“My Lady.” Athelnor stood before her table.
“My Steward.” Cera smiled, but hesitated. He looked so serious.
“There is one that would lay a petition before you, My Lady.”
Cera set her cup down. She’d been told of this tradition, but she’d not expected any to have a need. “Have the petitioner come forward.”
From the back of the hall, a man started walking toward her. Clean-shaven, in plain shepherds’ clothing. An older man, lean, with a look of having been ill recently. His stride was unsteady, and there was a hint of desperation in his eyes. He stopped a good distance from her, as if unwilling to come any closer.
There was a stir in the hall, and the music fell silent. Whispers began, but Cera couldn’t make out the words. Whoever this man was, she didn’t recognize him.
To Cera’s further surprise, Alena stepped forward, standing behind the man’s shoulder, as if supporting whatever plea he was about to make.
The man stood silent, his eyes downcast.
“What would you ask of me?” Cera asked.
“Forgiveness,” came the rough answer.
Like a bolt of lightning, Cera felt her entire body flinch at that sound of his voice. Her ears roared, and all she could see—
Sinmon’s face, distorted with rage. “Stupid cow,” he roared and raised his hand to strike—
Harsh words, violent blows, and the pain of rejection for no fault of her own . . .
The man before her cleared his throat, and her vision cleared.
“Forgiveness, Lady Cera,” he continued. “I am Ager, who—”
“The man in the charcoaler’s hut,” she finished, sitting there, numb, fear washing over her. She had the urge to run, to hide, but . . .
Cera looked out then, seeing again the warmth of the room and the support of her friends and her people. And reminded herself again, for the thousandth time, for the ten thousandth time—
. . . no fault of her own . . .
Once again, Ager’s words pulled her back.
“Aye,” and his regret was thick in his voice. “I’ve come to aid, lady, if you will have me. Aid with the chirras if they come. Aid with the sheep flocks and goat herds until then. I once had a right hand at the trade.”
No. She shook with reaction, clasping her hands under the table to ease their tremor. No, she couldn’t—how could she? To see him every day, to have to work with—
Trine above, no.
And yet, even with that thought, even with her physical reaction, she forced herself to stop. To think.
He is not Sinmon.
Her choice, she reminded herself, not an easy choice, that was certain. But she would face it time and time again, and each time she would choose.
Choose to push past her fear. Her doubt. Her shame.
“Our first meeting.” Cera swallowed to moisten her throat. “It was not a good one.”
Ager nodded, then straightened. “I must apologize. My actions that day were unforgivable.” He looked up. “And I have given up the drink ever since.”
Alena moved her head, her hard nod catching Cera’s eye. Vouching for him. And Alena was not one to trust easily.
Cera’s fear ebbed. She’d nothing to fear from this man. And in truth, if she sought forgiveness for her own nonexistent faults, she should also offer it to others.
“No,” she said slowly. “Not unforgivable. In truth, I should not have confronted you so, when you were suffering.”
She drew a calming breath. “Be welcome in my service, Ager. Your labors will be most welcome. Athelnor will see to you, I am sure. For now, join us in the revels.”
Ager bowed, and at Alena’s quiet word, he took a seat amidst the tables.
Cera sat for a moment, feeling contentment return, warm and quiet, sweeping through her. She stood and lifted her glass to the crowd. “My people,” she called out.
Glasses were raised all around.
“To the future,” Cera said. “To our hopes, our dreams, and the labor of our hands. May we all prosper in Sandbriar.”
All joined in the cheering.
Feathers in Flight
Jennifer Brozek
:Jump on my back!: Hadara all but yelled the mental command as she and Kitha fled from the Pelagiris-changed creature chasing them.
:Are you mad? I’m too heavy!: Kitha’s smooth mental response belied her ragged pants as she sprinted next to Hadara. She glanced over her shoulder to look at the horse-sized, two-headed wolf monster, a twin to the one that had most recently hunted her and thrown her into the wings of her new gryphon companion.
