Wingborn (11 page)

It was quite a sight and Lyrai leant against
a perch to watch them. Cumulo often treated her like a naughty
chick, while she treated him like an annoying little brother, but
there was a thread of affection running through their partnership
that he
’
d never seen
before. Even in the oldest pairs the interactions were more of
comrades and friends than family. Perhaps that was the real sign of
a Wingborn.

A prod on the arm drew him back to the
present.

Stirla grinned at him.
“I’
m going to show Derrain around. Want to
come, or are you busy?
”

Since Lyrai was still grounded without a
miryhl, they both knew he had no reason to be in the eyries.
Especially when his flurry was out on patrol, meaning he
couldn
’
t even spring a
surprise inspection. The only thing worth looking at was the girl
and her Wingborn.

“
I’
ve got paperwork to do.
”

“
Oh
aye,” Stirla said with a exaggerated
wink.
“
Paperwork
, is it? Come
along, young Derrain, let
’
s leave my esteemed colleague to his
work.
” Still chuckling,
Stirla took the lad off, leaving the girl and her miryhl to argue.
Lyrai glanced at them, then turned away. Regardless of what Stirla
thought was going on, Lyrai missed having a miryhl. Seeing others
with theirs made his feet itch and an empty ache fill his chest.
Not that he’
d been close to Froth.

It had been a bad decision from the start.
To an awestruck almost-sixteen-year-old desperate to impress his
peers and parents, the pale gold female as swift as the wind had
seemed like an excellent choice. Everyone said how well they looked
together. Unfortunately, she was a little too vain, a bit too lazy
and far too full of herself. That was how she
’
d ended up injured. Lyrai hadn
’
t even been flying her at the
time. No, his foolish bonded had ruined herself completely on her
own, while showing off to the rest of the flurry and clipping a
wing on a cliff.

Turning his back on the eyries, Lyrai headed
for the offices. He really did have paperwork to do. Not that
he
’d
intended to do it –
Rift Rider officers rarely did – but it wasn
’
t as though he had anything else to do. He
wanted to fly, wanted it so badly that if he hung around the eyries
much longer, he might do something stupid. Like try to take
Cumulo.

The day of Choice and his chance to bond
with a new miryhl was seven months away, but every day brought him
closer to flight. If he could just keep going he would be airborne
again eventually. He flexed his hands and shook his head, wishing
that telling himself such things actually made a difference.

“YOU CAN COME
out now. He
’
s gone.
”

Mhysra blinked.
“
Who?
”

Her miryhl chuckled.
“
The handsome one, with pale hair and sharp
eyes. Don
’
t think I
haven
’
t
noticed.
”

She raised her eyebrows.
“
Noticed what? You
’
ve apparently noticed a lot more than I
have.
”

“
Liar.”
Cumulo chortled. “You won’
t even speak to him. Taken with
him, are you?
”

Pushing away, she stared at the eagle
incredulously.
“
Don
’
t be
daft. The man despises me. He barely waited for my back to turn
before trying to steal you. Taken with him? Ha!
”

Cumulo
’
s eyes glowed with amusement.
“
My mistake. But he
i
s
a fine looking
human.
”

“
He’
s a miserable killjoy, with eyes that could cause
cloud frost. I prefer Lieutenant Stirla.
”

“
Well, I
like Lieutenant Lyrai. Even his name sounds better. If I
wasn’
t bonded to you, I
’
d be tempted.
”

“
Except
you wouldn’
t be here, because you
’
re too young. And by the time you were old
enough he
’
d be bonded
again, so wipe that smug look off your face. You
’
ve got me, you were born with me and
you
’
re stuck with me. Be
happy.
”

Lowering his beak against her chest, he
hummed contritely.
“
I am
happy, chickling. No one could be happier than me. Well, maybe I
might be if
…”

Sighing, she shoved him away.
“
What now?
”

“
My
saddle. Come on, misery, let’
s fly.
”

Mhysra
’
s grouchiness vanished. She no longer cared that
every Rider within ten leagues wanted to steal her miryhl, nor that
her miryhl was too vain to stop them from trying. She
didn
’
t even care about
Cumulo teasing her over the lieutenant anymore. He wanted to go
flying. Having never turned down such an offer – rain, snow or
sunshine – she ran to the tack room, snatched up his harness and
put it on with practised efficiency.

“Where are we
going?” she asked, as he strutted out into the bitter day.

“Anywhere, as
long as it’s up,” Cumulo replied, stretching his wings. “Hop on,
chickling, we haven’t long before it snows again.”

When he
lowered his wing, she stepped onto the joint and straddled the
saddle, slipping her feet into the stirrups and her knees under his
wings. She wasn’t really dressed for a long flight, but even
without a cold-weather flying coat or flight helmet, she wanted to
escape. Anything to get away from the ground and all the things
trying to hold her back from this life she had been born to.

“All set?” she
asked, picking up the reins.

“Hang on.”
Cumulo flapped to make sure nothing interfered with his flight
muscles, then spread and waggled his tail, just for show. He hopped
two paces. “All’s well.”

Bounding
forward one stride, two, he opened his wings and jumped. The first
flap barely lifted them off the ground, but the second carried them
higher and, with a last push of his feet, they were airborne. He
flapped laboriously, grunting with each downward pull as they
covered the field and rapidly approached the cliff. Cumulo shrieked
as he angled his wings and tail, holding them fully extended, and
swept around in a steep curve that barely avoided the
mountainside.

Mhysra whooped
as he flapped again, tilting them into a wide spiral to glide
steadily upwards. He was big and strong but out of practise at
ground-launching with a passenger.

