Thursdays with the Crown (7 page)

When
they returned to Sleyne. When. Celie said this to herself several times to make it feel truer.

But she soon found it was also rather tiring to hold on to a speeding griffin for very long. Minutes of flying, which Celie was used to, stretched into an hour, which she was not. She began swaying in her seat, eyes fluttering closed, as nerves and lack of sleep caught up to her. Fortunately Rufus, sensing her inattention, would scream loudly whenever she
was just about to drift off, and she would jerk herself upright again.

She and Lilah tried to talk, but the wind carried their words away. Also, the only thing they had to say to each other was that they would return for the others soon and go home to Sleyne. Soon.

The sun had set as they reached the far shore, and they soared over the edge of the forest. Lilah tugged at Celie's waist and pointed over her shoulder.

“We can't go back without them,” she shouted into Celie's ear.

“It's too dark,” Celie called back, and her teeth began to chatter with cold. “We'll wait in the tower for morning.”

Flying was always cold, courtesy of the wind and one's proximity to the clouds, and she had no cloak. In addition to that, her gown had several rips in it, from catching on the grabbing branches of the forest, and the wind was slicing right through every one of them.

“I don't know how you stand it,” Lilah said, her teeth chattering. “I'm freezing! Did you really fly around the Castle at night?”

“Yes,” Celie said, thinking of how easy things had been when keeping Rufus a secret was her biggest worry. “We're going to have to have a warm place to sleep,” she said, and Rufus tilted his head to show that he had heard her. “Head for the tower.”

Rufus's father was still flying alongside Rufus, and Celie wished that there was some way she could send him back
to fetch her companions. Rufus would understand if she asked him to go back for Rolf and the others, and she wished that she dared send him, but she could tell that he was tiring, and she knew she wouldn't ask him to fly all that way again.

But before they reached the ruins, and as Rufus started to fly lower over the trees from exhaustion, the other griffin squawked and veered to the right. Rufus started to follow him, and Celie panicked and yanked on the harness, digging her heels into his sides as well to try to keep him on course. If they landed too far into the forest they'd be hopelessly lost.

But Rufus's father flew ahead of them and cried out again even louder. His call was commanding, and Celie knew that she had lost. Rufus's whole attention was on the larger griffin now, and she had no choice but to hang on.

They swerved again to the right and then Rufus's father began to descend. Celie refreshed her grip on the harness as Rufus also began to go down among the trees, landing in a sandy clearing to the west of the lake.

“Now what?” Lilah asked, releasing her painful grip on Celie's waist.

“I suppose we might as well get some rest,” Celie said doubtfully. “It's too dark to go back for the others.”

Neither of them knew how to make a fire, but Lilah made a hollow in the sand and they curled up together. Rufus lay down next to Celie, radiating warmth, and after a moment, his father lay down beside Lilah. She made a small
eep
,
but when he just sighed and appeared to go to sleep, she relaxed.

Celie wasn't sure she would be able to sleep, with everything that had happened. She wiggled away from Lilah just a little, so that she could pull Rufus the lion out of her bodice and give him a secret cuddle.

“What is it?” Lilah asked drowsily. “What are you doing?”

“I — I found this in the griffin stable,” Celie told her, rolling over so that Lilah could see her stuffed lion in the moonlight.

“It's Rufus,” Lilah said in astonishment.

Celie's griffin raised his head and made a questioning noise.

“Not you, Rufus, but that Rufus,” Lilah said, reaching out to touch the toy. “
Where
did you say you found him?”

“In the griffin stable, just before the Arkower came,” Celie said. “Rufus's parents had him all along. Because —” She stopped. It felt strange to say it aloud. “Because Rufus's father is the one who ate Khelsh,” she said finally.

“Is he really?” Lilah sounded impressed. She reached behind her back and thumped Rufus's father's side. “Good job, sir!”

Rufus's father lifted his head, gazing down at Lilah in the moonlight. Her eyes were starting to close from exhaustion, though, and she didn't seem to notice.

“I hope Khelsh was a tasty meal,” she said sleepily. “The Arkower looks a little stringy, though …”

“Lilah,” Celie said, startled. “Don't tell him to eat the Arkower!”

“If the Arkower's not going to send us home, what good is he?” Lilah countered, her eyes shut.

“He's … he's … he really isn't any help, I suppose.” Celie sighed.

She wanted to talk to Lilah some more, but Lilah was asleep now. She wanted to plan how they would get the others free, get the missing piece of the Eye, and get home, too. But soon she was spiraling down to sleep, a warm griffin pressed against her back.

“Wake up, Cel!”

The next thing she knew, it was dawn — and Rolf was standing over her.

“Rolf!” She staggered to her feet. “You made it out!”

She blinked around and saw Lilah hugging Pogue and then Lulath, her cheeks flushed. Celie quickly hugged Rolf and then Pogue, who was looking much better, and Lulath, who had his baby griffin stuck in the front of his tunic. He pointed to the stuffed lion sticking out of her bodice, and they shared a smile.

Standing to one side of the clearing, looking awkward, was Ethan.

“How did you all get out?” Lilah asked.

“It was being this Ethan,” Lulath said.

“It was Prince Lulath's doing,” Ethan said at the same time.

“We brought food,” Rolf offered a beat later. “While you hear our tale of adventure.”

They sat down and he handed around bread and cheese from a bag.

“Don't forget to steal food for your escape, I always say,” Rolf told them cheerfully.

“How often do you escape from places?” Pogue asked, amused.

“More often than I'd like,” Rolf countered, handing him a wedge of cheese.

Pogue took his portion and ate with better appetite than he'd shown the day before. He noticed Celie watching and raised his eyebrows. She blushed and looked away, concentrating on her own food.

