Hand and Talon (World of Kyrni Book 1)

by Melonie Purcell

  Krea's brain prodded her to speak, but her mouth would not form words. She tried. She tried to say hello. She tried to say thank you. She tried to say her name, but nothing came out.

  Sorin saved her. “We are well met, Kinara. You have my thanks. I am…”

  He didn't get to finish. Kinara pointed to Sorin's fae-hand and stepped forward as if to grab it. “You are Sorin. Sorin of Nalrashi. You have to be. Am I right?”

  The man who had once been a hippogryph laughed. “Subtlety is not one of Kinara's talents,” he said, watching Krea as he spoke.

  She watched him back. She couldn't look away from his piercing brown eyes. Lines arched out from his eyebrow toward his temple, and the longer Krea looked at them, the more they looked like feathers. A similar pattern repeated below his eye. Some lines were nearly black like his hair, others were lighter, barely visible against his skin, and still others were the color of milk. He smiled. “I am Feydrhin.”

  Krea swallowed hard and nodded. Traitorous mouth!

  “Aye,” Sorin said. “I am Sorin, last in the line of Nalrashi. These are my companions, Dane and Krea.”

  Jaydar's gaze lingered on Krea for half of forever before he finally turned back to Sorin. “You took on a new link?” Even though Jaydar’s expression remained polite, Krea heard the accusation in his tone. She could tell by the way his jaw twitched that Sorin heard it, too.

  “Krea is not my link. She’s not bonded to anyone. That’s why we’re trying to reach Shaylith.”

  Kinara stepped up to Krea and sniffed the air. “What happened to your caller? You are too close to your shift.”

  Despite her best efforts, Krea took a step back. “I don't know. I don't have one.”

  Kinara looked as if she wanted to follow Krea in her retreat, but Feydrhin caught her arm. “Not everyone knows what to do with all of your energy, Kinara. Give her some room.”

  Krea wanted to respond, but she didn't know what to say. Fortunately, the man named Doran finally joined them. “I count eleven dead proth,” he said, stopping in front of Sorin and offering him a curt bow of greeting. “I have heard rumors, Sorin of Nalrashi, but one man against eleven proth? Surely you had help?”

  Sorin waved an arm toward Krea and Dane. “Also the sheema, and of course the four of you. Goddess knows why you were here, but I am thankful for your timing.”

  Doran's eyes lingered on Krea for a moment. He glanced down at her dagger, then over to Dane. Something bordering on alarm registered on his face, and he turned to look at the proth still twisted up in the root. As if on cue, the other three stared at the dead faerie as well. When Doran turned back to Sorin, his question was in his eyes. Sorin nodded. The exchange was subtle, but as clear as if it had been spoken.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Doran said, intentionally avoiding Dane's gaze. “I knew Tormismir before he was linked. That was quite a ways back, of course, but I remember him well.”

  Sorin's stony expression faltered for just a moment before he regained his composure. “My thanks. You are heading back to Shaylith for the wedding, I assume?”

  “Avoiding Shaylith is more of it,” Kinara said. She was shooting for a whisper, but Krea got the idea that nothing about Kinara was quiet. Feydrhin elbowed her.

  “We are due back at Shaylith anytime,” Jaydar said. “But we haven't been in a big hurry. It's like a fox got into the chicken coop. The whole city is in a state of mayhem, and no one seems to have noticed.”

  Feydrhin nodded. “That's it exactly. Trust me. You would much rather stay here in the woods.” He turned his dark gaze to Krea. “Have you been to Shaylith?”

  Krea started to answer, but Kinara beat her to it. “Were you hatched on your head, Rhin? She just told you she has no caller. She can't possibly have been to Shaylith and not have a caller.”

  “She hasn't actually said anything, because every time she opens her mouth, you start talking.” Feydrhin stared at Kinara, as if daring her to speak, but she just grinned, her green eyes dancing. Whatever passed between them, it was an old game.

  “No,” Krea said. “I have never been to Shaylith. Not that I can remember, at least.”

  Feydrhin smiled, and Krea suddenly couldn't get enough air. “Maybe I can show you around when you get there? Goddess knows it will be a relief to have something to do that keeps me away from the council.”

  Kinara laughed. “And I can come too, in case he gets lost.”

