The Griffin's War (Fallen Moon Trilogy) (11 page)

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Authors: K. J. Taylor

BOOK: The Griffin's War (Fallen Moon Trilogy)
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“It’s very nice,” said Erian.
“It belonged to my father,” said Elkin. “My mother told me it was passed down to him by his grandfather, and he wore it when he fought in the war.”
Erian smiled and tied it around his neck. “I won’t lose it.”
Bran pushed forward. “Excuse us,” he said.
Erian glared at him. “What do you want?”
Bran glanced quickly at Kraeya, who was busy grooming her feathers. She flicked her tail but said nothing.
Bran turned his attention back to Erian. “Yer sister an’ I came up ’ere to see yeh off, as yeh might’ve noticed. Trouble is, no-one’s told us where yer goin’ or why. Lady Elkin said we oughta wait for yeh an’ yeh’d tell us yerself, like.”
“I didn’t think it would be fair for us to tell them,” Elkin put in. “This is for you to tell, Erian.”
Erian gaped at her. “But I . . . Elkin, should we really be telling people?”
“I think your sister has a right to know,” said Elkin. “Kraal agrees.”
“Tell her,” Kraal rumbled.
Erian tried not to look at the child in Flell’s arms. “Senneck and I have to go east,” he said eventually. “To find something.”
“All the way t’Amoran?” said Bran.
“No, not that far,” said Erian.
“So, what is this thing?” said Flell. “And why do you have to go after it?”
“Well . . .” Erian glanced desperately at Kraal, who stared back, calm and still. “Well,” he said again. “It’s something magical. A weapon.”
“Magic weapon?” said Bran suspiciously. “What sorta magical weapon? What for?”
Erian felt cold hatred rise up inside him at the sound of the man’s voice. “You know about what happened yesterday,” he said, trying to keep his own voice level. “In the city.”
“When Arren escaped,” Flell said coldly.
Erian turned away. “You don’t understand, Flell. You don’t know what he did. He didn’t escape. He came back from the dead.”
“What?”
said Bran.
Erian found himself savouring the disbelief in their faces. “Yesterday morning, Arenadd Taranisäii was executed for murder and sedition. He was hanged, in public. I was there. I saw it. I saw him come back to life. He has magic; I saw him use it. He disappeared . . . like a shadow.”
Erian watched the horror etch itself into Bran’s and Flell’s faces as he spoke, and felt his embarrassment vanish as well.
“Your
friend
,” he said. “Your dear, misunderstood pet blackrobe—he’s not human any more. He’s become something else.”
Flell gripped her husband’s arm. “Become what?”
“Kraeai kran ae,”
Senneck hissed.
Every griffin in the room stilled. Thrain whimpered and pressed herself against Flell’s leg, and Kraeya stood up sharply.
“What is this?” the red griffin demanded. “Senneck, what are you speaking of?
Kraeai kran ae
is not possible; it cannot be real.”
“It is real, and if you do not accept it then you are a bigger fool than I thought,” Senneck snapped back. “The blackrobe is
Kraeai kran ae
. He has the powers of death and the shadows; he is chosen by the dark griffin. The dark griffin has shared his magic with him, and soon they will both return to bring down the same fate to Malvern as they did to Eagleholm.”
“And that’s why we’re leaving,” Erian interrupted. “Senneck and I are going to find a special weapon that can kill him. He has to be stopped, and I’m the one who’s going to do it.”
“Why you?” said Flell.
Erian drew himself up. “Because I’m his enemy. Gryphus chose me.”
“You think that this bastard is
Aeai ran kai
?” said Kraeya to Senneck.
Senneck snapped her beak at her. “I do not know.”
“But I do,” said Kraal, silencing them both with a glare. “Save your petty bickering for another time; we do not have any to waste. This human is
Kraeai kran ae
’s enemy, and that makes him
Aeai ran kai
, and that is all. I have spoken, and my word is final. Senneck, I have entrusted you to help him reach the Island of the Sun. Once you are there, you will know what must be done. Protect and guide your human.”
Senneck arched her neck and puffed out her chest proudly. “I shall, Mighty Kraal.”
“We shall have our own work to do while they are gone,” Kraal added. “Return quickly, Senneck, and we shall fight
Kraeai kran ae
as well as we can until then.”
“I shall not fail,” said Senneck.
Kraal drew himself up to look at them all. “It is time,” he said. “Come.”
They followed him through an archway and out onto an oversized balcony, where a cold wind ruffled hair and feathers. Erian looked out over the city and the lands beyond. They looked enormous. To the east were farmlands and, beyond that, the darkness of wild forests. Somewhere on the other side of them was the sea.
Senneck nudged him. “Come. We do not have time for dreaming. Say your farewells.”
Erian gave Flell a quick hug, knowing it was expected of him, and forced himself to kiss the infant on the forehead. “Goodbye, Flell. Look after yourself, and my niece.”
Flell smiled at him. “Don’t worry. Bran can protect us, and Kraeya can protect all three of us.”
“I can, and I shall,” Kraeya rasped, her tail lashing.
Erian embraced Elkin far more warmly. “Stay safe,” he murmured in her ear. “I want you here waiting for me when we get back, understand?”
Elkin turned her head and kissed him on the cheek. “Of course I’ll be here, silly. Where else would I go? And of course I’ll be safe. I have Kraal to protect me, you know.”
Erian kissed her on the mouth. “I just want to know you’ll be all right,” he mumbled.
“And I will be,”
said Elkin, letting go of him. “If anything, it’s you who should be careful.” She gave him a playful nudge. “So stay close to Senneck and follow her advice, and don’t rush into things without thinking, the way you’re prone to do. We need you alive, too, you know.”
Erian clasped her hands. “I’ll be back,” he promised. “I swear I’ll be back, and I’ll bring the weapon. I won’t fail you, or the North. I won’t.”
“I trust you,” Elkin said softly. “Now go and be blessed, Erian Rannagonson.”
Erian let go of her hands, though the action made his heart hurt, and climbed onto Senneck’s back. She dipped her head to Kraal one last time, glanced briefly at Thrain and Kraeya, and loped away toward the edge of the balcony. She sped up as she went, wings opening, and as Erian braced himself she launched herself into the sky.
Erian could feel his heart thudding as Senneck flew higher, and not just from the instinctive fear he had every time they flew together. He wished he could turn and look back at the others, but didn’t dare: if he didn’t keep still he could make Senneck lose her balance or be torn off her back. But he could still feel Elkin’s presence behind him, as if she were standing there, and when Senneck finally steadied and he could risk a glance back, his stomach lurched when he saw how far away she was already.
That feeling of sickness built and then settled into a dull ache inside him as the Eyrie began to fall away behind them and Malvern passed below. For one wild moment he wanted to wrench at Senneck’s halter to try to make her turn around, or to yell out to her and plead with her to turn back.
Erian’s face remained calm, and his body still. But the ache in his chest did not fade away.
 
