Which made me wonder why the people of Vlaren hadn’t taken to the river. What had happened to that town? My feet itched to go back and find out. We never left homes or farms or towns taken by the Forbidding alone. If we couldn’t reclaim them then all the able-bodied people nearby would organize a posse, fight back the Forbidding, investigate, and set the place ablaze if it could not be resettled. We never found survivors or remains of people – only buildings and sometimes evidence of how it had happened. Sometimes there would be food still fresh on the table, or a sword sticking out from a tree showing that settlers had battled the Forbidding here. Or sometimes there would be a tangle of Forbidding thrust through the floor of a boat where it was beached on the land, showing how the escape route had been cut off. Vlaren would have those signs if we went back to look. But we couldn’t afford to do that right now and I doubted my companions would want to try.
“We need a place on a high spot, close to the water,” Ivo was saying. “A place where the Forbidding is already back a bit from the shore.”
“One with lots of fallen wood or driftwood,” I chimed in. “So you can build a ring of fires around the site.”
Ivo nodded, smiling slightly at me. “Any other tips?”
Osprey only pulled another pick out of his sleeve and jammed it between his teeth as if I didn’t exist. One of his hands clutched his belly as it had been clutching it since I regained consciousness. He was hunched over it protectively. Maybe this whole situation made him feel as sick as it made me feel.
“We’ll want to make a hammock for Le Majest if we can. He shouldn’t be on the ground.”
That got Osprey’s attention. His angry gaze swiveled to me and stayed there as something close to fury simmered in his eyes. Snap. The severed end of his toothpick tumbled to the floor of the boat.
“I’d say that anywhere away from you is the best place for him,” Ivo said. “It will at least keep our Osprey from shaking apart at the rivets, hmm?”
I snorted. “Because you still don’t believe me that he manifested snakes. That he tried to kill us with them.”
“I believe he tried to kill you,” he said.
“Just like I believe that trying to stop him has doomed us all.” Osprey leaned over the tiller like a large cat standing over its kill.
“I wasn’t going to die like that. And I wasn’t going to let him kill you,” I said defiantly. “All this honor of yours about avenging him is ridiculous.”
“You don’t listen,” he said spitting the pick and leaning forward. “You’re irresponsible and headstrong. I tried to tell you that our lives are not all that hangs in the balance.”
“Oh, you’ve told me. And told me and told me. If I kill him, then you’ll kill my whole family. And you’ll kill me. You act like you’re some kind of mindless tangle of the Forbidding who has no choice but to attack and kill. But you could just as easily say no and turn your back on your orders and spare my life. Killing me will be your choice.”
He shook with emotion. “I keep telling you that I’m bound and you don’t believe me. I was forced to drive you back, to nearly kill you – and if Le Majest dies I will be bound to slit your throat right here and yet, you foolish, frustratingly violent girl, you keep insisting on making the wrong choices and forcing us deeper and deeper into this mess!”
“They’re not the wrong choices!” I said, hands on my hips. “Zayana told me how Wings given bird names are bound. She told me how your family will die if you don’t obey him.” Osprey paled but I pressed on. “And that’s awful and horrible, but don’t you realize that you’re the one threatening my family with the same thing? However you feel about the Winged Empire, that’s how I’m starting to feel about you. You keep saying that you don’t want me dead but your actions back there spoke louder than any words.” I paused. “I thought we were friends.”
He started to stand and Ivo’s hand whipped up, grabbing his arm and pulling him down. Osprey turned, beginning to snarl, but Ivo’s tense posture stopped him. Ivo pointed with his other hand and all of our eyes drifted to the center of the boat where Zayana was carefully backing up from her patient.
A specter, glowing a faint emerald green – rose from Le Majest’s mouth, rising up, up, up as its hood flared out. A snake.
“See?” I said, raising an eyebrow as I looked at Ivo and crossing my arms painfully over my chest. “Snakes.”
It crept forward and as the last remains of its tail left the mouth of the crown prince, his big blue eyes flickered open. Everyone who wanted me dead had blue eyes.
He groaned and the snake snapped out at my bees. I felt a jolt of pain as it caught one, gulping it down.
I hissed and my bees shot up into the air, buzzing frantically.
“Control your snake!” I said, desperately, fighting against the pain in my chest and the buzzing so loud that it clogged everything else in my mind.
He let out a cry and wrapped himself protectively around his belly wound.
“Easy!” Wing Ivo cried. “Easy now!”
“Aella, bring your bees back.” Zayana sounded frantic as she took a step toward the crown prince. His snake struck out at her and she barely dodged the attack.
“Control your manifestation!” I said again, nausea swirling through me as my bees spiraled over top of the boat, avoiding the snake but agitated by the attack and the loss of one of the swarm.
Juste moaned, his snake swaying wildly, and then collapsed, his body going limp and the snake fading out of existence.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Plug his wound,” I told my bees.
They coalesced and filled his wound again as Zayana rushed over to help him.
“And that,” Ivo said calmly, “is why this situation is so complicated, and why our next move must be the right one regardless of who is holding a grudge against whom.”
Chapter Two
WE FOUND A CLEARING in a patch of tall broadleaf trees. The trees surrounding it were so thick that we couldn’t see the Forbidding, but that didn’t make me feel any better.
“Where is my sword?” I asked as the bow bumped the rocks and hurried to scramble out of the bow and hold us steady. My shoulder screamed at the movement, but I gritted my teeth against the pain and fought the waves of nausea crashing over me.
“I have it,” Osprey said, tapping his belt where he’d put my scabbard alongside his own. “And I’ll be keeping it. You are too violent and liable to get us all killed.”
He winced as he stepped out of the boat, still hunched slightly. Had I wounded him?
“I need it to fight the Forbidding,” I said in what I hoped he would consider a polite tone. It was hard to be polite when I was so frustrated. My bees began to hum louder in tune with my flaring emotions.
Osprey opened his mouth, but Ivo laid a warning hand on his arm again. Did they do that a lot? It must be handy to have a backup conscience around to remind you not to be an idiot.
“How would you feel if I took it, Aella?” Ivo said gently. “I can battle back the Forbidding tonight while your shoulder heals up and then when you’re ready for the sword again you’ll know where to find it. As your Guide, I am bound to stick with you until your training is complete. You can trust that I am not going anywhere.”