Dinotopia: Windchaser

by Ciencin, Scott;

  Raymond tried not to smile too broadly as Hugh went on to recite the many tasks he performed today. Despite all of Hugh’s complaining, there was a true respect for the customs he described. Raymond took this as a sure sign that, at last, Dinotopia might be working its magic on his friend.

  Long after Hugh fell off to sleep, Raymond found himself again thinking about the wounded Skybax. He considered the dreams that had been visited upon him recently, visions of flying free among the clouds.

  Suddenly, he knew what he had to do.

  CHAPTER 10

  Raymond had to see Windchaser, and that meant sneaking away from camp.

  Raymond waited until the end of his first week of training. A day of rest had been earned, and Raymond knew he could get away without being noticed.

  Bix had already told him the location of Windchaser’s lair. The craggy rise was a good distance away. Traveling on foot was definitely out. Not only would it take longer than a day to get there and back, but Raymond’s escape could be tracked. A Skybax out for a morning flight would spot him easily.

  Raymond decided to stow away in a supply wagon departing at dawn. He had learned the wagons route a day earlier and knew it would take him close enough to the mountains in the east.

  He hid in the wagon and tried to remain as quiet as possible. After a few hours of bumps and jostles, Raymond peeked out from beneath the canvas curtain covering the wagon’s cargo. He was almost there!

  When the wagon finally made the turn bringing it closest to the mountains, Raymond clutched the small bag he had loaded with supplies. After taking a deep breath, he jumped from the wagon and rolled, forcing his body to relax and absorb the jarring impact.

  When he finished his rolling, he sat up, dusted himself off, and surveyed the foothills of the mountains. They looked to him like two opposing stone giants. But Raymond remained determined as ever as he rose to his feet. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he began his long hike.

  After a time, he approached a narrow pass between the craggy sentinels. The walkway was covered in shadow and very dark, despite the afternoon sun. It took Raymond longer than he would have liked to navigate its treacherous length.

  Several times he put his foot forward and found it resting on nothing but empty air. There were drops he feared might have deposited him into the World Beneath—or at least into a pit from which there would be no escape.

  Turning a corner, he finally saw a patch of brilliance. He quickly emerged onto a stone lip overlooking a churning canal. Raymond had learned that Dinotopians often took canoe rides along this canal. With any luck, a canoe would be left on his side of the channel.

  Luck, it seemed, was with him today. Raymond took the canoe out.

  At first, he was relieved to be floating carefree on the cool, choppy waters. Then suddenly, as if in response to Raymond’s challenge, something leaped from the fast current—a large black stone, the size of Bix!

  When Raymond looked again, he realized his mistake. The stone had not moved; it had simply come into view unexpectedly as the canoe dropped from a crest and slammed down toward the stationary rock.

  With a cry, Raymond leaped overboard an instant before the canoe could strike the rock. The water was ice-cold, and he immediately felt for some anchor so that he would not be swept downstream. His hands found a twisted branch as the lightened canoe slid past the slick surface of the stone, missing it by a matter of inches.

  Letting go of the branch, Raymond let the current sweep him toward the canoe. Quickly, he climbed back into the wooden sanctuary and continued his journey.

  Water sprayed in his face. He saw alligators on the shore eyeing him quizzically as he navigated around several obstructions.

  Finally, high above he saw what he’d been searching for—a mountainous rise shaped like a claw. He nearly howled in triumph as he fought to bring the canoe to shore.

  Raymond began his journey skyward using the climbing tools he’d borrowed from camp. He had gone thirty feet up when his teeth started chattering. Raymond hated to stop, but he knew the consequences of forging ahead in such a state.

  After dropping to a ledge, he stripped off his clothing and laid it out in the sun to dry. He had learned much by helping his father. When the body’s temperature dropped too much, the cold could become deadly. Dr. Wilks had treated many poor souls who’d ignored their own bodies’ warnings.

  Finally, after thirty minutes or so, Raymond dressed in his newly dried clothes and resumed his ascent.

