“Jynx! There you are.” Aeryn jumped out of the carriage and ran to the draven. “Come on, we’re going—“ Aeryn realized she did not actually know where she was going. She had completely forgotten to ask that particular question. “We’ll, we’re going somewhere else for a little while anyway.”
Sitting on his haunches, the draven began to lick his paw.
“Come on, Jynx.” Aeryn slapped her hand to her thigh and called him again.
He did not so much as flick a whisker her direction.
Aeryn walked over and set her hand on his back, intending on giving him a starting push. He laid down and rolled onto his side, legs stretched out straight.
“Ok, then, I’m leaving without you,” Aeryn said. She went all the way back to the carriage, even going as far as shutting the door in an attempt to coax him over. Either the draven was too smart, too stubborn, or likely both, and remained put.
“They will be waiting for us by now, Mistress,” said the driver. “At this rate, we’ll be hard pressed to make it before the sun sets.”
Despite how much Aeryn hated being called Mistress, the driver was right. Thanks to her and Jynx splitting up the night before, it had taken most of the afternoon to find him. At this rate, it might take the rest of the afternoon to get him moving.
Walking back over and picking up Jynx’s paws, she dragged him forward. Surely that would motivate him to walk on his own.
Boy was she wrong. With the driver unwilling to set a single foot from his perched seat, and Jynx digging his claws into the ground like an unruly child, it took the better part of an hour to get him loaded in the carriage. She counted herself lucky he decided not to use his claws on her to keep from being moved. She found out why a few minutes later.
The very instant the carriage passed the rusted-open Slum’s Gate, Jynx sprung out the glassless window. Landing lithely, he dashed away without looking back. Ten paces between them turned to fifty. A hundred became two, and soon Jynx was but an indistinct blob in the distance.
Aeryn opened her mouth to call for the driver to stop. At that moment, Jynx turned and ambled after the carriage. He kept pace, never closing, but also never falling further away.
With a sigh, Aeryn leaned back against the hard, flattened back cushion and tried to enjoy the bumpy ride. You know your day was not going right when on top of everything else that had happened your best friend shunned you.
As promised, they made the intersection just as night fell.
All in all, the journey took the better part of a week. Even joining Merek in his carriage after the axle on hers snapped in two did not help their pace. Merek seldom talked, buried in books and parchments as he was, but he did look up long enough to say their slow pace was to give the servants sent before them time to prepare the country estate for their arrival. Aeryn had given him a sideways look at that; readying a palace for Nameless’ arrival she could see, but a Lord? How could anyone other than a God require a place so large that it required a week of preparation?
Traveling through golden fields of wheat and barley, green shoots of corn and sugar cane, and plots of cotton being combed over by an army of laborers picking the puffs and stuffing them into sacks was relaxing. As were the inns. Every single inn they stopped at was more luxurious than any place she had ever slept, bar none. Sour as usual, Reeve grumbled nonstop about filthy common rooms that would be better put to the torch than a broom. Aeryn paid the man no mind. Instead, she stayed up late listening to the musicians in the inn’s common rooms. Lutes, dulcimers, and singers were so much better than a crusty chamberlain.
Giving Aeryn no chance to make amends, Jynx stayed away. Only in the wee hours of the morning and in the gathering twilight was she able to spot his figure. She supposed it was for the best. This was the farthest Aeryn and Jynx had ever been from Maerilin. While Aeryn felt uncomfortable at the prospect of being in unfamiliar territory, dravens typically roamed landscape like these hunting for food. She hoped that while he was off on his own, Jynx could bring down a large game animal and put on a few pounds.
Just as the sun was setting on the sixth day, a plateaued hill nestled inside a wide forest came into sight. She could only see the hill because the rutted road they traveled lead arrow straight through a large forest, the trees cut back fifty or more feet on either side of the road.
Merek called the small caravan to a halt. He stepped out of the carriage when it came to a stop. Reeve was at his side in a moment.
