Wingborn (42 page)

With Mouse safe, Hurricane didn
’
t bother to check his own speed.
Balling his talons, he punched straight into Bovei. The whip went
flying. Lyrai barely had time to shift his weight as his miryhl
wheeled about and dropped onto the smaller eagle
’
s back.

Being bigger, heavier and angrier, Hurricane
easily drove Shield down. Lyrai didn
’
t object, even with a student trapped between –
Bovei deserved it for striking a miryhl – and watched with relief
as Cumulo carefully lowered his burden before landing.

Leaping out of the saddle, Mhysra reached
Mouse first, turning him over to check his leg and exclaiming at
the blood. Stirla carried the boy from the field at a sprint,
leaving Hlen to take care of poor Onyx.

“Return to the
eyries and tend to your mounts!” Captain Myran ordered, emerging
from the sleet with Fredkhen and a squad of Riders. Left with no
other choice, the students dispersed.

At last, Hurricane brought Shield down and
lifted off him. Before the miryhl could launch again, Hurricane
rose to his full height and hissed. Though cocky around the eagles
in Bovei
’
s class, Shield
knew when he was outmatched and hunkered down, emitting
supplicating peeps.

Not so his Rider. Mussed and gasping, Bovei
pushed himself upright and glared at Lyrai.
“
What is the meaning of this?
”
he demanded shakily.
“
Don
’
t you know who I am?
”

Before Lyrai could answer or dismount,
Willym landed.
“
How dare
you treat a student of mine this way!
”

“
I could
say the same of
your student with regards to
mine!
”
Lyrai snapped,
while Hurricane faced down Mercata, Willym
’
s miryhl. They were of a size, but Mercata
was a slender, light-eyed female. Like her Rider she had a nasty
reputation.
“
How dare he
raise a whip to a miryhl. How dare he fly with a crop at
all!
”

Willym sneered from his mount
’
s back.
“
I saw no such incident. All I saw was a
lieutenant attacking a student.
”

“There are
witnesses,” Lyrai growled, even as Hurricane did the same at
Mercata.

The female miryhl hissed and her Rider
smirked.
“
Yes. An entire
year saw you attack a student, Lyrai. How distressing.
”

“
They
also saw
your student strike mine with a whip,
”
Lyrai retorted, barely
controlling his temper.
“
You know crops are banned, but I can guess where he
got such a thing.
”

Willym looked at his student and smiled.
“
I see no
whip.
”

Lyrai saw red.
“
I will find it, you vicious bastard, and when I do,
your precious whelp will –
”

“I believe
this is the item in question,” Captain Myran interrupted, limping
between their miryhls with the crop held high. “It may also
interest you to know that I saw everything.”

Willym stared at the whip and registered the
contempt on Myran
’
s
face. He glanced at Fredkhen, lingering unhappily to one side.
Though Fredkhen
’
s
family
’
s livelihood
relied heavily on the favour of Willym
’
s father, the captain would not lie. Baring his
teeth in frustration, Willym turned to the boy.

Bovei sat slumped sulkily in his saddle,
picking at the reins. He glanced at his lieutenant and flinched.
“
My father
–”
he bleated.

“
I
believe Kern Whittendowns will be most disappointed about this,”
Myran said, and the boy cowered. “You will come with me, Student
Bovei. Lieutenants return to the eyries. Lyrai, attend Dean
Marshall’
s office when you are done.
”

When nobody moved, the captain raised his
eyebrows.
“
You are
dismissed, Riders. Bovei, with me.
”
He limped away, leaving Lyrai and Willym glaring
at each other.

Fredkhen cleared his throat.
“
Come, Willym. We must tend the
miryhls.
”

As Mercata turned her head away, Hurricane
snorted and launched with no signal from Lyrai. Neither of them
wanted to spend a moment longer in that company.

THE BLIZZARD ARRIVED
before nightfall, piling snow against the walls and
covering the mountain in white. Brisk winds made the flakes flurry,
sneaking in through the many cracks of the citadel.

Leaving
poor Mouse in the infirmary, with some hefty puncture wounds to
show for his adventure, Mhysra went in search of Derrain. “
I
need to visit Bumble. Want to come?
”

He raised his
eyebrows curiously, knowing where she’d been. When she shook her
head, he gave a dramatic shiver. “Go outside? Have you seen the
weather?”

She rolled her eyes.
“
Why yes, dear Derry, I may have noticed a
sprinkling of snow. However, I haven
’
t seen Bumble for days and if Kilai hears
he
’
ll kill me. Come if
you
’
re coming. If not,
well, more cakes for me.
”

“
You
drive a hard bargain,” he grumbled, but traipsed after her through
the
eastern citadel and down to the kennels. A chorus of
yips and barks greeted them as they crossed the frozen courtyard.
The keeper in the workroom was Jynese, an Aquilan lass and close
friend of Kilai
’
s.

Seeing them shivering, she grinned.
“
Come inside, my lambs,
before you grow icicles.
”

Derrain hurried straight to the fire.
“
Heirayk
’
s sweet mercy on you,
Jynese,
”
he murmured,
chattering his teeth for effect.

“Poor boy,”
she crooned, rubbing his back. With her full figure, green eyes and
warm smile, she was very pretty and very popular. Especially
amongst the boys.

“
Sit
yourselves down,” Jynese invited, winking at Mh
ysra.
“
I
’
ll get you a drink and see what else I can
find. The dogs are being fed now, so I
’
ll fetch your girl in a bit.
”
She ushered them both into chairs, filled
the kettle and searched the cupboards. When she was done, Derrain
and Mhysra cradled cups of Mistrunan tea and balanced plates of
apple tarts, scones and cheese slices on their knees. That was the
other reason why Jynese was so popular, especially with the boys –
she fed them.

