Wingborn (44 page)

Mouse stared at the empty floor between
himself and Derrain, head bobbing as he calculated the distance:
about twelve feet.
“
Yes.
It’ll be easy.”

Hugging his crutches, Corin snorted, but
held her peace. The fall had changed Mouse. He was quieter now,
more self-contained and grim, and far more determined. His friends
had learned to support him in silence, since he didn
’
t listen to objections. Nor did he
want pity or advice. He was going to walk without a limp and that
was final.

“All right.
”
Taking a deep breath, Mouse moved, his friends
wincing with each step. After eight feet, he hissed and wobbled.
“
Blast it,
”
he growled, grabbing
Dhori
’
s arm.
“
I hate this.
”

“Eight feet is better than none,
”
Mhysra said soothingly.
“
And you walked.
It
’
s a start.
”

He looked at her. She shut up.

“A limp isn
’
t so bad. Look at Captain Myran,
”
Greig pointed out, as one or other of
them had done daily since the accident.

“Myran was already a captain when he gained
his limp,
”
Mouse
growled.
“
I
’
m not even allowed on a miryhl. If
things stay this way, I
’
d have been better off breaking my neck.
”

An uneasy silence fell and Mhysra hunched
her shoulders, her guilt over Mouse
’
s injuries growing with every bitter day that he
struggled to walk again.

“Cheer up,
”
Derrain ordered, squeezing Mhysra
’
s arm sympathetically.
“
It
’
s your first go without crutches. Don
’
t give up yet. Even miryhls have
to learn to fly.
”

“Is da poor ickle cwipple feeling sowwy for
himself?
”
a mocking
voice cooed.

Bovei and three of Willym
’
s favourite students lounged in the
corridor behind them. Eyeing Mouse
’
s bent leg and the crutches Corin
held
, Bovei smirked.
“
Poor baby.
”

“Got something to say, lordling?
”
Greig demanded, squaring up the
them. Though he might have lacked his uncle
’
s intimidating full height and width,
Derrain didn
’
t, and the
pair of them effectively shielded Mouse from unfriendly eyes.

Bovei looked Greig up and down and raised
his eyebrows at Derrain.
“
Farm boys. So uncouth.
”
He sniffed exaggeratedly.
“
Can anybody else smell something? Has
someone been sleeping with the pigs again?
”
His friends tittered.

Mhysra put her elbow on Derrain
’
s shoulder and leant casually
against him.
“
I
didn
’
t know you shared a
dormitory with Fredkhen
’
s boys, Derry.
”

The tips of Bovei
’
s ears went red, but he swiftly rallied.
“
And who
’
s been sleeping in
yours?
”
he sneered.
“Everyone knows why girls
really want to join the Riders
. What
’
s the matter, wouldn
’
t anyone take you in Nimbys?
”

Derrain tensed, but Mhysra laughed, pleased
to have deflected Bovei
’
s poison.

Greig smiled.
“
Funny you should show such an interest since
it
’
s
your
bed
I
’
ve been hearing about.
But then, one must always strive to please one
’
s lieutenant. In whatever way he desires.
Especially when one
’
s
marks are suffering.
”

One of the boys choked, while Bovei balled
his fists.
“
What are you
implying, farm boy?
”

“I think you know, lordling,
”
Greig sneered.

Derrain unfolded his arms slowly, smiling as
Bovei watched his big fists flex and bunch.
“
I think the whole citadel
knows.
”

If looks could kill
…

Going for the final push, Mhysra raised her
eyebrows.
“
Got a problem
with that, lordling?
”

Too angry for words, but not brave enough to
take on Derrain, Bovei spat at their feet and marched off, taking
his friends with him.

“He
’
s not very happy with us,
”
Corin said sadly.

Greig shrugged.
“
Willym
’
ll kiss it better.
”
The friends grinned.

Except for Mouse.
“
I can look after myself,
”
he growled.
“I
don
’
t
need you protecting me.
”

Despite his antagonism, Greig chuckled.
“
But it was fun. Taking
out the rubbish was my main chore back home. I
’
m good at it.
”

“I used to chase rats off the ship when I
was a cabin boy,
”
Derrain said, stretching his arms over his head.
“
It
’
s good to stay in practise.
”

“I don
’
t need your help,
”
Mouse snapped.

“Who said we did it for you?
”
Greig retorted, taking the
crutches from Corin and shoving them at him.
“
Maybe we got fed up of him poisoning our
air.
”

“I could have dealt with him,
”
Mouse insisted stubbornly.

Derrain shook his head.
“
It isn
’
t fair to keep all the fun for yourself. We deserve
some too.
”

Clenching his jaw, Mouse manoeuvred his
crutches into place.
“
If
it makes you happy.
”

Grabbing hold of Corin, Greig waltzed her
down the hallway.
“
Nothing makes me happier than meeting Lord Twit and
his twittering lordlings. It adds something to my day.
”

“Arsenic?
”
Mhysra enquired, and Mouse actually cracked a
smile. There was hope yet.

Somewhere high overhead a bell began to
ring, causing Corin to stop. She yelped as Greig tripped over her
and they collided with the wall, collapsing in a graceless
heap.

It was Starday, so the bell meant only one
thing: time to fly.

Corin and Greig hastily untangled themselves
and raced off, but Mhysra waited while Dhori and Derrain exchanged
glances over the glum Mouse
’
s head. Derrain raised his eyebrows. Dhori shook
his head, jerking it to the right. Derrain shrugged.

