Contrary as always, Sigrid’s mouth twisted into a wild grin. “Sounds like my kind of adventure!”
Ivan snorted and folded his arms. “Easy for you to say — you’ve never spent half a year locked up in this storming mountain!”
Eva rolled her eyes. “You stole a gryphon egg!”
“Stole a gryphon egg while being possessed by some dark magic one of your officers was using,” Ivan corrected. “I was innocent!”
“Then don’t come!” Eva said. There wasn’t time to bandy words with the Scrawl. “If you’re not up to it, just stay out of my way.”
“Oh no, I’m coming,” Ivan said as his face stretched into a lunatic grin matching Sigrid’s. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world. I just wanted you to know up front it was a bad idea.”
Eva looked at Sigrid, who nodded. “I’ll go,” she said. “But if this is all a wild goose chase, I’d hate to think what will happen to us when we get back.”
“If we get back,” Ivan said. “From what I’ve read, the east is a nasty place full of all kinds of savages, giant animals that want to eat you, wild storms — you name it. And that’s not counting any magically animated golems that want to smash us into a pulp. Didn’t you learn anything in the Heart of the Mountain?”
Eva’s nerves threatened to overcome her. By all accounts what they were about to do was crazy, just like Ivan said. She didn’t even want to think about the trouble they’d be in, either. She didn’t know what the punishment for desertion was. Aiding a prisoner of war, however… that alone would probably put all their heads on the chopping block.
“We’ll worry about that when we have to,” Eva said, as much to reassure herself as the others. “Right now, we’ve got to get Chel out of here without being noticed. Any ideas?”
“Well, we’ve snuck around this place in the dark before, it shouldn’t be too hard,” Sigrid said. “The tricky part might be gathering enough food without anyone getting suspicious or being followed.”
Eva unrolled the map Adelar had given her across her bed. “I’ve been thinking and even if it’s the most obvious route, I think it makes the most sense to go around the Endless to the north,” Eva said, leaving out that it had been the king who had suggested it. “Anything south of the Endless is going to be too cold with winter coming on. I don’t want to get caught flying in a blizzard if we can help it.”
“The north?” Ivan said, frowning at the map. “That’s pretty wild territory. Everything between Rhylance and Maizoro is wilderness. There’s a reason the caravans go so heavily guarded.”
“Nothing wrong with a good fight,” Sigrid said, rolling her shoulders. “What’s the point of breaking the rules if you can’t have a little fun?”
Ivan rolled his eyes. “My idea of fun isn’t getting my head cut off by some bandit in the middle of nowhere.”
“If you’re scared, then don’t come.”
“I never said —”
“Enough! Nobody’s going to get their head cut off.” At least, Eva hoped not. To discourage further discussion on the subject, she rolled up the map, fighting back a growing unease. “Let’s meet back here tonight.”
The rest of the day seemed to drag by. Eva’s stomach twisted in knots every time she thought about what they were planning to do. After halfway deciding a dozen times to call it all off when they met that night, she finally managed to force the feelings back.
Of Tahl, she saw no sign. Eva heard he was getting ready to lead his Wing on another patrol to the southeast and wasn’t sure if she should feel relieved their paths might not cross or sad she wouldn’t get to have at least a partial goodbye.
Not wanting to arouse suspicion, Eva, Sigrid and Ivan joined the rest of the Windsworn in the Main Hall for the evening meal. Once again, Eva’s nerves threatened to betray her, especially when Wynn came dragging up to their table after her final training circuit of the day.
“Storm Cross and his blasted conditioning,” she said, cursing the Gyr’s Drill Master before shoving a hunk of bread into her mouth. After a couple of chews, she started talking through it, spraying crumbs everywhere. “My whole body’s numb!”
The three of them picked at their meal while Wynn shoveled down hers as fast as she could swallow. Pausing to take a long drink, she seemed to notice their strange behavior for the first time.
“What’s the matter with you lot?”
Eva opened her mouth but nothing came out. She glanced at the other two for help but Ivan looked ready to burst for want of spilling their secret. Wynn frowned.
“Gryphon got your tongues?”
