"There is a pass up there to the left, and it is used in summer, but it's still too cold to go up there now," the shepherd said, pointing at a rocky peak. "You don't even have a cloak... you can go back to the road from that path over there."
"Thank you," she said with a curt bow of her head. She had no intention of following his advice. In fact, she was going right if the pass was on the left. Because the Sila wouldn't have nests where Humans could reach.
She waved good-bye to the shepherd and continued her walk. If there was no path, she had trouble, though. She couldn't fly. How could she reach those peaks?
As soon as the shepherd was out of sight, she stopped and sat on a rock to ponder, observing the landscape around her. The northern sea from that distance looked very nice. Its smell didn't reach that far even though the wind carried many odors.
She saw a few lone farms further down the slopes – one of them was probably the shepherd's winter home – and more carts and wagons passing on the road and vanishing behind a rocky bend. The sheep grazed all around and she saw a goat or two among the flock.
Goats could climb rocky slopes. But she couldn't really talk to animals, only birds. She doubted she could convince a goat to take her up those mountains.
A shrill eagle call made her look at the sky. Golden eagles! Of course, they had their eyries on cliffs! Sayla grinned. She had found a way up.
She observed the eagles soaring for a while, then headed towards what she thought could be their nesting area. It looked like there was a family nearby, since there were no display flights and the call had sounded more like a parent to her young.
As night approached, she made camp among the rocks. She still had some beaver meat – she had shot one before leaving the woods and she'd kept what she hadn't eaten immediately for later consumption – and she managed to start a small fire to warm it.
A flapping of wings alerted her and looking up she saw a golden eagle land on one of the rocks. A juvenile who had probably decided to leave her parents and start an adventure on her own, from the amount of white in her golden-brown plumage.
"Hello there!" Sayla smiled. "Would you like to share my dinner?"
She grabbed a piece of meat by the bone and took it out of the pot, throwing it towards the eagle.
"Thank you," the eagle said. She tasted the warm meat and enjoyed it very much. "Aren't you a young one like me?"
"Yes, I've left my family and I want to reach the Sila nests up those mountains, will you help me?"
"I like how you prepare the food, if I bring you more, will you share it with me?"
"Absolutely! And will you carry me up that mountain when the path ends?"
The eagle stared at her. "I'm not sure I can carry you."
"We will try tomorrow," Sayla said, thoughtful. "I'm not as heavy as I look. I think I'm full-blooded Sila, but they cut my wings out at birth."
The eagle made a shocked sound. "Your wings would be the color of mine," she said. "I will help you and you will help me."
"Wonderful!" Sayla leaned forward and caressed the eagle's head and then the feathering of her tarsus. "Nice boots," she said. She wished she could touch the eagle's wings, but she was sort of wary. She didn't like to be touched much herself, and she assumed others were like her.
"Thank you. You are beautiful yourself."
"Not as beautiful as you." She sighed. "I can't fly."
"I'm sure the Sila will help you."
"I wonder." She mused that maybe she could ask Keenan to make her leather wings. But they both needed to study real wings, and then he could work on it.
The sun set and she curled up to sleep beside her new friend.
***
The eagle awoke her with an offering – a small rodent she had caught as soon as the sun was up.
"I'm sorry, I can't eat it raw," Sayla said. "Let me cook it."
The eagle observed as she lit another fire and skinned the rodent. Sayla thought she probably wouldn't go too far today, but she had to try and see if the eagle could carry her. As she cooked, she often glanced at her friend's talons and wondered if she should roll up her chemise sleeves so they would protect her arms. She had wide sleeves and rolling them up would make for a perfect padding.
She shared the food with the eagle and then jumped up.
"Let's try this," she said, rolling up the sleeves.
"Good thinking," the eagle said, flying to a tall rock.
"Should I keep my arms open?" she asked, turning her back to the eagle and imagining she was on a cross.
"Yes, do." The eagle grabbed her forearms with her talons and flapped her powerful wings.
