mentioned both Phoenix Riders and underwings—surely that meant whatever exiled lord he served had been a Phoenix Rider. Still was. And they had Apprentice Riders with them as well.
Maybe they would take her with them when they returned to the Riders’ estate. The thought lightened her heavy spirit, filled her with a sense of opportunity . . . and yet there must be a reason they were speaking ancient Pyraean to each other and claiming to simply work at a country estate.
They didn’t want people to know they were Riders.
It was wise, especially on the lower rim, so close to the border to the empire. But if Veronyka told them she’d overheard their secret, would they welcome her or be angry with her for eavesdropping?
“What was it you said about stablehands, Sparrow?” she asked, thinking back on their earlier conversation.
“Most of the time the steward comes for food—bags of dates and casks of honey wine,” she said, “but other times he needs extra help with horses and hounds and the like, so he brings workers back with him.”
“Animages?” Veronyka asked. Surely “stablehands” was code, their way of recruiting without drawing unwanted notice.
Sparrow nodded. “Only boys, though.”
“What—why?” Veronyka asked, her theory unraveling. There had been male and female Phoenix Riders since the dawn of time. The First Riders were all women, chosen by Azurec—Axura, she corrected herself, then immediately thought of Val. Hot anger burned through her body, but she pushed it down, refusing to let her sister take hold. In the early Pyraean tribes, women were the hunters and fighters, and so Axura chose them to help fight the darkness and bring balance back to the world. It wasn’t until the next generation that daughters and sons rode, and even during the height of the Phoenix Riders in the empire, the women outnumbered the men.
Maybe they really did need help in the stables. Not that girls can’t do that, too, Veronyka thought irritably.
“Something about sleeping bunks,” Sparrow continued skeptically. “As if boys and girls can’t sleep side by side without trying to stab each other.”
Veronyka cast Sparrow a sidelong glance, unsure if the girl was trying to speak in innuendo and messing up the subtleties, or if she really thought it was fighting the steward might be worried about.
Still, the idea nagged at her. Could it be true? Could Veronyka have found Phoenix Riders regrouping on Pyrmont only to discover that she couldn’t join them anyway?
It must be a mistake. She would talk to them, convince them that she belonged.
As they stepped onto the road, Sparrow began pointing to houses and shops, indicating who lived where and what they sold. She knew about their families and their friends, old grudges and new romances, and if ever she were uncertain of who she was seeing or where they were, all she needed was a quiet tweet from Chirp to get her back on track.
The buildings were mostly made of large local stones, except for their roofs and shutters, which were made of woven slats of wood, painted in sun-bleached shades of blue, yellow, and red. Tinkling wind chimes and bright flowers added more color to the stony village.
Despite the fact that Pyra had been a part of the empire for almost two hundred years, the countless gods of the empire’s pantheon never really took root there. Some would pray to Teyke the trickster for luck or to Miseriya for her mercy, but those gods had come from the valley, and their worship was seen more as superstition than true piety. Technically the Pyraeans had two gods, Axura and Nox, but you didn’t really worship the goddess of death and darkness. Smoking incense was burned at funerals, and black veils were worn in mourning. Otherwise, Pyra was Axura’s domain. Circular Eyes of Axura were painted on thresholds and entryways—protection against lost spirits of the dead—and woven phoenix idols made with red-dyed dove feathers dangled in open windows.
Though Sparrow seemed to know the villagers inside and out, Veronyka was surprised at their cool treatment of her. They regarded her as somewhat of a pest, like a buzzing fly they wanted to swat away. Did she not have family or friends here? Was she even from Vayle? She had the look of someone from Stel or Arboria South, but there were plenty of people living—or hiding—in Pyra these days who weren’t Pyraean. The fact that she might be alone made Veronyka feel new kinship with her, and she remained close to the girl’s side