“So…you’re not bothered by it at all?” Gavin said to him with residual disbelief in his voice.
“None whatsoever! In fact, I think you two form a great duo, and I feel great knowing you both have Galirras’ back and mine.”
“You can count on that…but why did you speed off at the hot pool, just now, then?”
“Ha! Well, it’s one thing being okay with my brother’s choice of women, but another to witness that intimacy at work. Besides, falling flat on my face didn’t help much either,” said Raylan.
“So…we’re good?”
“We’re great, no worries. Do me a favor? Let me know when I can take my bath. I’ll be back at the fire…or along the lake, if Galirras wants to practice some more.”
He walked off, letting out a laugh as he heard his brother’s sigh of relief. Heading back to the campfire, he felt Galirras tingle in his head.
“You did not need to let him sweat like that, did you? You knew almost right away what he was afraid to say to you…did you not?” said Galirras in Raylan’s head.
“Hehe, you caught me…but I couldn’t help myself. It’s not every day that I have the upper hand in our conversations…I guess the kid in me just wanted to enjoy it for a brief moment……but you’re right, it wasn’t a very nice thing to do.”
Coming back to the lake, Raylan saw the sky reflected in the lake’s calm surface. As the clouds broke apart above the lake, stars filled both the sky and the water. The moon was barely a sickle and, if not for the stars, it would have been a very dark night. Along the lake were the outskirts of the ancient forest. The trees had gotten smaller as they moved south, toward the lake, in the last few days. They were still some of the biggest trees Raylan had seen in his life; but were, by far, not as massive as the trees in which the tree settlement had been built.
“You want to meet me at the river exit and do some flying practice?” he asked Galirras.
“Sure! I will be right there,” said the dragon, happy that Raylan was as interested in his flying as he was.
As Raylan watched the moving of the water, he heard the now familiar swishing of wind and snapping of the leathery skinned wings. Galirras sat down next to him.
“Hey, that went a lot better. You didn’t even slide that far on the ground.”
“Thanks. If I tilt my wings a bit more, I can actively slow down before actually touching the ground.”
Most of the flying came naturally to Galirras; but certain things had taken some time, since he had spent extended time walking on the ground, neglecting his wings. The positive side of it was that Galirras had plenty of power in his hind legs, enough to launch himself up into the air and for his wings to get enough room to lift him off the ground. Raylan decided to send him out above the water to practice controlling his low altitude flying.
“See how low to the water you can fly without falling in. Be careful not to tip your wings in the water, or you might end up taking another bath.”
As Galirras jumped up, Raylan noticed a flow of air pulled his hair forward just before the wind gush of beating wings pushed it the other way again. As he was familiar with the movement of wind from his days on sea, something inside him made him curious.
Galirras sheared across the water. Barely having to move his wings, he glided a small distance above the water, close enough to touch the water surface with a claw if he wished. Suddenly, he pulled upward, going up a few wing beats, before spinning across the length of his body and going in for another dive. Even so close to the water’s surface, he was able to make sharp turns. Every time he did so, a ripple formed on the calm surface. It looked as if Galirras was actually creating a bow wave, if he got close enough to the water, which seemed strange as he did not actually touch the water.
The sound of grinding pebbles made Raylan look up. He saw Xi’Lao approach him.
“If you want, you can take a bath now,” said Xi’Lao, as if nothing had happened earlier.
“Thanks. I’ll head over in a bit.”
“He is doing well,” she said, gesturing at Galirras.
“Yeah, he’s really making up for the lost time when he was stuck on the ground. His wing muscles have almost tripled in size, it seems.”
“Anything wrong? You seemed to watch him pretty intensely, just now. You think his wings are fine now, right?”
“Yeah. I’m not worried about that anymore. He seems to have good control over them, and he has not mentioned any pain since the tree village.”
“So, what is it then?”
Raylan looked at her.
“Galirras told you about his ability to manipulate wind, right? How he could move around leaves, make them dance above the fire?”
Xi’Lao gave a quick nod.
“He showed me. It was hard to believe, at first, but he moved the leaves precisely where I told him to. He gets more amazing by the day, it seems.”
“I agree with that…I think he might be using his wind power to add to his basic flying skills. There! See how just before he turns the water surface is disturbed? I think he is creating his own counter wind to slow down, then he pushes sideways with the wind while turning in the direction with his wings. It allows him to make very sudden and sharp corners. It’s a whole other aspect to his power.”
“That is incredible. I wonder what other powers will show up over time…but he most certainly does justice to his name already.”
Raylan looked at her.
“What do you mean ‘does justice to his name’?”
“I realized the other day after he told me about seeing the wind and controlling it. His name in the old dragon tongue would most likely come from ga’li roras. If I remember my grandfather’s teachings of the old language correctly, it would freely translate to ‘catcher of the winds’, or ‘manipulator of air’. It seems to fit him perfectly, I would say.”
Raylan looked back at Galirras. The explanation of his name made him see a whole different being. The dragon had stopped being helpless some time ago, as he constantly increased in size. But somehow, now, he did not just see the physical presence of his friend, he saw all Galirras’ potential—what he might become…and it was incredible.
