by Devan Skyles
Desmond threw up his hands in frustration and walked off in a huff.
When everyone had gotten a chance to eat and rest their wing for a while, they stalked up on food and water for the rest of the journey and took off down the other side of the mountain range. Beyond the foothills they could see a broad expanse of barren desert wasteland, split in half by a winding river.
“Now we just follow the river all the way up to the northern colonies,” Rhydian whispered into Ellie’s ear as they flew. “Once we pass the Border City, we’re almost there.”
“Rhydian?” she said as they descended over the hot, dry desert floor. “Teach me to fly.”
He thought about it for a moment. There was virtually no wind shear at the moment, and the warm air rising from the ground in the hot afternoon sun created beautiful thermal updrafts. If there was an ideal time for her to practice, it was now.
“Okay,” he said, “On the count of three, I’m going to let you go, okay.”
She smiled and nodded vigorously.
“When I do, your instinct is going to be to flap hard. I want you to fight that instinct and keep your wings spread wide. Feel the warm air beneath us? That’s going to lift you up. Got it?”
“Got it,” she said excitedly.
“Okay, on the count of three, open your wings. Ready? One… two… THREE!”
He released her and instantly her snowy wings snapped open, but the wind rushing up as she fell overpowered her and she struggled to keep her wings steady. Panicking, she began flapping furiously, losing control quickly. Rhydian, seeing her distress, angled down and flapped hard toward the ground, swooping under her and flaring his wings so she landed on his back.
“Close your wings!” he shouted.
She did, and Rhydian leveled off with her arms wrapped tight around his neck in fear.
“I can’t do this!” she exclaimed. “With a chute, it’s easy. I just pull a cord and my chute does most of the work! This is entirely different!”
Rhydian closed his wings, reached back, and maneuvered Ellie in front of him so she was facing him, her back to the ground. He then opened his wings again and soared up high into the sky on an updraft, so high that the river became nothing more than a squiggly, razor-thin line on the ground and they could see the curvature of the earth.
“El, look at me,” he said calmly.
She looked trustingly into his sky-blue eyes.
“Trust your wings like you trust your chute,” he said. “When you jump out of the plane, are you scared?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I know I have time to pull my chute before I hit the ground. And if it fails, I have a backup.”
“Look where you are. You were made for the sky, Ellie. Your body knows what to do. And if it fails, I’ll be your backup chute. You trust me, right?”
She nodded. “More than anything.”
“Then know that you are never going to hit the ground. I promise.”
She smiled and kissed him on the lips. “Okay. I’m ready.”
She let go of him as he turned her to face the ground again.
“Okay,” he said. “One…”
She closed her eyes.
“Two…”
She took a deep, cleansing breath.
“THREE!”
She opened her eyes and felt the wind rush up at her. Breathing deep, she opened her wings in a wide V-shape, slowing her descent. She carefully shifted her tail feathers to steady herself as she fell. Then, ever so slowly, she extended her wings entirely and felt them gather the wind beneath them. After a few seconds, she stopped falling and began to feel herself rise quickly through the air, just as Rhydian had said she would.
“YEEEEAAAAAAH!” she shouted in thrilling victory. She looked up to see Rhydian smiling at her as she came level with him. “I can’t believe I did it! I’m flying! Without a plane, without a chute, I’m actually FLYING!”
“I never doubted you could do it!” he said, beaming with pride. “Welcome home, Ellie.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I literally dreamed about this every night as a child. I always knew it was what I was born to do, but this— I never imagined this was possible. Thank you, Rhydian.”
He swooped close enough that their wingtips brushed together gently, which was a sign of sincere affection for Ilimíri. He felt confident that she didn’t know this, but she responded by biting her bottom lip and blushing.
Embarrassed, she turned away. She silently berated herself for behaving like a love-struck child, but she couldn’t help the way she felt. Rhydian was the only person that had ever made her feel so much like herself, and yet so much unlike herself at the same time. She looked back at him and tilted her wings, brushing her feathers against his in turn.
“Alright,” Rhydian said, “now that we have altitude, are you ready to try for a little speed?”
She nodded nervously.
“Okay, remember, thermals make for quicker, easier travel because you can turn altitude into speed. If you tuck your wings slightly and let air spill out, you can fall at an angle to the ground, covering a lot of distance faster than you’d travel just flapping in a straight line. Make sense?”
“Makes perfect sense. How do I know how much air to let out?”
“You’ve just got to feel it out. If you’re falling more than you’re moving forward, it’s too much. If you’re not falling fast enough, it’s too little.”
“Okay,” she said, thinking it through. “I think I’m ready.”
“Remember, you’re never going to hit that ground.”
She nodded and they tucked their wings, diving side by side, carefully adjusting for wind variations and currents. After a few hours, she found that flying became almost second nature to her, though she wasn’t nearly as skilled or confident as the others. It was a lot like flying an airplane in many respects, only instead of reading everything through instruments and dials, she had to read the way the wind variants felt through her feathers. She learned that, with focus, she could detect the slightest differences in wind velocity and air pressure by the way they affected her body in subtle ways. It was like nothing she’d ever known, and she knew she’d never be satisfied just flying a machine through the sky ever again. As much as she enjoyed it, however, by the time the sun dipped low over the desert, she was wishing she was able to land and rest her wings. Everyone else had similar sentiments.