Sayla felt herself lift from the ground a little and move forward, but the eagle let her go almost immediately. The eagle landed on another rock.
"Too heavy. Can't you shed something?"
Frowning, Sayla stared at her gown. The heavy fabric probably doubled her weight. She could keep her chemise, but the gown would probably hinder the flight. She should have worn breeches for this adventure.
She snorted and started unlacing her dress. She could use the gown to make breeches. There was plenty of fabric to spare. She had needle and thread and a lot of time.
She considered flying naked, but she was aware she could be seen. Besides, the Sila covered their bodies, so she didn't want to be introduced to them naked. It would even show off her scars, which she wasn't ready to do yet.
She cut the gown from the bodice and ripped it into smaller pieces. She wasn't a tailor and only had a knife instead of scissors, but it would have to do. She put the bodice back on and started sewing the breeches. They might not hold for long, but they would cover her for some time.
She also cut her long chemise mid-thigh and folded the linen in her backpack. That might be useful when she got her monthlies.
When she finished, the eagle brought another small mammal for lunch. While she waited for the meat to cook, Sayla tried on the breeches. She frowned at her bow and quiver. She'd have to leave them behind. The backpack would be useful, though, so she tried it on her shoulders.
She hid what was left of her gown, the bow and arrow under a rock and put the waterskin inside the backpack.
"Let's try this again," she said, determined. "I'm going to walk that way. You swoop on me and see where you can take me, all right?"
The eagle agreed. Sayla tried to walk with her arms open, to allow the eagle an easier grab. The eagle shouted a warning before swooping down and grabbing her forearms. This time she managed to take Sayla further up and ahead, but again had to drop her too soon.
"I'm going to walk as far as I can, and you'll lift me up if I can't climb, all right?" Sayla said. "Was I lighter this time?"
"Yes, this was much easier. I will lift you up when needed, don't worry."
***
Keenan emerged from the forest and huffed. He was still limping from the wound, but it was closing, although he'd probably have a scar. The hawk had guided him through the canopy of trees and now he looked at the expanse and the mountains looming ahead with a heavy heart.
He should have known that was where Sayla was headed. He could have followed the coastal road and then headed inland instead of trudging through the forest. The hawk flew off towards the mountain.
"Yes, yes, I know, I'll go there," he muttered, unhappy. At least he hadn't heard Sanylo or the others in a long while.
He slowly started his climb and eventually met a shepherd. The man had seen Sayla and told him what he had told her, but Keenan knew she hadn't gone back down. She wanted to go up. Therefore he'd keep going up too.
Two days later he found the abandoned camp. Sayla's bow and quiver were almost hidden under a rock with what was left of her gown and there were traces of fire. Keenan looked at the peaks and decided to stay put.
Sayla would come back for her bow. He might as well wait for her here instead of trying to climb the mountains with a wounded leg. It might be a good way to let the wound heal properly if he rested a
bit. He could set up traps and he heard a stream gurgle nearby, so water wasn't a problem.
Looking up he thought he saw a strange being – or maybe an eagle carrying something. Or someone. He smiled. He knew how lightweight Sayla was. She had found a way up those mountains.
He may as well set camp where Sayla had stopped and just wait for her to come back down.
CHAPTER SIX
It took some trial and error for both Sayla and Eagle, but eventually they found a way that worked for both. Sayla climbed when she could and Eagle scouted forward in search of Sila nests. Then Eagle took her up steep or impassable paths and Sayla helped by manipulating air around both of them.
There was a Sila nest opening on that side of the mountain and Sayla hoped to reach it in a few days. She even stopped one night at Eagle's parents' eyrie and told them they had a wonderful view from their nest.
Flying off was actually easier for Eagle, since they both jumped from the cliff where the eyrie had been made and Eagle caught her as she glided back down, taking her up quite a lot in one swoop.
They might not be on her back, but the eagle's wings finally gave her a way of trying flight. She wished she could have her own and be in charge of the flapping and diving and all the other aerial maneuvers the eagle did when she wasn't encumbered by extra weight.
