Nameless (Nameless #1)(6)
“You have a favor to return, Gryph. The Birds need a message to carry home.” Zander drove a finger into his chest. “You, Striker, will make sure they get it.”
Everyone in the circle exchanged looks of surprise. Gryphon’s best friend, Ajax, smiled and rocked onto the tips of his toes. Gryphon tightened his grip around his long spear. “Yes, sir.” He hadn’t expected the honor of making Striker. Usually the position went to someone with more experience. Second-in-command. It was a dangerous gift.
Zander gave a nod and the mess readied their shields for a deadly stroll through the rocky gorge without the cover of trees for protection.
Gryphon tightened the fastenings of his shield before taking his place as Striker in the back-center of alpha formation. The mess marched out in two staggered lines. The men in front held shields at their chests while the men in the rear carried shields at their sides, ready to defend the rear if they were attacked from behind.
“How’s the boy?” whispered Ajax. His dark-skinned mess brother was the only one who understood Gryphon’s affection for Joshua. As young as Gryphon was, his interest in Joshua had grown into something paternal. The boy’s father had died before Joshua was even born. Gryphon understood what it was like not to have a man around growing up.
He cleared his constricting throat. “Zander wouldn’t let me check on him before we left. But … ” For a moment, Gryphon took his eyes off of the dangerous boulders and surrounding hills. “He’s gone, Jax. I know he is.”
Ajax had the decency not to hammer false hope. He resumed his watch before saying, “He died on his shield.”
In truth, the kid hadn’t earned his shield yet, but Ajax was right. The boy was a brave little pip, wounded in combat defending Gryphon’s own sorry back. If only he hadn’t let him come on the scouting trip. If only …
Gryphon’s sensitive ears heard hundreds of bowstrings stretch. “Link!” It wasn’t his order to give, but Gryphon didn’t care. The lives of his brothers were more valuable than Zander’s pride. The arrows came like a wave of water. The phalanx tightened into a wall of shields, every angle protected. Arrows thumped like a deadly hailstorm. The earth beneath Gryphon vibrated as arrows sunk into the ground around their feet.
The attack came from two sides, and was over as quickly as it began. Zander didn’t have to yell his orders. “Hold till the next wave. Full advance to the left. Guard our backs, Gryph.”
Another volley of arrows embedded like porcupine quills into their shields.
The mess charged left until Zander called, “Halt!” and the formation linked back into a defensive huddle. More arrows beat down upon them. The timing of Zander’s orders was the difference between life and an arrow through the chest.
After another volley, the mess charged left again until they reached the side of the gorge. Gryphon and the rest of the secondary covered from behind. The enemy line weakened as Raven abandoned their bows in retreat. Cowards.
“Striker!” Zander called over the chaos. It was Gryphon’s cue to back away from the pack. The mess shifted into a diamond attack pattern in front of a grouping of giant boulders with Gryphon at the scorpion’s tail.
They didn’t need to kill all of the Raven. Just capture one to interrogate and kill a few more to remind them whom they were dealing with. Above, inhuman hoots and cries from the Raven sounded retreat.
Gryphon only had one chance to get this right.
“Strike!” Zander called.
Gryphon sprinted to his brothers. With spear ready, he jumped onto a knot of their interlocked arms. Their combined strength catapulted him up the boulder. Time slowed to a halt. Gryphon zeroed in on a target. A boy with a single feather strung around his neck clumsily tried to restring his bow. He couldn’t be much older than Joshua.
Fitting.
The boy looked up. In that split-second the image of Joshua burned Gryphon’s vision. He shouldn’t care. War doesn’t discriminate between the old and the young. But he couldn’t bring himself to kill the boy. He adjusted his aim just as the spear exploded from his hand.
Gryphon landed on the boulder and watched the boy scramble away with the rest of the retreating Raven Clan. Gryphon’s spear stood erect in the mud, still teetering from the impact.
When Zander pulled himself up next to Gryphon he looked down on the empty spear and swore. His whole body trembled in rage.
Together they watched the Raven retreat up the mountain, their traditional black feathers mocking as they passed outside the reach of Ram spears.
Just before crossing over the ridge, a man stopped and stared down at Gryphon with fearless eyes. He stood taller than the Raven around him. His hair and skin were lighter than theirs. A black crescent moon was tattooed on his muscled shoulder. He raised his hands to his mouth and let out a long, low howl.
Chills assaulted Gryphon’s skin. “Was that … ?”
Zander swore again and stalked away.
Until that day, Gryphon had never witnessed the call of a Wolf.
Chapter 4
The boy led Zo upward through a seemingly endless tunnel of rock. He stumbled and she grabbed the back of his shirt to help him.
“Get off me.” He swatted her away without success.
His pride would kill him eventually. If not today, then ten years from now on some lonely battlefield.