The Vulture King Page 10

  “What does it mean, though? How am I better equipped now to defeat the vulture king than I was before I came?”

  The beast turned its green eyes on him. “Look inside, child.”

  Aram closed his eyes and turned his thoughts inwards. He was filled with silver light, and it was pure power. More power than he could ever have imagined pulsed inside him, ready for him to use. His internal radix would never, could never be depleted. The discovery filled him with a steely resolve.

  He turned to face the assembled Saanen and punched a fist towards the sky. “It’s time to leave this mountain. My friends are waiting for me. Will you join us to face the king?”

  The beasts roared their approval, rearing back onto their hind legs and pawing the air. Aram leapt onto the back of the creature at his side and with the Saanen host behind him, plunged back down the mountainside.

  When they reached the plains below, Aram flew Ryu high to scan the Barrens for his friends. He couldn’t see them, and uneasiness pricked his skin--goose bumps rising on his arms despite the heat.

  “How long was I in the lake?” he asked the beast he rode.

  “Two days,” it replied.

  Aram’s thoughts raced as worry clotted in his gut. Anything could have happened down here in two days. What if a larger pack of varanids had found them? They could all be dead, and he’d never know what happened to them.

  The Saanen began to walk around the mountain’s base as Aram tried to puzzle out where they might be. Perhaps they had moved to stay in the shade of the peak? Maybe they’d run out of water and been forced to leave? His bird’s eyes scanned the dusty landscape for any sign.

  “There,” he shouted urgently, and the beast leapt in the direction he pointed. As they approached the heap lying close to the cliff, Aram jumped down and ran towards it. Dropping to his knees, he rolled the unconscious man onto his back and saw, with mingled relief and terror, that it was Bayre. There was a thin line of dried blood on his temple and his face was deathly pale. Aram looked frantically around for Bina and Tai, but they were nowhere to be seen. He fumbled at Bayre’s neck where to his relief, he felt a faint pulse. Slinging his water skin off his shoulder, he noted through his panic it had been refilled while he hung suspended in time. He poured water into Bayre’s mouth, just a trickle to avoid choking him. It was difficult to keep his hands steady. The man coughed, groaned and then began to convulsively swallow. His eyes cracked open and one hand reached up to Aram’s face.

  “You made it back, boy.” Then he gasped, alarm flaring in his eyes. “Aram, Tai’s taken Bina. That first night you were gone, he attacked me. He’s gone to try and join the king.”

  That was all it took, the words confirming Bina was gone, to send him hurtling back to the day he lost his mother.

  Six-year-old Aram sat by the gates of a kraal, drawing sandworms in the dust with a finger. His mother had been gone a while, and he was bored and hungry. A giggle nearby caught his attention and he looked into the shadows of a nearby building. Ryu was hidden in his jacket as usual, but the bird could just make out a small form. The shape moved towards him and Aram realised it was a girl, a few years younger than he was. She wore one of the fine dresses of a kraal dweller, and Aram tucked his bare, dirty feet under his legs. The girl squatted down next to him and drew a line in the sand next to one of his worms, then glanced at him. He leant forward, drew another, and she copied him. Aram rarely had a chance to interact with other children, his heart beat rapidly in his chest with the thrill of it. From one of her pockets the girl drew a honey cake and tearing it in half, offered him a piece. His dirty nails shamed him as he took the gift, but he gulped it down, sweetness coating his mouth, the taste of pure happiness.

  He wanted so badly to return her generosity, to show her what this kindness meant to him. On impulse he opened his jacket, and Ryu hopped out onto his finger. The girl’s eyes widened, in wonder he thought, and then she gasped. She jumped to her feet screaming and the sound of it tore Aram’s world apart.

  Aram was back on the burning sand, mouth slick with the taste of honey and guilt. They’d come for his mother then, the cechua, and it had all been his fault. Just as surely, the blame for Bina’s capture now lay with him. All he ever did was let down those he loved most.

