“I would be happy to let you raise the cub,” said Ayron as he reached down to rub the cub’s fur as it played with his leg. “While she is beautiful, I would not know how to teach her to be a proper werecat. She will be much better off with her own kind.”
Madrigal bowed her head at Elwyn, picked up the little cub by the scruff of her neck, and then within seconds, the werecats all disappeared, silently and quickly, blending back into the trees of the forest. Ayron didn’t know where to start. He felt so relieved that he’d been able to find his niece and she appeared unharmed. Elwyn quickly took him to Keroc, who bobbed his head so hard, he almost fell out of his carrier. She shared with him that Madrigal had given them permission to camp where they were for a day or two and then offered to have two of her scouts lead them out of the swamp and into Silvendil land. Apparently the werecats traversed the swamp from Unity to Silvendil on a regular basis. She also added that the werecats would stand guard a short distance away so that no other predators would bother them while they were camped there.
There was so much that Elwyn wanted to ask Ayron. She was bursting with questions, but knew that they would have to wait if she was going to act responsibly. Her uncle was obviously exhausted and rest had to come first. She told him to relax and spend some time with Keroc while she set up a camp and made some food for them to eat. While she had questions about Rhys and Clayre, she knew in her heart that they were safe; first because he was here, and second because he hadn’t insisted they talk immediately. For now, that had to be enough. Knowing that Rhys and Clayre were safe was the most important issue in her mind and, for the time being, made all of her other fears and questions pale. By the time the stew was finished and she took some to Keroc, Ayron was already sound asleep. She pulled his cloak up over him so that the cooler night air wouldn’t give him a chill, fed Keroc, went back over to her bed pad, and quietly ate her meal.
After she ate, Elwyn made sure that the three morden were comfortable and brushed down. Gerrack seemed happy to reunite with Gemma and Raffe. Madrigal shared with her, before she left, that the water in the little pond close by where they were camping was good to drink. Elwyn filled both of her waterskins and encouraged the morden to also stay hydrated. She then checked in with Toruk who told her that the drakenhawks were all well and positioned around them in the trees. He added that they had eaten recently and had no need to hunt until the next day. Elwyn asked him to contact Kierra and let her know that they were all safe and would be heading to Findara after Ayron had time to rest. Toruk assured her that they would do that and also let her know that they would be hunting three at a time so that there were always a few of them nearby to protect her. Elwyn expressed her gratitude and bid him a good evening.
She then cleaned up the dishes she used to prepare the food and eat. She left some stew, a few biscuits, and some tea for Ayron in case he woke during the night. She added a few more of the branches she’d collected to the fire, and curled up on her bed pad. It was very difficult for her to fall asleep. There was just so much to think about. There were her experiences, good and bad, in escaping to Kren. There was also the content of her mother’s diary that needed processing. There was so much to learn about the companions and the other species that communicated with their minds. There was also the issue of embracing the fact that there were other intelligent species in these lands and learning how to respect their differing cultures. It was just so much for her brain to grasp. Every time she thought she had no more surprises coming, there was another waiting just around the corner.
As she felt her body relaxing, her mind drifted to some of the more difficult issues. She didn’t know how to properly grieve Thane and to help Raffe, who at some point would need to grieve his loss. She was also troubled about meeting her aunt, Lady Alysan. It sounded as if she had gone out of her way to be mean to her mother. She didn’t know exactly how to react to that. Uncle Rhys always told her that people can change and not to sit in judgment on the mistakes of others, but she still felt sad that her mother had experienced so much pain when she was in Findara. Elwyn recognized from reading the diary that she was a much different person than her mother, but was also troubled about how she would fare in Findara. She knew that her uncle Ayron would protect her and was fairly certain her father would as well, but there had been something sinister in Findara that might very well still exist there. If so, she didn’t imagine that she would be welcomed with open arms by everyone. As she drifted off to sleep, her thoughts flashed through the incredible journey she’d been on for the last eight days and hoped she would be up to the challenges that faced her in Silvendil.
