How much time we spent weaving around, over, and through those mountains was something I never figured out. I learned to accept the gryphon's help in choosing the best route to follow. It had figured out I wanted to go west, and with its superior night vision, it was able to see dangerous obstacles long before I noticed them in the pale moonlight. However long it took, by the time we left the last jagged ridge of mountains behind and only the straight line of the inky black Pacific meeting the starry sky lay ahead at the horizon, the moon had sunk low enough ahead of us that the mountains' pitch black shadows had begun to stretch east, making even the keen-eyed gryphon nervous when crossing the passes. It was another profound relief to leave those close confines for the open sky over the foothills.
"Alright, B-Bird," I muttered, shivering, "Any idea where that-t road is?" Bird was what I'd been calling the gryphon. If it had a name, Skor hadn't mentioned it, and I hadn't thought to ask. It hadn't seemed important at the time, but I needed to call it something. Anyway, Bird didn't respond as far as I could detect. He just kept doggedly flying west, heaving a powerful flap every few seconds to keep the three of us aloft.
"Well, if you can't see it, I c-certainly won't-t from up here," I mumbled through chattering teeth, wiping my dry, itchy eyes with the back of my half-frozen wrist. I looked down again, but as bright as the moon was, it was still too dim to make out details on the ground from up here. I could see the contours of hills and where the dark ocean met the boulder-strewn beaches in the distant west, but that was about it. I signaled Bird to descend, and he instantly stilled his wings and began to sink. Maybe I would be able to see more from closer to the ground. If not, then it was time to find somewhere to land until morning.
Now that I thought about it, it might be smart to land and rest anyway. We were far enough from the Sylvan camp that they had no chance of finding us by searching on the ground. Once they realized I'd stolen a gryphon though, it wouldn't be hard for them to figure out I might be heading to Pineda. If the town had the most important thing I hoped to find there, then maybe stumbling into such a risky situation half asleep wasn't such a great idea. I needed to sleep at some point. I should do it out here where it was safe so I could be as sharp as possible to deal with whatever nastiness might be waiting in the town.
The big question was: if we touched down now, would Bird demand feeding before taking off again? If I had to hunt before getting a chance to appropriate some supplies from the town, that would cause an intolerable delay. Getting caught because you were too tired and made stupid mistakes would be even worse. I bit my lip, then gave Bird the signal to land.
"Alright, listen big fella," I muttered, mostly talking to myself to try and ease my nerves, "We're gonna take a nap until the sun's up. Then we're heading to the town, and I should be able to find some food for you there, somewhere." The gryphon didn't react to my words. He was busy looking for a good place to land since I hadn't given him any direction besides getting down. Seven or eight minutes later, he came to a jostling stop at the top of a hill in an area with only a few short isolated trees and many clusters of scrub bushes among the long grass. The gryphon bounded forward to bleed off the last of his speed as he folded his wings, and I noticed his gait was much more wide and awkward with the bulk of the sylvan strapped to his chest.
As soon as we stopped, Faolin started grumbling and demanding to be untied. I assured him I'd get right on that once I extricated myself from the saddle. He shut up then, and a few minutes later, I swung down to the ground with a little stumble as my legs gradually woke up. Bird turned to face me and thrust out his chest, earning another protest from Faolin in his eagerness to be rid of the bothersome payload. The sylvan was strapped in place facing the gryphon's belly, his hands bound in front of him to keep the wind from giving them frostbite. I had some trouble with the knots Skor's people had used, but soon enough, he came loose and thumped to the ground. I helped him untangle his feet and pulled him upright, but he jerked away from me and stumbled a few steps away before I could do any more.
He reached up to yank off his blindfold and gag. He worked out his jaw and huffed, "Finally." Then he whipped back around to face me, his eyes blazing with bright silver light!
"OH SH-" I didn't even have time to swear before a massive blow slammed into my stomach! I heard the gryphon squawk in alarm as I coughed and automatically doubled over while staggering backward. I managed to keep my feet, but I had no chance to recover before another blow caught me in the side of the head! I spun away from the hit and reached out to grab the arm that delivered it, but my hand passed through empty air! I raised both arms to protect my head and spun back around, planning to tackle the sylvan to the ground, but he was further away than I'd thought: five or six feet. His eyes flashed and another two blows impacted one after the other into my unguarded stomach!
"Guh!!" I grunted, coughing as I tried to regain my breath. THAT HURT! More importantly, that time I saw that he wasn't physically striking me. This was- "Ah!" Another hit! Right in the face that time! This was some kind of magic. Ducking my head, I took a bounding step forward intending to rush the sylvan down before he could hit me again. Instead, I went sprawling to the ground as something yanked on my trailing foot! "FUCK!!" I shouted, scrambling back up as the rain of strikes paused. When I was on hands and knees, a streak of movement in the corner of my eye made me look up to find the knife Sil had given me flying hilt first into Faolin's open hand! That's it! Playtime is over!
The sylvan must have seen my mouth opening wide because his eyes flashed again, and I felt something like an invisible hand covering my lower face. Reacting on instinct, I bit down hard on the unseen obstruction and was surprised to meet resistance as my teeth caught something and dug in. Faolin swore in pain and shook his still bound hands, and my teeth clacked together as the sensation over my face vanished. Taking advantage of his distraction, I sucked in a breath and loosed a wild roar and a gout of flame toward, but not straight at him.
"Enough!!" I shouted, glaring at the sylvan over the swath of flames burning between us. His eyes were still shining silver, but no more invisible strikes came at me yet. He seemed uncertain, recognizing that I could have permanently ended the fight right then if I'd wanted. "Drop the knife, Faolin," I ordered sternly. "You can't beat me. Don't make me hurt you." He raised his hands to point the tip of the knife at me.
"What in oblivion do you want with me?!" he demanded, his voice and hands shaking with frustration and his ears pinned against his skull in fear. "All I wanted was for you to leave me alone! Just- Just go!" He slashed the knife towards Bird, who was watching from some dozen yards away. "Go back to Anea or your military already! You don't need me for that!" I opened my mouth for a retort, but just then I realized there was even more heat coming off the fire I'd set. Oh shit... A quick glance confirmed my sudden fears: the grass-fire was already growing!
"Listen," I said, taking a step back from the creeping flames, "This isn't really the best time to do this. How about-" I was about to suggest we work together to contain this fire before it got out of control, but Faolin chose that moment to bolt! "HEY!" I shouted, sidestepping the flames to give chase.
He was fast! I had to sprint all out just to keep him in my line of sight. He probably would have escaped, but after about a minute, he picked the wrong time to glance back and check his lead on me. Without warning, he toppled into the thigh-length grass, apparently tripping like I had. He tumbled forward an impressive distance, and instead of springing back up and continuing his flight, he just stayed down and let out a strangled howl of anguish. Fearing he'd fallen on the knife and stabbed himself, I put on an extra burst of speed to catch up.
"What happened?" I asked, slowing to a stop when I reached him.
"Just... leave," he groaned, refusing to look at me as he held his bound arms to his chest. He was still clutching Sil's knife, and it didn't seem to be bloody. So that couldn't be the source of the crippling pain gripping him. That was when I noticed the sleeve covering his left wrist and remembered the arm he'd broken back during our first fight was still healing. I kneeled down a couple steps back.
"Did you hit your wrist?" I asked warily. I thought I was far enough back to dodge if Faolin lunged at me. He didn't attack. He didn't answer the question either. "Listen," I sighed, "I told you earlier, you get to walk away once we're done. Maybe even tonight, if that's what you decide." His glare was filled with fury and suspicion, but the glow of magic was gone now. And at least he was meeting my eyes. "I'm gonna have my say. You're gonna understand what all of this was about. After that..." I shrugged. "There's nothing else I can make you do, and I'm kinda glad about that. I don't like being the jackass who uses threats and force to get my way."
