Aysun pressed a button. ‘Rufin. Rufin.’
Nothing happened. He tried again, repeating the name several more times. Then, to Ynara’s amazement, another voice came out of the box.
‘Ays? What the bloody hell? You made it work, you raging genius.’
‘No time for that, Ruf. Get Eyas and get here, by tomorrow.’
‘You going to ditch us again like last time?’
‘No. Stop wasting time. You’re not here by noon tomorrow, we’re going without you.’
‘Ah - where are we going?’
‘You’ll find out tomorrow.’ Aysun switched off the box and the noises faded. Ynara looked at him for a long moment.
‘You,’ she said at last, ‘never cease to amaze me.’
Aysun grinned like a schoolboy.
Orillin was in class when Ynara arrived at the school. As an Elder of the Realm, it was no trouble for her to gain access to his lecture. She had only to say a few things about “extreme importance” and “complete urgency” and she was ushered straight in.
Orillin was a bright young man with a shock of messy blond hair. He looked at Ynara with a mixture of interest and puzzlement as she was shown in.
‘I’m afraid I need to borrow Mr Vanse,’ Ynara said, addressing the tutor.
The tutor, a middle-aged Glinnish woman with a cheerful demeanour, looked at Orillin in amazement. ‘Oh! Is there some problem?’
‘Hopefully not, Ms Pelne.’
Orillin stood up slowly, his red face showing that he was conscious of the stares of his classmates. He left the room with her without looking back.
‘Ah... I’m not in trouble of some kind, am I?’
Ynara shook her head. ‘Truthfully, Mr Vanse, I hardly know. But possibly. Quite possibly, yes.’
That silenced the boy. He followed her outside, palpably nervous.
‘Elder. Do my parents know about this?’
‘You’ll see your parents in a few minutes, Mr Vanse.’ Ynara spread her wings and jumped. Orillin followed her into the air. To her relief, he asked no further questions as they flew to Ynara’s home; the pace she set was extremely fast, but he didn’t complain.
Aysun had collected the elder Vanses while Ynara extracted Orillin from his lessons. When she arrived, he gave a tiny, almost imperceptible shake of his head. She understood. He’d questioned the Vanses and discovered nothing; if there was anything unusual about their son, they knew nothing about it.
Orillin smiled nervously at his parents as he entered the Sanfaer living room. They stood up, looking at Ynara anxiously.
‘Elder Sanfaer, what is this about?’
In answer, Ynara simply handed them Devary’s note. ‘This came from an agent stationed in Nimdre,’ she explained. It wasn’t too far from the truth.
The Vanses read rapidly. When they’d finished, they both looked up at Ynara with identical expressions of alarm.
‘Ori is in danger? From who?’
‘The precise identity of the enemy is not known,’ Ynara replied steadily. ‘But our Llandry has encountered considerable trouble since she discovered the cursed draykon bone. If her enemy is also Orillin’s, then he must be removed from Glinnery with all haste. We propose to take charge of his safety. He will be taken to some relatives of ours; we do not anticipate that anyone will guess to look for him there.’
‘Where exactly?’ Orillin’s mother looked the way Ynara had often felt lately: alarmed, confused, and oppressed by a degree of fear she only felt when her child was threatened. She felt a stab of deep sympathy for the woman.
‘Irbel,’ Ynara said. ‘As you know, my husband hails from there. Is there some story you can tell to explain Orillin’s absence for a time?’
‘Um.’ Orillin’s mother faltered, looking at her son with terrified amazement. ‘We can say he is ill, perhaps.’
‘He’s in a specialist infirmary in Glour,’ Ynara decided. ‘Don’t say which one.’
Mrs Vanse nodded, but her husband was not satisfied. ‘I mean no disrespect, Elder Sanfaer, but can you protect our son? The two of you alone? Shouldn’t he be placed under government guard?’
Aysun spoke up at that. ‘A government guard did nothing for Llandry. Your son needs to be placed somewhere he can’t be found. And we won’t be alone.’ He crossed the room in two strides and opened the far door. On the other side stood Rufin, cleaning his gun. He beamed and bowed extravagantly.