“You’re
getting lazy, Cue.”

He shrieked in
outrage and banked heavily to the right, a risky manoeuvre for any
rider less experienced than she. Mhysra laughed at his tactics and
spread her arms, tipping her head back. Air swept over her, pulling
her hair from its pins as Cumulo dived. The world rushed up to meet
them, then the miryhl opened his great wings, skimmed the grass and
launched skywards again, both of them whooping with joy.

There was
nothing greater than miryhl flight.

Gliding with
the currents and updrafts, Cumulo carried them up the mountain to
where the Rift Riders patrolled. There they pitted their wits
against some of the more playful pairs, ducking and weaving and
shrieking, until he eventually took her out over the Cloud Sea. It
seemed to roll away forever, a fluffy whiteness that called to mind
soft pillows and gentle sleep. Yet as Cumulo dived to skim the
cloud tops, the air turned wild and the surface roiled with cold
winds stronger than anything found on the mountain slopes. Despite
the frigid air that nipped at their flesh, they relished the
challenge of flying through the turbulence, eventually letting the
winds blow them skywards once more.

Out there they
were alone, facing west where the sea stretched uninterrupted
beyond the horizon, glowing even under a sullen sky. She could see
forever and it was breathtaking.

Leaning
against her miryhl’s back, Mhysra hugged as much of him as she
could reach and rested her cheek against the cool silk of his
feathers. “Thank you,” she murmured, knowing that no matter what
happened, what her parents said or how the selection school turned
out, she would always have this. She would always have him.

Cumulo’s
muscles flexed and bunched beneath her as he beat his wings,
carrying them further into forever. “You’re welcome,
chickling.”

SNOW WAS FALLING
by the time she left the eyries, her heart as light as her
footsteps. When she passed the offices, the clerk she’d met several
days ago stepped out.

“Classes begin
tomorrow, Lady Mhysra,” he reminded her. “Have you a letter of
recommendation yet?”

She touched
her coat pocket and thought of all the arguments, the closed door
of her father’s study, the tightening of her mother’s lips whenever
her youngest daughter came into view. Of Mherrin’s careful work and
her aunt’s blessing.

Making her
decision, Mhysra pulled out the letter. “Is this is what you
require, sir?”

The clerk
checked and split the seal, eyes moving swiftly over the neat
secretary handwriting and the bold scrawl beneath. He scrutinised
it again, before sighing with relief and handing her a uniform kit.
“I believe it is. Congratulations, student. Be back here bright and
early tomorrow.”

She returned
his bow with a half-curtsey and turned for home. If her steps were
heavier than before, well, it was cold and she was tired. At least
the arguing was over now. It was done.

“THANK THE GODS
,
you’
re back!
”
Mhysra had hardly entered the rear gate when Milluqua pounced.
“
Don
’
t you realise how late it is?
”

Too tired to have taken much notice, Mhysra
glanced up at the tumbling snow as she was dragged into the house.
“
It slipped my
mind.
”

“
Fool,”
Milluqua growled, taking the backstairs
and elbowing open
the servant door to Mhysra
’
s room, where a tub steamed by the fireplace.
“
Get in and give me that
uniform.
”

Mhysra was happy to comply, shedding her
clothes and moaning as the water enveloped her tense muscles.
“
You
’
re a miracle from Divine Lithaen, Milli,
sent down especially just to aid me.
”
Ducking down, she scrubbed at her hair and reached
for the soap.

Milluqua held up the new breeches and
tutted.
“
It
’
s scandalous the rags they give
you new recruits. Kilai went through two pairs in his first month.
I
’
ll have some more
made. Same pattern, better cloth.
”

Yawning, Mhysra soaped her feet and scowled
at a new blister on her heel.
“
What
’
s
the point in using the finest materials when half of us will drop
out before New Year?
”

“
Three
moons? Ha! You think more of your fellow students than the rest of
the city. From what I’
ve heard, they don
’
t expect any girl to last through to
Winter Rains.
”

Mhysra scowled and scrubbed her arms: Winter
Rains was only a month and a half away.
“
I hope you took their bets, the
insufferable fools.
”

“
Of
course I did,” her sister assured her, pulling a dress from
the
wardrobe and brushing it off.
“
You should hear some of the idiots talk.
And they call themselves gentlemen! It
’
s long past time we women shook some sense into
them. I
’
m hoping
you
’
ll be just the girl
to do it.
”

“
Perhaps,” she demurred, curious about the sort of people
she would meet in the morning. “If I’m
not, I
’
m sure someone will. The Rift
Riders won
’
t know
what
’
s hit
them.
”

“
Good.
Now get out and get dressed. Father’
s been asking for you
since noon, and if you don
’
t get downstairs soon he
’
ll know something
’
s up. You
’
re lucky Mother
’
s off sailing again.
I don’t think we could do this if she’d stayed.”

Sharing a grimace with her sister, Mhysra
emerged from the glorious water and dressed. As she was brushing
her hair there was a scratch at the door and Milluqua admitted
Bumble. Yipping happily, the puppy bounded over.

Mhysra fended her off with a foot.
“Not now,
pup
.
”

Bumble sat with a frustrated huff and
started chewing her mistress
’
discarded belt.

“
Nuisance,” Milluqua scolded, tapping her gently on the
muzzle and rescuing the leather
.
“
What will you do with her
tomorrow?
”

Mhysra wrinkled her nose.
“Not sure. Take her along probably.
I doubt
my teachers will approve, but I
’
ve nowhere else to leave her.
”
She sighed and plaited her hair.
“
What was Aunt Mhylla
thinking?
”