“I’m going to stretch my legs and walk the rest of the way,” Merek announced.
“My lord, do you really think that is a good idea?” Reeve asked. “Night is upon us. Perhaps it would be better to wait until morning. There are creatures lurking in the dark: wolves, bears,” the chamberlain shuddered, “Shadows.” A ripple of worried murmurs swiveled all eyes to the darkened woods at the mention of Shadows.
“Don’t worry,” Merek said loud enough so everyone could hear, “the huntsman would have sent word if there were anything to worry about.” He gave the chamberlain a withering glare, turned the man about and lowered his voice so no one could overhear.
When Merek finished talking, Reeve turned and strode back to his position. “You heard Lord Merek. You three,” he pointed to a trio of women, Melanie included, “come help the Lord change. The rest of you hop to. I want everything unpacked and ready at the manse by the time he arrives.”
Back at the carriage, Merek pulled out two canvas bags. He tossed one to Aeryn. “Put this on.”
Unsure what was going on, Aeryn pulled out the contents as Merek moved behind the held up curtain. She found a set of plain, undyed set of woolen breeches, a long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of boots. Merek emerged from the makeshift dressing room a minute later wearing a matching pair sized and tailored for him.
“Your turn,” he said, gesturing to Melanie and her girls.
Aeryn shut the carriage door in his face. Stripping to her smallclothes and working into the new ones was a chore in the carriage, but she was not about to have someone dress her again as if she was some kind of invalid. The clothes fit surprisingly well, snug, but not too snug, sized perfectly for her arms, legs and torso.
“So we don’t get our other clothes dirty on the walk,” Merek explained as she stepped out, buckling a knife to his waist.
Aeryn had a strong feeling that changing into the simple wool clothes had nothing to do with grime. Other than the stick red kind, that was.
“Come on,” Merek said after he had sent the final carriage away. “We’ve got a ways to go; best get started.”
“Why are we walking? Where are we going?” Aeryn asked.
“To the house, of course,” Merek said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Trailing the carriage rapidly fading into the distance, he said nothing more until it was half way to the distant hill, just a speck on the horizon. “Call your draven.”
Aeryn was not sure Jynx would come. She tried anyway. It would give her a chance to apologize and make amends if he answered. No sooner had the whistle left her lips then Merek started speaking once more.
“Reeve is a lot of things. Stubborn and opinionated are two thing that spring to mind,” Merek said. Aeryn knew someone else that fit those criteria beside the chamberlain. Actually, that sounded like every Lord and Lady she had ever met. “Though prone to exaggeration, Reeve wasn’t lying about the dangers that lurk these woods.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Aeryn whistled again. Jynx appeared on the horizon.
Merek went on as if he had not heard. “I should also tell you that I do have a huntsman and that he and his son are the best shots with a longbow I have ever seen. I have standing orders that anyone or anything that approaches the house after dark without giving the correct passphrase is to be shot on sight. We’re suffered too many raids by wolves and other creatures of the night to afford the risk.”
Merek Drifted and vanished. A grey-black mist, barely visible in the setting sun, h
e dashed away.
“I don’t even know where I’m going!” Aeryn shouted. Silence.
Bloody hell! Aeryn whistled as sharply as she could. Without waiting to see if Jynx was coming, she Drifted and ran after.
10
Young Pup
Aeryn sprinted across the rolling plains after Merek. Not quite dark, yet not quite light, the land was bathed in a foggy grey twilight.
Burn him! That no good, deceiving—
An exposed root jumped up and grabbed her foot, throwing her off balance to tumble forward. Flames danced across her knees and palms as the ground scraped them raw. The embedded dirt and gravel ensured scouring them clean would not be pleasant.
Aeryn pushed herself to her feet, brushed off her clothes and gave her body a once over to ensure she had not missed any more grievous wounds. Wouldn’t that just be her luck? She is away from Maerilin for the first time in her life and she loses an arm or leg due to infection. Bloody Lords.