  Bayre struggled into a sitting position. He placed a shaking hand on the boy’s leg. Anger was building in Aram’s chest, a ball of white-hot rage. Tai was the traitor he’d always thought him and now he had Bina. It was the worst news he could possibly imagine. He focused his bird’s eyes on Bayre.

  “But…but I don’t understand? How come you’re still alive?”

  “Tai hit me over the head with a rock then tied my hands. I don’t think he could bring himself to kill me. I managed to work myself free eventually, but they were long gone.” The old man looked pleadingly up at Aram. “That shows there’s still some good in him. He could have slit my throat, but he didn’t. If we find him before he reaches the king, we can still save him from his own foolishness.”

  The naked hope in his voice stayed Aram’s angry retort. He didn’t believe there was a shred of decency anywhere in Tai. The fact Bina was now his prisoner clenched his heart with impotent rage.

  He forced another question through gritted teeth. “Why is Tai doing this? He knows what the king does to Veldera. He’s in just as much danger as Bina if he goes to the eyrie.”

  Bayre’s shoulders sagged. “I failed him, Aram. I never let Tai go out into the world with me. I wanted to keep him safe, so I left him at the settlement. He hasn’t seen for himself the worst of what the king does. He used to insist when he was younger that if we sent a petition to the king, he’d see that Veldera made better allies than slaves. I always told him no and eventually he stopped talking about it. I thought I’d managed to change his mind but now, I think not.”

  “If any harm comes to Bina, I will make him pay Bayre. I promise you that.”

  Bayre’s hand gripped Aram’s hard. “But promise me you’ll at least give him a chance, Aram. If I can just talk to him, I know I can get through to him.”

  Aram couldn’t force the words out of his mouth, but he gave a single nod. To his mind only words made a promise binding, but Bayre didn’t need to know that. After all, the older man had kept secrets from him too.

  “Will we be able to track them?” Aram asked, as he helped Bayre to his feet.

  Bayre shook his head and stared out into the waste. “The wind will have blown any tracks away by now. Our best hope is to make for the eyrie as fast as possible and try to intercept them.”

  “We’ll get there faster than you imagine.” Aram turned and pointed at the Saanen leader waiting a little way off. “The Saanen are our allies now. They’ll get us there quicker than anyone can travel on foot.”

  Bayre looked closely at Aram’s face for the first time. “You look different. Your eyes…they’ve changed. They’re silver now, not black.”

  Aram raised one hand to his face self-consciously, then dropped it. “I’m ready to face the king, that’s all it means. We need to get word to the rest of the Veldera and Shrouds, telling them to meet us at the eyrie. I have power to match the king, but I can’t fight an army alone. I’ll send one of the Saanen to the settlement, if you’re prepared to tell them how to find it?”

  Bayre’s eyes still held a thousand questions but he nodded sharply. “I’m sorry, Aram. You warned me about Tai, but I wouldn’t listen. I couldn’t even follow him across the Barrens. He took the pack and all the water. All I could do was wait and hope you’d return.”

  Aram looked at the brave man in front of him, now bowed and broken by his son’s betrayal. “We’ll find them Bayre, don’t doubt that. Now let’s move.”

  A Saanen was dispatched to alert the settlement. Aram helped Bayre mount up on another of the creatures before he finally pulled himself back up onto the leader’s back. His small army, for he supposed that’s what they were now, moved off across the plains. Hooves stirred up clouds
of red dust as they passed, like walking into a veil of blood.

  As Aram rode, his thoughts turned to Bina and how afraid she must be. The king now threatened the two people he loved most in the world, his mother and his only friend. But for the first time, he also had hope he might be able to save them. With this spark burning bright in his chest, he rode towards his confrontation with the king.

  Riding with the Saanen, they crossed the Barrens in a single day. Aram now understood why the Veldera had chosen to build in the inhospitable wasteland. Any normal person trying to reach the radix would have a difficult journey on their own. But for Veldera, the help of their Saanen allies would have made crossing the waste child’s play. He didn’t think even a varanid would be able to compete with the cat-like creatures.

