And so it continued for weeks on end, as the last vestiges of winter disappeared and spring burst forth in all its glory. Even though war loomed life still went on: Rich, dark rows of earth lined the fields, a hundred different colors of flowering clover blanketed the pastures and the trees drooped, heavy with pregnant blossoms.
In spite of the stress of war and frustration of being a member of the royal family, Eva couldn’t help but enjoy a day outside in the beautiful spring weather, overseeing another load of supplies being transported to the Juarag camp. Fury, Eva, and Chel sat on a small rise, watching the last wagons roll down the graveled road. Fury’s copper feathers glistened in the burgeoning sun as the gryphon clawed at the soft earth with his foretalons, eager to be back in the sky. For a moment, Eva could almost convince herself she was just out on a noonday flight with Chel.
Despite everything they’d gone through to reach the valley, the Juarag refugees fared well over the winter. The nobles still grumbled about feeding “the savages” but thanks to Rhylance’s allies, the storehouses had never been more full. A host of immortal golem’s bent on total destruction might have been approaching, but at least there was plenty for everyone to eat.
Looking at each tribe’s group of skin tents and cook fires, Eva reflected on how clean and organized the camps of the “savages” were. As far as she knew, there hadn’t been any real disorder between the Rhylance teamsters and the Juarag, either. The nomads kept to themselves and seemed content to be left to themselves as much as possible.
Eva supposed it couldn’t hurt that their hot-headed warriors were all far away in the mountains, preparing for battle. If they all somehow made it through the war, Eva wondered how smooth the Juarag’s exodus from Rhylance would be when their chieftains and raiders reunited with their tribes.
She was about to mount Fury and leave when a ring of wagons on the edge of the Juarag camp caught her eye. They all featured small cabins built on top of their frames and the sound of tambourines and bells floated up from their midst. At the sound of the strange, wild music, a smile spread across Eva’s face.
“Come on,” she said, waving to Chel. “I think I know who that is!”
They hopped on Fury’s back and made the short flight down the hill to the riverside camp. Landing, Eva saw several Juarag rush for their tents at the site of a gryphon so close, but the owners of the wagons waved and called out greetings. Stepping away from Fury, Eva and Chel met a middle-aged woman wearing large hoop earrings and her hair pulled back in a bright scarf.
“It is you!” Eva shouted, hugging the woman. “I am glad you and your people made it, Belka.”
The woman smiled, bangles jingling on her wrists as she pulled out of the hug. “It is all thanks to you, Eva. We arrived just ahead of you — I confess I did not hope to see you alive again. Tell me, were you successful in your search?”
Both Eva and Chel grew a little somber. They’d met Belka on the Endless while searching for Chel’s tribe and Eva’s father. Although they’d eventually found both, none of those loved ones escaped the Smelterborn’s advance alive.
“We did,” Eva said, feeling her eyes well with tears and an all-too-familiar lump build in her throat. “Thank you, again, for your help. Without the supplies you gave us, I don’t think we could have finished our journey.”
Belka’s eyes searched them and seemed to recognize their still-fresh hurt. She nodded. “Think nothing of it. I do not know where my people would be without you.”
“Is there anything I can do for you?” Eva asked. “Do you need anything — food, blankets? I can find you lodging in the city if you want.”
Belka laughed. “We are more at home here, with the Juarag, than inside your city. You have done plenty. Do not worry about us.”
An overwhelming happiness seized Eva and she hugged Belka once more, grateful for a small bit of joy amidst the frantic war preparation. The feeling was short-lived.
The shadow of a gryphon passed overhead, the whoosh of wings moment later heralding its landing. Eva turned and her heart sank at the grave expression on the rider’s face. She recognized the woman, a member of the king’s wing named Tess.
“Princess Evelyn, your are wanted at the palace immediately.”
“What’s wrong, Tess?” Eva asked.
The rider looked over Eva’s shoulder at Belka and her people but Eva nodded, assuring her it was safe to continue.
