by H. J. Bellus
Despite the lack of challenges to these sects, there was still a certain electricity flowing through the crowd in anticipation of the performances and tests that would soon commence.
After the last young man spoke his challenge, the mystic once again stepped forward.
“With the guidance of The Protector, allow each of these young people to go forth, and face their destiny!”
With that the drums thrummed to life, and the crowd cheered as the small group of youths did their best to appear confident. Once dismissed, they walked off the stage, each heading toward the ceremonial proving ground for their chosen sect.
Amir had spoken first, and so would be the first to face his proving. The stonemelter sect’s proving forge was toward the northeastern end of Madina Basin, around the mataqus bend. Amir led the way, and the crowds parted before him. Hundreds of friends, family and strangers followed after him, all eager to witness the demonstration of skill required for entrance into the sect.
It was at this time that Kiva slipped away to enact the plan she had been preparing for.
3
Trials
Kiva weaved her way through the throngs of people, ducking her head low. Her destination was one that should be relatively calm, compared to this part of the basin. Her theory soon proved true, as the crowds thinned the further north she traveled. She hurried along for several more minutes before finally arriving. Before her stood another low stone platform, butted up against the basin’s towering walls. At the back, an entrance had been cut into the wall—a large, peaked archway blocked off by flat stone.
Kiva climbed onto the platform and placed a hand on the craggy wall of stone, stretching ever upward. She tilted her head nearly all the way back, taking in the expansive climb, leading up toward the clear blue sky above. As she did so, she spotted a kiraeen soaring high on the thermals. Its wings and feathered legs were spread wide to catch the warm air, the sunlight reflecting turquoise flashes off its black iridescent feathers.
This was it. The windwalker proving ground. The task itself was fraught with danger. She had spent the past several months learning everything she could about it. The proving was created to test for the three major qualities required of a windwalker. The first was fearlessness of heights. She would need to ascend the stone before her, climbing hundreds of feet up to the cavernous opening above. The second quality was a spiritual connection to the kiraeen. Atop the walls of Madina Basin lay the roosting grounds of the male kiraeen. Some were bonded by their windwalkers, and others still wild. Kiva had always possessed a special talent for communing with the animal life of the desert. She hoped it would be no different with the kiraeen.
From one of them she would need to collect a single feather. The third and final quality to be tested was windfaith. A windwalker must become one with the wind, trusting implicitly in its ability to preserve and protect the kiraeen riders. Kiva envisioned this to be the most challenging and deadly of the tests.
No one had ever attempted a windwalker proving without issuing a formal challenge to the sect, but Kiva knew they would never allow it, if she asked. There would undoubtedly be an uproar at a female attempting the challenge. Should she fail, she would be dead anyway. But should she succeed, she will have proven the tradition wrong. A woman can indeed become a windwalker. With the challenge completed, they would have to allow her into the sect.
Kiva nodded, resolute. She quickly hopped down beside the stone platform. After checking to make sure no one was watching, she removed her outer layer of white clothing, revealing the black tunic and pants underneath. She lifted the black shemagh she had tucked away, and wrapped it around her head, hiding everything but her eyes.
Kiva quickly tucked her white clothing behind a stone and leapt back up onto the platform. With a final breath to steady her nerves, she began to climb. The ascent was a challenging one, with few handholds and cracks to make use of. But Kiva had been climbing with her brothers for years. Her experience allowed her to pick out the best path up the sheer stone surface. As she did, the tinny clink of the forging hammer rang out through the basin—Amir’s proving was underway.
The sun beat down as Kiva clawed, stemmed, and lifted herself toward her goal. After nearly an hour, her fingers and forearms were aching. She scanned for a good spot to rest, and found a wide crack several feet up. She soon reached it and climbed inside. She extended one leg, pressing her foot against one side of the crack, and her back against the other. With her other leg tucked up beneath her, she allowed her arms to dangle at her sides. Kiva rolled her neck, then reached for the small bladder tied to her belt, and took a drink.
