The party was happy to find steps carved into the wood, from time to time, creating crude stairs to move around on. Some were wide steps; others were nothing more than chunks taken out of the side of the massive tree trunks. The latter proved quite a challenge for Harwin and Peadar to get across. Each person was secured with a rope and spotted by two people for each crossing.
Galirras was enjoying this new adventure, clawing around on the branches and tree trunks, chasing small lizards or insects living in the canopy. It was like they entered a completely new world. As empty as the forest was on the ground, the trees were buzzing with life. Life that made excellent snacks, according to Galirras. He had seen some sort of black squirrels, caterpillars, centipedes as big as an arm, lizards, and spiders; but also larger animals, like the thing that looked like a climbing badger—small furry creatures living in holes—and the large eagles they came across earlier. Raylan was sure lots of other animals remained undetected. Most were harmless, but Sebastian checked each handgrip hole thoroughly to make sure no poisonous spider or other harmful insect occupied it.
Galirras moved more swiftly than Raylan felt comfortable with. Sometimes, he was two trees over. Then, all of a sudden, he was above them, moving along a higher branch and disappearing from sight. He always climbed though, never jumped, tried to glide, or fly with his wings. Thankfully, his movements looked confident, and Raylan had not seen him make a mistake, yet.
Their progress was slow. They often had to wait for the entire group to move along one of the tree trunk steps. Their feet were getting numb from the cold, which only increased the chance of mistakes.
Waiting for the last of their group to cross, Raylan wondered how Sebastian knew where to go, as all trees looked the same to him.
“There are small carvings in the bark of the trees. Just keep an eye on Sebastian and you’ll see it.”
Raylan looked up to Galirras, who clung to the tree some twenty feet above them. Following his advice, Raylan noticed Sebastian’s hand slide over the bark of a tree trunk when they set out again. On closer inspection, Raylan saw a small symbol carved into the trunk, clearly put there to indicate which way to move forward.
Walking behind Sebastian, Raylan noticed the flexible leather boots that their guide wore. The soles appeared to have a rough surface, increasing grip on the tree bark as much as possible. Each of their new friends, Sebastian included, had strapped on that strange backpack again. The device covered more than their entire backs and had a hook sticking out of the top. They looked heavy, but Sebastian did not seem bothered by the weight at all.
“Hey, Sebastian? What are those packs you’re carrying? How do they work?” Raylan asked, when they were walking next to each other across an especially long branch.
“These things? They’re our stolen life savers.”
“Where’d they come from?”
“We got a few of them some years ago during one of our warehouse raids. The guys that went out on that trip didn’t know what they were, but luckily they decided to bring some back with them. Once back at base, one of the older men recognized the device.
“We didn’t know it at the time, but Old Luke is a real tinkerer. He told us that he and a younger slave had been working for a group of weird people. These people did nothing else but try and come up with all kind of strange contraptions and devices. He said he’d never seen metal like the one they worked with in those workshops. It was very flexible and strong at the same time.
“Apparently, Old Luke had very steady hands in creating the smallest things. His job was to build the things they’d think of and help them test it out. It was only luck that he’d been with us in the mines the day we made our escape. Normally, he worked somewhere in the palace, but he’d been sent to check up on some kind of metal delivery or something.”
“He built them?”
“Parts of it, I believe. He took one apart to take a closer look and worked out how to use it…might’ve even made some adjustments. During that time, we were still forced to move around on ground level, which was dangerous. We’d lose people to predators or quicksand, especially during the nights…”
“So, how do they work?”
“He showed me once how this strange metal band is curled up inside. That band is attached to a rope. Pulling the rope tightens the band inside, allows the rope to retract if let go. I’ve got no idea how that strange metal keeps its curled shape. I’ve never seen something like it before in my life. Normal iron is dull and heavy, but this metal has a strange greenish glow over it and feels incredibly light. It’s almost like it has no weight at all.”
“So what…? You just hook it to something and jump down?”
Sebastian laughed.
“That’s pretty much it, yeah. It took me a while to get the courage to do so, though.”
“But how is it you don’t smash into the ground?”
Sebastian pointed to either side.
“See this lever? That’s the brake. Pull it and you stop the rope from coming out. The dial adjusts the tension on the metal curl, allowing you to adjust for higher or lower heights. It’s not without fault though. Jump from too high a branch and you’ll end up dangling helplessly in the air, or adjust the tension wrong and you’ll hit the ground hard. It took us a lot of trial and error to get things right. Poor Crippled Claude will never be able to walk right again.
“But we wouldn’t be able to do without them, now. Once we figured out how they worked, we were able to come down from the trees wherever we liked, giving us the element of surprise and a much safer travel route in this forest of giant trees. We went back several times to steal more, before they caught on to them disappearing and moved the stockpile away.”
“Unreal. I seem to run into impossible things all the time, lately.”
“Ah, it seems that we’re almost there,” said Sebastian, as he pointed ahead.
