When I glanced at Thord, he was watching my sandwich. His was gone. Almost as if he had made it vanish.
"You wolfed that down!" I said. "Did you even taste it?"
"I eat rather fast these days. Are you done with that sandwich?"
I turned to put my body between him and it. "No. And you can't have it." I didn't turn back until the sandwich was finished. But then, after brushing my hands to clear off the crumbs, I dug further in the saddlebag to find a rolled-up piece of parchment.
I took it out, undid the leather string around it and unrolled the paper. It was covered with perfectly neat handwriting. No one had more perfect handwriting than Maestru Beatrix. It read:
Dear Carmen,
I have hurriedly dashed off both this letter and this swan to you. Thord's missive came at the perfect time: I've been busy with the swans at the Red Keep. It is as if they now know that their old home is safe, and so many of them have returned. And I believe that they communicate with each other on an even deeper level than I was aware of. Maestru Arvid had said this, but I thought he was dreaming. Because more swans keep coming back.
But I digress, as always.
Oddly enough, at the exact moment Thord's spellbird arrived, I was reading Maestru Arvid's notes about the very swan before you. You'll see that she has a distinctive set of feathers that look like a crown. She hatched on your graduation night. So something good came out of that day. But once I'd read further, I knew this was the swan for you. His notes said that this swan's name was Carnda. Which I remembered was your mother's name. A coincidence? He noted that the swan came from an egg delivered by one Carmen Dore. You. And I remember the tale of you finding that egg and returning it in order to get enough points to graduate. That story worked through the staff room very quickly, and Maestru Alesius had been so proud. So this is the very swan that you found in the nesting grounds. She has grown unbelievably fast, and clearly has a calm temperament. And, though this is beyond my ken of swans, she will easily accept a saddle. She is trained, though no trainer has trained her. It is almost as if she learned from the other swans.
So that's why I sent Carnda to you. I don't believe in luck; we make our own luck, but I think you and this swan belong together, and that is a good omen.
May your mission be full of brightness and success. And may your blades stay ever sharp.
Sincerely,
Maestru Beatrix
P.S. There was next to nothing about giants in our library. I'm sorry, but since the Immortals destroyed so many books, so much knowledge has been lost. My only advice is to never underestimate them.
I rolled up the letter and put it back in the saddlebag.
"What did Maestru Beatrix write?" Thord asked.
"She said the swan's name in Carnda."
The swan made a soft squawking noise, as if it recognized the name.
"That whole letter was just to tell you what the swan's name was? There weren't any hints about how to kill giants?"
"Well, she mentioned that we shouldn't underestimate them."
"What does that mean? Who would ever underestimate a giant?"
"I don't know," I said. "I just read it now." I sounded a little snippy. "But the important thing is that the swan's name is Carnda."
I put my hand out, and the swan came nearer and nuzzled it. I scratched the crown on her head. I felt like I'd known this swan my entire life.
"But why is the name of the swan so important?" Thord asked.
"This is the swan that hatched from the egg I brought back to the Red Fortress," I said. "You remember?"
"Of course I remember, I loaned you the feathers for your swan suit," he said. "It was amazing. You were amazing." And I blushed a little. "It's already grown," he added.
"Yes. It has been several months. But she has grown faster than regular swans. And she is trained, as if she naturally figured out how to work with a rider."
"Is she truly trained?" he asked.
"There's only one way to find out." I strapped my knapsack to the back of the saddle and the bird stood perfectly still. Then I went to Carnda's side, stroked her head once more and lifted my leg to get my foot into the stirrup. At the same moment she hopped to the left and I fell flat.
On my bottom.
On the hard stone of the balcony. It hurt.
But not as much as it hurt to hear Thord laugh. He covered his mouth but couldn't hide the sound of his chuckles.
"You'll be missing a few teeth if you keep laughing like that." I restrained myself from testing to see if my backside was broken. Judging by the pain, it was a near thing.
The bird stood there, looking innocent. I approached her again, jammed my foot in the stirrup, took a deep breath and put even more force into my jump.
This time Carnda slipped straight backwards, and I hit the ground again. Thord managed to keep his laughter low enough that my own simmering anger and heavy breathing nearly drowned it out.
I marched back to the bird and, before I could get my leg up and angrily thrust my foot into the stirrup, she twisted her head around and poked me away. She had a powerful neck! But I straightened my back and walked right up to her, and she pushed me away again. What an insufferable beast!
She made a little honking sound and stared me directly in the eye. "What does that mean?" I said, trying to keep my voice calm.
I went to her left side, and she bit my arm, hard enough to pinch. "Ouch!" This got another look from her. And I couldn't help but think she was frowning at me.
Thord was still laughing.
I put my hands on my hips. "What is the point of sending a swan that I can't ride?" I said. "Do I have to beg you?"
Carnda nodded.
She actually nodded.
"Did you see that?" I said to Thord.
"Yes," he answered. He wasn't laughing anymore. "But it… I mean, it can't be that smart."
The bird ignored him and stared at me.
"May I please ride you, Carnda?" I asked.
She nodded again, and I felt a sense of wonder and a tickling of fear. How smart was this bird? But I approached her and slowly put my right foot in the stirrup and, expecting the worst bottom pounding in the world, slid my leg across.
And Carnda stood perfectly still. I was in the saddle.
"She expects respect," Thord said. "Now you know."
"Yes," I said. "Now I know." Then I grabbed the reins and whispered, "Up, Carnda."
And she went up.
2
A Never-ending Hunger
With several flaps of Carnda's strong, young wings, we hit the air and climbed higher and higher, soon leaving the royal palace far behind us. Her movements were smooth and graceful, so there was very little sound of our passage. In fact, she was one of the quietest swans in the air I'd ever heard. Not that any of them were that loud. I held tight with my knees and urged her to go even higher, flying toward the stars that guided us southeast. Riding a black swan differed greatly from a dragon. First off, I felt small when I was on Brax's back, and his wings were a few feet behind me. But a swan's wings were on either side of my legs, and the bird was much more likely to be buffeted by wind currents and the wind hit me harder.