ROYAL BLOOD
Its round red eyes glowed faintly.
With every slow tilt of its wings, the boy's body swayed, adjusting his steps in union, as though strings bound him to the creature.
The owl gave a soft hoot, low, hollow, and ancient, and Amilek stiffened. His head turned sharply, too sharply for a human neck, as though acknowledging a command whispered straight into his skull.