"Spare me your empty regrets," Faolin spat, carefully sitting up. "You did what you did. Apologizing doesn't change-"
"Oh I'm not apologizing." I cut him off. "I'm not sorry about what just happened. I'm just trying to tell you it wasn't for fun. It was necessary." The sylvan's eyes widened for a split second as he recognized my point.
"So that's supposed to excuse it?" He asked, trying and failing to keep the same level of disdain in his voice.
"I just thought you might appreciate that sometimes, we have to do things we don't like for the sake of duty." He shook his head and started climbing to his feet.
"Don't try and tell me we're anything alike. We're enemies. You certainly knew to treat me as such tonight." I rose with him, keeping a sharp eye on the knife he still held. "Maybe we both know what it means to serve, but we serve different peoples and purposes. Don't think you can confuse me or make me forget it." He was trying to maneuver the knife to cut off the rags binding his arms when the breeze shifted directions, bringing wispy fingers of eye-watering smoke to trail between us.
"Shit!" I gasped, looking back the way we'd come. That fire I'd started was rapidly growing into a full brush-fire! It had already ignited several of the scrub bushes that dotted these hills, sending pillars of flame to tower high above the advancing ranks of yellow-orange fire. And where the hell is Bird?! "Faolin!" I coughed, having sucked down a mouthful of smoke. "Is there anything you can do to put that out?"
"Me?! Like what?" he demanded. "You're the half-dragon here! This can't be the first time you've set a fire like this! Come on, what have you done before?" He was right that this wasn't the first time I'd started a fire I couldn't control. He was wrong in believing that my experience meant a damned thing now.
"Stood back and watched my big fire-proof friend put it out!" Shit! "Well, if you've got nothing then we need to run! Do you see Bird?" I squinted into the shadows for any sign of the gryphon, but the bright flames had ruined my night vision.
"Wha- Which bird?"
"The gryphon!!" I snapped, beginning to panic. If I've already lost my ride- I clamped down on that. Now was no time to freak out. I stepped forward and grabbed Faolin's good arm. "Come on! We have to get around to the upwind side." He shook himself loose but started jogging without any more prompting. I followed close behind, well aware he still had that knife and not planning to expose my back to it. I feared Faolin would make another break for freedom, but his pace was much more slow and careful. Clearly, he wanted to avoid tripping in the treacherous grass and jostling his wrist again. "Seriously, I can't see him," I declared after a few paces. The fire was spreading, but not so fast that it would cut us off. "Would he have flown off? Dammit Faolin, did you just screw us with that little stunt?!"
"Screw us?!" He repeated, astounded. "My deepest apologies, but did I ask you to drag me out here?! If you wanted to travel quickly, then perhaps you should not have brought a prisoner along with you!" We had gone far enough to one side of the fire to start angling upwind. As long as the wind didn't shift again, we were probably out of immediate danger. "Did you think I'd just come quietly the whole way and not try to resist or delay you?" I wanted to remind him that this wild-fire could have started with his burning corpse, and that I was perfectly capable of rectifying that if he pissed me off. I held my tongue. Threatening him was not the way I needed to do this.
"I hoped," I replied after taking enough time to reign in my flash of annoyance. "That you'd be reasonable enough to at least hear me out. I'll say it again, my only demand right now is that we talk. That's it. An honest conversation away from prying ears. After that, I hope you'll agree to help me, but-"
"HELP YOU?!!" he screeched, coming to a stop and whirling to face me. I sidestepped him and hopped back, keeping well out of knife range. "You- You dare-"
"You wanna point that thing somewhere else?!" I cut through his outraged sputtering. He was holding that blade out toward me again, and I was beginning to get irritated. I pointed at the fire off to our right. "And please get moving again." He shook his head at me, still furious, but he did as I said. "If I don't convince you, you can go then. I won't care where, as long as it isn't following me. I'd suggest you don't head straight back to the camp though. Not if you still like breathing." He slowed again, but this time I put a hand on his back before he could stop and gave him a firm push. "Keep moving."
We got around the line of burning grass without further words or difficulty. A wide swath of glowing embers lay behind the last of the flames, along with several sputtering, smoldering bushes. Aside from their tiny leaves, the tough scrub bushes didn't seem to burn very well, and the fire had mostly spread downwind in that one line. Back where I'd ignited it, the upwind edge of the blaze appeared to have died when the wind drove it back into the grass it had already devoured. I resisted the urge to check over my shoulder at the progress of the flames behind us. My night vision was just starting to come back and-
"Ohh, thank god!" I blew a huge sigh of relief. The gryphon was laying calmly some hundred feet further upwind, nibbling at his feathers or the harness with that scary hooked beak of his. I was about to jog forward and find some way to secure the creature, but Faolin stopped again and turned to face me.
"Alright," he began. "You have my attention. You can start by telling me what treachery you've arranged back at our camp." I cast another concerned look at Bird but had to conclude he looked content and unlikely to fly away, at least to my untrained eye.
"Ok," I shrugged, suppressing a yawn. "What I meant was- Do you want me to untie your hands?" I interrupted myself. Faolin was fiddling with the knife again, trying to slip the blade between his wrists and under the bindings. I was sure he'd slice himself open before succeeding.
"...Yes," he admitted after a few long seconds of glaring at me.
"Drop the knife then."
"I knew it," he muttered in disgust, but he apparently judged my help was worth giving up the weapon. I scooped the knife off the ground then began tugging at the hasty knot-work.
"So, you were right," I explained as I worked. "I didn't need to bring you along just to get back to Anea. But having you disappear the same time I did will be useful to the people who helped me. That's not the main reason I did this, you understand, but it is the reason going back there would be a bad idea for you." I glanced up to gauge how he was taking this, but Faolin's expression was inscrutable. "Stop me when I get something wrong, ok? You hate Linking with anyone now, and especially with the All. That's made you a pariah, and that's why you were locked up. I think they put you with us humans because they don't see you as any better than us." The sylvan hadn't stopped me, so I pressed ahead. "With all that in mind, what do you suppose they'll think when they find the two of us gone in the morning?"
He didn't answer until after his hands were free. He stepped back and gingerly rubbed at his busted wrist. "They'll likely think," he replied haltingly, "that the two of us escaped together. That we were cooperating." I nodded.
"No matter how I got out, your people would have known for sure I had help, and not just from other humans. Since we're both gone though, they have an easy answer for who could have helped me, and they aren't going to be happy that it was only possible because of their decision to put you with us."
By 'they' I really meant the Speaker, Os'tarell. I hadn't forgotten how quick he'd been to blame and punish the slaves who'd brought me to him when we first met. He knew kidnapping me would incur Anea's wrath, something he'd once been ok with. But circumstances had changed, and rather than acknowledge that he should have rescinded the standing order for my capture, he'd laid the blame on the people who followed that order. I didn't know much about the Sylvan leader, but I had a pretty clear picture of how he dealt with failures he had a hand in.
"It's obvious," I continued, "and it's embarrassing, so I expect them to waste time piling blame on you instead of looking for alternate explanations." Faolin's nostrils were flaring as he started getting angry again. "And if you're thinking about turning yourself in and clearing your name, I'd forget about it. My, erm, acquaintances who were really behind all this are looking for you. They'll make sure you won't survive long enough to tell anyone anything if they see you there again without me."
