Griffin's Daughter

by Lelsie Ann Moore

  “I’m surprised to see anyone else out and about so early this morning. It was a very, very late night for most of us. I trust you enjoyed yourself at my wedding feast?” His voice sounded blandly pleasant, though something about the way he looked at her sent little sparks of alarm coursing through her limbs.

  “Y…Yes, my lord,” she stammered. “I…must go now.”

  “Must you? Why, we’ve only just met, and I’m quite curious. I would very much like to hear your story sometime. My little brother thinks very highly of you, did you know that?” He moved in closer and Jelena edged away to maintain the distance between them. His eyes locked onto hers and she instantly recognized what simmered within their blue-green depths. She had seen the very same thing in Duke Sebastianus’s eyes when he had looked at her.

  “Usually, I don’t pay too much attention to the things my brother likes, but this time…this time, it’s different.”

  “Uh, beg pardon, sir, but I do not understand. My Siri-dar not so good,” Jelena lied. She understood all too well. Again she tried to get past, and again Sadaiyo blocked her way.

  Before she could react, he seized her wrists in an unbreakable grip and held her fast. “Listen to me, girl,” he growled. “I’ve been watching you ever since my snotty little brother dragged you in, and I like what I see. You are far too pretty to languish down here as a mere messenger, and you must know that my brother has nothing to offer you. Your life at Kerala would improve tremendously as my concubine. You’d have your own rooms in the castle, fine clothes, jewels…”

  Jelena felt sick. How could a newly married man spend all night making love to his beautiful bride, then the very next day proposition another woman?

  She shook her head emphatically. “Please let me go, Lord Sadaiyo,” she begged. She tried in vain to break the vise-like hold he had on her wrists.

  His eyes flashed grey-green fire. “I’d consider my answer very carefully if I were you,” he said in a low, dangerous voice. “Don’t be stupid, girl. If I’ve decided that I want you, then I’ll have you, of that you can be certain. It would be a very serious mistake to turn me down, especially in favor of my brother. Think about it.” He pulled her roughly toward him and whispered in her ear, “This isn’t over.” He then dropped her hands and sauntered away, leaving her bruised and shaken.

  Jelena’s knees turned to water, and she staggered backward, almost falling. Her thoughts fluttered in her head like terrified birds.

  What am I going to do? I have no defense against Sadaiyo. He’s the Heir. He can do as he likes, and no one can stop him, except…

  No. I can’t involve Ashinji. Things are already bad between him and his brother. This just might be enough to push him into doing something foolish. No, I must handle this myself, but how?

  She ran all the way back to the barracks.

  Chapter 26

  The Hunt

  Seven days had passed since Ashinji had made his declaration and Sadaiyo his proposition, and during that time, Jelena had managed to avoid both brothers.

  Ashinji had not sought her out, either; for this, Jelena felt great relief, because her resolve to lie to him about her true feelings had evaporated. She simply could not summon the strength of will to attempt to destroy the bond between them. Better that she avoid him altogether, at least for the time being, until she could figure out a course of action.

  As for Sadaiyo, he had been kept very busy entertaining his new in-laws, too busy to spare any more attention for her, thank the gods.

  Lord Sen kept her well occupied with carrying messages—orders, mostly, to all of the minor lords of the district. As their liege, part of Lord Sen’s job involved directing his vassals in their preparations for the upcoming confrontation with the Soldarans. Much remained to be done. Alasiri had been at peace for over a century, and it was Lord Sen’s considered opinion that the elven people had grown soft and complacent.

  Today, though, Jelena had no messages to carry. Lord Sen had given most of the staff the day off, and as a bonus, a hunt had been organized for the recreation of Lord Dai and his entourage. The newlyweds were to lead it. Kami had told Jelena that staff members who were not on duty were always welcome to attend organized hunts, provided that they stayed to the rear and did not take any shots without express permission from the lords, a rare and unlikely occurrence. As a messenger, Jelena was entitled to follow on horseback. Reluctant at first, she eventually allowed Aneko and some of the other guards to persuade her into joining them.

