Clanless (18 page)

Legs burning, sides aching, lungs screaming, Gryphon wanted nothing more than to stop and give his body time to recover from their nightlong sprint. He and his mess had run many excursions throughout the mountainous region—he certainly wasn’t a stranger to pushing himself beyond physical limits—but these Raven were inhuman. They floated across the ground it seemed, their legs barely having to push against the earth to propel their weight forward. Even Sani seemed to have little trouble keeping pace.

Gryphon’s sheer mass slowed him. His head pounded with every meaty stomp of his legs. Even if the Ram managed to find their trail in the darkness, there was no chance his people would catch up to these Birds. No wonder they’d managed to hide themselves from the Ram for so many years.

Humbled and frustrated by his body’s limitations, he used what little breath he could spare to call, “Please … stop.”

Sani signaled the men ahead of them with a shrill whistle that Gryphon would have mistaken for an actual bird.

Gryphon’s legs cramped up as he stumble to a stop. He dropped to his hands and knees and sucked as much air into his burning lungs as possible. When he couldn’t catch his breath, his body fell into a fit of coughing and sputtered gasps.

Gryphon looked up to find Sani’s face blank of expression while the ten Raven warriors stared down on him with amused smiles. Their chests rose and fell with want of air—something that did little to appease Gryphon’s dented pride as he rolled to sit on his backside in the dirt.

“Finally,” said one of the men between breaths.

Gryphon turned to Sani, brows raised in question.

“Raven are a bit competitive when it comes to running. All refuse to be the first to call halt. It marks the weakest among the group.” The boy did his best to hide his own labored breathing.

“You are a worthy runner, Ram,” a Raven said. Others nodded agreement.

“But you believe I’m the weakest of our small company?” asked Gryphon.

Sani nodded, serious as ever. “Without question.”

A few of the Raven chuckled as they each choose a tree and began climbing.

“Where are you going?” Gryphon asked Sani. The boy took hold of a low branch and hoisted himself up.

Sani paused and turned his head as though he didn’t quite understand the question. “We’re settling in to rest, before our next run. There is still an hour or two until first light. We’ll resume our journey when the sun rises.”

“Why climb when you will rest better on the ground?” asked Gryphon.

Sani reached for the next highest branch and pulled himself up. “Because only fools sleep on the ground in this part of the region.”

Gryphon watched Sani and the others climb, each settling into a forked branch of his own tree. He considered Sani’s warning, but the idea of climbing and sleeping on a branch held little appeal. He pulled out a woolen blanket from his pack and bundled it into a ball to act as a pillow. The moment his head touched the fabric of his people, Gryphon’s eyelids drooped and sleep overtook him.

Rain fell on the metal roof of the weapons shed. When the door opened, Gryphon expected to see the Gate Master or another trainer come to deliver his yearly beating, but instead, Zo walked in, bringing with her mist that smelled of tree sap from the outside rain.

“You shouldn’t be here.” Gryphon looked beyond her to the door. He wanted to throw the lock but that was against the rules. Ram always obeyed the rules.

Zo stood wearing a simple tunic over leather pants. A woven belt accentuated her thin waist. She rubbed warmth into her arms as she walked among the shelves of the weapons shed. Her blue eyes struck him as they always had. Her dark hair fell in a perfect wave around her shoulders. She bit her bottom lip, wrinkling her forehead as if something were troubling her.

Gryphon stepped over his woolen blanket and approached her with open arms. He couldn’t bear to see her concern even though he didn’t understand its cause. But Zo just kept walking around the room, ignoring his offer to hold her. To love her.

The door creaked open and Zo scurried to the far corner of the shed. Gryphon planted himself in front of her as Zander walked in.

“It is that time of year, healer. Time to receive your gift.”

No.

Gryphon charged Zander. He tried to grab him, to hurt him, but his hands—his whole body—couldn’t connect with him. It was as if Gryphon were nothing more than a useless, powerless vapor.

Zander stood patiently by the door. “There is no way out, healer. Come to me and it will be easier for you.”

