Orlind (21 page)

Llandry blushed,
mortified. He was right: how could she have been so focused on
Waeverleyne that she forgot about everything else? It was her home,
yes, but that wasn’t much of an excuse.

‘
Sorry,’ she sighed. ‘Talk to my father; he’ll probably know
where to find Eyas.’

Ori nodded. ‘I’ll
be back to help you two as soon as possible, all right?’

Nineteen hours
later, Llandry was burning with exhaustion. She’d been assigned
three summoners and a sorc, and together her group had roamed
Waeverleyne ceaselessly until every misplaced creature had been
soothed and taught and sent away, ready to take care of any more of
their own species that wandered through the gates. Once her
assigned sector was clear, she’d gone to help Avane; the older
woman was doing well but her confidence grew slowly and her pace
wasn’t fast. Ori had joined the effort halfway through, with good
reports to make of Eyas: the Irbellian summoner had struggled with
the technique, and his grasp of it was weak, but it was enough. He
had now gone to the High Summoner with the idea, carrying a full
report of Llan, Ori and Avane’s doings with him. Eyas was to ensure
that the teachings were sent out across the Seven at the earliest
opportunity, even though it would mean pulling the most powerful
summoners out of the patrols.

By the end of the
day, the howls and cries of Iskyr’s refugees had quietened and the
city seemed eerily silent in contrast. The din of the animals had
hidden the unnatural emptiness of Waeverleyne, but now it was
ominously clear how much damage the draykoni had already done. City
government had been moved to a nearby village, a settlement so
small that they hoped it would be overlooked by the enemy. Those
citizens who had survived the attacks had now fled out into the
Glinnery countryside, as convinced as Llandry was that the draykoni
would return. All that remained in Waeverleyne was the necessities:
the defending forces, the fire fighters (most of them), an official
or two and Aysun’s engineers.

Tired as she was,
this was too much. She made her way back to the heart of the city
with tears running down her pale cheeks, too exhausted to stop
them.

When Ori saw her,
he said nothing, merely folded her in an embrace. She clung to him,
unconcerned that she hardly knew him. Shyness and awkwardness were
forgotten in the wreckage of her peaceful life.

‘
We’ll
mend it, Llan,’ Ori said when he finally let her go. ‘We’ll mend it
all.’

She nodded,
taking comfort from the conviction of his words. Not a trace of
doubt marred his determination.

‘
Is
Avane back?’

He nodded. ‘Just
a few minutes before you. She’s gone to rest. You should,
too.’

‘
I
will,’ she promised, though she wouldn’t right away. She wanted her
mother, and just now Ynara was with the rest of the city government
a few miles to the southeast of Waeverleyne. She would find just
enough strength to get herself there. After that, she would
sleep.

‘
Bed,’
Ynara said as soon as she saw her daughter. ‘No
arguments.’

‘
Just
tell me you’re all right,’ Llandry said, smiling tiredly, ‘and I’ll
go.’

Ynara turned
slowly in a circle before her, holding out her arms and hands.
‘See? No holes. We’re all in one piece here.’

‘
You
could do with a rest too, Ma, I think,’ Llan said, looking into her
mother’s drawn face. Her honey-gold skin had lost some of its
lustre, her hair was an unbrushed mess and her clothes were
rumpled. All this was unlike her vibrant, energetic
parent.

‘
Soon,’ she promised. ‘I have a couple more things to take care
of.’

Llandry allowed
herself to be led away. Ynara had been loaned a little farm
cottage, whose owners had decided they were better off getting as
far away from the capital as possible. She settled into her
mother’s narrow, borrowed bed, accepting a goodnight-kiss with a
tired smile. When Ynara had gone, Llandry expected to fall asleep
instantly. Instead, she began to worry.

Pensould. Always
he was so difficult to understand. He wasn’t of her world, or even
of her time; there was a gulf between them that seemed wholly
impassable. Where did his priorities really lie?

She remembered
Ori’s question. Why hadn’t Pense told her before about the draykon
bond with animals? Why would he hide such a thing, when he was her
only source of information? He knew she relied on him. Could he
possibly have motives she didn’t know about, and couldn’t
understand? Did he have more sympathy with the enemy draykoni than
she knew?

Llandry sighed
and made herself relax. She was so tired. At length she slept, only
to dream of Pensould turning into Isand and destroying her parents’
home.

She only slept
for five hours or so, but that felt like true luxury after the
extreme exhaustion of the day before. Unsurprisingly, Ynara was
still in the thick of business when Llandry went to find her. She
had a visitor. Llandry waited until the man had gone before she
went in.

Her mother’s
beautiful face was so sad, Llandry immediately feared the
worst.

‘
Ma?
What is it? Not... Pa?’

Ynara waved that
away. ‘No, no. Your father’s well. I just had a visit from one of
his men.’

‘
And?’
Llandry waited, worried that something had gone badly wrong with
his machines.

‘
People are
stealing,
’ Ynara said, her voice shaking
with anger. ‘Looting from their neighbours’ houses. Can you believe
that?’

‘
What
people?’ The city had been so quiet a few hours ago, it had seemed
all but deserted. ‘I thought everyone had left.’

‘
Most
have. I suppose that’s what gave some of them the idea. All those
homes and businesses lying empty.’ She sighed and rubbed her face
with her hands. ‘Your papa sent a man over with a note, wondered if
the council can do anything about it. I can’t think what, though,
Llan. Law enforcement is a shambles at the moment, like everything
else.’

Llandry’s
feelings echoed the anger and sadness she saw in her mother. That
some of her own countrymen could do such a thing, in such desperate
times! When Waeverleyne’s population returned, were they to find
their homes emptied of valuables, their businesses stripped of
goods? Intolerable.

