“I see now why the Mins would seek to destroy it.” Brax glanced at Phin.
“Indeed they will,” Jentrerra continued. “If the Silver Towers fall and the elves pass from this world, there would be no one left to care for the forests in their endless sleep. In time, the trees would begin to fade, and eventually all of Arbor Loren would cease to exist. This is why the one who walks with you would risk waking the Fey to hold back the Min assault.”
Brax and Phinlera spent the rest of the day talking about the attack on the elves, the Mins, and all they’d learned. They walked back up the cobblestone road, along the Neck of the Spine, stopping to look down at the river on the eastern edge or off the ravine to the west. The day seemed to drag on without end, and Braxton anxiously wanted to travel to the battlefront or at least visit the elven base camp in the Breaker Dunes. But the elves refused to permit it, blocking his way to the staircase that led down to the plains whenever he tried to leave. He spoke to Serene about slipping past them unnoticed, but she always gave him the same response.
Be patient and regain your strength. That time will come.
They returned to the mountain village as night fell and found Laefin speaking to several Talonguard who had joined their camp.
Their great golden mounts stood nearby, preening themselves by the cliff’s edge.
“Our forces and the feil are holding,” the young elf reported when he saw them. “And the trees have begun to awaken. We’ve created a small outpost at the top of Ben-Gar from which our scouts are flying over the battlefield to communicate events back to Arbor Loren.” He pointed to the aerial riders. “Tomorrow I will go out with them on patrol.” He smiled broadly. “And they’ve agreed to take you with us.”
Chapter 34
Dampness from the morning air broke upon his face, and beads of water crept in through his long white shirt, chilling his skin. Braxton shivered, pulling his wool-lined cloak closer around him. He was high up in the clouds, flying on some giant creature whose powerful presence he could feel but never saw. He listened to its wings flapping rhythmically above the cry of the wind as they passed through yet another low-hanging cloud, further dampening his clothes. His mount was deliberately flying through them, Brax realized. He looked down, and his stomach dropped at the sight of a dark and turbulent sea far below.
Time to descend. A voice broke into his mind—but it wasn’t Serene’s. It was an older, rougher sound, yet something else entirely, something not quite human. A huge reptilian face looked up at him from between the clouds, and Braxton jumped.
He awoke to Phinlera shaking him. “Come on, Brax, time to go.”
He lay on his bedroll, trying to remember the dream that was rapidly fading away. He was flying, he knew, on a creature he couldn’t see. What was it? He desperately wanted to recall the images that evaded him. He knew they meant something. Dreams were always strange that way—lost in the waking, leaving behind only feelings of the experience. He struggled for a few moments before rolling over, frustrated.
Phinlera called again, and he realized they were out on the Dragon’s Head, and that today was their flight with the Talonguard he’d so eagerly anticipated. He got up quickly, pulled on his cloak and boots, and strapped the Unicorn Blade to his back. Phinlera was already outside, calling for him to quicken his pace.
“They’re readying to leave.” She pushed back the flap of their tent to look at him. “Would you hurry up?”
They ran from the camp toward the little plateau and found Laefin waiting with the Talonguard riders. Their giant mounts stood by the cliff’s edge, looking regal in the morning light. The elf handed each of them a long root as they arrived and told them to eat slowly.
“It’ll help with your stomach,” he said. “Best to skip breakfast too. We’ll eat something at the outpost.”
They chewed on the stringy stems, which tasted somewhat like ginger but had a sharp, pungent flavor. The young archer gave them each a thick, wool-lined cloak, which Brax thought looked vaguely familiar but couldn’t place.
Laefin turned to an attractive female elf with long, glistening blond hair and deep forest-green eyes. “This is Bellnella,” he said, introducing her. Brax stared at the elf’s shapely figure.
“You’ll be riding together on Hawk, Brax.” Their friend pointed to one of the giant golden mounts. Braxton saw Phinlera’s disapproving look. She was definitely not impressed with his rider, but he pretended not to notice.