“You are a
wonder,” Derrain praised, his mouth full. “You make the best tarts
in Aquila.”

“
My pa
would disagree,” she chuckled, and as the town’
s chief baker
he was probably right to.
“
But flattery is always appreciated.
”
She looked up as the door opened
and smiled.
“
Kilai.
”

Mhysra almost spilled her tea.
“
What are you doing
here?
”

Her brother raised his eyebrows and ruffled
snow from his hair.
“Nice to
see you too
, neglectful sister of mine. Remembered you have
a nakhound, have you?
”

Putting her cup aside, she wrinkled her
nose.
“
I
’
ve been busy.
”

“
So have
I,” he retorted, “but I’
m still here. And I only just got
back.
”

Derrain chuckled, gathering the crumbs off
his plate with his fingertip.
“
If I had such enticements I
’
d come straight here too.
”
He winked at Jynese.

Rolling her eyes, Jynese prodded Kilai in
the chest.
“
Think of how
much free time you had when you were a newbie – if you can remember
that far back, old man – and be nice to your sister. I
’
m going to fetch the
pup.
”
Patting him on the
head, she trotted out the door.

While Mhysra and Derrain blinked to see the
mighty Kilpapan heir treated so lightly, Kilai smiled sheepishly.
“
It
’
s refreshing.
”

“Is that what
you call it?” Derrain chuckled.

Kilai grimaced.
“
Do you have to say that in front of my little
sister?
”

More amused than embarrassed, Mhysra
grinned.
“
I
can
’
t wait to tell
Milluqua.
”

Groaning, Kilai covered his face with his
hands.
“
Why
couldn
’
t I have
brothers?
”

“Because
you’re gods-blessed,” Mhysra retorted, enjoying the teasing. She
had seen her brother so rarely since arrived in Aquila. She was
constantly busy with her studies and he spent most of his time away
from the citadel. Seeing this relaxed version of Kilai was a
treat.

“What brings
you back so soon?” Derrain asked, taking pity on the poor Rider. “I
thought Captain Hylan’s Riders were patrolling the Wrathlen until
the end of the month.”

“Blizzards
came early,” Kilai explained, easing into a chair. “Gods, we just
beat this monster. It came in straight off the Stormwash and was
too big to sate itself on pirates. It chased us all the way
home.”

Mhysra shivered at the thought.
“
Did you see much
action?
”

Kilai shook his head, smiling as Jynese
returned with Bumble. The nakhound looked dignified and glossy,
striped wings folded against her back. She trotted with her chin on
Jynese
’
s hip, almost
fully grown.

Then she saw Mhysra.

Yipping with glee, Bumble bounded across the
room, clearing Kilai
’
s
chair with a leap and a flap of her wings. Landing on
Mhysra
’
s lap, she washed
her face vigorously.

“
See
what happens when you don’
t visit every day,
”
Kilai said smugly.

Jynese
chuckled as she shared Kilai’
s chair.
“
I
’
ve never met a pup so fixed.
”

Shoving the dog away, Mhysra wiped her face
with her sleeve.
“
Wrentherin trait. You should see our pack with my
aunt. They adore her. Whether she sees them every day or
not.
”
She glared at
Kilai.

He grinned.
“
Mhylla feeds them. This one
’
s just foolish.
”

“
But
beautiful,” Jynese protested, while Bumble licked Mhysra’
s
hands, her plumy tail wagging.

Sighing, Mhysra stroked Bumble
’
s silky ears.
“
You didn
’
t deny that she was foolish.
”

“Well...
”

Laughing, they talked about nakhounds for a
while, but eventually talk veered back to Kilai and his recent
duties.
“It’
s the
strangest thing, sitting on the edge of the Wrathlen and waiting
for something to happen. When nothing does you feel relieved, until
you start wondering why. Having an imagination out there is a
curse.
”

“So you didn’t
see anything?” Derry asked, ruffling Bumble’s wings.

“
Nothing
worth noting.” Kilai got up to add another log to the fire.
“It’
s unnerving. If you see something, at least you know
they
’
re there, being
their usual vermin selves. But when they hide
…”
He shook his head.
“
That place has to be seen to be believe. A
solid ridge, extending for miles, but the closer you get, the more
crevices you notice, until you
’
re right above it and see that it
’
s rotten right through.
”

“
Like
those who live there,” Jynese said, filling the kettle for more
tea. “There was a nasty piece of work in town when I was a girl. He
picked fights, bullied everyone, had a rough hand with the ladies
and youngsters and never listened to no. He fled to the Wrathlen
before the Riders could pin him down – his mother smuggled him out,
foolish old besom. Her boy could do no wrong in her eyes. When the
pirates raided Aquila two years later, she was found with a knife
in her chest and a sapphire between her teeth.” She sighed and sat
down again. “He’d
promised to bring her jewels when he was
rich. Some are born for that place. I used to wonder why the Riders
didn
’
t destroy
it.
”

Kilai smiled sadly, winding a strand of her
hair around his finger.
“
I used to think the same until I saw it myself.
We
’
re too few for a
rat
’
s nest like
that.
”

Jynese nodded.
“
I
’
ve
seen it too. That
’
s when
I realised nothing short of a gods-blast could clear the place.
Even that wouldn
’
t get
them all.
”

“
Do you
think they’
re up to something?
”
Mhysra asked to break the uneasy silence.

“
Possibly, possibly not,” Kilai grumbled. “Lieutenant Brath
says they’
d normally hit Havia after preparations like this,
but King Heryff did enough damage last summer to make even those
pirates wince. I don
’
t
think they
’
ll try him
again when they have so many other options.
”