Soul of an Eagle

by Edwin Skinner

  The nomad sat there in deep thought for a moment. "I suppose your needs and motivations are different from mine because of your different background and situation. You grew up in a farming community where money and the things it can bring are highly desirable. You like to enter the crater to sell your wares and buy your 'necessaries.' I imagine you also spend some time in the taverns drinking and talking to the women. I, on the other hand, was raised all over this planet. I have no need for a permanent home or for the pleasures and possessions that please the crater dwellers so much. Furthermore, I am forbidden to enter any crater on pain of death. My people value gold and gems as decoration for their bodies but money is of little worth to us and is not really needed. We are not a trading people. We take what we want from the land and its inhabitants. We figure if we are not strong enough to get and hold on to an object, then we are not deserving of its possession."

  "Then you're not our partner for the money," Kit said. It was not a question but a statement. "We already owe you so much and yet you continue to work just as hard as we do to make us successful."

  "I need no money," the nomad reiterated. "If you wish, you may split my purse between the two of you. I hunt because I like to hunt and I hunt with you because I like to be with you. You are both true companions and you have already given me more than I could ever repay. The crossbow and short sword you acquired for me mean more than their monetary worth because you thought enough of me to go out of your way to get them for me. The thing that you have given me that I value most is your friendship. If you do not understand that sentiment, try living out here for six months with not one friendly person to talk to. Your values will change, believe me, my friends."

  Helvon shifted uncomfortably. "Friendship, hit goes both ways. Kit 'n me, we both owes ya our lives 'n thet ain't no easy debt ta repay. All th' gold we earns in our lives ain't 'nuff by my reconin'. Ya become a true friend yerself. I don't know if'n they's anythin' I wouldn't do fer ya. I hopes ya knows thet."

  "Not only do I owe you my life," Kit put in, "but I know I never would have found Flash without your help. I owe you more than I could ever repay." He walked over to the nomad's side and threw his slender arms around the man's waist in a hug that startled Chan and moved him greatly.

  "We are three very different people who have one thing in common," Chan said quietly. "We all need and appreciate the love and companionship that we share. That is more than enough for me."

  Helvon swallowed a lump in his throat and looked to their breakfast on the fire. "Chan jest 'bout summed it up an' put it in a nutshell with thet one," he thought. Out loud, he said, "Wal, then its settled. After we eats an' works out we'll mosey on past Maryland Pass an' see what they is ta hunt in thet territory."

  Goovon woke to the sounds of the nomad camp all around him. He let his glance wander over to Tunia's sleeping firs and noted that they were empty. That was not unusual. She often woke early to start his breakfast. The girl was as quiet as a breath of wind. Suddenly, he noted Tunia's shift. It was still lying on the floor of the tent where she had dropped it last night. Alarm registered on his face as the import of this occurred to him.

  For the first time since he started training "the twenty" Goovon feared for his life. Tunia knew all their plans in detail. If she made it to the crater before the invasion, she could expose the whole scheme. The Home Guard would reinforce the passes and his party would be massacred when they tried to gain entry. Goovon's big opportunity would be ruined before it began.

  Goovon's mind raced. Crill would have to be told. If the girl had not entered the crater yet, she must be prevented from doing so. The nomads were not as heavily committed to the plan as he was. Goovon would have to be careful about what he admitted. If Crill knew the extent of her knowledge, he would probably just call off the exercise and stake Goovon's hide out for torture in a heartbeat. He would have to act unconcerned but irritated about her escape as though all that she could say was that there were nomads outside the crater walls.

  Goovon stuck his head outside the tent flap, looked around and called for Tunia, demanding his breakfast. He had seen Crill and three other warriors approaching casually from the more populous area of the camp. As they came near, he turned his attention to the war chief.

  "Crill," he said, "I cannot find my woman anywhere. Have you seen her this morning?"

  A look of irritation mixed with disdain shaded the nomad's face. "When did you last see her?"

