Story 12. Family affairs.
"Apprentice Gryvon, I've got a letter for you!"
Gryvon turned around. The voice caught him in one of the many castle passages, always dark, unpleasant and cold because of no fireplace. A guard was running to the youth, holding a crumpled and once white envelope. Stopping near Gryvon, the man gave him the message.
"What… What does it mean? – Gryvon asked, looking at the dirty envelope. - Why the letter looks like this? Did anyone read it?" – he took out the small sheet of paper folded twice. The letter from his father.
"We… we do not know, Apprentice, - the guard answered, - when we found the bag with papers in the forest, it looked like this. We brought everything from there to the castle".
"What do you mean "we found"? - Gryvon asked, confused, reading the lines. Aaron wrote that Malie had been very ill but she didn't want him to know for a long time. However, despite his wife's will, the summoner did it himself in the letter. - Why you found it? And where?"
"In the forest, - the guard repeated, - it seems that the Marauders that had attacked the cart took the bag with them. But later they saw there was nothing but the papers and the letters and threw it away".
Gryvon's vision darkened.
"But the Marauders… attacked the cart almost a week ago", - he said in words, raising his eyes.
"Yes, Apprentice", - the man nodded, still not getting it.
The youth gritted his teeth.
"And all this time… ALL THIS TIME the bag was in the forest&!" – he shouted out, turning around and running through the passage. The heart was beating desperately. There was just one thought: "Almost a week… Almost a week…" Holly Regents, how much time he lost!
Spellbinders and Apprentices passed by in white-red spots, looking in bewilderment at the running youth with a letter in his hand. But right now Gryvon didn't care and paid no attention to the rules and clarification of whom he pushed and how many times. Even if it was Lukan!
Running up over two stairs, he turned round the corner, crossed the last corridor and reached the door opening it in one movement. He wished Ashka to be there, not somewhere else as usual…
She was, indeed. It seems she had been taking a bath.
"Gryvon? We have no lessons today", - the Spellbinder entered the room, wearing a long violet dressing gown and rolling up her wet hair. A servant followed her, holding a towel and hairpins.
"What happened?" – Ashka looked at her Apprentice closely. Bowing, he gave her the letter, waiting for a reaction.
Spellbinder, give credit to her, was able to catch the other person's mood and take her cue from a situation immediately. This was something Gryvon considered as her undoubtful advantage. Sending the servant away, Ashka read the letter quickly and looked at her Apprentice.
"I was to get this letter a week ago, - he said, - damned Marauders arranged an ambush and took the cart. The bag with letter was found recently. I know that asking right now is…"
"Go immediately, - Ashka interrupted, - first to the stable, and order to saddle Dusk on my behalf, he is faster. Stay in Clayhill as long as you need".
Apparently the young man's jaw dropped and hos eyes were wide open, because his appearance made Ashka smile wryly.
"Gryvon, I may be very ruthless. I may be cruel. But I am not a monster, - she said calmly, - now go".
Nodding, he went to the door and turned around at the doorstep.
"Thank you…"
Tying the strings of his black cloak, Gryvon mounted and got a better grip on the reins. Never before Ashka allowed him to ride her horse. ЗThere was no reason actually. But it seems time comes for everything…
Passing the gates, he made Dusk go up on a gallop, not sure how the animal will behave. The Spellbinder often said that Gryvon used to sleep in the saddle and look somewhere for too often. But right now he felt he could hardly be bucked off. Even if Dusk bolts. Right now he wasn't afraid of the Marauders that could hide somewhere nearby. His thoughts right now were about his mother. And the fact that a week is sometimes too much …