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.
“The meaning is in the finding, fledgling,” he said. “When it comes down to it, prophecies are only as good as the people or creatures in them. The rest is up to you.”
“You don’t make any sense at all,” Eva said. She had enough stress and frustration without listening to the babblings of a cracked old relic.
Lord Vyr sighed and seemed to be just as impatient with her.
“Fear or greatness.” Eva shivered and the words echoed in her mind from years ago, when she’d been a scared, lost girl with an angry gryphon chick that hated her. “I sense greatness in you, but there is still much fear.”
Eva couldn’t argue, although greatness sure didn’t seem all that it was cracked up to be if her life was any indication.
“What will do you, Evelyn?” Lord Vyr said in a hushed tone. “What you will do when all hope seems lost and you find yourself alone in the darkness?”
A sudden fury rushed through Eva. “I’ll fight!” she shouted, surprised at her sudden outburst. She was tired of losing control, tired of always being afraid. “I’ll fight to the death!”
Lord Vyr nodded and bared his broken teeth in what was more of a snarl than smile.
“We’ve always liked your fire, girl,” he said. “Even when you didn’t know you had it.” A mad cackle burst from his lips causing Basil to scream again in the next room. Eva fought the urge to cover her ears as the piercing sound reverberated off the rocks.
Eva broke out into a sudden sweat that turned cold and set her shivering almost at once. “I…I think I should go now.”
“The eagle, the lion, and the queen,” Lord Vyr repeated breathless from his spell of laughter. “That’s the key to stopping the iron storm and halting the breaking wind. Do you understand?”
She didn’t have the slightest idea what the ancient lunatic was talking about, but Eva nodded anyway. “I’ve got it.”
Lord Vyr seemed content. “Good, good! Now, off with you! I must tend to Basil — he doesn’t like being alone, no matter how prickly he pretends to be. Begone!”
“Thank you?” Eva wasn’t quite sure what she was thanking him for.
But the old man wasn't listening. He gave her a dismissive wave and began whistling as he left her alone.
“I trust you know the way out, girl!” he shouted after her from the other chamber. “Good luck! And goodbye!”
As Lord Vyr’s manic, howling laughter followed her down the passage, Eva wasn’t sure if she felt better or worse after the encounter. Long after all sound faded, his words swirled in her head.
Prophecies, she reflected, were a much bigger pain in the rear than they were worth.
Chapter Eight
Gryphons filled the skies — more than Eva had ever seen in the air at one time. They spread across the pale blue expanse above the Windswepts, perhaps the greatest mustering of Windsworn Rhylance had ever seen. Eva couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride looking around at the riders and gryphons around her. Against any other force but the Smelterborn, they would have been unstoppable. Seeing the host in person, Eva allowed herself to think they just might have more than a chance to win the coming battle.
Fury soared through the air on the warm updrafts flapping his wings more to stretch than from a need to stay airborne. Although he’d been free to leave and hunt whenever he wished while Eva remained tethered in the city by her duties as princess, she knew Fury missed her company — he’d grown so surly and unruly in the past month that only Eva had been able to get near him without receiving an irritated hiss.
The blanket of new green grass and the bright spots of thousands of wildflowers gave way to stubborn drifts of snow and bare pale gray rock the higher into the Windswepts they flew. Below them, trails that would have normally been used by deer and elk returning the high country were bloated with siege equipment, horses, oxen, wagons, and soldiers. They cut through the beautiful spring scenery like a knife, reminding Eva that death for many loomed ahead during the season of rebirth.
They neared the Talon and the results of weeks of hard labor came into view. It was a marvel of construction, ingenuity, and cooperation between nations, but Eva still found the fortifications a blight on the mountain scenery. The pass itself was about a quarter mile wide and about three times as long, filled with nothing but slate rock. An earthen bulwark made from boulders, packed dirt and rows of timber stretched from one side to the other. Camps spilled out of the pass and down the western mountainside, filling the meadows and clearings with tents and muddy ground where troops drilled and made ready for the coming battle with the golems. Following the king on his blue-gray gryphon, Justicar, they dipped lower. Adelar and Andor’s private wings followed, as well as Eva’s newly-formed one — comprised of Sigrid, Wynn, Chel, Ivan and a couple other riders Eva had flown with in the past.