Zo’s perfect lips pulled back into a snarl. She snatched a short sword from a shelf and crouched low, refusing to leave her corner.

Zander sighed. “I suppose it will be more fun for us both this way.”

“NO!” Gryphon yelled, but no sound came from his lips. He fought the space between him and Zander with wasted effort.

Zander ran at her and with one powerful swipe of his arm Zo’s weapon clattered to the floor. She screamed and cried out in agony. Gryphon sank to the ground and covered his ears but her screams penetrated his very soul.

Panting, Gryphon startled awake. The sun hadn’t fully risen. Sani peered down from his lofty perch but the others still slept. Gryphon rolled onto his side and refused to close his eyes, never wanting to see the inside of the weapons shed again.

Gryphon and the Raven ran most of the next day. By nightfall, Gryphon was again the one to beg the others to stop. Surrounded by the giant pines that dotted the region, Gryphon and the rest of the Raven leaned against trees as they ate a meal of dried meat and hard biscuits in silence. Gryphon greedily guzzled his water then choked, forgetting he needed air even more than hydration.

They’d managed to cover nearly four days of travel in two, bringing them dangerously close to the massive wall of Ram’s Gate. Gryphon chewed on his humble meal and looked out at the dim forest surrounding him. These were his woods. He knew exactly where they were.

Chief Barnabas constantly had them scanning this forest for game and other clans. So many memories. Successes and failures. Moments of victory and loss. Zo, Tess, and Joshua had rested under the boughs of a giant fir only a few hundred yards from where he sat.

A part of him wanted to go to the tree and see it empty with his own eyes. Just seeing their tracks would bring some measure of comfort.

Gryphon, stiff with sore muscles, pushed himself off the ground and gained his feet. “I’ll be right back.”

Two of the Raven, including Sani, climbed to their feet as well. “Where are you going?” asked Sani.

“There’s something I need to see,” he said.

Sani exchanged silent looks with his fellow clansmen. Gryphon still found it strange that the small band of warriors looked to an adolescent boy as a leader. He was so young, but being the chief’s son, his opinions weighed more than most. “I’ll go with you,” said Sani.

“I’d rather go alone,” said Gryphon, stepping away from the rough circle of men.

“We are close to the Gate. You shouldn’t travel alone,” said Sani.

“Listen,
boy
. You might think I’m weak, but I can handle—”

“We don’t trust you,” Sani blurted. “You might betray us to your clan.”

Gryphon stepped back. “You can’t be serious.”

“We want to trust you.” Sani showed Gryphon his palms in surrender. “You have been honorable so far. But—”

“Fine,” Gryphon snarled. “Follow me if you like.”

Gryphon shouldn’t have been offended. These men lost their homes and were separated from their families. He couldn’t blame them for being uncomfortable with him. If anything, it reminded Gryphon just how alone he really was in the world. No one would ever fully trust a Ram. Certainly not the Allies. He had Joshua, but his conversation with Gabe before they left the Nest had severed even that little thread of peace.

What was he doing with these Raven anyway? Could he risk traveling to the Allies to see Joshua one last time? He wanted to believe the boy would see reason and settle within the protection of a clan, but Gabe had a point. Joshua wouldn’t want to stay with the Allies if he knew Gryphon wasn’t welcome.

Gryphon and Sani picked their way through the forest, weaving between bushes and briars until Gryphon spotted the familiar cluster of granite boulders next to a thick fir tree with low-hanging boughs.

“I’ll only be a moment.”

Gryphon left Sani by the boulders and dropped his pack on the ground before falling to hands and knees and crawling under the heavy boughs. The familiar smell of pine and lemongrass carried with it sweet memories. A miracle had taken place in this shadowed sanctuary. Two miracles, actually. Both at the hands of Zo.

Yes, she’d miraculously healed Joshua from a deadly stab wound, but she’d also healed Gryphon. His wounds were less obvious but equally profound. His whole life, he’d tried to compensate for his father’s failings, but only when he and Zo held each other under this tree did he finally feel centered. She’d made him feel capable. Strong.

