The Griffin's War (Fallen Moon Trilogy) (42 page)

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Authors: K. J. Taylor

BOOK: The Griffin's War (Fallen Moon Trilogy)
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Hyrenna nudged them toward Skandar. “See here, Skandar, what you have given me. These are your three sons. All of them are sturdy and strong, and all bear your colours.”
Skandar looked at the three squalling chicks. “Son?” he said blankly.
“Hatched from the eggs we made,” said Hyrenna.
Skandar lowered his head to look at them. One of the chicks boldly reared up and bit at his father’s huge black beak, his own tiny beak tapping on its hard and pitted surface. Skandar peered at him as if he had no idea of what he was looking at.
Arenadd, watching, could easily tell that the chicks were Skandar’s sons. Their downy feathers were silver, and all of them had black on them somewhere: one had the same night-coloured hindquarters as his father, another had the same black cap and ear tufts, and the third had black scattered through the feathers on his tiny chest.
Seeing them scurry around their father
,
Arenadd felt a deep and painful sadness grow inside his chest.
My best friend is a father,
he thought.
Even if he never cares. And he’ll never know how much he has compared to me. His life, his soul, his heart . . . his family
.
He looked away, shuddering. The bitter truth had been with him for a long time, but he had never properly acknowledged it until now.
The Night God gave me power and status and protection, but she took from me as well. She took my life and my heart . . . and she made me sterile. I know it. I’m the Master of Death, and what does the Master of Death know about making life? No, I’m the Night God’s creature now. And the Night God can’t give life—only take it away
.
25
 
Skade’s Quest
 
A
fter he had seen his young, Skandar wanted to leave. But Arenadd had more to say to Hyrenna. The grey-and-orange griffin was more than eager to listen.
“I want to know everything,” she told him. “Speak, Arenadd. Hold nothing back.”
So Arenadd did. He outlined everything that had happened so far, in as much detail as he could. She took a lot of interest in the plans he had made, particularly with regards to Skade’s quest to buy the slaves.
“It will be dangerous,” she observed. “Are you certain you wish to take that risk? After all, it would not be your own life you would be putting in danger.”
“I am,” said Arenadd. “And so is Skade. If she has enough protection, she’ll be fine.”
“Very well, but how much protection can you provide?” said Hyrenna. “Too large an escort would draw too much attention.”
Arenadd looked up at her. “Yes. But it’s not size that counts; it’s quality. Hyrenna . . .”
“Yes?”
“Hyrenna, finding you again changes a lot,” said Arenadd. “You see, the biggest problem I can see is this: Skade will be carrying a lot of money. A
lot
. And people are going to wonder just how she came across it and just who she is. They’ll ask questions, and I’m not sure Skade can answer all of them.”
“How do you plan to guard against this, then?” said Hyrenna.
“Well . . .” Arenadd took a deep breath. “Something has occurred to me. You see, everyone gets asked questions. There’s always someone willing to poke their nose where it’s not wanted; there’s always curiosity. But there’s one kind of person who’s immune to that. Someone no commoner would ever question. Someone everyone in Cymria respects as a matter of course.”
Hyrenna clicked her beak. “You want Skade to pose as a griffiner,” she said. “But you have no griffin to send with her.”
“No,” Arenadd said slowly, not looking away from her. “I don’t . . . do I?”
Hyrenna met his gaze for a few moments and then looked away. “I will not go. I will not leave my young. They are not ready to care for themselves.”
“No,” said Arenadd. “But I can look after them.”
Without any warning, Hyrenna started up. “You!” she hissed. “You, a human, care for my chicks?”
Arenadd forced himself not to back away. “Skandar could protect them, and I could bring them food. After all”—he was careful to keep any trace of sarcasm out of his voice—“I’m only a human, but everybody knows humans are very good at fetching and carrying.”
Hyrenna sat still for a time, tail twitching. Finally, she said, “You do not need to do this now, surely. These slaves have been slaves all their lives—do you truly believe that they can fight for you? They would be nothing but a burden.”
“But I have to set them free,” said Arenadd.
“Then do so once the war is over!” said Hyrenna. “You will have time then.”
“No,” said Arenadd. “Do you want to know why, Hyrenna?”
“Tell me,” she snapped.
“Once the South knows about what we’re doing, what do you think they’re going to do, Hyrenna? If darkmen are rebelling in the North, why not the South as well? You know how they think. In some places there are more slaves than free men—how do you think the Southerners will react? They’ll kill them. Whether officially or unofficially, they’ll find ways to stop them ever escaping or fighting back. I know what happens to slaves who’ve ceased to be useful. And I can’t let that happen because of me.”
“So you would send me south, away from the fighting, while Arddryn’s followers face death here?” said Hyrenna. “Is that your plan?”
“No. My plan is for you to handle a very dangerous mission that will take all your strength and courage. And which, if it succeeds, will do the very thing Arddryn spent her whole life trying to achieve: set our people free.”
Hyrenna glared at him, but he knew he had backed her into a corner. Now all he had to do was wait while she came to a decision.
A nervous protracted silence followed. A few people dared come back toward the fire. Even the chicks looked apprehensive.
Finally, Hyrenna raised her head and looked down on him. “You have made me an offer, and here is mine,” she said. “I will go south with this female . . . this
Skade
. I will protect her and advise her. While she is with me, nothing shall ever hurt her. In return, you will fight this war. You will never surrender, never give way, never show mercy. And you will care for my young. You will protect them with your life. You will never let them be cold or hungry or frightened for an instant. If I return and find one of them injured or dead, I will tear you to pieces. Do you understand?”
Arenadd bowed to her. “Yes.”
She rose up, frighteningly large. “I said, do you understand?”
“Yes,” he said, more loudly. “I understand completely. You have my word.”
“Good,” she said. “And this is for Arddryn.”
Her talons hit him in the chest, and an instant later everything rushed past him sideways and he slammed into a tree. Pain overwhelmed his senses, and he fainted.
 
