Avian (The Dragonrider Chronicles) (15 page)

I sat up a little. “What do you mean? Wicked forest…are you talking about Luntharda? Sile has been there?”

Mr. Crookin let out a throaty, coughing noise. “Yes, well, that’s the rumor. It was years ago, not long after the war first began. They say he deserted his fellow riders on the eve of battle and went into the forest alone, only to return three days later completely untouched. Either he has the luck of the gods, or there is something wicked in him, as well. Luntharda takes no prisoners. It wouldn’t simply let a human man go like that.”

I was so surprised that I sat there, staring at Mr. Crookin while the wagon jostled and bounced. Sile had never said a word about this to me before. I wondered if Felix even knew about it.

Thoughts were still racing through my brain when Mr. Crookin added, “I worried he might be trying to work a bit of that dark magic on you. It’s strange that he took such a liking to you. That forest has already fouled your blood, but you do seem to have a decent heart in spite of that. My wife insists that you’re a good boy.”

I still couldn’t say a word. My brain was stuck on the news that Sile had gone into Luntharda all alone and yet somehow he’d survived. Last year, I had done a lot of reading about Luntharda. There were more horrible things in that forest than I could even count. Imaging that Sile had gone into the forest alone and survived—let alone walked away from it without a single scratch—didn’t seem possible. It had to be a rumor.

“Do you love my girl?” Mr. Crookin asked suddenly.

I snapped out of my daze. “S-sir?”

“Katalina. My daughter. Are you in love with her?” he asked again.

I swallowed uncomfortably. Mr. Crookin had never spoken to me this much before, and how I felt about his daughter was the last thing in the world I wanted to discuss with him. Still, I decided it was best to give him an honest answer. “No. Maybe I did love her once, a little. But not anymore.” My throat was stiff with embarrassment.

Mr. Crookin was quiet then. I thought maybe he was trying to decide what to say, or that he might be offended by my answer. Then I heard him start to snore. I slumped back against the side of a crate, and let out a sigh of relief.

I glanced back toward the front of the wagon where Katty and Bren were sitting side-by-side on the driver’s seat. I couldn’t help but wonder why Mr. Crookin had asked me that all of a sudden. Just by the way she blushed and smiled at Bren, it was obvious that she liked him, not me. She’d never been that way around me. At least, if she had, I’d never noticed it before.

The fact that Bren wasn’t such a bad person was still sinking in. Part of me had been hoping he would turn out to be a jerk because then it would be a lot easier to hate him. He was so cheerful all the time it seemed like he might have brain damage. I could tell he liked Katty a lot, too. They seemed happy together, and that didn’t upset me like it had before. I didn’t love her. She was just a memory. If they could be happy together, then I could be happy for them.

For some reason, the only person I could think about at that moment was Beckah. I reached into my vambrace and took out the handkerchief she’d made for me. I ran my fingers over the stitching of the two dragons, a black one and a blue one. Mavrik and Icarus. The more I thought about her, the more I realized I missed her. It made me smile.

Then I noticed Katty was turned around in her seat. She was staring right at me. Her eyes were locked on the handkerchief I was holding…

…and for whatever reason, she looked absolutely furious.

We stopped after nightfall and made a small campfire. Mr. Crookin was sound asleep. He wasn’t running a fever, so for now it seemed like he would be all right. Bren and Katty were worried about him, and I tried my best to assure them that he was probably exhausted from so much blood loss. It was better to let him rest for now.

Bren and I sat by the fire while Katty prepared food for us. She threw together a simple stew with dried meat and vegetables in a big iron pot. It smelled so good, and I was starving. I didn’t hold back my appetite. After three big bowls and a small loaf of bread, I finally sat back and sighed.

“You were hungry, huh?” Bren chuckled.

I blushed. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“You know, I had a totally different picture of you in my head.” Bren kept talking between bites of stew. “You don’t look at all the way Katty described you. It’s great to finally meet you.”

I saw Katty’s shoulders flinch slightly, but she didn’t look up at us. She kept staring straight down into her own bowl.

If this conversation was making her uncomfortable, Bren was totally oblivious to it. “You’re so tall! I swear, you look like you should be in your twenties.”

