The Vulture King Read online

  Bina seemed to shrink in on herself and her voice was thin in her dove’s throat as she said, “Yes, that will be something.”

  Aram walked up behind her chair and laid both hands on her shoulders. “Bina and I will stay together.” He felt the sharp inhalation of breath which hitched her body upwards. “That’s if she wants a smelly boy sharing her space with her, of course.”

  She gave a low murmur of laughter. “The boy doesn’t have to stay smelly. There is such a thing as a bath.”

  Bayre rose from his knees, flames licking over the wood he had lit. “There you go, now who’s for a cup of tea and something to eat?”

  A voice from outside made them all turn their heads. “Bayre, are you in there?”

  Instead of pulling his hood up again, Bayre’s face broke into a huge grin. “I’m back boy, get yourself in here.”

  The curtain was yanked aside, and a tall, young man stooped in through the entrance. There was a muffled yelp from Bina’s bird. Aram could understand her reaction. Mothers scared their children at bedtime with tales of the mist demons that came to snatch away unruly children who crept from their beds. With his ashy skin and white hair, the boy who had just entered looked like nothing so much as one of these mythological monsters. On his shoulder sat a large bird with beady eyes. Aram had no idea how the boy could have ever kept it hidden.

  Before he could stop himself, he blurted, “What is that thing?”

  The stranger frowned and turned bruised purple eyes on him. “Not sure whether you mean me or my bird but that’s an unusual way to introduce yourself.”

  Aram flushed from his chest to the roots of his hair, face pulsing with mortification.

  Bayre gave a mock growl and punched the boy lightly on a well-muscled shoulder. “Now, don’t be like that. Aram, Bina, meet Tai. He was one of the first Veldera I brought here to the settlement. I found him when he was less than a year old, so we’ve walked a long path together.”

  Tai turned and threw his arms around Bayre. “It’s good to have you home, old man. What’ve you dragged back with you this time though?”

  Bayre clucked his tongue disapprovingly but didn’t say anything further. There was an awkward silence which Bina broke by asking, “What type of bird is that? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “It’s a skirling, a sea bird. My parents were fishing folk from the far north.”

  The bird clacked its dagger-edged beak, and Aram noted it had a row of wickedly sharp teeth. The thing could probably take your hand off if it wanted to.

  “So, you’re deaf then,” blurted Aram. He flushed again as Tai turned on him, scowling deeply.

  “You’re not going to make many friends in the settlement if you go around pointing out to everyone they’re blind or voiceless.” As he said these words, he nodded sharply at each of them in turn. “We’re all very aware of the senses we do without as the price of our power. No need to go pointing it out.”

  Aram felt as if he had swallowed an eel. It slid down his throat in a choking slither and writhed around his stomach trying to gnaw its way out.

  “Enough, Tai,” said Bayre, handing him a steaming mug. “You came to the settlement young, so its ways are all you know. Aram has been out there on his own for a long time. The girl here is the first Veldera he has known since his mother passed.”

  “Well, I’d know more about the outside world if you ever allowed me to visit one of the kraals with you,” snapped Tai. “But I’m never allowed further than the forest’s edge.”

  Bayre’s deep sigh indicated this was a well-worn argument but all he said was, “Not now, Tai.”

  He handed mugs to Aram and Bina and fetched one for himself before coming to sit down at the table. Tai stood with his drink clutched in one fist and his jaw thrust out. Aram thought he might storm out of the room, but he finally took a seat too. The older boy cleared his throat and said, “My apologies, Aram.”

  Aram nodded tightly, but Tai had already turned back to Bayre.

  “Ellery has asked that you stop by to see her. She would like to meet the new Veldera you have brought in.”

  “You go tell her that I’ll bring them along shortly. I’ll let them eat and rest a little first.”

  Tai nodded and took a long drink from his cup. Then he pushed back his chair and without another word strode out of the room. It felt easier to breathe once he’d gone, thought Aram. Tai seemed to take up an awful amount of space and more than his fair share of air.

  Bayre nodded at the children’s mugs. “Drink those up now.”

