CHAPTER 20
The three riders finally stopped for the night, and Layna dragged her aching body off the horse. She was sore all over, both from riding and from trying to support Gryffon in front of her while he slipped in and out of consciousness. She felt drained, and barely had enough energy to help Charles set up camp before collapsing into one of the pine bough beds and falling instantly asleep.
The next morning, she felt much more refreshed and was surprised to see Gryffon sitting up by the fire with Charles. He looked much better than he had yesterday.
“Ho there, sleepy-head,” greeted Charles as he noticed her movement and she grinned sheepishly.
“I guess I was a little exhausted from yesterday.”
“As well you should be,” said Gryffon. “I feel ten times better than I did and I know Charles' cooking here is not the cause,” he joked, jerking his head towards Charles who made a face at him. “You used up quite a lot of energy, physical and magical.”
“Hmm.” She eyed the eggs that Charles was frying. As soon as he handed her the plate she wolfed them down, burning her mouth in her impatience. She licked her fingers clean and sighed happily. “I don't know, Gryffon,” she told him blissfully, “I think his cooking just could be that amazing.”
She giggled, and Charles grinned widely while pointing the spoon at Gryffon. “You see? Someone ‘preciates my cookin’.” His expression suddenly dulled.
“Are you alright?” Layna asked him, concerned.
Charles looked taken by surprise as he came out of his lost little moment. “What? Oh yes, I was just remembering Mila's cookin’.” He paused and then said in a pained voice, “I can't believe she's gone.” Layna glanced at Gryffon and realized by his lack of surprise that Charles must have filled him in on Mila's passing. Charles' voice took on a firmer quality. “She saved me you know.” They listened quietly as he told his story. “I got caught out in a big ol' snowstorm some years back. It had come on all of a sudden like, as if one of the Three took a great big bucket and dumped it down right atop of me. Took a bad step on the pass, and I went down. Buried alive.” He paused for a long moment and Layna wondered if he would continue. “Then she was there, even now I'm not sure that I know how she found me. But find me she did. She took me in and cared for me, healin’ me even as the fever took hold and I was ravin’ lunatic mad. For weeks I was in delirium, caused quite a bit of a ruckus at her house there, I did.” He chuckled. “She was one fine woman,” he mused adoringly. Then a shadow passed over his features. “And to have her snatched away from this world by someone as slimy and hateful as that slug of a man hurts me. I'll help you two youngsters much as I can to get back at them. I don't like that awful woman any more than the slime who held the knife. No doubt she was behind it.” Charles turned to Gryffon and asked him, “Why did they kidnap you anywho?”
Gryffon fidgeted uncomfortably, as if trying to make up his mind about something. Finally, he seemed to come to a conclusion and he answered. “She found out something about me. She thought that by torturing me she could get me to betray more about it. Not to mention the fact that she's a truly evil individual who revels in causing pain to any who aren’t blindly obedient to her demands.”
Charles watched him, expressionless. Layna looked from his face to Gryffon's and asked, “Well, what did she find out about you?”
He paused and wouldn't look her in the eye. “She found out that I'm really from Treymayne. I'm an agent here sent because we believe that someone is collecting high talents, and now there's been information that your government may be planning a war.” He rambled it all out quickly, as if hoping that by breaking the news swiftly it would soften the blow to Layna's pride at being deceived.
“You're what?” she sputtered, and Gryffon repeated himself, almost verbatim. “So everything was a lie?” she shot at him. “And you were just using us all to milk us for information, trying to make us betray our own homeland? How could you?”
“I wasn't-”
“No!” she cut him off. “I don't want to hear it. All this,” she waved her hands in front of her in a circular motion, “is way too much for me to handle right now.” She felt tears welling up and she impatiently brushed them off. She stood from the fire and stalked off.
“Layna, wait,” Gryffon called after her.
Layna heard Charles advise, “Let her go,” and no footsteps followed. Layna was devastated. How much of what we did together had he then gone and reported to his countrymen? Was it some big joke that Gryffon got all this information from a silly little girl who didn't know any better? Layna laughed shortly to herself. As if I have any information that was worth reporting. To think that I just risked my life for that, that. Layna couldn't think of an appropriate word for him. She wanted to hate him. But she didn't. After a while the cold started to seep in through her clothes, and she forced herself back to the fire where Gryffon and Charles were speaking in low voices.
“So,” she said coldly, only meeting Charles's eyes, “where are we going to go now?”
Charles looked to Gryffon and back at Layna who still refused to look in Gryffon's direction. Gryffon remained silent, so Charles answered, “We were thinkin' it'd be right smart to head down to that there Avonmora. There's enough people there that we shouldn't be noticed, and Gryffon can get a message to his people to ask for help.”
Layna nodded curtly. “Fine.” She moved her bed farther around to the other side of the fire and she curled herself up into it to warm up, resolutely turning away from the two men.