Leo had been settling himself on a log but jumped to his feet.'You will have to explain that. I do not recognise you.’
‘It does need some explanation — this is true. May I politely ask for some food and water for the boy, please?’ He looked at Roddy and frowned. ‘He has made a long journey to meet you.’
Leo glanced at Gavriel, who felt obliged to assemble some cheese, nuts and berries from their meagre rations. He set them down with a fresh pitcher of water. ‘Help yourself,’ he said to Roddy.
‘Thank you,’ the boy said and began picking at the food. Gavriel didn’t think the youngster looked well at all.
‘Yourself?’ Leo offered.
Ravan shook his head. ‘Thank you. You may remember me as Vyk,’ he began without further preamble.
‘The only Vyk I knew was a bird, I’m afraid,’ Leo said, shaking his head. ‘I have excellent recall of faces and names, even from my childhood but —’
Ravan nodded. ‘What sort of bird was the Vyk that you knew?’
‘Well, not that it’s relevant but he was a… …’Leo stopped.
Gavriel also paused in the action of lowering himself to one of the logs. The shock spread through him like fast moving molten. ‘You jest,’ he said, the words tumbling out before he could think them through.
Ravan’s gaze hadn’t left the king. ‘I followed you through the forest. De Vis here would have killed me if not for your compassion.’
Gavriel blanched and Leo’s slack expression told him the king was equally in denial.
Ravan continued, ‘Forgive me, I know this sounds incredible but I can prove everything I say. I led the girl called Lily to you. She helped you,’ he said, turning to Gavriel, ‘with the wound you received from the two poachers. She took you back to her father’s hut. He was a simple healer, a forest dweller called Greven, and they kept you overnight. If I’m not mistaken, your majesty, you spent that night in a crawlspace hollowed below the hut. They were terrified when they found out that you were Prince Leonel, on the run from Loethar. I —’
‘Wait!’ Leo stopped him. ‘You want us to believe that you are the big black raven that Loethar brought to the palace, that everyone despised?’
‘I’m disappointed that I was so loathed. I was a good friend and companion to Loethar.’
‘But you’re a bird!’ Leo exclaimed, helpless confusion in his expression, his tone, even his open-armed stance.
‘He was one, majesty. Now he’s a man, made in the image of King Cormoron, First of the Valisars,’ Roddy said, a proud edge to his tone. Gavriel could see that Leo was speechless at the mention of King Cormoron. He waited a moment or two longer and then cleared his throat when he saw that Leo was not forthcoming.
‘Well, that’s a great story. Why don’t we start at the very beginning, though. You want us to accept this is Vyk, the raven, now a man?’
Roddy nodded with a wince. ‘Yes. I’m sorry, who are you?’
Ravan smiled again. ‘Roddy, this is Gavriel de Vis, champion and Legate I believe to King Leonel.’
Silence followed the introduction, everyone looking to Leo.
‘I have only questions. You will need to answer them all to my satisfaction or you —’
‘Please,’ Ravan said gently. ‘Feel free, your majesty. We have come to see you. Roddy, eat, or you will collapse from hunger.’
‘Why don’t you need to eat?’ Leo began.
‘Because I suppose I am not real. I was a bird. I now have to wonder if that was real too.’ Ravan shrugged. ‘Now I am made in the image of a man. You don’t look well, majesty.’
Gavriel noticed even in the low torchlight that Leo’s pallor was worsening. ‘Leo?’
‘Don’t worry about me. I’ve eaten something upsetting. Who made you this way?’
‘The serpent.’
‘Cyrena?’
Ravan nodded. ‘She came to us.’
‘Roddy, who are you?’
Roddy had a full mouth. He swallowed awkwardly. ‘Your majesty, I am no one. I come from a village in the south.’ There was a big fire there not long ago and my cat was trapped in the barn. I tried to save him but I got confused and then I felt the heat and my clothes went up in flames and I could no longer breathe. I know a man ran into the flames to save me but to be honest I only learned that afterwards. I don’t remember much of that time except that when I woke up I was whole again.’
‘How did you meet up with Ravan?’
Gavriel could see that Roddy was trying his utmost to answer clearly and concisely. ‘I met him,’ he frowned. ‘Well, I first saw him in a small woodland on the edge of our village but we first spoke at the cliff edge after the death of Sergius.’
Gavriel sighed with confusion. ‘All right, let’s go back to the fire. I’m curious, Roddy, as to how you escaped death if you ran into a burning barn.’
‘I told you I was healed.’
‘Healed of burns?’ Gavriel asked archly.
The boy nodded. ‘So was poor Clovis.’
‘Clovis?’ Leo wondered.
‘He was the man who ran into the barn after me. I have to lie down.’
‘We have travelled a long way,’ Ravan said. ‘Sleep, Roddy. I will explain everything. I haven’t mentioned this to Roddy but Clovis was also at the palace,’ Ravan remarked, surprising Gavriel. ‘He was one of two Vested chosen by Freath as part of a bargain made between Freath and Loethar. Clovis wasn’t very powerful.’ Ravan shrugged. ‘My understanding is that he could predict rough weather on the seas or which provisions to stock up on, that sort of thing. But he couldn’t wield his magic against anyone, not like I suspect Kirin Felt could.’
‘Felt?’ Leo narrowed his eyes. ‘Wait a moment. Felt! Isn’t that the man Lily has gone away with? I’m pretty sure that’s the name Tern used. Lily was meant just to keep him under observation but she ended up pretending to be his wife so she could stay close.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘Tell me, how empowered is this Kirin Felt?’
‘I really couldn’t say,’ Ravan answered. ‘He hid his ability from Loethar and Stracker.’
‘Ah, now we have it,’ Leo said. He still looked pale, but he stood to pace. ‘I wonder just how powerful he is.’ He swung around to face Ravan. ‘Do you know what an aegis is?’
Gavriel felt a spike of uncertainty run through him. Where was Leo going with this? He was getting too obsessed with the idea of his ageis for Gavriel’s comfort.
But before he could say anything, Roddy seemed to crumple beside Ravan. ‘My apology, I must be excused.’
‘Are you feeling faint, Roddy?’ Ravan asked.
‘Come with me,’ Roddy choked out. ‘I don’t feel well.’
Ravan looked to Leo, who shrugged his permission. The two newcomers walked away; Roddy seeming to be doubled up, as though preparing to retch, Ravan was rubbing the boy’s back.
Gavriel frowned after them.
‘Don’t worry, they’re not going anywhere,’ Leo remarked. ‘Do you trust their story?’
‘It’s almost too remarkable not to. Why would anyone lie about something like being a bird? And he knows too much not to be that awful raven.’
Leo gave a helpless gesture with his hand.