  “Or not,” Feydrhin added.

  “That would be good, but I can't. I mean, I would like to see you…to see Shaylith with you.” Krea wanted to melt into the grass, and she was sure her face was glowing as red as Kinara’s hair. “What I mean is that I would like to know someone in Shaylith, but I don't think we are still going there.”

  “You’re not?” Jaydar asked.

  “We ain’t?” Dane said.

  “Aye, we are,” Sorin said. “And we are leaving right now. Go break camp.”

  “But what about the drykir?” Krea asked.

  “Drykir?” Doran said.

  “You saw a drykir?” Feydrhin asked.

  Kinara pointed to Sorin's hand. “Of course he’s seen a drykir. Who do you think gave him that and saved his life? Don’t you listen to the stories?”

  Sorin's mood turned instantly sour. Something close to rage radiated from him like heat from a fire.

  Kinara’s warm smile faded. “I mean no offense,” she said.

  “None is taken,” Sorin replied. “But you’re right. Krea is too close to her first shift. We must see the elders.”

  Sorin turned to leave, but Doran caught his arm. “Did a drykir aid you in this?” he asked, gesturing at the carnage around him.

  Sorin’s reply was low and seething with hostility. “Have you ever known a drykir to take a life? No. They watch. They watch as mortals die. They stand aside as we do what they will not. Then they speak to us about sacrifice and duty.” He turned to Krea. “We go to Shaylith.”

  “Well, let us take you, then,” Feydrhin said. “It is a day's flight from here.”

  Kinara shook her head. “One of us would have to carry three riders. It’s too far for that much weight.”

  “Besides,“ Sorin added, pulling Dane's knife out of the nearest proth, “somewhere we have horses and packs with us.”

  “The horses are in the trees, eating,” Doran said. “They seem calm enough, almost like this isn't their first encounter with proth.”

  Sorin handed the knife to Dane. “It isn't. They have been after us since we left Trasdaak. Dane, clean your knife when we get back to camp. That proth blood will pit it.”

  As Sorin started walking, Feydrhin fell in with him. “All the more reason to let us take you. Someone doesn't want you in Shaylith, obviously. We can take Dane and Krea while you follow up with the horses. Dorin and Kinara can come back to help you in case of another attack.”

  Krea didn’t like that idea. She’d rather face another proth attack than face a council of elders without Sorin.

  Sorin paused a little longer than she liked to consider Feydrhin's offer before finally shaking his head. “No. We need to go together. It’s only a week’s ride. We’ve managed this far.”

  “I can follow with the horses,” Jaydar offered. “Doran and Kinara can come back after they drop you off and see me the rest of the way in.”

  Sorin kept walking. “No.”

  “Why not?” Feydrhin asked. “That makes perfect sense. You and Krea can ride back on me and Doran and Dane on Kinara.“

  “No,” Sorin said again, still heading for their camp.

  Krea jogged to catch up. “Don't you need a caller to change back when you get Shaylith?”

  Feydrhin waved at Sorin's back. “He's a caller.”

  “And a famous caller, at that,” Kinara added as she fell in with the rest of the group. “Rhin would love nothing more than to fly into Shaylith with the returning hero on his back. No offense to you, Jaydar.”

  Jaydar laughed. “None taken,
but I’m not sure you have the whole of it.”

  “You are so right,” she said, grinning at Feydrhin's back. “Looks like baby brother has found a…”

  Feydrhin spun around. “Would you shut up!”

  Kinara only laughed again.

  Krea frowned. It felt like everyone was speaking a language that she didn't understand. “He’s your brother?” she asked, not sure how a dragon and a hippogryph could possibly be related.

  “I adopted him when he was still in flight school. Sweet little fledgling getting caught up in all those big, scary trees.”

  “Mother of mercy!” Feydrhin turned back to Sorin and made a point of ignoring both Kinara and Jaydar. “You can be in Shaylith by nightfall. Besides, if you want any chance of meeting with the council before the wedding, you had better get there soon. The princess has them running from sunrise to sunset.”

  Sorin shook his head again, but it wasn’t as emphatic. “No. I...” He paused and stared at the ground. “Just no.”