“The Smelterborn, your highness,” Tess said. “They’ve…moved faster than anticipated.”
Eva swallowed and the warmth she felt from reuniting with Belka drained from her. “How close are they?”
“We’ve got ten days if we’re lucky.”
Chapter Six
“Ten days?” Adelar said. “That’s over a month ahead of when we expected them. How in the sky is that even possible?”
Andor shook his head. “I can’t explain it,” he said in a flat voice. “But I flew out and saw for myself yesterday. It’s like something is spurring them on, they’re traveling at almost twice their old pace now, even through the thick country in the foothills.”
The lord commander tossed a bundle of parchments on the table and continued speaking while the king looked over the reports. “Their numbers are close to a thousand or so, including their scouts and those smoky looking ones that attacked us at Eagle’s Point. The men have taken to calling them Shadowstalkers.
Oh good, Eva thought, let’s make them sound even more terrifying than they already are. She walked around the table to read the reports over Adelar’s shoulder but before she could get close enough the king threw them on the table, exasperated.
“We need more time!”
“What —” Eva started.
“I think we can buy a little,” Andor assured the king, ignoring Eva. “There’s quite a few piles of loose rock from fortifying the passes — Uthred had an idea. We can send a few wings at a time to drop them on the front lines of the Smelterborn. It might slow their advance. Arapheem and his raiders will take a few shots at them as well.”
“I —”
“And they’re heading toward the Talon?” Adelar asked.
Andor nodded. “We caught a break there, that’s the one thing going according to plan. Even with the Smelterborn’s increased speed, we should still be ready. General Brachus has overseen the construction all winter and assures me the fortifications will hold.”
Before Eva could speak further, Adelar gestured across the war table. In addition to a map, small carved pieces marked the current positions of their armies and the armies of their allies. “That would give us enough time to get the last companies from Pandion and the Scrawls in place.”
Eva frowned and glared at her two uncles who carried on their conversation as if she’d melted into the wall. The king and lord commander might preach the importance of her learning things, but whenever the time for decisions came, it was like she didn’t exist.
She sat in a chair while Adelar and Andor continued to outline their strategies, thinking how much more use she would have been at the Gyr. As before, neither of them spared her a moment’s notice. When Andor left at last to begin mustering the Windsworn, Adelar finally turned his attention to Eva.
“You’ll be in charge of Gryfonesse while I’m gone.”
Eva felt her mouth go dry and stomach churn at the thought. The feelings were replaced by a burning anger when she realized her uncle meant to leave her behind.
“While you’re gone where?”
“The Talon,” Adelar said, gesturing to the map. “I must have a presence among the soldiers.”
Eva jumped out of the chair and clenched her shaking hands into fists. “I will not be left behind while my friends and family go off to war!”
The king sighed and ran a hand through his short graying hair. “Eva…”
“No!” Eva shouted. “My place is with the rest of the Windsworn — with you and Andor. I’m tired of sitting around counting coins and whatever other busy work you think
up for me.”
“Eva, as the crown princess, you can’t spend your days solely as a Windsworn rider,” Adelar said. She opened her mouth to yell again but he cut her off with a raised hand. “You’ve got to learn how to rule a kingdom.”
“I’ve got years to do that!”
A strange expression crossed Adelar’s face. “I thought the same thing when I was your age,” he said in a quiet voice. “And I hated it as much as you do now. While my brothers went off on wild adventures I stayed here and learned about diplomacy and trade.”
“There wasn’t an army of Smelterborn coming to kill everyone and burn everything down to the ground then,” Eva pointed out.
Adelar’s usually stern face parted in a wry smile. “No, which is why it’s even more important that you stay safe. We took too many chances at Eagle’s Point. That can’t happen again.”
Eva’s anger and frustration fell to a simmer against her uncle’s cold logic. But the thought of her friends — and last remaining family — risking their lives while she stayed behind twisted her insides into knots.