“So, we are being told by this Arkower that we are not leaving, not ever,” Lulath began. “And you taking the leave, with much shouting.”

“I think he wanted to use me and Pogue as ransom to get you and Rufus back, Cel,” Rolf interrupted.

“Precise,” Lulath agreed. “So I am making very much fuss, that my Lorcan he is sickening. He must be having a certain food, I am a raiser of the sort of dogs, and do know what tiny animals are needing, and so much so forth.”

“It was a sight to behold,” Rolf said, his eyes shining. “He was leaping around the room, waving his arms and flinging poor Lorcan around until I thought he really would be sick!”

“It was not my favorite thing that I have been doing,” Lulath said. He stroked the griffin head that poked out of the elaborate lacings of his tunic. “But it was being of a necessary!”

“Then what happened?” Lilah asked. She looked around. “Are you sure you weren't followed?”

“We have a little time,” Ethan told her, “but we should move along soon.”

“To where?” Lilah wanted to know.

“Let them tell the story first,” Celie said, exasperated.

“So, to be quickly going,” Lulath said, “I am making the insistence that the Arkower of himself is bringing me certain food, and so much forth. Or having it broughten, to say. And when he is leaving, we are going down and around, to get out of this terrible mountain, and we are finding Ethan!”

“I told them they were going the long way,” Ethan supplied, as though eager to prove to Celie and Lilah that he could be trusted. “I took them out one of the side tunnels and down one of the more hidden trails.”

“I see,” Lilah said, lips pursed. She studied Ethan closely. “Now tell me, how is it that you speak Sleynth?”

“We all learn Sleynth as part of serving the Arkower,” Ethan said. He nodded at Lulath. “The prince is right. He's never said it, but I believe that the Arkower plans to take over your country. He wants the Castle and the griffins, even after all this time.”

Lilah arranged her dirty skirts around her knees. Celie
braced herself, and saw Rolf sit up straighter as well. Lilah looked perfectly at ease, but her sister and brother knew she was about to go on the attack.

“We should probably be on our way soon,” Lilah said as though commenting on the weather.

As though a wizard weren't searching for them.

“But before we do, I have a few questions for you,” Lilah went on, and she fixed her gaze on Ethan, who was intelligent enough to squirm despite her still-casual air. “Questions like, why is the Arkower preparing for attack now, when he's had hundreds of years?”

“He — he —” Ethan stammered.

“How many of you are there, and how is he planning to attack?”

“We — there are only — ”

“You're not taking another step with us, no matter how much you helped with the escape from the mountain last night, until I get satisfactory answers,” Lilah said pleasantly. She arched an eyebrow.
“Do you understand?”
She finished in a menacing tone that made Celie shift away from her.

“Oooh,” Rolf said, eyes gleaming.

Ethan looked around for support, but they all just looked back. Celie was holding her breath. Would Ethan tell them? Could he help them? Or was he really a spy?

The boy ducked his head, his ears and cheeks flaming. “I'll tell you everything I know,” he mumbled. “I swear. But I don't really know all of it. I mean, I was told when I was eight that I would go to the mountain and serve the
Arkower. My parents are dead; I didn't have another choice. The older boys, the ones before me, they find ways to leave. To sneak away … They are ashamed when they realize that no matter how badly they want a griffin, the griffins don't want them.”

Lilah made an impatient gesture, and Ethan hurried to continue.

“I think the Arkower originally wanted to build up the Glorious Arkower again. We had parts of the Castle, and there were some griffins left. But no one has ever bonded with one of the griffins, and they don't breed as quickly as they used to.”

“Because the Castle is gone? Or is there another reason?” Celie asked.

Ethan shrugged. “I don't know. He gave up his name and became the Arkower, as though he was dead and our land was dead. But I think he had a vision of restoring our land, our griffins, our Castle.” He licked his lips nervously. “It was ours first, you know.”

“We know,” Rolf said, circling his hand to encourage Ethan to keep going.

“But that didn't work, so …” Ethan shrugged.

“So now he's going after our griffins and our Castle?” Celie asked, but she didn't need to. Ethan nodded. “How?”

“I really don't … well, he wanted to use the shard of the Eye that's still here, but it got stolen. That's how I found out about his plan to go to Sleyne.”

“So he needs the Eye to travel to Sleyne?” Pogue asked,
looking thoughtful. “I wonder if we could use it to get home without his help, then.”

“I don't know,” Ethan said.

“Where is the shard of the Eye?” Lilah asked.

“I don't know that, either,” Ethan said. “If I knew … well, I would have told the Arkower.” He made a face. “It's difficult to keep secrets from a wizard.”

“That is being the truth,” Lulath said. “Even the Bran, who is kind, is making me to want to confess when I have nothing to confess.”

“Who stole the shard?” Celie asked.

Ethan looked around at Rufus and his father. “This is going to sound very odd, and I did try to tell the Arkower, who didn't believe me. I swear it was a griffin.” He lowered his voice. “That griffin.” He pointed to Rufus's father, hastily dropping his hand when he saw the griffin looking back.

They all stared at the big golden griffin. He preened his feathers, and Celie startled them all with a burst of laughter. She believed Ethan. It was exactly the kind of thing that Rufus would have done: steal a shiny gem like the Eye. And now they had a better chance of finding it! There was every possibility that Rufus's father could lead them right to it!

“Who does the Arkower think stole it?” Lilah asked.

“The Treaty-breaker,” Ethan said.

“Who?”

Ethan squirmed. “That's what we are supposed to call
him. He's the old Royal Wizard and the last Hathelocke.” He tilted his head at Celie. “Well, until you came here.”