Once he was alone with his niece, Ayron allowed himself for the first time in many days to experience his feelings. He was exhausted, relieved, and happy all at the same time. Here he was, the hardened soldier and woodsman, while his young inexperienced niece made camp, prepared the food, and saw to all of the animals. She encouraged him to unroll his bed pad and rest, while taking Keroc down from his carrier and placing him near, saying it would do both of them some good to spend time together. She put on water for tea and in another pot began to prepare a stew. She took out some of her travel biscuits and began to warm them on the rocks that she had placed around her fire. His amazement at observing his niece was the only thing that kept him from succumbing to sleep immediately. She went over to the drakenhawk sitting on the pommel of Gemma’s saddle and untied a small flask from his leg. Then she went over to the fire and poured some of the hot water into a cup and sprinkled some of the powder into it. She brought the cup over to Keroc, who obediently drank the contents. She loosened the cloths that bound him, but told him not to move his injured wing. He was amazed watching how Keroc and Elwyn related to one another and how she seemed to be able to communicate with any drakenhawk she chose to. He had so many questions that he wanted to ask her, but knew they would have to wait until he rested. The last thing that Ayron remembered was thinking how truly beautiful his niece was; a perfect blend of humanity and elf in both looks and talent.
Ayron woke a few hours later to the strange silence of the land around him. Keroc lay asleep next to him and Elwyn lay asleep on her bed pad near the fire. The morden were busy grazing on marsh grass and the drakenhawks were on watch perched in various locations around the camp. He went over and got himself some of the stew and tea, enjoying being able to relax for a short while. He knew that Rhys and Clayre were safe in Amarni with the Amarani people and now he had been able to see for himself that his niece was alright as well. Actually, as hard as it was for him to comprehend, she seemed to have risen to every challenge placed in front of her. He couldn’t wait for Azavon to meet his daughter. While she was a puzzle in many ways, she certainly behaved with the courage and compassion that was required of any good ruler. Rhys had definitely done a masterful job raising her; perhaps better than if she had been raised in the political atmosphere of Findara
His meal finished, Ayron put a few more logs on the fire and lay back down beside Keroc preparing to go back to sleep. As he drifted off, he was filled with an incredible joy as in his mind he felt a warm comforting feeling and heard,
“I’m so glad you are here, I have missed you, my friend.”
Chapter 34 – A Joyous Reunion
Ayron woke up the next morning to the smell of fresh bread baking. His first thoughts were of home when he was young and playing in the small meadow right outside the castle kitchen. As his head cleared, he remembered where he was and groggily looked around the campsite. The morden were all together, greedily enjoying the swamp grass growing in the meadow where they were camping. Elwyn had Keroc over by the fire and was feeding him some broth and speaking softly with him. Ayron was overwhelmed with both pride and amazement as he watched how his niece carefully tended to Keroc. He was very sure it hadn’t been easy for her to take the time and effort to see to Keroc’s needs when her own life was in jeopardy. He would expect that type of behavior between two who were life-bonded, but not from Elwyn, w
ho had only come to know Keroc a few weeks ago. It seemed to him as if his niece might have the heart of a healer, like Lady Silvenna. Ayron was also both amazed and amused at how Elwyn handled Keroc as if he were a sick child, with no thoughts for what his talons and sharp teeth could do if he moved suddenly. He felt shame when he saw his niece stoking and feeding Keroc with her bare hands. As much as he loved Keroc, he had never dared touch him without the protection of leather gloves. Could it be that he and his people underestimated the civility of the drakenhawks? A joyous happy feeling overwhelmed him as he heard.
“Do not feel badly, my friend. You are not to blame. She had no preconceptions or fears, so our relationship was what we chose to make it. You learned your misconceptions and fears from others who were supposed to be experts, but we have many seasons to work on our relationship and to make it what we will. We both owe her a great debt for ensuring that our life-bond continues unbroken.”
