House of Vultures - Maggie Claire (epub read online books .TXT) 📗

and Cadogan. You are thefirst to be found; therefore, you will become their leader when thetime is right.”

There is a burning in my skin as thesilvery threads that web along my hands and face glisten likemolten metal. I watch as the lines reach up my arms, and I feel mynails thicken at my fingertips until slender silver claws havereplaced my human ones. Even my ivory shock of hair sparks withthis mystical fire. Silver flames erupt from Siri’s mouth, andbefore I can react, they envelop me in their blazing light. In thismoment, I am infinite. I am the essence of starlight and fire, thefibers from which dreams are built. It is almost as though I am ametal in the process of being smelted and refined until I ampure.

When the flames finallydissipate, I mourn their absence as I lay on the cavern floor. Allthe world is observable now, right down to the spider inching awayfrom my body in fear. If I focus I can see it; if I think about it,I can recall anything from my memory. Staring up at the cavernentrance, my eyes pick out each individual granule of sand. Theirinfinite shapes, colors, and varieties fascinate me. A rumblingsound perks my sensitive ears, and I shiver when I realize it isthe sound of the River Sangre. That’smiles away! Howis this possible?

“What did you do to me,Siri?” I ask as I endeavor to sit up, my limbs hanging listlesslyat my sides.

“Don’t try to move yet;the Dadeni is harrowing,” the black Ddraig whispers to me, bowinghis head in homage to my leadership. “It will take you a while toadjust, Cadogan. You will learn to block out the things that you donot wish to notice.”

“Dadeni?” My voice soundshoarse, as though I am just recovering from a grave illness. Yet atthe same time, it seems to roar.

“The binding I spoke of,Iris, to connect you to your Ddraig. We call it Dadeni in ourDdraig language.” That is when I notice the iridescent bodycradling me, feeding its warm breath on my face. “You are mine,Cadogan. We will find the others and protect Carreglastogether.”

Images form in my mind; things that Ihave never seen before suddenly appear in my thoughts. A strangestone that shimmers brilliant blue and violet amid streaks of grayand white. It pulses with sentient knowledge hidden somewhere inits craggy surface. Then I see us flying to the House of Vultures,the other Ddraigs behind us as we search for their warriors. Anarmy we will build, an unstoppable force that faces the Devil’sSpine with a watchful eye.

“You believe they willcome for us so quickly?” I question, secretly wondering if Ihaven’t lost my mind.

“I believe we have alreadyseen signs of the Windwalkers’ greed. They will not be able toresist coming after Carreglas now.”

As more images pass from Siri to me,the strangeness of the connection slowly disappears. She shows methe details of her life here in the Pith. How she hatched from asmall milky white egg, clawing her way up to the surface to findfood. Watching as others joined her, how they learned to scour theland for small game. The first attempt at flight was humorous.“It’s a wonder you survived,” I mutter as Siri chuckles at theshared memory. “It’s interesting that your coloring is like mymynah mask,” I comment as I observe the iridescent blue that stainsthe scales around her eyes. The rest of her body is covered withpearlescent scales that shimmer with infinite values, some as blueas the sky in the summer, while others are as dark as the RiverSangre’s depths.

“Nothing is chance,Cadogan, as you will soon learn. Maybe my colors are such becauseof your masking, or maybe you chose the mynah because some part ofyou already recognized me. But we were connected long before theDadeni was completed.”

The black Ddraig becomes a constantimage in our memories; their antics are playful, lighthearted, andfree. I can almost feel her love for the creature with my ownheart.

“We are coupled, Iris, heand I.” By Siri’s sudden tight voice, I suspect there is more tothat story than she is sharing.

“What aren’t you tellingme?” I accuse.

“You love the boy that washere, don’t you?” Siri shifts underneath me, ignoring my question.Her long tail coils around my legs, tucking me protectively awayfrom the rest of the world.

“I don’t know. I think Iam too afraid to love anyone, Siri. In Cassé, there is no place forsuch dreams.” But I could learn to lovehim. I cannot stifle the thought as itforms. I cannot keep that inner voice from screaming as it burstsfrom my heart.

Siri grows thoughtful then, her minddrifting along the skies as I see her flying memories. I suspect itis a mental shield, a means of protecting what she’s truly thinkingfrom my knowledge.

“I’ve seen this memoryalready, Siri. Are you hiding something from me?”

My suspicions seem correct as a grimface of decision forms on her features. Her connection to my minddisappears, and her memories fade to darkness in my mind. I misswitnessing her memories almost immediately. The flood ofinformation makes it seem like I’ve spent all my life with her.It’s like I have known my Ddraig for years rather than hours. Withthat intimate knowledge comes surety. Siri is trustworthy, and shehas captured a part of my heart that I did not believe myselfcapable of giving away. There is connectedness between us that isrooted so deeply in my soul that if it was stripped away, I wouldnot be able to survive. “I wish you would just tell me.”

“All in good time, Iris.”Siri plucks me into her claws as she moves toward the cavern entry.“Suryc. We are going to find your Cadogan.”

He towers over us on a ledge near thecavern entry, a small smile on his lips. “You told herthen?”

“That you and I arecoupled, yes,” Siri answers smoothly, and I see worry build inSuryc’s eyes. “Will you come with us, Suryc?”

“I will follow youanywhere, my love.”

The words are too much like Cane’s,and I shut out the rest of their conversation as I worry over him.“Climb onto my back, Iris. My hide is tough, so do not be afraid tohold tight. You