“Don’t want to eat too much — we’re going to train tonight,” Sigrid said, breaking their awkward silence. “Getting ready for another mission. You can come if you want the extra practice?”
Wynn snorted and shook her head like Sigrid had asked her to grow a pair of wings and fly off the mountain. Inside, Eva wanted to shout for joy at her friend’s quick response.
“Like hell,” Wynn said. “I’m beat. Soon as dinner’s over it’s bed for me.”
While Wynn finished shoveling down her food, the rest of them picked at their own plates, waiting for her to finish. After what seemed like an eternity, the younger girl took one last long draught and rose from the bench.
“See you…tomorrow?” Ivan said.
Wynn gave the Scrawl a strange look and, once again, Eva found herself confused by the pair of them. “Yeah, guess so,” she said.
Before Sigrid or Eva could tell her goodnight, the younger girl walked off without a look back at them. As soon as she was a few tables away, Ivan let out a gigantic sigh and buried his face in his tattooed hands.
“Let’s get out of here,” Eva said. Although she knew how much it would hurt not to have some semblance of a goodbye with Tahl, Eva didn’t want to run into anyone else.
The other two nodded and they made their way out of the crowded hall. Cutting down a side passage, Eva waited to make sure they were alone before speaking.
“Alright, Ivan, meet us at our quarters after the first bell,” she said. “We’ll get Chel first, then head to the Roost. And whatever you do —”
Footsteps sounded down the passage and Eva paused, heart racing. All three of them listened, but no one appeared and they couldn’t hear anything.
“Must’ve been an echo,” Sigrid said at last.
Eva bit her lip. “Let’s hope.” Night couldn’t come fast enough.
Not long after the first bell sounded and Eva found herself wandering through the dark hall of the Gyr, she wondered yet again if they were making a terrible mistake. The slightest noise, from wind whispering down the passages to the crackling embers of sputtering torches, set her on edge.
“Will you keep quiet?” Eva hissed. Ivan paused mid-step, no doubt to inadvertently scuff his boots on the stone passageway floor or clear his throat for the hundredth time. The Scrawl gave Eva a bewildered look like he hadn’t done a thing and shrugged.
Leading the way, Sigrid turned and waved an impatient hand at the two. They’d made it down to the mid-levels of the Gyr without incident. Compared to the period of attacks when Eva had first arrived at the Gyr, security within was almost nonexistent, the benefit of living atop a mountain only accessible by flight or a handful of secret passages in the pitch black bowels of the mountain, guarded by ancient traps.
They passed the storerooms to one of the lowest levels in the mountain that the Windsworn ventured. Lower still were the Catacombs, a maze of tunnels filled with ancient traps designed to smash, cut or otherwise maim anyone who didn’t belong, the last remnants of the original inhabitants and builders in the mountain. Just above the Catacombs sat the old dungeon, empty most of the time save for exceptionally important prisoners, like Chel.
Eva gnawed on her lip as they crept along, hoping there weren’t any guards watching over the Juarag-Vo girl. Secured in a cell of solid stone and iron, no one could escape the dungeons without outside help but Eva didn’t know what they’d do if they
happened across a guard by some random chance.
When they rounded the passage, Eva breathed a sigh of relief. The large double stone doors that marked the dungeons were swung shut, but no guards were posted. Sigrid took a cautious step forward and pushed the right door open just wide enough for them to fit through. Ivan whispered a kenning under his breath and a small yellow flame grew out of the palm of his hand.
With Ivan leading the way they passed by the empty cells. Eva marveling at the way each seemed to be carved from the mountain’s bones. She knew from experience how miserable a stay there could be. Just as she started to worry that Chel had been moved, Sigrid pointed to her right. Chel lay inside on a battered straw mattress, fast asleep
“Psst!” Sigrid hissed. “Hey, cat girl. Get up!”
Chel muttered something and started to roll over before sitting straight up in alarm. Her dark eyes darted in their direction and widened in recognition.
“What are you doing here?”
“Getting you out,” Eva said. The Juarag girl leaped to her feet and rushed toward the bars.
“Ah-ah,” Ivan said, wagging a finger with the hand that wasn’t cradling a small ball of fire. “Not so fast. There’s a couple of conditions.”
