The Draykon Series (1-3)

Orlind: Chapter Twenty-Eight

Llandry was not surprised to find no trace either of her grandfather or Mags in Waeverleyne. She couldn't really blame them for removing themselves from the city, since there wasn't much else that her grandfather could have done in the later stages of the battle. But she might have respected him more if he had tried.

She spent the next few hours in a fever of impatience, missing Pensould sorely. Sigwide's company cheered her; she learned from him that her father had never let the orting out of his sight, and had carried the creature around with good grace no matter what he was doing. Poor Siggy had gone hungry more than he was used to, of course, so she made up for this by feeding him some extra good things while she waited.

Watching the sun setting late in the afternoon, it occurred to her to notice that the Day Cloak had never wavered throughout the conflict. Here it came now, blanketing the remains of Waeverleyne in the soothing evenglow that she had always loved; it was a calming time of day to her mind. How the sorcerers had maintained the Cloak in spite of the chaos, she couldn't guess, but it was admirable. If they had let it slip, darkness would have fallen over Glinnery for the first time in generations, and many light-loving plants would have suffered. As it was, the damage was mostly confined to the capital.

Ori found her sitting on the balcony of her home. The balcony was nearly all that remained of the building, so it was a melancholy state in which he found her.

'Good news,' he said cheerfully. 'Your ploy worked out. The drayks are calling for their leader's remains to be returned to them.'

'Eterna? Why?'

'Something to do with the missing drayk. Oh, they admit they do have a missing comrade by this time, though it took a while. Iver told them they can have Eterna - when they return Pensould.'

Llandry stared up at him, holding her breath. 'And?'

'They agreed,' he said, beaming. 'Iver's sent some men out to bring Pensould back. Soon as it's confirmed, he'll hand over Eterna.'

Llandry bounced to her feet, awash with feelings of relief and excitement. 'Dear Iver, I could hug him.'

Ori laughed. 'I think it was your doing as much as his. Still, since he isn't here you can hug me instead. If you like.'

Delighted to hug anyone at all just at that moment, Llandry was happy to do so. Ori gave her a thorough squeeze, lifting her off her feet. 'You were a brave drayk, you know that?' he said.

'You too, Ori,' she smiled. 'Where did they hide Pense?'

'Over the border in Glour, would you believe? Cunning, because it didn't occur to us to look there. They had him buried deep, too.'

Llandry swallowed a lump in her throat. How could they have treated her Pensould in such a way! And to speak so casually of the state of his mortal remains was chilling, though she didn't blame Ori for it. He viewed it in the light of a temporary setback, like an injured colleague. Pensould would soon be up and about again, once he and Llandry were given access to him. She was the only one who took it so much to heart.

Ori thought it would take Iver's men some time to return with Pensould, but still they took to the wing to travel to the designated meeting point. It was a relief to fly freely again, without fear of attack. Relishing the gentle caress of the wind across her wings, Llan tried hard not to look too closely at the wreck of her city. They had won the battle; time enough now to heal the damage.

To her surprise, Pensould's body already lay waiting when they landed. A quick glance at Ori drew a rueful smile from him.

'I knew you'd be half-crazed with impatience if I told you the news too soon,' he admitted. 'Waiting must be torture. So I gave them a head start before I came to you.'