The Shadow's heir

“It’s all right,” said Arenadd. “He can’t hurt you. I thought you should see this.”

Laela turned to him, a look of open horror on her face. “Who did that to him?”

“I don’t know, Laela. Laela-” Arenadd took her by the chin, turning her head. “Look at him. Look at him. You have to see this.”

She did, and immediately tried to look away again. “No. I don’t want-”

“It’s not a question of what we want or don’t want,” Arenadd said harshly. “You wanted to see him, so look at him!”

Laela stared at the prisoner and retched. “Oh, gods help me. His hands. . his face-”

“This is the man who stabbed me and threw me in the river,” said Arenadd. “And if you hadn’t come along, I would have stayed there. Apparently he was caught early this morning, trying to break into the Eyrie. Seems he must have heard I wasn’t dead.”

“But what happened to him?” said Laela. “Who would have done that? Why?”

“Torc swears he had nothing to do with it, and I believe him,” said Arenadd. “As for who else could have done it. . or ordered someone else to do it. .” His eyes narrowed. “I do know that someone didn’t want him to talk. It could well have been himself. If he’s part of some kind of resistance group, then he wouldn’t want to betray his friends.”

The prisoner slumped against the wall, blood dripping from his mouth, and let out a pitiful moan.

Laela shuddered at the sound of it. “Can’t yeh do anythin’ for the poor bastard?”

“Yes, I can.” Arenadd strode over to the bench and pressed the tip of his sickle into the underside of the man’s chin, forcing him to raise his head. The prisoner, unable to spit out the blood from his mouth with his head tilted back, gagged and began to cough, his useless hands dabbing at his throat.

“Arenadd, put him down!” Laela shouted. “He’s suffocatin’-”

Arenadd ignored her. He leant forward and whispered something in the prisoner’s ear. Then the sickle flashed, just once.

Laela stared in disbelief, as the prisoner’s body crumpled to the floor. “Yeh just killed him! Why. .?”

Arenadd wiped the sickle clean on his robe, without even glancing at the body. “Well, that was an utter waste of time. But at least I finally showed the bastard what happens to people who stand against me.”

“But. . yeh just killed him,” said Laela. “Just like that! Shouldn’t he at least’ve had a trial?”

Arenadd actually looked surprised. “A trial? What for?”

“Well, because. . everyone should have a trial?” Laela said, rather lamely.

Arenadd put the sickle back into his belt. “All Northerners are entitled to a trial here,” he corrected.

“But shouldn’t everybody get one?” said Laela.

“I don’t give Southerners fair trials, Laela,” said Arenadd. “I kill them. That’s what I was made to do.” He saw her look, and added, “They didn’t give me a trial, you know. When I was a prisoner here. They tortured me for information, and then sentenced me to death.”

Laela shivered. “How did yeh get away?”

“Simple,” said Arenadd. “I waited until after they hanged me.” He grinned wolfishly. “I’ll never forget the looks on their faces.”

19

To Amoran

The day after the assassin’s death, King Arenadd left Malvern. He took an escort of several griffiners with him-most of them underlings of Lord Iorwerth, who had been left behind to help Saeddryn run the Kingdom. After the war, most of Arenadd’s best warriors and commanders had been chosen by griffins after he had given them important positions and awarded them with wealth stolen from dead or exiled Southerners. They were the new nobility of the North, and Arenadd had chosen the strongest and most loyal of them to go to Amoran with him.

As the newly appointed Master of Wisdom, Laela would naturally be expected to go as well. Nobody had questioned that, but she was convinced she had seen more than a few people cast dark looks at each other when she appeared at the King’s side that morning.

Skandar was there, too, of course, up on the flat top of the Council Tower. Arenadd had persuaded him to wear a harness for once-a magnificent thing decorated with rubies that gleamed in the early sun.

Oeka, too small to wear the silver leg-bands due to the griffin whose human was Master of Wisdom, stood by Laela’s side and watched while her fellows prepared to leave-harshly reminding their humans how to lean and balance in the air, or standing patiently while their harnesses were adjusted.

Laela glanced at Oeka. Next to the rest, her own partner looked much smaller. But there was a solid, determined look to her as well, Laela thought. She didn’t look like a griffin who would back down easily. Laela grimaced and touched the bandage on her arm-she didn’t need to wonder about that.

Over near Arenadd, Lord Vander placed a hand on his partner’s neck and easily slid up onto her back. Ymazu shifted, re-balancing herself to compensate for his weight, and then settled down, blinking serenely.

Arenadd was on Skandar’s back a moment later, despite the giant griffin’s irritable clicking. Laela glanced around and saw the other griffiners mounting up. She cast an uncertain look at Oeka-nobody had told her how she was going to keep up. She’d assumed they’d be travelling by cart or horseback, but how was she supposed to fly. .?

“Hey.”

Laela turned and saw Arenadd reaching down toward her from Skandar’s back. “Are you coming, or what?” He grinned.

Laela stared. “What, am I supposed to-”

“Hurry up, take my hand,” said Arenadd. “Everyone’s waiting.”

He grasped her hand and pulled her up onto Skandar’s back. Embarrassed and more than a little nervous, she sat down behind Arenadd.

“Put your arms around my waist and don’t let go,” he advised.

“But-”

“Don’t let go,” said Arenadd. “We’ve got a long way to go today, and I don’t want to watch them scrape you off the ground. Do you feel secure back there?”

Laela had put her arms around the King’s bony body. “I think so.”

“Good,” said Arenadd. “Now hold oooooon. .!” The last word turned into a whoop of excitement, as an impatient Skandar charged away over the stonework like a runaway horse. Other griffins scattered out of his way.

Laela bounced up and down with every thud of the griffin’s paws and talons, holding on to Arenadd for dear life. She thought she was going to be sick.

Then Skandar reached the edge of the tower, and hurled himself into the air.

Laela felt as if her stomach had dropped through her spine. She clutched at Arenadd’s robe, anchoring her fingers in the rough cloth, but the panicked thought went through her mind that he wouldn’t be able to hold on with her pulling at him, and she nearly let go in a moment of stupidity. Luckily, Skandar levelled out a moment later, and she thumped back into place on his back.

Riding the griffin was frightening, cold, and noisy, but she got used to it fairly quickly, and once she felt a little safer, she risked a look back and saw the other griffins taking to the air after their master. She couldn’t see Oeka anywhere, but a moment later the small griffin drew level with Skandar. She came close enough to make sure Laela was safe, and then fell back to ride on the dark griffin’s slipstream.

Laela could hardly believe what had happened. She was riding the Mighty Skandar, and in front of half the King’s court. And Skandar had let her get on his back! Arenadd must have persuaded him, but she knew the haughty griffin would have needed a lot of persuading.

It didn’t take her long to feel embarrassed as well as proud-Skandar was enormous, but there wasn’t that