  "Last night," Goovon answered innocently. "We ate our meal and made love. As I lay down to sleep, she left to bathe in the stream. I made her leave her shift behind. I figured she wouldn't try to escape without clothes. Has she been seen?"

  "Is her shift still here?" asked Crill. "If so does she have a spare? Go look, quickly!"

  Goovon darted into the tent and came out a few moments later with a garment in each hand. "They are both here. By the fates, she did attempt an escape. I knew nothing about it, Crill, I swear. If she has not entered the crater yet, perhaps you had better head her off and prevent her from doing so. She'll probably head for West Pass, it's the closest."

  Crill's eyes stared hard into those of his captive. "Does she know the details of your plan?"

  "I've told her nothing," the hunter said, holding his right palm up as though taking an oath, "but she might have picked some of it up around the camp. At the very least, she would be able to warn them of our presence, making them a little more wary. I really do think it would be best to attempt to recapture her. If she's on foot, can't your warriors take ponies and catch up to her?"

  About that time they heard the sound of a pony crossing the creek. Crill looked up to see a nomad sentry approaching him at the trot.

  "Noble Crill," the man called out, "I have just completed my regular morning count of the herd. One pony is missing. I spotted some tracks. He was led off by someone last night, a woman or a child by the size of the moccasin. My assistant is tracking them now."

  Goovon groaned inwardly. The situation was worse now. It was entirely possible that she was already within the crater, spreading the alarm.

  Crill turned to one of his companions. "Send detachments to the area outside both passes as quickly as possible. Tell them to keep hidden but check for her tracks. If they spot her they should capture or kill her, I do not care which, but do not let her enter the crater. As soon as they know whether she is inside the crater or still out in the wilds, have them send a fast rider to me with a report." To another of his companions he said, "Get together a small group of our best trackers, no more than five men. Follow her and capture her, if possible." To the third nomad with him he gave his final instructions. "We are moving the time table for the plan forward. Have the men prepare for battle right away. Send the twenty volunteers here to me. I will lead out the first wave after I have given them their instructions. Then go to the Chieftain. Tell him what has happened and what I have ordered. I will check with him before I leave."

  After the three warriors and the mounted nomad had left, Crill turned to the frightened captive. "It is well that you had not told her of our plans. If you had, I would have called off the attack and prolonged your torture for three more days just to punish you for stupidity." Goovon's eyes bugged and he swallowed hard as the nomad's attention turned elsewhere.

  When "the twenty" arrived, they looked incongruous within the nomad camp. They were all dressed like hunters and each one carried a crossbow. They had twenty one riding ponies and each led a pack pony loaded with freshly killed beefalo meat. Crill told them what had happened and gave them their final instructions along with a short pep talk in which he praised, in advance, their bravery and comportment in the upcoming battle. Finally, he pulled aside the ranking nomad in the group.

  "Hox," he said in a low voice, "we are sending scouts to check for the girl's tracks to see if she has entered the crater. Wait for their reports. If she is already inside, we will call off the attack and you are to bind Goovon and bring him back to camp for his 'rewa
rd.' If they tell you she is still in the wilds, initiate the plan immediately. I want you to stay close to Goovon. If something goes wrong, try to bring him back alive but, if you have to, kill him rather than let him escape." He raised his voice so that all could hear. "Good luck and good hunting. I go to my post now. This will be a day of victory."

  That night had been an ordeal for Tunia. She had been cold without a garment and her body was scratched in several places where she had brushed against trees and shrubs in the darkness. She had known that they were south and west of the crater but other than that she didn't know where she was. Her plan had been to move east and north until she spotted the barrier rim and then to follow it north until she came to a pass. It had not been so simple. Whenever she could tell what her direction was, the valleys and ravines that she was following all seemed to be going in the wrong direction. The terrain was much rougher than she had expected. As best she could figure, she had moved much farther to the north than she had to the east.

