Talon
Before escorting the First Daughter’s horse to the pasture, I summoned three of my most trustworthy Eagle Riders: Baz, Zamir, and Kestrel. They came quickly, shooting Shazeera curious looks but holding their tongues until they heard from me first. The three of them lined up in front of me and saluted.
Baz and I had known each other since childhood, as our fathers had flown together in the aerial army. He dwarfed the others with his hulking frame. Beside him, Zamir flashed me a ghost of a smile, her dark eyes unreadable. Petite already, she looked even smaller next to Baz, but if it came down to a competition, she could probably best him with her daggers. Kestrel stood on the other side of Zamir, arms crossed and a characteristic smirk on his face. He was an ass, but I trusted him with my life. He had saved me more than once.
“I want the three of you to rotate shifts watching over the First Daughter’s horse in the upper pasture,” I said, meeting each of their eyes in turn.
“You don’t trust the emperor’s guards,” Baz said knowingly.
“No, I don’t,” I said.
“This horse is that important?” Kestrel asked with a nod toward Shazeera, whose head drooped with fatigue. “Looks like a nag to me.”
At that, her nostrils flared, and she tossed her head in what was obviously a gesture of affront.
“She is bonded to the First Daughter as we are to our eagles,” I said, with an edge to my voice so they would understand how serious this was. “I need this horse kept safe. If anything happens to her, the First Daughter could refuse to marry the emperor and wreck the treaty I worked so hard to secure.”
“We understand, Commander,” Baz and Zamir said together.
When Kestrel remained silent, I narrowed my eyes at him. “Is guard duty beneath you, Sergeant?”
“No, Commander,” he answered quickly.
I stepped closer so I invaded his space. “Then perhaps you would like to risk this peace treaty and go back to war?”
“No, Commander,” he said again, gaze straight ahead without meeting mine.
“Then you will guard this horse like you would any other precious thing?”
This time, they all responded with a loud, simultaneous, “Yes, Commander.”
I relaxed my stance and took a step back. “Who will take first watch?”
“I will, Commander,” Zamir said, walking over to Shazeera and touching her neck. “I am Zamir,” she said with a short bow of her head, which Shazeera returned.
“Let’s start with twelve-hour rotations,” I said. “You can decide amongst yourselves who guards when, so long as she’s neverwithout one of you present. Remember, the peace treaty depends on the health and safety of this horse.”
The three of them saluted again, and then I went with Zamir and Shazeera to the pasture.
After making sure Shazeera would be well cared for, I headed toward the aerie to talk to Neo. Seeing the Devourer again had shaken me more than I liked to admit.
The first meeting between the First Daughter and Altair couldn’t have gone worse, but I knew it wasn’t entirely her fault. It was that creature’s. After that first horrible moment I had seen the Devourer beside my cousin, it seemed to have disappeared. I had almost been able to convince myself that it had gone back to whatever hole it crawled out of. But now the First Daughter had seen it, which seemed to make the situation all the more real. Part of me had hoped it was all a pain-induced nightmare I had after my crash.
I could hardly blame the First Daughter’s horse for reacting like that when even Neo had been disturbed. It was unfortunate that Zara had found it necessary to use her wind power like that in the middle of court. Lord Heron would make it his personal mission to do everything he could to control her and possibly even dissolve the treaty. My muscles tensed involuntarily at the thought of him. He was a warmonger just like Lamir, Altair’s father.
Before that, though, the First Daughter had surprised me. From her kindness to me on her last night with her people, to the way she looked around her while flying on Neo, eyes open wide like she wanted to take it all in. If I’d expected a sobbing, emotional mess, she had proven me wrong at every opportunity. Even the Zephyrian nobility, who viewed dignity and poise to bean art form, would have found it hard not to be impressed, save for one thing. She lacked their cold detachment. There was too much expression in her face, too muchlifein her eyes. And for this, she would undoubtedly always face difficulty in getting the nobles to accept her.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had delivered her to a pit of vipers.
That’s because you did,Neo said as I strode into the aerie. The twenty-two other eagles glanced at me the moment I crossed the threshold and dismissed me just as quickly. I wasn’t a servant to bring them food, so I wasn’t worth any interest. Neo was perched high on a branch of a fir, his weight bowing the tree. A small copse of trees had been planted here long ago, and their canopy served as the roof, allowing the eagles to come and go as they pleased.
Who invited you into my head?I asked as I stood beneath his branch.
Neo stared down at me with a little gleam in his eyes as I reached his side.I wanted to see what happened when that girl met the emperor.
And? Did you see?
Yes,he said, his feathers ruffled in agitation.I see the creature has made itself known again. The emperor has attached himself to a dangerous being. It’s only a matter of time before it reveals its true power.
