Kiteman of Karanga (11 page)

"It will take too much time to go around," she shouted. "I'm going under it."

"It won't help Athgar if we're both killed. Stay with me," he shouted back.

"No!" Rika yelled, and before Karl could reply, she had turned the Asti into a fast, shallow run heading directly under the gray, boiling bottom of the threatening cloud.

At first Karl waited for the Asti to turn back, not believing Rika would be so reckless. But stubbornly she flew deeper and deeper into the darkness. Karl reluctantly turned his wing to follow her. He couldn't let her go in there alone, even though he might not be able to help her if she got into trouble.

Diving hard, Karl slowly closed on the Asti. The sky darkened as the blue-black edge of the cloud rolled in behind them. A hissing sound like a giant dread lizard filled the air. The mist surrounded and engulfed them and then opened again. They had to dive immediately or be lifted into the turbulent storm.

"Dive!" Karl screamed. "Rika, dive! If we get pulled up into this, we're lost."

Rika heard him and put the Asti into a dive. As he brought his own wing down, Karl could see her grim expression of terror.

As if the cloud were reaching after them, the swirling mists engulfed them again and again. Karl thought they had gained clear air, but a blast of turbulence rocked their wings sideways, then back to level, then sideways again, forcing them down toward the river faster than they could have dived. Just then a blinding bolt of lightning struck the river from the cloud above. For an instant Karl saw the Hrithdon column beneath them. Then thunder shook them, a few raindrops pelted them, and the storm swiftly pulled them back up.

"Dive! Dive!" Karl screamed again.

But the updraft was too fierce, and they both were sucked into the swirling mist.

"Steady!" Karl shouted. "Hold your wing steady!"

Suddenly they were out of the deadly mist, but not in the clear. They had flown into a gargantuan cavern inside the storm cloud. The air was still rising but was strangely smooth and silent. Long wisps of vapor hung in the center of the enormous space that was closed in by the gray walls of the cloud. But ahead, in the direction they were going, the cloud wall thinned to a light gray, almost white.

"That's our exit," cried Karl.

The hanging vapors passed over them, and as they approached the thin spot it grew lighter and whiter.

"Fly straight through it," Karl called. "Hold steady when you can't see anything. It will only last a few seconds."

Into the white wall they flew. Their wings bounced and jerked, but the turbulence seemed mild compared to the thunderstorm. Then the whiteness changed to rose, orange, yellow, green, and blue, and they emerged into a blaze of colors and sparkling raindrops. At last they left the rain and entered dry, smooth air.

Ahead, Karl saw a cliff overlooking the river and behind it open fields and grassland. He headed straight for an open area behind the cliff. Here they could hide their wings and then climb back and watch to make sure Athgar was still with the column. He hoped that the Hrithdon were still being blinded and doused by the storm and had not seen them.

They landed and got out of their wings. Rika sat on the ground, trembling with relief and exhaustion. Her wet hair hung straight down over her shoulders.

"Karl, I promise I'll never do that again. I was so scared. I thought our wings were going to fall apart."

"Wings do fall apart in turbulence like that," Karl answered furiously. "I told you that thunderstorms were dangerous, so why did you go flying off under the first one you saw? If I hadn't gone after you, you would have been killed."

"I'm sorry, Karl. Sometimes I'm too impatient. I didn't want to go all the way around the cloud, especially when I could see the sun shining on the other side. But the rainbow at the end was so beautiful, it was worth it."

"It was beautiful," Karl conceded, "but there are plenty of exciting things to see from the air without risking your neck in a thunderstorm. Besides, if anything happens to us, Athgar has no chance."

As Karl looked back at the fading rainbow, a rumble of thunder reminded him that the Hrithdon column was still advancing up the road. They had an excellent vantage point from the cliffs edge, which was part of a long, high palisade that overlooked the valley. Directly below them was a field, then the road which paralleled the river. On the other side of the river were more fields.

"Rika, this would be a good place to spend the night. We'll leave our wings set up so if anybody comes from behind, we can glide in the dark and land in those fields across the river."

"And if the Hrithdon see us, we can do the same thing," Rika added. "I've heard that their lizards don't like water."

