by Garry Spoor
-Kile all right?-
“I guess I’m a little nervous,” she said. “Risa said only the wisest of the Orceen could change their form in the mortal realm, and then it was permanent. What if I’m not wise enough? What if I’m stuck as an albatross? It wouldn’t be my first choice.”
-Kile wise.-
“That’s what you think,” she said, giving the yarrow a smile. He was always optimistic and he made her feel as if she could do anything, even turn herself into an albatross. How would she have made it through any of this without him by her side?
There was no reason to put it off any longer. It wasn’t going to get easier as the day dragged on, nor was there chance of some random ship arriving to spare her from this ordeal. She was out of ideas, and the longer she waited, the closer the Heart was to reaching Roland if he hadn’t already received it.
“The only good thing is, there’s no one around to see me make a complete fool of myself,” she said, taking a deep breath and trying to relax.
The mystics taught her how to clear her mind, how to push all the problems to one side and focus on what was important.
“Well, here goes nothing,”
Closing her eyes, she fell into her Edge and let everything go. She released her hold on reality and allowed the feral side to take over. It was like being back at the Tower under the watchful eye of Vanessa. However, she didn’t have the mystic around to pull her back if she went too far. She was on her own. The deeper she descended into her Edge, the more she let go of herself. The peaceful tranquility of the nothingness embraced her. Only when she felt she had gone far enough, did she claw her way back, but it wasn’t her identity she was seeking this time, it was that of the albatross, Norir. She connected with him, she touched him, and now she wanted to be him. His essence, his Hi’kruul was within her. Like a suit of feathers, she tried to pull it on, but when it wouldn’t fit, she quickly abandoned it for her own.
When Kile opened her eyes, it was still morning, the ocean was still before her, and Vesper was still curled up in his medical bag at her side. She looked down at her hands and counted her fingers. Nothing had changed.
“I thought it was too much to hope for,” she squawked.
Vesper laughed.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
The yarrow didn’t answer. He couldn’t. He simply showed her what he saw.
Kile had once thought green hair was a disaster. She never considered having the face of an albatross.
“Oh, son of a…” she said, grabbing her beak.
This wasn’t exactly going as planned, but at least it proved she was on the right track.
“Wonderful. Well, I can’t very well go back looking like this.”
Closing her eyes, she fell back into her Edge, going even deeper this time around. How easy it would be, she thought, to stay down and never come back up. To remain oblivious to everything around her and be nothing, but she couldn’t do that. She had to put an end to this, once and for all, and getting back home was the first step. If that meant becoming an albatross, she was going to become an albatross. Struggling her way back to the surface, she embraced the Hi’kruul of Norir, forcing herself into his feathered essence. It was a strange sensation—like drowning and flying at the same time. For the last two years, she had fought to keep her identity, to keep herself intact, and now she was forced to release it, to let it go. As long as she held on to herself, she could never become something else. When the last part of what she was fell away, what she became was stronger.
The first thing she realized, when she came back to reality, was something wrapped around her, holding her down. She struggled to get out from under it, but her body wasn’t responding as it should. She tried grabbing at it, but she had no hands. She tried kicking at it, but her feet were too short. In the end, all she could do was flap around until she freed her head. That’s when she realized she should have probably taken her clothes off first. She was now tangled up in her own shirt. It also brought up an interesting problem: what was going to happen when she changed back?
Looking down at the rest of her clothes, she spotted something gold, half buried in the sand. It was Roland’s ring. She couldn’t leave that behind.
-Vesper, get the ring,- she squawked. The sound coming out of her mouth was definitely not in the king’s tongue, but the yarrow still understood. He climbed out of his bag and started digging the ring out of the sand but suddenly stopped. Lifting his nose to the air, he sniffed.
-What is it, Vesper? What do you smell?- she asked, but she didn’t have to. Her sense of smell was so much sharper now and she knew what the yarrow detected. The Valgar were coming.
She thought it was too much to hope for, that the Maligar would leave her alone. Now that she’d found a way off the island, they couldn’t simply let her go. She didn’t know how many of them there were, but she knew it would be more than she could handle.
-Run, Vesper,- she squawked when the first saladog crested the hill.
Time slowed down. She stared at it, and it stared back. Maybe it was confused by what it saw. It probably never expected to see an albatross, wearing a shirt, strolling along the beach. It raised its massive head and released a defeating howl that echoed across the island. It was calling to others.
Kile’s first thought was to try to change back, but there was no time. The transformation took long, assuming she could even pull it off. With the Valgar coming right at her, it also made it difficult to concentrate. Her only other choice was to run, or try to. Albatrosses weren’t built to run along the ground, which is probably why they started flying. Stumbling down the beach, she tried to free herself from her shirt when the Valgar finally caught up to her. Managing to only get one wing free, she avoided getting hit by jumping into the air and flapping it wildly. Turning on the Valgar, she came down on its head and clawed at its eyes. Unfortunately, albatrosses have webbed feet, so it did little to deter the creature. It simply hauled off and smacked her into the sand. After she hit the ground, the Valgar pinned her down. She tried to free herself by pecking at its legs, but it didn’t have much effect—her beak wasn’t sharp enough. She had connected with vultures, hawks, and eagles, but she had to choose to become an albatross.
