"You won't find a cliff outside the crater with a safety net at the bottom of it," the man pointed out. You could fall to your death the first time you try to deploy it in the air. I've seen boys fall four hundred feet before they got it open the first time."
"Well, I'll just find a cliff that's a thousand feet high to give myself room to work it out," the boy said emphatically "If that won't be enough to satisfy you, well then, I'll just have to chance it without your help."
"I don't know if I want to take that responsibility onto myself at this age." Jaron was genuinely concerned. "If you were to fall to your death...."
"Then you wouldn't know about it anyway," Kit interrupted, "because I would be dead outside the crater where you couldn't see me. If I remain a hunter, I'll probably die out there some day sooner or later. If you won't teach me, I'll get a wing and figure it out myself. You're not going to stop me by being stubborn. You ought to know that by now."
"No, don't do that. If it comes down to that, I'll give you all the knowledge I can dredge up about using them. But promise you'll consider talking to Daron a little more seriously. I think that would be the wisest course of action. What's the worst he can do to you, say 'no?'"
Kit had another idea. "I'll promise to think about it if you'll promise not to tell him before I do." He saw his grandfather nod his head in agreement. "Perhaps, too, there's another place I can get the training from a Falconer." He was thinking of McAllister. They already knew about and accepted his bond with Flash. Perhaps if he offered to pay the school's price, Master Aferon would agree to train him. That was something to check into within the next month or two.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Tunia sat naked in the tent assigned to the renegade, Goovon. He had ordered her to remain naked whenever in the tent because he wanted her always instantly available to him. It was not that he was such a good lover, in fact he was one of the worst of the many she had been forced to experience since she had been a captive in the nomad camp. It was just that he thought he was this great Lothario who needed to do it at odd times during the day. She loathed his touch and hated even worse having to touch him but she always did whatever he required. Her memory of the death of poor Lela was too vivid. It would be just her luck that Goovon would go straight to Crill if she refused to do anything he asked of her.
What really bothered her were the traitorous plans that he was hatching with his new nomad overlords. The only thing good that came out of their lovemaking, or “loathe making” as she liked to think of it, was that while she was helping him to get "in the mood," he would brag about the progress of his plans to her. She knew every detail about the upcoming invasion except for the day that it would begin. She was watching and waiting for the opportunity to escape toward the crater but, as yet, they were still some fifty miles distant from it.
A streak of light flashed across the tent as the flap to the door was opened briefly. Tunia looked around to see Goovon staring down at her. Tunia had tried to do everything she could to make herself repulsive to him. She had let her hair go until it was a tangled mass. She had stopped bathing altogether until she realized that he seldom bathed either and it made little difference to him. Before he had ordered her to adopt nudity within the tent, she had dressed in the most unappealing clothes she could find. Nothing had worked. Nearly every day, at almost any time of the day, he had ordered her to do things that would arouse his interest. She could see by the look in his eyes that it was about to happen again. Resignedly, she turned around, remaining on her knees.
"We will be leaving tomorrow to move to our forward base," he said as she began to fulfill his requests. "My day of reckoning will be on the next morning."
Tunia knew that her chance would have to come soon. Not only was her life in the balance but the lives of many people in Washington crater. She had visited there with the Gypsies for about a month and had made a number of friends within its confines.
The next morning, Tunia was ordered to strike the tent early. It was loaded on a travois behind a pony along with the heavier items that had been furnished for the comfort of the renegade. The rest of those items were piled on the girl's back just before the nomad train started off to the north. They would camp later that day at the edge of the mountains to the southwest of Washington crater.
This wasn't the first time that Tunia had been forced to act as a beast of burden but it was always hard on her. She had not been raised to it and she was not used to the moccasins that she had been given to wear. The only consolation was that she was able to go nearly a full day with clothes on. She resigned herself to enjoying that aspect of the trip and watching like a hawk for the opportunity to escape as they neared their destination.
It was at the noon meal that one of his Riders talked to Master Falconer Daron about the strange Eagle Rider in the area.
"Master," she said, "a strange thing happened to me as I flew toward my patrol at Maryland Pass this morning. As you know, I had to take off a little earlier than usual to relieve Sadon so that he could meet with you. As I was flying along just inside the crater, I saw a strange eagle and rider flit up and over the barrier rim. It was at a point some two or three miles upslope of the Guardsmen's barracks, just above the pear orchard there." The narrator looked around at her fellow Riders before continuing. "I have heard the rumors of a strange eagle flying around in the vicinity of Maryland Pass, but this is the first time that he has been seen inside the crater and I got a good look at him. He was definitely carrying a rider, a small boy, by the look of him, or perhaps a girl with hair cut short. The strangest thing was this," she paused for effect, "I could have sworn that the eagle was Flash."
The Falconer's curiosity had already been piqued. He had heard nothing of the rumors of a strange eagle in the area but at the mention of his son's mount, he was visibly shaken. He leaned forward, his elbows propped on either side of his plate, better to view the speaker.
