The Arrival (Birthright Trilogy #1)

by Nicole MacDonald

  'What’s with all the statues?'

  I rolled onto my back and looked up at Alek who ate a piece of fruit.

  He paused between bites.

  'They’re to honor someone. Each statue is of a being that for some reason or another has been recognized for a service to the realm. Around two statues are created each year and the one honored is allowed to pick a spot for it within the courtyard.'

  Well that’s a bit more interesting than your average garden gnome. I’ll have to have a good look.

  'Do they have plaques telling you why they’re honored?'

  I wouldn’t mind having a look now, and sat up to see if one was close to us.

  Alek shook his head.

  'No. There’s a book in the library that has the details recorded. The chosen location and the reason for receiving it.'

  Another reason to have a nosy at the library.

  I wonder what gets you in the book?

  We packed up the leftovers and Alek took a different route back into the castle to show me the Armory. Not knowing what to expect, I stepped through the door and stared in amazement at the display of weapons in the room.

  To begin with, the room must have been as big as the ballroom. It had huge rows of shelving stocked full of items. On Earth it would have been a red-necked, gun-toting, male’s dream come true except, of course, there were no guns.

  Instead, there were rows of crossbows, long bows, bows I didn’t know the name for, and swords of every length and manner imaginable. I made my way around the room and felt a shudder of disgust at the sight of heavy maces that hung from racks. I paused in front of a shelf covered in light, delicate looking daggers and moved closer for a better look.

  'Careful,' Alek warned.

  He reached past me to pick one up.

  'These are exceptionally sharp and can even cut through dragon scales. The blade is made of a rock that’s only found within active volcanoes.'

  But of course, thought my rational voice sarcastically. Where else would you locate something with dragon scale piercing potential?

  'How do you get it out?'

  Did they use those special suits like what we had on Earth? I was pretty sure those suits couldn't get you that close to molten rock – at least not for any extended amount of time.

  'There’s a creature, the requon that lives within the magma. We use it to collect the blistenid rock while it’s still molten.'

  'What sort of creature? How do you use it?'

  'It looks kind of like a fish and you can lure it to the surface by dropping gemstones into the lava. They take a moment to melt and the creatures love to eat them while they’re hard so they race to the surface. As soon as a requon appears, a harness is looped onto its dorsal fin. The requon then dives low, and the scoops hanging from the harness pick up the blistenid. We gently tug the requon back to the surface where the harness snaps off and we wind it up.'

  Just that easy huh, my rational voice sniggered.

  I stared at him.

  'You have got to show me that sometime.'

  We continued down the rows of weapons and armor. There was even armor for the griffons, huge breast plates and leg greaves. And then some armor I didn’t recognize. I circled one of the sets and studied it. At first glance it looked like the armored torso of a very, large man, but it extended out some distance at where the backside would be. It seemed strangely familiar, as if I should know it.

  'It’s for the Centaur Cavalry,' Alek wore a bemused expression. 'What did you think it was for?'

  For what felt like the millionth time since arriving in this world my jaw dropped.

  'Centaur Cavalry?'

  'Of course. They’re essential to any fight.'

  I stared at the armor again.

  'And for those of us that haven’t seen a Centaur in real life before, we are talking about a creature which is half man half horse?'

  He gave me that look again.

  'Yes and no. At some point long ago in their evolution they were distantly related to both humans and horses, but they are their own species and they do have different breeds like any other creature.'

  Alek led me further along the aisle, indicating to other sets of Centaur armor.

  'There are three divisions within the Cavalry. The Aswaran division, which is for the large heavy races whose skills are directly linked to their physical strength. There is the Rodhite division, for which you need to be exceptionally fast, but still have the strength for the massive longbows and crossbows that are designed specifically for centaurs. And lastly, the Medanga division, the medics and messengers.'

  'Are they here? At the castle?'

  I would love to meet one, or just see one.

  'No. We never keep all our forces in one area, so they are currently on Patrol. They’ll be back at the end of the month.'