The people below were a varied mass of reds, blacks, greens, yellows, and grays, crowding around the proving stage of the stonemelter sect.
Not far above was the halfway point, marked by a small alcove with a bell hanging inside.
Moments later, a cheer erupted from below. There was no mistaking its meaning—Amir’s proving was a success. He’d been accepted into the stonemelter sect.
Kiva smiled as she resumed the climb, and after several more minutes, reached the halfway point. The small alcove wasn’t large enough for her to climb into, but it did allow her to rest with her forearm flat against its surface. She placed a hand against the large, brass bell, and grinned at the surprise it would elicit.
Kiva shoved, and the bell clanged loudly. She glanced down to see tiny, upturned faces within the crowds. Normally, the ringing would be followed by uproarious cheers, but the only sound was that of the bell, echoing off the surrounding stone. Those below began pointing, and soon the crowds started migrating toward the windwalker proving ground.
Satisfied, Kiva continued her ascent. After nearly another hour of the laborious climb, fatigue began to set in. This was more than she had ever attempted with her brothers. Kiva stemmed between a deep crevice, and looked down. Those below weren’t much more than colorful dots.
The screech of a nearby kiraeen caught her attention, and she tucked herself deeper into the crevice, hoping it wouldn’t notice her. Normally the bonded creatures would not behave aggressively toward challengers, but all before her had been boys. It was said the male kiraeen, bonded or not, were not very accepting of women. I will give them no choice but to accept me, she thought defiantly.
Kiva waited a moment, then scanned the sky. There was no sign of the kiraeen, and she resumed her climb. The wind buffeted her back, cooling the sweat on her body. She glanced up, and spotted it—a cavernous opening in the rock face. Kiva had nearly reached the entrance to the kiraeen roosting grounds.
She worked her way up the last several feet, and pulled herself up into the opening.
I made it! she thought triumphantly. Sitting with her legs dangling over the edge, Kiva took another drink, and waved to the crowd below. She could hear the faint sound of half-hearted cheering as the curious onlookers grew in number.
A black shape swooped into her peripheral. Kiva had just enough time to leap back out of the way. A great kiraeen thumped down into the tunnel entrance, onto the spot she had been sitting seconds ago. Kiva’s heart pounded in her chest. A few paces away, the creature studied her with beady orange eyes, set just above a large, razor sharp onyx beak. Several red feathers, angled back on its forehead, stood starkly against the black feathers covering the rest of its body.
Screeok!
Kiva grimaced, ducking her head at the deafening sound. She looked into its eyes, meeting its gaze directly. Never before had she seen one this close before. The kiraeen was hunched over in the tunnel entrance, forward weight resting on the bent leading edges of its great feathered wings. Black talons extended out from where the wings met the ground.
It’s beautiful, Kiva thought with wonder.
“Sahl,” she said in a soothing tone, holding up her hand. She held her other hand over the khanjar dagger at her belt.
“Sahl,” she said again
.
The creature tilted its head, eying her with curiosity. Kiva took a step forward. The kiraeen took up nearly the entire tunnel. If it attacked in here, she might be able to outmaneuver it.
The beast must have also been aware of the disadvantage. It leapt backwards out of the tunnel entrance. Kiva ran to the edge of the opening and watched as it spread its great wings, and soared back up into the sky.
Kiva swallowed. There would be many more of them up above, where she would face the second test of her unlawful challenge. She turned, continuing deeper into the tunnel, and came to a set of rough stairs, carved from the rock. She followed the curving staircase, which eventually led to an overhead opening. Bright sunlight streamed through it, illuminating the last few steps. Kiva cautiously ascended, peeking her head out.
The sight she beheld stole the breath from her lungs. She had reached the top of the walls of Madina Basin. The roosting grounds of the windwalker kiraeen. Before her stretched a path with great jutting stone formations, sloping upward on either side. Lodged into the rocks were dozens of kiraeen nests, constructed from sticks, shrubs, bones, and the skins of their prey. Many of the nests were empty, however there were still several occupied with formidable beasts.
