She nodded, but I noticed she was still avoiding meeting anyone’s gazes and keeping her distance from Halvor.
“We should circle together as tightly as possible with the gryphons on the outside to sound the alarm if … anything unexpected happens,” Father instructed.
I swallowed hard, a lick of fire-laced fear racing over my skin—the fire that could turn me to ash and charred bone if he found us before we found him.
We quickly and quietly unrolled our bedrolls—which were nothing more than one thin blanket we’d each brought, not wanting to weigh down the gryphons any more than necessary—and ate the little bit of food Mother passed around that Sami had sent with us.
I found myself sandwiched between Mother and Raidyn. I longed to reach out for him, to ask him to hold me or even just tell me another story to help my mind stop spinning endlessly over everything that could—and probably would—go wrong, and allow me to sleep. But I didn’t dare with my mother inches away. Instead, I lay on the hard ground, shivering and frightened, my eyes squeezed shut but nowhere near sleep.
A minute or two later, Raidyn’s warm hand pressed against my back, solid and reassuring; soothing the sharp edges of my fear.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, only that it felt like I had just barely managed to drift off, when Naiki, lying closest to us, clicked her beak once, twice, jerking me right back to full awareness. I opened my eyes to find myself facing Raidyn, our hands clasped in the small space between us. His blue-fire eyes glowed in the darkness, his body limned with a tense alertness that only exacerbated my own building nervousness. The milky light of the quarter-moon turned the grass to silver as we both sat up.
He glanced around the camp, but shook his head silently when I raised my eyebrows in concern.
Then Taavi’s head suddenly rose and he did the same thing, clicking his beak once, twice. My father immediately snapped awake and also sat up. When he saw us both, with Naiki’s head cocked and peering into the dark woods, alarm flashed across his face.
“Don’t move—yet,” Raidyn murmured to me before rising swiftly but soundlessly to his feet and joining my father in gently shaking the others awake, whispering to them, until we were all sitting up, alert and terrified.
All four gryphons had risen, and stood protectively around us, their heads turned the same direction. I could only think of the pile of rocks we’d left not too far behind. If it was Barloc out there, there was apparently little the gryphons could do to protect us—or themselves. My stomach clenched painfully at the unbearable thought of these majestic, intelligent creatures dying tonight.
And possibly the rest of us with them.
NINETEEN
ZUHRA
“Is that—”
Father slashed one hand through the air, silencing Halvor’s whisper at the same moment I saw it—bobbing lights moving through the trees. Many of them.
Many lights meant it wasn’t Barloc—but there couldn’t be any good reasons for a group of people to be wandering through the woods with torches in the middle of the night.
I noticed Mother reach for Father’s hand, curling her fingers tightly around his.
“Is it a garrison?” Loukas leaned over and murmured to Father.
Inara stiffened at his question, her gaze flying to Halvor’s then mine.
“Most likely,” Father whispered back.
The night was so still and quiet; we strained for sounds of bootfalls on the ground, or voices coming near. At first there was nothing, just the flicker of firelight weaving through the trees. Then, the sound of a man’s voice echoed through the forest, far too close for comfort, followed by a response. The words were indecipherable, but the tone was clear—they were definitely not just a band of travelers making up time at night.
Father lifted his hand, made a circular gesture, and pointed deeper into the forest. The other Paladin rose to their feet. The rest of us hurried to follow, grabbing our blankets and silently slinking through the trees, away from the torches.
Fear as thick as creeping fog spread among us as we all followed his lead, hurrying as quickly as we could without making noise. I was amazed at how quietly the gryphons were able to move through the foliage, tails raised and wings tucked in to avoid dead leaves on the ground or dry grass that would rustle as they marched next to their Riders.
We were far out of sight of the clearing when Father lifted his hand again and we all halted, breath held. No one dared speak. I glanced over at Inara. She had trailed behind Loukas and his gryphon but stayed ahead of Halvor, too, her face drawn and shadowed in the moonlight.
Though we were as far from the clearing as possible in such a short time, we could still hear the men’s voices drawing closer and closer, until their words were audible as well.
“… are we supposed to be able to stop him? He just destroyed an entire village.”
“He’ll burn us all to death too,” another voice responded.
“Using that amount of power should have drained him—that’s why they’re not letting us sleep,” a third man said. “If we find him before he recharges or whatnot, then we have a chance of killing him.”
“Recharges? What are you talking about?”
“You’re clearly too young to remember the last war.”
“You three—enough! Silence is paramount!” a third, commanding voice boomed, deep and oozing authority.
“Yes, sir!” they chanted back in unison.
Naiki dropped her head onto Raidyn’s shoulder, lightly nipping at him. He patted her beak twice, and she exhaled softly. I reached out for his free hand, the warm strength of his grip helping to keep the rising panic within me from cresting.
There was no more talking, only the distant sound of boots marching over dry grass.
We waited until the sounds had all gone, and then waited even longer still.
“An entire village,” Inara finally whispered, breaking the silence.
Raidyn’s hand flexed over mine. Horror flowed between us; it was impossible to separate his from my own.
Mother had gone so pale, the moonlight washed her face alabaster. “We have to find him and stop him.”