  'What makes them so vital to the forces?'

  I could see Alek fight another look of astonishment and I frowned.

  'I’m just curious. Remember this is all new to me.'

  'They have two hearts and two sets of lungs Cat, along with four legs designed for speed. They’re practically the perfect species.'

  'What did you think?' Alek asked curiously as they left the room; Cat had been rather quiet after viewing the Armory.

  'You look well prepared. How many will join you in the fight against Jenviet?'

  Alek shrugged, if he had it his way it’d only be the Griffon Guard, but Elena was concerned that Jenviet had a way to stop the griffons. She wanted Alek to take a large army and leave Loushka and the other griffons waiting, back from the fight. Loushka hadn’t been impressed with the idea.

  'I’m not entirely sure, and things could change at a moment’s notice so we’ll see. Now, a treat,' he declared. 'This way.'

  Alek whisked us down a corridor in the opposite direction to where we’d been this morning. I had to take a long stride to keep up with him, and we whizzed past a couple of astonished looking servants. I was rather flushed by the time we reached the door he wanted.

  Holding a finger to his lips, Alek hushed me, 'Shh listen.'

  About to protest that I hadn’t said anything, I stopped at the sound.

  Weird. What was that?

  It sounded like a heavy hum, almost a purr. I was puzzled and looked quizzically at Alek. He smiled and opened the door for me. The room was darker than the corridor, and it took my eyes a moment to adjust. As I waited I heard the murmur of voices. It sounded like Loi and Sian were here too.

  Sure enough there they were in front of me with big, goofy smiles on their faces. Each had a sleepy griffon pup cradled in their arms. My heart melted at the sight.

  'Oh, they are sooo gorgeous,' I cooed softly to the one in Loi’s arms, stroking its fur.

  It was so soft, nothing like Loushka’s dense fur. It reminded me of when Audi had been a pup. She'd had fur as soft as this.

  The pup made the noise I’d heard before and Loi giggled.

  'Doesn’t the purr sound funny?'

  'Like a soft lawnmower.' I reached out to touch the pup’s wings. So tiny and neat, folded at its sides, its baby feathers soft and downy.

  I can’t believe how little they are, to think that Loushka was once this small. I smiled at the image that sprung to mind of Loushka as a pup.

  Alek slipped past the women, leaning over the pup pen and gave a low whistle. There was a frantic scrabbling then an excited noise that sounded like a cross between a chirp and a yelp. Cat, Sian and Laura all turned in time to see a larger griffon pup hurtle into the pen from the other room.

  Ageip reared and flapped his wings hard, startling the younger pups in the women's arms.

  Loushka poked her head through from the other room.

  ‘He wants to show you how well he can fly now, why don’t you come out and see?’

  I was enchanted with the playful pup that spun and reared at Alek, showing off his lovely wings. He was much darker than the older griffons we’d met and his feathers glinte
d violet in the glimpses of light from the other room.

  ‘Who is he?’ I thought to Loushka.

  ‘His name is Ageip,’ she replied and I could hear her affection for him. ‘He is Phroma’s son.’

  Aha, of course he was, Phroma’s feathers had violet in them too.

  'Would you all come outside for a moment?'

  Alek turned from giving Ageip’s mane a good scratch.

  'Ageip wants to show off his flying skills.'

  Loi and Sian put the pups they’d been cuddling back in the pen and we followed him out. The other griffons had been gathered by Ageip and Phroma watched her son fondly. She gave him a playful nudge when he came close and he chirpbed (closest way to describe it) back at her. Loushka turned her massive head my way, her mane glinting red in the sun.

  ‘Were you angry at Alek for not mentioning his lineage?’

  I laughed, it sounded so odd put that way, ‘No just annoyed he didn’t tell me himself.’

  ‘How are you finding castle life so far? And being linked to its Crown Prince?’

  ‘I can’t believe how big it is, Elena gave the men two days to "show us" the castle and it just seems impossible.’