They found a good hiding place behind some bushes and rested on the grass and waited. Rika took the small bag of gemstones from around her neck.

"I want to make sure I didn't lose any in that storm," she said. Loosening the drawstring, she let the gems tumble out. Carefully, she counted the twelve stones and handed them to Karl.

Karl looked at each of the gems in turn, then he picked up the largest again. It was a fire opal as big as his thumb. Its surface was clear, but within it seemed to contain an orange ember that flickered as he moved it. Along with each flicker, tiny stars of blue and green flashed throughout the stone. Karl slowly turned the opal while he stared at it, trying to discover what caused the amazing colors. But the more he looked, the more mysterious the stone became.

"I like this one the best," he said finally, putting the opal down.

"You know, it's the least valuable of the lot," Rika said.

"I still like it the best," Karl replied. "It's full of surprises. I don't think I would ever get tired of it."

Suddenly they heard a rumble in the distance that was not the thunderstorm. The Hrithdon column was approaching. Quickly, Rika put the gems back into the pouch. The rumbling grew louder as the column came into view. As it drew closer, they could see Athgar tied to one of the lizards in the center of the column. Then, to their surprise, the column slowed and turned from the road into the field beneath the cliff.

"Do you think they've seen us?" Karl whispered.

Rika shook her head. "They're going to camp here for the night."

Karl and Rika continued to watch as the heavily laden pack lizards at the rear of the column were unloaded. Long iron stakes were driven deep into the ground, and the lizards were tied securely. Then a short row of tents was erected. They saw Athgar being taken into the tent at the end of the row.

"Look," Rika whispered, pointing back down the road.

Shepherds from down the river were herding a small flock of sheep toward the encampment. They brought the flock into the field and were met by the captain of the Hrithdon column. Then each of the grim-looking Hrithdon guardsmen grabbed a sheep and dragged it over to where the lizards were tied. Now the hungry reptiles began to take notice; they raised their heads and gnashed their teeth.

Being careful not to get too close, the guardsmen began throwing the struggling sheep to the lizards. As a sheep tumbled toward it, each lizard snatched it in its giant jaws and broke the animal's back or neck with a sudden wrench. Then, clamping the dead animal in its foreclaws, the lizard tore the sheep apart and swallowed it in a few gigantic gulps. Nothing was left. Wool, horns, hooves—all disappeared into the voracious maws.

"Grandfather and Rolf and I work all year to feed these hideous creatures," Rika hissed.

Fascinated, Karl watched the lizards. Then he noticed something he had missed before.

"Rika," he whispered excitedly, "look at that boulder near the edge of the cliff, above the lizards. We can rescue Athgar tonight!"

As dusk came, they could see the flickers of distant thunderstorms. The air was warm and thick compared to the cool evening breezes of Eftah. Karl led the way to the boulder he had noticed perched near the edge of the cliff. Like determined badgers, he and Rika dug and prized at the giant stone until finally it wobbled and groaned. Karl jammed a long branch under it for a lever and then looked at Rika.

"I guess we're ready," he said. "Wait until the moon rises, then pry back on this branch and send it over."

"Be careful," Rika whispered.

Karl tied his terry rope to a bush and lowered himself over the edge. Once at the bottom he quickly hid in the shadows, but the Hrithdon camp seemed calm. Silently, Karl made his way through the trees and bushes at the base of the cliff, then crawled through the deep grass until he was just yards from the tent where Athgar was prisoner. With luck, Athgar would not be watched. The boisterous conversation coming from the tent at the far end of the row probably meant the guardsmen were at their evening meal.

The moon was rising. Karl could feel his heart thumping against the turf as he waited for Rika to unleash the boulder. Why didn't she send it down? Had something happened to her? As if in answer, a loud crashing resounded from the cliff. A spray of sparks lit up the rock face where the boulder bounced against it, then roaring and screaming rent the air as the boulder careened into the midst of the tethered lizards.

Karl sprang forward, cut a small hole in the tent, and peered in. The guard at the entrance had run to the screeching lizards—the way was clear. Karl slashed the hole larger and crept to where Athgar lay, his hands and feet bound.

"Athgar," Karl whispered. "I'm going to get you out of here."

