might wish Ashayna harm. Shadowdancer, Summer Flame and
Winter’s Frost had left a few days earlier to deliver her letters to Lamarra
and Sorsha. Ashayna had made them promise not to tell her family she was coming
for a visit. She wanted it to be a surprise.

The first three
days of flight were full of wonders. Ashayna had never dreamed a forest could
be so beautiful viewed from above, or a waterfall could kick up mist so high it
sparkled among the clouds. Rivers had their own elegance as they snaked across
the land, cutting the landscape into strange designs at their whim. Yet by the
third day she’d been pleased to see the scenery change. The grass plain had
been a new marvel. Great herds of beasts roamed the grass seas, with predators ghosting
along behind. The wind here was a presence. It could be seen ruffling the grass
lightly in a playful manner one moment, then the next whipping it up into
raging motion, so it looked like its namesake.

Now the green
seas were calm, only stirring when Sorntar dipped low in a game to alleviate
boredom. After six days of near constant travel Sorntar, too, must be tiring of
their long journey.

She looked
ahead at the trees. What had been dark shadows moments before, continued to
grow in size until she could see individual branches. Three more forceful beats
of his wings and they were well into the forest.

“How much
longer will you fly?”

“Just a
little ways farther until the first clearing large enough for me to land. I
wish to sleep among the trees tonight.”

She had grown
more familiar with their mental link and could control what thoughts and
emotions she wanted to reveal. Though sometimes, if tired or concentrating on
something else, Sorntar would get much more than she intended.

A sudden shift
in his wings snapped her out of her thoughts. With a slight folding of one
wing, he began to circle lower.

The clearing
stretched out beneath them, flanked on one side by a slow moving stream with
rocky banks. After a few paces, the riverbed looked like it smoothed out into a
beautiful sandy bottom.

“This place has
a likely look to it.” A slight rasp marked some of Sorntar’s words, but
otherwise they were clear.

“That stream
looks lovely. Oh, to be able to take a proper bath again.” She laughed in real
joy at the thought. Twice while traveling across the Sea of Grass
they had been forced to camp where there was no body of water large enough to
bathe in.

The familiar,
jarring motion of landing came as a welcome occurrence. Once Sorntar was on the
ground, Ashayna unhooked herself from the harness and jumped down, landing on
shaking legs. With regret, she realized the long-awaited bath would have to
wait a little longer. Sorntar required help removing his harness, and the tent
and cooking fire needed building, plus, someone had to hunt for tonight’s
dinner. Ashayna sighed as she began stretching the kinks out of stiff muscles.
Flying was faster than riding horseback, but it wasn’t any easier on the body.

After freeing
Sorntar from his packages and harness, she pitched their tent and prepared a
fire ring. While she was arranging stones, she stole a few glances in Sorntar’s
direction, where he stood reducing some tree limbs into manageable sized pieces
for the fire. Sorntar leaned down and closed his beak around the last sizable
chunk of wood. With a crack, the limb shattered into three pieces. He spat out
splinters and vigorously rubbed sap off his beak on a nearby tree. He paused.
Feathers along his head and neck fluffed, his eyes took on a distant look, and
then he curved his head back over his shoulder and began to groom.

After
retrieving her hunting bow, Ashayna went to sit with her back braced against a
tree while she waited for Sorntar to finish grooming. She unwrapped her bow
from its protective oil cloth and strung it with a line of gut. A glance in
Sorntar’s direction showed him still working on the primaries of one wing. He
finished those and started on his chest feathers. He left his tail to last, and,
with a shake that sent a powdery dust flying in every direction, he smoothed
his feathers back into order and approached her. She’d learned on a past
occasion the powder was part of what enabled a phoenix to burn.

“Do you wish to
go hunting now?” His words were uncomfortably loud with his beak less than an
arm’s length away. He made a grab for her braid with his hooked bill, but
missed when she flung it over her shoulder.

“I’ve been
waiting on you for half a candlemark.” She stood up, pushing his beak out of
her way.

“Excellent. You’re
so very good at scaring game into the open. I don’t know how I hunted before.”

“You had to
work for it, you great lazy bird.”

Ashayna had
known his predator’s bloodlust and thrill for the hunt were greatly increased
since he had taken on his true form, but she still found it odd to think this
giant bird was the same person she had bonded with. There were other
differences besides the obvious: he was much more relaxed, as if the concerns
he had in his hybrid form did not survive the transformation. Within the first
day of travel, she had discovered a playful side to his personality.

“I can’t have
you insulting my hunting skills. I can stalk my prey as well as any lupwyn.”

“Prove it.”

Her reply had
barely left her lips before the intense heat of his Larnkin’s power fanned
along her skin. Ashayna doubted if she would ever get used to the dizzying
effect of seeing his large bird shape melt into the familiar form she loved.
Sorntar took a pace towards her, a spark of amusement brightening his eyes. She
took a half step back, slamming her wooden bow across his chest to stop his
attempt to instigate mutual grooming.

He wrapped his
hands around her bow and tried to tug her closer. She jerked it out of his
grasp. A sour grin graced his lips for a half a breath before his expression
changed to a much more mischievous one. “So, my slow land-bound bondmate, shall
we see which one of us makes a better tracker?”

“While I may
lack wings, I’m not slow. I’ve been tracking game in forests since I was a
child. The forest is my element. We’ll see who’s slow!”

With a shrug
and a grin, Sorntar vanished into the surrounding undergrowth. Ashayna yelled
in mock anger and gave chase. Her eyes adjusted to the gloomy shadows, and she
scanned the forest for movement, seeking his trail. A tree with one fresh
scratch, sap only now beginning to well up, gave away Sorntar’s route.