"They would be severely punished if I was killed before I could be questioned!" he shot back.
"Not badly as if the truth got out," I retorted. Faolin shook his head and stalked a few steps away, shaking with indignation. I gave him a few minutes, taking the time to go check on Bird.
I loosened the straps of his harness a bit here and there, trying to make the creature more comfortable without removing the gear. When I was done, the gryphon blinked at me, then rested his head on his fore-claws and closed his eyes with a contented sigh. My own jaw stretched wide in a yawn. It was very late, though with my watch broken I had no way of knowing the exact time. Why exactly am I still wearing this thing?
Rather than answering my own question, I scanned the hillside, checking on Faolin and the brush-fire. The blaze was still growing and spreading, but I thought it might be slowing down. The wind that had fed it earlier had slackened, so I hoped the flare-up would sputter out soon. Please. As for Faolin, I eventually spotted him sitting in the grass, not far from where I'd left him. I wasn't worried about him running right then. His only way out of his mess was to fly Bird back to the camp before our escape was noticed, and he was smart enough to know that. Whether he wanted to continue our conversation or try to escape, he'd be coming back soon enough.
As for what I'd say next... I was about out of ideas. I still believed Faolin was more independent than even he suspected. In that moment though, I knew he'd reject the notion out of hand as the manipulation it mostly was. The freedom I was offering was that of an exile, and he obviously believed he still had a place with his people. One I was stealing from him. My best bet was to convince him that his only place with the Sylvan was in a prison, whether this was true or not. But he wouldn't listen to a word of advice from me as long as he thought I was his enemy.
Faolin stood back up and began warily walking my way. I shook myself back to full alertness, the action revealing another problem with this standoff. Faolin couldn't beat me in a fight, but that didn't make me invulnerable. He could do something sneaky and violent if I let my guard down around him, which meant- Goddammit, no sleep for me! I had to get him on my side, at least enough that I could be sure he wouldn't slit my throat in my sleep, or take off with Bird. But... How the hell..?
"I have another question," Faolin announced as he came to a stop and crossed his arms, leaving a few steps between us. "It's actually my first question. You still haven't told me just what you want from me. Your ogern allies, whoever they were, might have wanted to pin the blame for your escape on me. But they wouldn't have needed me alive to do that. If that was the only reason for abducting me, they would have just killed me and hidden my body out in the forest. Then there would be no chance I could return and discredit their story. There must be more, and you already said it's not something you can force me to do. I admit, I am curious." Yeah, I'll bet. I bit my lip, wondering how much it was safe to tell him.
"I... need you to do some magic," I admitted reluctantly. "That's all I'm going to say before sunrise." Faolin's neutral expression darkened. I held up my hands in apology. "What do you want from me? You're still hopping eager to run on back and spill everything to Os'tarell. The more details I give you about what I'm planning, the more credible you get to sound if you somehow make it to him. You convince me that's not your intention, then you'll get more. Otherwise..." I dropped my hands and gave a resigned shrug. "I guess that's it. I've got to get back to Anea. I don't have time to screw around gradually building up your trust." A pang of guilt hit me in my bruised stomach. I don't have time for any of this, do I? They don't... I was jerked out of my self-loathing when I noticed Faolin's ears prick forward as even more suspicion creased his face.
"You don't have time?" he repeated, sending a chill of dread up my spine and another, more potent swell of guilt and regret up through my guts. Oh shit... I said too much.
"I just meant-"
"You'll leave me alone out here, when you know I have at least some chance of ruining your cover story. You'll abandon whatever scheme you're hatching to rescue your people and your friend, Captain Walker." I forced myself not to flinch at the word 'hatching.' "If your plan is to go back to Anea, not your military, then what is so urgent? I can understand wanting to see her again, but..." He trailed off, then his jaw dropped in shock and he shot me an accusing glare. "That's it! You want to get back to her now, while she's still furious about your capture! If she has time to calm down, you'll have a much harder time convincing her to attack us!" He almost shouted that last part, and now he raised a hand to point a condemning finger at my chest. "You don't want to save anyone! You just want fire and death! There are families and children there, you monster! Sylvan and human!" Now he was shouting, filling the night with his rage and horror, and he took a fearful step back from me. He carried right on, not listening as I tried again and again to cut him off. "I won't do a damned thing to help you! You might as well just kill me now, because I swear I'll fight you! I'll find some way to stop-"
"SHUT UP!!!" I finally yelled at the top of my lungs. "You've got it all wrong! Anea and I won't be attacking anyone! We won't even be leaving her territory!" Bird squawked sleepily at us while Faolin stared at me in wild-eyed panic. This conversation had gone off the rails! He'd already convinced himself of his story and probably didn't even hear what I said. At any second he was either going to dash off into the night or attack! Desperate to calm him down, I shouted, "Wait! Just wait! Yes, I have to get back to her soon, but it's not for-"
"Liar!" He screamed, his ears pinned straight back and his eyes flashing. "I don't want to hear it! I won't listen to any more!" His eyes flashed again and stayed lit this time. He was going to attack!
"SHE HAS EGGS!!" I bellowed, making a desperate snap decision on a hunch. He's supposed to revere dragons. He tried singing to her. He'll have to care about Anea and her eggs! Won't he? "Anea has eggs, Faolin, and they're about to hatch." The sylvan froze, not even appearing to breathe. "She's alone, and she has eggs. Do you know what that means for dragons? Anea saved my life, and we've gotten fond of each other. I owe her more than I can ever repay, and she asked me for my help. She asked for me to help keep her kids safe. How could I say no to that?" I held my own breath while I waited the intolerably long seconds for Faolin to compose himself and decide how to respond to my revelation.
"She," he swallowed, then continued, "She has eggs? And she lets you near them?" His words dripped with disbelief. "She wants your help to raise them?!"
"Yes. That's why I have a strict time limit. They're counting on me, and I've already been gone for too long. If we aren't putting my plan into action by tomorrow, tomorrow night at the very latest, I have to get back to them." Faolin just shook his head, his mouth hanging open. "What? You... you do believe me, don't you?"
"It's hard to believe," he retorted, then he gave a disgusted snort. "And it isn't fair either. Sylvan are the ones who treat dragons with the adoration they deserve. Humans fight them more often than not. What do they see in your kind that's always made them prefer you over us?" I shrugged.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but this is about Anea, her eggs, and me, not humanity and dragons. It's..." I sighed, then found my jaw stretching itself into another wide yawn I struggled in vain to suppress. "Dammit. It's a long story."
Unfortunately, I had to tell it. It was easier than with Steel because this time, I didn't have to worry about spilling Anea's secret by accident. In fact, details about her secret were exactly what Faolin needed to hear. I knew things about dragons no human had any business knowing, and there was only one way I could have learned about them. He let me talk for a while, and when he finally started asking specific questions, he spoke with an undertone of such resentment that I knew I'd convinced him. He believed Anea had eggs and that she'd chosen me to help her raise them. He just couldn't understand or accept why she had picked me of all people.