“I know we don’t have a lot of time to kill,” said Auram, his flapping getting slow and sporadic, “but do you think we could land for just a little while?”
As if in answer, an arrow suddenly whizzed up through the air and flitted through his wing feathers. A moment later, three or four more arrows flew by. Looking down, they saw a band of Grimalkin warriors below, bows in hand.
“Quick!” Rhydian exclaimed. “Get higher up!”
They powered their wings hard against the cool, late afternoon air. With the sun going down, there were no more thermals, so they struggled to gain altitude.
“Okay,” said Auram, gasping for breath, “plan B. How about you do that thing where you tell them you’re the son of the almighty warrior, Eaglehide?”
“I don’t think these guys are going to give us much chance to talk,” Rhydian retorted.
“What gave it away?” Taya shouted. “Was it the fact that they’re SHOOTING AT US?”
They flapped hard until the sun had set and the air became void of any warmth, at which point they were all so cold and exhausted that they could scarcely stay in the air. Luckily, they’d managed to get far enough away from their attackers that they felt comfortable slowing down.
“I hate — to have— to say this,” Auram gasped between breaths, “but I— have to land. I’m just not— built for distance.” Without another word, he started sinking toward the ground.
“Okay,” Rhydian said, “we rest for a while, then we keep going.”
“Are you crazy?” Desmond shouted. “With those g
rounders out there? I’m not stopping!”
“Great,” Taya said, dropping altitude. “Good luck on your own.”
Everyone (including a begrudging Desmond) drifted with Auram to the ground and collapsed in the dirt, totally out of breath, and almost completely blind in the dark, empty desert. It was so cold that their teeth chattered as they spoke.
“You know, correct me if I’m wrong,” said Desmond, “but isn’t the desert supposed to be hot?”
“To save time, can we just agree that you’re always wrong?” Auram chided.
“The desert air has very little moisture,” explained Taya, “so it doesn’t retain any heat after the sun goes down.”
“Can we build a fire?” asked Ellie.
“A what?” Auram asked, puzzled.
Desmond shook his head in bewildered amusement. “I told you we shouldn’t have brought her. She knows so little about Ilimíra that she doesn’t even understand our physics. There’s no such thing as fire here, sweetheart!”
“Oh, don’t ever call me that again!”
“Hey!” Taya intervened. “Relax, okay? I planned ahead.”
She pulled out a lumpy pouch and upturned it over the dusty ground. Out fell a small pile of round heat stones. Piling them into a neat little heap, she retrieved a bottle of ilïmbalm and poured its meager contents over the stones. Everyone gathered in to warm themselves.
“Now, everyone spread your wings and make a kind of tent to contain the heat,” Taya instructed.
“Where’d you learn that?” Auram said as they all did as she said.
“Fleet survival training,” she replied.
“So,” Rhydian said, “even if we get Nicodemus to stop the rift, we’re still going to be fugitives, and Corvus is never going to give up his crusade. I mean, we might be talking about a full on revolution here.”
“Good luck with that,” Desmond huffed, rubbing his hands together over the glowing stones.
“You don’t believe in keeping the other side free and safe?” Auram challenged.
“Let’s just say I’m not the revolutionary type. I’m just in this to get my sister back and then I’m out. You can all do what you want, but leave me out of it.” He shifted uncomfortably, cringing at the pain in his chest.
“You should put some medical balm on that wound,” Taya suggested.
“Yeah, I’ll get right on that. Anyone see a medical shop around here?”
“You know, we didn’t have to let you come at all, Desmond,” said Ellie. “Heaven knows, I didn’t want you here. The least you could do is try to be civil. Act like one of the team.”
“I don’t play on a team,” he replied. “I told you, I’m not here to fight for your cause. I’m not part of your little ‘Auram’s word’ movement.”
They were interrupted by the sound of growls nearby and everyone instantly jumped to their feet, drawing their weapons. Surrounding them were the figures of ten or more Grimalkin figures, shrouded in darkness. Rhydian knew better than to think that the darkness impeded the Grimalkin at all.
“Auram, can you fly?” Taya asked urgently.
“I think I could be persuaded to, yeah” he replied.
“I’ve never taken off from the ground before,” Ellie whispered fearfully into Rhydian’s ear.
Rhydian stepped forward and raised his sword as the figures closed in, spears and arrows pointed at them. “Get back! We’re not afraid to fight!”
To his surprise, a familiar voice replied, “Eaglehide?”
Flightless
Everyone froze and looked to Rhydian, who was as perplexed as the rest of them. A moment later, one of the Grimalkin stepped into the light of the glowing heat stones, revealing her brilliant, yellow eyes.
“Brighteye?” Rhydian said, hardly believing what he was seeing.
“What are you doing so far from your city, young Eaglehide?”
“We’re on our way to the northern colonies to rescue two of our own. They’re being held prisoner by— well, by the same man who betrayed my father in the battle of Shïnnía.”