Ayron conveyed his excitement at the idea of learning more about Keroc. As he looked back over at the morden, Ayron noticed that both Gemma and Raffe looked well groomed and well fed. He was amazed that Raffe showed no signs of the devastating grief that often disabled and sometimes even resulted in the death of the surviving partner of a broken life-bond. He was reminded of the words of the Amarani healer and was forced to consider the fact that he and his people had also severely underestimated the capabilities and intelligence of the morden as well. Ayron had a feeling that he and his niece were going to have a lot to talk about outside of the current danger and family mysteries. Elwyn seemed to go about her interactions with the companions by instinct alone. Perhaps training would have inhibited her. The fact that she had none may have saved her life, and most definitely saved Keroc’s. Ayron decided that he had spent enough time relaxing. He got up, greeted everyone, and made his way over to the pond to freshen himself.
Elwyn, on the other hand sat by the fire feeding Keroc some of the broth and meat from the stew she made the evening before. She woke that morning as the sun rose above the trees surrounding the little meadow where they camped. She quickly washed, changed into new hunting attire, put some wood on the fire and began to heat up some food. While the food was heating, she saw to the needs of the morden, grooming all three of them. Gerrack had a few claw marks on his side from his fight with the werecats, so she washed and put salve on them so that they would heal quickly without infection. Elwyn then returned to the fire, put some bread on to bake, and softly went to where Ayron still slept and retrieved Keroc. She was happy to see that Keroc’s wing was almost healed and hated to put him back in the wrappings, but knew it was too soon for him to try to fly. She was astonished when she heard him in her mind assuring her that he would not try to use his wing until she felt it was safe. She gave him a big hug and sensed a feeling of amusement coming from the other drakenhawks who were on watch in the trees. She agreed not to rebind his wing if he would remain grounded for at least another week. She did tell him that as long as he felt strong enough, she thought it would be safe for him to ride on the pommel of Ayron’s saddle. The little drakenhawk entered her mind with feelings of gratitude and love. That feeling grew even more intense as she pulled him onto her lap and began to feed him some of the heated stew.
“You are fussing over him and feeding him as if he were still a nestling,” Ayron added with a chuckle walking over to join her.
Elwyn blinked in surprise. She had been so focused on Keroc, that she hadn’t even noticed that her uncle was awake.
“He will be too heavy to fly if you continue to feed him that way,” Ayron said as he sat down next to her by the fire, eager to join in the morning meal.
Both Keroc and Elwyn responded at once to his joking comment with mock indignation and then laughed as he helped himself to a cup of hot tea, a large helping of stew, and to a few good sized hunks of bread.
“Look who’s talking, uncle,” Elwyn chided. “If you keep eating like that, Gerrack may refuse to carry you and make you walk back to Findara,” she added, laughing at Gerrack’s confirming whinny.
“Wow,” Ayron said smiling broadly. “I sense rebellion in the wind. I think my companions love you almost as much as they do me,” Ayron said chuckling as he helped himself to some more stew.
“Yes, Keroc and Gerrack do love me,” Elwyn said in a slow contemplative way. “But the love they feel for me is very different than the love that you share with them. I’m not certain that I understand yet how drakenhawks and morden interact with their companions,” Elwyn said with a quizzical look on her face. “But I do believe that as love grows in one, it causes a similar love to grow in the other.”
“It sounds like we have a lot to discuss on our way to Findara,” Ayron said smiling broadly at Elwyn as she finally gave up attempting to groom a fidgety Keroc, who communicated with them both that he didn’t want the other drakenhawks to think he was a sissy for allowing her to groom him.
“If they had been as sick as you were, they would be letting me groom them too,” she added, with a tone that discouraged any of the other drakenhawks to make a disparaging remark.