‘
I’ll
fix it, Ma.’

‘
Oh?
How are you going to do that?’

‘
Just
leave it to me. I don’t have time to explain.’ She gave her mother
a quick kiss and a smile. ‘I’ll let you know when it’s
done.’

‘
Wait... Llan?’

Llandry didn’t
answer. She was already out the door on her way back to
Waeverleyne.

Not all of the
more aggressive creatures had been intransigent. Llandry went out
into the forests on the wing, looking for two species in
particular. The ayverties were as tall at the shoulder as she was,
their heavy bodies covered in thick blue-white fur. They had
powerful jaws, strong teeth and a taste for meat. They were also
very intelligent. She found one wandering the forests about a mile
from Waeverleyne.

Sailing the winds
high above the trees she found a dark, purple-feathered desente
bird. They were large, these beauties, but peaceful by nature and
herbivorous. They were also sharp-eyed, and they could stay in the
air for many hours without needing to land.

It was the work
of a few minutes to explain her problem and her request. Both
beasts were amenable to her proposal.

Will you
recognise the intruders?
she asked. The one problem with her
plan was the possibility that they would mistakenly accost the
wrong humans.

Yes,
the
desente said firmly, its fluting speech cold and hard.
I know a
nest-raider when I see one.

The ayverty was
equally confident.

Thank you,
she said, prepared to hope for the best. They left her, heading
away from Waeverleyne.

Within an hour
they re-entered the city, each in company with several other
members of their own species. The groups spread out, beginning a
systematic patrol of the beleaguered city’s streets.

Llandry smiled to
herself. The desentes may not be aggressive, but they were big
enough to put on a good show of it. She didn’t expect the average
looter to realise that the large, loudly squawking bird bearing
down upon him or her was a herbivore and a pacifist. She expected
them to run.

And as for the
ayverties, nobody would stand long against one of
those.
Her
job done, she paused to pen a quick note.

Dear
Mamma,

Some
of my friends are watching the streets for looters. Please let
everyone know that the ayverties and desentes are not to be harmed!
They won’t hurt anyone who isn’t looting houses.

Flushed with her
recent successes, she called a yaven out from the trees and gave it
her note, rolled into a tube that the bird could easily grasp in
its claws. Warbling cheerfully, he flapped his brilliant blue wings
and flew off in Ynara’s direction.

Wonderful. She’d
never felt so strong and
useful
in her life.

Pensould found
her soon afterwards. Still elated, she was turning these
developments over in her mind, planning new ways to employ her
draykon skills. But when she saw Pensould, her happiness drained
away and her heart thumped with dread.

Now she had to
repeat Ori’s question. It had been nagging at her throughout the
day, worrying her. Why hadn’t Pensould helped her more with her new
powers? She could think of no good reason. He was keeping secrets
from her. But why? And how could he, when he claimed to be her
mate?

Minchu,
he
said in the silent way, smiling.
Missed you.

Oh dear. That
only made it harder.

‘
Pensould,’ she said out loud. ‘I have to ask you
something.’

His smile
disappeared at her tone. ‘Very well. You may ask me anything you
like, as ever.’

The best thing to
do was just to get it over with. Ask it now, quickly. But she
hesitated, afraid of the answer.

‘
My
grandfather’s lessons,’ she said. ‘About the mind-merge and
everything. Why didn’t you tell me about this?’

His brow creased.
‘I don’t know what you mean by the mind-merge.’

She explained,
trying to ignore the shaking in her hands, until he understood. But
his confusion only increased.

‘
You
did not know of this?’

‘
Of
course not.’

He shook his
head. ‘What do you mean, of course not?’

‘
How
would I know?’

‘
How
would you not?’

‘
Please, Pensould, stop repeating my questions. Say what you
mean.’

He sighed deeply,
and for the first time since she’d known him he looked irritated.
Only a little bit, but it was there. ‘These things are as natural
to me as taking my next breath. How am I to realise that being born
human would sever you from your instincts? The whole idea is
absurd. I’ve never heard of any draykon so shut off from their own
selves.’

He looked
sincere. That very irritation convinced her of it. Intense relief
weakened her knees, and she decided to sit down. ‘I thought... I’m
so sorry. I thought maybe you were...’

‘
You
thought I was what?’

‘
Not... not really on our side.’

He stared. ‘You
thought I was deliberately keeping you ignorant so my supposed
allies, the revenge-maddened of my kind, could win all the more
easily. Tell me then, why have I just spent so many hours helping
your father find ways to destroy those same draykoni?’

He was angry.
Llandry, sickened by guilt, couldn’t defend herself. He’d proved by
now that he was loyal; how could she have been so miserably
suspicious? All she could do was apologise until he calmed
down.

‘
Don’t
doubt me again, please,’ he said at length, more disappointed than
enraged.

Llandry nodded,
mute. Pensould sat down beside her - mercifully bringing himself
back to eye-level with her - and patted her knee. ‘Well, well.
Funny thing that you are, alarmed by everything. Yet you have the
brave heart of a true draykon, when it comes to the important
things. How could this come to be, eh?’

Llandry leaned
against his shoulder, feeling her weariness return. ‘Don’t know.
Not even my parents can answer that question.’

‘
Let
us try to resolve the problem of your ignorance.’ This made her
wince, but Pensould said it without malice or sarcasm. He stated it
as simple fact. ‘What else can you be unaware of? I must think.’ He
did that for a while in silence, absently stroking the back of her
hand in the process.

Her grandfather’s
closing question came back to her all of a sudden, sounding clearly
in her mind.
You can also change yourself.
She had assumed
he’d meant a mental change of some kind, but perhaps he
hadn’t.