:You’re not. You’re still thinking you’re human. You’re no heavier than a small hertasi. Get on my back. Now!:
Kitha obeyed the gryphon’s demand and leaped for Hadara’s back. She landed with a soft flump behind the modified pack the gryphon wore and grabbed two handfuls of feathers with all that she had.
:Claws. You have claws now.:
Relaxing her stranglehold on the feathers, Kitha shimmied up between Hadara’s wings, half on the pack, half on the gryphon’s back, and gazed ahead. The edge of the Dhorisha Plains, in the form of a high cliff, came into view.
She glanced behind. The wolf creature was gaining on them. Too fast for her to pull arrows and have any chance of hitting it.
With the monster behind and the cliff ahead, she wasn’t sure how they were going to escape.
:Look ahead. I need to see.: Panic tingled Hadara’s mental voice.
Kitha snapped around and gazed ahead, trying to keep her eyes trained where she thought Hadara wanted to see. The edge of the cliff approached at full speed, and Kitha suddenly understood Hadara’s plan. :No . . . no . . . No!:
:Yes! Keep your eyes open.: There was pure determination behind her mental words.
:You’re blind!:
:Not when I’m with you and I can fly. It’s the only way.:
Kitha fought to keep her panic at bay—and to keep from looking back at the snarling monster closing in behind them. She hunkered close to the gryphon’s body, craning her head up to keep the edge of the cliff in sight. :This is foolish!:
:It’ll work. Trust me.:
Then there was no more time or land. Kitha’s mental shriek was matched by her vocal one as the two of them launched into the air. Though, instead of sounding like the human she’d been born as, she sounded like a terrified hawk. Kitha moaned at the height and closed her eyes.
:Eyes open. Eyes open!: Hadara bobbled as she flapped her wings hard. Though they were flying, it was in a distinct downward trajectory.
Kitha forced her eyes open and looked ahead. She could see farther than she ever had before. On the ground, she hadn’t had the opportunity to use the eye on the hawk side of her face. As distant images snapped into view, showing her the beauty of the plains below, her panic receded a small bit. :So high . . . :
:Not high enough.: Hadara spread her wings out, putting them into a slow glide. :Too much weight.:
:I told you!:
Hadara clacked her beak. :Not you, silly. The food the Vale insisted we take with us. I only know you’re there because you’ve got a death grip on my feathers.:
Kitha tried to make her hands open but couldn’t do it. :Sorry.: There was no comfortable way for her to ride the gryphon’s back with the supply pack there.
:Don’t worry. Just start looking for a safe landing spot. Mostly flat, not a lot of rocks or foliage.: Hadara craned her head in automatic memory of flying, even though she couldn’t see through her own eyes.
:It’s the plains. Mostly tall grass and flat.: Kitha matched Hadara’s movements. The more time the two of them spent together, the more in sync they were when Hadara shared Kitha’s vision . . . and when she did not.
:There. To the right side of that mound of rocks.:
Kit
ha focused on the area Hadara wanted and watched it. The grass over that patch of ground was short, giving the gryphon a good view of what the landing area actually looked like. She couldn’t help glancing around at the plains though. She’d never seen them like this before. Might never see something like this again.
Hadara chuckled, a low trilling sound. :Still happy you insisted that we don’t have an escort?:
:Yes. No courier, changed or not, worth the title needs an escort through the plains. And you don’t count. You wanted out of the Vale as much as I did.:
Hadara ignored that second part. :Are you talking the plains being changed, or you?:
Kitha shrugged. :Yes. I may be a Change-Child now without the ability to speak, but I still have my training and my wits. I’m still capable.: Capable was the word both she and Hadara shared as sacred. Kitha gazed at the approaching landing spot. :And even more capable with you.:
Hadara sent a touch of affection through their link at the compliment. It had been a long time since someone had told her that she was an asset. As kind as her people were in the k’Leysha Vale, all of them treated her like an invalid at best . . . or something that could be catching at worst.