“Actually, I’ll be seventeen soon,” I answered.

“Geez! I can’t believe you’re younger than me!” Bren laughed and grinned. “And you’re a dragonrider. That is
so
awesome. I’m jealous! I bet you get a ton of love letters, huh? I swear, if anyone even mentions dragonriders, girls swoon all over the place. It must be nice to be so popular.”

Immediately, the atmosphere became tense and awkward again. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Katty. She had stopped eating, and was squeezing her spoon in her fist until her knuckles were white.

I swallowed hard, and looked down at the tops of my boots. “Not exactly.”

Bren looked confused. “Why not?”

I didn’t want to answer. How could he not know? Was he really that dense? I was a halfbreed—it didn’t matter what job I had. Women would continue to treat me the same way Katty had. I would never be good enough. I would always be disgusting to them. I couldn’t believe Bren didn’t realize that.

“Ah, I get it,” he said suddenly, like it was all clear to him now. “You’re old fashioned! The romantic type, right? So then there’s just one special girl. What’s she like?”

For some reason, I was blushing like crazy. I kept staring down at the ground, trying to decide how to change the subject. I didn’t know how to describe to anyone else how Beckah made me feel, and I didn’t want to try. Not in front of these people.

Before I could answer, Katty stood up. “You’re both idiots. This is a stupid conversation.” She slammed her bowl down on the ground and stormed away from the campfire. Without another word, she disappeared into the back of the wagon.

Her sudden reaction left me in shock. For a few minutes, Bren and I sat there in stunned silence. Katty hadn’t even finished her dinner. It didn’t look like she was coming back for it, either.

“Sorry about that,” Bren mumbled with a concerned frown. “I always do that.”

“Do what?” I wasn’t sure what he meant.

He sighed. “Say stuff without thinking. I guess I shouldn’t bring that kind of thing up in front of her. I know you two had some kind of a relationship, right? She always told me it was nothing. She said you were more like a little brother to her. I didn’t think she would care.”

Even though I was totally embarrassed, I tried not to let it show. I shrugged, and forced a smile. I didn’t want him to feel bad. It wasn’t his fault, anyway. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

“I should have told you already,” he said. “Thanks for saving us today. I can make swords all day long, but when it comes to fighting… I guess I’ve never been good at that kind of thing. I was so relieved when you showed up.”

Bren reached over to shake my hand, and I caught myself hesitating. People didn’t thank me for stuff like that very often. Even Sile, after going through so much last year to save his life from being sacrificed by the Lord General, had just growled angrily that I shouldn’t risk myself for his sake.

“It’s my duty as a dragonrider to fight and protect citizens. You don’t have to thank me.” I finally shook his hand, and we exchanged a smile.

“That reminds me.” He perked up suddenly, pointing to the scimitar at my hip. “Can I see your weapon? I noticed it before, but I couldn’t get a good look.”

I unbuckled the scimitar from my belt and handed it over to him. “It’s pretty old and beat up.” I almost felt like I should apologize for that, since he was a blacksmith. He was bound to notice how worn and dull it was. It probably looked like I hadn’t taken care of it.

“Wow,” he breathed in awe as he looked over the scabbard. I saw his eyes grow wider. He handled it carefully, looking over the details on the hilt and blade. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

His reaction confused me. Sure, it had an intricate design on it, but it was so beat up you’d barely notice. “What do you mean?”

Bren scooted a little closer so he could show me. “Well, look here. The shape of it means it was definitely made by a human. Humans always make blades in this style. They’re straight and slender. You can see the blade is only slightly curved, right?”

I nodded. It was definitely a scimitar, but the curve was gradual and elegant, rather than severe and dramatic.

“Elves always make their blades leaf-shaped. And they never put cross-guards on it, like this one. So whoever made this blade was definitely a human.” He turned it over, brushing his fingers over the faded designs on the hilt and pommel. “Look here, you can see words used to be engraved on the blade itself. Humans rarely do that. Not unless it belonged to a very important family. And the stag,” he hesitated. “The stag is the emblem of the gray elf royal family. Kind of like our king uses the eagle as his symbol. I’ve never seen the stag on a blade before. Elves are very possessive of their weapons, you know. Very few of them ever fall into human hands.”

