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

“He has no name yet. Hiswarrior isn’t yet born or named. We take our titles from ourCadogans, did you not notice?” The brilliant green dragon explainsas she swipes the baby up into the curl of her tail. “Ddraigs andCadogans are two halves of one being, really. We reverse your nameslike a mirror, to reflect our bonds. Iris becomes Siri, Surycbecomes Cyrus. Laurel becomes Lerual.” Warbler’s Ddraig raises aclaw to point at her chest. “This baby cannot know his name untilhis Cadogan takes one.”

“Le-ru-al.” I test thegreen Ddraig’s name on my tongue. It is a beautifully simpleconnection to one another when I think about it: united but stillunique, independent.

“The namelessunchosen—could any of them have Ddraigs? Do they have secret nameslike we did, or are they the ones that you protect? How little timethere is to learn all your ways, Siri! Our enemy will soon bemarching over the Devil’s Spine!”

“I don’t have thoseanswers for you. The world we remember is no longer the world wewill find above ground,” Siri answers, facing the rest of theDdraigs urgently as her voice rings out. “Your leader of theCadogans wishes to formally address you.” She drops her head, andas she bows to me, the rest of the Ddraigs follow suit.

Waiting until I see themstanding tall once more, I meet the curious eyes of a golden Ddraigwith ruby spines, while a persimmon hued one hisses and paws at theground beside Siri. A small brownish one peeks out from a hole inthe cave wall, a perfect hiding place to oversee without beingnoticed. At least none of them are leavingor blatantly turning against me. Hopeful,I plunge forward with my request. “I am new, I know. Untried as aCadogan or leader. I’ve never wanted to be in control of anything.But I cannot hide from the duty laid at my feet. Not when theinnocent would be left to suffer. I cannot guarantee that I’ll begood or that I won’t make mistakes. I am asking for your help. Flywith me to find your warriors. Help me save us all from the peopleof Déchets.”

“They are coming, truly?”A neon pink Ddraig squeaks as she slithers closer, her movementsmore snakelike than anything I’ve seen so far.

“They’ve already been inthe antechamber of our den! If we do not prepare to fight, theywill overtake us before we can blink. Now, will you join us as weseek to find the other Cadogans? If so, be outside the Pith bynightfall. We travel as soon as we see the stars.” Siri growls asshe picks me up, flying out of an unseen exit on my left. Lerual isthe only Ddraig that follows us deeper into the tunnel.

“What now, Siri?” I barkas I dangle precariously from her claws. She does not answer as sheglides easily through the dizzying network of tunnels.

“Are you sure, Siri? Isthis wise?” Lerual exclaims as she nervously flaps her wings behindus.

“She needs to understandwhat we are fighting for,” comes the enigmatic response from myDdraig.

Chapter 15

Siri carries me through the dizzyingnetwork of tunnels. I have little panic attacks as my limbs swingdangerously close to the cavern walls, and I imagine all the ways Iwill break if she isn’t careful. With the slightest miscalculation,I could be tossed against the rocks, shattered like a porcelaindoll dropped against marble floors. A wordless scream pours from mylips when Siri freezes mid-air.

We are deep in the earth of the earth;I can tell by the dank, musty odor in the air. Siri lowers towardthe ground, releasing me when I am about three feet over the rocks.As I roll on the cave floor, I can feel bits of grit itching asthey enter my skin.

“We really got to work onthe drop landing,” I groan when I am finally able tobreathe.

“Go in there,” Siricommands, pointing into a tiny hole barely large enough for me tofit my body through. “You must go alone, so only your questions areanswered. Carreglas is unreliable if there are too many soulslurking about.”

I push myself toward thehole, cringing at the tightness of the crack. My ears grate alongthe walls as I thrust my head through. Howon earth will the rest of my body fit?Still, through a long process of twisting and rocking, and morethan one occasion where I feel like I am shoving a baby’s sock overmy entire midriff, I squeeze into a dimly lit alcove.

“The stone accepts you,”Siri answers as she rounds the corner, looking relieved.

“You mean there’s anotherway to get in here? You let me wedge myself through that pinholewhile you waltzed right in the back door? Why would you do that?”There weren’t words enough to express the hateful curses I want tolay on the Ddraig.

“This is the test of theCarreglas’s design. If it does not accept your presence, you wouldhave been crushed in that tiny expanse. The fact that you are stillalive is proof of your decent heart, despite what you might thinkof yourself.” Siri exits the cave, her long tail nearly swiping myfeet out from under me. “Come out this way when your questions areanswered.”

It does not take long for theCarreglas to appear then; in fact, I’ve barely moved before I findmyself eye to eye with a milky blue image. “What do you seek, Iris,first Cadogan of the Ddraigs?” A fair-haired figure emerges in thatstrange light, her eyes the azure of the deepest ocean.

“She’s dead! Who are you?”I breathe, unnerved by the ethereal form. It’s exactly likeWarbler, a carbon copy of my dear friend. I’d recognize that blondehair and those piercing eyes anywhere. Yet upon closer inspection,I see subtle differences. There was a lightness in Warbler, afreeness of movement and personality that is missing from thisbeing.

“Forgive me,” whispers theshape, morphing into a taller, less familiar figure as she stridescloser. “I had hoped that if my face was familiar it would lessenthe shock of my presence. I see now that I chose wrongly for you.What do you seek to know?” The clear sounding voice reminds me ofthe babbling, off-shooting brooks from the River Sangre.

“Truth,” I answerimmediately. “I seek to know the truth. About what the people ofDéchets want, about