Chel’ brow creased and she took a step back away from the cell door. “What kind of…conditions?”
“If we free you, you must swear to take me to my father,” Eva said.
“Play us false,” Sigrid added, laying a hand on one of the many knives at her belt. “And you’ll be sorry.”
The Juarag girl studied them through narrow eyes. “Deal!”
“Better stand back,” Eva warned.
Ivan stepped in front of the door and pressed his palm with the summoned fire in it against the lock. Eva watched, wide-eyed as the metal began to glow, faint at first then bright like a bed of hot coals in the forge. A moment later, the lock gave way and the door swung open. Eva winced as the un-oiled hinges croaked, the sound bouncing throughout the empty dungeon.
Chel stepped out of the cell and the three took a collective step back, reaching for their weapons, or in Ivan’s case, raising his flame-engulfed hand into a fighting stance. The Juarag-Vo girl held up her hands. “I gave you my word. No tricks.”
Eva suppressed a sigh. Halfway there.
Sigrid back in the lead, they started back up the myriad of winding passages and caverns within the Gyr. Eva brought up the rear. Although there shouldn’t have been anyone awake at the hour, she kept glancing over her shoulder, imagining she heard footsteps echoing after them through the twisting halls and making people out of the shadows flickering off the crystal lamps that illuminated the upper levels.
Eva fought back another sigh of relief as the long stairs leading up the Roost came into view. Inside the cavern, a sliver of moonlight shone through the split in the mountain. They started down the cavern toward the end where their gryphons waited, harnessed and ready for flight. Now all they had to do was —
This time, Eva knew she wasn’t imagining the steps behind her, especially when the others turned in alarm. A lone figure stood at the other end of the Roost and Eva’s heart sank. It was Tahl.
Chapter Seven
“What’s going on?” Tahl asked, one hand resting on his sword hilt.
Eva stood rooted to the spot but luckily Ivan stepped in. “Top secret patrol,” he said. “The Lord Commander is sending us to check some of the southern settlements near the Scrawl border before winter hits hard. We believe the Juarag might make a push in that direction since there’s not as many forts in the area.”
Tahl raised his eyebrows. “Oh really? Because when I overheard you in the hall after dinner it sounded like you were going to do something stupid. And now you’re trying to leave the Gyr with a prisoner of war.”
Eva glanced back at the others. “Give us a minute.”
“Don’t go anywhere in the meantime,” Tahl said, hand still on his sword. When Eva stepped closer, however, the determined expression on his face melted to something that looked an awful lot like heartbreak. Eva looked at the ground, unable to bear it.
“I can explain —”
“Doesn’t seem like there’s a lot to explain, Eva. You were just going to sneak out of here without a word?”
“I knew you wouldn’t come and I didn’t want to put you in a compromising situation by telling you,” Eva said. But the words sounded hollow, even to her.
“You didn’t even ask me,” Tahl said. He didn’t sound mad — Eva thought it would have been easier if he had.
“I —”
“This is treason!”
“If I had any support from Uncle Andor I wouldn’t have to do it this way,” Eva said. A rush of anger flared inside her, burning away the guilt. “I went to him first. He doesn’t want to find my father. It doesn’t matter to him.”
Tahl frowned. “The least you could have done is told me, or even asked —”
“Asked what?” Eva said. “If you would come? Will you come with me?”
He looked taken aback as if that was the last thing he’d expected her to say. “I…it’s not that easy!”
“Of course not,” Eva spat. “Because you’re the golden boy, you’re the hero around here and you don’t want to risk your spotless reputation for me.”
“You’re talking about desertion!” Tahl fired back. “Do you even understand what you’re saying?”
“Do you?” Eva asked. “Because all I hear is ‘Eva, I care more about being Windsworn than about you.’ That’s what it sounds like.”
“That’s not what I said. If you’d just —”
“If that’s how it is, at least have the courage to say so,” Eva said, looking down so he wouldn’t see the tears welling in her eyes. “But we’re going either way.”
“Eva, this is madness. Please, I’m begging you. I don’t want you to die.”
