Free Wingborn by Becca Lusher Page B

her miryhl chicks, the lively manor, the calm lake and
Cumulo ’ s ridiculous
attempts to dominate the bullwing herd. But that was her old life,
over a thousand miles away. A life where women were excluded from
the Riders and the occasional miryhl could be spared. Things were
different now. If only her parents would agree.
    “Here we go,”
Milluqua muttered, and Mhysra realised she’d clenched her jaw.
    “ I f you ’ re
off to pick another fight, I ’ ll bid you good day, ” Derrain said, slapping Bumble ’ s lead into her hand. “ Lieutenant Stirla offered to show me the
eyries. ”
    Unable to face another argument, Mhysra
smiled wearily. “ I ’ ll
come too, if you don ’ t
mind. ”
    Milluqua sighed with relief and snatched
Bumble ’ s lead. “ Excellent idea.
I ’ ll take this one. Make
sure you ’ re back in time
for dinner. ” Not waiting
in case Mhysra changed her mind, the older Kilpapan sister hurried
off as if a pyrefly pack was nipping at her heels.
    Chuckling, Derrain hooked his arm through
hers. “ Seems
you ’ re stuck with me
then. ”
    “Seems I am.”
Mhysra wrinkled her nose. “However will I cope?”
     
    “BEAUTIFUL, SO BEAUTIFUL. W ho knew letting women back into the Riders would
reap such exquisite rewards?”
    Eyebrows raised, Lyrai led the visitors
through the eyries towards the cooing voice. The place was mostly
deserted at this time of day, with one flurry on duty and the other
preferring to escape the cold. Everyone, that is, except for
Stirla. Since Lyrai could see Stirla ’ s miryhl, Atyrn, hunched miserably near the doors,
it was safe to assume the lieutenant was busy elsewhere.
    “ Absolutely glorious. Are you sure you wouldn’ t like
to spend your life with me? I ’ d treat you as wonderfully as you deserve. I could
– ”
    Lyrai led the two youngsters within sight of
the love-struck lieutenant and coughed. Since one of the visitors
happened to be bonded to the miryhl Stirla was sweet-talking, Lyrai
grinned as his friend spun around. Despite all the scrapes
they ’ d been caught in
over the years, Lyrai had never seen Stirla look guilty before.
This was very interesting.
    “Er…”
    “ Afternoon, Stirla . Hope we ’ re not interrupting. ”
    Mhysra folded her arms and glared, while
Derrain lounged against an unused perch, grinning.
    Stirla inched away from the miryhl, making
innocent gestures with his hands. “Um…”
    The miryhl lowered his head and chuckled, so
Mhysra turned her scowl on him.
    “If you want
rid of me, Cue, just say.”
    Cumulo raised his head and squawked.
Feathers rose on his face and head, and he glowered at Stirla. The
lieutenant ducked under a perch and backed away.
    “ Don’ t you blame him, ” the girl snapped. “ Look me in the eyes when I ’ m talking to you, Cumulo. And
don ’ t try that innocent
act on me. ” The miryhl
had been making supplicating purrs, but at this his feathers
fluffed up with affront. “ Nor that either. I ’ m wise to all your tricks. I know they ’ ve all approached you, but
you ’ ve been encouraging
them. Thirteen offers, Cue. Thirteen! ”
    Stirla slunk over to Lyrai. “ If I ’ d known I was part of a crowd, I wouldn ’ t have bothered. ”
    Lyrai patted him sympathetically on the
shoulder, just as the girl spun on her heel and jabbed a finger in
Stirla ’ s direction. “ And you should be
ashamed of yourself – trying to cozen a miryhl away from their
bonded. Especially when you ha ve a perfectly good mount of your own. ” She shoved her miryhl aside and
approached Atyrn, stroking the neglected eagle with soothing hands. “ Such a beauty too. Men
are such idiots not to value a treasure when they have
one. ”
    “ She
has a point, ” Lyrai murmured. Even bigger than Cumulo, Atyrn was the envy of many
Riders. So dark she was almost black, she was strong and had the
best endurance out of all the eagles in Captain Myran ’ s flight. She was also steadfast
and willing to push through any