A Gleaming Path

by Jeffrey Pawlak

  Alamor’s face had all but become a frozen grimace. “I was sort of hoping that you would have a more recent example than something from hundreds of years ago.”

  Dayneth smiled. “Trust me, you’ll be fine. These sails may be light enough to fold up compactly, but they’re extremely strong because of the Zephawk feathers. They’ll be able to withstand even the Barosos’ weight without tearing. Although, one of these will likely only be able to carry a single Baroso.”

  Alamor took another glance skyward. “I don’t think these things ripping is necessarily what I’m afraid of…”

  Dayneth gave him an assuring clap on the back. “Just hold on tight and nothing bad will happen. I can’t deny that it’ll be a little scary, but I promise that my sister will make sure that the winds guide us there safely.”

  At the mention of her, Alamor looked over to Elisstriss. While everyone else was talking to one another and readying their own sails, Elisstriss appeared to have shut out the world around her. She did not even look to any of their companions. Her eyes were firmly shut, her head bowed.

  Alamor briefly dove into the recesses of his being, where his magic lay. He reached out beyond his corporeal form, probing the surrounding space with his innate energies. Almost immediately, he sensed—touched—Elisstriss’s rising magic. She stirred what rested within her, awakening the entirety of the Airtaming ability that she possessed. Whatever kind of spell she was preparing, it was surely going to be something tremendous.

  “Has everyone got their wrists wrapped?”

  Ausmus’s voice returned Alamor’s consciousness from his magical examination. The Aesur warrior moved throughout their gathering, inspecting everyone’s holds over the sails that they were provided. When no one spoke up in reply, he continued.

  “Make sure you all still keep a firm hold on the tassels,” Ausmus explained. With Elisstriss in a state of deep meditation, it must have been left for him to give instructions to those in their group who were not Aesur. “It’s unlikely, but if by some misfortunate you find yourself separated from your sail, you absolutely cannot panic. Just try to stay as still as possible, and the winds will carry you on their own.” He paused to spare a glance at Elisstriss, while numerous looks were shared between the Baroso and Alamor’s other companions. “When Elisstriss finishes gathering her magic, she’s going to use her Airtaming to take control of the winds coming over us from the mountains. She’ll use them to guide us through the path that Wind’s Way normally takes. With command over those winds, she’ll make sure that we stay within the air current’s grip. That’s why you need to stay as calm as you possibly can while we make our way up to Skyscape. You’ll only get there safely if you stay within the winds that Elisstriss controls. If you escape them, there’s no telling where across this land the winds will end up hurling you to. It’s going to be a rather…frightening experience for many of you, I’m sure. I might suggest you close your eyes for it. Elisstriss should be commencing her spell soon, and she won’t be able to give us a warning before she summons it.”

  Hinton and Pauma—who shared one of the sails just as Alamor and Raissa did—immediately took Ausmus’s advice and closed their eyes. A sweeping glance throughout the rest of their party showed Alamor that the Bachus were not the only ones who were nervous. Most of the Baroso seemed unsure of their impending journey to the clouds, or perhaps in the strength of the sails. Each Baroso had a sail to themselves, surely because the beastly warriors were too heavy for any pair to share just one.

  “Are you ready for this?” Raissa’s whisper suddenly came to Alamor.

  He did not need to look at her to know that a grin crossed her face.

  “No…” Alamor eventually groaned.

  The moment that his response left his lips, Alamor felt a wave of magic crash over him. It spilled across the gorge, capturing the winds that poured in from the mountains.

  The next moment, Alamor felt the winds surge beneath his feet. They caught the sails that he and the others held, and the natural plumage that lay over the Aesurs’ limbs. With Elisstriss commanding them, the mighty gales threw Alamor and his companions to the sky.

  The ground dropped away from Alamor’s feet as the winds took hold of his body. He could do nothing but watch as the gorge almost instantaneously shrank beneath his boots. His stomach spun, a feeling somewhere in between thrill and terror shooting through his veins. He started to scream, but his breath was quickly ripped away and his mouth went dry.

  He could not tell if his friends ascended with the same silence; any cry that they might have loosed was muted by the air streams’ roar as they raced toward the heavens.

  It was a sensation unlike any other. Although the air over Tordale was vaster than the mind could measure, Alamor felt trapped, frozen in place where he held onto the sail with Raissa. He did not believe that he could move his limbs even if he wanted to. The winds had assumed dominance over his body, leaving him at the mercy of the air current that Elisstriss controlled with her Airtaming.

  The only freedom that Alamor seemed to still possess over his physical form was to turn his head and let his eyes behold the spectacular sights surrounding him.

  The land stretched far and wide in any direction he looked, granting him a view that he would not find even at the top of the tallest spire built by man. The entirety of the Tower Mountains stretched out beneath him, and soon all of Tordale’s other regions took their place in the vast world below. The Plains of Oston began to run along the continent to the south, while the dense woodland of Sleekleaf Forest sprang up in the east. Where Tordale’s reach concluded, the oceans took its place, water racing on as far as Alamor could see. It was as if every corner of the world was eager to show itself.

  Alamor’s terror slowly faded, and undeniable euphoria began to set in.

  He looked about inside the air stream to see how the rest of his companions reacted to this unbelievable experience. Both Hinton and Pauma did not seem fond of it. The Bachus forced their eyes shut, and their paws were clasped so tightly onto the sails’ tassels that their nails might tear right through the threading. Most of the Baroso seemed petrified by the phenomenon they found themselves in. Only Sarrek appeared to find any thrill in the journey, his eyes alight with wonder as he stared up into the heavens.

  It was no surprise to Alamor that every last Aesur looked right in place, each of them basking in the grip of Wind’s Way. There was no trace of fear over their faces. They proudly held their limbs outstretched and let the gales catch their snowy-white plumage. They looked as though they were soaring with the same grace as the hunting birds who roamed the skies over the Plains of Oston.

  Dayneth seemed most enraptured by their ascent. There was jubilation in her eyes to feel the winds’ embrace. For so many years, she must have been unsure if she would ever step within them again. There was evident anticipation over her features, as well—anticipation at returning to the realm she once called home.

  A veil of fog rapidly thickened before Alamor’s eyes, obscuring the view of his companions. For the first time since being thrown from the Tower Mountains’ floor, he felt more than just the rushing wind over his skin. A sharp chill suffused the air, like the icy breath of a winter day. He looked up and saw that Wind’s Way carried him and the others into a great sea of clouds, where every portion of the distant sky was blanketed beneath fog, mist, vapor, and ice.

  With each moment that they soared higher, the clouds expanded, and the air grew colder.

  The world that Alamor knew only seemed to trail further and further behind him.

  Jeffrey Pawlak was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, which he still proudly calls home. The three books in The Legend of Light trilogy are his debut novels, but he’s been writing fiction since he was just seven years old. He has a degree in Journalism from Buffalo State College, and he is a regular contributor to the pop culture website The Geekiverse, where he provides coverage for all manner of movies, television shows, video games, literature, and c
omics. He also spent more than eight years covering professional and international hockey, having been a credentialed reporter for the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, the AHL’s Rochester Americans, and USA Hockey.

  To learn more about the world of Tordale, follow The Legend of Light’s official Facebook page, where you can get updates on the books, see original artwork, read excerpts, and get all other sorts of behind the scenes details on the series.

  And to learn more about Jeffrey, pay a visit to his website at JeffreyPawlak.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @JeffreyPavs, Instagram – Jeff Pawlak, or email him – JeffreyAPawlak@gmail.com