"Are you sure of that identification?" he asked. "The last I saw of Flash was at Heron’s funeral and he hadn't eaten in two days at the time. I would have expected him to starve himself to death long before now. Fury said he had taken his rider's death hard, as usual."
"I know," asserted the Rider, a fairly reliable girl of fourteen, "I heard all of that and assumed he was dead too. That doesn't explain the fact that this eagle was large like Flash and had coloration so near to him as to be his twin brother. You know how jealous we all were when Heron came back with that magnificent bird. I doubt there is a single Rider in this Aerie that couldn't recognize him instantly. If I didn't know that Heron was dead, I would have sworn that it was them except..."
"Except what?" goaded Daron.
The girl shook herself out of her reverie. "Except that the rider didn't have the same color hair and wasn't quite as large as Heron. He kind of reminded me of that young boy that Heron used to fly around with."
Daron hesitated, a shocked look on his face. "Are you referring to Kittron, son of Peron of the Guard?" The Falconer noted the confused expression on the girl's face. "They called him Kit."
The Rider's face brightened with revelation. "Yes, that's the boy, a small, dark haired boy who was good at fighting with swords. Didn't Heron have a fight with him over something?"
The Master Falconer frowned. "Yes, but that doesn't matter now. Who has seen this strange eagle before and why wasn't I apprised of it?"
A young boy raised his hand sheepishly. "I guess I was the first to spot it, Master Daron."
"When did you see it, where was it and what was it doing?" Daron was determined to get to the bottom of this as quickly as he could.
When the Riders had returned to their duties, Daron remained behind, alone with his wife. No less than five sightings had been made before this last one, perhaps more since there were still two more Riders, the ones on patrol right then, that had not been questioned. In two of the previous five sightings, the observer had thought they had seen a rider on the big bird's back but they hadn't been s
ure.
"Why didn't they tell me about this sooner?" he asked his wife. "I should have been on top of this situation long before now."
"Now, dear," the good lady pointed out, "they are only children no matter how well they are trained. Taken separately, each sighting could have been considered inconsequential. Nobody recognized the bird and none of them was sure that it was really mounted. They are instructed to report on nomad activity but nomads don't use eagles. They probably thought it was one of their friends out on a lark or something and didn't want to get them in trouble by telling you."
Daron considered that for a minute. "You could be right about that. What bothers me is, could that really be Flash and, if so, what would Kit be doing riding him?"
"I don't know," said his wife. "How would that be possible? I thought eagles could only impress to one person.
"Impression?" Daron's eyes stared blankly ahead as he considered a possible answer. "That usually takes a long time but Heron said he impressed with Flash very quickly using Aferon's new methods. Heron first turned on Kit because he caught him talking to Flash. What if the little sneak had been talking to him all along? I know Kit's telepathic powers are stronger than usual. What if he was actually trying to steal our son's bird from him? I never thought it would be possible but if that really was Kit riding Flash then that's the only possible answer. The last time I saw Kit, he promised to keep in touch with me to see if I was successful in getting his grandfather to nominate him. I have never seen him since then but when I heard that he was spending some nights at Jaron's farmhouse, I assumed that he thought that touching base with me wasn't necessary."
The woman reached over and placed her hand over his. "I know our son is dead but isn't it a consolation that the eagle that he loved so much is still gracing the skies around our crater?"
Daron's eyes hardened. "Not if it means that a traitorous friend of his had stolen Flash's allegiance from him. I wonder if that had something to do with Heron's death. Could Kit have ordered the bird to cause it? If that little traitor ever dares to show his face around here with Flash in his company, I'll throw him bodily out of the Aerie."
"Now dear, I don't think you are being fair to the boy." She gripped his hand all the harder and stared into Daron's tear filled eyes. "Heron loved that boy. They were the best of friends in spite of their argument."
"Making the betrayal all the more heinous!" broke in the Falconer.
"Bosh! I can't believe that Kit would do such a thing intentionally. He's too nice a boy and Heron was trying to help him get into the Aerie. Furthermore, the idea that he ordered Flash to kill Heron is totally ridiculous. That bird was utterly devoted to Heron and obeyed his every command to the letter. How else could he have won the championship? I think you should confront Kit as soon as possible and ask the truth of him but don't condemn him without hearing his side first."
"I guess you're right as usual. There doesn't seem to be any proof that Kit was in any way responsible for Heron's death." Daron sighed heavily. "I suppose I was just over reacting. I'm glad I didn't make that accusation in front of witnesses, or worse yet, in front of Kit. It could have scarred him for life, coming as it did from a father and a Master Falconer. Everyone would have assumed it to be truth whether it was or not. They all assume I know all and see all concerning eagles and falcons." He hesitated a moment. "And yet, I still cannot see how an impression can be made on an eagle with only one mental contact."
The nomads made camp in mid-afternoon. Tunia was dead tired and her feet were blistered and sore but she still took the time to move around on the pretext of finding a good site for their tent but really to get a good idea of the layout of the new camp. The ponies were corralled near the creek on the eastern side of the camp and Tunia tried to site their tent as close as she was allowed to that point. Most nomad women didn't know how to ride but she had been a pretty good horsewoman for the last few years due to her wanderings with the Gipsy trading bands.