  Loushka did her version of a chuckle, a deep rumble.

  ‘Not to worry, you’ll get a feel for it.’

  We waited in the courtyard, while Ageip rounded up everyone he wanted to show off to. Even Nnelg blinked in, and then Audi turned up a few minutes later. The poor girl had run herself ragged to keep up with Nnelg; she lay by my feet panting. I spotted Gredel and his wife Citaan standing with Phroma and Nesha, near to where Ageip patiently waited.

  Phroma let out a roar and everyone fell silent. I watched as Ageip lined himself up to a spot he’d chosen and then paused to study us for a moment, to make sure we watched. I heard Alek smother a chuckle and looked up to see he had his serious face on. I had to resist a giggle.

  Ageip let out a determined cry, crouched and launched himself into the air. With a frantic flapping and enthusiastic squeaking he managed to keep himself up. Everyone began to holler and cheer for him. The adult griffons did victory roars, while the pups that’d snuck out behind us squeaked in excitement and jumped up and down flapping their tiny wings too. Ageip landed neatly and everyone rushed to congratulate him.

  After the crowd dispersed, the men all gathered together and we were finally introduced to Citaan. She had a lovely melodic voice and seemed genuinely pleased to meet us. The five of us chatted away about the trip to the castle, which Gredel had filled her in on.

  She is stunning, I thought, even without her Ceylon blue hair and light gold eyes she’d be a beauty.

  I’d love to have hair that color. I sighed and glanced at Sian. She studied Citaan’s hair with an expression of envy. Realizing I watched her, she met my eyes with a rueful smile.

  'Did the men mention about dinner?' Citaan looked concerned.

  We exchanged a confused glance.

  'Err, no?'

  'Dinner is more formal so you will want to change into something dressier.'

  Alek overheard the comments and leapt into the conversation.

  'I meant to mention that, you four may want to head off now.'

  He looked at Nnelg, sunning himself in the courtyard, 'Nnelg can you lead the women back to their room?'

  'What?' The dragon looked up, 'Oh I suppose so, but this isn’t in my job description.'

  Alek gave him a narrow look and Nnelg shrugged, trotting over to us.

  'C’mon then, we don’t want to be late.'

  Audrey shot up from my feet when he moved away and stuck to his side like glue for the walk back to our room.

  'What’s wrong with your dog creature?' Nnelg asked me.

  'What do you mean?'

  'She doesn’t respond normally when I speak to her, and I’m not sure if she can hear me.' Nnelg seemed rather baffled and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  'We come from a different world Nnelg and we don’t communicate with telepathy there.'

  'Then how do you communicate? Or how does the dog communicate?'

  I thought for a moment. 'Audrey has excellent hearing and will listen to any verbal noises. She’s very quick to pick up on body language.'

  Nnelg was quiet as we walked along. When we reached our room he sat up and looked at Audi. Audi sat too.

  Nnelg cocked his head at her and she froze for a moment, unsure, then whined at him, swatting him with her forepaw and made him jump. We smothered laughter and watched, curious to see what would happen next. Nnelg leaned forward to sniff her then rubbed his head against hers. Audi was delighted and covered him in enthusiastic kisses.

  'Nnelg seems to be getting along well with Audi,' Alek commented as we relaxed in the library after dinner.

  I chuckled and told him about Audi’s sloppy kiss which made him laugh.

  We’d all ducked off after dinner to have some quiet time, and Alek and I snagged the library. But I still hadn’t had a chance to have a look at the books. Instead, Alek had headed straight for a bookcase on the far side of that impressive window and after shifting a couple of books, released a latch that opened the door to his late father’s "secret study". I spent a good fifteen minutes or so, slowly looking over all the trinkets and gadgets scattered over the desk and shelves. King Nikias had had a fascinating collection.

  'Did your father spend a lot of time here?'