Ayron was happy to see that Keroc was strong enough to walk over to where he was and sit by his side. He sensed just how happy and relieved the little drakenhawk was to be with him again. Sometimes Ayron tended to forget just how young Keroc was. It would be another five seasons before he was fully grown physically and emotionally. On the other hand, Ayron felt humbled to be life-bonded to a drakenhawk that was as courageous and intelligent as Keroc. He had proven himself a worthy companion many times during the last ten days. Once Keroc was settled by his side, Ayron struggled to find a point to start his discussions with Elwyn. They had so much ground to cover that his head was swimming. Elwyn made it easy by refilling his tea, handing him some more fresh bread and then asking him to tell her of his journey to the Amarani.
Over the next two hours, Ayron told Elwyn about his experiences getting Rhys and Clayre to safety, leaving out nothing. He felt that since his niece was familiar with the realities of surviving assassination attempts, she deserved and would appreciate hearing an unedited version of his trip.
“We got off to a really good start, leaving not long after you left with Thane. All of your neighbors were very generous and brought us enough supplies to easily last us for most of our journey. Because we had to move slowly though, we decided that after a short rest stop and evening meal, we would travel through the night so that we could get as far away from Tarlon as quickly as possible.
We were doing very well until our wagon broke down. It was a good thing we brought materials with us that we could use for repairs. Unfortunately while we were repairing the wagon, another group of men, similar to the ones that came to Tarlon, attacked us. We successfully defended ourselves though, with only two of my soldiers sustaining minor injuries. After a few hours, the wagon was ready to go again. We were able to travel to Port Strabo without further incident. Once we were there, we were able to purchase a new wagon and the supplies we needed.
At that point we were still feeling optimistic and that is when our problems began. Shortly after our return from the city, Clayre discovered that Rhys was burning up with fever from a severe lung infection. We stayed put over the next two days not sure if he would live or die. Rhys is a fighter though, and he recovered quickly. He was very anxious to move on so that I could leave him and join you.
Not long after we began traveling again, we were attacked by another group of assassins. They were also similar to the groups that attacked us previously. We were prepared this time though and we dispatched them to a man in short order. We left the area immediately and made the decision to travel straight through to Amarni, trying not to make any more stops than absolutely necessary. I did send one of my soldiers ahead to let Hodari, the Amarani leader know we were coming. As we traveled, we again began feeling optimistic because no more attacks occurred and your uncle seemed to be taking the rigors of travel in stride.
Imagine my
shock when we were set upon by not one, but three shadow squads as we drew near to the border of Urafiki. I am absolutely sure that if it hadn’t been for the arrival of Hodari and his army of warriors, who rode out to meet us, that we would all be dead right now.”
Ayron also shared with her the pain he felt at losing so many of his soldiers to the assassins and how he hoped that they could strengthen their training program so that, in the future, they would be better able to defend themselves against the attacks of these squads.
“Maybe you and I could pool the information we have about these assassins and come up with some tactics that will help others that come up against them. Kierra said that you have developed some theories about how they move and sense their victims, Elwyn.”
“They are a very elusive enemy because so little is known about them,” Elwyn responded slowly and carefully. “I tried approaching it as a hunter would while we were traveling, but there was so much that Thane’s training didn’t cover, it was almost impossible to formulate either a defensive or offensive plan against them. I almost stopped to examine one of them, but I was afraid that I would poison myself by doing so. I think though, that we need to learn more about these killers, and if pooling information is a way to start the process, than I am certainly willing to help.”
“I believe that if those of us who survived these attacks pool our information, we will, at least, be able to educate our soldiers and hunters, better than we do today,” Ayron replied sadly with the faces of his dead companions still fresh in his mind.”
“We should also gather as much knowledge from Madrigal and her people as we can. They’ve had encounters with the assassins as well.”
“Good idea, I’ll have to leave that part to you though, since she won’t talk to me,” Ayron said while feigning sadness.
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