  Doran skirted around Dane, who was rubbing the blade of his knife with his shirt. “You are still a caller, Sorin. And whoever sent those proth to stop you is serious about keeping you out of the city.”

  Sorin conceded Doran’s words with a nod, but still didn't look up.

  Doran stepped closer. “I can imagine how difficult this decision must be for you, but are you willing to risk your own life and that of everyone here because you don’t want to remember your pain?”

  Everyone paused. Krea was sure she wasn’t the only one holding her breath while Sorin continued staring a hole in the ground. Doran’s words had been quiet, meant for Sorin alone, but they had all heard. Finally, Sorin met the other caller’s eyes, his expression like stone. “You’re right,” he said. “It’s the best choice. I’ll take the offer. The help. But make no mistake. In all of your wild imagining, you will never know how hard this will be for me.” He glanced over at Krea and Dane, then to Kinara, and finally back to Doran. “I pray to Nordu that you will never know.”

  When Sorin turned to leave, they all stood quietly and let him go.

  Chapter 21 – Shaylith

  By the time they found the horses and broke camp, the sun was well into the sky. Cricket poked her head out of the trees a few times, but didn't venture out in front of the strangers. Krea tried catching her alone to tell her good-bye. Dane tried as well, but the sheema made herself scarce.

  Doran gave Drindoc's cinch a tug. “Stay in the trees, Jaydar. The proth won't come through the canopy. We will meet back up at the first falls.”

  The younger caller glanced up at the sky. “I don't think I’ll make the falls by tomorrow. We are late getting started.”

  Sorin scratched Drindoc on the neck. “He can get you there; just give him some room.”

  “And stay to the trees,” Doran added.

  “I’ve done this before,” Jaydar said. “Don’t worry.”

  Doran cocked his head. “When have you done this before?”

  “Okay, not exactly this, but it’s not as if this is my first assignment.” He grabbed the reins from Doran. “I will be fine. Just go. I will stay to the trees and give the horse some room, and all will be right in the world.”

  Doran didn't look happy, but he let it go and turned instead to Sorin. “Ready?”

  Sorin shook his head. “No.”

  “That's comforting,” Feydrhin muttered.

  Krea knew that Sorin had heard, but he didn't comment. Instead, he closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath. Power gathered around him. The air grew thick as magic gathered like dark clouds converging before a storm. When Sorin opened his eyes again, Krea saw him for the first time as the caller that he was. He placed his fae-hand on Rhin’s shoulder and nodded. Feydrhin nodded back and began to shimmer.

  Sparkles of white light swirled around him until he was lost in the brightness. This time, Krea forced herself not to look away. The sheet of light froze in place an instant before being sucked into nothing. Through the spots in her vision, Krea watched Rhin shake his massive body and turn his eagle head toward Jaydar.

  “I’m good,” Jaydar assured him. “Don’t be stupid while I’m not there.”

  Rhin made a soft clicking noise, and a brief smile flashed across Sorin’s face. “He wants to know if that means you want to be stupid with him.”

  Jaydar walked over and slapped the hippogryph’s feathered neck. Krea wasn’t sure if the giant creature had even felt it. “Just stay out of trouble. Goddess,” he said, walking back to the horses. “You age me, Rhin.”

  Rhin clicked again, swinging his head around to look at Krea. Without thinking, she took a step back and stepped on Dane, who was standing directly behind her. The hippogryph’s eyes conveyed his confusion, but he didn’t move toward her.

  Sorin grabbed the harness and climbed onto Rhin’s back. “Give her some room,” he told Rhin. “This is all new to her.”

  Kinara walked over in her dragon form and lowered her head almost to the ground. “Come on,” Doran said, reaching down for Dane. “Let’s go. Just grab my hand and I’ll pull you up.”

  Dane stretched up until only his toes touched the ground before he finally caught Doran’s outstretched arm. “You sure is big, lady dragon.” Once Doran got him settled against his chest, Dane grabbed one of the horns with both hands and peered down at the ground. “I wonder where it all goes when you change, ’cause you ain’t fat.”

  Krea wasn’t sure how she could tell, but there was no doubt Kinara was smiling.

  “Krea, use the harness to climb up,” Sorin said, moving back so she could use the foothold.

  “What about his wings?”

  “His wings are fine. Just climb up his shoulder. You will slip your feet in behind them once you are up here.”