I hadn’t noticed the words engraved on the blade itself before. They were so faint, almost rubbed down until they were completely gone. I couldn’t make out what they said. The more he talked, the more I started to understand why he was so amazed by this scimitar. It was stranger than I’d ever realized.

“So maybe it was a human blacksmith that made this scimitar.” Bren was almost whispering now. “But it looks like it was made it for an elf. Why else put that stag on it? I’ve been studying weaponry and armor my entire life. I’ve studied every style and method of making all kinds of weapons, and I’ve never heard of a blade like this before. Look at all the details and effort they put in to make it look like the perfect blend of human and elven design. It’s incredible! Where did you get it?”

I cringed. I didn’t want to tell him I’d taken it from my brother’s belongings. “Well, I think it’s some kind of family heirloom. I found it buried at the bottom of a trunk in my father’s house.”

“It’s a shame you don’t know anything else about it. I bet it has quite a history.” Bren started to hand the scimitar back to me. Then he stopped. His eyes met mine directly. “Let me fix it for you. You know, as a way of saying thanks for saving my life today. I can repair the damage and make it look like new again.”

“I-I can’t let you do something like that for free,” I stammered. “That kind of thing is usually expensive, right?”

“I want to!” He started insisting. “Besides, I haven’t made a name for myself as a blacksmith yet, so I need all the practice I can get. And I promise, I’m very good with swords and armor. I won’t mess it up.”

His mind was made up, and I decided it was probably best not to try to talk him out of it. He seemed determined. So I smiled and nodded in thanks. “I appreciate it.”

Bren grinned from ear to ear. “Great! I’ll have it finished for you before we leave Blybrig, I promise.”

“I’d ask about hiring you to make me some new armor, but I don’t want to cause any more problems between you and Katty,” I said. “Seems like she’s had enough of me to last her a lifetime.”

His smile faltered a little, and he sighed loudly again. “She’s hard to understand sometimes. It’s too late for me, though. I’m already in love with her.”

I didn’t know what to say. He was so honest about everything; it was kind of intimidating. I shifted uncomfortably, and looked up at the dark sky. “I should get going before the sun rises.”

“You’re sure you don’t want to rest here for the night?” Bren gave me a concerned look. “It’s late. You’ve got to be tired after what happened today.”

Honestly, I should have been about to drop. I hadn’t slept well in days. Instead, just knowing I was this close to Blybrig made my head buzz with energy. And thinking about what Mr. Crookin had told me about Sile didn’t help either. I was restless. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep now, even if I tried.

I smirked at him and gave him a thumbs up. “I’m fine. See you in a few days. Try not to get eaten by anything.”

Bren smiled back at me, and gave me a thumbs up in return. “May you have safe travels, dragonrider.”

* * *

I gathered up my bag and left the camp as quickly as possible. Mavrik and I took off into the midnight sky, leaving the ground far below. Once we broke the cloud cover again, the heavens opened up overhead. The moonlight was so bright. It washed over everything, making the world seem like it was made out of platinum. We chased the shooting stars, skimming the tops of the clouds and racing toward the dawn.

As the sun began to rise and turn the horizon soft shades of pink, I got my first look at the Devil’s Cup since last year. It put a big smile on my face right away. I could sense Mavrik’s excitement, too. He let out a booming roar as we started our descent down toward the valley.

It was early in spring, but all the prickly plants and cacti were already in full bloom. They brought an unnatural amount of color to a place that was usually nothing but hot, arid desert. In the very middle of the crescent-shaped valley, Blybrig Academy stood proud. I could see the sunlight glinting off the roof of the breaking dome, the place where I had first met Mavrik. I saw the Roost, crowded with dragons and riders like always.

I was so busy looking down I forgot to look up. A sudden roar almost made me have a heart attack. Nova swept in beside us, chirping a greeting to Mavrik. She was the big, beautiful female dragon that belonged to Felix. Her coppery colored scales gleamed with patterns like a jungle snake.

Her saddle was empty, and I reached down to pat Mavrik’s neck to get his attention. “Where’s Felix?”