Griffin's Shadow Read Online Free PDF Page B

to the sound of Lord Sen’s greeting.
    “Father, have you got your spyglass with you?” Ashinji inquired. “I’m sure Jelena would like to get a closer look at Sendai Castle.”
    “I do, I do,” Sen replied. He unhooked a small rectangular leather case from his belt and removed the spyglass. “This came all the way from Great Arrisae Island. The Islanders make the finest navigational tools in the known world. Your mother-in-law gave it to me.” He extended the exquisite, brass and wood instrument and handed it to Jelena.
    “I hear you, Father,” she assured him. “You are asking me, in a roundabout way, to please be careful with it!”
    Sen’s whole body shook with laughter. “Clever and beautiful! ‘Course I knew that already. Now, hold the narrow end up to your eye, that’s it! D’you see the castle now?”
    “Yes, yes, I can see it!” Jelena exclaimed.
    Looking through the spyglass, it seemed as if she had traversed much of the distance to Sendai in the wink of an eye. “This is amazing,” she sighed, fascinated by the power of the spyglass to draw such a distant object closer. She could make out some of the larger details of the structure, such as its overall architecture and relative size to the hill upon which it stood, but they were still too far away to see much more than that. She lowered the glass and reluctantly gave it back to Sen, who carefully returned it to its case.
    “Thank you, Father,” she said, smiling.
    “We should be at the city gates by sundown,” Ashinji said, glancing into the sky to check the position of the sun, which hung just past zenith.
    “We’ll ride straight in and go directly to the castle,” Sen instructed. “I’ll send someone ahead to announce us, but it won’t be you, Jelena. As of this moment, you are no longer employed as my messenger.” He looked Jelena over with narrowed eyes. “Hmmm, I’ve not said anything because we’ve been traveling, but…my dear, it’s time you put away those old clothes.”
    “Oh, Father. I...I’m sorry!” Jelena felt her cheeks burn as she realized how shabby she must look compared to the rest of the family. “I’m so used to dressing this way…All my new things are packed away in the baggage. I’m not sure if I can get to them.”
    Ashinji took her hand and squeezed. “Father, what Jelena’s wearing right now doesn’t really matter. We’ve been on the road for the last ten days. We can worry about it later.”
    “Yes…yes of course you’re right,” Sen agreed. “Come now, you two. It’s time we were on our way.”
    ~~~
    The remainder of the day passed easily. The party rode alongside fields of ripe grain and orchards nearing the harvest. The farmland surrounding Sendai was second in productivity only to the disputed Tono Valley. The farmhouses they passed were of varying sizes, but every one, from the smallest cottage to the grandest manor exuded an air of peace and prosperity.
    A war could destroy all of this, Jelena thought.
    Late afternoon found them passing through the more heavily populated suburbs. The farmland had gradually given way to an open forest of oak and beech, within which the people had chosen to integrate their settlements, rather than clear the land. Here, the houses stood much closer together, each one set in its own garden. Small workshops, storefronts, and inns were interspersed among the dwellings. Signs now marked the lanes and byways branching off from the main road.
    Along the way, many folk paused to watch as the large party clattered past. As Ashinji predicted, they reached the main gates of the city proper just as the sun came to rest on the horizon.
    Jelena could only stare, speechless with astonishment.
    “I told you Sendai would amaze you,” Ashinji said. “Welcome to the City of Trees.”
    Never in her wildest imaginings had Jelena considered that an entire city could be built within the confines of a forest. A wide swath had been cleared outside the city’s walls, but