“Goodbye, Tahl,” Eva said. The threat of tears vanished and she found herself surprised at how calm she was, aside from waking up the Roost, she had no desire to fight anymore and she realized her mind was completely made up.
Tahl took a step back like she’d slapped him. Sigrid, Ivan, and Chel joined her side. “You’re all under arrest,” he said, drawing his sword.
Ivan muttered a few words. This time, his hand crackled and glowed pale blue as ice spread up to his wrist.
“No!” Eva jumped between them and placed a calming hand on Tahl’s chest. “We didn’t come here to fight. Please, Tahl, just let it go.”
“We’re going to wake up the Roost Master!” Sigrid hissed.
Eva could tell her words weren’t reaching Tahl anymore. He took a step back and her hand fell from his chest as he settled into a fighting stance.
“Oh for crying out loud,” Sigrid said. “You’re going to fight three of us?”
“If that’s what it takes,” Tahl said. “I’ll ask you one last time to —”
Ivan whispered again and Eva saw a series of runes on his arms and neck flare to life with the same pale blue light. A ball of ice grew in the Scrawls hand and shot across the gap between them, striking Tahl in the head. Crying out, Eva rushed to his side as he fell the ground. A gigantic bump grew on Tahl’s forehead but his heartbeat was steady.
“I guess you could say he’s out cold,” Sigrid snickered.
Eva whirled around, glaring at her and Ivan. “You could’ve killed him!”
Ivan held up his hands like he didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. “What? Did you want to fight him? He’ll be just fine, I promise. A little headache is all. When he wakes up, he’ll probably be pretty angry at us though, so we’d better get going.”
Eva cradled Tahl’s head in her lap for a moment longer and winced at the lump. “I’m sorry it had to be this way,” she whispered, even though she knew he couldn’t hear her. She leaned forward and her lips brushed his forehead. “Please don’t hate me.”
Laying his head gently on the ground, Eva stood and pointed to Chel. “Y
ou’re riding with Ivan. Try anything and he’ll throw you off, from as high up as he wants. We’ve found your weapons, but they’ll be with Sigrid.”
Sigrid looked at the Juarag-Vo girl as if daring her to try and take them but Chel just nodded. “I told you, I am on your side, I have no desire to play you false.”
Without answering, Eva walked past them toward Fury, who clawed at the ground, impatient to be gone. Eva swung in the saddle, resisting the urge to look back at Tahl.
One by one, they lifted off into the night, flying around the back side of the mountain to decrease the chance of being seen by any residents of the Gyr who might have been up. Eva shivered and pulled her cloak tighter about her in the cold night air. In the faint moonlight, she glanced back to see if anyone had followed them out of the Roost, but the night sky behind them was as bleak and empty as it was ahead.
Rather than flying over the city toward the Craftsman District, Eva guided Fury downward until they flew just higher than Gryfonesse’s battlements. Holding well beyond bow range and thus out of sight of any night watch patrolling the walls, they swung around the northern side of the capital city. When the western walls came into sight, Fury rose higher into the sky once more.
They passed over the walls without being challenged. Even if a guard saw them, Eva doubted any would question what a gryphon rider would be doing, no matter the hour. Below, the white stone of the city’s building made a ghostly hue in the silence of the night, setting Eva’s nerves on edge.
When the familiar cottage, yard, and smithy appeared, Eva forced herself to unclench her jaw. Raising a hand to signal the others, Fury wheeled downward and the cold air rushed up to meet them, chasing tears out of the corners of Eva’s eyes. Aside from the rustling of feathers and the creaking of the cold, leather harness, they landed in silence.
The sight of the forge sent a pang of longing through Eva. Her mind went back to the days she’d spent toiling in the forge with her foster father, Soot, and his friendly golem, Seppo.
Eva slid out of the saddle and felt a tremble in her legs as she started walking across the yard toward the cottage. Something clanked and clanged from within the forge and Eva’s hand went to her sword, even though she knew exactly what made the sound. Two piercing blue orbs attached to an empty helmet and a hulking suit of armor loomed out of the darkness but rather than being alarmed, Eva grinned.
Windswept Page 5