As a last resort, she bit him.
That proved effective and rather disgusting as she tore off a chunk of his leg. The Valgar jumped back and Kile quickly squirmed out from under him, leaving behind the tattered remains of her clothing. They faced off again, but this time the Valgar was a little more hesitant of the albatross. He slowly circled her, trying to get behind her, but Kile kept him in view. She stretched out her wing, making herself look larger. That’s what she had seen birds do and figured it couldn’t hurt. When the Valgar finally made its move, she was ready. Leaping into the air and flapping her massive wings she came down on its head, this time grabbing his nose in her beak. Clamping down, she cut into the soft flesh. The creature howled as it shook its head, trying to dislodge her. Kile ripped off a good section of the nose before being thrown across the beach. Flapping her wings, she controlled her landing and was ready for the creature, but it appeared the Valgar had enough of the albatross and retreated.
She didn’t have time to relish her victory. She had to save Vesper. He was trapped within the interesting rock formation while two more saladogs tried to dismantle it. With no idea what to do, Kile charged at them with her wings spread, squawking all the way. The sudden appearance of a wild albatross startled the Valgar. They both backed off slowly, giving the yarrow the space he needed to escape.
-Get to the bag,- Kile yelled while she kept the Valgar distracted, but it wasn’t for long.
Seeing their quarry escape, they gave chase. There was no way she could stop both of them, so she quickly turned and stumbled after Vesper. The yarrow reached the pouch first, diving in, with Roland’s ring still in his mouth. Kile came in second and scooped the pouch up by its straps, but the Valgar were close behind. She tried to take flight, but there wasn’t enough
room. Three more saladogs appeared in front of her. Taking a sharp left turn, she made for the edge of the cliff and, jumping off, flapped her wings like crazy.
She had hoped to land in the water but feared she was going to hit the rocks. Instead she caught the updraft and was lifted into the air. Her wildest dream had come true: she was flying.
16
Norir made it look so easy, but flying was anything but. It took all her concentration to stay in the air. Every time she tried to look around, she lost altitude. Just because she adopted the albatross’s form, didn’t mean she adopted his instinct. She was still a vir learning to fly.
On a positive note, she was making good time. The island of Shenataesi was no more than a speck on the horizon. At this rate, she should be home in maybe a day or more, assuming she was heading in the right direction. It was as bad as steering a ship. There were simply no landmarks to navigate by. It was one large body of water, stretched out as far as she could see, and all the waves looked alike. All she could do now was keep flying until she spotted land or fatigue forced her into the ocean.
Kile flapped harder to gain altitude, but height didn’t improve the view. She had been flying for hours and still, there was no sign of land. She wasn’t expecting to see the shores of Aru so soon, but she figured she should have at least hit the stormwall by now. Not that she was looking forward to it. She barely survived it the first time, and that was when she had a ship under her. Unfortunately, the stormwall was the least of her problems. She hadn’t eaten in hours and the longer she kept flying, the harder it would be to keep her wings flapping. The prospects of getting home in one piece were starting to look grim. She needed rest and she needed food, and both of them were right below her; however, it wasn’t that simple. Although a water landing was her best chance, she couldn’t risk it. What would happen to Vesper? It’s not like she could set the yarrow adrift while she dined on raw fish.
-How are we doing, Vesper?- she asked the yarrow, who had been fairly quiet this whole time. She knew he wasn’t comfortable in the small medical bag, and he wasn’t fond of heights, but he hadn’t complained since they left the island. She felt he knew their situation as well as she did.
-Not fun,- he whispered, which was uncharacteristic for the excitable yarrow.
-I know what you mean,- Kile said.
To think, she had once thought flying would be fun. Now, she wanted nothing more than to be on solid ground. -I’m afraid there’s no getting around it. We are lost if we don’t find a place to land soon…-
-Ask directions,- the yarrow said.
Kile was about to ask who she was supposed to get directions from when she saw what Vesper had already seen. A flock of birds far off to her right, and not just any birds, but albatrosses. There were nearly two dozen of them skirting the surface of the water. Slowly tilting to one side, Kile gradually turned until she was heading toward them. Now all she had to do was reach them. She tried flapping her wings faster, but that only improved her height, not her speed. She would simply have to continue the way she was and hope they didn’t leave before she reached them. The albatrosses, however, must have been aware of her distress, or they simply wanted to meet this newcomer. They broke away from their dance with waves to come to her.
The great birds maneuvered gracefully around her until they were flying above her, below her, and on both sides. Before she knew it, she was part of the flock.
-Fly, fly,- they kept telling her, and there was a sense of freedom in their words, one she had never felt before.
Kile thought she was flying until she watched them. Where she was flapping her wings like mad, just to stay in the air, they were casually gliding along on the wind. Their movements were effortless. Of course they had been flying since they were born and she had only started that morning.