By the time we finished talking and bedded down for some much needed sleep, the sky was just beginning to brighten above the peaks to the east. Dawn was coming, and it was too late for Faolin to fly back to the camp with Bird. By then, Faolin didn't seem to care. He wasn't on my side by any means, but before we noticed the approaching dawn, he'd been trying to convince me that I should just forget about Steel and the others and get back to Anea without delay. He'd argued with such vehemence that I wondered why he hadn't just left and forced the decision on me. Whatever his reasons, he swore he wouldn't interfere with me returning to Anea, either by harming me or stealing the gryphon. Maybe it was stupid to believe him, but I would be putting my fate in Faolin's hands sooner or later. Better to test him now, I sleepily reasoned, than wait until he knew he might have the opportunity to hand me back to Os'tarell on a silver platter.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
My sleep was deep and dreamless, but when I woke up, I did it fast. I surged halfway to my feet before my eyes even opened, already berating myself for weakness and idiocy! And then I recognized what had roused me. It wasn't Faolin sneaking up to attack, smoke from the grass fire, or a search party of sylvan ambushing me. The gryphon was standing right next to me, alternately clacking his beak and uttering low, insistent squawks and chirps. A quick glance around revealed no threats that might have concerned the creature. My stomach sank as I realized what it probably wanted.
"Crap," I sighed. "You're getting hungry, aren't you?" The gryphon huffed and clacked its beak at me again, and I took a nervous step back. I remembered Skor's warnings about ensuring my mount remained well-fed. That was great advice, but I'd been forced to land earlier than I'd planned. Without supplies from the town, I'd have to try and trap game instead of hunt it. That would take time I probably didn't have.
I looked up at the sky to judge the time and was frustrated to find it overcast with thick grey clouds. There was no sign of the sun's bright disk shining through them, no way for me to gauge how much of the day was already spent. And if that wasn't bad enough, here at ground level an icy breeze out of the north west was gusting on and off, warning of wintery weather to come soon.
"Well, this just keeps getting better and better," I complained to myself. Once Bird was fed, flying in these conditions was going to be nasty. In the cold these skies promised, it wouldn't take long for the wind to cause frostbite on any exposed skin, and every sign promised it was only going to get colder. No time to lose then.
I began scanning the surrounding hillsides for the best direction to try my luck hunting and was surprised to spot Faolin trudging up the slope blackened by last night's grassfire. Reminded of that little disaster, I quickly assessed the damage I'd caused and was relieved to find the burn hadn't made it beyond line of sight. Several football-fields' worth of the long grasses and scrub bushes had been scorched, but the blaze was out now. My gaze returned to Faolin, and I discovered he was carrying a squirming brown something in his arms as he approached. Curiosity piqued, I made my way down the slope to meet him, Bird following close on my heels.
"What is tha- Oh!" I interrupted myself as I got a good look. Faolin had a big, live, brown rabbit in his arms. When I say big, we had to be talking at least five pounds of bunny. It was obviously distressed with being carried, but it wasn't panicking just then. "How the hell did you catch that?" The sylvan's eyes were red and puffy, and his long ears were lowered almost sideways from his head in an evident display of sorrow.
"It wasn't difficult," he spat with vehement distaste. "I know that gryphon needs to eat before it will carry anyone. This isn't much, but I hope it will be satisfying enough." He kneeled down and set the hare onto the ground, keeping it firmly pinned so it couldn't scramble away. "I'm not killing it though. You can do that part."
"Can't Bird just do that himself?" I asked unhappily. I'd killed small game with my bare hands before during my survival training, but I'd hated it every time. I much preferred to use lethal traps or make my kills from a distance with ranged weaponry.
"Of course it could," Faolin snapped. "It won't though. Gryphons lack true predatory instincts, despite their appearance and diet. They wouldn't be safe to handle if they considered attacking things smaller than them when they get hungry. They're completely dependent on meat being provided for them..." He took a deep breath, then met my eyes as the hare made another desperate attempt to struggle free, beginning to grunt and squeal. "I... I can't-" His voice broke, and I didn't hesitate any longer.
If I heard any more of those heart-rending cries of terror, I wouldn't be able to do this at all. Steeling my nerves and freezing out my sympathy, I grabbed the rabbit's hind feet in my left hand and lifted it up. It writhed and spasmed for a few long moments before it got tired and hung limp.
"Do you have a stick I can use for a club?" I asked, keeping my voice even. Faolin shook his head. I sighed and pulled the glass bottle I'd been using as a canteen out of its pocket in my vest. It was still mostly full, giving it extra heft. Moving slowly to avoid distressing the hare any more, I rested the bottle on the base of its neck and made a few slow, smooth practice swings. Then I drew my arm up one last time and swung down with all my might, cracking the bottle into the back of the rabbit's head. It jerked in my hands, and I immediately swung again to make sure it was dead. It spasmed one last time then went limp for good, and I saw blood trickling out of its nose. Thank god... a clean kill. I was just glad it hadn't made any more of those squeals. "Do we need to skin it?" I asked stiffly.
"Uh... no," Faolin replied, looking green. Hearing that, I tossed the dead rabbit to Bird's feet, then looked away once he showed he knew it was food by pinning it to the ground with a claw and sinking his beak in to begin ripping it apart. Faolin gagged as he turned his back to the sight. "I'll never understand how you humans can make a habit of killing animals to eat them." I just shook my head, not willing to get drawn into a debate about the merits of meat right then.
"And I won't ever get how you people can be ok having your thoughts monitored." Faolin half turned toward me to reply, but thought better of it when the gryphon snapped a few bones. "Besides, you didn't answer my question earlier. How'd you catch that rabbit? You probably saved me several hours with that."
"Us," he mumbled, barely audible with his back turned.
"What?" I asked, sure I'd misheard him.
"I saved us time, not just you," he grumbled louder. I pursed my lips, considering that statement, then decided to get my hunting question answered first.
"I'll leave that one alone for now. I'm about to be back in the woods with Anea again, and I would like to be catching my own food this time. Hopefully, I can even pitch in with feeding her hatchlings. So if you can explain how you managed to catch that rabbit alive-"
"You can't do it," Faolin interrupted with a sigh. "I used a spell. The same one I tried using to fight you, actually."
When he didn't elaborate further, I prompted, "You um... wanna explain what that spell was?"
"No I don't," he muttered, but he continued anyway before I could protest. "It's a technique we call Projection. It's used to touch, hold, and strike things from a distance."
"So you just... saw that rabbit and grabbed it," I speculated, visualizing it as I spoke. "Then you walked up and grabbed it." Faolin sighed again.
"As idiotic as you made that sound, yes. That's what I did." He peeked over his shoulder to check Bird's progress on his meal and judged it safe to turn back around. "I can demonstrate if you like." I nodded slowly.
"Just don't get any funny ideas." Faolin swept his hand back over the charred hillside.
"Don't worry about that. You've proven your tricks are more destructive than mine." Then his eyes glowed silver again, though it wasn't as obvious in the light of day. He nodded toward the ground while he made a fist with his good hand, and when I followed his gesture, I saw a bundle of grass stalks bunched up together like an invisible hand was grabbing them. A moment later, the bundle ripped itself up out of the ground and floated up into the air. It went up about ten feet, then flung itself into the wind to scatter and fall back to the ground.
"That," I admitted, after regaining control over my mouth which had fallen open, "was a pretty cool trick. I think I'd call it telekinesis though." Faolin rolled his eyes.
"Only because you don't understand what you saw. I wasn't moving that grass with just my mind; most of that was my hand." He waved his good hand. "I'm not good enough at magic to use real Telekinesis. Projection is basically just a way to extend one's reach. It's about as straightforward as magic gets. The only thing I have to do is project the force of my hand somewhere else. That doesn't take a great amount of energy or concentration. All the other effects, like grabbing or moving things, are done normally. You know, by muscles." He pointed behind me. "The gryphon is done. We should probably get moving." I cocked my head, still not looking at Bird.
"We?" I asked. Faolin snarled with an entirely different kind of disgust.