She pushed that aside and focused on the landing site. It had been months since she’d flown, and Hadara didn’t want to admit she was nervous at the heavy landing.
:Too late,: Kitha said. :I can feel it. It’s the animal side of me.:
This time, Hadara clacked her beak in annoyance. Sharing a mind with someone as closely as she did with Kitha was new to both of them, and sometimes thoughts leaked. :Didn’t want you to be afraid.:
Kitha pushed her fear aside and focused her will into the task at hand—landing safely. :Just tell me what you need me to do.:
:Watch the ground and don’t close your eyes.:
:I can do that.:
The closer they got to the earth, the faster the land seemed to go by. Kitha felt the minute wing shifts Hadara made to slow them as they approached the mostly smooth landing spot. It made her wish she could fly on her own. It also made her stomach lurch as she realized—
:Too fast, Hadara, too fast!:
:I know. I know!: The gryphon squawked as Kitha shut her eyes. “Open! Eyesss open!”
Kitha opened her eyes with a will and braced for impact as the ground rushed at them.
They bounced as Hadara hit the ground and half-launched herself back into the air. A man’s height above the ground, she flapped her wings in a frantic attempt to keep them from hitting the earth beak first. They hovered for a long moment, then descended with gentle bump to the ground.
Kitha let herself fall from Hadara’s back and hit the dirt with a louder thump. :By the Star-Eyed, I can’t decide if I liked that and want to do it again, or if I’d rather be nailed to the ground.: She gave a long whistle as an exclamation point from where she sat.
“Now that you have fflown, you’rrre going to want to do it again.” Hadara turned to gaze blind eyes at her. “No matterrrr how much you love the grrrroound rrrright now.”
Nodding with an affirmative whistle, Kitha popped to her feet. :Do you want to keep using my eyes while on the plains?:
Hadara considered this. Much to her surprise, the answer was not an immediate “Yes.” :I think, perhaps, it would be good for me to get used to the sounds and smells of the plains without my sight. You will not always be there.: She withdrew from Kitha’s mind and settled back into the darkness. For once, it wasn’t as lonely as it had once been.
Kitha acknowledged her friend’s need for independence. :I will need to learn the silent language as well.:
“Yessss. Not everrryone has Animal Mindssspeech.”
:Yes. That’s going to be interesting to explain. Those with Mindspeech aren’t going to understand why we can’t communicate.: She gave a soft chrrr of annoyance. She missed the ability to speak aloud.
Recognizing the discontent, Hadara headed it off the only way she could. “Ssssooo . . . which way is hhhhome?”
Kitha looked around. :I need to climb that mound there. You’ll be all right?:
:I am capable of fending for myself for a time.: Knowing that she meant well, Hadara kept her mental voice bland.
Giving an apologetic chirp, Kitha sent, :Sorry. I’m still learning. I’ll be back soon.: She scampered away on light feet.
Sighing, Hadara forgave the Shin’a’in Change-Child. They were so much alike that they complemented each other well, but they were also different enough to still make incorrect assumptions about their abilities and comfort levels. These things would work themselves out in time.
She listened to Kitha moving through the long grass. She could pick out her companion without difficulty. Hadara turned to listen to the other sounds around her. The wind, the grass moving, small rodents, the buzzing of insects. Nothing out of the ordinary. At least as far as she knew. She settled in to absorb her surroundings.
Something that sounded like a step caught her attention. Hadara turned toward it, scenting the air and listening as hard as she could. The sound didn’t happen again, and if it was there, it was downwind. She opened her mind. If someone was there, they were Mindshielded.
Still, her hackles rose. Hadara felt as though she was being watched. She almost called out to Kitha to look for her, but she stomped that thought as soon as it rose. She wasn’t a gryphling in need of reassurance. She was a full-grown gryphon who could, and would, defend herself.
Hadara half-mantled her wings as she stepped toward where she thought the sound had come from. There was a scent, faint. A strange one. But she could not tell if it was man or beast. She would keep on guard.
