The Griffin's War (Fallen Moon Trilogy) (49 page)

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Authors: K. J. Taylor

BOOK: The Griffin's War (Fallen Moon Trilogy)
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He stiffened as a chill suddenly bit into his bones. The sun seemed to darken, and as the shadows around him lengthened he felt a terrible sense of dread come over him.
The chicks whimpered and ran to their mother, who had half-risen as the darkness came, beak opening.
Without thinking, Erian pressed himself against her. “Senneck, what’s happening? Why is it so dark?”
The darkness passed as quickly as it had come, and the warmth of the sun returned along with its light.
Erian relaxed, but cautiously. The day had gone back to normal, but the sense of dread stayed inside him. “What
was
that, Senneck? Did you feel it?”
“Yes.” She looked skyward as she kneaded gently at the sand with her talons. “You felt it, then?”
“Yes. It was . . . I don’t know. I felt so scared all of a sudden. Senneck, what did you feel?”
“I had a sense of something,” she said. “I do not understand it, but perhaps because I am a griffin I could feel it more powerfully than you.”
“Feel
what
?” said Erian. “Is there something here? Are we about to be attacked?”
“The world has shuddered,” Senneck said in distant tones. “And so, as a part of it, did we.”
“But why?” said Erian.
“Something terrible has happened,” said Senneck. “Somewhere. I do not know what it may be.”
Erian’s fists clenched. “It’s
him
,” he said. “I know it is. He’s done something. Senneck, what if . . .” Paranoia swept through him. “What if we’re too late? What if he’s already in Malvern? What if he’s killing Elkin and the others right now? What if—”
“Be calm,” said Senneck. “There is nothing to be gained from panic.”
“But—”
“But nothing. We shall leave here the instant my chicks no longer need me.”
Erian scratched the ragged beard that had slowly covered his chin. “Can’t we just bring them with us?”
“I cannot carry them as well as you,” said Senneck. “We shall barely be able to reach land again as it is.”
“But I’ve been thinking,” said Erian. “What if . . .” He hesitated, and then plunged ahead. “I thought may be I could make a boat. You could fly overhead to help me navigate, and I could get back to land that way. I could take the chicks with me.”
Senneck started to say something and then stopped. She put her head on one side, thoughtfully. “You think you could make a boat?” she said eventually. “I did not know you knew anything about them.”
“I don’t, really, but—but there’s already a boat here. In the village. I could dig it out and see if I could do anything with it. Maybe I could repair it! And even if I can’t, I can look at how it’s made and learn what I can. It’s got to be worth a try.”
Senneck thought it over. “I do not see why not. It would be better than doing nothing.”
“I
can’t
do nothing,” said Erian. “Not now. Not if . . .” They were silent for a moment, sharing the same thought. If
Kraeai kran ae
’s power had increased, if he had won some victory or committed some evil great enough to make the whole world shudder, then nothing mattered any more but to return to the North as quickly as possible. Not even the chicks were important enough any more.
The Dark Lord had to be stopped.
 