“And this is Tentalis,” the young archer continued, introducing a handsome male elf with shoulder-length brown hair and deep-blue eyes. “Phin, you’ll be riding with him on Arrow.” He indicated another giant eagle with long, white neck feathers. Braxton felt the same jealous feeling he imagined Phinlera must have experienced a moment ago, but he buried his emotions as he watched the handsome elf bow gracefully before Phin.
“I’ll be flying with Neah on Fletcher,” Laefin added, ignoring their reactions. The last female rider had long black hair similar to Phin’s and green, almond-shaped eyes. “We’ve paired you with each guard to balance the weight on their mounts. That should make it easier for our birds to maneuver, should the need arise. Now go and learn about their harnesses.”
Brax and Phin exchanged quick glances, each signaling to the other the same warning: avoid any emotional attachment to your rider. He followed Bellnella—or “Bell,” as she preferred to be called—over to Hawk.
“He’s a little cautious of strangers,” she said. Her voice was beautiful and clear, but her words made Brax nervous. “Let me go first.” She stroked Hawk’s long neck feathers before calling Braxton over to join them. The enormous eagle watched him approach with sharp, intelligent eyes. Its huge beak was at least the length of his forearm, and he knew it was capable of ripping off his limb in a single move. He suddenly remembered Ruskin’s comment—“A bit like tying a rabbit to a fox, hey?”—and now appreciated the dwarf’s sentiments.
Brax lifted his hands away from his sides, hoping the eagle would understand his peaceful intentions. All the while, Bell spoke quietly to her mount in their strange woodland tongue. With the elf’s guidance, he was able to raise a hand and stroke the magnificent creature. Eventually, the eagle went back to preening itself, indicating its acceptance of him.
Bell walked around showing Braxton the leather harness strapped to Hawk’s thick neck and behind its giant wings. He followed closely, trying to listen to her instructions, but his mind kept wandering to her attractive form and tight-fitting leather outfit. Although he assumed her clothing was designed to reduce wind resistance in flight, it had the added benefit of accentuating her already striking figure. It didn’t help that her blond hair shone brilliantly in the sunlight, reflecting a myriad of golden layers whenever she moved, or that her lips were full, pink, and lightly moist. Even her skin was perfect, smooth as silk and radiant. He strained to focus on Hawk but continued returning to Bell, as if transfixed. She seemed to sense his problem and smiled sweetly at his childish human emotions. She said nothing, though, and calmly reiterated her instructions several more times, asking him to repeat back what she’d said.
When she was satisfied he knew what he needed, she had him mount Hawk. Brax pulled himself up into the saddle and placed his feet into the small footholds positioned on either side of the eagle’s back, just behind its wings. Bell fastened a leather strap around his ankles as well as others behind his knees and over his thighs. Braxton stared down at her from atop the mount, drawn to her radiant beauty and slightly opened top. She secured a single thick cord to the front and back of Braxton’s belt, effectively locking him in place from the waist down. She was still attaching the remaining straps when the warm, calm memory of Phinlera gradually crept back into his senses. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to block out the images of Bellnella his mind created. A sudden feeling of guilt washed over him, as though he had betrayed Phinlera somehow.
Turning away from the exquisite elf, he looked across the Dragon’s Head to where Phin sa
t upon Arrow, talking with Tentalis. Seeing her seemed to awaken him from some unnatural dream. He recognized then that it was not just her physical attractiveness that drew him to her. It was her joyful enthusiasm for life and the wonderful sense of excitement she always awoke in him. He loved Phinlera for more than her natural beauty, he loved the person she was. Or more importantly, he thought, the person he had become because of her. He smiled and breathed in a deep sense of contentment.
“You are well-suited for each other,” Bell said, drawing his attention. “You have remembered her and have passed the test we laid out before you.” She smiled at his confusion. “We are Heartholders,” she explained. “Tentalis and me. To recall the one you love in our presence is a great gift you give them. She is lucky to have found you, and you, her.”