  As they travelled, he missed Bina fiercely. Although he had only known her for a short while, she had become an anchor for him. She kept him calm and found a way to make him smile even in the worst situations. He missed her cracked, tuneless voice and quicksilver laugh.

  His anger towards Tai grew with every passing moment. The boy had turned out to be as bad as the mist wraith he so closely resembled. In fact, he was something worse. You couldn’t blame a demon really, for being what it was. But Tai proved void of all human compassion. Bayre could try to convince himself all he liked that there was good lurking somewhere in his adopted son. But Aram had no forgiveness in his heart for the traitor. Tai was going to get what was coming to him. He repeated this promise over and over to himself as they rode.

  CHAPTER TEN

  They stopped for the night as soon as they reached the plains. Glancing across at Bayre, Aram saw the man’s face was grey with fatigue and pain. He slid to the ground and hurried to Bayre’s side, just in time to catch him as he slid off his Saanen’s back. Aram helped Bayre over to a stunted tree and eased him to the ground, his back resting against the trunk. He held a water skin to his friend’s lips and watched him gulp the warm liquid down. Without a word, he fetched the last of the berries from his pack and handed them over. He kept none for himself, the older man needed them far more. Then he sat down cross-legged and waited in silence for Bayre to eat his scant meal.

  Finally, Bayre finished and heaving a deep sigh, fixed his eyes on Aram. A little colour had returned to his cheeks although he still looked far from well.

  “Here we are boy. By the skin of our teeth yet still, here we are. So, what now?”

  Aram’s eyes shot up to Bayre’s. “What do you mean, what now? We’re on our way to save Bina. What else is there?”

  “You have come down from the mountain with power, boy. But do you know how to use it? Do you know what to do if someone shoots an arrow at you? Or throws a spear?”

  Aram shrugged one shoulder. “I guess I’ll figure it out when the time comes.”

  Bayre gave a ragged chuckle. “Figure it out when the time comes, will you?” The smile dropped abruptly off his face. “Well, I guarantee you’ll be dead before you get anywhere near the king.”

  Aram scowled, but before he could speak Bayre said, “Quick to anger as always, but stop and use your head. You’re not stupid although sometimes you can be a right idiot.”

  As Aram opened his mouth to deny this accusation, Bayre’s hand flew up and the stone he’d been holding hit the boy square on the shoulder.

  “Ow! What did you do that for?”

  “I did that to show you power isn’t everything. If you’re not prepared for attack, how do you defend yourself? If that stone had been a knife, you’d be in serious trouble right now. You need to start practicing keeping your eyes open. Staying aware of what’s going on around you.”

  Bayre’s other hand flicked another stone towards Aram. This time he managed to move so it only skimmed his shoulder.

  “Flesh wound,” muttered Bayre drily. “Better, but not good enough. We’ll practice every evening, boy. There’s not much time, but we can stop a couple of hours earlier each day. Let’s work on making sure you don’t get yourself killed straight away in battle.”

  Aram shook his head fiercely. “There’s no time for that. We’ve got to catch Tai.”

  Bayre leaned forwards and grabbed the boy’s shoulder. “We will make time for this. I will not send you against the king a weak, easy target. We don’t know exactly what route Tai is taking with Bina. There is every chance we will lose their trail, and he’ll get to the eyrie before we can stop him. But I can make sure that by the time you face the king, you’re a little more prepared.”

  Aram could feel frustration burning a hole in his gut, but he had to accept the truth of Bayre’s words. There were a hundred ways Tai might evade them, but the one certainty was his meeting with the king. It would be wise to prepare. He gave a single curt nod and Bayre settled back against the tree, closing his eyes. “We’ll start tomorrow. Tonight, these old bones need to rest.”

  Aram lay down on his back and listened as Bayre’s breathing deepened into rumbling snores. As the last light faded, he stared up into the darkness and wondered how Bina was feeling. What she was thinking? He closed his eyes and tried to send the thought out into the night… I’m coming Bina. Don’t be afraid. Hang on, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Just hold on for me.

