Drift: River of Falcons Book 1

Darker Birds

After sending a Silvan Spirit to interfere with Magus's efforts to stop Drift, Summer had been pleased to see Drift and Ubi run off into the forest. But this had spent her remaining energy, so she had been unable to interfere as Magus struggled out of the tangle of vines and rushed off to summon his guards. She had also watched from her iron binding as Magus spoke with Vultan. It had pleased her to see them argue, since she assumed it meant they couldn't figure out where Drift had gone. However, it had pained her to see Vultan destroy the old garden house.

Vultan and Magus ignored Summer, and when they left, she found herself alone. She closed her eyes and entered a trance, from which she initiated a sending. Her goal was to reach an old friend she rarely spoke with anymore.

Her magic was at low ebb and she struggled with the sending for quite some time. When she finally opened her eyes, she found that she was no longer alone. Two apprentices stood nearby. They wore black cloaks with hoods that hung down their backs, black tunics over black leggings, and broad leather belts. Their dark hair was rough cut just above their shoulders and fell jaggedly, but their most remarkable features were their thick, angled eyebrows, which scowled at her over angry dark eyes and hooked noses.

*

Atratus had sent the Raven Twins to transport Summer from the Palace to the Impenetrable Tower, which was next to the Keep. They had flown down from the Keep, landing and resuming their human forms beside the white-haired witch.

"It's going to be a hassle to carry her," one of the twins complained as he examined the prisoner. "Why don't we just finish her off? We can say she died trying to escape."

"Too late," the second twin replied. "We're not alone." He pointed toward the dark shape of a crow approaching. "That must be Magus's new apprentice."

The crow landed next to them.

"What are you doing here, Jasper?" the first Raven Twin demanded as the crow transformed. "Don't tell me you've been given Palace duty? Atratus must be trying even harder than usual to annoy Magus. I think he'll succeed this time."

Jasper shrugged. "Looks like it, Cor," he said.

"I'm Corin, for your information! He's Corridon. If you don't get anything else right, at least—"

"Can any of the sorcerers tell you apart?" Jasper interrupted, smiling innocently. "I'm just curious as to whether they care enough to bother."

The Raven Twins stared at Jasper for a moment, then turned their backs. "Forget him," Corin said.

Corridon nodded. "Agreed. He's not worth the effort it would take to beat the excrement out of him. At least, not 'til he's done the heavy lifting for us." They chuckled.

*

Summer eyed the new arrival with interest. He didn't look like other apprentices she'd seen over the years. His traditional black attire was more faded than usual, as if he took no pride in it. Still, that was not what had caught her eye. She squinted at him, then smiled when she realized what it was. There were traces of Fena magic about him. She wondered if the sorcerers knew.

*

Jasper stood listening as the twins discussed plans for transporting Summer. After a while, he cut in. "It's all well and good to talk about carrying her out to the road and loading her on a wagon, but honestly, I don't really want to spend the rest of the day with you two. No offense intended." He smiled again.

They stared at him.

"And," Jasper said, "if we get this job done quickly, we'll be rid of each other that much sooner. Wouldn't that be nice?"