A Time of Blood (Of Blood and Bone #2) - John Gwynne Page 0,69

Keld, Fen had taken to pretending the white bear was not there.

Keld led them through shadowed paths, though Drem was certain that even if they were hidden from eyes in the sky, Hammer and the white bear were not.

Another glance upwards and Drem saw a flicker of movement, a dark smudge silhouetted by pale cloud.

“Ware,” he called to his companions, and they all melted into the shadows of an overhanging crag. As Drem watched the silhouette above, he realized it was too small for the half-breed Kadoshim.

Just a crow, then.

As Drem looked at it, the bird banked to the left, flying in a wide-looping arc.

Then Cullen was stepping out from the shadows and waving his hands in the air.

The bird above them started cawing, flying in a tighter spiralling loop down to them. As it drew closer, the squawks started to resemble words.

“Cullen, Cullen, Cullen,” the crow squawked, and Cullen held his arm out, the crow alighting on his shoulder. It was huge for a crow, far bigger than Rab, its feathers neat and glossy.

“Ach, but it’s good to see you, Flick,” Cullen said, scratching the bird’s chest.

“Flick happy see Cullen,” the bird croaked. “And Keld and Fen.” Flick regarded Drem with one shiny eye, his head cocked to one side. “Well met, Drem ben Olin,” he said, bobbing his head.

“Well met,” Drem said, a little taken aback.

“Flick is the politest bird in Crow Tower,” Cullen said, grinning.

“Flick, what news?” Keld said.

“Rab told us all. Gulla in north. Sig dead.” Flick shook his head mournfully. “Byrne ANGRY,” he squawked loudly, flapping his wings for emphasis. “Byrne called the muster, Byrne want to KILL GULLA.” Flick shrieked. “All of Order summoned to Dun Seren. Byrne sent lots of huntsmen to find you. Stepor closest.”

Hammer lumbered up behind them.

“Well met, Hammer,” Flick croaked. The bear rumbled at the crow. Then Flick jumped into the air with a flap of wings when he saw the white bear appear behind Hammer.

“Hammer has an admirer,” Cullen said, with a roll of his eyes.

Flick landed back on Cullen’s shoulder.

“Stepor? Good,” Keld said. “How far away is he?”

“Two, three days,” Flick croaked, shrugging his wings. “Follow Flick.” With a beat of his wings the crow leaped into the air.

CHAPTER TWENTY

RIV

Riv stepped out of the tower into Drassil’s Great Hall. It was almost empty, apart from the ring of guards around the statues of Asroth and Meical. Usually giants held that vigil, but all the giants of Drassil had gone with Ethlinn to Dun Seren, so it was White-Wings that circled the frozen statues now.

Riv felt their gaze upon her as she strode through the hall, her footsteps echoing. She looked at them, a glare at first, then one nodded to her. She hesitated a moment, then nodded back. Walking out into the winter sunlight, she blinked, heard the whisper of wings above her and her hand went instinctively to the hilt of her short-sword.

A Ben-Elim drifted down and alighted beside her, Hadran, the guard from Kol’s chamber.

“I am to guard you,” he said, his face as unreadable as Bleda’s. She felt a pang at the thought of her friend, a deep sense of loneliness cutting through her. She had wanted to go to Bleda, to speak with him, but shame had held her back, the fact that Kol was her father, the man who had slain Bleda’s brother and sister. And she had made a deal with Kol.

Does Bleda hate me? Despise me for the blood that runs in my veins? And would he hate me for the deal I have made? He would feel ashamed that I have turned away from what is right, and he would hate that I have done it for him.

She burned to go and ask him; not knowing was driving her mad, itching away inside her head like ants on her skin. She had eventually overcome her shame and tried to speak to him, searched him out, but every time, Jin had been there. At his side.

Riv saw Hadran frown at her and realized she was grinding her teeth.

“Guard me, then,” she muttered and strode down the stone steps into the courtyard before the great keep. He lingered, walking a dozen or so steps behind her, then she felt the shifting of air as he took to the sky, until his presence was just a shadow on the flagstones around her.

Finding herself free of Kol’s chambers, Riv was abruptly aware that she did not quite know what to do with herself,