  “Now we’re getting somewhere,” Raymond said, mindful to take his time and always check the strength of his handholds. His father had taught him this, as well, on one of their outings.

  Raymond was halfway to his destination when impatience set in. Sweat poured into his eyes. Grabbing hold of the next ledge, he hauled himself up without first testing if the ledge could hold his weight.

  There was a sharp crack, and suddenly, Raymond found himself pitched backward. His arms pinwheeled. He tried to find something to grab, but his hands clasped empty air and his feet slid from the rock.

  A second later, he was falling. The ground reached up for Raymond, anxious to welcome him back. It all happened so fast, he had not even managed a scream.

  Suddenly, a shape crowded into his tunneling vision. A field of amber, blue, and green surrounded him.

  He struck, but it was not stone with which he connected. Instead, he felt something tough and leathery, yet comfortably pliant beneath him. The wind reached down and rustled his hair. The descent had ended. Unbelievably, he was on the rise once more.

  With a gasp, he raised his head. He found himself looking down a long, graceful neck, toward the top of a beak longer than his entire body.

  It was Windchaser. The Skybax had saved him!

  He felt himself beginning to slide, but his body remembered Hikaros lessons. He compensated with his weight, then reached out and grabbed hold of the Skybax’s wings. The creature seemed shaky. The two rose and fell, gaining height as they arced around.

  Raymond felt as if he might become dizzy.

  The great stone claw of the mountain loomed up before them. The Skybax halted suddenly and pitched Raymond forward. He tumbled through empty air for the briefest of moments, then rolled onto a ledge until he came to a stop.

  Laughter erupted from Raymond. Forgetting his nearly fatal fall, he was instead overjoyed by his ride.

  He had done it! He had flown on Windchaser. Bareback, no less!

  Turning, he saw Windchaser descend, blotting out the sun. The Skybax’s wings seemed to glow with an impossible fire. Then they lowered, and the harsh glare of daylight was again in Raymond’s eyes.

  “Um, hello,” Raymond said.

  The Skybax let out a squall that hurt Raymond’s ears. He winced at the painful sound, and the Skybax stopped suddenly.

  “You saved my life,” Raymond said, sensing Windchaser’s barely contained anger.

  Again, the hateful squall. The Skybax flapped its wings as if it might depart at any moment. The displaced air caused Raymond to stumble backward. Windchaser advanced on the boy he had saved, flapping his wings with a quiet menace.

  Raymond swallowed nervously, not sure what to do. He turned his face from the Skybax and found himself looking into the cavern that Windchaser called home. The flapping of wings stopped suddenly. Raymond’s eyes quickly adjusted to the near darkness.

  He saw a crude painting on the wall of a young man’s smiling face. It was a picture of Daniel, Windchaser’s lost rider.

  All about the cavern were reminders of Windchaser’s loss. Raymond saw a backpack, an empty uniform, a cracked helmet, half-charred scrolls, a cup and saucer, a ball used for catching, and a sparkling clear stone hanging from a broken chain. Raymond guessed that all these items had belonged to Daniel. The rest of the cavern was bare.

  “I’ve lost someone too,” Raymond said without turning. “And he meant everything to me. I know what it feels like.”

  Silence.


  Finally, Raymond turned, worried that he would find the Skybax long gone. But Windchaser was not gone. He was still there, watching Raymond with an odd stare.

  Raymond dropped to one knee and fished the pocketwatch from his boot. He set it down beneath the crystal droplet. “This was his. I’d like to keep it here, if that’s all right.”

  Windchaser voiced no objection.

  “You know the worst of it?” Raymond asked, surprised at the tears welling in his eyes. “There are days when I hate him for going away. It sounds strange, I’ll admit. My father didn’t ask to be killed. It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t want to be taken away. And I would give anything to have him back. But sometimes I’m more than just sad. Sometimes, I’m so…angry!”

  The Skybax let out a mournful wail.

  “Yes,” Raymond said. In some impossible way, the sound made by the Skybax was the perfect expression of the pain and confusion in his own soul.

  Suddenly, a noise came from the mouth of the cavern. Someone had dropped a rope down from above. A figure descended upon the rope and called out, “Raymond!”

