A Flight of Marewings

by Kristen S. Walker

  By then, some of the trees had already lost all of their fruit, and sunk back down into the marsh. Their root systems hadn’t yet grown back into the mud, and she had to be careful not to trip over them. Other tree roots, still in the air, were too high for her to reach.

  She had slogged on for the better part of an hour when she began to fear that she wouldn’t find a tree low enough for her to climb. Then, looking up, she made a discovery: a tree on the ground reached its branches up just high enough that she might be able to reach the airborne tree beside it.

  The trunk of the first tree was twisted and easy to climb, so she didn’t bother with her climbing gear. Korinna hoisted herself up into the branches and reached out for the nearby roots.

  The roots were caked with dried mud and straggly so far down. Korinna found the one that was thickest, with lots of knobs for her to use as hand-and footholds. Then she checked a final time that the rope was secure to her harness, and the rest of the rope neatly coiled on the ground where it would not tangle.

  She soon found that it was easier to hold onto the roots with her hands than to step up on them with her feet. She wrapped her legs around the girth of the root instead to take some of the weight off of her shoulders and arms, but the main strength had to come from her upper body.

  Her arms burned with the effort. Her shoulders ached. Bark and dirt dug into the skin of her hands and rubbed them raw.

  She couldn’t look around and see if there was anyone else in the marsh, or even see the ground below her. The twisting roots around her blocked her view. The higher she got, the more roots there were surrounding her.

  She tried to pace herself, but there was no place where she could stop and rest, and the effort of merely hanging on was taking its toll. She had to go for it now or she wouldn’t reach the top at all.

  At the top there was a whole nest of roots, so thick that they were impenetrable. She had to wriggle her way out, hanging almost horizontal from the surface. She hooked her feet in among the roots and crawled her way up and over.

  She came out on top to where the roots formed a platform around the trunk of the tree. She looked out over the sea of trees before her and saw the sun, now rising above the horizon. The day was growing hot. But she had made it.

  The trunk was surrounded by smaller columns wound together almost like a braided rope. Korinna didn’t need any support to climb this tree, so she unhooked her harness from the climbing rope and left it behind. Ascending the trunk was as simple as a ladder.

  In the branches above her, she glimpsed the tiny, pale blue cloudfruits in clusters close to the branches. There were scars in the wood where whole branches had been torn away to get at the fruits, but she was relieved to see that there were still many left.

  In the sky around her, marewings darted in and out among the trees. When they saw her, they veered away from her tree and went to others. There were too many fruits available for them to have to risk going near a human.

  Korinna climbed up higher into the trunk and hid herself among the branches. Following Navera’s advice, she used her knife to saw through a fruit’s stem. The moment that it separated from the branch, it yanked out of her hand and drifted up into the sky.

  She watched it float away in surprise. She hadn’t realized that their magic was so strong.

  From then on, she was more careful with her picking, and she managed to get most of the ones she picked into her pockets. Her uniform tugged up and away from her, feeling like she was underwater with bubbles of air that buoyed her up.

  Then she crept as far out as she dared along the branch, so she could see out into the sky but hopefully stay hidden, and held still.

  The sun continued to rise higher in the sky and the day grew hotter. Korinna was grateful for the shade of the tree, but she wished that she could see more. She caught glimpses of wild marewings as they flew by other trees, but none came close to her.

  She sipped her water as she waited and nibbled on a biscuit. She wondered what the cloudfruit tasted like, but she had no idea what kind of an effect the magical fruit would have on a human, and she didn’t want to take any risks today.

  After what felt like hours, she heard a rustle in the branches below her. Korinna peeked over the edge and saw a marewing tearing cloudfruit from the tree.

  The marewing was the palest one she had ever seen. Her coat was gold so light it seemed to be a mirror of the sun and her mane floated around her head like a cloud of fine white down. Her wings, beating in a circular pattern to keep her hovering in place, were covered in darker golden scales that glinted and reflected the sunlight into tiny brilliant patterns all over the branches.

  Korinna held her breath and dug in her pockets for one of the cloudfruit. Then she held on to the branch with one hand and, leaning down as far as she dared, stretched out with the fruit. She kept her hand open and used the flat of her palm to push the fruit down, cupping it slightly so the fruit didn’t slip away.

  At first, the marewing didn’t seem to notice her. She was tearing through the cluster of fruit at a rapid rate. Korinna was afraid that she would finish everything within reach and move away to find more somewhere else.

  So she clucked her tongue softly, as she had heard other riders do. “Up here, girl. There’s more for you here. C’mon.”

  Her ears pricked upward at the sound, then went flat back against her head. The marewing backed away from the tree.

  Korinna kept her hand stretched out and clucked her tongue again. She didn’t move.

  The marewing hovered closer to the tree, rising to Korinna’s level. She raised her head and sniffed the air.

  “It’s okay, my beauty,” Korinna cooed.

  The marewing darted in closer and snatched the cloudfruit out of Korinna’s hand. Then she flew away out of sight.

  Korinna sat back with a sigh. There was no way to befriend a creature so wild and unpredictable, and now there wouldn’t be another chance. No other marewings were even coming near her tree.