"Yes 'we.' Don't make me beg. I told you, I'm not doing anything to interfere with you getting back to Anea. That means I would be in deep trouble if I ever go back to my own people. Os'tarell cares about results. If I don't come back with you, information about where to find you, or names of the ogern who really helped you escape, then you were right. I'm going to get blamed and punished for you getting away. Congratulations on ruining my life!" he spat resentfully, then glared into my eyes. "So before we go our separate ways, I hope you won't mind flying me to Pineda so I can scavenge for some supplies as well. If I'm going to be living as a hermit exile, I'd at least like to start well provisioned!"
I nodded, then turned toward Bird so Faolin wouldn't see any hint of my uncertainty on my face. Getting the sylvan to come with me to Pineda was more than I'd dared hoped after last night, but I still didn't have a good reason why he should help me with my plan. If I didn't come up with something damned good by the time we landed, he'd probably disappear as soon as he was untied from the saddle.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
My concerns were frozen out of me less than a minute after we took off. I was right, it was intolerably, dangerously cold up here. I smartened up this time and had my headband wrapped around my forehead and ears, so at least they were somewhat protected. That only left my face and fingers exposed to the cruel, frigid winds on the gryphon's back. I deeply envied Faolin, who had his own face and hands tucked between himself and the gryphon's warm chest. The only good part about this situation was that in the light of day, it didn't take long for me to find the road I needed to follow south. We would be landing at Pineda soon, hopefully before frostbite set in.
No matter what, I would have needed to use Pineda as a landmark to find my way back to Anea, but there were two big reasons I needed to stop there. First and most pressing, I needed more cold weather clothing. I had no idea how to turn animal hides into useful items like furs or leather. Unless I was able to figure that out through experimentation, I'd be stuck with whatever I could scavenge. There was lots of other gear I might find that would be useful, but I couldn't think of anything more important to my survival this winter than warm clothes. The second reason was I was near certain the second key to my plan was hidden somewhere in the town. As I'd told Skor, there was a much faster way in and out of the Sylvan camp than the gryphon I was riding. He'd dragged me through one when we met two days ago. I just had to hope that busted Anchor wasn't the only one there, and that I'd be able to find one of the others.
Of course, if there were Anchors in that town that were safe to use, then there could also be an ambush from the camp already waiting for me. I had a plan to mitigate that risk though. Thanks to Anea and her meddling, if anyone in that town started talking or even whispering to each other, I'd hear them from well over a thousand feet away. That went for Sylvan telepathy too. Although I wouldn't understand what was being said, I did know what that sounded like to me. I was going to overfly the town at a low altitude and survey it from the air. Even if I didn't see anything, I was positive spotting me would provoke some kind of discussion among any would-be ambushers, and I was sure to pick up on that. If I didn't hear or see anyone, then we'd land and search for supplies and the Anchor. If I did, then I would not take the risk of landing, and my plan would be dead.
It sucked to consider abandoning Steel and the others, but I had to be reasonable. Even if I somehow convinced Faolin to truly betray his people by helping me, after his attack last night I had severe doubts about trusting him. Yes, he claimed he believed my place was with Anea, and the right thing for him to do was let me go back to her. But I still hadn't told him that my plan was for him to use an Anchor to teleport the both of us back to the camp, then use it again to teleport us and as many of the human resisters back out as we could manage. He would have the perfect opportunity to screw me because once we appeared at the camp, I would be completely dependent on him to get Steel, the other resisters, and me back out.
Honestly, being forced to abandon my mission because it was too risky to retrieve an Anchor would have been the easiest possible outcome. Then I'd be able to drop Faolin somewhere and fly straight back to Anea without even feeling too guilty because my plan really had been impossible despite my best efforts. Of course, my life had stopped being easy a long time ago. After more than ten minutes of zigzagging over and around the town, there wasn't a peep of a word or even the softest buzz of telepathy to be heard. It was safe to land. Darn.
The field I told Bird to land in may not have been the best place to start searching, but it was the best place to answer a question I'd almost forgotten about. When Anea and I arrived here, there had been smoke rising from what had to be fires around the edges of the town. We'd found Tohnaal and his cohort before investigating why something was burning in an abandoned town, so when I'd seen the huge circle of ash here, I knew this was the only chance I'd have to get any answers.
Yes, curiosity had gotten me into this mess in the first place. It was also the reason I had a chance to rescue my friend, however slight that chance was. This time, investigating this minor mystery shined a light on one of the larger questions I'd been pondering about the Sylvan and their actions.
"Holy..." I muttered, kneeling down at the edge of the ash. The dead bonfire before us still radiated a noticeable amount of heat, and it reeked of sulfur and burnt plastic. And it was hopelessly tangled with blackened, twisted gun barrels and melted bullet casings. Faolin stood nearby, not yet running off as I'd half-expected. "They were destroying weapons here, weren't they? Looks like they burned every gun and scrap of ammunition they could find." Faolin lips were curled in a frown, and he took a while to respond.
"Yes," he finally admitted. "There have been... debates for some time about what actions we would take if we were revealed. Pacifying small human settlements would require scouring them for potent weapons like those. I just..." he gulped, then looked straight at me, his fear plain in his wide eyes and pinned ears. "I never expected to see so many firearms in one place. Are you certain this was just a normal human town, not a military outpost?"
I looked over the ashes again, trying to estimate how many gun barrels were here. A couple hundred maybe? That would be a lot for the number of people who lived here, but I thought there had been a gun shop or two in town. Most outdoor supply stores and some supermarkets had gun sections too.
"Yeah," I confirmed. "I wouldn't be surprised if there were a thousand or so guns in a town like this one. Most should have been for sale though. This is the biggest town this side of the mountains for more than fifty miles. It doesn't surprise me they'd have a stock this large." Faolin shook his head.
"Do you still think it was unreasonable of us to clear this town so we could eradicate that arsenal? This isn't so far away from where the Collapse trapped us."
"Hmm..." I murmured. I was annoyed to hear that ominous word again, but Faolin had also reminded me about the misfired rifle rounds I'd picked up. And... They were gone! The ogern must have confiscated them along with my knives while my collar was 'suppressing' me! I swore under my breath in disgust and stalked away from the ash pit. I'd wasted enough time. I needed to head into town and start looking for the things on my scavenging list. I managed to coax Bird into following me and to my continued bemusement, Faolin followed as well.
"If you're gonna keep bringing it up, maybe you could explain what this Collapse actually was. Or do you people just take some sick pleasure in being mysterious?" I shot the question at him, my uncertainty about him making me irritable.
"I already..." he trailed off, then asked: "Did you not read the information I wrote down for Captain Walker? I explained it all to him yesterday." Oh. I remembered that, but I hadn't realized Steel's questions would have led him to this subject. Of course, I also remembered being interrupted before I could read through that entire Intel dump.
"I didn't get to it," I admitted, earning a sigh of exasperation from the sylvan.
"Alright," he said. "I'll tell you again, but then I want you to tell me exactly what kind of magic you wanted me to do for you." So that's why you haven't disappeared yet. Of course Faolin still had a few questions of his own. Curiosity was certainly a motive I could understand.
"Fine. Fair warning: I don't think details about my plan will be enough to convince Os'tarell of your innocence." I cringed. That had sounded better in my head.
"I know that. I just think I deserve to know why you decided to ruin my life." He didn't say 'and it had better be damned good,' but it was implied. "The Collapse... Did you at least read what I told your Captain about the Havens?"
"No. I only saw the stuff you wrote about the All." He sighed again.
