by P. G. Thomas
When Aaro turned, he saw Nur, Ryan, and Logan running out to the clearing, and Zack, the eagle, was riding on Nur’s leather-sheathed arm. Walking by them, she advised them not to move.
Nur stepped forward, speaking in the oldest elf language known to her, “Forgive us, we did not know you fode this magnificent bird,”
The elf that sat on the great bird, wrapped in the net looked down to her, “You will free me, NOW!”
Nur whispered a prayer to Mother, thank you, he understands me. She called on Ryan and Logan to cut the ropes, “My friend, ropes we will cut. Your magnificent bird shall be free in a moment. We meant no harm to you or your mount.”
By this time, six more huge eagles had landed, and it was apparent why Del had called them Mountain Eagles. When they stood on the ground, they were over fifteen feet tall, being almost thirty feet long from beak to tail. As the other birds began to advance on their captive friend, Nur sensed bad was about to happen. Whistling for her Earth Guards, as they ran out to join her without weapons drawn, she pointed to the elves now seen in the clearing. “Friend, we are like you. We do not mean you any harm. Talk is all we ask.”
Ryan and Logan had cut the last ropes, pulling the net off of the bird, which then gave itself a good shake, making all of the feathers fall back into place.
Zack screeched, squawked, and flapped his wings.
“Why do you harm that bird?”
“I harm him not. He is my friend.”
“Why?”
Nur blushed, “He likes me.”
Bobbing his head up and down, Zack squawked, flapping his wings in approval.
After one of the other eagle riding elves had dismounted, he walked over beside the freed bird and stroked it. He turned to Nur, his hand on a crude sword, “Tell me what happens, or I shall signal for attack!”
“Friend, my name is Nur, We does not mean to harm your eagles. We thought they were wild.”
The sky elf nodded, “Friend or foe, I know not what you are, but you may call me Pike. Wild they are and members of our tribe, like we are members of their flock. We do not own them. We help them like they help us.”
“I understand help, which is why I looked for the great birds. I also need help.”
“What kind of help do you need, young one?”
That question is easier to answer when one has had a chance to prepare for it. How do you tell someone living in the mountains, riding giant birds, that war is coming? Nur let out a long breath, “Can I approach? I am but a simple bird loving elf.” Pointing to her ears, she wiggled them back and forth. “I am unarmed, and I doubt that I can hurt a great hunter like you.”
Pike signaled her to approach.
“My friends want to meet you. They are Earth Mothers, who help heal the land and children. We have a problem, and I think you may be able to help us.”
“It does not be our problem,” and Pike turned to leave.
“Help us,” Nur was stressed, out of options; it was an Earth Bond, but she was uncertain if it would work.
Pike stopped, turned, “You have power, young one. It has been long since I have felt the touch of Mother, but her powers do not hold sway over us now, as we now listen to Sister. Why now does she search out her lost children?”
She shrugged her shoulders, “She’s been busy?”
“Too busy for her children?”
“Mother does not tell me all, and I am sure she would not leave you, as it is not her style. Right now her need is great, and I beg you because we need your help.”
“Too late Mother considers us. Our answer is simple The same answer she gave us generations past.” Pike turned his back on Nur, “Brothers, we leave now.”
“What answer did she give you?” asked Nur.
Turning back to her, his voice grew in volume, filling with anger. “Our prayers long ago we spoke, and she still has not answered them to this day. Her answer was not! Not help! Not anything! Your problem, the land it walks, so it does not be our problem. Seek other lost children, and see if they shall help Mother.” Pike started to walk back to his eagle.
Feeling the blue feather tattoo tingle, Logan began to caress it, as he walked up to the first bird that had flown into the net. Tilting its head from the left, then to the right, it eventually lowered itself to the ground so that Logan could caress its giant head. The other great birds in turn also lowered themselves to the ground.
There was anger in Pike’s eyes, “What trickery does this be? Release my birds from your spell!”
With his eyes large dark orbs, Logan spoke. “You said that you do not own the great eagle. Now you claim them to be your possession? That does not be right. Equal to you, are they not?”
While Pike was unclear what was happening, he had never seen the great birds act this way before.
“Sister, she needs your help. Would you consider her request?” Logan was talking to the eagle, which nodded in agreement. Walking out, so he could see the other eagles, remaining quiet, he caressed the blue feather tattoo.
Slowly all of the other eagles nodded in agreement.
“Pike, Sister asks for your help. Will you refuse her request?”
The voice and eyes had Pike confused, “How do I know that you speak for Sister?”
Logan called to the eagles, his voice large, powerful, “Sister’s words, do I speak?”
They all squawked in unison.
He turned to the sky elf, “Mother, Sister. Both request your help.”
“What do you require?” asked Pike.
Nur was astounded that Logan had changed his mind, “I shall leave my eagle friend with you. In eight days, he shall lead you south. There I will introduce you to my Earth Mother friends, who are better able to explain what we need.” After Pike had nodded in agreement, Nur added, “My gift to you. Please take these deer with you.”