• • •
:The land has changed so much. But many of the signs are there—new and old.: Kitha removed her pack and Hadara’s.
The gryphon stretched, luxuriating in the lack of extra weight on her back and the removal of the discomforting cinching belts. “You can find the Tale’sssedrrrin?”
:Yes, I can. It’ll be a few days walk. Less if we had mounts.: She paused, then probed with a delicate thought. :You are fine here, on the plains?:
Hadara flapped her wings. :Yes. I think so. Why do you ask?: She was careful to keep her emotions smooth.
Kitha gave a shrug in the form of a whistle. :New place. Strange sounds and scents. The plains are different than home.:
“Sstrange sssscents. Yesss.” She debated, then gave a mental shrug. :There was a point where I heard something. Thought I was being watched. A scent I couldn’t place as man or beast.:
Kitha was silent for a long few heartbeats. :Maybe. There could be scouts out here. If there are, I didn’t see them, and I know what to look for. With the Dhorisha Plains so different after the Mage Storms, I wouldn’t be surprised that there are. Shin’a’in have the best scouts around.:
:I think the Vale scouts would take offense at that.:
:Good thing they aren’t here.:
They both laughed at the thought. Hadara sobered first. “How will yourrr sscoutsss rrreporrt the ssstrangenesssss of ussss?”
The question made Kitha sober as well, and she shook her head. :I don’t know. I hope they recognize my clothing—what’s left of it—and the way we keep camp. We will be watched. Then someone will decide what to do before we get too close to the clan.:
:The most likely scenarios?:
:Attack or conversation. There’s not much else we do. Hiding won’t be an option, because I will see the signs on where to go.:
“I will hope for convverrrsssation.”
:As will I.: Kitha moved to Hadara’s side, her mental voice both serious and bereft of emotion. :When we travel, I would prefer you borrow my eyes. I mean no disrespect. You are capable. But the plains are dangerous, and you are new here.:
Hadara laughed, smiling with her beak wide, tongue lolling. :Of course. I just don’t want you thinkin
g you needed to nursemaid me.:
Kitha gave a whistle of both laughter and surprise. :Never that.:
• • •
“What arrre they?” Hadara and Kitha bolted for the high rock mound with smooth sides.
Kitha didn’t respond. She only had eyes for the promise of safety. She knew she could climb and Hadara could fly up. It could be a rough landing for the gryphon, but worth it. Behind them, Circle-Changed monsters swarmed.
The size of newborn foals, the monsters looked like a cross between kadessa, the small rodents that dug holes in the earth, and pretera grass cats. Their bodies were sinewy, with heavy back quarters and dexterous front quarters. Their heads were a mixture of rodent and grass cat with too many teeth. Everything about them screamed their wrongness.
As soon as they reached the small butte, Kitha sprang at it, digging her clawed hands in. She looked up as she climbed. :Fly to the top. Do it now!: Even as she scrabbled for her next handhold, she continued looking up to let Hadara know when and where to land.
One of the monsters leaped up and caught Kitha’s booted ankle in its clawed paws. She gave a hawk scream of pain and held on. The boot protected her somewhat, but one of the claws had pierced the leather.
:I’m coming!: Hadara fluttered down to rake at the creature with her talons, forcing the mutated pretera cat to let go.
:I’m fine. I’m fine. Go high.:
:Not until you’re out of range.:
Kitha debated the argument for a heartbeat more, then decided it wasn’t worth it. She looked up and climbed. Her injured ankle throbbed, but that was all. There was no telltale sting of poison. At least, not yet.
When no more attacks came, Hadara did as she was asked—flew to the top of the rock and waited. Kitha made it there a couple of minutes later. She collapsed on the uneven rocky surface and panted in exhaustion, muscles trembling.
Down below, the swarm of hungry monsters scrabbled at the rock, looking for an easy way up. With Kitha’s eyes closed, Hadara listened first, then reached out to touch their minds. She withdrew with a shock. There was nothing there but hunger and the hunt. These things could not be reasoned with.
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