“You’ve made your point,” Aeryn shouted into the night. Whatever point that was at any rate.
Silence.
“What do you want from me?”
Silence again.
“Argh!” She clenched her jaw and started to run once more.
Jynx loped up to her side just as she hit the treeline. Aeryn gave the draven a pat on the head, a quick apology, then pushed into the forest. Gone were the familiar cobbles worn smooth by foot and wagon traffic, the sandpapery brick façades of workshops and the weatherworn timber planks of houses, inns and taverns. In its place, the forest sprouted a thousand clawing fingers. Thorns and barbs, dead limbs, downed trees, and the snaking arms of vines and brambles reached out to snare her. Her pace slowed to a crawl.
Despite having run twice as far and nearly twice as fast to catch up to her, Jynx’s panting was all but drowned out by Aeryn’s hoarse gasps for breath. How could a bloody old Lord still be on his feet after a run like that? More than that, how could anyone navigate in this dense underbrush, let alone silently and without being scraped by everything in sight and quite a few things that were not?
As the light dwindled, the canopy overhead blocked out all but a faint reflection of the sunset. Aeryn considered turning back. She did not know if Merek had told the truth about his huntsmen and the wild animals out here, but she did not want to find out the hard way. The woods were not a place she was familiar with, much less wanted to be lost in at night. Surely she could find the carriage tracks and follow them to Merek’s estate.
Aeryn made up her mind. To hell with Merek and his tests. She was not going to get killed in some godforsaken forest by some beast she could not hear or see coming. Even if Merek had not been lying about his huntsman shooting trespassers on sight, at least there she knew what to watch for. She turned to leave.
She froze. Jynx, stalking silently through the brush at her side, stopped and looked up as Aeryn turned a complete circle. She could not see the treeline anymore. With the sun obscured behind the leaves and the forest looking identical in every direction, she could find no reference point. She could not even tell which way she had come in from; all the branches and saplings had snapped back into place as though they had never been disturbed.
“Great!” she shouted into the darkness. “Now I’m lost. I hope you’re happy. If I ever get my hands on you, I swear I’ll—“
“You’ll what?”
Aeryn whirled to face the faint voice. “I’ll cut your bloody head from your bloody shoulders.”
A soft laugh emanated from the trees in response.
Aeryn barreled toward the sound. She caught only emptiness.
“You’ll have to catch me first,” Merek said.
Aeryn dashed forward, earning stinging welts as nettles and deadwood lashed at her skin. “What do you want?”
“You should have asked what you want,” Merek said, ever out of sight and reach.
“Oh? Since you seem to know everything, what do I want?” Aeryn listened carefully for his response, intent on wringing the Lord’s neck when she caught him.
“You will want to catch me. Otherwise you’ll probably end up sleeping beneath the trees. That’s not the healthiest thing to do unless you have some training and experience. And no, sleeping in Maerilin’s streets doesn’t count for anything out here.”
This time when Aeryn sprung forward, she did so right into a tree. Losing concentration as lightning cracked through her skull, she snapped out of her Drift. The world instantly went black. So black she could only see the barest outline of the tree she has just rebounded from. Apparently the sun had set. Now how had she not noticed that?
“You’ll have to do better than that,” Merek taunted.
Aeryn picked up a rock at her feet and threw it hard as she could toward his voice. No sooner had it clattered away into the darkness and one cracked against the back of her head. Clapping a hand against the stinging, she hurled a stick out in anger. Just as before, one promptly returned, this time striking against her left shoulder.
“What kind of twisted game is this?” Aeryn bellowed.
“Your draven seems to think it’s a fun one,” Merek said.
Looking around, Aeryn realized Jynx was no longer by her side. “Jynx, you traitor.”
“I do think that hurt his feelings.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“I have my reasons.”
“I don’t suspect you’ll share them with me?”
“When the time is right,” Merek said, his voice dancing about her in a wide circle. “Now come on, I’m growing hungry and Jynx is wondering why you are just standing there.”