‘We’ll have help,’ said Aysun.
Sayfer Vanse frowned. ‘Where is your daughter?’
‘Somewhere safe,’ Ynara said firmly. She only wished she felt as sure of that as she sounded. As was too often the case of late, she really had no idea where Llandry was now.
Orillin himself asked considerably fewer questions than his parents. He was scared and it showed, in spite of his efforts to be cheerful. He stayed close to Ynara, watching the insouciant Rufin with a mixture of awe and dread.
‘Time’s wasting,’ said Aysun gruffly. ‘Let’s go.’
Mrs Vanse clung to her son for a long time. After a while Aysun looked ready to separate them, but Ynara held him back. She understood the shock the Vanses were suffering; in some ways Orillin’s danger would be hardest on them. They had the unenviable task of doing nothing, only waiting for Orillin to come home.
At last Mrs Vanse released Orillin. She and her husband left quickly.
‘Your parents packed some of your things,’ said Ynara to Orillin gently. ‘Are you ready to go?’
He didn’t say anything, just nodded. Ynara gave him a smile, squeezing his hand briefly. This boy was as brave as her Llandry.
They left the house on foot, on account of their wingless comrades. The boy walked along in silence for some time, his mind obviously busy. Ynara took up a station on his left, keeping him company without pressing him to talk. He would have enough to worry about soon; she left him his peace, for a brief space.
After perhaps an hour, he roused himself from his reverie and looked at her. ‘Elder Sanfaer? How long will I have to be away? You see, my exams are coming up and I’m due to graduate soon.’
‘I’m sorry about that, Orillin. I’ll make sure you’re given the chance to make up the lost time later. I really don’t know how long you’ll be away.’
The boy sighed a little and nodded. ‘Ah, Elder?’
‘Yes.’
‘I don’t understand any of this. You say I’m related to your family in some way?’
‘You and my Llandry are distant cousins, yes.’
‘Why does that put me in danger?’
Ynara debated briefly about how much to tell him. She didn’t want to scare the boy, but he deserved to know why he had been suddenly pulled out of his comfortable life by a family he barely knew.
So she told him everything. About the draykon bone, about Llandry’s transformation, and about Pensould. When she had finished, poor Orillin’s eyes were very wide and he swallowed nervously.
‘If anybody but you had told me such things, Elder Sanfaer, I’d say they were crazy. But those news reports... was that Llandry?’
‘The grey was Llandry, yes.’
‘And you think I may be able to do that too?’ A note of excitement crept in and when he looked at her his eyes were shining.
‘I don’t know, Orillin, but it’s possible.’
‘I’d like to meet Llandry. Just to meet her, I mean in a sociable way, but also maybe she could - maybe she could teach me things.’
Ynara sighed. She didn’t have to ask what “things” he meant.
‘I want to see her too. Perhaps we will, soon.’ She signalled to Aysun and he drew level with her.
‘We’re far enough along the Irbel road,’ she murmured to him. ‘Shall we move it along?’
Aysun nodded and turned off the road, heading into the trees. When they were well hidden from view, he smiled at his wife.
‘Go ahead.’
Ynara looked at him for a second, trying to gauge his state of mind. For many years h
e’d hated it when she worked sorcery in his presence. She couldn’t tell if he truly felt differently about it now; his face was, as ever, impassive.
Needs must, she thought. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting her mind slip into the working-trance. It had been a long time, but she had forgotten nothing. In an instant the paths to the Upper Realm were within her reach. A swift, sharp tug was all that was required, and a gate blossomed in the air before her. She inhaled, enjoying the heady fragrance of flowers and honey that drifted through.
‘After you, Ruf. Eyas.’ She watched as Aysun’s friends stepped through first.
‘Aren’t we going to Irbel?’ Orillin’s excitement had faded; his fear was back as he hovered on the edge of the gate.
‘Irbel isn’t far enough away,’ said Aysun. ‘Don’t be afraid. You’ll be safe.’
Orillin swallowed, nodded, then he too passed through.
Brave boy, Ynara thought.
Aysun turned to her. ‘You sure about this?’
