Blood and Feathers by Beth Revis

Author:Beth Revis [Revis, Beth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scripturient Books
Published: 2022-07-06T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 36

The Hunt

The aviarist had sent scout starlings out at dawn and set us on a northwest course. After leaving the castle, we trotted along the cliffside path that bordered the top of Crescent Lake, giving us a magnificent view of the whole kingdom. I surreptitiously looked to the Sumari delegates as our horses wound their way along the path under the shade of bright green spruce trees. Amaryllis had yet to notice anything other than Jude; she was so close to him on the path that she could have slid over into his saddle easily.

Char, however, was gaping. I grinned despite myself. I loved the idea of him loving my home. And from this point of view, it was magnificent. The lake glittered at the bottom of a hundred meter drop; the giant boats sailing across it looked like elaborate toys. To our right the mountains rose, and, in the distance, I could see the stone towers that held up the aqueduct leading to the Northern Gate. The trees were massive and grand, filling the path with a fresh, earthy scent.

“This is gorgeous,” Raye said beside me, and I chided myself for focusing on Char—this was Raye’s first time here, too.

I turned in the saddle to smile at her, but I was distracted when Madiera gasped. “Sine!” she said in an undertone. “Your arm!”

I glanced down and cursed. The old wound my mother gave me had reopened—no doubt due to the jostling of riding my horse. A thin line of red peeked out from the sleeve of my tunic. I shouldered my drape over it. “It’s fine,” I said.

“We should re-bandage it.”

The hunting party paused as a starling circled overhead, then veered into the forest.

“We can’t stop now,” I said, kicking my horse. “We’ll lose the hunt.”

Madiera called out behind me, but I pushed my horse forward, jockeying for a position in the crowd. We wound our way single-file through the trees. The servants had to stay behind with the foot cart, but the aviarist’s cart was designed for rough travel. We made our way deep into the forest. The air grew cooler and the light dim under the wide fan of branches interweaving together above us. Even the horses quieted. Each noise—a broken branch, a creak of leather, a horse’s tail swishing—reverberated through the forest.

The aviarist stopped after a little more than an hour, and Jude and Father approached the cart to confer with him.

“This is a strange hunt,” Char said softly beside me.

I glanced down at my arm, making sure my drape covered my re-opened wound. “How so?” I asked.

“I am used to hunts being loud and noisy, dogs baying, a feast after. Our hunts are as much about the party than the actual kill. This is...solemn.”

“We’re trying to slay a formidable monster,” I said. “I don’t see how you could have expected anything less.”

The kingsguards dismounted and started walking through the group, checking that we each had our weapons ready and that, should we have any reservations, we stay behind with the horses.

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