 
H
e woke up some unknown time later and found himself lying on a heap of straw in Skandar’s nest. His back was agony, and his head was a solid ball of pain.
He groaned and mumbled something, and a moment later Skandar was there, nudging at him in a well-meaning way. “Human hurt?”
Arenadd stirred. “Well, I can . . . still move my legs,” he mumbled. “I think that’s a good sign.”
“Hyrenna hit you,” Skandar said matter-of-factly.
“Oh . . . really?” Arenadd tried to raise his head. “You didn’t attack her, did you?”
Skandar looked away. “Want to,” he muttered resentfully. “Not strong enough. Hyrenna say take you and go; she come later.”
“She’s . . . coming? Ooh, what a lucky lad I am.” Arenadd slumped back. “Skandar, could you find Skade? I need someone to help me up.”
“Help!” Skandar snorted. “Not need that.
I
help.”
Arenadd grasped the griffin’s beak, and Skandar lifted him. He found his feet and managed to stay on them, though putting weight on them was extremely painful.
“Gods, what did she do to me?” he moaned. “I feel like I’ve been hit by an oxcart.”
Skandar helped him toward the door, moving slowly. As they reached it, Skade appeared. She paused for an instant and then ran toward them.
“Arenadd! Skandar! What—Arenadd, are you hurt?”
Arenadd let go of Skandar’s beak as she reached out for him, and he collapsed into her arms.
She held him up. “Oh, by the sky . . . what happened? Can you walk?”
Arenadd clung to her shoulder to try to hold himself up. His legs felt weak and useless. “My back,” he said. “Can you help me to a bed?”
She did, carrying him into the next room and laying him down on the bed, where she tried her best to make him comfortable, asking questions all the while.
“How did this happen? Will you recover? Did you go to Nerth?”
Arenadd blinked; his eyelids felt heavy. “I’ve found you an escort,” he mumbled.
“An escort? You mean Nerth agreed to come?”
“No. Hyrenna.”
“Hyrenna? The griffin? What—”
“You’re going as a griffiner,” said Arenadd. “I’ll . . . explain later.”
“But how were you hurt?” said Skade. “Were you attacked?”
Arenadd was about to tell her that Hyrenna had attacked him, but at the last moment he realised that if she knew, it would make it very difficult for her to work with her new accomplice. “No. Don’t worry, Skade. It’s not important. I fell over. Hit my back on a rock. I’ll be fine.”
Skade still looked concerned. “Rest, then. If there is nothing you must tell us immediately . . .”
“One thing,” said Arenadd. “Hyrenna is coming. Tell the sentries. She’s got orange-brown wings with white mottling. Tell them not to attack her.”
“I will,” said Skade. “Rest now, Arenadd. I will see to it.”
He nodded vaguely and let her leave. After she had gone, he lay still and tried to rest. He worried for a little while that the pain in his back would stop him from sleeping, but his lingering exhaustion was strong enough to override it, and he slid into an uneasy sleep.
 
