A single twitch of the raphon’s tail.
‘All right then,’ Ezer said. ‘That settles it.’
She picked up the saddle from the other side of the cell. Shavings tumbled from it as she lifted the soft leather into her arms. ‘We’ll just destroy this obnoxious thing, so that you never have to?—’
Her words trailed off as she turned to find Six kneeling before her, leaning so far down her beak nearly touched the ground. She’d dipped one wing, as if she were making room for Ezer to climb aboard.
‘What are you doing?’ Ezer asked.
Six huffed, sending shavings outwards in a wave. She twitched her tail once.Yes.
‘Yes,what?’ Ezer asked.
And then her blood went cold.
‘Oh, no. No way.’ She held out her hands. ‘I’m certainly not going to ride you.’
Six’s tail twitched again.Yes.
‘Absolutely not,’ Ezer growled. ‘I won’t do it.’
One dark eye slid towards her and narrowed. A growl left her throat. Her hackles raised.
‘Six.’
Another growl.
‘I can’t be your rider!’
A single tail twitch.
Yes.
‘No.’
Yes.
Ezer put her hands on her hips. ‘I’m not arguing with you about this.I’m the Minder.’
She marched over and reached for the halter, to pull the raphon back up to full standing. But instead, the second her hand touched Six’s feathers … another vision came.
And this time it wasn’t a memory. This time, it was …
It was Ezer, seated atop Six’s back.
Ezer, soaring out across the cliffside, and Six was glorious, full-grown and wonderful as she tore through the sky, and together they were one. Together, they were fierce and wondrous as they angled towards the Sawteeth and never looked back.
Ezer ripped her hand away, breathless.
‘I can’t fly you, Six. I’m not a Rider. That’s not what this mission is for. You are to be matched –’ her voice broke at the sadness she suddenly felt – ‘with someoneelse.’
‘It doesn’t have to be that way.’
Ezer spun at the sound of Kinlear’s voice.
She didn’t know how long he’d been watching, but it had to have been long enough.
‘She speaks to you, doesn’t she?’ he asked. His head was cocked, his eyes narrowed as he studied them both. ‘I wasn’t certain before, but now … gods, it’s impossible to deny, the bond you share. Of course, I was hopeful before, when I first saw the beast standing before you in the Eagle’s Nest. But now … well, it took long enough for her to do it.’