  But then she heard another rustle and saw the gleaming head poke back through the foliage, and a large red eye looked at her.

  She reached into her pockets and pulled out another fruit. She held it out, very slowly, and watched the marewing eat from her hand once again.

  “That’s it, girl.” Korinna breathed into the marewing’s face, and the marewing breathed back on her. Her breath was sweet from the fruit.

  Korinna fed her a third fruit and a fourth. The marewing pulled away with each fruit, but she kept coming back closer, until she was close enough that Korinna could reach out and touch her.

  The marewing was soft and warm under her fingers. Her hair was matted with dirt and burrs, but she still glowed, and she was the most beautiful thing Korinna had ever seen. She felt the marewing’s presence washing over her like an enchantment. Something in the marewing’s eyes reached out and touched her heart—and accepted her.

  Suddenly, the marewing turned away and began to glide off from the tree.

  Without thinking, Korinna pushed off of the branch and jumped.

  36

  Ameyron V

  The dragonlings weren’t enough on their own to help Ameyron and Omalia find the crystalbell bugs, but they did provide the key to their detection. When hunting the bugs, the dragonlings emitted a particular high-pitched screech that caused the bugs to vibrate, making them visible to the naked eye. After experimenting with several musical instruments, Ameyron was able to approximate the cry on a flute.

  Armed with this knowledge, the two mages began to formulate a plan for infiltrating the wealthy households in the High District near the Votsis mansion. Although they had only the rudimentary musical training expected of any educated people, they could pose as back-up musicians as part of a larger group. With the large number of parties being held every evening, musicians were in high demand.

  Unlike the newer wealth of the merchants and crafters in the Merchants’ District, those who lived in the High District were mostly l
anded nobility, the old money of Kyratia’s founding families, and they didn’t easily open their doors to strangers. But by observing which households had been throwing parties with alarming frequency, Ameyron and Omalia had plotted out an area of three city blocks where they thought the bugs could be concentrated. They had only to get into one of these to confirm their suspicions.

  A few favors and coin placed in the right hand obtained them fine garb, suitable for musicians, and positions in a chamber music ensemble that had been contracted to perform in one of the target locations. Ameyron brought the flute, while Omalia settled on a small drum.

  The party was set for the evening, but the ensemble was scheduled to arrive at the house earlier in the day in order to set up and tune their instruments. Servants let them in through the side entrance and directed them to a pavilion out in the garden.

  No sooner had they set their instrument cases down in the pavilion than the lady of the house came rushing out into the garden, her hair hanging in disarray.

  “Oh! The musicians are here,” she said, clapping her hands with an enthusiasm out of place with her age and status. “I know it’s still early, but please, will you just play one song for me?”

  Omalia and Ameyron exchanged a look.

  The other musicians didn’t appear to take note of the lady’s strange behavior, however. The leader picked up his guitar with a smile. “My fellows will need a moment to prepare,” he said with a bow, “but I should be happy to pick out a tune for you.”

  He sat and began to play “With Pearls and Roses in Her Hair,” a ballad popular for its memorable refrain. Omalia picked up her drum and began a simple beat to accompany him.

  The lady began to dance alone on the grass, swaying back and forth. She closed her eyes with a smile, her whole body given over to the music.

  Other people began to come out of the house, both noble and common: the lady’s children and aging mother, serving maids and errand boys. Ignoring all rules of propriety, they danced together on the lawn, lost to the song.

  When the song ended, the lady stopped dancing and rushed up to the pavilion. “You must play another one,” she demanded with a wild look in her eyes.

  The guitarist picked another tune quickly. Now other musicians had brought out their instruments, and they followed his lead. Even Ameyron nervously lifted his flute to his lips and played a plain harmony, quietly so it wouldn’t stand out when he drifted off-key.

  The lady clapped her hands and grabbed hold of the guitarist, pulling him up out of his chair. At her beckoning, the other musicians rose and followed her out of the pavilion.

  The dancers came and surrounded them, and soon they were a haphazard procession, winding their way around the garden. When they came to the gate, the lady flung it open and led them all out onto the street.

  Ameyron let his harmony die when he realized that more people were coming out of the other houses to join them. The street was filling with a crowd, all dancing as if they had no other thought in the world.

  He recognized the compulsory twitches and spasms of their movements, as if they were driven by a strange force. Many of them ignored the music and swayed chaotically, following a sound that only they could hear.

  The mage took a deep breath and lifted his flute to his lips once again. As loud as he could, he played a single, piercing note.

  On the rooftops of the houses, on the walls of the gardens, in the air overhead, tiny little sparkles dotted everywhere. A few of the dancers caught sight of them and laughed, pointing to them and exclaiming as if they were a clever decoration for the spontaneous parade.

  Ameyron saw their numbers and despaired.

  37

  Korinna XII

  Catching hold of a branch in midair was nothing like jumping after a creature that was actively flying away. Korinna found that she had jumped just far enough to clear the tree and its root structure, but not far enough to reach the marewing, and she was falling through the open air.