  The warmth of the morning offered a preview of the day’s heat. The lower yard buzzed with activity. Those staff members entitled to ride busied themselves preparing their own mounts while the grooms readied the mounts of the noble folk. A cluster of castle staff, mainly groundskeepers, laborers and kitchen workers, stood off to one side, well out of the way. They all intended to follow the hunt on foot, keeping up as best they could.

  Jelena stood with her guard friends, absently stroking the nose of her favorite horse, Willow. Aneko came stumping up, a little smirk twisting her full mouth. “Kami won’t be riding out with us this fine morning, I’m afraid. She’s green as an unripe apple and puking her guts out in the privies this very moment.”

  For the past week, Kami had been ill, especially upon rising in the morning. Jelena’s chest tightened with concern. “Maybe she should go see a doctor. Something very wrong could be with her,” she said. Aneko roared with laughter, as did several others. Jelena felt terribly confused, wondering if she had made some especially ridiculous mistake with her Siri-dar.

  “Oh, she’ll be needing the doctor all right, but she’s not sick, just pregnant,” Aneko explained patiently.

  Jelena blushed, embarrassed at her own ignorance. “Does Captain Miri know he is to be a father?” she asked.

  “He’ll know soon enough,” Aneko replied. “I dare say he’ll be putting in for that wage increase sooner than he expected. I s’pose their wedding will be moved up as well. Ai, the lords are mounting up. Let’s go!”

  Jelena climbed onto Willow and settled her bow across the saddle horn and a quiver of arrows at her knee. Aneko had suggested she carry the bow in case an opportunity for the commoners to shoot—unlikely, but still possible—presented itself.

  She scanned the group of nobles and caught sight of Ashinji, astride the big black gelding he favored. Her breath caught in her throat. In the midst of talking to Lord Dai’s son Ibeji, he abruptly looked up, like a hound scenting a rabbit. Slowly, as if an unseen force pulled at him, he swiveled in his saddle until he sat facing in her direction, catching her in his gaze.

  She felt dizzy, and that curious sensation she had experienced before—like thoughts and words not her own were trying to form in her mind—washed over her. A voice called her name; it sounded like Ashinji’s but his lips weren’t moving.

  Lord Sen interposed himself between Ashinji and Ibeji, blocking her view and abruptly the sensation vanished. She exhaled loudly and rubbed her forehead.

  “Is your head hurting you?” Aneko asked.

  “No…No. I am well,” Jelena replied. “All excitement, my first hunt…” She smiled and indicated the hubbub with a wave of her hand.

  “Just remember to stay to the rear.” Aneko pointed her thumb back over her shoulder.

  The cacophony in the yard increased twofold as the hunt mistress brought up the castle’s pack of hounds. They were impressive animals, with lean, muscular bodies and whip-slim tails. Their coats gleamed like black satin in the sunlight. Deep, throaty howls filled the air—a raw, primal sound, visceral and wild. Jelena could not help but feel a rush of excitement.

  The gates of the castle swung open, and the hunt flowed through. The hunt mistress and her assistants rode at the fore, the pack flowing like black water around their horses’ feet. Next came the field of noble folk, followed by the mounted commoners. The group on foot brought up the rear.

  Back in Amsara, Jelena had never been allowed to participate in any hunts, and even if she
had wanted to, her lowly status as a kitchen drudge would have meant that she’d have had to follow on foot. The idea of slogging through mud and brambles for hours just to witness other people bringing down game had never really appealed to her.

  This, however, was entirely different. She had a horse to ride, and social status far beyond anything she had ever imagined for herself. She had friends who respected her. She had, for the first time in her life, a real home.

  All of which she now stood to lose if she refused Sadaiyo.

  Don’t think about any of that now. Just enjoy the day.

  The field set out at a brisk jog, heading for a patch of woodland just across the river from the castle. The hounds fanned out and entered the trees, snuffling and growling. The field hung back to allow the dogs to do their work. A well-seasoned pack, they knew their business. Occasionally, the hunt mistress would whistle a series of tones. Jelena wondered what they meant.

  After a short time, the hounds emerged, tongues lolling. They had failed to flush any game. The hunt mistress whistled again, and the pack reformed, ready to move on.