  It sounded much easier than it was, but after some shuffling and a pulled feather the size of her forearm, Krea finally managed to get her feet in behind Rhin’s wings and her butt in the saddle portion of the harness. It was a tight fit and she was shoved right up against Sorin’s chest, but she would much rather that than being behind him. Sliding off Rhin’s rump would be much more serious than falling off Drindoc’s.

  Doran turned toward Jaydar, but the younger man waved him off and kicked Drindoc forward. “Go away. Stay to the trees and give the horse some room. See. Now, go.”

  Without another word, Kinara gave two monstrous, running strides and leaped into the air. Dane’s yelp was swallowed by the thump of her red wings as she worked to get airborne, but when she swooped back around to circle the clearing, there was no missing Dane’s cry of excitement.

  Sorin shook his head and wrapped one arm around Krea’s waist. “Let’s get this done.”

  Rhin leaped forward, his body pulsing with power. His back hooves hit the ground once, twice, and then shoved away as he opened his wings and launched into the air.

  Krea tried to scream. The sound was in her throat, but it wouldn’t break free. For several moments she sat paralyzed, unable to move or breathe while Feydrhin pumped his huge wings to get them over the treetops. When Rhin finally spread his wings to glide over the clearing, she let out her breath. After a final pass over the meadow dotted with dead proth, Rhin fell in beside Kinara.

  Krea never imagined anything could be as beautiful as the forest from the sky. Multiple shades of green flowed over the hills, marked occasionally by stripes of white bark. It wasn’t difficult to know why Doran had warned Jaydar to stay in the trees. The canopy ran like a river, hiding everything below it.

  They flew toward the Morkeen mountains and followed the jagged cliffs. Looking down at the steep slope and suddenly thinning trees, Krea thanked the goddess again that she didn’t have to cross that treacherous pass on foot.

  Just like birds, the two kyrni used updrafts from the rock face to help their flight. The pull of the crosswinds made her eyes water, and eventually Krea just squeezed them closed and clung with a death grip to Rhin’s neck.

  To her horror, t
hey dropped down twice onto one of the rocky crags to rest. Except that she had to relieve herself, Krea would have happily stayed in the harness. The footing was treacherous, and looking down made her want to retch. The breaks were brief, though. Barely long enough for the two kyrni to catch their breath before they were leaping off the cliffs into a brief free fall that left Krea’s heart three beats behind. They set a fast pace, and she knew why; the kyrni were racing the sunset to Shaylith.

  A pale pink tinged the white clouds as the sun dipped behind the mountains. Just the way the Nayli had started outside of Ryth, the trees reached an invisible boundary and stopped. Open meadow and farmland replaced the thick forest in a massive multicolored carpet leading to the city. As the kyrni dropped down to once again skim the treetops and houses, the final light of dusk spread over the Royal City of Shaylith.

  Krea caught her breath. Shaylith stretched out as far as she could see. Some people glanced up at them, but most continued on their way. Even in the fading light, she could just make out a wall surrounding a massive building. It had to be the home of the Empress.

  The kyrni swung left and swooped toward a field near a cluster of buildings a good walk outside the main city. First Kinara, then Rhin, dropped down and hit the ground at a gallop. In a few steps, they both managed to stop, their heads hanging. Sweat dripped from Rhin’s body, and the scales along Kinara’s neck and chest flapped in and out with every panting breath she took.

  Doran slipped down and lifted Dane off the dragon. He was wrapped in Doran’s thick cloak and the caller was shivering slightly as he began pulling on the harness leather. “Welcome back to Skyline Hold, Tal Sorin. Let’s get these harnesses off. They will need cleaning.”

  Sorin nodded and went to work loosening the buckles as if he had done it a hundred times before. Krea tried to help, but she only got in the way, so instead she busied herself rubbing warmth back into her arms.

  During their flight, Krea had pelted Sorin with questions, so she already knew that the harnesses disappeared during the change the same way the kyrni’s clothing did, and reappeared when they changed back. It was part of the magic. Still, she found the whole process fascinating and didn’t take her eyes away as Doran and Sorin placed their hand on their kyrni’s head and began to chant. The light flared and swirled, and when it winked out, two tired people stood where beasts had once been.