Kiva ducked her head back down below, wrestling with the doubt gnawing away at her resolve. Her original plan had been to stay hidden, and steal a feather from one of the nests, but this path put her in direct sight of every kiraeen atop the basin. How can I possibly keep so many of them away, much less get one of their feathers?
Kiva imagined facing her family, having attempted the challenge and given up. She pursed her lips in determination. I’ve come this far. There is no way I am going back empty handed. She again poked her head out of the opening and peered down the path. Just then a screech came from above, followed by the rustling of feathers. Kiva followed the sound to where two kiraeen fought in mid-air over the lower half of an agaza lizard carcass. They snapped at each other with large onyx beaks, flapping their wings to stay afloat. Their talons were hooked into the lizard flesh, each refusing to let go.
Kiva watched, captivated by the violent display. One snapped at the wing of the other, tearing out some of its feathers. The injured kiraeen cried out, releasing its grip on the carcass. It flew awkwardly away, perching on a nearby outcropping. The victorious bird let out a screech, and carried the lizard back to a nest high above the rocky path. It tore at the flesh with its razor sharp beak, then lifted its head, allowing the meal to drop down into its gullet.
Kiva watched greedily as the feathers from the injured bird floated lazily down onto the path. “No!” she whispered, reaching out helplessly as a sudden gust of wind sent them spinning and whirling.
This is it, she thought. I need one of those feathers.
She gathered her courage and bolted up out of the opening, sprinting down the path at full speed. She could hear the screeching cries of the kiraeen, raising the alarm at her presence. She focused on the feathers, which floated down, only to be swept up again, lifted even higher into the sky. Shadows slid across the ground before her as she ran, but her eyes were trained on the lowest feather, dancing its way back down toward the ground.
The wind picked up just as she closed in, but Kiva leapt up onto the sharp, staggered rocks beside the path. She took three quick, climbing strides, and pushed off with all her strength, leaping after the feather. With her arm outstretched, hand open wide, she soared toward it.
Her fingers closed around the iridescent black plume, and she fell back toward the ground. Kiva tucked into a ball as she landed, rolling forward and continuing her run, feather in hand. Her grin was quickly wiped away as a kiraeen swooped toward her. She lunged aside, barely avoiding its large, curving talons.
Still sprinting forward, Kiva squinted, peering ahead. If what she’d learned were true, the third and final challenge should be at the end of the path. Just then, she caught the shadow of another kiraeen swooping toward her from behind. Kiva dove forward, covering her head. She felt a great wind as talons tore into the back of her tunic, narrowly avoiding her flesh.
Once it passed, she scrambled to her feet and bolted down the path. Not fifty paces ahead, the ground sloped suddenly up, ending abruptly. Beyond it would be open air—a great drop all the way back down to the basin floor.
Windfaith, she thought as her legs carried her forward. This was the test she feared most, though with a pack of bloodthirsty kiraeen behind her, she was more than ready to be gone from their roost. The test itself was a leap of faith. A free-fall plunge down a great vertical shaft. There was said to be a consistent wind blowing up through it to slow the fall, but given her pursuers, she would have no time to test it.
Almost there, she thought, pushing her body to its limits.
The kiraeen were relentless, and she was nearly decapitated as another flew by, snapping at her head. Kiva was ten strides from the drop when yet another descended. She managed to avoid its sweeping talons, but one if its wings caught her ankle and she went tumbling.
Rolling and sliding along the hard stone, she eventually came to a stop, groaning in pain. She pushed herself up, turning to find a powerful kiraeen stalking toward her. Its tail was raised up high, fanned out to display a red pattern of feathers. It weaved the pattern hypnotically in figure-eights. Kiva scooted back frantically, still clutching the feather. The kiraeen crouched low, preparing to strike. There was nothing standing between them, and no time to run. She was caught.