“We need to find out what town he attacked and when,” Halvor spoke up. His free hand was clenched into a fist, his eyebrows pulled down. “It will help us know which way to go to find him—and stop him before he can hurt anyone else.”
“What possible reason could he have for attacking an entire town?” Sharmaine asked with a shudder. “He’s by himself. He has no backup. Surely he doesn’t think he’s powerful enough to take on the might of the entire Vamalanian army?”
“He wields the power of three Paladin now.” Father reached out one hand and buried it in the thick feathers on Taavi’s neck. I wasn’t sure if he was comforting his gryphon or steadying himself. “We don’t know what he’s capable of. But this … an entire village … Cinnia is right. We go after him right now. There’s no time to lay a trap.”
“With all due respect, sir,” Raidyn spoke quietly but firmly, “if we act rashly, we will probably end up like that village and the others we buried earlier tonight. We have to follow the plan or we will have no hope of succeeding.”
If it had been anyone besides Raidyn, I was certain my father would have snapped back, but though a muscle in his jaw tightened, Father held his tongue. After a long moment, he nodded, with a defeated exhale.
“You’re right.” He glanced around at us. “There are a few villages and towns nearby. We need to figure out which one he attacked. Inara”—he turned to my sister—“do you remember anything from what you saw—any detail that might help us figure out where he was?”
She shook her head. “No. I only saw the one home … not an entire village.” The words were strained.
“That huge expenditure of power would definitely leave cotantem behind … Our only option is to trace any lingering power to figure out which way he went,” Father said. “We track him down, lay our trap, and put an end to t
his.”
“We have no idea which direction to start looking—and every hour we waste going the wrong direction could cost more lives,” Halvor pointed out.
“What are you suggesting we do instead, then?” Father snapped.
“The main road we took to get to Gateskeep runs parallel to this river. There are plenty of small villages and towns sprinkled all along it. I’ll go into the nearest town and buy some supplies and see what I can find out,” Halvor offered. “Then we’ll at least know which direction to go.”
“By yourself?” The whites of Inara’s eyes flashed in the moonlight.
“There’s no one else,” he replied, looking down at her. “I’m the only one without Paladin eyes.”
“The only male,” she corrected. But she didn’t volunteer to accompany him.
“No,” Father responded before Halvor could. “It’s too much of a risk. What if Barloc is nearby? He knows all of you by sight, with or without Paladin eyes.”
“With garrisons out searching for Paladin? I doubt it. He’s as big of a target now as the rest of you. We need information and we need it fast,” Halvor insisted.
“And if you do run into him?”
“I won’t.”
“I’ll go with you,” I volunteered. Raidyn’s grip on my hand tightened, but I continued. “I can keep a lookout for him while you act like you are merely buying supplies and see what you can find out. If I notice anything suspicious, I can alert you and we can leave. It would make sense for you to buy more food if there are two of us traveling together.”
Halvor nodded but my parents exchanged a look of dismay. My mother was the one who said, “No. It’s too dangerous.”
“So is not knowing which direction Barloc is headed,” I argued. “If we can find out where the attack took place, we will save ourselves a lot of possible wasted time.”
It took some convincing, but finally Halvor and I prevailed, everyone agreeing to let us head to the nearest town with some of the money we’d brought so we could buy supplies as part of our cover. We were to pose as a married couple, traveling to visit family in Mercarum. Mother took off the slim gold band on her ring finger and gave it to me to wear.
“Please be careful.” She closed my fingers around the ring, her hand lingering on mine.
“I will.”
The sky above the treetops had lightened to pewter, softening the ominously dark trees from shadowy monsters into gentler giants, their arms and claws no longer menacing as dawn revealed them to be harmless leaves and branches.
While we waited for the sun to rise, Inara came over to where Halvor and I stood. I thought she was seeking him out, but instead, she came to me. “It should be me,” she said quietly. “But … I was too frightened to volunteer. I-I can’t face him. Not yet … not without everyone else.”
“You’ll be safe here,” I said. “And we’ll be fine. I promise.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
I reached out and took her hands in mine. “He won’t be there. And we’ll be back before you know it.”
Inara nodded, but worry swam in her eyes. I still wasn’t used to seeing her without the Paladin glow. Her plain blue irises were even paler than normal in the gray light of predawn. I thought of the lie she had told me, but in that moment, with our future so uncertain, it didn’t matter anymore. She was frightened and dealing with more than I could imagine. One lie was not enough to break what we shared. “Everything is going to be fine,” I said again, forcing certainty into my voice, determined to help ease her fear, even if it was only a little bit.
Her fingers tightened around mine.
“Do you know where to go?” Father walked over to the three of us, and he and Halvor began discussing directions to get to the nearest town and then find our way back to the group where they would be waiting.
I glanced over at Raidyn, where he stood talking to Loukas and Sharmaine. I knew he wasn’t happy about me going, but I didn’t want to send Halvor alone. I didn’t have Paladin eyes to mark me, and surely it would be safer to go together—to watch out for any sign of danger or Barloc. I wished I could take Raidyn aside, to talk to him—to kiss him, and let his touch melt away the fear of what lay ahead of us.
