Eagle's Path

3. Princess and Powerless

3. Princess and PowerlessErin paced the small clearing in the forest, brushing off Maire and Leif’s attempts to calm her. What was happening to the others? Why were they taking so long? She pressed her hands into fists. It was her fault. They were all going to die, and it was her fault. Erin stopped pacing, running her fingers through her hair until she had gathered handfuls that tugged against her scalp. Tears pricked her eyes, and she blinked rapidly, telling herself she would not cry.

“You should let me look at that,” said Maire, gently brushing Erin’s hair away from her neck.

“It’s fine,” said Erin, dropping her hands and pulling her hair forward again. It was not fine really. She could still feel the grip of Dageny’s runes, the stickiness of blood, and the tight, dull ache of the bruises that no doubt circled her neck like a chain. She could not face Maire’s sympathy. What must the Rider think of her? A silly girl who thought herself clever and put everyone in danger.

“Let her look,” said Leif, his voice soft but stern.

Erin’s eyes flicked towards him. She could hear reproach in his voice. She brushed her hair back, wincing as she tilted her neck to the side. Maire’s fingers moved softly over her wounds, the bruises tingling in their wake.

“You’ll be sore for a few days,” said Maire. “How are you otherwise?”

Erin neatly folded her arms. She met Maire’s gaze. “I’m fine,” she said again. She held her stare until Maire backed down. The Eagle Riders may be far wiser and stronger and more powerful than she, but Erin was still their Princess. She had no obligation to answer any of their questions.

Maire patted her once on the shoulder before turning her attention to Leif.The old Rider was sitting on the ground, his head bowed, straggly white hair hanging limply over his ears. Erin watched as Maire gently examined one of his injuries. Guilt stabbed through her chest. Leif looked so frail. Thin and spent. His clothes were ragged, his skin cut and bruised far beyond her own injuries. She should have thought of him before now.

Erin pulled a blanket out of her pack and brought it to Leif, draping it over his shoulders. The old Rider drew it closer and patted her hand. “Thank you, my dear.” He smiled and Erin felt some of her worry ease. He might be frail, but the light in his eyes was as bright as she ever remembered.

Heavy footsteps, approaching fast, crashed through the forest towards them. Erin and Maire drew their swords. Moments later, Arthur and the other Riders burst into the clearing. Svana, leaning heavily on Sigurd’s arm, dropped to the ground next to Leif as soon as they reached him.

Erin kept her sword raised, staring into the forest towards the fortress. “Did any follow you?”

Arthur shook his head wearily. “We have fended them off for the moment, but it will not be long before more come.”

“We should get ready to move again, and soon,” said Sigurd.

“The Eagles?” said Leif. “And the others?”

“Iolair and Aiden went to help them,” said Arthur. “We need to focus on getting Serineth as far away from this place as possible.”

The other Riders were nodding, but Erin felt a surge of anger rising in her chest.

“We’re not going to abandon them for my sake,” she said.

“Serineth, you’ve already been in too much danger today—”

“And I put myself in that danger so that the Eagle Riders could be freed, not left behind.” She planted her feet firmly on the ground and faced Arthur.

Arthur caught Erin’s arm and pulled her a short distance away from the others. Had it been one of the other Riders, or even Falkor, Erin might have made some protest, but she always felt like she had to defer to Arthur, her father’s closest friend and advisor. Arthur stared at her and although she stared back, he did not look away. Erin swallowed. This would be a small taste of what was to come the next time she stood before her father. Except that her father’s rage would probably be unrestrained.

“Serineth, I can’t let anything else happen to you,” Arthur said quietly. The concern in his voice surprised her far more than his anger ever could have. “If your father knew I had let Dageny get hold of you...”

She looked at the ground, unable to hold his gaze any longer. “I’m sorry, Arthur. But I couldn’t do nothing... I had to...”

Arthur sighed. “I don’t think I want to know how you ended up here, let alone how you ended up in there.” He pointed up to the fortress. “In a way, it doesn’t matter anymore. As long as we can get you safely away from this place. We didn’t open that prison for you to run back into a battle and get caught again.”