"Alright. From the beginning then." While we made our way into the town and ransacked the outdoors shops for the gear we both needed, Faolin recited the information he'd revealed to Steel. Havens were places the Sylvan created to hide their race from humanity when our continuing expansion meant even the Veil could no longer conceal them. We were becoming so numerous and widespread that even without looking for them, we were encroaching on their settlements. There was nowhere left in the world where they could hide from us, and they didn't believe they could win if they fought us. Their only choice was to radically change the world itself.
Using powerful magic, they twisted reality in on itself, like tying a knot in the middle of a piece of cloth. The parts of the world containing their settlements vanished as the rest of the world shrank and stretched to fill the empty space, leaving behind only a tiny connection which both tethered the Haven to wider reality and served as the only passageway between the two spaces. These endpoints were far more practical to hide, and they'd successfully done so and lived, thrived within their Havens for over a thousand years.
He wouldn't say much about what Havens were like on the inside. Just that they had a definite edge and in the time since they were created, they hadn't grown very much. Thus they had become very crowded. He did explain that beyond the Edge of a Haven it was impossible for anything from this world to exist, never mind live, because reality as we understood it ended. The biggest problem with the Havens was that they had never been quite stable, and it took constant effort by their mages to maintain them.
At first this hadn't been a major concern, but for reasons Faolin couldn't explain, the effort it took to hold the Havens open had grown monstrously over the thousand years of their existence. That demand had long ago exceeded what individual mages pooling their resources could support, and they'd been forced to leverage the might of their All to the task. Nine days ago, the strain had apparently become too much for even the All to bear. It was being called the Collapse because when that happened, the Nineteenth Haven, Faolin's home, shrank to less than half its size in the blink of an eye.
Everyone and everything on the other side of the Edge ceased to exist, and the Edge continued to creep closer to the center at about walking pace. Unable to halt the Collapse or evacuate a meaningful fraction of their people through the narrow passage in time, they faced the certain deaths of tens of thousands in mere hours. The Sylvan had again been left with only one choice. They reversed the ancient spells which had created that Haven and returned it and everything within back to their proper place in the world.
Thousands had still died as the maelstrom of otherworldly energies and twisting reality shattered every structure the Sylvan had built and toppled every tree in and around the emerging Haven. In the end, out of the more than one hundred thousand sylvan and ogern who'd lived in that Haven, only about half of them survived the Collapse and its immediate aftermath. No wonder the Sylvan were keeping the story away from human ears. They needed to be seen as powerful but beneficent invaders, not as a group of desperate refugees who'd just lost everything.
Faolin had no idea what had caused this disaster. At the time, he was dealing with the consequences of our encounter and struggling to get over his new revulsion with opening his mind to the All. Afterward, his people had decided his new attitude made him a potential danger, and they confined him and forced him to wear a suppressor while they secured the areas surrounding their hastily erected tent city. When they started capturing humans, they decided it was simplest to keep all their security concerns in one place at the edge of the camp.
The timing of their disaster bugged me. Nine days ago, unless I'd screwed up my math, was the day an earthquake had caved in Anea's nest. It was also about the same time Steel had said all the lights went out, and he'd heard what he suspected were massive explosions in the distance. Coincidences like that simply didn't happen, not in the real world, but Faolin had said all he was going to about the Collapse by then.
"No, I already told you," he retorted to my last speculation as we worked together to break the lock on another walk-in freezer. This one didn't have an inset window, but since it was locked I was hopeful we'd finally find something Bird could eat inside. The gryphon had faithfully followed us all throughout the ghost town, and he was now waiting patiently for us outside this little restaurant. "They wouldn't tell me anything. I don't know any more about what's going on with humanity than you do. That said, I can tell you there's no logical reason we wouldn't have evacuated the Haven first if this was some 'evil plot' of ours to take back part of the world from humans. The Collapse was a complete surprise to us."
"Unless," I grunted, pushing with all my might on the narrow steel pipe we'd jammed into the padlock. "Your leaders thought the All could do both at once, and they were wrong." There was a loud snap, and I fell forward as I succeeded in breaking something. I got up and brushed myself off, seeing with satisfaction that the lock had snapped clean through at the top of its shackle.
"I already told you, we don't have lead- Oh forget it," Faolin muttered as I jiggled the busted lock loose and tossed it aside. "Fine. Something like that might have happened. Or maybe whatever happened to your people was a side effect of your leaders' secret plan to destroy the Havens. This is pointless speculation. Neither of us know anything, and you still haven't told me what your scheme for me was. If you want anything else from me, you need to tell me like you promised."
A rush of cool air swirled out of the freezer when I got the door open, and I saw a few boxes with labels for chicken, beef, and other kinds of meat stacked in one corner. Things were thawing out in here, but nothing smelled foul yet. I grabbed one of the boxes, made sure it actually contained the meat on its label, then brought it out of the freezer and sealed the door.
"Alright. This has got to be enough for Bird, and we've got everything else we needed. I can't do anything else without your help anyways." I took a deep breath as Faolin crossed his arms. "When my acquaintances first proposed their escape plan, I asked them why we couldn't just steal one of your teleportation Anchors instead." Faolin gasped, already catching on. "Yeah," I nodded. "They said it wouldn't work because they watch the Anchors in the camp. But after they explained how I'd be flying away on a gryphon-"
"You got the idea to come in from the other side?" he finished, eyes wide in surprise. "I'll admit, no one would expect that. But what then? You'll just be right back where you started. You'll just get captured again." I shook my head.
"This time, I'll be going in at night, I'll be armed, and at least one of the guards should be on my side. We'll have to take the others out quietly, but once that's done it would be simple enough to take the Anchor to the Stockade and bring everyone through." Faolin grimaced.
"'Take out' the other guards? You really mean kill them, don't you?"
"Probably," I sighed. "If it's possible to just subdue them, then that would be my preference, but I won't let them stand in my way if we get that far."
"And that's what you need me for," he concluded. "This plan won't work if you don't have someone who can use an Anchor for you."
"Also someone who might help me figure out where your people would have stashed any that are still here," I added. "I've been looking, but I haven't spotted one so far." Faolin's angry scowl was the opposite of encouraging, and even as I mustered my best arguments to try persuading him, I braced for failure. He's not buying this. He cares too much about his duty, even if he doesn't benefit. Dammit. So this is how Anea felt when she was trying to bribe me. Well, at least I'll get to go back to her soon.
"So, all you want to do is rescue your friends?" he pressed. I gritted my teeth. If he already didn't like this plan, then he'd really hate the next part. I could not afford to lie to him though. If I tricked him into helping me get back to the camp, but then surprised him with a change of plans when we were there, he'd turn on me for sure. Then I'd be thoroughly screwed.
"Not exact... No. Not at all," I rubbed my forehead. "I want to rescue Steel and the others, but there's something else we have to do. It might be even more important. Your Speaker wants to know how Anea Altered me so he can repeat the process. He and Vaa'len agreed that it might be the key for them to learn how to use magic like dragons do, or something. The difference is, Vaa'len thought screwing with Anea's spells was too risky. Despite her objections, Os'tarell ordered her to discover the secret at any cost." I cringed, just then realizing that naïve sylvanni might catch hell from Os'tarell over my disappearance. "How much do you know about Alteration?" I asked, then added. "Your people call it Transfiguration."
"Some," he said with a small shrug, squinting at me with suspicion.
"Do you know what a shaping plague is?" Faolin blanched, going noticeable pale. Huh. That was not the indifferent response I'd expected.
"Demons and devils," he gasped, taking a step back from me. "You're... You said Anea didn't intend to give you a fire lung. That was an unguided change. How did I not make the connection before? You've been carrying a shaping sickness this whole time?!" His horrified question sent a flash of inspiration through me, and I threw out my planned arguments for something that might actually work.