In front of them. Raylan saw a rope bridge, connecting two trees, in a place where none of the branches crossed each other. As they moved across it, Raylan looked down, expecting to see a massive depth, opening to an unwelcoming ground down below. In fact, he barely saw the ground, as branches and leaves ran under the entire bridge. It kept everything out of sight for anyone on ground level who would look upward, by chance.
They crossed another five rope bridges, before they were eventually greeted by a dark-haired man with a large bow on his back, and two short axes at the ready, in case the rope bridge would need to be cut.
Sebastian greeted the man with a slap on the shoulder and something said in a non-Terran language. The man pointed toward them, asking him a question. After some back and forth, Sebastian threw his hands in the air.
“Oh come on, Ratjic! They’re kullah…,” Sebastian said. “Guests! From my homeland! We’ve been on the road for weeks, and it was a long trip. I want them to meet with the council.”
“It seems like this man doesn’t like us entering the village,” said Galirras, as he jumped down from the spot, higher up, where he had been waiting.
The guard gave a short outcry and grabbed for his bow. Sebastian quickly put his hand on Ratjic’s arm, pushing down the bow. He added something in the unknown language.
The guard looked bewildered, taking in Galirras and their entire travel group from head to toe, for some time.
Finally, the man called Ratjic said something to Sebastian as he gestured to Galirras.
“Excuse me. I am not a lizard!” said Galirras suddenly, as he swung his head close to the guard.
The guard jumped backward, even Sebastian and his companions had a look of surprise on their faces. Most of their own group had been introduced to Galirras ‘speaking’ during the morning travel. Harwin had happily grumbled about the surprises in the world. Kevhin and Rohan briefly talked about hunting prey with him. Peadar on the other hand got startled and almost lost his balance. He gave everyone quite a scare by almost plummeting to the ground, but afterward had been delighted to talk to the dragon about all
kinds of things like the biology of his body. Ca’lek had shown very little surprise, as if he had expected the possibility of communication all along.
“You understand what he is saying, Galirras?” asked Raylan.
“They were talking the same language when I was in the egg.”
“You were aware of the outside while you were in your egg?”
“Of course, I felt you, did I not? Words reached my ears, images flowed into my head. I think that’s how I learned.”
“So you can hear other people’s thoughts? Are you able to hear his thoughts now?” said Xi’Lao, who had come to see what was going on.
“No, I cannot. Everything turned much quieter after Raylan became mine and I became his.”
“But he couldn’t have understood you. You spoke Terran, just now,” remarked Raylan.
“I spoke to him in his own dialect. I merely just spoke to you in your own language, too.”
Galirras looked apologetically at Xi’Lao, for a second.
“I am sorry, Xi’Lao. I do not speak the language of the Tiankong…not yet, anyway. I would have liked to speak to you in your native language, too.”
“You silly magnificent creature, though I would love to have a conversation in my own language again, there’s no need to apologize for any such thing,” said Xi’Lao, politely.
Raylan saw she was trying not to lose her reserved posture and not to laugh out loud. It made him feel good that Galirras was getting along with the other members in the group. The guard, who looked at them having a conversation, relaxed for only a tiny fraction. He turned to Sebastian and spoke quite briskly.
Galirras stepped forward, but not directly at the guard, trying not to look threatening.
“It is not my intention to frighten anyone. If it means that much to everyone, I have no problem waiting somewhere on the outskirts of the town. But there is no need to insult me.”
That finally seemed to do the trick. They agreed that Galirras would follow up higher in the trees and wait at one of the empty spots Sebastian would point out.
As they passed the guard, he looked at every single one in the group with a strict concentration on his stern face. Only his known companions, like Twan and Otis, received a smile and greeting, welcoming them back to their home.
As they walked further, the full village came into view at the other side of the tree. The sight was amazing. Platforms, large and small, were constructed on the higher branches. The first huts were small and older; but as they got farther into the settlement, the buildings became larger and appeared increasingly sturdier. Full stairs, with handrails, had been constructed in many places, allowing for safe passage between each part. Some platforms even had troughs with dirt, where plants and berries seemed to grow.
A number of platforms were connected by the same kind of rope bridges they had crossed earlier, since the distance was too great for normal stairs. Torches were positioned on most platforms, but none were burning during the day.
“You know, you might actually be some kind of large lizard,” remarked Raylan to Galirras, privately, as they walked on.
“Really?” Galirras looked back at the guard with a hint of guilt. “Maybe I should go back and apologize, then.”
Galirras felt uncomfortable, sitting on the platform. Next to him were all kinds of boxes and piles of wooden planks. At the other side were some woven baskets, smelling of fish and dirt. But, the scent was not the problem. They had only been there a short while, but news had spread quickly through the small treetop village; and a group of spectators rapidly formed, every single one making sure not to venture too close. A handful of small boys and a dark-eyed girl stared at him. The boys dared each other to approach him. Something that should not be that difficult, or scary, in Galirras’ opinion.
It was his first time seeing small children. They looked in all aspect human, but their dimensions were off in some ways. One of them with blond curly hair had arms and legs that seemed very long in comparison with his torso; and this other kid with short spiky rugged hair carried around a head that was way too big on those small shoulders. They also seemed to be much more rowdy than the full versions of humans.