Erin folded her arms across her chest. “You shouldn’t have opened that prison. Not even for me.” Erin spoke the words, but she did not really believe them. While the Princess in her knew the consequences of opening Sorcier’s prison were bad, the girl in her was overwhelmingly glad that the Eagle Riders had chosen to save her. She could not bear to think about what Dageny would have done if they had not.

Arthur squeezed her shoulder. “You were a factor in our decision to open the prison, Serineth, but not the only one. We would never have opened it if we didn’t think we could face whatever came out.”

“And what did come out?” said Erin.

Arthur hesitated, glancing up at the fortress. “That, we are yet to discover.” He squeezed her shoulder again. “Don’t worry. Whatever it is, we’ll face it.”

But as Erin watched him, she saw a flicker of doubt across his face. The ragged man before her was in no state to fight and win. She lifted her eyes, taking in the other Eagle Riders gathered around her. These were the most renowned warriors in the land, people she had known since she was a child. She had only ever felt safe in the presence of the Eagle Riders, but now, at Arthur’s words, her stomach twisted and tightened. She had never seen Leif sit so still, conserving every breath. And Svana had never slumped to the ground like she had just now. Not even after days of travel through the wilds. The renowned warriors Erin had once revered had been stripped away, leaving bare shells with only their determination to survive keeping them walking.

Erin faced Arthur once more. “At least let us wait for the others.”

He put a hand on her shoulder. “We will. But not for long.”

Erin crossed the clearing, finding a spot with an outlook to the fortress, desperately searching for a view of the Eagles and the rest of the Riders. And Aiden. She could not quite believe that he was up there with them, flying. She ran a hand through her hair, drawing in a deep breath. Aiden had saved her once from dire circumstances. He would do the same for the Eagle Riders. She just hoped he would come back soon. But then she would have to talk to him. Even worse than her worry was the memory of when Aiden had finally realised who she was. His face had changed in that instant. One moment she was his friend, his ally, his comrade-in-arms, the next she was merely another person who had used his talents for her own gain. She was a lying Princess who thought herself above him.

I was going to tell you, she had said.

Yeah, when?

Erin wrapped her arms around her chest. Even now she could not answer his question. Had she been going to tell him? Had she wanted to? If she admitted the truth, then no, she had not wanted to tell him. For once in her life she had wanted a friend who did not see her as different, as superior. She should have known it could not last.

Erin started forward, her hands dropping to her sides. There was movement in the skies. Two Eagles were approaching, their flight haphazard.

“Arthur! Maire!” Erin called.

The two Eagles crashed through the trees above Erin’s head, and she glimpsed a limp body draped over one of their backs. Erin ducked as branches came down around her. She scrambled back towards the Riders.

The two Eagles landed awkwardly. Arthur and Sigurd rushed over, quickly lifting the injured Rider from his Eagle’s back. It was Halvard, which meant that the Eagle was Kanook. Erin recognised the older Eagle as Jormandar. Leif, despite his frailty, hastened across, and ran his hands along his Eagle’s wings.

Erin kept to the edge of the gathering, feeling like an intruder in their midst. She turned back to the fortress, eyes scanning the sky. If Jormandar and Kanook were here, the others may not be far behind. As Erin squinted up, she made out the dark specks of the Eagles up by the cliff. Suddenly she gasped and clapped her hands to her mouth.

“What is it?” said Svana, who had approached without Erin noticing.

“I saw an Eagle fall,” said Erin. “And it’s Rider.”

Svana’s face turned pale. She stared at the sky, not speaking. The whirling shapes of the Eagles by the cliff began moving, dropping lower, racing away from the fortress. Another figure plummeted, and Svana took an unconscious step forward. “No,” she whispered.

Two Eagles raced after the falling figure, catching up just before the tops of the trees. But they kept falling too fast. One Eagle struggled to open its wings. Seconds later, they all disappeared into the forest canopy.