  The hunt moved as one, a multi-legged beast loping through the golden fields of midsummer. They rode east, toward Saihama village, where, Aneko had informed Jelena, many deer had been spotted recently.

  It did not take the dogs long to find game once they had slipped back into the forest. A huge stag careened out of the trees, eyes as big as saucers, the hounds in hot pursuit. The nobles rode hard after it, Sadaiyo and Misune leading the charge. Jelena and the rest of the mounted commoners held back a few moments, then followed at a slightly slower pace. Out of the corner of her eye, Jelena could see the people on foot cutting across at a diagonal to the stag’s flight, as if they instinctively knew which way he would run. She bent low over Willow’s neck and galloped on, exhilarated.

  The stag pounded across an open meadow, trying desperately to loop back toward the shelter of the trees. The dogs leapt and snapped relentlessly at his heels until he abruptly turned and rushed them, head down, in an attempt to sweep them aside with his antlers. The dogs fell back, barking furiously, but they continued to keep the stag encircled, holding him for the hunters.

  It ended quickly. Misune had the honor of the killing shot—a single, perfectly placed arrow that pierced the stag’s lungs and heart. The beast fell to his knees, gouts of bloody froth dripping from nose and mouth. With a groan, he slumped to his side and lay still. The field let out a great cheer.

  Jelena rode up just as Misune took her shot, enabling her to witness the kill at close range. She admired the newest Sakehera’s skill with the bow, but at the same time, she felt a twinge of sadness for the death of a noble creature. The stag had run well, and Misune had granted him a speedy, dignified end.

  Jelena waited quietly, along with the rest of the common folk, while the nobles discussed where the hunt would ride next. Lord Sen suggested that they continue east to try the woods further on, and the rest agreed. Several servants were assigned to dress the carcass and carry it back to the castle.

  The hunt resumed. The hounds soon caught a fresh scent and followed it into the trees. The hunt mistress cautiously went in after them, signaling to her assistants to hang back outside on the forest’s edge.

  Jelena held her breath, afraid that even the softest of exhalations would break the concentration of dogs and hunters. Willow shifted beneath her with a creak of joint and muscle. The only other sound she could hear was the whisper of the wind in the treetops.

  The blat-blatof the hunt mistress’s horn, along with the explosive barking of the hounds, alerted the waiting field that the game had been flushed.

  “Here they come!” someone shouted. Jelena saw a flash of brown and white just within the trees—a doe on the run. Instead of making a break for it out in the open, however, the terrified animal turned at the last moment and headed back into the forest. The hunt mistress’s horn sounded again, and her two assistants spurred their horses into the trees.

  Jelena could see that the nobles really didn’t want to ride among the trees in pursuit. She surmised that they would much rather give chase out in the open where they could have clear lines of sight for shooting.

  The barking of the hounds grew fainter as the quarry moved deeper into cover.

  Sadaiyo cursed and shouted, “Come on! It’s getting away!” He spurred his horse forward and quickly disappeared from view. Like water through a breached dam, the field surged after the Heir, guiding their mounts as quickly as they could between the boles of the trees. Jelena started to follow, then realized that the common people were all hanging back. She turned to Aneko with a questioning look.

  “They’ll never catch that doe in those trees, not as long as they stay a-horse,” Aneko commented. “None of this lot…” she indicated the walkers with a flick of her hand, “…feel like getting trampled while the noble folk blunder about in there. Naw, we’ll just wait right here ‘til they get tired and come out.”

  Jelena fidgeted in her saddle, anxious not to miss out on a single moment of this, her first hunt. She made a decision. “I go in after, “she announced. Aneko shrugged and smiled lopsidedly, as if to say that it was no use, but Jelena could do as she liked.

  Jelena drummed her heels into Willow’s sturdy flanks, and the horse plunged eagerly into the cool shadows beneath the forest canopy. Shouts and whistles echoed among the trees, making it difficult to discern which way the hunt had gone. She decided to let Willow choose the path, for the mare strode along with purpose, as if she knew exactly where to go.

  Jelena could hear the dogs now, howling joyfully. They must be closing in on the doe, she thought.