These Raven didn’t trust him to take a simple walk through the woods without supervision, but she had trusted him with her and her sister’s lives. Her belief in him had made him invincible.

And then he failed her. His own mess brother ended her precious life.

“She wasn’t pretty in death.”

Did she die beneath the boughs of this tree? Did little Tess see it happen? How much did Zo suffer?

Digging his fingers into the ground, Gryphon pushed his forehead into the loose soil and fought a sob. How could someone hurt her? He should have fought harder. He should have found a way to take her away from this place. Gryphon’s hands and arms shook. He clutched two fistfuls of his hair, his forehead still pressed to the dirt. He couldn’t delay his revenge any longer.

Bursting out from under the tree, he couldn’t catch his breath. Couldn’t get away from the tree fast enough.

“What happened?” Sani asked.

“We need to leave. We can’t rest here tonight.”

Sure-footed Sani stumbled to catch up with Gryphon. “I don’t understand.”

“I know.”

When they reached the Raven warriors, every man stood. “What happened?” one asked.

Gryphon adjusted the straps of his pack and said, “We’re leaving.”

Sani must have given a signal to the men, because they all gathered their meager possessions and, without speech or ceremony, took off into the gathering shadows of night.

Zo blinked, and looked between Boar and Stone. “You can’t be serious.”

Boar shrugged. “It’s a fair trade. I give you three people in exchange for one.” He took out his own knife and spun it on one finger with a practiced hand before catching it.

“Zo is a healer and our guide. She’s too valuable.” Stone crossed his arms.

Zo whipped around and glared at Stone. Was the man seriously
negotiating
with Boar, as if she were no more than a valuable commodity? Stone above anyone else knew what it meant to belong to another person.

“What you don’t seem to appreciate, Nameless, is that my little band here,” he stretched out his arms toward his men, “can be a nightmare to your people. We will slow you down. Pick off your people one by one. You will never rest without fear, always wondering if we are surrounding you, planning our next attack.

As crazy as Stone was, Zo knew he couldn’t reasonably allow his people to suffer just for one person. Yes, she was a healer, and yes, she was the only person who’d traveled to the Allied Camp, but her life wasn’t valuable enough to sacrifice so many. She balled her fists and closed her eyes, waiting for Stone to agree to Boar’s terms.

“I am willing to trade with you, Boar. I’m willing to give you something valuable to gain back what you’ve stolen from me. But Zo is a big reason we’ve escaped the Gate. I can’t reward her help by trading her to you.”

Boar offered an exaggerated sigh. “I was afraid you’d say that.” He gestured to one of his men who, without hesitation, produced a knife and dragged it across the Nameless woman’s throat.

“No!” Stone yelled. Zo’s knees wobbled beneath her. Stone’s men drew swords. The bleeding woman crumpled to the ground and the entire ring of men seemed to inhale at once. Then everything happened fast. Stone’s hand clamped down on Zo’s arm as he shouted, “Attack!” The Nameless charged the Clanless. Swords clashed. A few of Boar’s large, Kodiak-looking men pulled the other three Nameless hostages away. Stone held firmly to Zo’s arm and dragged her back toward the Nameless camp. At his command, the men who hadn’t fallen to the Clanless covered their retreat. Boar didn’t offer chase.

The image of the woman being killed replayed over and over in Zo’s mind. When the forest was quiet again, and there was no sign of Boar’s men, she said, “We can’t leave her.” Boar considered Zo for a moment then nodded. “You’re right.”

He sent two of his men to retrieve the woman, saying it was too dangerous to let Zo go herself. The men were fast. They returned with faces of stone and laid her reverently on the ground where Zo could administer to her.

Blood covered her neck and chest. A familiar gurgling sound accompanied what Zo knew to be a severed trachea. Without air, the woman had died quickly. Even if she could perform a healing blessing, it wouldn’t bring this woman back from the dead.