“Then fortune favors us both,” she replied. “I am on a reconnaissance mission for the Chieftain Lord himself. It’s my first command. We can give you safe passage the rest of the way to your Border City.”
“Hey, wait!” shouted Desmond. “What’s going on here? You’re in league with the enemy?”
Everyone but Rhydian and Auram were confused.
“It seems we have a common enemy now,” Brighteye told Desmond. “My hope is that this might unite our people once again.”
“I’m sorry,” Taya said, stepping forth, “but am I the only one who remembers these creatures shooting at us not ten minutes ago?”
“Please, forgive my sisters,” Brighteye said. “You flew in so fast that you caught us by surprise. When we saw your weapons, we thought we were under attack.”
“Sure,” Desmond replied sarcastically, “honest mistake.”
“Look,” Rhydian said, turning back to the others, “I know this is confusing, but I’ll explain everything later.”
“Are you making camp for the night?” Brighteye inquired.
“Looks like it. We were going to push on through the night, but we’ve been flying all day. We just can’t go any further.”
“Please, rest your wings. My sisters and I would be honored to carry you the rest of the way to the border.”
“You’d do that?”
“Nothing would please me more than for my grandcubs to tell the story of how I carried the spirit of the great Eaglehide.” She stooped low to allow him onto her back. Four other Grimalkin stepped forward to carry his companions.
“There’s no way I’m riding on the back of one of these savages!” exclaimed Desmond, prompting a rumbling growl from the Grimalkin nearest him.
“Feel free to fly the rest of the way then,” Rhydian said, climbing onto Brighteye’s back.
The others (including Desmond) hesitantly followed suit, and with a roar, the Grimalkin took off running across the barren desert. They ran so fast that Rhydian and the others had to tuck their wings close so the wind would not tear them form their mounts.
“Okay,” Ellie shouted from the back of her Grimalkin, “this is one more of a million things I didn’t think I’d be doing when I woke up this morning!”
Everyone was relieved to be able to rest without losing time. Auram kept drifting off to sleep, nearly toppling to the ground several times. It wasn’t exactly a comfortable ride, as they were jostled around by the Grimalkin’s gate. It was difficult to stay astride them, as their bodies were limber and their movements very fluid.
After a few hours, a long, bright line of lights stretched diagonally across the open landscape as far as the eye could see in both directions. The lights glimmered and twinkled from afar, like the glittering scene of a city skyline.
“What’s that line?” Ellie asked, noticing the lights.
“That’s the border city,” Taya replied.
“That’s a city? Why is it so long and narrow? It looks like it goes on forever.”
“It’s built high on top of the border wall,” Rhydian replied, “surrounding the entire northern territories.”
“So, the city continues all the way around the border?” she asked in awe.
“What did you think we meant when we said Border City?” said Taya.
“I just figured it was a city by the border,” she said simply.
“What, just on the ground?” Auram replied. “That would be insane!”
When they came within a half mile from the Border City, it was clear that it was not on the ground. Even from that distance, they could see that the city lights were high above the desert landscape. The Grimalkin came to a halt and gathered together.
“This is where we leave you, young Eaglehide,” said Brighteye. “My sisters and I are not safe near the wall. It is too heavily defended.”
“Thank you,” replied Rhydian, climbing down from her back.
&n
bsp; “You are most welcome. I look forward to meeting again, hopefully in better times.” Then she roared, echoed by her comrades, and took off into the dark.
“So,” Desmond said, “care to comment on what just happened?”
“It’s a bit of a long story,” Rhydian said.
“Okay then, how about the CliffNotes version?”
“CliffNotes?” Rhydian echoed.
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, it’s a human expression. It just means, tell me the short version.”
“Well, the short version is, it seems my father wasn’t just a hero to our people. Now, has everyone had enough time to rest up?”
They all nodded, so they flapped into the air (Ellie after only a bit of coaching and a few tries) and made their way toward the Border City. As they passed by overhead, they could see that Brighteye was quite correct. The wall was highly defensible, standing nearly a hundred feet high with battlements lining the edge. There were buildings and structures built in stone along the top, forming a dense urban environment, which was apparently kept brightly lit throughout the night. The lights extended in a perfectly straight line in both directions, dwindling off into the horizon. About every thirty feet along the wall stood a pair of heavily armored soldiers with crossbows, ready to fire down upon any apposing force below.
“How big are the northern colonies?” Ellie asked in awe.
“They used to be their own nation,” said Taya, “until they were conquered over a hundred years ago and became part of the Unified Sovereignty of Ilimíra. Of course, most of Ilimíra’s a republic now, but some people still believe the government has too much power.”
“Which, of course, is ridiculous,” said Desmond.
“Oh yeah!” Auram said sarcastically. “Our government’s doing a great job taking care of us! Not like they’ve tried to kill us or start a war on an unsuspecting populous recently or anything. Let’s give them more power!”
Desmond just rolled his eyes in return.
“Seems strange to build a wall that can be easily flown over,” Ellie observed.
“The wall’s not to keep Ilimíri from crossing, El,” Rhydian explained. “The northern colonies boast a zero percent ground-dweller population within their borders.”
