so-called loyal city governor has already flown off to swear himself to a different Eyrie?”
Kitaen smiled slightly. “I’m afraid you mustn’t have had too much experience in dealing with your fellow griffiners, my lord. Lord Galrick did what was best for himself and his family. This garrison here is weak, too weak to repel an invasion from the North. If he offers himself to Lady Elkin now, she will be far more likely to accept him than if he waited for her to send her armies to his doorstep. The same goes for the others.”
“Have they all gone north, then?” said Erian.
“Most of them, I believe. They did not tell me, but Lord Manolis was a friend of mine and he confided to me that he planned to go west, toward Canran. If he did, then Liyah, his wife, would have gone with him.”
“I suppose I shouldn’t really blame them. These lands aren’t ready to fend off invasion, and an attempt to resist would be suicide, and pointless suicide at that. I’ve no intention of staying here any longer than I have to, either. I understand why Galrick did what he did. Either way, it’s not really any of my business.” Erian sighed. “I’m only irritated with him because I had hoped he would show me the courtesy of staying to meet me. I suppose he didn’t consider me worthy of that honour,” he added sourly.
“Well, I am more than happy to meet you, my lord,” said Kitaen. She paused to drink some wine. “I had been wondering whether you were coming here to take Galrick’s place.”
“Perhaps, one day,” said Erian. “But becoming governor of this city is not my biggest concern at the moment. No, I have come here for a different purpose.”
“And what would that be, my lord?” said Kitaen.
She bloody knows already, Erian thought. He leant forward. “I am looking for a certain person, my lady, someone I have a very large obligation to find. Someone every griffiner should be honour-bound to hunt down.”
Kitaen sighed. “You are looking for Arren Cardockson.”
Erian’s grip tightened on his cup. “Arren Cardockson, Arenadd Taranisäii, the mad blackrobe, the destroyer of Eagleholm—I don’t care what you call him. I want to find him before he escapes from Eagleholm’s lands. If he falls into the hands of Canran, or any other Master or Mistress, I will—there will be consequences.”
“Consequences for whom?” said Kitaen, choosing her words carefully.
“I am going to be the one to find him, my lady,” said Erian. “And I intend to be personally responsible for what happens to him after that. Lord Rannagon was my father, and I saw him die in front of me. I have the right to avenge him, and I will go to any lengths to bring that about. Do you understand?”
Kreeak was hissing softly. Kitaen took a strayberry from the bowl and turned it over in her fingers. “I understand perfectly, my lord, and I have no intention of trying to get in your way.”
“Then you’ll help me?”
“As far as I can, yes,” said Kitaen. “What is it you want from me?”
Erian relaxed slightly. “You have his parents.”
She nodded.
“Where are they?”
“They were kept in the prison out in the city at first,” said Kitaen. “But once Lord Galrick found out who they were, he had them moved. They are in the dungeons beneath this tower as we speak.”
“I read that in the last message he sent to Eagleholm,” said Erian. “How were they caught? When?”
“Only a week or so ago, by my guess,” said Kitaen. “According to what I was told, they were found camping in the forest just outside the city and were arrested on suspicion of being bandits or escaped slaves.” She smiled thinly. “Or possibly both. When Galrick found out that the blackrobe’s parents were wanted, he thought this couple could well be them, so he interrogated them himself and managed to find out their names. Since then they have been living in the dungeons.”
“Have they been tortured?”
“No. Threats and starvation were
Kitaen smiled slightly. “I’m afraid you mustn’t have had too much experience in dealing with your fellow griffiners, my lord. Lord Galrick did what was best for himself and his family. This garrison here is weak, too weak to repel an invasion from the North. If he offers himself to Lady Elkin now, she will be far more likely to accept him than if he waited for her to send her armies to his doorstep. The same goes for the others.”
“Have they all gone north, then?” said Erian.
“Most of them, I believe. They did not tell me, but Lord Manolis was a friend of mine and he confided to me that he planned to go west, toward Canran. If he did, then Liyah, his wife, would have gone with him.”
“I suppose I shouldn’t really blame them. These lands aren’t ready to fend off invasion, and an attempt to resist would be suicide, and pointless suicide at that. I’ve no intention of staying here any longer than I have to, either. I understand why Galrick did what he did. Either way, it’s not really any of my business.” Erian sighed. “I’m only irritated with him because I had hoped he would show me the courtesy of staying to meet me. I suppose he didn’t consider me worthy of that honour,” he added sourly.
“Well, I am more than happy to meet you, my lord,” said Kitaen. She paused to drink some wine. “I had been wondering whether you were coming here to take Galrick’s place.”
“Perhaps, one day,” said Erian. “But becoming governor of this city is not my biggest concern at the moment. No, I have come here for a different purpose.”
“And what would that be, my lord?” said Kitaen.
She bloody knows already, Erian thought. He leant forward. “I am looking for a certain person, my lady, someone I have a very large obligation to find. Someone every griffiner should be honour-bound to hunt down.”
Kitaen sighed. “You are looking for Arren Cardockson.”
Erian’s grip tightened on his cup. “Arren Cardockson, Arenadd Taranisäii, the mad blackrobe, the destroyer of Eagleholm—I don’t care what you call him. I want to find him before he escapes from Eagleholm’s lands. If he falls into the hands of Canran, or any other Master or Mistress, I will—there will be consequences.”
“Consequences for whom?” said Kitaen, choosing her words carefully.
“I am going to be the one to find him, my lady,” said Erian. “And I intend to be personally responsible for what happens to him after that. Lord Rannagon was my father, and I saw him die in front of me. I have the right to avenge him, and I will go to any lengths to bring that about. Do you understand?”
Kreeak was hissing softly. Kitaen took a strayberry from the bowl and turned it over in her fingers. “I understand perfectly, my lord, and I have no intention of trying to get in your way.”
“Then you’ll help me?”
“As far as I can, yes,” said Kitaen. “What is it you want from me?”
Erian relaxed slightly. “You have his parents.”
She nodded.
“Where are they?”
“They were kept in the prison out in the city at first,” said Kitaen. “But once Lord Galrick found out who they were, he had them moved. They are in the dungeons beneath this tower as we speak.”
“I read that in the last message he sent to Eagleholm,” said Erian. “How were they caught? When?”
“Only a week or so ago, by my guess,” said Kitaen. “According to what I was told, they were found camping in the forest just outside the city and were arrested on suspicion of being bandits or escaped slaves.” She smiled thinly. “Or possibly both. When Galrick found out that the blackrobe’s parents were wanted, he thought this couple could well be them, so he interrogated them himself and managed to find out their names. Since then they have been living in the dungeons.”
“Have they been tortured?”
“No. Threats and starvation were
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