Read Online The Griffin's War (Fallen Moon Trilogy) by K. J. Taylor - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: K. J. Taylor
Ads: Link
mother wants.”
Saeddryn nodded. “Ye know it all, Arenadd. T’fight is all we’ve wanted all these years. My whole life I’ve been raised to it. But we knew we couldn’t begin until the time was right. We needed more followers—needed griffins .” Her hands curled into fists. “That’s why we lost before.”
Arenadd nodded. “You wanted a war, and a war is what you’re going to have.”
“When we’ve got the right—”
“Now,” he interrupted. “It starts now. Here. Today. All I wanted to know was whether I had your support.” Arenadd turned to Skandar. “And yours,” he added, using griffish now. “Skandar?”
The massive griffin looked up. “What have?”
“War,” said Arenadd. “To fight the other griffins, and the pale humans. Do you want to do that, Skandar?”
Skandar opened his beak and made a low, ugly rasping sound. “Want fight! I kill, kill many, kill enemy! Kill human and griffin who hurt us. Take all territory, all for us! Fight!” He slammed one huge forepaw into the ground, talons ripping through the dirt.
Arenadd smiled darkly. “That’s what I thought. And that’s what I want, too.” He moved away, turning to look at both Saeddryn and Skandar. “War,” he said again, in a low voice. “I’ve made my mind up. No more running. No more hiding. I was a lost soul my whole life, and I didn’t even know it. But now I know the truth. Now I know who I am, and I won’t ever try to hide from it again. I’m going to start a war, Saeddryn, and I need you with me.”
She came closer. “To the death, Arenadd.”
“Then it’s decided,” said Arenadd, as if that settled it.
“Wait,” said Saeddryn. “I still need t’know how this is goin’ to go. Ye know we can’t just march out there. We need support—an’ not just a few hundred, we need thousands. We need good fighters, we need griffins . That’s the only reason we hadn’t started already. We failed before, Arenadd. Hundreds of us died. Our people haven’t forgotten that yet. I believe in ye, I do, but ye must tell me—what are ye goin’ t’do? What’s goin’ t’make it different this time?”
Arenadd stood tall, black eyes glinting. “This time you’ll have us.”
“We had a griffiner before,” Saeddryn pointed out, not unkindly.
“I’m not your mother, and Skandar isn’t Hyrenna. We have . . . a different power on our side now. The greatest power in the North.”
Saeddryn stared. “What?”
“We have the Night God,” Arenadd said softly. “She’s come, Saeddryn. She’s answered your prayers. She sent us. Both of us.”
She looked uncertain. “It’s good t’have faith, but . . .” Arenadd braced himself. “No. It’s not faith; it’s reality. Touch my neck.”
“What? Why?”
“Just do it. Here.” He lifted his chin, exposing his throat, and indicated a spot just below the angle of his jaw. “Put your fingers there, and tell me what you feel.”
She had already seen the ugly purple mark on his neck. “Sweet Night God, what’s that?”
“A rope mark. Just touch it, would you?”
Saeddryn did. “What am I meant t’feel for?”
“A pulse.”
She kept her fingers on the spot for a few moments, frowned and tried again on the other side. “That’s odd . . .”
Arenadd reached up and gently grasped her hand. “Don’t bother. There’s nothing there.”
Saeddryn looked bewildered. “What are ye talkin’ about?”
He looked tired, but steady. “There’s nothing there. Try all you like, but you won’t find anything. I tried every day for months. There’s no pulse.”
Silence.
“No heartbeat,” Arenadd said softly.
“But that’s—that’s . . . that doesn’t make sense. Everyone’s got a—”
“Not me.” Arenadd straightened up. “I’m not human, Saeddryn. I’m not alive.”
Saeddryn only looked at him.
Arenadd couldn’t take the tension any more; he began to pace back and forth, shoulders hunched. “I died the day after my twentieth
Saeddryn nodded. “Ye know it all, Arenadd. T’fight is all we’ve wanted all these years. My whole life I’ve been raised to it. But we knew we couldn’t begin until the time was right. We needed more followers—needed griffins .” Her hands curled into fists. “That’s why we lost before.”
Arenadd nodded. “You wanted a war, and a war is what you’re going to have.”
“When we’ve got the right—”
“Now,” he interrupted. “It starts now. Here. Today. All I wanted to know was whether I had your support.” Arenadd turned to Skandar. “And yours,” he added, using griffish now. “Skandar?”
The massive griffin looked up. “What have?”
“War,” said Arenadd. “To fight the other griffins, and the pale humans. Do you want to do that, Skandar?”
Skandar opened his beak and made a low, ugly rasping sound. “Want fight! I kill, kill many, kill enemy! Kill human and griffin who hurt us. Take all territory, all for us! Fight!” He slammed one huge forepaw into the ground, talons ripping through the dirt.
Arenadd smiled darkly. “That’s what I thought. And that’s what I want, too.” He moved away, turning to look at both Saeddryn and Skandar. “War,” he said again, in a low voice. “I’ve made my mind up. No more running. No more hiding. I was a lost soul my whole life, and I didn’t even know it. But now I know the truth. Now I know who I am, and I won’t ever try to hide from it again. I’m going to start a war, Saeddryn, and I need you with me.”
She came closer. “To the death, Arenadd.”
“Then it’s decided,” said Arenadd, as if that settled it.
“Wait,” said Saeddryn. “I still need t’know how this is goin’ to go. Ye know we can’t just march out there. We need support—an’ not just a few hundred, we need thousands. We need good fighters, we need griffins . That’s the only reason we hadn’t started already. We failed before, Arenadd. Hundreds of us died. Our people haven’t forgotten that yet. I believe in ye, I do, but ye must tell me—what are ye goin’ t’do? What’s goin’ t’make it different this time?”
Arenadd stood tall, black eyes glinting. “This time you’ll have us.”
“We had a griffiner before,” Saeddryn pointed out, not unkindly.
“I’m not your mother, and Skandar isn’t Hyrenna. We have . . . a different power on our side now. The greatest power in the North.”
Saeddryn stared. “What?”
“We have the Night God,” Arenadd said softly. “She’s come, Saeddryn. She’s answered your prayers. She sent us. Both of us.”
She looked uncertain. “It’s good t’have faith, but . . .” Arenadd braced himself. “No. It’s not faith; it’s reality. Touch my neck.”
“What? Why?”
“Just do it. Here.” He lifted his chin, exposing his throat, and indicated a spot just below the angle of his jaw. “Put your fingers there, and tell me what you feel.”
She had already seen the ugly purple mark on his neck. “Sweet Night God, what’s that?”
“A rope mark. Just touch it, would you?”
Saeddryn did. “What am I meant t’feel for?”
“A pulse.”
She kept her fingers on the spot for a few moments, frowned and tried again on the other side. “That’s odd . . .”
Arenadd reached up and gently grasped her hand. “Don’t bother. There’s nothing there.”
Saeddryn looked bewildered. “What are ye talkin’ about?”
He looked tired, but steady. “There’s nothing there. Try all you like, but you won’t find anything. I tried every day for months. There’s no pulse.”
Silence.
“No heartbeat,” Arenadd said softly.
“But that’s—that’s . . . that doesn’t make sense. Everyone’s got a—”
“Not me.” Arenadd straightened up. “I’m not human, Saeddryn. I’m not alive.”
Saeddryn only looked at him.
Arenadd couldn’t take the tension any more; he began to pace back and forth, shoulders hunched. “I died the day after my twentieth
Similar Books
