The ancient clock on Kinlear’s desktickedloudly. Arawn’s skin crawled, for how long his brother considered it.
“Eagleminder, you say?” Kinlear asked. “Impossible. They only choose one winner per Trial.”
“No,” Arawn said back. “There’s a crop of four others that are going to enter. Find out who they are...and how to beat them. I’m sure you’re more than capable of achieving that.”
“Not with my legs,” Kinlear said. “I’ll be first to get picked off by the fledglings.”
They’d be starved when the hopeful Minders entered...carrying buckets of bleeding meat.
“You’re right,” Arawn said. “But you won’t need your legs. You’ll need yourwit,of which you have plenty.”
“Father will murder you for suggesting this,” Kinlear said. “Why now?”
Arawn sighed, crossing his large arms. “We’re in dire need of more Minders for this crop of fledglings. Not strong Minders, butsmartMinders. The fledglings are out of control, angry at their own captive existence.” He paused. “Even Cyrra is still as wild as the wind. And you’re the only person I can think of thatgets it,Kinlear.You’re tired of feeling like a prisoner to your own body? Well, the war eagles are tired of life in a cage. Teach them to fly with control. Mind them...and save yourself fromthis.”
Kinlear didn’t answer.
So Arawn left the room before he set it all on fire.
A week later, Kinlear entered the Talon Trials, as Arawn suggested.
He succeeded, as Arawn knew he would.
And for months after that?
He stopped drinking. He stopped misbehaving, and gave all of himself, instead, to learning how to help make a difference in the war.He became so good an Eagleminder that he trained Arawn’s eagle himself, helping work out all the defiant ways that Cyrra offered, until she was ready fortruewar. He helped Mind Soraya’s next, and the rest in Arawn’s aerie, until eventually...they took flight by night.
Until they finally got the chance to test their training againstraphons,those raven-cats of nightmares that plagued the snowing sky.
Kinlear minded countless war eagles after that, until his name became praised.
Famed, even, all the way to the south.
Finally, Arawn had hope that his brother had found his place. That he’d found his purpose, and all his defiant ways would finally fade.
He felt good about pushing him.
He felt vindicated.
...until, a few months later, when Kinlear and Soraya were Matched.
Arawn had to stand there at the ceremony, to watch as they held each other’s hands, looked into each other’s eyes, and spoke vows meant to bind them for life. And even into the Ehver, next.
It was the worst day of Arawn’s life.
And as he watched SorayakissKinlear, standing tall and proud with a face that looked likehis?
Arawn couldn’t help but wonder, as his heart hardened inside...if it was all his fault, for helping his brother change his ways.
10
Absolution Day.
The only time when Arawn felt he wanted tohidewhile inside the Citadel, if only because he was utterlyunprepared to behave as many others did.
Like a wild animal in heat.
Arawn sighed as he entered the training room, a pale white mask on his face. Izill had fashioned it to look like snow, and he didn’t mind it. For once, he loved the idea that the outside of him matched the inside; the utter coldness in his soul that he’d felt the past many months, made worse, every time Soraya spoke of Kinlear.