 
A
renadd woke up and greeted the new day with a yawn.
He sat up and rubbed his back. It ached, and no wonder: he’d been sleeping on hard stone. But he felt wonderfully refreshed and alert.
Godsdamnit, that was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in months,
he thought.
As he looked around, he realised he was on top of the Governor’s Tower in Fruitsheart. Skandar was there, still sleeping.
Arenadd stood up as the memory of the previous day came back. Skenfrith, the attack . . .
The knives!
He clapped a hand over his chest, searching for them, but they were gone, and he sighed in relief.
“Skandar.” He patted the griffin’s shoulder. “Skandar? Wake up.”
Skandar’s eyes cracked open, and he peered at him.
“Good morning, Skandar,” said Arenadd. “Are you hurt?”
Skandar yawned and got up. “Am not hurt. Human . . . hurt?”
“I don’t think so. Skandar, why are we here? Why aren’t we at Skenfrith?”
“You hurt,” Skandar said. “I bring you here, to female. Tell her help you, she help.”
“Saeddryn? You mean Saeddryn?”
“Yes. Female help.”
“You brought me back here so she could take the knives out,” Arenadd guessed. “I don’t know how to thank you, Skandar. You did exactly the right thing. You’re a clever griffin, aren’t you?”
Skandar blinked modestly. “You clever. I fight, you think. But you heal now?”
Arenadd prodded his chest. There was no pain. “I feel fine. What happened at Skenfrith?”
“Leave griffin there, tell them guard nest,” said Skandar. “Then come back here.”
“So, all the enemy griffins at Skenfrith died?”
“Yes. Human run from tall nest, we kill. Some not come; they die.”
Some of the humans ran out of the towers, and the griffins killed them,
Arenadd translated.
The rest died in the fire. Good
. “Then we can probably leave them for a while and talk with . . .” He trailed off as he suddenly noticed the damage to the tower and the city, and the dead griffins scattered nearby. “What happened? Skandar, what . . . was there an attack?”
“Must be,” Skandar said carelessly. “Not while we here.”
Arenadd’s gaze travelled over the city, noting the smoking craters. “Firebombs. Must have been. The griffiners must have . . .” He looked around quickly and found his sickle, which he scooped up and put back in his belt. “Come on. We have to talk to Saeddryn.”
“Plan now,” Skandar agreed.
“Yes,” Arenadd said darkly.
In spite of what had happened, he felt a strange calm and certainty as he went into the tower with Skandar. He remembered the Night God visiting him in his dreams, and remembered her whispering advice and the comfort she gave him. She was with him, and she would not let him fail.
But he did have a moment’s doubt. Just briefly, as he went down the ramp beyond the trapdoor that led into the tower, he had the nagging feeling that he had forgotten something. But he couldn’t for the life of him decide what it was.
He shrugged it off. It probably wasn’t important. If it was, he’d remember it eventually.
 