  She glanced up at the sun. It had risen above the mountains to the west about an hour earlier and had given her the first clue to her whereabouts. As it had risen, it had spread its rays to the east and lit up the sheer wall of the barrier rim of Washington crater as it loomed over the surrounding terrain some five hundred feet higher. Tunia had been on the top of a ridge at the time and saw a wide break in that rim due east of her. That had to be West Pass. She had immediately turned in that direction.

  Now, she was but five miles or so from the pass. From a high point, she looked down on one of the main roads leading up to the pass. It wouldn't do to be too hasty in scrabbling down to it. It came up from the southeast and would be carefully watched by the nomads if her escape had already been detected. Just as she was about to emerge from hiding, a small band of horsemen came galloping up the road from the direction of the nomad camp. They were some of Silar's warriors and as they passed her, Tunia knew that she was too late to get into the crater through this pass.

  The only other pass into Washington was Maryland Pass to the north and east where Goovon's plan was to be put into motion. Her only hope was to beat them to that objective and spread the alarm. It would be another four hours before the plan was put in motion, she knew, so perhaps she would have enough time. Resignedly, she turned her pony's head around and scrabbled down the other side of the ridge.

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

  Chan and Kit circled around each other warily. Every few seconds, a sword or a knife darted out, only to be parried by another with a loud clang. They had been at it for a full fifteen minutes and yet, neither one had been able to land a telling blow, so even had their talents become. Helvon stood watching from the sidelines. He had just finished saddling up the ponies in preparation for an extended hunting trip.

  "Ya'll best quit now," he drawled in a loud enough voice to be heard. "Sun's gettin' high an' they ain't 'nuff hours in th' day ta keep goin' round like thet if'n we's gonna get some huntin' done."

  The two friends backed away and sheathed their weapons. Kit's knife went into a scabbard strapped low slung on his upper left leg and his sword went into the scabbard slung diagonally across his back from his left shoulder to his right hip.

  Chan's swords were both sheathed in a dual scabbard hanging from his left waist. They had taken the short sword scabbard supplied by Meron and cut a small block of wood that held the upper end of it down and out from the long sword scabbard that he already had. They had then bound them together with wet hide at the top and lower down where the shorter scabbard met the longer one. When the hide had dried, it had shrunk, tightening them together as though they were one. The effect was that the two swords were separated at the top enough so that their hilts would not tangle when they were drawn.

  When preparing to fight with both swords, Chan would draw the short sword first with his right hand and clip it to the hook on his left arm. He had practiced it so often that he could accomplish the feat in about five seconds. Two seconds later, his long sword would be in his right hand and he would be ready for battle. If he was riding his pony, the entire process took more like nine or ten seconds.

  "You two go ahead and take off," Kit said. "I have to saddle up Flash but we'll catch up with you in no time. Swing out from the pass a little way and head down that southerly corridor just west of the pass. I'll have to swing farther west so I won't be seen by Eagle Riders. I'll meet you over the pink peak in, perhaps, a half hour."

  The two men nodded, mounted up and took off with six ponies in tow including Kit's Paint. Some five or six minutes later, Kit took off and began his swing to the west to avoid the immediate vicinity of the pass. It was a fine, warm morning but Kit wore a light jacket because of the coolness at altitude. They were drifting along lazily at about three thousand feet above the surrounding terrain.

  Suddenly, Flash's warning projected into the boy's brain, "men."

  Kit's eyes began searching the ground below them. It didn't take long to spot what the Eagle was referring to. Hidden in a valley, some ten miles from Maryland Pass was a force of nearly five hundred nomad warriors. As Kit examined them a rider approached them at the run from the east. He swung off his horse and addressed a tall warrior at the head of the hiding army. Kit waited to see no more but sent the mental command that caused Flash to turn quickly to the east and start climbing slightly to gain the altitude needed to cross over Washington's high barrier rim.