“Come on, Mouse,
”
Dhori said eventually.
“
I
’
ll walk with you to the healers.
”

Mouse narrowed his eyes.
“
I don
’
t need a nursemaid.
”

Derrain grinned.
“
We know you don
’
t, but maybe Dhori does. He took an
embarrassing knock yesterday. It hurts to sit down.
”

Mhysra bit her lip as the unflappable Dhori
scowled, only to blank his expression when Mouse looked worriedly
at him.
“
Really?
”

“A little tender,
”
he mumbled.
“
Care to keep me company while I see the
healers?
”

“I can do that,
”
Mouse agreed with a hint of his old bounce.

Derrain winked at Mhysra.
“
See, it
’
s not always about you, Mouse.
”

Leaning into his crutches, Mouse raised his
hand to make a rude gesture.

Shaking his head, Derrain sighed.
“I am so
unappreciated
.
”

“Aye,
”
Mhysra agreed, patting his arm
“
You
’
re a regular martyr to your miracles.
”

“I know,
”
he murmured modestly.
“
But still, I try.
”

THE EYRIES BUSTLED
with students as Mhysra scooped up her harness and slipped between
the miryhls. Cumulo
’
s
eyes were bright as he dipped his head at her approach.

“Feeling
impatient?” she asked, buckling the straps of his bridle.

“
I
thought the snow would never end,” he grumbled, shivering at the
weight of the saddle. “I’
ve forgotten how to fly.
”

“
Hardly,” she snorted, tightening the girths. “You’
ve
been out every day, just not with me.
”

“
I’ve
forgotten how to fly with you then. I’
ll try not to drop
you.
”

“Thanks.”

“Hurry up.” He
nudged her. “I want to beat the rush.”

Excited at the chance to fly again, Mhysra
double-checked all the buckles and straps, worried she might have
missed something in her haste.
“
All right?
”
she asked, making Cumulo look again when he
snapped that it was fine. Finally satisfied, she stepped onto his
lowered wing and swung astride.

“At last,” he
growled, leaping up to the nearest hatch before she had a chance to
tuck her legs up or gather the reins.

“Cue!” she
complained.

“
If you
fall off now, you’
re being stupid,
”
he retorted, teetering on the edge of the
hatch.
“
Sort yourself
out.
”

“Yes, my lord.
Sorry, my lord. Will that do, my lord?” she grumbled, tucking her
feet into place and lying along his back. “I love you, Cue, even
when you’re impatient.”

“You say that
now,” he chuckled, and dropped over the edge.

“Maegla,”
Mhysra whispered, tightening her grip.

They’d
left the eyries on the waterfall side of the bridge countless times
before, but this was the first time Cumulo hadn’
t bothered
to open his wings. Instead he used them to clamp her legs to his
sides. The falls roared as they dropped parallel with them,
flashing past the town in heartbeats. Then all was stone, water,
clouds and the ferocious rush of the wind.

Cumulo fell, the air rippling over his
feathers and nipping at his clenched wings. Water beaded his belly
and Mhysra
’
s face,
before being snatched away. A wiser person, Mhysra suspected, would
have been terrified as the Cloud Sea drew closer, darkened by the
shadows of rocks just below the surface. Energy and excitement
fizzed through her as she revelled in the icy rush of the wind and
the stomach-clenching fear of freefall. She laughed. She was flying
with Cumulo. Nothing was better than this.

Cold seized her legs as Cumulo relaxed his
wings, spreading them wide to sweep out of the dive and over the
turbulent sea. A pale shape dropped past and Cumulo flapped upwards
in surprise, talons raised to deal with the threat. The other
miryhl opened its wings and shot beneath them, shrieking a
challenge.

“Damn
mimicking magpie,” Cumulo snarled, racing in pursuit.

Hurricane and Lyrai looked over their
shoulders and sped up. The lieutenant was laughing.

Cumulo screamed and flapped harder, rising
above Hurricane to where the air was smoother. Mhysra was surprised
– and delighted – to see how much her miryhl had improved.
He
’
d also had another
growth spurt over the winter and was now the slightly larger of the
two.

Hurricane glanced up, banked left, then
right, searching for an updraft to rise on. Cumulo growled, ducked
into the turbulence and found a surge of his own. They shot
skywards.

Lyrai looked down, grinning as he urged his
miryhl on. Hurricane responded by flapping harder. Cumulo stretched
out his neck and strained to match.

Rising over the Cloud Sea, he aimed for a
tree-covered spur, pulling away from Hurricane as their paths
diverged. Mhysra wondered what the others were about, but trusted
her Wingborn to counter. At the last moment Hurricane banked and
cut back towards them.

Too late – Cumulo was ahead.

Mhysra whooped, laughing as they reached the
trees and she felt the immediate change in temperature. Thermals.
Warmer air rippled over them as Cumulo
’
s wings levelled out and he soared, spiralling
higher with hardly a change of pace. The rush made her
light-headed. Hurricane swooped underneath them then up, settling
into a counter-spiral.

Exhilarated, Cumulo called to his rival in
smug miryhl-speak. Much as Mhysra adored her Wingborn, humility had
never been his strongpoint. On this occasion, though, she just
laughed.

Hurricane screamed back and Lyrai grinned,
raising his arm to indicate that they were returning to Aquila now.
Mhysra waved her agreement, then relaxed against Cumulo, watching
the other pair speed away.

“Still love
me?” Cumulo asked when they were alone.

Smiling, she buried her face in his feathers
and relished the cold, airy scent of him, tinged with a hint of
sweet dust.
“
More than
ever.
”

8
^th
Thaw

“COME ON,” DERRAIN
urged, jittering impatiently by the door. “Hurry
up.”