She nodded. ‘I want to. Are you sure about this?’
‘No choice, really.’ He kissed her briefly, then placed a gentle hand on her lower back, guiding her to the gate. Taking a deep breath, she allowed herself to be drawn into the portal.
It was the first time in a decade that she’d used an expletive, let alone several of them in quick succession.
‘Why... the bloody hell... does it have to be so painful,’ grated Rufin. Ynara agreed with him entirely, setting her teeth while her body tried to expel every piece of food she’d ever eaten in her life.
‘Won’t last,’ she gasped. Poor Orillin’s face had passed through stark white and progressed to pale green. She went to him, holding his head while he vomited.
‘You’ll be all right in a moment,’ she murmured.
He managed a weak smile. ‘It’s training. I’ve made the crossing too many times lately. Wears you down, I suppose.’
‘Of course.’
Eyas was lying on his back in the grass. ‘Every time I do this, I think - this time - I’m definitely going to die.’
‘Rubbish.’ Aysun was white with tension under his tan, but otherwise he was remarkably unaffected. Ynara knew him well enough to guess that he simply refused to display his discomfort. She patted his arm lightly and he flashed her a brief smile.
‘Better get on,’ he said. ‘Sooner we reach my father’s house, the better.’
‘How do you know where to find him?’ Ynara asked the question in an undertone. Aysun responded with a humourless smile.
‘I don’t. But he has a habit of finding me.’
Aysun was right, for soon after their arrival in the Uppers there came a whirring of wings and a flash of colour and Llandry’s erstwhile companion appeared. At least, it looked like the same creature. Ynara raised a questioning brow at her husband and he nodded confirmation.
‘Follow that,’ he said curtly. Orillin watched the creature’s progress with an expression of puzzlement on his youthful face.
‘Irilapter?’ he asked. ‘Odd. Its mind doesn’t feel the way I’d expect.’
‘It has a passenger,’ Aysun replied, though he refused to explain further.
Rufin took the lead, flanked by Eyas and - at his own insistence - Orillin.
‘I can be useful in this,’ he’d protested when Ynara had tried to shepherd him behind the others. Watching him take his position at Rufin’s left, she suffered some misgivings. He was under their protection, and it was her job to keep him safe. But she ruthlessly suppressed her doubts. She’d tried to protect Llandry by hiding her from all danger, but all she’d achieved by it was frustrating Llan to the point that she’d run away. The consequences of that had been severe. The last thing they could afford to do was push Orillin’s youthful pride to breaking point.
Aysun kept his wife close, stationing them both behind Orillin. Ynara had to be content with that, merely praying that they wouldn’t encounter anything excessively dangerous before they reached Aysun’s father’s house.
She sneaked a glance at her husband. She had been surprised when he’d suggested taking Orillin to his father. He’d returned not long ago swearing never to have anything to do with the man again. But she couldn’t deny that the plan was the best option they had; up here, Orillin would be well hidden.
And she was curious to meet the infamous Rheas Irfan.
‘Trouble yonder,’ said Orillin suddenly. Ynara noticed Eyas cast him a sharp look.
‘You sure, lad?’
At Orillin’s nod, Eyas whistled. ‘You’ve a better range than mine, then. What’s the danger?’
‘Orboe,’ he replied.
Ynara didn’t recognise the name, but the word rattled Eyas. He turned back quickly.
‘I’d like to suggest you travel on the wing for a while,’ he said to her. Feeling her arm squeezed, Ynara glanced over at Aysun.
‘Go on, love,’ he said.
She obeyed, but reluctantly. She flew low, keeping Orillin and Aysun in clear sight.
Until her attention was distracted by a blur of movement up ahead. She flew higher, rigidly controlling the pulse of dread that threatened to freeze her limbs.
Apparently an orboe was a creature more than six feet long from nose to stubby tail and covered in shaggy grey fur. It walked on all fours, its horrifyingly powerful body heavily built. Its eyes and ears were tiny, but its jaws were massive. Ynara had no trouble imagining the size of its teeth.
It would be only a few minutes before it would see - or smell - Ynara’s group.