  Without warning, Willow shied violently. Only sheer luck kept Jelena from being thrown. As she fought to control the mare, she caught a glimpse of a heavy, dark shape in the undergrowth. Bushes shook and leaves flew as an enormous gray-black beast exploded from a thicket beneath Willow’s nose and hurtled forward past the plunging horse. An ear-piercing squeal tore at Jelena’s ears.

  A wild boar!

  She and Willow had inadvertently blundered into its hiding place and flushed it out, but the tusker appeared more interested in escape than confrontation. It tore off through the trees and disappeared from sight, leaving both horse and girl shaking with reaction.

  Having regained control, Jelena urged Willow forward, now more anxious than ever to catch up to the rest of the hunt. Off to her right, she heard a man call out and decided to head in that general direction. Perhaps she would run into Ashinji. Her heart, having just slowed down, sped up again at the thought of seeing the man she loved.

  A man astride a big bay horse came into view—Lord Sen. He sat gazing ahead into the trees, his expression thoughtful, as if trying to decide whether to ride on or stay put. Jelena opened her mouth to call out to him, but he kicked the bay and trotted off. She urged Willow to follow.

  Suddenly, the thicket ahead erupted with a furious squeal. Lord Sen’s horse screamed in panic and reared, hurling the Lord of Kerala from the saddle. Jelena watched in horror as Lord Sen hit the ground with bone-breaking force and lay unmoving. The horse bolted away into the trees.

  The boar stood poised, his small black eyes glittering with porcine fury. His massive head, adorned with a pair of wickedly curved tusks, swung from side to side, snout twitching. Jelena could feel Willow preparing to bolt. Just then, Lord Sen stirred and groaned. With a snort, the boar charged.

  Later, Jelena would have no explanation for what happened next; perhaps the One Goddess guided her hands, perhaps the magic within her aided the deed.

  She felt her consciousness tear loose from her body and float free to hover above the scene now unfolding in slow motion below her. She watched as, seemingly without enough time to make a shot, she raised her bow, withdrew an arrow from the quiver at her knee, nocked, drew, and fired. The arrow ignited in a flash of blue flame and impaled the boar through its right eye, killing it instantly. The beast crashed to the ground and slid
forward in a tangle of limbs to fetch up against the semi-conscious Lord Sen.

  Jelena’s mind slammed back into her body with such force that she nearly tumbled from her saddle. Shaking her head dizzily, she scrambled off the trembling Willow and ran over to crouch beside Lord Sen.

  “My lord! Can you speak? Are you hurt?” she cried, struggling not to gag on the rank aroma of the dead boar. Lord Sen’s eyes fluttered open and for one terrible moment, Jelena saw only blankness, then a heartbeat later, a glimmer of recognition.

  “My messenger. Where did you come from?” Sen asked. He sounded genuinely puzzled.

  Jelena sighed with heartfelt relief. “Do you know what now just happened, my lord?” she asked. He struggled to sit up, and Jelena gladly lent her shoulder for assistance. She peered intently into his face. He looked pale and shaky but seemed more or less intact.

  “I startled a boar. My horse threw me. The last thing I remember is thinking that I was going to be very sore tomorrow after taking such a fall.” He let out a small chuckle, then gasped and clutched at his side.

  “You hurt, where in pain, my lord?” she asked, but he just shook his head, staring first at the slain tusker, then at the bow Jelena still clutched in her hand.

  “You saved my life, girl,” he said slowly. “Do you realize what that means?” He pointed at the arrow protruding from the boar’s eye. Jelena shook her head. “It means that you have earned the right to ask of me whatever you want, and I am obligated to give it to you, no matter the cost to me.”

  Jelena drew in a sharp breath, not quite believing what she had just heard. Lord Sen regarded her intently, and Jelena saw something in his eyes that she had never before seen in the gaze of a powerful man—respect. She shivered with awe.

  “Here, take this,” Sen wheezed, his right hand pressed tightly to his injured side. He fumbled with his other hand to release a small ivory horn from his belt. “Blow three short blasts, then three long ones. It will signal the others that there’s a rider down.” He held the horn out to Jelena, who took it and pressed it hesitantly to her lips.