Calling to his men, they dismounted to harvest the deer, and when the massive birds blotted out the sun, the sky turned black.
Nur looked at Zack, “In eight days, you will lead your big brothers to Alron. You do that, and I will give you a special reward.” Zack’s head bobbed up and down. Raising her arm up, after Zack took to the air, she walked over to Logan, “Thank you, Sister.”
“Please don’t ever say that again…Earth Mother.” Logan gave his head a shake, “Why couldn’t she have a brother instead. Lauren tells me what to do. Sister tells me what to do. Might as well just call me puppet boy,” and then he walked back to the forest.
Nur was jumping up and down, “Thank you, Logan, thank you ever so much, and thank you, Sister.”
Aaro wandered over to Nur, “That was different. Elf, not elf, bird riders, what be they?”
“Elves of some kind, I don’t know, but they are elves that ride the sky.”
“Next, what should we do?”
“They wanted one bird. We will bring them a flock. They had no idea on how to train them, so we will bring tamed birds, and we will even bring them riders. Now we need to make haste getting back. We need to arrive before they do.” When they returned to the main road, they told the hired crew to head back to Alron on their own for their payment. Aaro, Bor, Ryan, Logan, Nur and her Earth Guards raced south by themselves.
Chapter 26
Lauren, unable to sleep, had risen early. The constant waiting was wearing her down, as today they were expecting the first letter from the south port town, and she was expecting bad news. It was the early evening when Pintar finally showed up, waving the letter in his hand. The other Earth Mothers had arrived earlier in the day, which Panry had requested to keep her calm.
The room went quiet as Pintar opened the letter from the south port town. While the black-clad were present, they only numbered a couple hundred. They had paid a great deal of gold to have the docks expanded, using the excuse of the plague to move the primary export harbor from the east to the south. The result, the docks were now able to accommodate hundreds of ships, but none had arrived. Numerous people who had fled the shant
ytown had arrived there, spreading rumors of the invasion. However, the black-clad forces were downplaying it, detaining those who talked of invasion, seeing if they had any signs of the plague, but when the new arrivals went missing, the talk of invasion soon disappeared. When all in the room sounded a collective sigh of relief, Pintar exclaimed, “Drinks are on me. Today we celebrate the birth of the first letter and its good news.” He had also received a list of people who had signed up for the post service, so residents of Alron could check to see if family members, loved ones, or friends were now located in the south port town. Not only could they send them a letter, but they could also sign up on the Alron list, which they would post in the other settlements.
As Panry watched Lauren that night at the inn, he could see her mood change, as the weight from her shoulders had been lessened. She smiled more, joked around, becoming less anxious.
*******
Knocking on John’s door early that morning, Fodu handed him a silk cloth with the two amulets inside of it. Opening it, when John looked at them, he was astonished by the size and detail, including the small wings that gently flapped up and down. While it had taken Fodu two weeks, the wait had been worth it, being so life-like, he was afraid they would fly away on their own. After thanking Fodu, John went down to the backyard in search of Mirtza. Having received word from Gayne that the horse amulets were done, after a quick meal, they headed to see them. Once in Gayne’s office, from his desk, he produced a box, containing six beautifully crafted horse amulets.
“Eight?” asked John.
“Yes, each amulet was placed on eight different horses, though I pity who is forced to ride it. We do not guarantee the rider’s safety!”
“I understand, so come by tonight, and I’ll provide payment.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the amulets that Fodu had given him earlier. “Also, can you please do the same with these? But only four horses each.”
When Gayne unwrapped the amulets, the expression on his face showed confusion.
“Don’t ask any questions. Just place them each on the four horses.”
“We also found some crystals for you,” advised Gayne.
Having been so long since they had talked about magic, with so much happening, he had forgotten about the crystals. His eyes widened with anticipation, “Where are they?”
“They were very expensive,” replied Gayne.
John nodded, “I knew they would be. When you stop by for the horse amulet payment, I’ll pay for them also.” As Gayne pulled a bag out of his desk drawer, John scanned the room with all of the new furniture, which used to be owned by the mayors, including Hoyle’s desk. When he was at the auction, he had never seen Gayne bid on any of the items. He was also surprised at how high the bids had escalated. While they were quality items, he was expecting the bids to be depressed, as depressed as those that did the bidding, but there was a great deal of contrast between the appearance of the bidders and the bids.
Gayne had never considered how John might react to the new furniture, but he had grown tired of working in an office that was beneath his standing, so when the auction happened, he was intent on purchasing the best items. “It was actually quite cheap...John”
Emptying the contents of the bag onto the desk, two dozen different crystals tumbled out, but over half were clear. There were some green, blue, and red, but smaller than what John had hoped. “Thank you, I’ll let you know how I make out with these.”
*******
Leading the group on their ride south, Nur was still extremely pleased that they had not only found the Mountain Eagles but also elves that rode them. The postal hubs were of great assistance, providing food and shelter, as they eliminated wasted time with camps, and without the wagons to slow them down, they made it back in seven days. Late in the afternoon, when they entered the town gates, she sent two of her Earth Guards to find the Earth Mothers, advising they would meet at Lauren’s place.
