Pridelord by K. Vale Nagle

Author:K. Vale Nagle [Nagle, K. Vale]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781643920566
Publisher: STET Publishing, LLC

38

Khalim the Eighth

Outside Blacktalon, Lei wandered through fields of wheat, tall and green in the spring heat, calling out for a missing capybara. The humidity on the plains dripped off him, a far cry from the cool mists of his redwood home.

The emerald peacock, soggy as a sandgrouse, zig-zagged through the field, careful not to destroy too much of the crop. Once he was sure no one was watching him, he slipped into an abandoned farm on the edge of Vilessa’s fields. The previous inhabitants had fled when the Seraph King’s forces took the city two years ago.

He went through the stables to the ranch’s common area and groomed his tailfeathers dry. Ever since finding out that, when it came to the peafowl birds, only the males had colorful trains, he’d taken pride in keeping his clean, though his crush, Lemmy, teased him about it. Piprik had hinted that they may need to take their salt trade into Reevesport to do a favor for Ninox, and Lei couldn’t wait to see all the wild peafowl birds guarding the apple groves.

Once dry, he made his way to the kitchen and down into the root cellar. There was, of course no lost capybara.

“Ah, the red reeve finally graces us with his presence, Iony.” Reeve Rybalt Reevesbane emerged from behind a stack of empty barrels. His orange feathers and black fur glistened where the light struck them. “He looks just like his mother.”

Two long, grey ears perked up from behind an empty crate, followed by the rest of the glacier gryphon. One ear had a metallic wrap covering the missing section, matte so it wouldn’t catch the light. “Na, he’s messing with you, chick. Snaky Brev never had nearly that much muscle. What’ve you been doing while we’ve been gone, picking up goliath birds for fun? Dropping capys on the alabasters?”

Lei rolled his eyes, though he was secretly pleased. None of his sisters had been anything except dainty, and he’d been the smallest of the red reeve’s offspring, suffering from malnutrition after his home eyrie burned down. “Ranching is hard work. We have to feed the city of Blacktalon and the king’s garrison stationed there. Maybe you should do something about that.”

“I thought they grew out of the bratty phase,” Rybalt quipped. It was strange to see the Reevesbane without his torn shackles and hood. He still had them, or at least something resembling them, because rumors of someone wearing that outfit attacking alabasters reached Blacktalon weekly.

Lei was pretty sure Rybalt just had his assistants dressing up as him. “I’m not a brat, I just don’t like having you here. You’re putting us in danger.”

“It’s true. I mean, we don’t care, but he’s not wrong.” Iony licked at an idle paw.

“Is Pip coming?” Rybalt asked. “Not that I don’t enjoy our chats, but his message said he had information for us.”

Lei settled down, his long trail disturbing the dust of the cellar, ruining the good job he’d done of preening them clean moments ago.

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