The Shadow's heir

do.”

“Exactly,” said Yorath.

Laela watched him unhappily. He wasn’t angry with her, not really. For her part, she didn’t know what to say or how she felt.

“Well,” said Yorath. “I’m. . I think I’ll go and get something to eat if that’s all right with ye, my lady.”

Laela searched desperately for something to say. Something, anything. Something to reach out to him, to show him she still. .

. . still what?

Yorath took her silence as permission and walked away.

Laela, watching him go, tried to convince herself that she was upset.

But she wasn’t. No matter how hard she tried, she felt nothing. It was as if Yorath were a stranger to her now. She’d enjoyed her time with him, but now it was over and there was nothing she could do.

The last of the enjoyment had gone out of the evening. Laela finished her drink, put the mug down on a table, and wandered off. She needed to get back to her room and sleep off the mead, and hopefully it would all look clearer in the morning.

She couldn’t see Oeka anywhere, so she shrugged and went down through the trapdoor. It was warmer inside, and she stumped off down the sloped corridor and into the tower proper.

As she was passing a door, she heard the faint sound of a voice. She paused to listen, and grinned to herself. It was Saeddryn. No doubt the High Priestess was doing what Bran had always called “lettin’ the drink do the talkin’.”

Laela pressed herself against the door and listened.

That was when she realised there was more than one voice.

30

Under the Watching Moon

The voices were speaking griffish. Even though Laela knew the language fairly well by now, here it was being spoken fast and fluently-and coming through a thick door-and she struggled to keep up.

“. . supposed to come back!” This was Saeddryn’s voice.

“Did. . could. . try.” A second voice. It was a man’s, but Laela didn’t think she recognised it.

“. . didn’t try hard enough!” Saeddryn’s higher voice carried more.

There was a sound of footsteps, as one of the speakers moved closer to the door. Laela started away instinctively, but returned when she heard the man’s voice, more clearly this time. “He went right into the Sun Temple!” he said. “I did everythin’ to goad him into it, and Seerae kept the Mighty Sk-”

“Shut up!” Saeddryn came closer, too. “Do ye want the whole Eyrie t’know?”

“Well, ye can forget tryin’ again,” the man snapped back. “It’s impossible. The Night God is watchful and protective.”

Silence.

“I know the Night God,” Saeddryn said at last. “Don’t ye dare question her will!”

“I’m sorry, Holy One,” said the man. “But in all honesty, how d’ye expect us to ever succeed? With the Mighty Skandar there, nobody could ever-”

Something huge shifted its bulk on the other side of the door. “I shall take care of my father,” said another voice. A griffin’s voice.

“There shall be no faltering,” a fourth voice agreed. Another griffin. “I shall see my mother avenged.”

“But how?” Saeddryn, a note of despair in her voice. “How?”

“Do not despair,” said the first griffin. Aenae, Laela thought. “He has returned weakened. And he need not be killed at all. As long as the people believed it. . how would they know he was not dead when he was put into his tomb?”

They’re gonna kill him, Laela thought, quite calmly. They want t’kill Arenadd. And Skandar, too.

“Yes,” Saeddryn muttered. “Of course! I’ve seen him rendered unconscious many times-put a dagger in his heart and leave it there, and he won’t wake. If we could. .”

“He saved our whole country,” the man said coldly. “And ye’re talkin’ about burying him alive.”

“But what else can we do?” said Saeddryn.

“If he could be persuaded to-”

“I already tried that! All of us tried it! He wouldn’t listen! I know he did great things for us, but it’s time this land moved on. Or would ye prefer to sit back and do nothing while we make treaties with sun worshippers?”

Laela moved away from the door. I’ve stayed here way too long, she thought.

She had. As she turned to leave as quietly as she could, the door opened. There was a shout, and before she could do anything someone had grabbed her by the shoulder. She didn’t struggle as she was dragged into the room and hurled down.

Saeddryn stood over her. She looked furious, and a lot less drunk than she’d seemed. “Half- breed!” she snarled.

Laela stood up and brushed herself off as coolly as she could. “Lady Saeddryn.” She looked toward the man who’d been with her, and nodded. “An’ Lord Penllyn.”

Aenae started up furiously, raising his talons. “You were listening!” he hissed. He looked very much like his father in that moment.

“Yeah, I was listenin’,” said Laela. “Seems you lot’ve got somethin’ t’learn about secrecy.”

“What are we going t’do now?” said Penllyn.

“Kill her,” said Aenae. “I will make sure that there are no remains.”

“I think I got a better idea,” Laela said hastily.

“And what is that?” demanded Seerae-Penllyn’s griffin.

“Let me join yeh,” said Laela. “Help yeh. I’m the one the King trusts most; I could be the answer to yer prayers.”

“The King gave ye everything,” said Saeddryn. “Why would ye want to betray him?”

Laela snarled at her. “Because he murdered my mother,” she said. “That’s why.”

“What?” Penllyn’s eyes widened. “When? How d’ye know?”

“I’m a half-breed,” said Laela. “My mother was a Southerner, then, wasn’t she? An’ the King killed her, with his own hands. He killed my uncle, too, an’ my grandparents. My whole family. Don’t yeh think I want revenge for that?”

“Ye could have taken it this whole time,” said Saeddryn. “An’ if ye knew that, why did ye join with him in the first place? Why did ye save him from the river?”

“I was bidin’ my time,” said Laela. “Waitin’ until I was as close to him as I could get. Doin’ everythin’ to make him trust me.”

“But why rescue him?” said Saeddryn.

Laela thought of Gryphus. “I wanted him t’die on my terms,” she said. “That’s why.”

Penllyn still looked nervous and suspicious, but Aenae had retracted his talons. “Perhaps we can make use of her,” he said.

There was a glitter in Saeddryn’s eyes that made her look very much like her cousin. “It seems we have a common goal, then, Lady Laela.”

“Yeah, we do,” said Laela. “But don’t think I’m trustin’ yeh until yeh let me out of here.”

“Of course.” Saeddryn stood aside, leaving the path to the door clear. “Go, then. I’ll think on what ye’ve said, an’ send a message when the time is right.”

“Right.” Laela nodded to her and strode away, aware of Aenae’s stare on the back of her neck all the while.