Ezer supposed she shared the same look when Arawn handed her a training sword each night.
‘This place reeks of death, and I’m not certain I’ll survive another few hours in here with you. Now move,please, so I can clean it all up.’
The raphon scurried away, tail twitching near her face as Ezer continued to clean.
She managed to take Six’s measurements for a saddle, another dance that had Six skittering away from her – even knocking her against the wall and earning her a sprained wrist. She’d gone to Alaris to fix it, and the healer had only clucked her tongue like a disapproving grandmother.
‘Progress is slow, then?’ Alaris asked.
Ezer sighed, and asked, ‘Can I borrow that pair of forceps?’
The healer had offered them up, confused, as Ezer smiled and left the room.
She had discovered that she had to offer a shiny bauble to Six as a gift each day:
Alaris’s silver forceps. A tiny golden teaspoon from her breakfast.
A copper candlestick from her dormitory.
Even a book with gilded edges, courtesy of Kinlear’s daily gift.
They were silly things, but they were all glowing and shimmering and to the raven side of the raphon, each one was utterly irresistible. And Six had been perfectly pliable when given such gifts, enoughthat Ezer could lift her paws, and touch her tail, and polish her scarred beak.
Enough that Six finally bowed her head and allowed Ezer to get the halter close enough to slide it on.
And when a full week passed...
Kinlear still didn’t show.
But he had sent another letter back with Izill. Ezer practically growled in frustration as she tore it open.
It was beginning to feel familiar, thebeing left behindsort of thing. The waiting.
Dearest Raphonminder,
My messenger informs me that you are making slow, if any at all, true progress with the pup.
Consider this a gentle reminder, while I am away.
The fate of Lordach rests on your shoulders.
With Fervor,
Prince Kinlear Laroux
‘Sorry,’ Izill said with a wince, as she handed Ezer another gift.
This time, it was a shiny golden bangle for her wrist.
She gave it right to Six.
Yet anotherweekpassed, and Ezer practiced haltering and un-haltering the raphon, until they reached a perfect little dance together.
Six skittered away, tossed her head, slashed her paws.
Ezer cursed at her, earned some sort of wound, and in the end,shehad to offer up a shiny item until Six finally relented and allowed her a chance to buckle the halter over her neck and beak.
Each afternoon, Ezer spent curled up in the library, warmed by thefire and the smell of old books, until her training began. She spent hours researching Sacred magic, hoping to track down someone who could share visions with a beast of any kind. She’d even had the librarian search through the archives of those born in the Citadel. There were hundreds of books, names scribbled in ancient ink. But her eyes had crossed after only a few tomes.