  With an angry cry, Windchaser whirled.

  Though the figure was a silhouette, Raymond knew that voice all too well.

  “Hugh,” he said hoarsely.

  The Skybax headed toward Hugh with remarkable speed. Hugh started to climb up the rope and was nearly out of the way when the Skybax ripped past him and sailed out over the cliff’s edge.

  “Windchaser!” Raymond cried, but the Skybax did not return.

  Hugh dropped back down to the mouth of the cavern. He approached Raymond, who met him halfway.

  “What are you doing here?” Raymond asked angrily.

  “Didn’t you think anyone would miss you? Bix and me were worried you would get yourself killed. She figured out where you must have been going.”

  Raymond nodded, calming down. He looked to the rope.

  “There’s an easier way of finding this place,” Hugh said. “Bix tried to make getting here sound impossible to keep you from trying it. She was trying to protect you.

  Raymond walked to the ledge of the cavern and looked up. The Skybax circled overhead a few times, then flew off.

  “Well, we’d better go,” Hugh said. “My path may be shorter and less dangerous, but it will still take us time to get back.”

  Hugh watched as disappointment enshrouded his friend. He was sorry about that, but he told himself that he was acting in Raymond’s best interests. Still, a part of him knew the truth. A part of Hugh was secretly pleased that he’d come between Raymond and the Skybax.

  Another part of him, however, was ashamed at what he had done.

  Hugh looked around and noticed the odd shrine the Skybax had created with items kept from the rider he’d lost. It reminded Hugh of that doll he had almost taken from the girl in Waterfall City.

  Anger suddenly flooded him. At times, it seemed all of Dinotopia was constructed for the sole purpose of making him feel like a complete rotter. He had been right to come and try to save Raymond from his own foolishness. And look at the thanks he was given!

  Hugh whirled on Raymond, about to chastise his friend for acting so sullen and ungrateful. He stopped when he saw the same profound loss in his friend’s eyes that he had first seen the night Raymond knew his father was dead.

  “Come on,” Hugh said softly. “Maybe if we stay out in the open for a time he’ll come back.”

  “You think?” Raymond asked.

  “Anything’s possible,” Hugh said, not really believing it. “Anything at all.”

  Raymond was in no mood for sleep when he returned to the dormitory. His mind was racing. His body, however, was exhausted, and he fell asleep quickly.

  He dreamed of flying bareback on Windchaser, soaring over forgotten lands. Without warning, the dream transformed into a nightmare. Raymond found himself flying through a terrible storm. Looking beyond the magnificent stretch of the Skybax’s wings, he saw the prison ship Redemption below. Father was on the bridge, fighting for his life.

  The bearded man who had claimed the honor of killing the elder Wilks was struggling to push his father closer and closer to the ship’s rail. Raymond screamed, his cry joined by that of the Skybax.

  Bolting awake, Raymond heard Windchaser’s distinctive cry. Was he still dreaming?

  He looked around. None of the other students were stirring. Even Hugh was sound asleep. Odd, that no one else was disturbed by the sound. It must have come from his dream. Going outside would be pointless.

  On the other hand, Raymond knew he would never go back to sleep until he was certain. After slipping from his warm bed, Raymond hurried out of the dormitory.

  The night was a bit chilly, but Raymond was only aware of a strange hissing off to his right. He followed the sound until he came to a clearing. Suddenly, he heard massive wings beating in the darkness. Looking up, he saw Windchaser above, gliding in close for a landing.

  The Skybax opened its beak and a strange whisper came from the creature. The sound was repeated several times until Raymond was certain the Skybax was calling his name.

  Impossible!

  Sollis had explained that no Skybax spoke conventional language. There was an instinctive understanding between a Skybax and rider. In all the years Saurians had existed in Dinotopia, no Skybax had ever displayed an ability to speak either Saurian or human language. Exactly how they communicated remained one of the island’s greatest mysteries.

  “Rrrrraaayyy-monnnnndd,” Windchaser said as he cruised to the ground. “Rayyyyyy-monnnndd!”

