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

“Oh yes! That’s the samestory that the whip marks on my back tell me every night too! Why,you aren’t a bad guy at all, are you? Just misunderstood, with aheart of gold.” This time Condor has the where-with-all to keep hismouth shut. Cane’s lips brush my temple, a rewarding kiss for myoutburst.

“If you refuse Cyrus asyour second, then he will challenge you for your right to lead.Siri and I will have to fight to determine who controls theDdraigs. One of us will have to kill the other,” Suryc explainssolemnly, his tail entwining with Siri’s in an effort to comforteach other.

The thought makes my bloodrun cold. Could I dothat? Could I askanother creature to kill his or her lover just because I do notlike the hand I have been dealt?Am I that selfish? I think of how it would be if theroles were reversed. I’m not even sure ofwhat I feel for Wolf, but the idea of killing him makes me sick.How can I ask Suryc and Siri to do that? The memory of Siri’s affection forSuryc fills my heart with a bitter longing.

“Wolf?” I face my friendand ally, using his masked name for his own protection. Other eyesstill watch us from the shadows. A hundred emotions color my voiceas I wait for his response.

Instead of words, I feel his fingersslowly extract themselves from mine. He paces over to Suryc’senormous head with a furious glare. “My brother is my twin. How canhe be Ddraig blooded while I am not?”

Suryc smells the air around Cane oncemore, his nose crinkling. “There is a poisonous scent with you.Your blood is sour. I smell the Cadogan blood, but somethingstronger has overpowered it. You were changed somehow at a youngage, I think.”

“It was Father’s doing, Iam certain. You always had a blind eye for him,” Condor remarkswith a tone of regret and old hurt. “He turned you against mebecause he did not want me around. Blame him.” Condor taps the scaron his chin, running his finger along its ridge like a caress. “I’dbet all my money that the day you changed was the day you gave methis.”

“If that is true, then howare you still scot-free? You’ve beaten and tortured so many of usthat I’ve lost track.” I sneer at my former leader, jerking awayfrom his outstretched hand as he attempts to brush myshoulder.

“I never wanted any of itto happen though. I did what I had to do to keep the House inworking order, that’s all. I never enjoyed hurting you, Mynah.”Cyrus turns an accusing eye toward Wolf. “Yet my brother here can’tsay the same, can he?”

“Well, neither can I,” Imurmur, remembering how I relished Creeper’s death, dragging outthe torture of his body to repay him for his evils.

“No, it is somethingelse,” Siri interrupts as she breathes in Wolf’s scent anew. “Itreminds me of the eastern winds when they bring snow down from theDevil’s Spine. It’s something from Déchets that has poisonedhim.”

***

Before a bitter response forms in mymind, the world around me bursts with strange lights. Thesurrounding area fades away and becomes a clearing near the Devil’sSpine. I can see their jagged peaks against the watercolor sky,fiery oranges blending seamlessly with soft pinks and the faintestwhispers of the indigo night. Cane and I stand together in acampsite, his fingers tightly gripping my arm. The vision shifts,and I see a tent’s fold pulling away to reveal Condor’s brokenbody. I cannot see if he lives or is dead, but I feel sorrowbuilding in my heart.

“Cyrus,” I hear a voicewhispering as my sight fades to white. “Hold fast to your path, andyou will find success. What your heart truly desires will be yours,so long as you stay honest and faithful.” The voice shouts withagony, and I feel the strain in my vocal chords.

I see Cane’s unmasked facestanding in a land that I do not recognize. It must be Déchets, I conclude as hesurveys the vast terrain before him. “What do you bring to me?” Anunfamiliar voice questions from behind us. When I turn to see whospeaks, everything fades to darkness. My next words spoutuncontrollably out of my mouth with their cryptic meaning. “Cane,your future may not be directly connected with the Ddraigs, butyour importance far surpasses what we see.”

***

“Look at Mynah’s eyes!They’ve gone completely white!” Someone shouts as they point atme.

***

Murmurs break out around us, but Ihear little of what they say. My head fills once more with imagesthat I cannot explain, some flashing so quickly that I cannotcomprehend their meanings. Wolf standing alone on the shores of theocean, an army of men and women at his back. The insignia of theHouse of Piranhas and other minor houses fade and twist into thesymbol of the House of Wolves. A mask fissures and gets thrown ontoa bonfire, and a voice screams at the sight. Wind gusts along theDevil’s Spine, human forms dancing into our lands. A single flowerwithers and falls into the dust. And a final quote from Wolf’sdeep, gravelly voice. “Destroy them all.”

***

When I am pulled out of the images, Ifind myself in Condor’s embrace. His fingers repulse me as theypress into my neck to check my pulse, and I shove myself away fromhis side, enduring the waves of dizziness that crash into mystomach. “What has happened to me?”

“It seems there is more toyou than meets the eye, Iris.” Siri snorts, forcing the air aroundme to smoke. “You are a Gwen, a truth reader. You’ve seen glimpsesof the events to come. We will work on this together one day,improve and hone your skills so that what you ‘read’ are more thanfragmented moments that have no set meaning. For now, say yourgoodbyes, and let us leave this place. Cyrus, you will return tothe Pith with us. We will train you and Iris together as leader andsecond. Leave the Wolf here to follow his own path.”

Cyrus wordlessly joins his Ddraig,waiting for me as Cane bundles me close to his chest, his lipspoised over my ear. “You are mine, Iris, and I am yours. Everythingthat I do now will be to