  Aram wrestled with himself for a moment but then the words poured out anyway. “Well, Tai seems as friendly as a varanid. I’m looking forward to spending more time with him.”

  Bina snorted with laughter, then choked as liquid streamed out of her nose. Bayre patted her back as she coughed and sputtered. “Quick to judge, aren’t you boy? You hardly showed yourself at your best there either, but I’d hope Tai gives you the benefit of the doubt.”

  Aram’s face flamed and he huddled back in his chair, lips pulled down in a sulky line. “Well, I don’t have to like everybody, just because they’re Veldera,” he muttered.

  Bayre’s tone was grave as he replied. “No, nobody says you have to like him, but making snap judgements about people is never wise. The people who live here will become the closest thing to family you’ll ever know. If you give them the chance, that is. Life hasn’t shown you people at their best but it’s time to let go of some of the distrust, Aram. It’s the only way you’ll be happy.”

  Bayre stood and moving to the kitchen area, began to put together a simple meal. Aram sat stewing over the man’s words. He didn’t see why he had to like Tai just because Bayre did. He had the right to make up his own mind about people and he liked the older boy about as much as he enjoyed catching a summer fever.

  Bina’s ice-eyes winked at him over the rim of her mug and his bad temper eased slightly. He relaxed and allowed himself to look forward to a home cooked meal after their long journey.

  As soon as Bayre put down their plates, Love hopped up onto the edge of Bina’s and began pecking away at a bread crust. She laughed as she tore off a strip and passed it to the hungry bird.

  “That dove is getting very fat. Soon she won’t be able to take off anymore,” said Aram.

  Love gulped down another chunk before Bina could reply. “Oh, just leave her alone. We all need our small pleasures in life.”

  It was true, thought Aram, although it was quite astounding what a pleasure Bina’s company had become. And not a small pleasure either, rather something he was coming to rely on.

  A short while later they met Tai outside the entrance to another of the cave homes. Aram could see no need for the boy and his stupid, great bird to be there too, but he was wise enough to keep his feelings to himself. The skirling flapped its wings and Bina clutched Love closer to her chest. Tai smiled at her. “No need to worry, Skili here is the biggest softie, so don’t be fooled by her appearance. She’s just excited, the daft old thing.”

  “A skirling called Skili?” Bina’s laughter chimed off the cave walls.

  Bayre chuckled, “It was Tai’s baby talk for skirling and somehow the name stuck.”

  Tai flushed and Aram felt a wave of vicious pleasure as he watched embarrassment stain the boy’s pale skin. He was as blotchy as someone with the pox. Bina however smiled and said, “It’s no worse than my Love the dove. I like the name Skili very much.”

  Aram’s joy drained away, replaced by an angry pulsing in his chest. It was not jealousy, definitely not. What did it matter to him if Bina stood there smiling like a fool at Tai, or if the boy grinned back at her? They were both idiots with their silly bird names.

  Bayre leaned towards the curtain and loudly asked, “Permission to enter?”

  A low, musical voice replied, “Come in, come in Bayre and be welcome.”

  Bayre ducked through the entrance with Tai close on his heels. Showed what manners he had, tho
ught Aram in great satisfaction. He pulled the curtain aside and gestured for Bina to go ahead of him, sure that he was only imagining the ghost of a smile that drifted across her face.

  The person inside was not at all what he was expecting. Her rich voice didn’t match the shrivelled person in front of them. She was, although it seemed almost impossible, even smaller than Bina and more twig-like. Her hair and skin were the bleached white of a stick left too long exposed to the elements. A milky film covered her eyes, and Aram realised she was blind like him. She looked barely alive, but a warm smile broke over her face as she greeted Bayre.

  A squawk from the floor next to her chair drew Aram’s attention. A large, red chicken was squatting at the woman’s feet. It took Aram a moment to realise the bird was staring at him. This old woman used a chicken as her eyes and Aram wondered at the brilliance of it. It would be much easier to hide the fact that you were a Veldera if you paired with a domesticated bird. After all, non Veldera could also be affected by blindness or deafness. The woman could have hidden her bird in a flock of chickens and escaped detection.