"Karl," Athgar gasped. "Hurry! The guard won't stay away for long."

Athgar held his wrists steady as Karl began sawing at the ropes with his Karangan knife. But the thick, tough fiber made the work agonizingly slow. The rope was nearly severed when Karl's brittle obsidian blade snapped in two.

"Wait," Athgar said. With a stifled roar, the huge man strained at the ropes and suddenly broke free. Then he and Karl each picked up a piece of the broken blade and began working on the ropes that bound Athgar's feet. But these bonds were tied even more securely, and the small pieces of the blade made cutting extremely difficult.

Suddenly the guard reappeared at the entrance to the tent. "The prisoner escapes!"

With a lunge that knocked Karl backward, Athgar grabbed the guard by the foot and pulled him down.

"Seize the intruder!" the guard shouted.

Athgar silenced him, but the alarm had been raised. "Karl, run!" Athgar commanded.

More Hrithdon stormed into the tent, but Athgar threw the body of the unconscious guardsman at them with such force that they were knocked off their feet.

Karl dashed through the hole in the tent and raced for the bushes. The branches and brambles scratched like angry cats, and for a horrible second he thought the rope was gone. Spying it in the shadows, Karl jumped and began pulling himself up. Then a crashing came from the undergrowth, and a guardsman grabbed the bottom of the rope, spear in hand.

"Intruder, climb back down or die!"

Before Karl could answer, the guardsman's spear flew from his hand and was smashed into the ground.

"Guardsman," came a voice from the top of the cliff, "my next rock will be aimed at your head."

Karl watched the shadowy form retreat into the bushes. This respite was all Karl needed, and he climbed the rest of the way to the top of the cliff, then collapsed, gasping for breath. Rika quietly hauled the terry rope up to the top.

"Karl, we should get moving," Rika whispered.

Already a number of the Hrithdon were noisily searching the bottom of the cliff, and they had probably dispatched others to find a way around.

"Come on," whispered Rika, and she led Karl back from the cliff and then along it for some distance to the spot where she had repositioned the wings.

Without another word, they strapped themselves into their kitewings. Rika led the way and stepped off into the darkness. A moment later, Karl followed. As silent as shadows, they glided down from the high cliff, over the trees and the moonlit river, and landed in a field on the opposite shore. They folded their wings and disappeared into the woods. Several hours later, they had reached the top of the valley wall.

"I think we'll be safe here for the night," Karl said quietly, setting his wing down. "I don't think they even knew who we were."

"They'll figure it out quickly enough," Rika said.

"I almost had Athgar free," Karl groaned. He told Rika of his near success and then how his knife blade had snapped. "Obsidian blades do that sometimes because they're so brittle. Maybe I was too rough with it. Anyway, we're going to have to think of something else."

We'll continue on to Ithdon and find Zanzu," replied Rika with determination. "If he is really a friend of Athgars, he'll think of something."

Wrapping a blanket around herself, Rika lay down on the leaves. Lying nearby, Karl looked up at the stars. With a small shock he realized that the Terry was gone from the night sky and the late-summer constellation, the Lizard, had taken its place. Reflecting on this passage of time, Karl fell into an uneasy sleep.

Karl woke to Rika shaking his shoulder. The sun was high in the sky, and Rika had already gone scouting. She told him she had watched the Hrithdon breaking camp.

"Did you see Athgar?" Karl asked.

"Yes," Rika said. "He was bound hand and foot again, and they threw him on a lizard behind a guardsman and tied him on like baggage. They left a couple of lizards dead in the field, and three more were limping at the end of the column with nothing to carry. A lot of the Hrithdon had to ride double."

"I wish that boulder had killed more of them," Karl said emphatically.

Rika nodded. "We'll have to be extra careful now. If there's one thing the Hrithdon are protective of, it's their lizards. We'd better get to Ithdon before the column. If they see us flying around Ithdon, they'll send out an army to capture us."

They hastily packed up and hiked to the brow of the ridge. Once they were aloft, they circled upward in a thermal. When they reached the top, they headed southwest, keeping the river to their right. At midday they sighted the Hrithdon column moving through the valley, and to avoid being seen by the riders they continued on behind a line of small cumulus.