 
A
s he explored the tower, he quickly saw even more evidence of the attack that must have taken place in his absence. The upper levels were deserted; the defenders had gone, leaving behind signs of their fight in the form of bodies.
Arenadd stopped to look at one or two of them. All of them were Southerners, and from their clothing he could tell that they were griffiners. If any of his own people had died here, their friends must have taken their bodies away. At least that meant enough of them had survived . . .
Something else occurred to him at that moment, and he swore and ran away.
He found the governor’s quarters and ducked inside, with Skandar on his heels. The bedchamber had been badly damaged; he could see sword cuts on the furniture, and blood had left a stain on one wall. There were no bodies here, at least.
Arenadd freed his sickle and padded into the griffin nest.
It was full of griffins, all asleep.
Arenadd stopped in the doorway, motioning to Skandar to be quiet. He stayed as still as he could, quickly taking in every griffin in the room. Four . . . five . . . six of them, all big and powerful looking. There was no sign of Hyrenna’s chicks.
Skandar poked his head through the door, over Arenadd’s shoulder, and sniffed, “Kaanee,” he growled.
“Kaanee!”
The griffin nearest the door started awake, rising in an instant with his beak wide open. When he saw Skandar, he stopped abruptly. “Mighty Skandar!”
Arenadd returned his sickle to his belt. “Kaanee. Thank the Night God.”
Kaanee came toward them. He was dragging one foreleg and there were chunks torn out of his feathers, but he looked strong enough. “I did not expect you here so soon,” he said, hastily ducking his head while his fellow griffins stirred around him. “Mighty Skandar, I am pleased to see you are unhurt. May I ask how the attack on Skenfrith succeeded?”
“Have captured human nest,” said Skandar. “Tall nest burn, enemy die. Leave friend griffin there to guard.”
Kaanee eyed them. “Good. And your human . . .” He looked at Arenadd. “I am sorry, Lord Arenadd, but I had heard that you were . . .”
“I’m fine,” said Arenadd. “Kaanee, where are the chicks? Hyrenna’s chicks—they were in here.”
Kaanee glanced over his shoulder. “They are well. We have guarded them and your commander ever since you left, master.”
Arenadd looked past him and saw Saeddryn rising from a heap of dried reeds. “Kaanee? What’s . . .
sir
!”
Arenadd smiled at her. “Good morning, Saeddryn. Are you . . .” He trailed off.
Saeddryn picked her way through the nesting material and stood in front of him, head bowed as if in shame. There was a bandage wrapped around her head.
Arenadd reached out and gently lifted her chin. “Your eye . . .”
Saeddryn grimaced. “I was lucky, sir. It was a glancing blow.”
“You haven’t lost it, have you?” said Arenadd.
“It’s a wreck, sir,” Saeddryn said resignedly. “But I’ll live.”
As she spoke, the chicks roused themselves and wandered over. Arenadd crouched to look at them. They appeared to be in perfect health, and he breathed out and silently offered up a prayer of thanks before he straightened up. “Tell me what happened, Saeddryn.”
She was giving him a slightly apprehensive look through her remaining eye. “Sir, if ye don’t mind me askin’ . . . are ye all right?”
“What? Oh.” Arenadd felt his chest and suddenly noticed the bandages. “Well, I’m . . . uh . . . not in any pain. Thank you for taking those blasted things out of me. Skandar says you were a great help.”
Saeddryn switched to the Northern tongue. “Sir, there were five knives stuck in ye. One of ’em was straight through yer heart.”
“I know,” said Arenadd. “
These
knives, I think.” He touched one of the weapons tucked into the back of his belt. “Good steel. I think I’ll keep them. Of course, if I meet the owner, I’ll have to give them back. It would only be good manners.”
Saeddryn pulled herself together. “It’s the power, isn’t it, sir?” she said. “Ye’re healin’ even faster now. Ye’re gettin’ stronger, sir.”
Arenadd nodded. “Yes. I can feel it.”
“Ye’re sure there’s no pain, sir?”
“Only in my stomach,” said Arenadd. “I’m hungry. Come on, let’s go and get some food. And while we’re on our way, for the love of the Night God, tell me what happened here.”
“Yes, sir.”
Skandar had been making halting conversation with Kaanee but looked up as the two humans made for the door. “You go?”
“I need to get something to eat,” said Arenadd. “D’you want to come?”
“I come,” said Skandar and followed them out of the chamber and down through the tower, stopping occasionally to eat one of the bodies left lying in the corridors.
Saeddryn walked beside Arenadd and told him everything in a low, terse voice.
“They came when ye’d barely even left. Dozens of ’em. They can’t have known Kaanee had joined us, or they’d have brought more. Thank gods we outnumbered the bastards, but—”
“But they were better armed,” Arenadd put in. “And you had no good archers.”
Saeddryn nodded. “We’d have been destroyed if it hadn’t been for Kaanee. Him an’ his friends attacked the bastards in the air. Nearly half of ’em died, but they fought the griffiner scum off in the end. Not before they’d dropped firebombs an’ destroyed half the tower, mind.”
“How many humans have we lost?” said Arenadd.
“Hundred,” said Saeddryn. “Mostly in the city, but in the tower as well. Davyn’s dead, Rhodri close to it.”
Arenadd swore. “What about the rest?”
“That Iorwerth,” said Saeddryn. “Sir, ye’ve found a perfect commander. Sure, he’s young an’ he ain’t fought before, but he’s a clear thinker—knows what’s best t’do an’ does it quickly.”
“Excellent.” Arenadd nodded, pleased. “I knew he had potential.”
“He saved my life, sir,” said Saeddryn. “I got caught in one of the explosions when the firebombs hit. Cut up my arm somethin’ bad. I was knocked silly an’ would’ve burned t’death, but Iorwerth pulled me out of there. I lost the eye later, when some of the griffiners got into the tower t’fight us directly. But don’t worry, I killed the bastard,” she added grimly.

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