Her plans were pretty vague at this time. They just involved getting out of their tent at night and stealing a pony. How she was going to do it was still a mystery. She found a campsite fairly close to the creek and somewhat distant from any of the other tents that were already going up. Quickly, she began pitching the tent before someone came along and ordered
her to put it elsewhere.
The tent was pitched she had gathered firewood and was beginning to cook his evening meal when Goovon found her.
"Why did you put our tent out here away from everyone else?" he asked crossly.
"It's a good campsite," she said. "It's close to water. There's plenty of firewood nearby and, best of all, there's nobody too close." She had been thinking this answer over, anticipating the question, and had decided to appeal to his vanity. "For some time, I have felt the urge to cry out when you are giving me pleasure but I feel self-conscious when there are too many other people close by that might hear me." The renegade had looked surprised and pleased.
After their meal, Tunia had initiated the lovemaking even before he had asked her to, carrying the ball, as had become usual, until his ardor was fully aroused. She had bucked up her courage and done it that way in spite of her revulsion for him. She had hoped to elicit two effects by doing so. First, she wanted to draw out any possible last minute change in his plans that might have been made. The only thing she got was a confirmation of the go time. The plan would be put in motion at noon the next day. That was just as good as new news, perhaps even better.
The second effect was realized after their lovemaking, during which she had moaned loudly and convincingly, was over. She had been pretty sure what would happen, judging from past experience. Goovon lay down on his sleeping firs with a big yawn. Just before he fell asleep, Tunia picked up her garment and headed for the tent flap.
"I'm going to take a long bath in the stream," she said casually, "so I will be fresh and clean to see my man off properly in the morning. Don't wait up for me."
"Leave your shift but take the moccasins," he said leaning up on one arm. "There are stickers out there but nobody to see you. Why get the shift wet coming back? Besides, knowing your precious modesty, I doubt if you'll try to escape in the buff." He watched as she dropped the shift, put on the moccasins and left the tent. He then dropped back down to his bed. He was asleep in two minutes.
Tunia walked down to the deep pool she had spotted in the creek earlier. Removing her moccasins, she entered the water and swam to the other side where the ponies were kept. Dropping them on the bank there, she paused to wash the foul feel of his hands off of her body. So he thought her modesty would prevent her escape, eh? Well he would have another opinion the following morning. With any luck, she would be within the confines of the crater by that time.
When she was clean enough and had listened carefully to detect the whereabouts of any guards, she came silently out of the water and stole toward the waiting herd. Along the way, she picked up the bridle that she had thoughtfully hidden there earlier in the day while hunting for firewood. She wished she had thought to leave another shift there as well.
The mount that Tunia picked out was a sturdy little bay gelding that she was familiar with and knew to be reasonably responsive to the rein. By the best of luck, he was standing somewhat apart from the herd, half asleep. She approached quietly but not so much so that he was unaware of her. She wanted to attract his curiosity and didn't want to spook him by appearing too suddenly. As she approached, she held out a handful of sweet grasses of the type that ponies love especially. As the gelding munched on them, she snaked a rein around his neck and used that to hold him steady while she put the bridle on. Quietly, she walked the pony away. She would have to get out of camp before she could dare to mount him.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
The sun was just peeking over the western horizon as Kit and his two companions began preparing their breakfast.
"Game's been gettin' purty scarce this side o' th' pass," commented Helvon.
; "I spotted a lot of beefalo between the passes yesterday as I was flying back from the orchard," Kit volunteered. "Why don't we work the area further south? I think we've been hunting too much in this area and the game is staying away."
"It is why the nomad moves around so much," Chan pointed out. "The game cannot become accustomed to your hunting patterns when they are not set. I know that we must keep our activity close to Maryland Pass in order to have easy access to this place and the crater but we have been too lazy and have now spoiled the hunting close in. It has been easy on us but now we will have to work all the harder for the same results."
Helvon grinned. "Figger yer right but we ain't done bad so far. Th' coffers is full t' overflowin' an' we ain't been workin' t'gether even two months. Ya ever thought o' movin' on?"
Kit looked up at the tall hunter. "I'd rather not," he said. "Maybe we could find another safe camp south of West Pass, but I want to be able to keep visiting my grandfather. We've finally started to get along with each other. Besides, he promised to help me learn to use a safety wing if I can find one. I don't mind going farther out to hunt but I'd rather stay around Washington. I guess if you two want to leave, you could go by yourselves. Neither of you owe me anything that I can think of." He looked from one man to the other anxiously.
"I have no need to leave," said the nomad, "I do not even need a market for what I kill. I have more money than I would ever need for the rest of my life. I can live off the land indefinitely. I only hunt to help you, my friends and companions." He stirred the fire with a stick before laying it on the coals.
"I never figgered it thet'a'way," said Helvon, thoughtfully. "Chan don't need th' things we gets in th' crater. Outside o' a few weapons, which he done ready got, he don't need money fer nuthin'. Guess all this slaughter o' game by jest three men seems purty wasteful ta ya, don't it Chan?"
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