Time slowed, and Kiva watched as the beautiful and deadly creature tensed its leg muscles. The black, iridescent feathers around its head were flayed out, and its orange eyes tracked her with merciless precision. Instinct took over, and Kiva raised a hand up before her. She curled her thumb and the next two fingers into a claw, folding down the last two. She felt her eyes relax out of focus, and she spoke calmly, “Assalamu alaikom, siad Miralaja.”
Kiva felt her skin tingle as she reached out to the majestic animal. A primal heat surged through her body, and she felt her mind stretching, expanding toward it.
The kiraeen paused, and she sensed its tension lessen. Slowly, she rose to her feet, keeping her arm outstretched, maintaining eye contact.
“Hudu’,” she whispered, taking a slow step back. The windfaith trial was several feet behind her. If she could hold its attention long enough…
She took another step, and the kiraeen took a step toward her. It’s powerful talons clacking against the stone as it did. She took another step, and the creature did the same.
An ember of hope sparked within her; a small distraction from the intense focus she maintained.
She felt a sudden strange recognition within the beast.
Skyhunter, the thought came to her, though it was not her own.
In her peripheral, Kiva caught the dark shape of another kiraeen swooping down. Her eyes instinctively regained focus, and she looked up to see curving black talons speeding toward her. Her connection with the creature vanished, and it screeched in rage.
In a flash, Kiva’s dagger was out. She bent her knees, preparing to leap forward. If I must die, I will die fighting.
A shadow passed over her, and less than a second later, the diving kiraeen was gone. Kiva looked up and saw several feathers floating down through open air. She quickly turned her attention back to the kiraeen before her. Its eyes were also drawn by events overhead, though it swiftly returned its gaze back to Kiva.
Its tail was once again raised, and its head lowered.
Kiva heard another kiraeen land with a thud behind her.
Here to fight over the meal, she thought. The idea of being torn in two by hungry predators was not one she relished.
Behind her, a deafening screech pierced the air, and Kiva ducked her head. The kiraeen before her was now fixated on whatever had made the noise behind her. It took a step back. Kiva swallowed, and slowly turned around, her heart p
ounding in her chest.
Raised up on its legs, with great, powerful wings outstretched, was a massive, imposing kiraeen—the same she had seen in the tunnel. Red feathers on top of its head marked it different from the others that had attacked. In her awe, Kiva understood that this was no ordinary creature.
It dove forward toward her, and Kiva dropped flat to the stone, covering her head. The wondrous creature continued past her, crashing into the other kiraeen.
Kiva experienced a brief moment of shock at still being alive, then quickly stood, collecting her wits. Straight ahead was the great drop; the trial of windfaith. There was nothing left standing in her way. Without hesitation, Kiva sprinted forward, clutching her dagger in one hand, and the feather in the other.
Painful animal cries screeched out from behind her as she ran up the sloping path. She reached the end of it at full speed and leapt into the great abyss.
4
Windfaith
Kiva’s eyes widened as she soared out over the drop. She was immediately hit with a blast of warm air as she descended, face down, into the dark, seemingly bottomless shaft. The light from the sun above grew dim, and she could no longer discern how quickly she fell.
Kiva closed her eyes, doing her best to eliminate all fear from her mind.
I trust in the wind, she thought, allowing it to bear her downward. As she fell, her sense of time and space became strangely distorted. She no longer felt as if she were falling, but instead experienced a sense of weightlessness.
This must be how they feel, she thought, imagining herself a kiraeen, soaring high above the desert sands. A sense of elation flooded through her as she became one with the wind. She was no longer imagining, but experiencing what she had always longed for. She was the kiraeen, performing an intricate, flowing dance with the wind itself. She felt the power of the wind’s caress, and the playful way in which it gusted and eddied. Her body was lifted, turned, released, and caught.