Eva wished she could have requested Tahl, but hadn’t wanted to compromise his situation in the king’s honor guard. Eva wasn’t clueless enough to think that her uncles didn’t know she and Tahl were more than friends but doubted either of them would approve of the engagement. Talented rider that he was, it didn’t change the fact that Tahl was common birth and therefore, in the eyes of Adelar and Andor, unfit to marry her. She supposed that if it weren’t for the war, they would have made her end the relationship.
Inside the pass, sheer rock rose up to impassable heights on either side. The snow-capped peaks far above were only accessible by flight and never free of their white crowns. As the mountain’s walls loomed up on either side of them, shutting on the vibrant greens and other colors of the high country, Eva felt the mantle of war descend upon her. The only color came from the banners of the various regiments in the pass. Everything else seemed cold and lifeless — as muted as the Smelterborn’s plate armor.
They flew over the first bulwark and then two more to reach the front lines. Here, the pass widened and descended into a steep slope down the eastern side of the mountain. Here on the eastern side, the earth had been churned into pure mud, on purpose Eva supposed, to make the steep climb even harder for the Smelterborn. Where the pass winged out on either side, Eva saw the Juarag’s hide tents crowded against the cliffs, right where they had requested. Sabercats snarled and tussled with one another, fighting over the rotting carcasses of horses and oxen that had died from overwork and were tossed over the walls for the savage creatures to feed on. Rows of boulders lined the top of the pass, placed to roll down upon the Smelterborn when they began their ascent.
Gazing into the distance, she searched for any sign of the approaching army even though she knew they would be hidden below the timberline. The slope had been cleared of trees for almost a mile. Eva saw additional ditches, rows of fence and hastily built palisade walls. She tried not to imagine the slaughter that would take place there and didn’t envy the soldiers sent out on those front lines with the Juarag. When retreat sounded, those soldiers would be faced with the same uphill climb through the mud as the Smelterborn. Rough-cut, wooden platforms interspersed on the slope held giant siege engines — catapults, ballistae and trebuchets ready to hurl even more rock down upon the Smelterborn. All well and good, until you realized nothing but a direct blow would stop the golems for good.
After a short loop around the eastern slopes, they wheeled back into the Talon and landed behind the second row of walls. A command tent had been set up in the one corner not occupied by soldiers, animals or supply wagons. Fury landed with a squelch in almost a foot of mud, hissing his displeasure. Eva frowned and slid out of the saddle into the mess, hoping she didn’t lose a boot in the muck and make a fool of herself in front of the troops. Behind her, a growling curse announced Sigrid’s landing. As soon as their riders were off, the gryphons leaped out of the muck to roosts on the craggy side of the pass. They hated the mud
and wet almost as much as cats. Eva gave Fury a quick pat on the beak before the gryphon flew off to join his fellows, spraying flecks of mud over everyone in the process.
“Let it never be said that war isn’t a glamorous thing,” Andor muttered, flicking a speck of mud from his cheek and glaring after Fury as he rose in the sky.
Eva stifled a laugh, which came out as a snort and a smirk. Shooting her an irritated glance to match the one he’d just given to Fury, Andor turned and headed for the tent. Eva groaned inwardly when she saw yet another map on the table, filled with even more wooden markers denoting the various military stations along the Windswepts. Their real-life counterparts stood at attention as Eva, the king, and lord commander took their places. General Brachus, an almost square man with a thick neck and beet red face, cleared his throat before pointing out various positions on the map with a riding crop.
“Our plan is to contain the Smelterborn to the eastern slope,” the general said, mustache twitching as his eyes roved over the map. “We’ve dug four layers of ditches and embankments up the ridge. As needed, we fall back to the higher lines, all the while throwing rock down upon the Smelterborn with the siege engines. Sky bless us, the ironclads will never get past the first wall.”
