Dark Ranger (Many Kingdoms, Book One) by Dawn Napier

Author:Dawn Napier [Napier, Dawn]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Writer's Edge Publishing
Published: 2013-10-13T00:00:00+00:00

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Krek and his pride flew as fast and as far as they could, sensing in their bones the coming attack. Sorca flew just behind Krek, keeping her thoughts dark and shielded. She disapproved of what Krek had done in speaking to the humans, that much was plain. What was less plain was what she intended to do next. She did not have the support of the pride—in fact, several of the younger females disliked her deeply—so she could not force Krek to be Outcast. That did not mean, though, that she was powerless.

Krek shivered as he felt the edges of what the human wizards called the Destroyer. It was not aimed at him and his pride, but as the spell passed he felt his kah wither slightly, and his wingbeats faltered. The others muttered and shivered among themselves, and he knew they felt it too.

Then Krek felt something else. It was another force, human but different. It wasn’t a blood-wizard. Female. A witch of some kind? Krek wasn’t sure what he was feeling. It made him think of newborn chicks and nesting mothers, but he could not say why. The female force touched the dry wind of the Destroyer spell. Then all was still.

When Krek and his pride landed, they fluffed their feathers and preened themselves nervously. Sorca’s wings flapped, and her hackles rose. See what happens when you speak to humans? she said nominally to Krek, but addressing the whole pride. Her golden eyes were like little burning suns.

No harm came to us, Krek said. And some of the harpies were saved.

You almost got us all killed by setting those humans against each other, she insisted.

Another gryphon snapped her beak. Be silent, Sorca, Irsa said. Those humans were already against each other.

He started them fighting right under our noses! Sorca said. They would have taken their battle elsewhere, and we would not have been threatened, had he not gotten involved.

Elsewhere, here, what difference does it make, yet another gryphon muttered. I just want to go back to the Coldfires and leave this and those wizards behind.

Finally, someone speaks sense, Sorca said, although the gryphon’s comment had not been an agreement. Are you ready to leave, Krek?

Krek hesitated. He really wasn’t. He was curious about the female force that had attempted to aid the humans, and he wanted to know if she had been successful. He was afraid of what the other wizard might do, but not afraid enough to run home to safety.

What was wrong with him? Sometimes he thought he wasn’t a proper gryphon at all. He was curious about these humans, more curious than afraid. He thought that there was something special going on here, something that he ought to be a part of. But it was all guesswork and feeling, not even proper instinct. Instinct was telling him to go home, hide in the ancient trees and hunt little-deer and forget this whole uncertain mess. Instinct had been against his bringing the pride this far south in the first place.

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