Like Norir, their communication was limited. It was more instinctual since they had little contact with the vir, but when one albatross flew in front of her, she quickly caught on. They were trying to teach her how to fly. The lead albatross stretched out his wings and started to glide. Kile mimicked his movements and suddenly felt the air under her wings. It was like floating on the wind and required no effort on her part to stay aloft. This was how they could stay in the air for so long, she realized. The albatross led her through a series of spiraling patterns, first climbing to great heights, then gliding considerable distances at speeds she didn’t think were possible. Even though the course was circular, she was making better time and using less energy.
-Fly-
-Fly-
They continued to squawk, all the while dancing around her on the wind. She mirrored their movements and before long she wasn’t following them but flying alongside them. The albatrosses seemed pleased she had learned so quickly and accepted her as one of their own. Kile couldn’t decide which was better, to be a member of a pack or of a flock, and although she enjoyed being a part of something wonderful, she knew she couldn’t stay.
-I need to find land. I need to get to Aru,- she tried to explain to her new friends.
Although they understood land, they knew nothing of Aru. It didn’t even help when she pictured the port city of Salthaven. The albatrosses simply had no knowledge of the vir, save for a few ships they might have seen floating along on the sea.
-Rocks,- Vesper suddenly announced, and Kile flinched, fearing she was going to slam into one, but when she looked around she saw no such obstacle.
-What are you on about?- she asked the yarrow.
-Rocks,- he said again, but this time she saw what he was trying to tell her. He wasn’t talking about any old rocks, but tall rocks that rose out of the sea. He was showing her the Custodians. Why hadn’t she thought of that?
Catching up to the lead albatross, Kile inquired once again. -I need to find these rocks,- she said and pictured the tall rocks she had once sailed between.
Much to her surprise, the lead albatross suddenly changed direction. He swung right and headed away from the setting sun. How he knew where to go, simply from her description, left her amazed. There was still so much more she could learn from the birds.
Their path might not have been the straightest of courses, and it seemed as if she was going around in circles, both up and down, but always they spent the longest time heading east. Kile never lost faith in the albatrosses, and when the stone pillars came into view, she knew they had shown her the way home.
-Go, go,- they squawked as they started falling back one by one until Kile was alone again. She was going to miss her new friends, but staying with them was simply not a choice.
As she passed over the Custodians, she couldn’t help but think how wonderful they looked now that she was seeing them from above. They formed a straight line, from the shores of Aru, all the way out to sea. The reasoning behind their existence wasn’t a concern for her at the moment. All she knew was she was getting closer to home. She continued her course the way the albatross showed her, and as darkness set in, she saw the lights of Salthaven. She had finally made it.
The port city experienced something of an increase in activity during her absence, much like Eafer said it would. Now that the warm season was upon them, the docks were filled with boats—everything from small fishers to large cargo ships. She came in low over the docks and spotted the Charlotte moored in the same place it had been when they first set sail. It meant the Heart reached Salthaven before her. If luck was with her—but why should this time be any different?—the artifact was still somewhere in the port city. She might still have a chance to stop it before it reached Roland.
Kile flew in lower before circling the Charlotte. The ship seemed a little worse for wear, but at least it had made it back in one piece. She could only hope that went for the crew as well. Well, maybe not all the crew. She was pretty sure she wouldn’t be too upset if something happened to Master Boraro, but that was too much to hope for.
When she flew inland and passed over the city, people stopped and pointed. It was clear albatros
ses were not a common sight in Salthaven, or maybe just not at night. Circling the city twice, she looked for anyone she might recognize, but there were simply too many people. If she was going to find someone from the crew of the Charlotte, she would have to do it on the ground and in the form of a vir. She needed to find a safer place to set down.
It wouldn’t do to land in the middle of the street. Not only would she take out a few pedestrians if she tried, but changing back to her vir form would be awkward—she’d left her clothes on the beach of Shenataesi. Instead, she followed the road out of the city until she spotted a more convenient location. A large lake, nestled among the trees. It gave her the privacy and the space she needed. Now all she had to do was figure out how to land. It probably would have been a good idea to have asked the albatrosses for some tips.
-Hold on tight, Vesper. This will probably be painful,- she warned the yarrow while circling the lake a few times, trying to decide in which direction she should hit the water. If only there was a way to set him down first, she wouldn’t have to worry about him during her own landing. Of course, landing was only half the problem. Changing back would be the real test. She hadn’t thought about that little detail since she took the form of an albatross. How hard would it be to change back, to find her own identity? Did she even know who she was anymore? Did she even want to turn back? And why was she falling?
Kile hit the water hard and came up gasping for air. Vesper cursed at her before he swam for the bank. She was a vir again. She was naked in the middle of a cold lake at night, but she was a vir again. How did that happen?
Swimming after the yarrow she scooped him up and carried him the rest of the way out of the lake where she gently set him down on the grass. He dropped Roland’s ring on the ground at her feet.
“Are you all right, Vesper?”
-Not fun!-
“I’m sorry, I don’t know how that happened. I was just thinking about turning back. I didn’t actually try.”