“And what if they do?” Eva asked. It was a good plan, but none of the men and women in the command tent had ever fought Smelterborn. “These aren’t men — they feel nothing and care nothing for their losses, general. They will keep coming down to the last golem.”
She could tell Brachus was fighting back a curt reply. Across the table, however, Andor and even Uthred nodded.
“We can fall back behind each wall as needed,” the general said, making it perfectly clear he’d been about to mention this. “If worse comes to worse and we lose the pass entirely, the Scrawls will trigger a slide, shutting off the Talon completely.”
Eva’s eyes widened. The Talon was the main gateway to the eastern frontier — sure, with enough time and work, Scrawls and hundreds of laborers could remove the debris. Eva’s concern was for the wounded soldiers that would be trapped along with the Smelterborn beneath tons of rock…
“But it won’t get to that point, your highness,” General Brachus said. It took Eva a moment to realize he was talking to her — she still hadn’t gotten used to the new title and refused to let her friends speak to her with any formality. “We’re confident we can hold the Smelterborn on the eastern ridge. This battle will field the mightiest army ever assembled in modern history.”
Eva thought this was probably true…if the general meant the golems.
“If we lose the pass, we will fall back to the capital,” Andor said. “Gryfonesse will be evacuated and the people sent west to Pandion. That’s why your role in the city is so important, Eva.”
For being so confident in their initial battle strategy, the level of detail that had gone into the fall-back plans unsettled Eva. She knew it was wise to plan for every outcome but still felt a looming unease the war council did nothing to alleviate.
Eva spent the rest of the day touring the remaining defenses. She didn’t believe it at first but Adelar informed her that the story of her journey east had spread and insisted she make an appearance before as many of the troops as possible.
“Everyone’s talking about the princess who rides the red gryphon,” the king said with a wry smile. “The Windsworn who fought a hundred Smelterborn and lived to tell the tale.”
“What a bunch of nonsense,” Eva scoffed. “I’m sure the tales get even more wild with each telling.”
“Maybe so,” Adelar said. “But seeing you gives them hope and that may be what it comes down to in the battle ahead, Eva.”
She didn’t have a response to that. Even so, Eva still felt like a storming idiot flying around the pass, offering weak smiles and awkward waves whenever soldiers and laborers paused to cheer and hail her.
At the end of the day, Eva was grateful to retire to her personal tent, although Adelar insisted on placing guards outside the door. The quarters were large enough for Sigrid, Chel, and Wynn to stay with her as well. Ivan rested in the Scrawls’ camp, exhausted from his shift using rune magic to improve the fortifications in the pass. Eva had only caught glimpses of Tahl all day. She had a sneaking suspicion that Adelar and Andor made sure to keep her betrothed busy, especially when evening came.
“Wonder how long before the Smelterborn get here?” Wynn asked, mouth full of bread.
“You probably won’t starve to death before then,” Chel said, wrinkling her nose at the girl’s atrocious manners. Sigrid took a similarly large bite of her own loaf and Eva shook her head at the pair.
“It’s going to be a bloodbath,” Eva said in a low voice. She wondered how many of those cheering soldiers had families waiting for them at home they would never see again.
“It is,” Sigrid muttered, starting to sulk again. She’d been looking forward to the battle even though she’d seen firsthand what the Smelterborn were capable of. Tired of her friend’s pouting, Eva gave Sigrid the choice to leave her guard and join the fight, but Sigrid only scoffed and shook her head.
“The last thing I want is to be responsible for the princess dying because I wasn’t there to get you out of trouble.”
“Lots of people are going to die here,” Eva said. “And for what? We’ll just delay the Smelterborn. As far as we know, there’s plenty more out there, just waiting to strike again.”
“Then we’ll fight again when they come!” Sigrid said.