  Ryu flew over to the table where a copper spoon lay shining gently in the firelight. He grabbed it in his beak and flew with it to the top of a cupboard. It was Aram’s turn to blush as he commanded, “Ryu, leave it. It doesn’t belong to you.” The magpie squawked and the implement clattered to the floor. Bayre stepped over and placed it back on the table then gestured to the children to step closer. Tai moved to stand at the cave entrance. “Ellery, meet Aram and Bina, the latest Veldera to join the settlement.”

  “Welcome, I am glad Bayre managed to bring the two of you to safety. Now, come nearer so I can see what we have here.”

  Bina skipped closer and the old woman placed a gnarled hand on her head. She didn’t appear to need her sightless eyes for whatever she was looking for.

  “Ah Bina, you are a Natura and a Mechanii, am I correct?”

  “Yes, I am, though I don’t have much power.”

  Ellery smiled at her and patted her black hair. “Power is not the most important thing, child. It is only one part of who you are.”

  She crooked her finger at Aram, and he stepped closer. She reached up and touched his face, her hand soft where it cradled his cheek. There was a long pause and then air escaped her in a low hiss. “You are Natura and Mechanii like most but so much more than that too. Here I see Tempera power and more unusually Animai too. And a radix so deep I cannot reach to the bottom.”

  Aram snapped his head away from her touch. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know what any of that stuff means.”

  He stood stiffly, arms clenched across his chest as the chicken hopped forwards and blinked up at him. It took a huge effort of will not to kick out at the bird and send it scurrying back to its mistress.

  “Aram’s mother died when he was just six years old,” confided Bina. “He’s never met other Veldera till now, so he doesn’t know much about, well, anything really.”

  Aram thought Tai cast him a rather scornful glance at this. How dare Bina make him out to be some kind of idiot to this strange, old woman?

  “I knew enough to keep myself alive and free for the last five years, which is more than I can say for you!”

  Bina’s head snapped towards him, her mouth open in a startled O. Aram immediately felt bad for his unnecessarily sharp tone but before he could apologise, Tai said, “Really brave aren’t you, Aram? It’s easy enough to shout at a girl, isn’t it?”

  Aram turned and lunged towards the older boy as his magpie rose shrieking into the air. The skirling on Tai’s shoulder hissed and spread its wings in warning. Before Aram could throw a punch, Bayre snagged him by the back of his shirt and hauled him backwards. As he hung helplessly, spitting and swearing, Bayre jerked his head at Tai indicating he should leave the cave. The older boy scowled but didn’t challenge the older man. Only once he was gone did Bayre let go of Aram.

  “You need to pull yourself together, boy. Bina doesn’t deserve your anger and Ellery shouldn’t be subjected to such disrespect. I’ve made many allowances for you but that’s enough now.”

  The anger drained out of Aram, leaving him feeling somewhat like a deflated water skin. He hung his head, mumbling a mortified apology.

  “What was that? Nobody can hear you,” snapped Bayre.

  Aram straightened and said, “My apologies, Ellery. And Bina I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.”

  He didn’t know what else to say, so he just stood there. Bina, usually so quick to smile and forgive, was staring at him like she wasn’t sure whether he might suddenly bite. Finally, Ellery broke the silence, “It must be confusing and frightening for you Aram. Why don’t you come sit down here, maybe I can explain some of it to you?”

  “I hope you’re ready to listen you bone-headed fool.” Bayre glared at Aram as he sat down next to him. After a slight hesitation, Bina joined them at the table.

  “So, what do you know about your power, Aram?” asked Ellery.

  “Um, well, it’s just like Bina said, not very much really. She explained to me about our radix, that it’s like a well of power and once we’ve used it up, we, um, we die.”

  Ryu hopped across the table so that Aram could look straight up into Ellery’s face. He hoped she might deny this last fact, but she nodded her head.

  “That is correct. Most Veldera have small radixes but yours is vast. I can’t reach to the ends of it. This gives me hope you may be of use to us.”

  “Of use to you? How?”