"No," I stated, first needing to calm the sylvan down. "Anea told me she ended her spell, and Vaa'len confirmed that. There are still vectors inside me, but the spell as a whole is dormant. Vaa'len was worried about reactivating any part of it before she understood how Anea had controlled it, so she still hadn't done anything but look at it before I escaped. The problem is: yesterday, she took blood and tissue samples from me, on Os'tarell's orders again." The color had been coming back into Faolin's cheeks as I spoke. It drained again at my last statement. "Yeah. That's what I'm thinking too. Os'tarell wants that spell or something just like it. Since he only has a few samples now, I'm thinking his first step will be trying to wake up those vectors and infect someone with them. After that..." I trailed off with a shrug. Faolin shuddered.
"If they can spread it to someone else, then it truly will be a shaping sickness. How could they risk something like that? We barely survived the Collapse, and they're inviting another disaster?" I chomped the inside of my cheek to keep my satisfaction off my face. I had him. Now I just needed to avoid gloating or selling it too hard.
"Faolin, I think this is mostly Os'tarell. You said you don't really have leaders, just interpreters for the will of your people. That doesn't matter now. Whether it's just Os'tarell, or if the All itself is willing to take this risk, the All is based on the sum of all of your people's desires, right?" Faolin nodded. "Well, not every sylvan understands the risks as well as Vaa'len does. You just proved that, didn't you?" He nodded again. "Now you know too. You clearly think it's a bad idea. Look," I sighed. "I was going to give you a speech about how you're free from your people now and you should be thinking about what's best for you from now on. That was bullshit. You just reminded me that what I'm trying to do isn't just for me, or for Anea and her eggs. Escaping was for us. Going back is to protect everyone who's still there. Vaa'len's project would have been risky enough if she still had the entire spell inside me to study. Without me there, those samples are an incredible threat. They must be destroyed, and I need your help to do that."
I met the sylvan's uncertain eyes and extended my hand before making my final pitch. "I will say this: I know you've always enjoyed independence, at least a little. You also put your duty first, always putting your people's needs before yours. Do it again. You can make the call Vaa'len couldn't and use your autonomy to save your people from their own foolish eagerness. They'll hate you all the more for it, but I can see you know it's the right thing to do. It's your call. Am I flying straight back to Anea, or are you going to help me end this threat to both our peoples?"
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
It was getting dark again when at long last, I spotted the flashing red light I was looking for. It had been much easier to search with ski goggles to protect my eyes from the wind, but it was still a small, dim beacon.
"There you are," I muttered behind my new facemask, relief making me go limp for a second. That light, which I'd only seen once before, was what I had pinned all my hopes of finding Anea's territory on. I'd spotted it during my test flight with Anea the day before we'd left for Pineda. That was what? Three days ago? Feels more like three months. I knew now that whatever had killed the power in and around Pineda had happened several days before then. That beacon had been flashing anyway, and it was still flashing now. I tugged the reins toward the light, crossing my gloved fingers that it really was a radio tower like I'd assumed. It would also be nice if it's not manned.
It looked promising from overhead. There was a small shed and a generator at the base of the tower, but there were no vehicles parked anywhere in sight. The top of the tower was festooned with dishes and antennas of all shapes and sizes, proving this site was used to relay communications of some kind. I signaled Bird to land here, and a few minutes later, he skidded to a barely controlled halt in the mountain snow coating the peak where the tower stood. As I unhooked myself from the saddle, I felt Faolin struggling beneath me, impatient to be free from the undignified passenger position once and for all.
"OW!!!" he suddenly shouted.
"What?!" I demanded over Bird's irate squawk.
"Your blasted gryphon just bit me, that's what!" he snapped back. I shot a look forward and saw the gryphon holding his head high, but clearly glaring down at the sylvan strapped to his chest. Faolin struggled again and Bird jabbed his head down. "HELP ME!!" he shrieked, terrified.
"Shit! I'm coming!" I assured him, my own heart pounding as I fumbled with the straps. "Try holding still! Don't provoke him!" I finally got the last strap loose and forced my leg to stop vibrating so I could separate its stirrup, then I rolled straight off the gryphon's side, landing on all fours. I sprang to my feet and hopped backward to get out of reach of the gyphon's beak for a second so I could get a clear picture of what was happening. Bird wasn't having that, but fortunately, he also didn't see me as a threat. I was his solution.
He turned and stomped up to me, thrusting his chest forward with a clear demand to GET THIS THING OFF HIM!! I worked as fast as I could without making mistakes to release Faolin, and as I tugged the straps loose, I also found the problem. Some of the gryphon's slick body feathers had become snagged in the harness, and Faolin's struggling had been painfully plucking them out.
Once Faolin dropped to the ground, he crawled away as fast as he could. He wasn't bleeding that I could see, so I left him to tend to himself and worked on taking Bird's saddle off instead. He'd worked hard bringing the two of us this far, and I wanted to thank him in a way he could understand by helping him get comfortable. After the saddle was off, I did my best to smooth the rest of the gryphon's feathers back down with just my hands.
Bird's plumage was a mix of light and dark greys, with the lighter grey on the bottom and the darker on top. The two shades dappled together on the gryphon's sides rather than switching at a distinct border. The feathers were long like other flying birds on his wings, his neck and head, and along his tail. The ones on his torso were short, and they locked together to lay flush along his body in a way that reminded me of a penguin. These were the ones that had been rubbed out of sorts by the saddle straps, and Bird wasted no time joining me in preening them once the saddle was out of the way.
"Is he going to leave when we disappear," I asked Faolin a few minutes later, after he'd had a chance to calm down.
"Maybe," he said with a shrug. "I doubt it though. We shouldn't be gone too long, and gryphons are trained to wait for their riders. That shouldn't matter though. This is the place you were looking for, isn't it?"
"I think so," I answered with a noncommital shrug. I stepped back from Bird and looked to the north. It was already getting dark under the thick clouds as evening deepened. "That should be her valley down there, but I can't tell in this light. For all I know, this might be a completely different tower than the one I saw. I won't know until I hear from Anea." Faolin looked to the north too, then took a deep breath.
"When this is over, do you think she might let me stay somewhere in her territory?" he asked. I turned to him, surprised by the quiet, hesitant question. "I've been trying to think of a way to ask you. After the impression I made with her, I know she won't allow it unless you ask her. I don't think there's anywhere else I can go." I thought for a bit before answering.
I hadn't given any consideration to where Faolin might go after tonight. In the back of my mind, I'd just assumed he could go with Steel and the others to help prove to the rest of humanity that the Sylvan were real and posed a significant threat. Now, as I actually thought about it, I realized how ridiculous that notion was.
Faolin wasn't a human, let alone a U.S. citizen. He had no legal standing in human society, and the military would have no problem taking him prisoner and holding him indefinitely for the information he could provide. Also, Faolin wasn't going to blatantly betray his people like that. The only reason he was helping me was he believed he was doing the right thing for his own people, even if they disagreed with him. Well, that, and apparently so I would owe him enough to consider his request. I guess that's why he's also OK with taking the risk to stay long enough to rescue people on our way out.
"Sure. I'll ask her," I agreed, then I glanced down at the snow under my feet with a frown. "I can't promise she'll agree. She's not gonna be happy with me either when she hears about all the risks I'm about to take."
"I suppose that's all I can ask," he muttered, shrugging when I looked back up at him. "Well, I guess we should get on with it then. Are you sure you still want to go through with this?" The wind suddenly gusted in my face, and I tried to blame my shivering on the cold instead of my apprehension. It was time. And I was having doubts again. No, that's not it... I'm scared.
