“There will come a day when your people will need the aid of men. You’d better hope that it is I who rule when that day comes, because I won’t run from your need. Because of Vaegon alone, if that time ever comes, I will rally men to stand beside you, even though you are no better than gutter curs. Now, come, gather the body of the best of your kind, before I cut this whole forest to the ground!”
Hyden gave Dieter the journal, and then went to Mikahl’s side. It was all he could do to drag Mikahl away from Vaegon’s coffin. Neither of them seemed to care about the dozens of arrows that were trained on them as they left the newly formed clearing. Both were angry, and saddened by the way things had gone. It was a long while before either of them dammed the flow of tears. When they stopped to rest, Hyden sought out Talon’s vision again, and was pleased to find the hawkling vigilantly watching over the elves, as they dug a human style grave for Vaegon, with more than a little fear showing in their feral eyes.
When they got back to Xwarda, Hyden decided that he would ask Queen Willa to assign him a tutor. He was determined to learn how to read. He had to research the history of piracy, and try to ferret out where the dragon called Cobalt had taken Barnacle Bones’s ship after he had snatched it out of the ocean.
He knew that High King Mikahl would have his hands full all winter, training the troops he and King Jarrek had specially chosen for the campaign they were planning to carry out in the spring. Hyden couldn’t help much there, save for giving the archers advice. He would spend his spare time helping the people of Xwarda, and the rest of Highwander, rebuild. Pael’s undead army had left a trail of decimation across the entire realm.
When the burial of Vaegon was completed, Talon rejoined Hyden and Mikahl. The long walk back to the city, was filled with hope and sadness, but by the time Xwarda’s golden-topped towers were in sight, both of the young men had found the steely reserve they would need to face what was ahead of them.
Talon felt none of those emotions. The exhilaration of flight, of soaring overhead on the thermals that cut through the cool, fall air was far more interesting than yesterdays or tomorrows. The hawkling did have a job to do though, but his was easy. All Talon had to do was keep his friends looking up.
The End of Book One