Braxton turned back to Phinlera. She was watching him now, having passed her own test. He wanted to leap out of the harness and run over to her, to tell her how much he loved her, but the leather straps held him securely in place. He was about to wave when Bellnella spoke.
“Time to go.” Sitting atop Hawk’s neck, she held a single leather strap attached to the eagle’s giant beak. She gave a short whistle. The enormous bird took two large hops toward the edge of the plateau, and then with one powerful thrust, leaped from the precipice.
Chapter 35
A rush of cold morning air struck Braxton’s face, and his stomach jumped into his throat as the magnificent eagle dropped from the Dragon’s Head like a stone tossed off the mountainside. He let out a long “Woooo!” as they fell, grasping the harness with both hands as if the strength of his grip somehow controlled the rate of their fall. A moment later, Hawk opened his giant wings, catching an updraft along the edge of the Spine, lifting them gracefully above the plateau. For a brief moment, Braxton knew what it was like for those few creatures lucky enough to fly on the winds of the world. He let go of the strap and held his arms down alongside the eagle, trusting in the harness. The damp morning air blew against his palms as the massive bird flapped its wings, propelling them toward the sky. Braxton looked back at the others and waved at Phinlera, but his movements were cut short by the wind. She smiled from atop Arrow and signaled back with the same excitement.
Brax gazed at the distant scrublands of the Dunes far below and the edge of the Dragon’s Spine melting away. I’m flying. I’m actually flying. He had never imagined this possible. And yet there he was on the back of a majestic golden eagle, soaring high above the mountains in a far-off land, weightless and free.
They leveled out and turned southwest toward Ben-Gar. The mountain spires stood ominously ahead of them in the Breaker Dunes, two giant sentinels witnessing the war in the plains.
Braxton realized how easy it was to travel this way. There were no forests or mountains to traverse, no rivers to wade through or block their path, no lakes to circumvent or marshes to cross. The open sky was free of the numerous obstacles he’d become so accustomed to on land. Miles passed quickly, and they crossed the Dunes in a few hours, nearing Ben-Gar at midday.
As they approached the monoliths, Braxton caught his first sight of the war. Flocks of small bat-like creatures with long pointed tails attacked Talonguard.
“What are those?” he called up to Bellnella as she guided Hawk away from the battle.
“Vipers,” she said over her shoulder. “We need to avoid them.”
“No, we need to help,” he yelled into the wind, but she shook her head and turned her eagle farther west.
Braxton looked back anxiously as he and Phinlera flew away from the fight while Laefin and Neah stayed to their original course, drawing their bows and heading toward the vipers.
“No!” he insisted, but Bell continued to ignore him, tapping her mount with the leather strap and leading him away.
Twisting and turning in the harness, he tried to see over one should then the other, eager to participate in the aerial battle he knew was taking place behind him. As he rotated left, Brax froze, seeing on the distant plains the full extent of the massive invasion. Ten thousand Mins covered the Gap of Dunes, like an enormous dark plague spreading along the fringes of Arbor Loren.
So many, he thought. We can’t win, there’s no hope.
There is always hope, Serene said calmly.
But there are so many!
Even the greatest tide can be divided by a single tree. Look to the south. Help will come.
He stared into the distance, hoping to see what his master alluded to, but saw nothing beyond the mass of Mins covering the Dunes.
Focus on the present, she added, then pulled away.
He thought for a minute.
Turn back! he yelled directly into Bellnella’s mind, pushing his will deep into her thoughts, using the spirit magic to enter her consciousness. He held there for a brief moment before letting her push him away, beyond the shield she created to block him out. But he had sensed her surprise at his ability to connect with her so easily, and she seemed to understand his need to participate in this fight. She turned Hawk around, circling back toward Ben-Gar, signaling for Tentalis to follow.
