The Shadowed Throne by K. J. Taylor

Author:K. J. Taylor [Taylor, K. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fantasy
ISBN: 9781101637579
Google: RpbEIjUKLmoC
Amazon: 0425258246
Barnesnoble: 0425258246
Goodreads: 16116469
Publisher: Ace
Published: 2013-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Another day in Malvern. Four days since Kullervo and Senneck’s departure, and another day of sick uncertainty and loneliness for Laela.

Not that she was truly alone. Oeka was still there. Only now she was . . . different.

The small griffin’s condition, if it could be called that, had only grown worse. Her eyes had gone from merely glassy to physically deteriorating; little by little, their surfaces lost their smoothness, becoming nubbly and lustreless. Soon afterward, the colour faded as well, and what had been deep green and jet-black whitened and turned cloudy. Oeka didn’t eat any more, or sleep, or speak. Laela was certain that she had lost her sense of hearing, too, but it wasn’t easy to tell. The small griffin seemed able to sense more or less everything around her, one way or another. If she didn’t hear you speak she would reach into your mind and sense what you were saying. If she couldn’t speak, she would pass her words to you through her own mind. As for the lack of food and sleep, neither one seemed to have much effect on her.

Laela didn’t want to talk to her partner any more. There was no point. Oeka knew what she was thinking, often before she herself knew. There was nothing you could say to her that she didn’t already know. She must already have known that Laela couldn’t bear the sight of her any more, but she never said anything. Maybe she had changed almost beyond recognition, but she still had no interest or care for her partner’s feelings.

The only people Laela had now were Iorwerth and Inva. Iorwerth had his own duties to worry about, but at least with Inva, there was an excuse to talk to her.

Now that she had been chosen, Laela’s attendant had been forced to start learning things even she hadn’t known. In the end, Laela had decided to teach her.

Today, they were practising with weapons.

Laela had a wooden sickle in her hand, and she darted around Inva with it, fending her off. The secret with sickle fighting was to use the curving blade to hook your opponent’s own sickle out of her grip, but it was much harder than it looked. Inva was faster than she looked.

Laela dodged her arm and aimed a blow for Inva’s armpit. Done properly, in a real fight, it could slice through an enemy’s tendon and cripple her arm. Inva turned fast, bringing her own sickle around in an arc, and hit Laela in the back of the head with the blunted point.

“Ow!”

Immediately, Inva dropped her sickle and folded her hands together. “My apologies, my lady.”

Rubbing her head, Laela pushed the sickle toward her with her boot. “Knock it off and pick that up. We ain’t playin’ masters and slaves today.”

Inva obeyed. “My apologies—”

“Shut up an’ hit me.” Laela meant to perform a quick blocking manoeuvre immediately after saying this, but Inva took her at her word and made a powerful, slashing blow across her throat.

“Damn!” By now thoroughly aggravated, Laela shoved forward.

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