As if sensing her divided loyalties, Adelar placed both hands on his niece’s shoulders. “If we lose the Talon, the city and the Gyr are our last defense. You’ll get more than your fill of fighting then.”
Eva gave a slow, reluctant nod, swallowing hard to fight down the tears. She tried not to think of Tahl, Sigrid, Ivan, Wynn, Andor and everyone else against the might of the Smelterborn.
“I… I’d like to spend a day or two at the Gyr and…”
She’d meant to finish with “say goodbye,” but the thought of what that might mean was unbearable, especially with her father’s death still fresh in her mind and heavy on her heart.
“I understand,” Adelar said, his face softening. “What about this: the Talon is less than two day’s flight away. Why don’t you join us on our flight out? You can tour the defenses with me and attend the war council. How does that sound?”
Eva forced a smile on her face and agreed. If that was the best she could get then so be it. And who knew, maybe something would happen that would force her to remain at the Talon?
Adelar seemed to read her mind. “On one condition,” he said. “You must return to Gryfonesse when I say. And your guard will remain with you at all times. Understood?”
Nodding, Eva took a deep breath. “Understood.”
The king drew Eva into a long hug. “We’ll get through this, I promise.”
Although it didn’t last nearly long enough, Eva relished the short flight she and Fury took from the capital to the Gyr. Without Chel, who’d already returned to the mountain with Wynn, it was the first time Eva and Fury had been alone in… she didn’t know how long. As soon as they were in the air, Fury did his best to pull away from her suggested directions. When Eva gave the red gryphon an impatient nudge with her heel to turn him the other way, Fury let out a rebellious screech and veered off on his own path.
“Hey, bonehead, knock it off!” she shouted at the back of Fury’s head. Eva was about to give him a harder dig in the side for ignoring her when she realized he’d been cooped up as well at the palace.
Even though Fury couldn’t see it, Eva shook her head in exasperation and gave the gryphon his head.
Delighted to have full freedom in the warm afternoon skies, Fury swooped and soared, his aerial prowess on display. In spite of her previous impatience, Eva relaxed and enjoyed the bond with her gryphon as he performed flips, dives and several other aeronautic acrobatics. Once more, her worries seemed to blow away in the open air.
Fighting her own reluctance as much as Fury’s, Eva finally turned them back toward the Gyr. Fury complied, only voicing a half-hearted cry in response to her directing. Nearing the Roost, stark reality returned. Dozens of gryphons and riders flew in and out of the large opening in the side mountain that served as a landing strip. The unusual activity was yet another mark of the impending war and a jarring reminder that life at home was not how Eva remembered it.
The mountain’s interior buzzed with activity. After seeing Fury unsaddled, groomed and fed, Eva made her way down the long staircase from the Roost toward the Main Hall through the bustle of riders. Although she saw plenty of friendly faces, none of her closest friends were anywhere to be found.
Halfway to her destination, a strange sensation overcame her, causing Eva to stop in her tracks. The sounds of other Windsworn laughing and talking around her faded. She looked to her right and saw a narrow side passage empty of people. A tingling sensation ran from the nape of her neck down her back just looking down the dimly lit tunnel.
Unsure why, Eva turned down the passage.
As soon as she stepped out of the main corridor, the light and noise faded behind the first bend in the smaller passage. The crystal lanterns on the wall flickered and sputtered a pale green light. A gentle breeze blew down the tunnel carrying a stale, musty scent with it. Eva glanced back once, eager to find her friends but the hair-raising feeling overtook her once more and she carried on.
A faint remembrance grew with each step Eva took, although she couldn’t ever remember going down this passage before. A gryphon’s scream echoed down the hall and Eva stopped, goosebumps spreading across her arms. A memory tugged at her mind, just out of reach. Now completely resolved to follow the passage, Eva carried on.
The farther she went, Eva became aware of a faint tapping sound. Although the tunnel twisted and wound about like a snake, there were no offshoots. Eva increased her pace. All the while the steady tapping noise grew louder.