Raylan and his brother were talking to Sebastian, when he noticed the group of spectators making way for a small delegation. Two women and a man approached them with slow, well-measured paces. Raylan, who was used to his home city’s council of thirty, had imagined something slightly different when Sebastian talked about their council. Back home, ‘The Thirty’ were influential men put in place to represent the common folk and to act as guidance for the king. It seemed an odd thing to call these three a council, though he admitted the three looked old enough to fit the image.
One woman looked like his old neighbor near his father’s workshop, and she had been a great-grandmother with more grandchildren than two hands could count. This woman looked anything but feeble though. She had strong eyes and held her gray head high as she took in the scene. Locking her eyes on Galirras, with interest, when she saw him.
The other woman and man seemed a bit younger, but were easily still twice Raylan’s age. The small, well-rounded woman looked like she enjoyed a good life, but the deep facial lines showed a hardworking life in the past and most likely the present. The man’s face showed the same hardness, though much of it was hidden behind a black and gray beard. His tall build made him an impressive presence even at his age. The one thing that was not covered by his facial hair was the slave mark burned in his cheek. Both women had one, too. The elderly woman didn’t have the symbol on her cheek but on her left hand. The mark was so faded it must have been there for a very long time.
“Sebastian, welcome back,” the man began, when the trio was close enough. “How did it go?”
“It’s been a long, but good, couple of weeks. The new trails are marked. One leads to a promising fishing pool. We did some maintenance on two bridges on the track to the stables, but the rest was still in great condition.”
“What about the food storage?” asked the round woman.
“Ann, Jarod, can’t you see we’ve got more important things to discuss? We’ve got guests,” the elderly woman said, cutting her short.
“More important? What is more important than feeding every mouth in this village? Food stock has already dwindled ever since we lost part of it in that last spring storm. We can’t have people go hungry. It’s not good for morale,” said Ann.
“You’re always hungry,” replied the elderly woman. “I for one, would like to know who these people are before we discuss anything of a sensitive nature.”
“Svetka’s got a point, Ann. My apologies for rushing in like that,” said the man called Jarod.
“Perhaps we should talk somewhere a bit more private?” suggested Svetka.
After some polite official introductions, they were invited to a small meeting space a little bit higher up in the tree. Raylan joined Gavin and Xi’Lao, attending the closed meeting with the small council and Sebastian. They were sure to have questions about Galirras, so Gavin wanted Raylan present to represent their unusual companion.
“Why have you brought them here?” said Svetka.
The question was directed at Sebastian; it seemed, for now, she was completely ignoring their party, which Raylan found quite rude.
“Because they’re from Aeterra, just like you, and Jarod. They can help us fight, can help us get back home,” Sebastian started.
“Home? Child, I’ve long forgotten my home. These dark woods feel more like home than any far away kingdom will ever be again. Who knows what has changed there after all this time. And how can you be so certain? It might be a trap. They might be here to kill us all when we least expect it,” she replied.
“No,” said Sebastian, shaking his head. “I don’t believe that. They were being chased by the dark troops. I saw them looking for them, everywhere.”
“And you brought them here? What if the enemy followed them?” added Ann.
“Dark troo
ps have been known to speak Terran perfectly, if properly taught. Did you actually see them fight the dark troops?” asked Svetka.
Sebastian held his tongue on that one.
“It seems to me you have endangered everything we’ve built these last years by guiding these strangers here. If we’re discovered, we’ll have nowhere else to go. Not to mention, bringing this unknown ferocious looking creature into our midst, the like no-one has ever seen before.”
The old woman’s voice sounded like she was scolding her grandchild.
“It’s called a dragon, and he’s a member of our group,” Raylan interrupted.
“Silly child, don’t be absurd. There are no such things as dragons. It’s important for young people to know the difference between the real world and fairy tales.”
“Well, this fairy tale is tr—” began Raylan, when he was interrupted.
“We really mean your people no harm, ma’am. I can assure you this.” Gavin held up his hand to keep Raylan quiet, as he tried to prevent the situation from escalating. “We found ourselves stuck behind enemy lines after carrying out our mission and we are currently trying to find a suitable way home to bring this whole ordeal to a close.”
“How’d it come to pass that you’re stuck here?” This time, it was Jarod asking the question.
“We came on horseback over the northern top of the Great Eastern Divide. Our journey has taken us many moons from our safe haven. Before we could return, our road home was cut off by the Doskovian army coming in from the west and we were forced to travel south, escaping detection. We’re looking for the Drowned Man’s Fork. I was hoping perhaps you’ve heard of it?”
“And you can fight?” Jarod asked.
“We can hold our own,” stated Raylan, without permission.
“We’ve had some close calls, and I’m sad to say not all of us made it,” continued Gavin, ignoring Raylan’s rudeness.
“And this pet creature? No known animal looks like that, not even in these ancient woods.”
Windcatcher: Book I of the Stone War Chronicles Page 24