  “Patience, Aram, I’ll get there in my own time. Now you also appear to have all four of the Veldera magics.” Ellery turned to Bina and asked, “Would you like to explain to him the two you possess?”

  Bina cleared her throat and shot Aram a quick glance under her lashes. She definitely hadn’t forgiven him his outburst just yet. “All Veldera are Natura, it’s the ability to form our bonds with birds. I’m also a Mechanii which gives me the ability to manipulate inanimate objects. That’s why I told you I would have been able to unlock my own cage but there was no point. I never would have gotten past the guards.”

  She finally looked him straight in the eyes and gave him a small lip twitch which could almost have been a smile.

  Aram leaned towards Ellery eagerly. “What are the other two things you called me? What do they mean?”

  She chuckled and chucked him under the chin. “Keen to listen now, are you? You’re also a Tempera which gives you the ability to manipulate certain elements. You’ll find you can control heat and air. I have this skill myself. It’s a rare talent but not as unusual as the fourth power you possess. You are one of the very few Veldera who are Animai. It’s a formidable thing that you are, Aram.”

  “But what is an Animai?” he asked, the pitch of his voice rising along with his frustration.

  Bayre interjected, “The mind tricks you played on the guards back in the kraal? Those are the manipulations of an Animai. You can get into men’s heads, Aram. And it worries me that with the lack of self-control you’ve been displaying, this is an immensely dangerous skill for you to have.”

  Aram opened his mouth to argue but found that in his heart he agreed with what Bayre said. Who was he to have such power? Much as he hated to think it, someone strong and brave like Tai was a better person surely? His shoulders slumped and he slid down in his chair. He wished none of this was happening, that he could just go back to his solitary wanderings. It was easier when he had nobody to worry about but himself.

  “I think perhaps, that’s enough for the moment,” said Ellery. “Bayre, why don’t you take these children home so they can sleep? They look exhausted, truly.”

  Bayre stood and Aram and Bina rose too. He gestured them towards the cave entrance, and they turned to go. Ellery laid a hand on Bayre’s arm and as the children walked through the curtain, Aram saw the man drop his head closer to the old woman. Curious about what they were saying, Aram held the curtain slightly open. W
hen you lacked one of your senses, often your others were sharper to help compensate. Aram had extremely good ears and heard Ellery murmur. “It hasn’t stopped. Someone is leaving carcasses out above the settlement. I can only imagine they want to attract the cechua, but what I don’t understand is why. We haven’t caught them in the act, but so far, we have removed the bodies in time. It troubles me, old friend.”

  Aram heard Bayre begin to reply, but then Bina poked him hard in the ribs. He dropped the curtain with a wince. “It’s bad manners to eavesdrop you know. If they wanted you to hear what they were saying, they would have invited you to stay.”

  She was completely right of course, so all Aram could do was nod and rub his side ruefully. Her fingers had jabbed hard and would probably leave a bruise. When Bayre exited the cave they both fell in behind him, the silence stretched so tight between them it felt almost a physical thing. Aram felt the wrong word would shatter it and hurt them both, so he said nothing.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Aram and Bina sat at the table eating porridge. Bayre had wished them good morning as he placed the steaming bowls in front of them, then left them to eat. Aram imagined the man had a lot to catch up on after being away from the settlement for so long. He was feeling a little more himself this morning, despite a night spent twisting and turning in his bed. Bina placed a large lump of porridge on her fingers which her dove greedily pecked off. Aram upended a spoonful of his own meal next to his bowl and Ryu hopped over to inspect it. A small giggle escaped from Bina and a knot that he hadn’t even been aware of unclenched in his gut.

  “Your table manners are atrocious,” she said primly, but a smile lurked in the tone.

  “Well, yours are beautiful,” he responded gallantly. “I’ll learn from your example.”

  It took Aram a long time to fall asleep the previous evening. Questions and fears had tumbled over each other in his mind, leaving him confused and scared. He had thought once they arrived at the settlement, they would be safe and could settle into some type of normal life. But Ellery’s hints gave him the sinking feeling things would be expected of him. It was these unknown things that made his stomach feel like it was filled with gravel.