When the battle came back into view, Laefin and the other riders were firing arrows into the vipers. The young archer moved so quickly that his actions were a blur. He’d climbed out of his harness—or perhaps was never strapped in—and stood on Fletcher’s back, releasing projectiles in every direction. Vipers fell like stones to Laefin’s deadly aim, pierced by a woodland arrow. But the dark creatures continued in swarms. Brax could see how they used their barbed tails like spears, attempting to impale the elves or their giant mounts. The eagles were much stronger though and often snatched them out of midair, crushing them with their talons or snapping them with razor-sharp beaks. But the smaller vipers were more maneuverable, and many had already driven their venomous barbs deep into the eagles’ sides or bellies, further attaching themselves with pointed teeth or the hooked claws at the ends of their leathery wings. Several eagles and their riders were falling, a half-dozen vipers pulling them down toward the jagged rocks below.
Bellnella guided Hawk toward the fight, and Braxton drew the Unicorn Blade, adjusting his grip several times as they neared. He ventured a quick glance over at Arrow and saw Phinlera holding the Leaf. Tentalis, like Bell, had discarded his reins for a bow, relying on the lifelong partnership with his mount to maneuver them in battle.
A group of vipers turned toward them, seeing new prey, and darted ahead like projectiles. When the creatures were a dozen yards away, Bellnella and Tentalis dropped several with their arrows. Yet still more came on. Some headed toward Braxton while others went for Phin and her rider. Brax raised the Unicorn Blade to his shoulder and summoned the spirit magic to guide him in his first strike. When the lead viper bent its tail forward to pierce his body, he brought his weapon around in a quick arc, fueling his blow with the power of the spirit magic. He sliced through the creature as the sword found its mark, the pent-up energy extending outward like a shock wave into the remaining group, disintegrating them.
Everything disappeared, and Braxton stood in a thick gray fog. Two hooded figures materialized from among the shadows. They sat hunched over a table, facing each other. Slowly one of them turned and looked at him. He couldn’t see into their cowl, and only a deep and penetrating darkness stared back at him.
Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, the image vanished, and he was atop Hawk again, flying in the aerial fight around Ben-Gar. Eagles and vipers were everywhere. Arrows whizzed by, a few passing dangerously close, dropping black creatures Brax never saw coming. Bellnella was calling to him, but he couldn’t make out her words.
“I’m fine,” he yelled against the noise of the wind and battle. “Keep going.”
She seemed to hear his response and turned Hawk sharply, concentrating again on the vipers as they continued their attack.
Braxton looked about for Phin but couldn’t see her or Arrow. Frantically he looked down, panicked.
Focus on the present,
Serene repeated in his mind.
He looked up as a viper turned its tail directly toward him and charged. Dropping back along Hawk’s body, he brought the Unicorn Blade across his chest in a whipping action, slicing off one of the creature’s leathery wings and sending it tumbling away. He sat up quickly and summoned the spirit magic, feeling it build inside him.
Control your emotions. Send the energy south.
He focused on the ball of energy growing within. When Hawk wheeled, Brax directed it toward a flock of vipers joining the fight. The spirit magic released, its power spreading out like a wave above Ben-Gar, breaking upon the unsuspecting creatures. They began to fall, squirming as if caught in an invisible net.
All sight and sound disappeared, and, like before, he saw the two hooded figures sitting in the mist. When they turned to look at him, long oily hair hung from under their hoods, black like the night and tangled in loose strands. The vision disappeared, and he was flying again on Hawk.
Scanning about at the remaining vipers, he noticed their numbers being reduced by the Talonguard’s assault. The elves seemed to be turning the fight in their favor, dropping more and more of the foul creatures. After more than an hour of fighting, Bellnella guided Hawk toward Ben-Gar and flew them to a small encampment on the taller of the two peaks. She pointed ahead and shouted something he couldn’t hear. He looked down as Phin’s eagle landed on a small ledge housing the base camp. Phinlera and Tentalis were both on its back. Braxton breathed a deep sigh of relief. They’d made it through. She was safe.
* * *
“That was incredible,” Phinlera exclaimed when Brax dismounted.
Cathadeus_Book One of the Walking Gates Page 22