This was it. I'd managed to convince Faolin to use the Anchor to open a backdoor into the Sylvan camp from here. I was afraid of what would happen if I'd misjudged him, and he betrayed me. I was afraid because my complete inexperience in ground operations meant I was going into this on little more than nerve and instinct. I was afraid of failing everyone and ending up right back where I'd started last night. Most of all, I was afraid I didn't have the right to take this kind of risk with my own life anymore. I'd promised Anea I would help raise her kids and keep them safe. I'd gotten lucky to escape once, and I was almost back to her. Now I was going to put everything back on the line.
"Yes," I replied, taking a deep, steadying breath. "There are people back there counting on me, and we've got to stop your Speaker from unleashing a plague." I took off the backpack I'd chosen in Pineda and started digging through it for the weapons I was taking.
This was going to be ugly. As the fires outside the town had indicated, there were no guns or bullets to be found. I had a hand-axe, a new survival knife, a hunting slingshot I'd been lucky to find, and a few boxes of steel shot. I had a double handful of the ammunition in one of my pockets. I didn't expect to kill anyone with the small game weapon, but I figured bouncing one of the half-inch metal balls off someone's skull would distract them long enough to close in with the knife or axe.
Faolin had Sil's knife, a recurve bow, and a quiver of arrows from the town. The Sylvan had left bows and arrows alone while clearing the town, and Faolin suspected they were left to be used for hunting. He preferred the recurve bow over a compound one or crossbow since it looked and felt more like his old one. Unfortunately, the bow and arrows would be staying here until we got back. Faolin couldn't use it with only one good hand.
I had never been much good at archery. I certainly wouldn't be able to do anything useful with a bow in combat. Without a gun, it was better for me to stick with simple weapons and use my fire-breath if things got desperate. I hadn't gotten hungry at all today, which told me I had plenty of fire-venom at my disposal.
I'd also stuffed some additional underclothes, socks, and gloves into my new backpack, along with an assortment of items that would make living in these mountains easier. Then I'd packed two sacks full of extra gloves, socks, and long underwear for the people we brought back with us. They'd only be bringing the clothes on their backs, and that wouldn't be enough if the first winter storms broke before they managed to get somewhere safe. I gathered the weapons and set the backpack with the rest of my supplies down on the ground. We were as ready as we could be.
"Let's go over the plan one last time." Faolin nodded, seeing the sense in that.
"I set up the Anchor we found, then I activate it and take us through. If we don't end up in the camp like we're supposed to, I bring us back, and we're done. If we do..." he gulped, and I picked up the thread.
"We jump the guards immediately. Go for the sylvan first so we can see which of the 'ogern' is on our side. They'll tell us where to find the samples, then they'll leave to get things moving with Steel." Faolin picked up again.
"I really do think a lot of guards will be out of the camp looking for us. The only reason I can think of that they wouldn't have sent a patrol through the Anchor to Pineda is they don't know you escaped with a gryphon yet. If they're searching around the camp, they should be using every guard besides what they need to keep the humans in line. I don't think many other sylvan would take the risk to try stopping us themselves. Once Captain Walker and the others start their distraction, we should have the opening we need to locate those samples." I rubbed my ear as it began ringing dully.
"After we burn the samples," I continued. "We just follow the sounds of chaos and you pull as many people through that anchor as you can. You and me are last out."
"And," Faolin interjected, "If we get in serious trouble at any time, I bring us back. When we get back here, no matter what, you have to smash the Anchor on this side, or they'll follow us through. You can't wait a second to do that, or they'll drag you back through. You can't let them do that to Anea." I shook my head as the ringing in my ears persisted and even grew louder. Am I getting a migraine?! Sure I was stressed, and I probably hadn't gotten enough sleep these past few days, but I did not have time to deal with that crap!
"I know. I know. I just wish we had a tighter plan than this. There's still a lot that can go wrong, but I don't think we can do anything about it now. You're sure you can pull us out fast if you need to?" Faolin nodded, and pulled the cloth-wrapped Anchor out of his pocket.
"It's the same as going through the old passage in and out of the Haven. It takes two seconds-"
"ADRIAN!!!" Anea's voice suddenly blared in my ears! I jumped straight up in the air and landed on my ass as I was already searching the sky for her before I landed. "Adrian! Can you hear me?! I hear you! I knew you'd find some way to get back! I'm coming for you! Just hold on, I'm on my way!"
My mouth fell open in shock. There was no sign of the dragon yet, but this was not good! Anea knew I was back, and she was already on her way here! Faolin and I were out of time! Anea would never agree to let me go through with this plan. If we were going, we had to go now!
"What's wrong?" Faolin asked, looking alarmed as I got back to my feet as casually as I could.
"Let's go," I declared simply. "Now." The sylvan's eyes went wide and his ears pinned back in fear as he experienced his own bout of cold feet.
"Right now?" he asked nervously.
"GO?!" Anea demanded, already close enough to hear me perfectly. "Go where?! Who were you planning to attack? What is going on down there?! Talk to me!"
"We're-" The word leapt out of my mouth on its own at Anea's command. I snapped my jaw shut. That's something I haven't missed! I met Faolin's eyes. "We're not ready. We're never going to be ready for this, but there's nothing else we can do to get ready. We need to go. There's no point waiting any longer."
"Adrain, whoever you're talking to, you need to wait! Right! There! I'm close, I know I am! Just- Wait! Please!" She pleaded, desperate. Faolin still looked uncertain. I was worried he'd outright refuse if he knew Anea was demanding I stay put, but I was out of time and the truth had worked on him so far.
"If we aren't gone in about three minutes, we won't be going at all," I whispered, stepping forward so he'd be sure to hear me. He jerked away, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. He always seemed to catch on quick.
"She's coming?" he returned in a whisper.
"Yes, I'm coming, whoever you are!!" Anea snarled, proving our attempt at discretion was in vain. "Adrian, I swear you had better talk to me RIGHT NOW!!"
I held my hands out to Faolin, pleading nonverbally, and finally his jaw set and he held up a single finger. One minute. Then he unwrapped the Anchor and started working to get it set up on top of my backpack. There was nothing I could do but wait. Well that and... You need to talk to her, you coward.
"Anea," I began hesitantly.
"Adrian," she replied instantly. "Oh, thank the Stars you can still hear me! What is going on? Who's with you and why are you talking about leaving?!"
"There's something I have to do, Anea. You won't like it, and there's no time to explain. I swear, I will be back-"
"The eggs are shaking!" She cut me off. "You're back just in time. It's a miracle! Please don't leave us again." I covered my face with both hands and dragged them slowly downward. When my eyes were uncovered, they landed on Bird, who was clearing away the snow from a patch of ground so he could lay down.
"Anea, I hear you. I'll be back tonight, I swear on my life."
"You-" her voice was suddenly tiny, and she couldn't say anything else. My stomach wrenched with guilt over causing her such pain.
"I have a gryphon here, and I know how to ride it. You might scare it away if you get close. Go back to your fire and keep your kids safe! I'll fly to you when I'm back. You can lead me there."
"Why?!" She pleaded again. She knew she couldn't stop me, and it was killing her.
"I'll tell you everything. Later. I have to do this," I insisted, my voice cracking. "I have to try." Faolin grunted and waved me forward when I met his eyes. He had a finger on the globe and his eyes were burning silver. It was time. "I'll see you later," I promised, stepping forward and placing my first two fingers on the other side of the Anchor.
"You'd better," she hissed, too many emotions behind those words for me to name them. Then Faolin's eyes flashed, my blood turned to ice, and the world around us changed.