  I leaned back against Alek, the two of us stretched out on a chaise style seat. His legs were long enough to reach the end. I looked down at my legs between his. His made my legs look tiny. It was funny to feel so dainty in comparison.

  'He tried to relax here in the evenings. I remember him saying it was a good way to wind down the day.' Alek spoke while playing with one of Cat’s hands. She was so tiny. He wondered how Daron and Rumal managed with Kassie and Sian. At times it seemed like he was a giant in comparison to Cat.

  'What did Elena want to speak to you four about?'

  Elena had taken the women aside straight after dinner.

  'The training we’ll be starting the day after tomorrow,' I frowned. 'It sounds like a boot camp.'

  Alek laughed at the odd expression.

  'Boot camp?'

  I leaned back, smiling at him and he ducked his head to press a kiss to my lips.

  Mmmm. Nicely distracted, it took me a moment to remember what we were talking about.

  'Boot camp!' I exclaimed making Alek chuckle. 'It’s, it’s a full on training camp, with essentially no free time that will completely tire you out.'

  'Sounds like fun,' he suggested in a teasing tone.

  'Oh yes.' I remarked dryly, 'can’t wait.'

  I explained the general idea of the training. We would train with Elena until lunch. She would teach to raise our ‘energy’ and use it, if we were gifted as she hoped. She’d asked if we would train the General Guard, and teach them our fighting method. So that was it, practically every day for a month.

  Fun. But as I kept reminding myself, it’d take my mind off certain depressing thoughts.

  'What’s so special about your fighting method?'

  Alek shifted Cat so she lay on her side against him, her head tucked under his chin.

  'We use our opponent’s weight and strength against them. It means someone as little as Sian can take on someone your size.'

  Alek looked down at her in surprise.

  'Really? Wow, that’d be something to see. I think I’ll come to watch that.'

  After he saw Cat to her room, Alek headed to Elena’s chamber on the third floor. The Sorceress was deep in a conversation with Yakov when he arrived, so he waited in the doorway.

  Noticing him, she smiled.

  'Alek. Come on in.'

  When he was seated he turned to her.

  'Ellie, why can’t the girls go home?'

  Yakov looked surprised and Elena arched an eyebrow at him.

  'Cat told you?'

  'I noticed she’d been crying and asked her why. Surely if they
got here by their own devices they’d be able to get home again?'

  He forced away the feeling of loss that swelled at the thought of Cat leaving.

  Yakov gave him a penetrating look.

  'I wouldn’t think you’d want her to leave.'

  Alek looked at his hands, avoiding the older mans gaze.

  'I want her to be happy.'

  Elena frowned and pressed her lips flat as she regarded Alek. In an apologetic tone she said, 'Alek, I'm sorry. I can’t send them home and the girls cannot reverse the spell. It’s not possible.'

  'Spell?' Yakov and Alek looked at her in surprise.

  'Yes. They’re here because of a spell they cast. It can’t be reversed and they essentially asked for this,' Elena said sternly.

  'I understand it’s distressing to watch them mourn their old life, but they will get used to this one. They are meant to be here.'

  He didn’t know what to think now. It almost made him feel foolish for coming.

  Looks like one of those, be careful what you wish for moments, perhaps I shouldn’t feel so bad for Cat. Thanking Elena he went to leave but stopped at the door when a thought occurred to him.

  'Ellie. What was the spell for?'

  She gave him an indecipherable look.

  'To locate their soul mates.'

  Loi woke before the others the next morning and rolled onto her back. Rain buffeted the windows.

  That sounds really heavy, she thought, and rolled onto her side to peek out the window. Sure enough rain hit the courtyard and the clouds overhead were thick.

  Might as well get up and have a shower, at least I don’t have to wait for anyone else and she hunted for her slippers. Tiptoeing through the room, she was astonished to see they had an overstayer. Audrey and Nnelg were curled up together on the dog’s generous bed.

  So cute. Wish I had a camera to capture it. She smothered a giggle as she slipped into the bathroom.