Once she managed to reach a low cloud and feasted on Clouds Nectar instead of meat. It tasted as good as she remembered, and she couldn't believe that dry air mixed with liquid water drops and ice particles could be so filling. But if she looked down, the ground was so far away she'd never be able to go so high up on her own.
She could also make the clouds almost solid, so that night she slept on the fluffy bed made by the lone low cloud. It felt like white cotton balls and was more comfortable than her own mattress. In the morning the wind had taken her so much higher up, that she could see an opening in the mountain from above.
She squealed in delight and looked around for her friend. Eagle swooped by, inviting her to jump, she'd be ready to grab her if she was pushed in the wrong direction. Without wings, Sayla couldn't correct her flight, so she could just glide and hope to find a place to land on the rocky peaks.
Sayla opened her arms and dived, allowing air to carry her down. A wall of fir trees hid the entrance and Sayla quickly realized she was too low. She called for help and Eagle took her up again and deposited her at the irregular opening that proved to be a natural tunnel.
"Wait here if you want," Sayla told her friend. "I hope I'm not too late for Dankotago."
"This nest might be empty," the eagle replied. "I haven't seen anyone going in or out in the two summers I've lived. But there might be others dwelling underground who can take you to the closest nest."
"I will try to go in, then," Sayla decided. "I'll see you around those peaks soon."
She knelt and hugged the eagle, then headed down the tunnel. It was quite wide, allowing passage even to winged beings taller than her. She wondered why the nest would be abandoned. Maybe because it opened onto a side of the mountain range too close to Human dwellings?
Luckily the tunnel was straight enough that when she reached the first cave there was still some daylight coming in. There were other openings up above that sent down rays of light, but most corners of the big cave were bathed in darkness.
"Hello?" she called, hearing her voice echoing in the cavern and other tunnels. "Anyone home?"
She started slowly exploring the cavern. The ground was mostly flat, but the shape was irregular – slightly oval with lots of smaller caverns and a few tunnels that looked very dark. Even the roof had varying heights and openings. The mountains must be a labyrinth of tunnels and caves. There was no trace of anyone staying there, but then, the Sila didn't build anything.
Eagle was right, this place was abandoned. There was no peculiar smell of inhabitants. No lost feathers littered the cave. She should get out and try to find another entrance. Eagle would help her to find a more populated nest.
She looked up and saw a bat colony sleeping in the darkest corner. If bats had moved in, Sila had definitely moved out. Probably that cavern was too dark for their tastes. The Sila loved sunlight.
Sighing, she turned around and headed back to the entrance tunnel. She should be able to see the Sila heading for the gathering and maybe call them – if she was outside. She was already beyond where Humans could reach, so they should listen to her, or at least come closer to figure out what she was doing there.
She heard scratching sounds and stopped, turning swiftly around with her knife ready. She tried to figure out what it was. It sounded like heavy children running her way. She didn't move, eyes darting to the darkest corners of the cave, waiting.
A lamp emerged from a low tunnel, held up by a diminutive plump man who stopped at the sight of her. He was followed by an equally diminutive plump woman with a crossbow nocked and ready to shoot an arrow at Sayla.
"Dwarves?" she said, too puzzled to keep quiet. "You live here?"
"We do and you're intruding in our territory," the woman said, narrowing her eyes. "Drop your weapon."
Sayla opened her hand and let her knife clang on the stony ground. The male dwarf signaled the woman to relax.
"It's just a Human child," he said. "She can't do much harm."
The female muttered something about Humans, and Sayla imagined it wasn't nice. Dwarves didn't like Humans much.
"Actually, I'm Sila," she said. "Would you like to see my back?"
"A maimed Sila?"
The dwarves came forward in unison, now genuinely curious. Sayla took off her backpack and her bodice, then pulled up her chemise at the back to show the white lines across her shoulder blades.
Her mother's scars were still red after twenty-five years, but hers were almost invisible by now. Her body had grown and hidden the maiming, although the damage had been done.