  Now Raymond knew he was dreaming. And, yet, a part of him was certain he was wide awake. This was real. It was happening.

  “I just want it to sound like my name,” Raymond said, refusing to believe his senses.

  “Stubbbborrnnnnn,” Windchaser said, now on his feet.

  Raymond’s heart leaped into his throat. “Did you just say what I think you said?”

  Windchaser cocked his huge head slightly to one side, as if to say What do you think?

  “Oh, my,” Raymond muttered. “You do understand me.”

  Windchaser brought his massive wings together several times, applauding his young, confused friend.

  Raymond was not exactly certain if the applause was meant as a genuine congratulation or if the Skybax was teasing him. He suspected the latter.

  “Am I the first you’ve spoken to?” Raymond asked.

  Windchaser lowered his gaze and looked away.

  “It was Daniel, wasn’t it?” Raymond tried.

  The Skybax whirled its head in Raymond’s direction.

  “He taught you,” said Raymond.

  Standing on his haunches, Windchaser fixed Raymond with a scornful gaze.

  “No,” Raymond said, understanding. “I suppose it was the other way around.”

  Windchaser nodded his head. “Learnnnnn fasssssst.”

  Raymond smiled. “I like to think so.”

  “Himmmmm,” Windchaser said. “Not youuuuuu.”

  Clearing his throat, Raymond said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  An odd racking sound came from the Skybax. At first, Raymond thought the creature was sick. He was about to call for help when it occurred to him that Windchaser was laughing!

  “So is that why you came tonight?” Raymond asked, amazed at how quickly he was adjusting to the notion of a talking Skybax. “To make fun of me?”

  Windchaser shrugged his wings, causing a slight breeze to kick up.

  “I bet you’re lonely,” Raymond said. “I know I am.”

  Lowering his head slightly, Windchaser made an odd sound. The trilling that came from the Skybax seemed to be composed of several different sounds at once. How was such a thing possible?

  He’s speaking to me in his language, Raymond thought.

  Windchaser’s tones changed, becoming a complex series of musical movements. With such marvelous, complex sounds, Raymond could almost picture Windchaser and his fellow Skybaxes per
forming a formal recital in a great London hall.

  “What is it you’re trying to say to me?” Raymond asked.

  The Skybax fell silent, then said, “Lonelyyyy, I ammmmmm, toooooooo.”

  “Have you spoken with anyone except me and Daniel?” Raymond asked.

  Windchaser shook his head. Though he could speak the human language, the process was clearly difficult for him.

  “Do all the Skybaxes understand us, or just you?”

  The majestic, winged creature gave no indication that he would answer this question.

  “You have this amazing gift,” Raymond said. “Why don’t you share it? Why don’t you let everyone know? You’re special! I bet there’s never been a Skybax like you. Maybe there’ll never be one again!”

  Windchaser shook himself violently. He clearly rebelled at the very thought of sharing his gift with anyone except Raymond.

  “Yyyyyou,” Windchaser said. “Otherssss, nnnnnot.” The Skybax beat his wings, preparing to run forward and lift himself into the air.

  Raymond was seized by a sudden panic. He could not let Windchaser leave like this. “Wait, please! I won’t tell anyone. I promise!”

  The Skybax looked at him suspiciously. “Nnnottt otherrrrr boyyy?”

  “Hugh? No, I won’t tell him. I won’t tell anyone. Please, you’ve got to believe me!”

  The Skybax settled down.

  Raymond did his best to calm himself. It was clear that Windchaser’s bond with his previous rider had been so strong that the Skybax had overcome all barriers separating them. Raymond had to somehow prove himself to the Skybax—that he was worthy of the same.

  “Teach me your language,” Raymond said.

  The Skybax stared in thought for a few long moments, then nodded in agreement.

  Windchaser made a sound for Raymond.

  The boy tried to duplicate it, but failed. He tried again. Then again. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not.

  Windchaser shook his head. They made several more attempts. This time the Skybax tried other sounds, simpler ones. Raymond concentrated and was finally able to mimic a few of them.