“Then show me where you are.”
Merek tisked. “You have ears; listen. You have eyes; see. You have an ability very few others have; Drift. Stop talking and start doing.” Crunching underbrush told Aeryn he was on the move.
Aeryn Drifted and followed. Within three steps, she snagged her cuffs on a prickly vine. Stupid bloody things, she thought, ripping the twining hands off her as fast as she could. Concentrating on Drifting deeper to lighten her surroundings, she started forward again. This time she made it a dozen paces before tripping over a log hidden beneath matted moss. Bloody fish guts!
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” she shouted into the night. She vented her building frustration and anger by kicking at a mossy log that had fallen ages ago.
“A city is just a manmade forest; you weren’t terrible at navigating those.” Merek’s voice fading as it echoed back through the trees. “For a street urchin, at least. Although you still have much to learn before you can fence words with a noble,” he added. “It’s time for you to stop whining and learn. Time is running out.”
“Time? Time for what?”
Merek ignored Aeryn’s question. “If you really need an example, few animals are more adept than dravens.”
Where did he get off implying she was not good at navigating Maerilin’s streets? He would not survive a day without paying off guards, soldiers, Shades, Voices, probably even Nameless himself, to protect him. And whining? He’ll be the one whining once she caught him. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew what he was doing, but right now, she did not really care. She just wanted to stick him with the dagger Ty had made for her.
Aeryn whistled. Jynx materialized at her side. “Come on, Jynx. Let’s show the Lord just how soft he really is.”
Instead of barging forward, Aeryn let Jynx take the lead. Silent but for a stray branch cracking underfoot here or there, and brush rustling against his fur, he slipped around trees and threaded his way through the forest. Without the light lent to the night through her Drift, Aeryn would never have seen the draven. Or even heard him. And he had all that built in to his nature. He had been outside Maerilin just as often as Aeryn. Which was to say, never before.
Aeryn tried to imagine how silent and sure-footed a creature that called this place home would be. Especially when stalking prey. If Jynx could learn to do that on top of being able t
o Drift. . . Now that would be truly impressive. He would be a one-draven army.
A question, more feelings then words, tugged at Aeryn’s mind. What if she could do that? Would she ever be forced to run from anyone again?
Following Jynx, who stopped and waited each time he pulled too far ahead, and hoping that he was leading her after Merek by his sense of smell or hearing, Aeryn focused solely on mimicking his actions. From the game that skittered away on either side to the fluttering of birds wings above, she knew she had a long way to go. It was easy being stealthy in a city. Unless you weight as much as ten wagons, cobbles did not crack and shift underfoot. Nor did buildings reach out and grab at your clothes or plant themselves where you least expected them.
Aeryn lost concentration more than once at the howl of a distant wolf and blundered into deadwood that snapped and cracked like sparks flying from a blacksmith’s hammer. Still, with each minute that passed, she noticed herself improving, even if it was only one less branch cracking here or one more thorn avoided there.
An hour later that could have just as easily been ten without the sun or moon for reference—Jynx froze. Poised halfway between steps, he issued a low, throaty growl.
Aeryn stopped by the draven’s side. She peered into the thick trees. Even with the light offered by her Drift, she saw nothing but for the slight stirring of branches on the breeze that filtered through the forest.
A yowl, like what an alley cat made when cornered, only lower pitched and ten times louder, split the night not five paces away. Craning her neck this way and that, Aeryn searched for the source of the predatory sound.
It came again, closer. A spike of fear drove into Aeryn’s spine. Pulling her dagger out, she held it before her and crouched, her muscles taught.
“Jynx, we need to get out of here,” Aeryn said without sparing a glance at the draven. How much good was a dagger against a creature she did not know and could not see?
Digging his claws into the earth, Jynx leaned forward. A sharp ridge of fur stood on end, spanning the length of his back. Curling his lips back to expose wicked fangs, he snarled like Aeryn had never heard before, driving a second spike into her spine.
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