She dived back towards the ground. ‘Aysun,’ she gasped. ‘We cannot handle this creature. We need to get out of here.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Orillin said over his shoulder. He smiled, looking remarkably at ease. ‘I can deal with it.’
Eyas was shaking his head. ‘Ynara may have a point,’ he said. ‘Facing down an orboe is not-’
‘It’s fine,’ Orillin interrupted. ‘I’ve done it before.’
‘What? Don’t be an idiot, you can’t just-’
He was interrupted by a shattering roar and the orboe came on, crashing through the yellow-tipped bushes that covered the ground ahead. Swearing again - her vocabulary of expletives had rarely been so well exercised - Ynara returned to the air, watching anxiously as Rufin levelled his shotgun at the beast and Eyas prepared to attempt mastery over it.
To her horror, Orillin walked freely towards it. He was actually holding out his hand, as though he expected to make friends. She wanted to cry out, but the words froze in her throat.
The orboe slowed its charge, shaking its head as though confused. After another moment it stopped before Orillin and then - to her complete amazement - it butted its head against the boy’s chest, hard enough to knock him to the ground. Ynara felt another spasm of alarm, but the boy was actually laughing.
‘Want to keep him?’ he called merrily. ‘His name is Graaf.’
Eyas was staring at the boy in flabbergasted silence.
‘What... in the Lowers... was that?’ he said at last.
‘Weirdest thing I’ve ever seen,’ said Rufin, shouldering his gun again.
Orillin grinned a little apologetically. ‘I’ve always been good with the bigger animals.’
‘Good? ’ Eyas almost shrieked the word. ‘That’s not even possible!’
Ynara swooped down to land next to Aysun. ‘I wonder if Llan would’ve been like that.’
If she’d been summoner trained. She didn’t add those words; she didn’t want it to seem like an accusation.
Aysun merely grunted.
The orboe was now accepting chunks of fruit from Orillin’s hands.
‘Wait,’ she said. ‘It’s a herbivore?’
‘Omnivore,’ he corrected, petting the creature’s massive shaggy head. ‘But he doesn’t think of any of you as food anymore.’
Anymore? She shuddered and decided not to ask.
When the company travelled onwards again, they did so with Graaf ambling along at Orill
in’s heels like an overgrown dog.
Rheas and Aysun were so alike in face and manner that Ynara felt a foreboding chill.
Please, don’t let Aysun turn into his father when he reaches that age.
They sat glaring at each other with identical expressions of stubborn dislike.
‘Led us into an orboe,’ Aysun said accusingly.
‘That was my fault, was it?’
‘We were following your lead.’
‘Didn’t mean you didn’t have to look out for yourselves. I’m not a nanny.’
‘Don’t require a nanny. Just some basic concern for our welfare.’
‘If you think I’m careless, why did you bring the boy?’
‘He’s not safe in the Seven.’
Rheas snorted. ‘According to you, he’s not safe up here with me either.’
‘You planning to take proper care of him? Because if you wanted to make up for your earlier neglect, here’s your chance.’
That older, grey-headed version of her husband scowled at his son. ‘He’ll be all right with me,’ he said grudgingly. ‘Not that he seems to need much protecting.’
Ynara glanced outside, where Orillin was still playing with Graaf. ‘That’s true enough.’
Rheas’s cold blue eyes turned on her. He’d shown her distant politeness but nothing more; she’d responded with an icy coolness of manner that was barely civil. Let him work for his forgiveness.
‘You staying?’
It didn’t sound anything like an invitation. ‘No,’ she returned. ‘Much as I’d love to accept your generous offer, I’ve duties to attend to.’
Rheas didn’t reply, only turned his stare back on his son. ‘You?’
Aysun nodded. ‘Rufin and Eyas too. The boy needs a proper guard, until this is over.’
Rheas accepted this news with extremely ill grace. ‘You wouldn’t think peace and quiet would be so much to ask for,’ he said petulantly.
Aysun shrugged with complete indifference. ‘Please yourself. Anything happens to that boy while you’re napping, though, and I’ll kill you myself.’ She’d rarely seen him looking so grim.
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