As if he could sense my thoughts, he finally looked over, his blue-fire eyes scorching through me. I had the sudden urge to tell him goodbye—just in case.
No, I told myself. Nothing is going to happen. I would see him again, very soon.
There was no reason for goodbyes.
* * *
It took about fifteen minutes to reach the main road Halvor told us about. We moved slowly through the forest, pausing frequently, listening for a sign of the garrison or anyone else—including Barloc—just to be safe.
But there was no sign of anyone.
We passed a second, smaller stream, tendrils of mist skulking along its banks as the earth warmed beneath the rising sun; I couldn’t help but look at the clear water longingly, dreaming of dunking myself in it, and scrubbing the grime of travel from my skin and hair.
It didn’t take long after reaching the main road before Halvor recognized where we were, having traveled through the area only a few weeks earlier.
“Over that crest is Dimalle. It’s a bit bigger than Gateskeep so I can’t imagine it’s the village Barloc destroyed.” He said it so matter-of-factly, but I didn’t miss the shudder that shook his shoulders. We both carried knapsacks, and walked close together, like we truly were married. Mother’s ring weighed my hand down, far more than such a small piece of jewelry should have, as if the farce of pretending to be Halvor’s wife made it heavier. Though it had only been a few weeks, my hopes of having him want me were almost laughable now—after the feelings I’d discovered myself capable of with Raidyn. If only it could have been him at my side, pretending to be my husband. I would have felt so much safer … and the ring probably would have felt more like a hopeful promise, not an uncomfortable mockery of my former dreams.
“Are you sure you know where we are?” I asked, glancing around at the thick trees and bushes that lined the road.
“Yes,” he said, “we stayed for a night on our journey to the citadel.”
“Do you think they’ll remember you, then? And wonder where your uncle is and how you got a wife so fast?”
“They had quite a few travelers that night. I doubt they would. They might remember my face as being familiar, but I can’t imagine they would recall that much detail. We were a quiet pair; we kept to ourselves.”
I swallowed past a sudden lump in my throat. He hadn’t mentioned that to my father. I wonder if he would have let us go if Halvor had admitted he’d spent a night in this town a month earlier. Though the assumption he wouldn’t be remembered seemed sound, my stomach still contracted at the unexpected potential snag.
The well-trod road was packed down, rutted from wagon wheels and grooved from horses’ hooves. It was also empty this early in the morning. Dirt puffed up into tiny little clouds of protest at our intrusion with each step, cracked and dry after the heat of the previous day. We walked for a few minutes in silence as the road turned into a hill, enough of an incline to make me a little breathless. The trees began to thin as we got close to cresting the rise, and I spotted the first roofs in the unbroken sunlight. It was warm enough that sweat slid between my breasts and down my spine, making my blouse stick to my back and chest. I glanced down and suddenly halted.
“What? What is it?” Halvor glanced over at me in alarm.
I stared at my legs in dismay. “I’m wearing pants,” I said.
“Yes?”
“Women don’t wear pants here.”
Halvor had the audacity to laugh. “Is that what your mother told you?”
I scowled at him. “Is it not true?”
“It’s not common, I’ll give her that. But there are enough women who do, that it won’t be remarked on. I promise. Especially as a woman who is traveling a great distance.”
“You
better hope you’re right,” I muttered, storming ahead of him.
“Well, they’re sure to believe we’re married now.” Halvor was still laughing. “Because you are obviously furious with me.”
I wasn’t sure if he was still mocking me or if he meant it. Regardless, I slowed my pace and schooled my face into a pleasantly benign half smile. “Do catch up, dear. I find myself quite famished after the long journey.”
I ignored his snort and looked straight ahead as we reached the top of the incline, the town spreading out before us. It was much larger than I’d expected, building after building spreading far into the distance, the entirety of it surrounded by a large wall. This was “slightly bigger” than Gateskeep to Halvor?
“Is this…”
“Dimalle,” Halvor supplied. “Yes. It is.”
I swallowed. “It’s … big.” Though I’d flown over Soluselis, I’d never gone into the large city. I spent my whole time in Visimperum in the castle, the training ring, and the surrounding grounds.
“This place? It’s bigger than Gateskeep, as I said.” He looked at me sideways, one eyebrow lifted. “But it’s small compared to Mercarum.”
“Is it now?” A strange weakness, made of heat and trembling, stole the strength from my legs. Why hadn’t I thought this through better? I had envisioned a small village, like Gateskeep, not a large town with hundreds of people in the market—if not more.
“Are you all right?” Halvor touched my elbow, his cold fingers jarring me back to myself.
“I’m fine.”
“We better keep going, then, before the guards wonder why we’re just standing here.”
I nodded and forced my shaky legs to carry me forward, down the hill toward the large iron gate where a couple of exhausted-looking men stood together, gazing down at something one of them held—luckily not watching us. Halvor kept his hand on my elbow. Though I would have preferred to have Raidyn be the one beside me, I was grateful for the extra support and reminder that I wasn’t alone.
As we approached the closed gate, the guards glanced up at us.
Warriors of Wing and Flame Page 14
