Treyvan had seen Elspeth suppress a smile. He knew that she wouldn't be able to resist the opportunity to pay Firesong back. 'My stepfather has the earth-sense that a lot of the rulers of Rethwellan have,' she had put in. 'He says that Ancar does horrible things to the earth-magics in Hardorn - that during the last war he rode through a place where the magics had been so misused that the area was dying, and it made him ill just to ride across it.'
Vanyel had nodded, as if to say, 'There - you see?' and had turned his unwavering gaze back to Firesong.
The young Adept had grumbled something under his breath. 'This is blackmail, you know,' he had retorted at last. But when Vanyel did not reply, he had shaken his head, and finally given his reluctant agreement to go. 'It may be blackmail, but it is also true,' he had admitted, and had gone off to tell his Clan of the change in plans. 'I shudder to think how fickle my home Vale will regard me after all these changes of plan.'
Now it was Treyvan's turn to make a similar decision. Or rather, Treyvan and his mate, together, for he would make no such important decisions without her. They were explorers by choice. They had chosen, together, to be adventurers until the day fortune dashed them on the rocks. Their names would already live on in the stories told by their Clan, Treyvan knew, and perhaps even become legendary after a few more generations. Hadn't they done enough, after all?
Hydona came winging in from above, fanning her wings to break her dive and landing with practiced ease on the grass beside him. 'Do not tell me,' she said, snatching playfully at his crest-feathers. 'I think I can guesss alrready. You wisssh usss to go with young Elssspeth and Darrrkwind.'
He felt his eyes going round with surprise, and his beak gaped. 'But how did you know?' he exclaimed. 'Sssurely I sssaid nothing - '
'No, only you have hung upon everrry worrd of thisss Vanyel, and your earrrtuftssss have twitched each time sssomeone hasss even hinted of the grrryphonsss in the North of Valdemarrr.' She shook her head vigorously, and a loose feather flew off and drifted down like a leaf to land in the grass beside her.
He was chagrined, but he had to admit that she was probably right; he had been that transparent. But how could he not be? Every Kaled'a'in gryphon knew that of all of the gryphon-wings flying for Mage Urtho, fully half of them had never reached the Gate that had taken the Kaled'a'in safely away before Urtho's stronghold fell. Most of those had been out on the front lines with the army. Of those, some must have died - but surely others had escaped to live elsewhere. There were more than enough mages in Urtho's army to have set up Gates enough to take those fighting to safety as well, before or after the blast that obliterated Urtho's stronghold and Ma'ar's together.
The only way to find out - or at least the only way that would satisfy Treyvan - would be to try to find these gryphons themselves.
'We arrre magesss,' Hydona pointed out thoughtfully. 'And both the little onesss have Mage-Gift alssso. We will need to trrain them - ssso why not trrain otherrrsss at the sssame time?'
'What, like Herrraldsss?' The idea had already occurred to him, but he was pleased that Hydona had thought of it as well. 'It isss trrrue that it would do the little onesss a grrreat deal of good to have sssome competition bessidesss each otherrr. And it could gain usss valuable alliesss.'
Her beak gaped in a gentle grin. Oh, how beautiful she was! 'My thought prrrecisssely. Thisss issss why I have alrrready told Vanyel that if you wisshed to go, I would not arrrgue with sssuch a change in plansss.'
He mock-snapped at her. 'Imperrrtinent! Making asssumptionsss - '
'Perrrfectly valid onesss,' she pointed out, reaching out to preen his ears. He submitted to her readily, half- closing his eyes in pleasure. 'I, of all alive, know you bessst.'
'Verrry well, then,' he said, with feigned reluctance. 'I will misss going to Evendim, but perrrhapsss anotherrr time. If you will have it that way, tell thisss Vanyel that we will be going with Elssspth and our otherrr ssson.' He sighed. 'I sssupposse it isss jusst asss well. With the way Gating hasss been lately, who knowsss where we might end up otherrrwissse?'
'Mmm,' she agreed, mouth full of his feathers.
He closed his eyes completely, and gave himself up to her ministrations.
Ancar started, as a huskily feminine and far-too-familiar voice startled him in the midst of searching through a chest of documents in the war-room.
'Well. What a pleasant surprise. I had not expected to find you here.'
The silky-smooth tone of Hulda's voice sent a shiver of warning up Ancar's back. She only sounded this sweet when she wanted something - or when she was about to confront him over something, and she knew she had the upper hand.
He straightened, slowly, schooling his face into an impassive mask. He should not fear this woman. He had already subdued a powerful, half-human Adept to his will. She was no greater in power than this 'Falconsbane' creature. He had no reason to fear her anger.