For the better
part of a candlemark Ashayna followed a small stream down river, scanning game
trails for any recent activity. A rustling ahead revealed an animal’s presence.
Sorntar was too skilled to make such noise, besides she was certain he was
still in the trees somewhere above and to the left. Fitting arrow to bow she
paused with muscles loose, waiting for her unknown prey to move out from behind
cover and make a target of itself. Even Sorntar could not leap down upon it
while it rooted in the underbrush beneath the large oak.

A juvenile
boar, one of last year’s offspring, trotted out into the open. Ashayna drew her
bow in one fleet motion and released. The arrow flew true to its mark, piercing
the pig’s heart even as Sorntar dropped onto its back. Sorntar vented one
scream of anger for missing the kill.

“That’s my
kill, get off.” Ashayna laughed at his glower, while she forced him back with
the tip of her bow.

“I found it
first,” he said in an offended tone.

“Well, my arrow
killed it, so by rights it’s my kill. Now move.” She jabbed him in the ribs to
hurry him along when it looked like he might balk at her command. Reluctance in
every line of his body, he moved a couple paces off. Ashayna drew her knife to
begin butchering the carcass.

“Since you
stole my kill, I’ll need to find another way to alleviate boredom.”

Before she knew
it, her world became one of blue feathers and the taste of last year’s leaves,
as she rolled across the trail. The scent of Sorntar, moist earth, and leaf
litter clogged her nose with each breath. Sorntar still had her arm locked
behind her back when they came to a stop. Breath exploded from her lungs in a
deep wheezing cough.

He leaned in closer.
With his chest pressed to her back and a knee to each side of her hips, he
effectively held her pinned. Ashayna could feel his breath across her ear and
cheek even though she couldn’t turn her head to face him. So, he wanted to
play, did he now? She let tension leak out of her muscles and felt Sorntar’s
guard slip as he, too, relaxed. He shifted and released her arm, his palms
coming to rest flat on the ground, one on each side of her head. Ashayna
smiled, glad Sorntar couldn’t see it. She rolled onto her back and stared up
into his questioning gaze, completely unconcerned that she was still trapped
within a cage of Sorntar’s limbs.

He returned her
gaze, though his expression was mildly perplexed. “Ash, you do know the entire
idea of hand to hand combat is to best your opponent by any means necessary. You’re
not supposed to surrender without a fight. If you’ve already forgotten that much
of your training, Caltanwyn is going to be less than happy.” His eyes, a hand’s
span from hers, were shadowed with uncertainty and a little lust.

“I thought we
might explore some other pursuits.” Finding his hand, she intertwined her
fingers with his and guided him to her breast. She could feel his surprise
vibrating along their bond link. His fingers flexed slightly, but he didn’t
immediately fall for her trap, so she gave him an encouraging smile.

“Training is
about dead last on my list of things I want to do at this exact moment.” Which
was true, Ashayna reasoned.

“There’s
something else you’d prefer?”

“I can think of
a thing or two, actually.” Like eating and sleeping. She smiled as she began to
unlace her shirt. “Besides, you’re rather handsome, in case you haven’t noticed.”
Sorntar leaned closer to catch her words, his eyes locking onto what her
fingers were doing. “And so very gullible.”

His eyes
widened when he understood. She drove her fist into his belly, and shoved him
off with a powerful kick. Sorntar stumbled backwards. His wings flared out, but
he was unable to catch his balance and landed on his ass. Ashayna bolted to her
feet and stood over him, grinning.

He gave her a
rueful grin as he came to his feet, and then bowed. “You certainly won round
one. Come, give me another chance to redeem myself.”

His impish grin
had her lips curving into a softer smile. Ashayna laughed, motioning Sorntar
forward. He straightened, ready to continue his attack, when a shadow detached
itself from the underbrush.

At first
Ashayna mistook it for another boar. Before her mind could fully understand
what she saw, the wardlen broke cover and launched into Sorntar. They rolled to
the side in a spray of blood and blue feathers accompanied by fierce snarls.

She retrieved
her bow and raised the silver-tipped arrowhead. Cursing their speed, she
continued to track them, waiting for them to slow and give her a chance at a
safe shot. An alarm burned through her mind—she whirled around in time to see
another wardlen leaping for her throat. Of their own accord her hands dropped
her bow. Before it hit the ground, both hands began to burn with a silver fire.
The wardlen, perhaps sensing its danger, tried to twist away, but the smallest
tendril of her power brushed its flank. The creature stiffened, head thrown
back in pain, and it shattered into bits of murky dark mist. The mist hung in
the air for several heartbeats until the breeze blew it apart.

Too shocked to
move, she stared dumbfounded at the place where it had been. If not for another
raptor-like scream of fury from Sorntar, she might have stared at her hands in
disbelief for an entire candlemark. The first wardlen had him pinned down. It
ignored the blazing heat of his burning feathers, looking for other, more
vulnerable, places to rip at.

Heart pounding
in fear for Sorntar, Ashayna leapt into motion. At the wardlen’s side, she
paused to give it time to focus on her, and then raised her still glowing hand
to its flank.

“Die now.”

Her direct
touch was much more effective than the accidental one and the creature vanished
in a bright flash.

* * * *

The sun set as
they made their way back to camp. Sorntar caught sight of the stream through
the trees and decided reporting this to his mother could wait a short time
more. After scanning the surrounding tract of forest thoroughly and finding it
free of any other nasty surprises, he focused on Ashayna.