  Pip's mind raced. It didn't matter now if the people in the crater knew of his relationship with Flash. This was a direct threat to everyone that he knew and loved. He planned out his course in detail. First, he would fly to the barracks to get the Guardsmen headed out to reinforce the small pass guard contingent. Then he would fly to the Aerie and warn them of the danger. His final duty would be to his two friends who were looking to go hunting in an area that might be infested with nomad war parties.

  The barrier rim finally flashed below him some seven endless minutes after they had spotted the nomad army. Kit quickly oriented himself to the position of the Guardsmen's barracks and ordered his eagle into a rapid downward dive that headed right in its direction. Four minutes later, he brought the big bird down on the familiar landing platform behind the main barrack. He immediately spotted a sergeant he knew. The man, who was staring speechlessly at him, suddenly found his tongue.

  "Kit!" he called out in greeting. "So they finally made you an Eagle Rider. How come none of us ever heard? Have you completely forgotten all your old friends here at the barracks?"

  As the man walked toward him, Kit released his straps and jumped down from Flash's back. "I'm sorry sergeant," Kit said, trying to sound official, "but there's no time to talk or to explain about my eagle. Take me to the Captain on the double. There are nomads outside the pass."

  The sergeant turned silently on his heel and led the way at a ground eating trot to the Captain's quarters. They burst through the outer hall and approached the door to the leader's private quarters, ignoring the questions of other Guardsmen around them. The sergeant banged on the door and began opening it almost before he heard his Captain's voice saying, "Come in."

  "Sir, a report from the Aerie," the sergeant said in a booming voice.

  Kit pushed himself forward and noted the Captain's startled and confused expression. "Captain Farquon," he said quickly, "I didn't come from the Aerie but directly from a spot about ten miles outside Maryland Pass. There must be five hundred nomad warriors in hiding out there in just the one bunch that I spotted. I don't have time to explain more than that right now. I have to fly to warn the Aerie itself. I'll return later to tell you about what I've been doing. Your sergeant saw me land on the platform with a large eagle and I give you my oath, on my father's grave, that you must reinforce the pass immediately." With that he turned and darted out the door before the Captain had managed to make a single comment. He ran past the startled Guardsmen who must have heard his shouted report, exited the building and bounded across the intervening ground to Flash's sid
e in a matter of seconds.

  Almost before he had his safety straps tied, he ordered the big bird into the air. They began to climb back upslope to the southwest. Some three minutes later, Kit was looking down on the Aerie. There was an Eagle Rider taking off from the roof of the Riders' barracks and Kit was forced to wait for him to clear the area before he could land. It must have been one of the senior Riders because his bird dropped some twenty feet on takeoff before attaining flying speed. Kit ordered Flash to land and noted several figures in the courtyard below who were pointing up at them as Flash began the turn to line up for landing.

  When Flash dropped to the barracks roof with a beating of wings, Kit saw the figure of Master Falconer Daron bound from the courtyard below to the roof. His face bore a shocked and angry look.

  "So the rumors are true," the man shouted. "You always were jealous of my son's bird. You finally got him but Heron had to die first before you could do so. And he called you his best friend. What kind of a low person are you to steal the mount from under your best friend's nose?"

  Kit's face blanched then reddened. Suddenly, guilt was written all over his face. After all, it was his best friend's death that had brought on his own happiness.

  "I have no time to explain," he stammered. "I came to report a very large bunch of nomads about ten miles west of Maryland Pass. I've already warned the Home Guard. I have to go. I have friends outside the crater who may be in great danger. If you don't believe me, send a rider out to check but I think you should assemble a battle team as soon as possible." With that, he ordered Flash to turn around and launch.

  As the great eagle circled around to the north, Kit looked down into the Aerie. He could see Daron snapping out orders to the Riders around him. Well, he thought, it was obvious that the Falconer thought the worst of him. There was little hope of getting any kind of a warm welcome from that quarter ever again.