“He did,” Roland interrupted. “Alisoun was there and saw it happen. It was a complete accident. He wasn’t even pushed; he tripped over something. Arren, who threatened you?”
“But if I tell you—”
“I will be fine,” said Roland. “I have a hundred griffins living here with me, and if anyone showed the slightest sign of attacking me they’d be torn to pieces. Now tell me, who threatened you?”
“Lord Rannagon,” Arren whispered.
Roland froze. “What? Arren, that’s—that’s not funny.”
Arren looked up. “It was Lord Rannagon,” he said again. “Him and Shoa. They came to my house. Rannagon said that if I didn’t keep quiet I’d be killed. He said people would be watching me.”
“But . . . Lord Rannagon? Why? When?”
“Eluna,” said Arren.
“Eluna? What about her?”
“She—it was a lie. The story they told about why I went to Rivermeet. It wasn’t true. I didn’t steal the map. Lord Rannagon gave it to me. I went because he told me to go.”
“What? Arren, I don’t understand.”
“I went to him that morning,” Arren went on. “I told him about the raid and how the smuggler died. He said I had to pay compensation. I said I couldn’t afford it, and he said I could earn the money quickly by catching a wild griffin. I said I didn’t know how to do it, but he gave me the poison and the map and said I could. He talked me into it. He said it was easy and he’d done it on his own dozens of times. He said—he made it sound like a big adventure. And I believed him and said I’d go. He told me to leave the next day and promised he’d take care of everything for me while I was gone. He made me promise not to tell anyone in the Eyrie. So I went, and—and Eluna died.
“And when I got back, Rannagon had told everyone that I lied and ran away. He’d got other people to support him. And when I tried to tell Riona the truth, Shoa stopped me and said she would kill me if I accused Rannagon of anything. I had to go along with what he said. And then later on, Rannagon and Shoa came to my house and told me if I didn’t keep it secret I’d be killed.”
Roland was looking at him in disbelief. “But why would Rannagon act like that?”
Arren stared at the tabletop. “Because I’m a blackrobe,” he mumbled. “Blackrobes can’t be griffiners.”
“Arren, this—this can’t be true,” said Roland. “I refuse to believe it. I’ve known Rannagon since I was a child; he isn’t like that. I’ve never met anyone kinder and more just than him. He wouldn’t do something like that to you.”
“He said he didn’t want to,” said Arren. “But he did it. I swear, he did it.”
“But why?”
“Because—because when I went to see him, he also told me a secret. He said Riona wanted to put me on the council.”
“She what?”
“I didn’t believe him, but he said it was true. And later on Riona said it was true, too. Rannagon said—he said the other senior griffiners knew, and they didn’t want me on the council because of what I am. So he sent me to Rivermeet to get me into trouble, so I’d be disgraced and Riona wouldn’t go ahead and make me a councillor. He said he didn’t want Eluna or me to get hurt, but it went wrong.”
Roland stood up. “I’m going to go and talk to him,” he said. “I’ll get to the bottom of this. You stay here. Don’t leave until I come back, understood?”
Arren stood, too. “But Roland—”
“Stay here,” Roland repeated. “That’s an order, Arren.”
“I—yes, my lord.”
“Good. You just finish your wine and rest a bit. I’ll be back by evening.”
Roland unlocked the door and opened it. Arren hurried after him as he left the room, but the old man moved surprisingly fast. He crossed the hatchery floor, arms swinging gently by his sides, making straight for the doors. Keth got up from her corner and followed him. As she passed Arren, she paused and looked at him. “Guard the hatchlings, Arren.”
“I will,” he promised.
Keth nodded briefly to him and loped away after Roland, and the two of them were gone.
Arren stayed where he was for a while after they had left. His heart was pounding, and he felt light-headed and dizzy. He swallowed hard, trying to suppress his sudden nausea, and then snatched up the broom and began sweeping