Clanless (Nameless #2)(17)
“They’re climbing!” Craw called from his place on the platform. He reached for his knife and began to saw at the Lion’s Silk.
Orders from the Raven soldiers surrounding Gryphon had the men running in all directions, reloading their quivers, and scrambling for position. Arrows launched toward the base of the tree but flew blind through the thick foliage. Craw sawed through a strand of Lion’s Silk, rendering one side of the horizontal ladder limp.
Gryphon clenched his fist around the spear in his hands, willing Craw to work faster at the second strand of Silk than he had the first. Gryphon saw a flash of metal at the edge of the platform. The Raven archers must have as well—at least fifteen bolts soared in that direction.
Gryphon relaxed some, knowing the Ram would not be foolish enough to attack the platform with a host of Raven providing cover. But Craw couldn’t stay there forever, and eventually one of Gryphon’s compatriots would brave the platform for the glory of the kill.
Craw stopped his sawing just before the spindles of the woven Silk broke. He ran and dove onto the ladder, catching it in mid-air as he flew across the chasm. With deadly speed, he swung into the side of the island cliff, somehow managing to hang onto the lowest rung of the ladder with one hand.
The Raven crowed victorious. But Gryphon knew better than to underestimate his own clan. He checked his grip on the spear and scanned the tree line for Ram. What was a mess unit doing here now? Barnabas wouldn’t want the Raven to learn about his planned attack until the full Ram force was present.
“They targeted you.” Gabe stepped up next to Gryphon. The Wolf had been so quiet on their journey Gryphon forgot he was even there. “They didn’t attack until you were on the ladder.”
But why?
Craw neared the top of the ladder. Gryphon knelt on the edge of the cliff and extended his hand to the Raven leader, surprised by the relief he felt for the man. Craw reached up and clasped Gryphon’s forearm. The Raven smiled, his breath labored. “Not bad, little lamb.”
A spear flew from the edge of Gryphon’s vision. Time slowed. Gryphon pulled with all his strength to lift Craw to safety, but the spear struck the Raven in the back. Craw’s mouth and eyes each formed a circle, shock frozen on his face that slowly melted into agony as his body hung limp in Gryphon’s grasp.
Gabe and the others helped Gryphon pull Craw’s body onto solid ground.
“Gryphon, son of the deserter!” Zander’s voice boomed from somewhere in the trees across the chasm.
Gryphon might have called the man a friend only days ago. Now he wanted nothing more than to return his spear. He should have assumed Zander hadn’t giving up on tracking him; it wouldn’t suit the mess leader’s ambitions to return to the Gate without his prize. But that meant Ajax was there as well—his best friend, the man who’d freed him, but also the man who’d killed Zo. His heart ripped in half: one half cared for Ajax and his young, struggling family, and the other despised him in the darkest, blackest way possible.
Zander yelled, “We will hunt you down with the rest of these Birds. You are a traitor and a coward to leave your mother to bear your shame along with your father’s.”
Gryphon growled and ran to the edge of the cliff. He hitched up his front leg before launching the spear in the direction of Zander’s voice. It shot across the ravine and into the trees. A man cried out in pain and a sense of dread filled Gryphon. Whom had he hit? Was it Zander? Ajax? A different mess brother who was simply following orders?
Gryphon turned back to the crowd of Raven warriors. Those who weren’t bent over Craw’s lifeless form stared at him in wonder—likely marveling at the powerful throw directed at his own people.
Craw gagged and bucked on the ground. His own men gathered around him, pushing Gryphon and Gabe to the back of the crowd.
Standing out on the edge of the cliff, Gryphon looked across the divide to the trees that hid Zander and his old mess unit. “I will kill him,” he said. “I will kill him.”
Zo gaped at Joshua. “Don’t say that.”
The thought of Gryphon loving her had sounded too wonderful. Too sweet. Joshua didn’t know that with his words he was offering poisonous berries to a starving person—a painful lie.
Talon pulled his shirt over his head to show Zo and the others a crescent moon tattooed on his back. The symbol of the Allies. Zo bore the same mark.
“We were sent by our chief as ambassadors to Commander Laden. Our clan has been invited to join the Allied forces, though we do not believe our chief will accept Commander Laden’s offer. Our people endure the northern climate and the close proximity to the Ram because we are tied to our land. It’s deeply woven into our heritage. Many of the Elders believe if we leave the land, our people will lose their souls.”
“But with the coming invasion, your chief will reconsider,” said Zo.
Raca picked up a rock and weighed it in her hands. “I doubt it.”
Zo couldn’t help but think of the night her parents died in a Ram raid. The fear that engulfed her as she and Tess squeezed into baskets to hide in a corner of their home. The chilling sound of the Ram war horn blaring in their ears as people were slaughtered.
“You need to help convince your chief. If your people don’t evacuate, hundreds will die. The Ram have pledged that they will not discriminate between a Raven warrior and his family. The children … ”