Svana had already turned, grabbing Arthur, Sigurd, and Maire. They hefted their weapons and started out through the trees, leaving Leif and Astrith with Halvard. No one said anything to Erin, so she followed them, though she was not sure what she could do to help. They spread out, and after a short distance, began quietly calling the names of the other Riders and Eagles. Somewhere close by, something thrashed amidst the trees.

Feet pounded from behind Erin. She turned to see Anca running towards her. “Anca,” said Erin, reaching out to the Rider in relief.

Anca pushed her hands out of the way, rushing past. The Rider mumbled something that Erin could not catch, barely meeting her eye.

Erin stopped, stunned, unsure of what to do next. She wanted to help, but how?

Someone else approached from behind, more slowly than Anca. Erin turned, and a disbelieving laugh escaped her lips. “Aiden!” She walked towards him, her feet picking up speed. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” The words tumbled from her mouth. She stopped at the expression on his face.

Aiden stood very still, his whole body tense, his mouth pressed into a tight line. His brown hair was swept about his head in all directions, his cheeks red from the wind. His green eyes beheld her, but she could find no warmth there. Nothing to show he was happy to see her.

“Your Majesty,” he said, his voice indifferent.

His words brought the sting of tears to her eyes. He made no move to bow or even incline his head like most people did when they called her that. But that was not what upset her. It was the words themselves. She did not want him to call her that.

“I was going to tell you,” she said again, guilt stabbing through her at the partial truth of her words.

Aiden folded his arms. “Then why didn’t you?”

“I... I...” Her face fell and she could not look Aiden in the eye.

Aiden shook his head, throwing out his hands. “Could you not trust me with your real identity? Did you not think I had a right to know?” His voice grew louder with each word. “I saved your life! Or did you think I was Brathadair too? Here to betray you all? Did you really think that one minute I would risk my own life for yours just to—”

“Aiden, stop,” Erin shouted. The authority in her voice silenced him. She could feel tears on her cheeks, but she ignored them, mustering all the dignity she could manage. Erin lifted her chin. “Let me speak.”

Aiden folded his arms again and waited.

His lack of deference threw her. She was too used to people waiting respectfully for her to speak, not this bold disdain. She pushed those thoughts away. That was the very reason she had wanted Aiden as her friend. Because he did not follow convention. He did not treat her like a Princess.

Erin took a deep breath. “I thought they had told you when my father gave you a position in the Feather Guard. I thought you knew. But when I met you in the forest that night, I realised you didn’t. You had no idea.”

Aiden glanced away.

Erin continued, regardless of his discomfort. “When people know you’re royal, they treat you differently. I thought this was my chance...” Erin trailed off, not entirely sure what she was trying to say.

“Get to the point,” said Aiden, staring at her again.

Erin frowned. “I thought... I thought for once I could have a friend who didn’t know, who didn’t treat me like a Princess.”

Aiden shook his head slowly, running a hand through his hair. “Erin, secrets don’t make friendships. They break them.”

Erin felt her resolve fail. She became aware once more of her tears. She dropped her head. “I know that now. And I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

“Well, just be glad Falkor and the Eagle Riders were able to get us out of that mess,” said Aiden, stepping past her even as he was speaking.

“Where are you going?” said Erin, hating the way her voice sounded so small and petulant.

Aiden stopped and stared back at her over his shoulder. “In case you hadn’t noticed, Petrana fell from the sky. I’m going to see if she’s still alive.”

His words hit her like a punch to the stomach. He was like all the others now. When he looked at her, all he saw was a stupid girl who had got herself into something far beyond her own capabilities. She longed to turn back time to when he had looked at her with respect, not because of her title, but because she had earned it.

Erin followed him through the forest. They broke past a stand of trees and saw Petrana on the ground, her beak pressed into the mossy floor, one wing stretched above her at an unnatural angle. Anca knelt by her head, stroking the golden feathers, while the other Riders worked around her. Erin could not tell if the Eagle was still alive until a high pitched, keening whine split the air.

“Is she going to be okay?” Erin asked.

“I don’t know,” said Aiden quietly.