The passage made a sharp twist. In the dim light, Eva almost ran into the rock wall, skidding to a halt and throwing her hands out to stop her. And then, she knew where she was. Looking at the ground, she recalled a frustrated, lost girl chasing after an ill-mannered gryphon hatchling.
She knew what came next.
Rounding the corner with caution, Eva peered into the larger chamber before her and spotted an enormous black gryphon with blind, milky eyes. The beast reared on its back two lion’s legs and clawed at the air, letting loose another piercing scream. Although she’d spent years around gryphons, Eva’s heart pounded in her chest and fear gripped her.
“Well, well, well,” a familiar, cracked voice said. “Look who came back for a visit.”
As the black gryphon settled down on all fours, a terribly ancient man hobbled around the edge of the chamber. His skin was even more spotted and discolored than Eva remembered, but the old man’s green eyes still held their sharpness.
“Lord Vyr,” Eva said. “It’s been a long time.”
Chapter Seven
“Ha!” Lord Vyr grinned, his paper-thin skin peeling back to reveal rows of yellow, broken teeth. “What is long time to a fledgling like you? Still, we’re glad for the company, by storm, aren’t we, Basil?”
The black gryphon let out a low hiss, suggesting he was anything but grateful. Eva took a cautious step back — the last time she’d been here she’d sworn the ancient gryphon was going to eat her.
“Oh don’t worry about him, my dear, he’s just all worked up because he’s going to miss the battle. Come on!”
Eva followed the old man around the corner of the chamber, keeping one eye on the black gryphon as she did. Although he looked to be as blind as a bat, Basil’s head followed her every movement and Eva was grateful to duck out of his gaze into a smaller cave where the gryphon wouldn’t fit.
When she saw the table, Eva stopped in her tracks. It looked as terrible as before, the jet-black surface carved with runes and stained with ancient blood. Eva realized she’d seen some of the same runes etched on the armor of the Smelterborn and the ebony of the table looked exactly like her father’s Dark Wonder. Another shiver ran through her and she began to regret her decision.
“Don’t stare, girl!” Lord Vyr snapped, beckoning her forward. Eva approached the table with more caution than she had with Basil.
“How —”
“That gryphon of yours, a red one, wasn�
��t it? How’s he? Too big for you to chase around like a kitten, I’ll wager!”
“He’s…well,” Eva said, unable to take her eyes off the table. “What —”
Lord Vyr snapped his gnarled, arthritic fingers underneath her nose. “Pay attention! It’s rude to ignore your host. And here we were thinking you had manners, girl. You didn’t even bring any honey for sky’s sake!”
“But the table!” Eva pressed, irritated at the erratic old man. “The runes!”
Lord Vyr nodded. “Well, you’ve got some sense at least. And when it comes down to it, sense is more important than manners in a woman — ha!”
Eva frowned not sure if she was being complimented or insulted. “I’ve seen them before.”
“Of course you have, of course you have, fledgling.” Lord Vyr nodded vigorously and his thin strands of white hair bobbed around his head like cobwebs. “The Gyr used to belong to the Ancients — don’t they teach you these things? They weren’t all as wonderful as they seemed — feathers, no — all sorts of vile blood magics to gain power or live forever. Nasty, nasty times. Nasty people, for the most part.”
The withered man hissed the last words out through his cracked teeth, sounding much like his gryphon in the chamber behind them.
“The prophecy!” Eva said, surprising herself. She struggled to recall the words.
“The lion, the eagle, and the queen,” Lord Vyr said, jabbing his crooked fingers at various runes carved into the table. “It’s all there. Do you not remember? One who can stop the iron storm and turn back the breaking wind.”
“I remember,” Eva said, “but I still don’t have any idea what it means.”
Lord Vyr, gurgled and spat a mouthful of phlegm onto the floor. Eva grimaced — it’d only missed her boots by a finger’s width. The old man studied the disgusting glob for a second and then look at Eva, blinking.
Windbreak Page 4