  She should be panicking, but there was something peaceful about knowing her fate at last. She spread her arms out and just concentrated on the feeling of the wind rushing past her. It was a little like flying, and she wanted to enjoy her last few moments of life.

  And then golden wings swooped under her, and the marewing came up from below, catching Korinna on her back.

  She wrapped her arms around the marewing’s neck and her legs around its middle, just behind the wings, and felt herself lifted back up into the sky.

  It was nothing like being a passenger on someone else’s marewing. She was connected with the marewing—somehow she felt each wingbeat and the thermal currents that kept them aloft—although she scrambled to keep her seat on her bare back, the marewing moved with her to stay under her, and she knew that she couldn’t truly slip and fall.

  She knew also that she had to give this beautiful creature a worthy name. She buried her face into the knotted mane and whispered, “Sungold.”

  Sungold took them up, soaring higher, and when Korinna dared to look again she saw the whole valley and the mountains beyond stretched out below her. The high noon sun lit up every corner with brilliant light. She felt freedom like she had never tasted before—they could fly away together and live in the wilderness, away from the petty politics of Kyratia’s Council and Galenos’s expectations, to be truly free and dependent on no one else. They could go anywhere in the world.

  But when she caught her breath again, she knew that she didn’t want that. She had to go back and face her fears, and Sungold would have to get used to being around humans. They would start a new life together in the Storm Petrels.

  Korinna put pressure on Sungold’s neck, urging her down. For a moment, she was afraid that the marewing wouldn’t respond and would fly away with her, but after she leaned in hard enough, the monster finally angled her wings and let them glide down.

  They circled their way back into the valley. Remembering Navera’s advice, she guided Sungold to a rocky outcrop beside the camp.

  To her surprise, Varranor rushed over with his arms up. Korinna gratefully slid off into his grasp—dismounting would be something that she would have to learn soon.

  He pulled her a respectful distance away from the newly captured marewing before he hugged her tight and then lifted her up in the air. “You did it! I knew you would!”

  Korinna laughed out loud from sheer joy. “You had more confidence than I did!”

  Varranor set her back down on the ground and turned to look at the marewing. “And she’s lovely! Do you have a name for her?”

  She grinned. “Sungold.”

  “Of course.” He grinned back, then gave her the official rider salute. “Welcome to the flight, Rider Votsis. We’re honored to have you.”

  Sergeant Navera appeared and also saluted her. “Well done, Votsis. You’ve surprised us all. You’re the first today.”

  Korinna gasped and covered her hands with her mouth. “The first? I was afraid that I was taking too long—”

  The sergeant shook her head. “The others are still out in the marsh.”

  She turned and looked back at Sungold, who was standing there looking very uncomfortable around so many strange people. Her ears swiveled back and forth, and she kept turning her head to look around her. She danced, picking up her feet one at a time, but she refused to leave Korinna.

  Korinna stepped over and put a reassuring hand on Sungold’s neck. “Is there somewhere that I can take her? She’s nervous.”

  Navera nodded. “Of course. We’ll both go down to the stream, and then I need you to hold her while I examine her. I need to check if she has any injuries or other health problems.”

  She felt her stomach sink in dismay. There could be something wrong with Sungold? The marewing looked perfect to her. And the sergeant was the last person that she wanted judging her new companion.

  She looked at Varranor beseechingly, and he caught her disappointment. He turned to Navera with a smile. “Look, why don’t you g
o watch for the others and let me handle this one?”

  Navera frowned. “You’ll need to get a second opinion from the physician. This is not your area of expertise, Commander.”

  Varranor nodded and waved her off. “That can come in a day or two. Let’s give it a little time for the bond to form.”

  Navera saluted and walked off.

  Korinna looked around, realizing that she didn’t see Galenos anywhere. She had been expecting him to congratulate her as well, or at least to acknowledge her. “Where is the Warlord?”

  Varranor pointed up at the sky. “His flight is on harvest duty today. Don’t worry—I’m sure he watched to make sure that you were safe.”

  She squashed her feeling of disappointment. This was just another reason to be angry with him. “Oh—okay.” She wound her fingers in Sungold’s mane for reassurance. “So, you have to check her?”

  He nodded. “Take her down to the stream, and I’ll go get a grooming kit and some other supplies. After I examine her, I’ll show you how to brush her down and take care of her after a ride.”

  She looked up at him and smiled, her happiness returning. “Thank you.”

  “Of course.” He left.

  She put her hand on Sungold’s neck, just above her withers, and found that the marewing still responded to pressure. The marewing followed her in the direction of the stream. As they walked together, Korinna felt that her heart was still floating up in the sky—she had never been happier than she was in this moment.

  Korinna kept Sungold standing still and calm while Varranor examined her. She watched with apprehension as he ran his hands over the marewing’s legs, looked at her hooves, and even checked inside her mouth.

  Finally he stepped back and smiled. “She’s in good health for living in the wild. She looks strong. And she’s young, only about two years old. She’ll probably still be smaller than average, when she reaches her full growth, but that shouldn’t be a problem for you.” He looked down at her.