*******
As they left Gayne’s, Mirtza was thinking about the new amulets, wondering if John was getting enough sleep. When they turned the corner to go to their house, seeing the mounts for Nur and her Earth Guards out front, they raced to hear the news of the Mountain Eagles.
Smiling, Nur was jumping up and down, being unable to contain herself, as she waited for the rest to arrive
“Calm down,” Lauren advised, “What has you so excited?”
After John and Mirtza had sat down, Lindo and Brook entered. Nur, unable to contain herself any longer, blurted out, “We found them! We found them!”
Arora smiled, “Where is it? Is big like Del proclaimed it to be?”
“They will be here tomorrow.”
“They, how many will be here tomorrow?” asked Lauren.
“I don’t know, but they will be here tomorrow.”
“Slow down and start over,” advised Lindo, “Here sit down, and I will get you a tea. Better yet, sit on the far side of the table. You need a bath, young one.”
As Nur bounced in her chair, a cook brought out bean juice, and once she was calm, she started her story, explaining about the trip north, ending with the netted bird.
“And?” asked Lauren.
“We were about to secure it in another net when we spotted him.”
“Who?” they all asked.
“The eagle, it had a rider. I talked to him.”
“What?” asked Lauren.
“A sky elf, wind elf, eagle elf, I don’t know what you would call him, but that Mountain Eagle had a rider.” She then filled in the rest of the details. Nur continued, “I asked them to follow Zack here in eight days. They said they would meet with you, and to listen to what you had to say.”
Lauren scanned the group from the eagle expedition, “Is she pulling our legs? Sky elves?”
“Huge birds, little elves. Sight odd it was. Ride the wind they do,” advised Aaro.
With unexpected and good news for a change, Lauren smiled. “Where are we going to meet them?”
Nur was still bouncing in her chair, “Here!”
“Here?” Lauren pointed to the ground.
“Now that you mention it, I have I no idea. I told Zack to lead them back here in eight days. I never thought of where we would meet them.”
“Panry, did you hear this? We need to find a clearing north of the city,” advised Lauren. “Set up a signal fire or similar for Zack to spot. We don’t want those birds circling this town, making people talk. How fast do these birds fly? Will they arrive tomorrow, the next day, or the day after?”
“I am uncertain, Earth Mother,” replied Nur.
“Panry, we need to set up advanced scouts, advising us when they’ll arrive. Find a spot, today, set up a camp where Nur can wait for her new friends. We’ll go out each day to wait until her friends arrive. Panry, any issues?”
“No, Earth Mother. I shall make your arrangements.”
After everybody had left, John informed Lauren that they needed to go visit Pintar. Leading them to the backyard of the post office, he pulled out the box that Gayne had given him, explaining about the fast horse amulets that the magic school had made, and how Lauren suggested they borrow them. Then, setting one amulet on the ground, he placed a platinum ring on his finger, and when he waved his hand over it, a stunning steed appeared, saddle and all. Waving his hand beside it, it reverted to an amulet.
“How fast will they go?” asked Pintar.
“I had them use eight horses. A rider should be able to get to the south port town and back in two days. To the north pass town and back in four. While we may have to tie the riders to the saddle, distance and time are no longer our enemies, so now we will receive fresh news daily.” Pintar, Panry, and John could all see the additional weight lifted off Lauren’s shoulders.
*******
The next morning John left early to go to the post office, where Pintar had selected six priority post riders, his best horseman. He explained to the riders that because the distance was so great between the
settlements, he had acquired special magic to help move the post faster, which people would pay more for. The six shook their heads and laughed, asking what he had been drinking.
Placing one of the gold amulets on the ground, John waved his hand over it, and in an instant, a huge powerful black stallion materialized before them. The laughing stopped. He explained how to make them appear and disappear, informing them that they would listen to their commands. He then handed the riders a special belt, which he had Fodu craft the day before, advising them that it would help to keep them in the saddle. Then he continued with the rest of the instructions.
Pintar looked at the south riders, “Do not ride the horse into the south port town, only to the last hub station. Let the regular rider bring or deliver your mail into the post office. I have heard there may be competition starting there, and I do not want them to see my secret delivery method.” In truth, he was afraid the gates may close, trapping them in the town.
John handed each rider one of the gold horse amulets, a platinum ring, and a set of thick leather gloves. Warning them not to lose the ring, he advised, without it the horse would be unable to materialize, and then let them practice a few times changing the amulet into a horse and back. When all were confident, they boarded a wagon, heading out to a secluded field north of the city. After having the riders materialize their mounts, he had them practice riding at normal speed. Once they were comfortable, they began to increase the speed slowly. He determined it would be best to let the riders build their confidence on the new horses before taking to the open road. If one of them were to fall off in transit, there was no way to get the horse back. Leaving around noon, Pintar told his men to practice riding for the next couple of days, but each night, both the amulets and rings had to be returned to him.