Traitor (2 page)

Seeing him now was sort of bittersweet, though. He still wasn’t even close to being as tall as I was—not that many people were—but he looked older. Much, much older. He had the beginnings of a short beard on his chin and there were heavy, dark circles under his eyes. His hair was longer, and he looked a little thinner. When he smiled, it put crow’s feet in the corners of his eyes.

“Jaevid Broadfeather? My, the Fates are kind. I was hoping I would see you. It’s been a long time, dragonrider.” He put out a hand toward me.

I smiled back at him and shook it firmly. “I’d say so. Glad to see you made it here without me this year.”

He laughed at that, but it was a hollow, forced sound. “Barely, I’m afraid.” I could see worry in his eyes as he turned away, nodding toward his forge. It was unsettling. “Could I get a hand?”

“Of course.” I followed him to his temporary shop. I half expected to see Katty there, unloading the wagon or closing down the forge for the night. After all, they were supposed to be partners. But there was no one else with him.

“I just need to get these last few crates stacked up,” he explained as he climbed up into the back of his wagon.

I joined him and started helping move the heavy wooden crates, one by one, into his work area. It brought back memories of helping my father when he’d brought me here to be his apprentice.

“Are you alone this year?” I dared to ask.

He swallowed stiffly. “Yes. It couldn’t be helped. Mr. Crookin retired. I guess last year’s run-in with the wolves and mountain cat was all he could take. And it’s too dangerous to bring Katty through the mountain pass right now. I left her at home with the baby.”

Through the gloom, I spotted the metallic glint of a wedding band on his left hand. It gave me a weird feeling. Not jealousy, though. Definitely not. I was actually wondering if he really was happy with Katty. He’d aged a good ten years in such a short time. Did that usually happen to newlyweds? “Congratulations. If I’d known I would have sent you a gift or something.”

Bren just shook his head dismissively. “There wasn’t really a ceremony to speak of. And Katty was calling all the shots. I tried to talk her down, but she insisted she didn’t want you to know about any of it.”

“It’s okay. I understand.” I hefted the last crate out of the wagon myself, carrying it over one shoulder and stacking it up with the others. “Maybe it’s not my place to ask, but is everything okay? You look … tired.” I tried to phrase it gently.

With the last crate out of the wagon, Bren started unhitching his team of horses. He hadn’t asked for my help with that, but I decided to give it anyway. He looked like he might drop from exhaustion at any moment.

“I wasn’t counting on being the sole provider this soon,” he admitted quietly. “I’m barely out of my apprenticeship, I’ve no funds built up, and I’m already here working the spring orders alone. Katty didn’t want to stay behind. The baby, well, that wasn’t exactly planned. We rushed the marriage because of it. As much as I need her here to help, I couldn’t risk hauling them both over the mountains right now. Not with the way things are.”

I nodded. “I’ve heard the animals are getting worse.”

“That’s putting it mildly. This madness—it’s spreading like a sickness all over the kingdom. There’s too many animals infected for it just to be a coincidence now. Every day we hear new stories of villages and cities being overrun. Creatures no one has seen in hundreds of years are suddenly stirring. It’s like the whole world is going mad.” Bren glanced sideways at me, like he wasn’t sure how I would take this. “People are saying it’s coming from the elven forest. That it’s something they sent to be a plague among us.”

“I hope so.”

His eyes got wide.

“Because if it is, then there might be a way to stop it,” I clarified.

“I suppose that makes sense,” he agreed. “Mithangol hasn’t been hit hard yet. Just a few cases of cattle and dogs. We’ve been waiting and hoping for orders to come down from the king, that soldiers or dragonriders would come to help us. But the king doesn’t seem to care about any of this. He only has eyes for Luntharda. Crushing the elven armies is all that matters to him. Meanwhile his own people are being stamped out like cockroaches.”

I put a hand on Bren’s shoulder. I understood now why he looked the way he did. I could sympathize—but only to a degree. I’d never been married, and I’d never been a father. The weight of being both, and then being forced to leave them behind so he could provide, regardless of what was happening in the world, must have been incredibly hard on him. No wonder he’d aged so much.

“Don’t give up.” I tried to sound reassuring. “As long as there’s even one dragonrider left to fight, then there’s still hope.”

Bren gave me another tired smile. “I know,” he said. “That’s why I came.”

I left Bren to finish his work and started back for the dormitory. The stars were out and the air was so clear I could make out the dusty, milky smear of dust painted through the night sky. It mixed with the glittering of the stars, like they were swimming in a thin cloud of white ash. The breeze felt cool on my skin, like a breath of relief from the hot desert daylight.

As I made my way through the compound, I heard voices whispering near the large, dome-shaped building where morning briefs were held. I could barely see a group of students huddled near the doorway, talking like they didn’t want to get caught. I knew they were fledglings because of their uniforms. They were wearing those trademark blue tunics with the golden eagle of the king stitched across the chest.

They all went silent as I walked past, staring at me like they hoped I hadn’t noticed them. It was strange to be looked at like that, not because I was a halfbreed—because I was the same age as they were. Most dragonriders were seventeen or eighteen when they started training. But I was a sworn-in lieutenant already. I had started my training when I was only fifteen, and now I was almost eighteen … even if I didn’t look it. We were the same age, but I outranked them.

Of course, they probably couldn’t tell that. Felix still teased me about looking like I was in my twenties. That was part of the reason I didn’t raise as many brows now when the older riders saw me standing in the lineup. At least I looked old enough to be there.

