of what I heard. And what I then witnessed. And later what I experienced.
Sergius's head snapped up, his eyes narrowed. "Tell me everything!"
He listened in awed silence as Ravan recalled what had happened in the forest, from the moment he alighted on the branch to the moment Piven attacked Greven.
"An aegis?" Sergius said finally. "Truly?"
Tell me about an aegis.
Sergius rubbed his face in a gesture of excitement as much as fear. "An aegis, Ravan, is the ultimate champion. He...or she...can use magic to combat any aggression toward their bonded, and can shield the one to whom he is bonded from death or injury. But an aegis is also a slave - he has no will of his own. Once trammeled they have inordinate strength and can be commanded to use that strength against another."
And they have no choice in the matter, I'm guessing.
Sergius shook his head. "None at all, which is why an aegis will hide his true nature with great care. I've not actually seen one in action. Cyrena granted Cormoron that for every Valisar heir born, so would be an aegis. Not necessarily at the same time either - some are older, some are younger. Finding your own aegis is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Even though they are always born in relatively close proximity to their Valisar, they hide their true nature with great effect. For the most part these people are born and die without being bonded, without ever having to tap into the power that is only fully available to them once they are joined through magic to a Valisar. The bonding process is called trammeling and it is repulsive."
Why are there so many hurdles to the process?
Sergius shrugged. "Well, I suppose that even though Cyrena wanted to protect the Valisar line, she also knew the bonding is life-changing for an aegis. She put controls in place to ensure the Valisar would really need to trammel someone in order to do it. You've witnessed it; you understand why. Greven is now owned. He has no control over his own desires. He is compelled to protect Piven whether or not he wants to. What ever Piven suffers, so does Greven - but not vice versa. It's a life of slavery but so much worse because the last frontier of privacy is invaded...one's own will."
I watched Piven command Greven to kill a man called Clovis, who I recall from the palace. He did so without question, although I can assure you he suffered badly for it.
Sergius looked shocked. "What do you mean? What did he say?"
He didn't say anything.
Sergius frowned. "Then how do you know?"
Ravan shifted, cleaning his beak on the table. I tasted his flesh, he finally said, reluctantly.
"You ate part of Greven?" Sergius groaned, disbelief mingling with revulsion.
I felt compelled to.
"By what?" Sergius demanded, still repulsed. Standing, he angrily began preparing a herbal tea.
By Piven, Ravan said calmly.
Sergius swung around and regarded the raven. "He controls you, too?"
No, Sergius, I promise you. Our bond is not like the bond between him and Greven. But it is a strong connection all the same. Forgive me for tasting Greven.
Sergius softened. "And you think they killed Clovis because they didn't want him telling anyone that Piven was alive?"
It was more than that. I told you, Piven is changing.
"You've lost me," Sergius admitted, frowning as he poured the boiled water into a large mug. Immediately a fragrance of herbs filled the room.
There are two things I have to tell you. The first is that since tasting Greven, I can now talk to both him and Piven.
"Like the seam that we use?"
Yes.
A thrill of shock passed through Sergius. "What did they say?"
I think they were more surprised to hear my voice in their minds than the other way around. I didn't linger because Clovis had arrived.
"So you didn't see them kill him?"
No, but I heard it all unfold.
"Can you hear them now?"
If I wanted to, I suppose. But only if Piven wants me to, also.
"Why do you think Piven encouraged you to share Greven with him?"
Ah, that's something I don't fully understand. It probably has to do with the second detail I want to tell you about.
"Go on."
Piven is turning bad.
"Explain bad."
I saw darkness within him. Piven is far cleverer than any of us have ever imagined and he has probably long suspected that a magical bird doesn't just come along for no reason. He must assume that I am around him for a reason and that