"Those are very old wounds," the female said.
"Yes, I was maimed at birth," she answered, pulling down the chemise and turning to look at them. She wasn't much taller than either. "My name is Sayla, daughter of Talullah, who was herself maimed twenty-five years ago. I was trying to reach a Sila nest, do you happen to know a way?"
"Ah, the Sila nests are further up," the male said. "I'm Taios and this is my wife Erina. We're in charge of this entrance."
"I don't think the Sila want visitors any more than we do," Erina muttered, frowning at Sayla.
"But she's one of them," Taios replied. "Look at her. Light bones, lovely features, if she had wings, she'd be definitely a Sila!"
"I sort of have wings," Saila smiled. "I have a golden eagle friend who brought me here."
"I was wondering how you got here," Erina said, still staring suspiciously at her. "Golden eagles can carry a lot of weight..."
"But Humans don't talk to eagles," Taios said.
"My eagle friend is young. She still has some white feathers! But she managed to carry me for short stretches."
"Because you have the Sila light bones," Taios said gravely. "I guess this settles it, then. We shall take you to the closest Sila nest. Their Dankotago starts two days from now, we should make it just in time."
"Taios!" Erina hissed.
He took her hand and patted it. "Don't worry, dear, she's not here to steal our children or our gold."
"I only want to meet other Sila," Sayla assured them. "They don't come near Human towns and I haven't seen my winged uncle in ten years..."
"Where are you from?" Erina asked bluntly.
"Inex."
"You've made a long trip, girl. Come, you shall have a decent meal and a real bed tonight, then tomorrow we'll take you to the Sila."
Erina signaled to follow them. Grumpy but good-hearted. Sayla grabbed her things and started after them.
"Do you think I can also have a real bath?" she asked, hopeful.
"Man, that girl is demanding!" Erina muttered. "You will prepare her bath," she warned her husband who turned and winked at S
ayla.
Sayla chuckled. "I thank you so much for doing this. I hope I can repay you somehow."
"I don't think you have money or any precious metal on you," Taios said as they entered another tunnel that soon became less natural and more carved that the previous ones. "What do you do in Inex?"
"I'm the best archer of Inex, although I had to leave my bow and quiver down on the slope," Sayla answered. "Luckily Eagle did the hunting for me!"
"Human archery sucks," Erina sucked. "That's why we prefer crossbows."
"You're an archer, aren't you?" Sayla asked excitedly. Besides flying, archery was her love. She could talk about arrows and bows for hours. And she had never seen a crossbow. She was up for a very interesting discussion that would probably finish melting Erina's heart.
***
The dwarves' town was an interesting sight. After a last turn in the man-made tunnel, Sayla emerged in a huge cavern lit by bonfires and torches. She couldn't see the ceiling, but the walls were covered with square buildings up to six or seven stories tall and connected by wooden ladders or narrow stone paths.
She gaped, watching the thriving population of dwarves walk up and down the ladders that joined the buildings with the bonfires that were the forges, set up at the center of the town.
Erina took her hand and showed her a fountain. "We have aqueducts," she said with a proud smile. "And one of the underground rivers is sulfurous. You can have a warm bath if you want."
Sayla marveled at the ingenious constructions throughout the town. Taios and Erina lived on a third floor reachable by walking on somebody else's roof. The doors were quite low and clearly made for the diminutive inhabitants, but Sayla didn't mind.
"This is our guest room," Taios said, leading her into the left room from the main room that had an oven and a table and was obviously used both to cook and for meals. "If you need to relieve yourself, the outhouse is down that alley." He pointed out of the window to an alley that seemed to end in the cave's wall. "I will fetch the bathtub and the water."
Sayla dropped her backpack and tried the small cot. It was hard, but not as hard as the ground. She checked the rest of the furniture – a stool, a bed-table with a candle, a basin with a jug for morning ablutions – then went looking for the outhouse.
Quests Volume One Page 18