As he saw Galirras turn toward shore, obviously tired from his flying lessons, he could do nothing more than feel admiration for this magnificent creature that had chosen to bond with him. And as he smiled, he whispered his newfound name under his breath.
“Windcatcher…”
The next morning, their brief relaxation quickly came to an end, as Harwin, who had been on watch, saw two small boats coming down the coast, filled with two dozen soldiers. Before they were spotted, they broke up camp and retreated into the tree line, heading west toward the coast.
“I could have taken to the air to attack them. It is such a shame we have to leave this place so soon,” said Galirras.
The dragon had thoroughly enjoyed the hot pools, even bathing in the ones that were much too warm for any human. It had not bothered Galirras; in fact, the heat had warmed his body through and through for the first time since he was born. He had never noticed because of the climate here, but now he felt as if he had been cold the entire time. His discovery lead him to believe that dragons greatly enjoyed the heat, and he was reluctant to pass this up.
“And how would you do that?” asked Raylan.
The dragon had not thought that far ahead. He was getting bolder with his increase in size, but Raylan was not yet comfortable letting his precious friend be on the front lines.
“Perhaps I could have come in low. Topple the boat. Surely they would drown, or at least have trouble reaching land, where you could have been waiting to kill them.”
It surprised Raylan how easy the dragon suggested killing them. Although he could hardly blame him for it. He had seen little else in his life except people chasing people and man trying to kill man.
“And what if they have archers? Shoot arrows at you? Or perhaps you underestimate the size and weight of the boat and you
end up in the water with them…what then? Besides, I rather avoid killing people if I am able to. People should strive to work together and conquer shared challenges to better themselves and the world, not be at each other’s throat.”
“But you have killed people to get to me, have you not?” said Galirras, as he cocked his head.
“If there had been any other way I would have gladly taken it; but for one thing, I didn’t want to fail my brother, and after I found you, I’d do anything to keep you from harm.”
Raylan tried to figure out what he wanted to say precisely.
“I’m not saying that you shouldn’t defend yourself or protect someone you care for if needed, but that doesn’t mean that it is okay to outright kill someone. You should never stop looking for better solutions. When you look at these kind of problems, perhaps there is a way to avoid a direct confrontation. A way to prevent casualties…whichever side those are on. You would almost forget that we are the invading enemy here. We have our reasons, good reasons if you ask me, but to them we might seem like the aggressor.”
“I don’t agree,” Gavin interrupted, “our being here is a direct result of their attack on the Tiankong Empire. They’re the aggressor, and we’re the reacting result. Besides, sometimes a preemptive strike will remove a threat before it can become real, saving a lot of lives. Who knows what Corza and the Stone King would have done with Galirras under their control.
“But Raylan is right on one thing, Galirras. You’re currently too valuable to be put at risk if such an easy alternative is available. Besides, if the boat patrol disappeared, it would only draw attention, give away our position, and possibly our direction of travel. We better stay hidden as much as we can and get home as soon as possible.”
The group had to take their time moving to the coast. They came across two enemy encampments along the lake, forcing them to circle back and go the long way around.
By nightfall on the sixth day, they were looking for a place to camp, when Ca’lek and Sebastian came riding back from scouting.
“We’re here! We’re at the coast,” said Sebastian.
As they rode out of the forest, Raylan heard the sound of waves crashing on the rocks. The forest had not become any brighter and dusk’s darkness set in early under the trees. But, while they emerged from under the trees, the view of the Great Eastern Divide was spectacular. The setting sun was halfway on the horizon already, painting the sky orange and red, going into a deep blue where the night sky was gaining ground.
The ocean crashed onto the rocks sixty feet below them. Often overhanging above the water, the cliffs were too steep and dangerous to climb. Along the entire coast, the steep rocks acted like a natural barrier, making it hard to find a good place to reach land. The height of the rocky shore seemed to vary as much higher cliffs were seen in both directions.
Toward the south, land bent westward. Filling a quarter of the horizon with steep cliffs, it suddenly stopped where the foreland would turn back on itself. The multiple levels of trees and forest layers would suggest it was more mountainous than flat. Unfortunately, no sign of three giant pillars rising out of the sea was seen.
“Perhaps Aanon was lying…” Sebastian began, uncertainly, before he stopped himself. “No, no, he couldn’t have. I know him. I’m certain of it. He might have hit the coast more toward the south, hit on higher ground.”
“It seems clear that is the landmass he was talking about,” said Gavin, pointing to the cliff turning west. There’s no such thing in the north, as far as we can see. So, south it will be.”
Raylan had explained the sea to Galirras, about how far it stretched, but the dragon was still surprised by the sheer vastness of the ocean.
“How can it reach so far? Where does all the water come from? You do not see any land at all! How long would it take to fly to the other side?” asked Galirras, inside Raylan’s mind.
Raylan tried his best to provide answers.
“Our fastest ships can go about eight knots, which would take about three weeks to make the crossing, if they maintained their maximum speed at all times. You could probably fly faster, but you wouldn’t find any land to rest on for at least a week, I reckon. So, unless you can stay in the air for at least seven days, I wouldn’t recommend trying to fly it,” Raylan replied.