 
W
hen he woke up early the next morning, the pain had gone. Or at least it seemed to have gone. It came back the instant he tried to move, only now moving was much more difficult. All his damaged joints and muscles had stiffened horribly, and for a few awful moments he thought he was paralysed. When he found out that he wasn’t, the revelation did very little to cheer him up.
Skade had been asleep beside him but was up in a moment, urging him to stay in bed until he was better. Arenadd was tempted to give in to her, but he knew he couldn’t afford to lose any time. Once she had realised he wouldn’t be persuaded, Skade reluctantly found a stick for him and helped him out of the room.
Walking slowly and supporting himself with the stick, Arenadd went to find Saeddryn, who was busy training archers. She looked concerned when she saw him.
“Sir, what happened?”
Arenadd tried to straighten up, and cringed. “Aah! Oh gods, that was a bad idea . . . don’t worry, I’ll be fine in a day or so. Just a few torn muscles. How are things?”
“Not too bad,” said Saeddryn. “We’ve done a search of the tower. Found a few Southerners hiding; they’ve been dealt with, don’t worry. This lot are learnin’ all right, an’ Iorwerth already has a squad up on the walls. He’s a good man, that Iorwerth. Ye picked him well, sir. Now, what’s yer own news, sir? Did ye go t’the Gorge?”
“Yes. Nerth’s there, and all the others he took with him. He’s got them well trained and very loyal to him. I gave him the news, and he had some for me. Saeddryn, Hyrenna’s alive. She’s at the Gorge.”
Saeddryn started. “Hyrenna! Sir, really? Did ye see her yerself?”
“Yes. Her, and her three chicks.”
“Oh my gods—did ye see the chicks, sir? How do they look? Are they all well?”
Arenadd chuckled. “Yes, they’re well. Skandar should be proud; he’s got three strong sons out of Hyrenna. They’re some of the biggest chicks I’ve ever seen. But don’t take my word for it; you’ll see them yourself soon enough.”
“What? Why? Ye ain’t sendin’ me there are ye, sir?”
Arenadd explained.
“An’ ye got her to agree t’that, sir?” Saeddryn asked when he was done.
“On condition that I care for her chicks, yes. She wants us to win this war as much as your mother did.”
“I see, sir. So when is she comin’ here?”
“Soon, I would think. Today or tomorrow. The moment she gets here, Skade can leave.”
“Are ye still sendin’ the others, sir?”
“No. I only wanted to send an escort for protection, but Hyrenna can protect Skade perfectly well on her own. You’ve seen what her magic can do. And it would look far less suspicious if Skade . . .
Lady
Skade doesn’t travel with a group of free Northerners.”
“Aye, an’ we’ll be better off keepin’ ’em with us, sir.”

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