Page 67 of Of Blood and Fire
The human world doesn’t always work like that, Kaia.
Should.
With my smile growing, I thanked the Prioress for her help, then turned and left. Garran talked to her for a few more seconds, then jogged across the roof to catch up with me. His remaining guard clattered down in front of us, then stood to one side at the bottom of the stairs and waited, one hand wrapped lightly around the hilt of his sword.
I climbed over the parapet and motioned toward him. “The personal guards are a new development—any particular reason?”
“You could say that.” Garran’s voice was dry. “The King of Zephrine has disappeared.”
I stopped abruptly and stared at him. “What? How?”
“Apparently there was a rodent run connected to his room.”
“But why would he disappear? It makes no sense given he and his men—” I paused. “Are they still here?”
“They are. As for a reason, did he not swear vengeance on us all?”
“Well, yes, but I can’t see him personally wreaking bloody havoc. He seems more the type to send others to do his dirty work.”
“Perhaps the spectacular failure of all his careful intrigues has sent him off the deep end.”
I remembered the deeply unsettling glare he’d sent my way when we’d confronted him, and tried to rub away the chill dancing down my arms. “He surely can’t get far. He’s not an earth witch, and he has no knowledge of those tunnels.”
“We’re presuming Makki drew a map that he left with Aric.”
“Then what’s being done to recover him?”
“At the moment, very little. We dare not remove any of our earth witches from the wall until the Mareritten attack eases off,and I don’t want to run the risk of a search party getting lost, given what Leto said about it being a warren and unstable.”
“So, we just let him wander? That doesn’t seem a particularly smart move, Garran.”
“I’ve issued a capture and detain alert, and stationed guards in your room and mine. They’ll remain until he’s found.”
“And privacy be damned?”
He glanced at me, his eyebrows raised. “Better a lack of privacy than a lack of life.”
I harrumphed. He laughed and touched my shoulder. “Report once you’ve seen to your drakkon.”
I nodded and, as he walked away, ordered a couple of freshly killed boars to be brought in for the drakkons, though the sight of them consuming said boars wouldn’t do a lot to calm the nerves of those still crowding the edges of the courtyard.
It took about half an hour for the fog to begin to bleed upward, and a further fifteen minutes before a clear pathway developed between the mountain and the smoke.
When the peak high above us became visible, I removed the frayed rope from Kaia’s harness, gave her a final eye scratch, then stepped out from under her wings and shouted up orders to Miri and Halka to remain at the aerie overnight and do the morning flyover once the sun had risen.
Once they’d signaled the affirmative, Kaia rose on her haunches, trumpeted a command to rise, then hunkered down and launched into the air, quickly followed by both the younger drakkons and their riders. I’d braced against the wind of their departure, but many others were sent flying.
A few seconds later, Kaia said,Is clear. No gilded ones hunt us.
Meaning the smoke barrier had worked. Shame it couldn’t be employed permanently.Don’t go hunting until dawn has fully risen.
Won’t.
As they flew over the distant peak and disappeared into the waning night, I headed up the palace stairs to make my report. Garran and Neera were standing near the main troop board.
“I take it the smoke wall worked?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at my salute but nevertheless returning it.
“They didn’t see any riders as they flew over the peaks; that at least means they’re not currently coming in at us from a southernly direction.”