Wearing my fur-collared cloak, given to me when I took my oath as an official dragonrider for king and country, and sporting a scar from a shrike’s claw across my cheek, I probably looked like a seasoned rider. Especially to a bunch of fledgling students who didn’t know any better. I guess that was why they all went stiff when I stopped and faced them.

“Get back to your dorms,” I growled, trying my best to sound like Sile or Jace whenever they barked orders at me. “It’s past curfew.”

They scattered at the sound of my voice. Some even apologized as they scrambled back to their dormitory. Something about it made me smile. Sure, it was a little fun to order them around, but that wasn’t the main reason I liked it. I remembered being like that, scared to death of anyone who even looked like an instructor, and seeing it from the other side made me nostalgic.

The dining hall was lit and filled with the sounds of voices. Students sat at the long tables that stretched the length of the room, while instructors shared a table at the head of the room. That was where I sat down. A few of the other newly sworn lieutenants from my class sat around me, and we struck up a conversation. We started reminiscing, telling stories and recalling good memories about our own training.

I had my face down in a mug of spiced ale to take a few sips when I felt someone grab my long ponytail and yank it. It made me choke and sputter. I didn’t even have to look to see who had done it—he muscled his way into our group and slumped down into the seat beside me.

“What are you girls clucking about? You sound like a bunch of old hens over here.” Felix Farrow chuckled as he leaned his elbows on the table. He had been my best friend since the beginning of training, despite the fact that he was now a duke. Normally, his social standing would have forbidden us to be acquaintances, let alone friends. But apparently no amount of wealth or social prestige prevented him from teasing me like a ruthless big brother every chance he got.

I rolled my eyes at him and wiped the ale off my face. “Where have you been?”

“Finding out who my partner is. My orders are official now. I’m headed for Northwatch, with you, Jaevid.” It didn’t take him two minutes to start stealing food off my plate. He swiped a few slices of bread and stuffed them into his cheek.

Hearing that we’d be stationed at the same citadel made me exhale deeply. I was relieved. We’d assumed that’s where he would go, after all, top graduates were usually sent to the hottest points of conflict on the battlefront, and Northwatch was by far the most dangerous since it sat on the border with the enemy kingdom of the gray elves, but nothing was guaranteed.

“So who is it? Your partner?” I was dying to know. Everyone else was already paired up with a senior rider; someone they would shadow in combat until they achieved enough experience to be called a Seasoned Lieutenant. It was called being a “wing end” and while it sounded like an easy gig, it came with its own share of challenges.

Everyone else at the table leaned in closer to hear his answer. I could tell by the smug grin on his face that we were about to get an overly embellished version of the truth. He loved the attention.

“I got four bids from Seasoned Lieutenants to ride with me as their wing end. But there’s only so much of my greatness to go around.” He sat back in his chair and gave me a sarcastic wink. “I took one from a rider named Prax. They say he’s been at this since the war began. He’s refused dozens of promotions just so he could stay active on the battlefield. He’s supposed to be a real war dog. More importantly, he’s in Northwatch—where all the action is. And I mean, someone has to make sure this guy doesn’t get shot down on his first day.” Felix reached out like he was going to yank on one of my pointed ears.

I managed to deflect him with my fork before he could. “So do you know which flight you’re in, yet?”

“Nope,” he said with a sigh. “And you’ll find out before me, probably. I’ve already been cleared to run a few errands before I head north.”

“Getting married before you go?” I teased. He always bragged about how good he was with girls, but I’d never actually seen him get serious with one. I doubted marriage was actually on his agenda.

Felix grinned. “No way. I need to stop over at my estate and see my mom first. I’m leaving her with a lot of responsibilities that should have been mine. She doesn’t even argue about me leaving anymore, though. I think she’s accepted that I’m going regardless of what she says. I did promise her that once I’m promoted off the frontlines, I’d go back home and be the boring old duke she’s always wanted me to be.”

That surprised me. “You must be feeling really guilty about leaving her, then.”

“I actually thought about going back now that training is over. I guess I do feel kind of guilty,” he admitted with a shrug. “But when I heard there was a chance for me to go to Northwatch, I figured this was fate’s way of telling me my favorite halfbreed sidekick might need my help again.”

I narrowed my eyes at him dangerously, even though I was secretly overjoyed that he was coming to Northwatch with me. I couldn’t let that show. I had a reputation to uphold. “You’re calling
me
the sidekick?”

“Don’t look so happy about it,” he chuckled. “I may not always be around to watch your back, you know. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to learn how to be awesome by yourself.”

“Yeah. Right. Whatever you say.” I rolled my eyes and took another drink from my mug.

The dinner conversation rolled on casually. Everyone was excited and nervous, eager to talk about what was to come. Not all of us were going to Northwatch, but those who were definitely had a lot to think about. We were going into the very teeth of the war; to face the closest battlefront to the elven forest and all its horrors. We would see the brunt of what our enemy had to offer. Shrikes, evil magic, and poisoned weapons were waiting for us in the coming days.

My stomach began swimming with nerves when I thought about all that. It had been so long since I had even seen gray elves—well, apart from the dreams about my mother, but I tried desperately to push those thoughts from my mind whenever they arose. The prospect was daunting, and I wasn’t sure how I would react the first time one drew on me with intent to kill.

One by one, the others at our table started breaking off to go to bed. Tomorrow it would all be over. We had to go our separate ways, and for many of us, this would be the last time we ever saw each other. Some of us would die in combat. Others would be wounded badly enough to be honorably discharged and allowed to go back home. A few would go on to have long, distinguished careers. But one way or another, this was the end.

Finally, it was only Felix and myself left at the table. We sat side by side, staring at the nearly empty dining hall. Something about it made me even more anxious.