B
ran and Flell flew back to Erian’s home without having exchanged a word, and when they landed and Bran slid off Kraeya’s back, Flell was too afraid to say anything. He helped her down and hung up Kraeya’s harness without a word.
Flell cradled Laela against her chest to soothe her, and watched her husband as he paced back and forth, shoulders hunched.
“What are we going to do?” she said at last, a little nervously.
Bran stopped abruptly. “This is bilge,” he said. “That’s what it is. It’s a load of steaming shit.”
“Bran, you know I don’t like it when you talk like that,” said Flell.
Bran ignored her. “I ain’t gonna believe it. I ain’t gonna believe a
word
of it. What’s wrong with that lot? They’re out of their godsdamned minds! Arren, usin’ evil magic? It’s shit. All of it. An’ they reckon
he’s
mad?” He spat.
“But why would they be making that sort of thing up?” said Flell.
“I dunno,” said Bran. “But—”
Kraeya started up. “I do not believe this story either, Bran. Nor do I trust Senneck.”
“What about Kraal, though?” said Flell. “He seemed awfully certain.”
“The Mighty Kraal,” said Kraeya, and hissed to herself. “He is very old, and by all accounts too caught up in his own mysticism for his own good. And in either case we have nothing but the Bastard’s word that your friend has these supposed dark powers.”
“So yeh don’t believe this ‘kray kran ee’ nonsense?” said Bran.
“I do not.” Kraeya’s tail lashed. “
Kraeai kran ae
is a myth—pure legend, a story old hens tell to frighten chicks. Humans do not possess magic—they cannot—and the gods are nothing but human arrogance made into imaginary friends. They cannot control us.”
“But there’s still somethin’ goin’ on here I don’t like the smell of,” said Bran. “How did Arren survive back at Eagle-holm if it wasn’t by magic? He fell off the edge of the damned city—no-one could live after that!”
“How do you know Darkheart didn’t catch him?” said Flell.
Bran paused. “It was
dark
. Griffins don’t fly in the dark, Flell.”
“That is not true for all of us,” said Kraeya. “Some griffins can see in the dark; perhaps this Darkheart is one of them.”
“Well, what are we going to do?” said Flell. “We can’t just stay here and do nothing.”
“I know what I’m gonna do,” said Bran. “I’m gonna go out there an’ look for him, an’ I ain’t givin’ up until I find him.”
“But why?” said Flell. “And how are you going to find him? After all the things he’s supposed to have done . . .”
“I don’t care about that,” said Bran. “I’m gonna find him, an’ damn the difficulty. I owe him, Flell. He trusted me, an’ I let him down. He was my best mate, an’ I let all those things happen to him—an’ I can’t let it happen again. I’ve gotta find him an’ help him get away, or at least warn him about what’s goin’ on.”
Flell looked at Kraeya. The red griffin had sat on her haunches and was grooming her chest feathers, apparently uninterested in the conversation. Now, though, she looked up and said, “I agree.”
Bran paused. “Yeh do?”
“Yes,” said Kraeya. “You and I should look for your friend.”
“But why do yeh care, Kraeya?” said Bran. “Yeh never knew him.”
“I know Senneck,” said Kraeya. “And I do not trust her. I believe I see more than lies and foolish superstition at work here. Senneck is ambitious and arrogant. Of all the griffins living in the hatchery, she was the most self-centred and had the loftiest goals. Nothing would be enough for her; no human was good enough, no station high enough. She would have nothing but the best, and I believe that she would go to any lengths to take it. She has chosen this human—this fool of a boy—and already she has manipulated them both into an official position. Her human is still a bastard, and that will always stand in his way—but if they were both to convince Kraal that your friend was
Kraeai kran ae
and that the Bastard was
Aeai ran kai
, they could do much more. All the Bastard must do is murder your friend, and he will be a hero.”
Bran gaped at her. “Wh—y’think . . .”
Flell was more composed. “Kraeya, do you honestly think they could do something like that? I mean . . . it sounds very outlandish to me.”
“More outlandish than the idea that your bastard half-brother is
Aeai ran kai
?” Kraeya shot back. “No. To me this sounds like the work of a cunning liar and schemer—Senneck’s work from beginning to end. I doubt the Bastard could have imagined it himself.”

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