As the sun set, darkness took over the world. In his enthusiasm, Galirras stretched out his neck over the edge of the cliffs, trying to see as far as he could. Suddenly, he let himself drop as he dove off the cliff. Using a wind gush from the waves crashing below, he immediately ascended. Circling with short turns, he was up in the air—at least three hundred feet—before any of them had time to call out.
“What are you doing? You might be spotted!” Raylan called out, telepathically. Gavin hurried over, urging Raylan to call Galirras down.
“I just want to see how far it goes! Besides, I do not see anyone around. And, even if they were, I doubt they would be able to see me in this twilight.”
This was true. Raylan had trouble keeping Galirras in view, as his shape became smaller and fell away against the dark sky. And he knew what he was looking for.
“Well, please come back down, anyway. You’re making the others nervous,” said Raylan.
Galirras did one more turn, before he set his descent. But just before he dove back down, he stopped in midair, the strong strokes of his wings keeping him almost stationary, in one spot. Raylan knew Galirras was using his wind manipulation to give himself a strong headwind up there, or perhaps, he had found an air current to enhance it, slightly. It allowed Galirras to stay in the air—virtually still in one spot—without having to frantically flap his wings. His wings stroked—steady and powerful—in a turning fashion, pushing air not only downward, but also forward.
“I can see it!” Galirras called out to all of them, as he hung there hovering. “I can see the three peaks!”
He dove forward, rapidly descending toward the water. Turning the length of his body back toward the cliff, he pulled up and used the upward flow of wind to approach the edge of the cliffs and landed neatly next to Raylan’s mount. The horse whinnied, due to the sudden approach from below the cliff; but Raylan had learned long ago to keep the reins short, in order to keep the horses under control around Galirras.
“I saw the Drowned Man’s Fork,” Galirras said to Raylan and Gavin. “It is behind that second peak from the right. It looks like they are part of that hill, but that is just the low light and the twilight playing tricks on your eyes. I saw them, three pillars rising from behind it. Does that mean we can get out of here?”
“Let’s hope so,” said Raylan, as he gave a quick stroke along Galirras’ neck.
Gavin had already turned toward the rest.
“Let’s make camp nearby, quickly. We’ll head out for the fork at first light. It’s about time we leave this place behind.”
Corza paced up and down his room. They had been chasing the group for weeks. Sometimes losing track of them for a number of days, but then a patrol would spot them—or go missing—and give them an indication of where the group had been. Then, they would close in on them, once more.
After the stone arch collapsed, Corza and his men had taken the long way round. They fell back to one of the forest forts to get reinforcements. He had taken a moment to inform his dear leader, Lord Rictor, about the unfortunate demise of High General Koltar Wayler at the hands of their enemy, and to ensure that he would not rest until this group was caught and brought to the justice before the Stone King.
After that, they set out to travel round the mountain range. Messenger birds had been sent out, giving orders to scout the remote areas for the intruders. They had no luck until, by chance, the High General ran into the short-haired soldier in one of the forest food storage compounds.
Corza grabbed his Roc’turr and walked over to the slave girl, tied to the side wall in his room, with her hands above her head. She was sobbing, silently, afraid to draw attention to herself.
&nb
sp; Corza put his hands on her ragged dress and ripped it from her body.
“A girl as impure as you has no need for modesties like clothes,” he hissed.
The girl whimpered. According to the soldiers in the harbor, she was one of the regular girls, tending to the needs of the soldiers and, apparently, quite good at it.
“How dare you try and seduce me when I’m not in the mood,” Corza continued.
He took hold of her left breast and squeezed as hard as he could. The girl let out a cry, in pain. He had to admit, she had a pretty face. He would have to do something about that later.
“See, I still don’t understand how he could have vanished into thin air that night, out in the forest,” he said, as he dragged the point of the sacrificial dagger across her arms downward. As the point crossed her neck, the girl grew wide eyed and held her breath, in shock…but the dagger moved on, without cutting any skin.
“…unless a Kzaktor actually got hold of him. But somehow, he seemed too smart. For. That.”
He enforced each of his last words by cutting a small gash in the woman’s flesh…two across her stomach and one on her left arm. The girl screamed out, in surprise and pain. Blood trickled down across her skin.
Not wanted to run around, like a madman, after the night he ran into Raylan, Corza had traveled further south to their fallout base. He had to be there to oversee the final preparations anyway; and he could use the time to get some of his strength back, strength he had lost from the march through the White North. The rest was doing him good, but he had to trust incompetent men to track down what he desired most.
After that night, it took them a few days, but eventually they tracked the group all the way to just north of Turaell Lake, which was the size of a small sea, but somehow they had gotten away again. There had been quite a few casualties.
Corza got to his knees and looked up.
“My men say a ferocious beast accompanies them. Larger than any man.”
Putting his face to her lovely soft thigh, he licked the small, dripping stream of blood on her skin.
Windcatcher: Book I of the Stone War Chronicles Page 31