  The next day they set off at first light. Swiftly as they were moving, still word of their coming spread ahead of them. Outside the first kraal they passed, a group of people waited for them. Aram held up a hand and the Saanen drew to a halt around him. An older woman, with iron-grey hair and eyes steelier still, stepped forwards.

  “Who are you and what are these creatures you bring onto our land?”

  “My name is Aram and we mean you no harm.”

  “No harm?” the woman scoffed, “When you stand there with an invading army at your back.”

  Aram realised how intimidating the Saanen must appear. No wonder these people were scared.

  “We’re simply passing through on our way to the eyrie.”

  The woman hissed through her teeth and the people standing behind her drew closer to each other.

  “You serve the king then?” Her tone was flat and difficult to read.

  Aram didn’t think about his answer, he simply spoke the truth. “I am going to kill the king. It’s time the Carrionlands were free of him and his cechua for good.”

  The kraal folk began to whisper animatedly amongst themselves. After giving Aram a hard stare, the woman turned and joined them. A few minutes of increasingly heated discussion passed. Then she approached him again and said, “You will wait here, you and your creatures.” She seemed to realise that something more was needed, so she added a grudging, “Please.”

  Unsure what was happening, Aram slid down to the ground. The Saanen shifted around him, stamping their hooves in impatience.

  “What do you think they’re doing?” he asked Bayre.

  The older man simply shrugged but he joined Aram on the ground. They stood watching the kraal, alert for any sign of trouble.

  They waited so long Aram began to think nobody was coming back out. Just as he was about to give the order to move on, a small group of people straggled out of the kraal gate. In astonishment he watched them walk closer. Young and old, men and women, they came carrying hoes and axes, scythes and a few spears. For one moment Aram thought they were under attack. Then he saw the grey-haired woman striding near the rear and she raised an arm in greeting. The people stopped and she walked through their shuffling ranks to face Aram. “We’re coming with you. I’m tired of cowering in fear and so are they. If you’re prepared to take on the king, then we are too.” The people behind her nodded and murmured in agreement.

  Aram found himself completely at a loss for words. Not for one moment had he expected the people of the Carrionlands to stand with him. He flung a thought at the Saanen leader. “What must I do? These people aren’t soldiers, what if I get them killed?”

  The beast replied, “You’re not asking anything they’re not prepared to willingly give. You’re not the
only one who has suffered. Let them join.”

  “But…but…kraal folk hate the Veldera. Why would they want to help me?”

  “Do they hate Veldera? Or are they so terrified of the king they do as he asks to protect the people they love? Hate and fear are very different things, Aram. Once the Veldera were well-loved in these lands. Now here you stand, offering them the hope of a better world. There are many prepared to fight and die for that dream.”

  It was all too much for Aram to make sense of. Bina would know what to do, he thought. Then he looked again at the faces staring at him so expectantly. He didn’t see any hatred there, only determination. He made his decision.

  “Welcome, brothers and sisters. We would be glad for you to join us.”

  The group raised their weapons silently above their heads, eyes still fixed on him. Pride exploded in Aram’s chest, for the bravery of these people…his people now.

  “We ride for the eyrie,” he shouted. “Let the vulture king tremble for the people of Alaiya are coming.”

  It took a while to convince the kraal dwellers to mount up on the Saanen but eventually they set off again. Over the next few days, at each kraal they passed, more people swarmed out to join them. They brought along supplies and weapons. Soon Aram had what truly could be called an army, albeit a rag tag one, riding at his back. He was grateful to have Bayre with him. The older, more experienced man did a good job of keeping everything running smoothly. Without him, Aram feared, things would have descended rapidly into chaos. All the people slowed down their progress though, and Aram was rapidly losing hope they would catch up to Tai and Bina. He practiced with Bayre every evening, trying to anticipate where the next rock would come from. He learnt to watch his opponent’s eyes and although many of the missiles still hit him, there were some he managed to block or avoid.