But Eva didn’t think it was as simple as that. She thought of Seppo’s broken memories and wondered if they would have been better off searching for the First Forge. Lord Vyr’s words mingled among her thoughts as well. What in the sky did they mean?
Seppo and Soot were there in the camp, helping the other smiths. Eva had requested both of them in her guard and was surprised when Andor released the pair to return with her to the capital. She couldn’t think of two people she’d rather have by her side and hoped their assignments in her wing would keep them out of harm’s way.
Sigrid, Chel, and Wynn continued to talk but Eva withdrew herself from the conversation, choosing to thumb through a book she’d brought with her, the pages illuminated by the flickering lamplight bouncing off the tent walls. An hour or so later, the others settled down to sleep. Eva doused the light and felt waves of sleep washing over her when a shuffling sound outside the tent jolted her awake.
She listened, heart hammering as the sound drew closer. Her mind when to the Shadowstalkers and she leaned over the edge of her cot to grasp her sword, heart pounding. In the next moment, she realized no Smelterborn could walk that lightly, although this did little to relax her. Eva almost shouted for the guards when a familiar voice hissed through the canvas of the tent.
“Anybody awake in there?”
Eva let out the breath she’d been holding and slumped back on the cot. It was Tahl. Leaning over, she whispered through the tent wall. “What in the name of the sky are doing? If anyone finds out you’re sneaking around camp to see me…”
“I’m off duty,” Tahl whispered back through the curtain.
Eva looked around the tent and saw no one’s breathing had changed. If anything Sigrid’s snoring grew louder.
“Can you come out?” Tahl asked.
“You’re crazy!” Eva glanced at the front of the tent. The guards made no sound or other indication that they suspected anything was up. In spite of her words, Eva slipped on her cloak. With some careful prying and lifting, she squeezed out beneath the back of the tent and into Tahl’s arms.
“That’s better,” he said after they parted from a long kiss. “I’m afraid I can’t stay long, though. I’ve got duty in four hours’ time, and no matter where I am, they’ll expect me to be back soon.”
“I’m worried, Tahl,” Eva said, resting against his chest. After spending the day as a figurehead for victory, it felt good to have someone else to lean on. “I don’t think they’re taking the Smelterbo
rn serious enough.”
Tahl kissed her forehead and Eva thought her legs might buckle. “Everything will be fine, you’ll see. We’ve got a good position and basically the whole western half of Altaris to throw at them.”
Eva didn’t reply, trying to push aside her worries for the moment and savor their short time together. She knew that no matter the outcome of the battle, everything would be different. Being just Eva the Windsworn was a thing of the past. But here and now, she didn’t have to pretend to be some heroine or symbol of hope.
“When are you going to tell your uncle about…” Tahl trailed off “You know, about us?”
Eva felt herself stiffen in his arms. “I…after the battle,” she said. “I’m hoping things will settle down then and life can get back to normal, you know?”
“Whatever you think’s best,” he said, cupping her chin in his hand and smiling at her like Eva could do no wrong. This time, however, she felt more guilt than encouragement.
Still, Eva soaked in that cocky, self-sure smile, committing the moment to memory before pulling tight against him again. “Be careful out there, alright? If anything happens to my uncle, I’ll never forgive you.”
She looked up to show she was kidding. Tahl stepped back and spread his arms in mock indignation. “Oh and I’m just a meat shield for the Smelterborn?”
Before he could continue, Eva pulled him back and, for a long time, lost herself in his arms and lips. When they parted at last, heart racing and breath short, she knew she never wanted to have to say goodbye to him again. Tahl leaned in for another kiss. Summoning all of her resolve, Eva gave him a slight push away.
“Go on, hero,” she said, smiling. “You need to get your beauty rest.”
“Yeah, yeah, gotta look good for his highness,” Tahl said, rolling his eyes. When he took a hesitant step back, Eva felt the space between them like a hammer blow.
“Take care of my future husband too,” she said, winking.
Tahl grinned. “Of course, your grace.”
Windbreak: Gryphon Riders Book Three (Gryphon Riders Trilogy 3) Page 5
