Sky Child (3 page)

4

"Sam," says Lagan.

I wait for Flot, Jet, and the rest of the hunters to pass by me. Lagan looks at me like he's worried about something.

"Sam, I'll ask a pair of hunters to take turns standing outside your room tonight," says Lagan.

"I don't think I need protection," I say, lying.

"The others noticed how quickly you picked up the sky spear. You and I both know how dangerous something like that can be."

"People get killed. What does it matter? Why protect me?" I ask.

"Because you are the one who will replace me when I'm too old."

"Me? Why?" I ask.

"You might be able to fool other people, but I've watched you. I know that you're faster and smarter than any other hunter."

My stomach starts to hurt.

"I don't want to lead. I just want to be left alone," I say.

"That's why you would be a good leader. You aren't interested in power. You care about people. I've seen how you take care of your brothers," says Lagan.

"They aren't really my brothers," I say.

"And yet you still protect them. That says even more about you than if they were your own blood."

"Every other hunter wants to lead," I say. "Find someone else."

"No, the decision has already been made. Your future is to lead the hunt," says Lagan.

I don't know what to say to Lagan. I feel proud that he wants me to lead the hunters once he is too old, but I am afraid that someone might try to kill me. That it will only make things worse for Flot, too. My instincts tell me to say 'no', to fight him and refuse, but I know he'll never agree.

"Sam, you might be safer as Leader of the Hunt than you are now," says Lagan.

"Somehow I doubt that," I say.

"I have made friends among the hunters, and those friends protect me."

"Yes, but they are your friends, not mine. I don't have any friends, just my brothers," I respond.

"My friends can become your friends," says Lagan.

"But I don't know them at all," I reply.

"When you are born, you don't know anybody, either. Everyone you know is someone you met for the first time."

"Yes, but there is a big difference between meeting someone, and trusting them with your life."

"That is true," says Lagan.

"And there are hunters that have seen many more snows than me. They will hate me for this."

"Also true."

"Do you want me dead?" I ask.

"No, Sam. I want you to finally be alive. All you do, all you have ever done is survive. There is more to life than just seeing your next sunrise. You need to stop hiding, and do what you were meant to do."

I don't know what to say. He's right; I've never done anything more than stay alive. Every day I struggle to eat, to sleep, to be safe. Maybe if I had help, if Lagan's people really can be trusted, maybe I can be more than just a simple hunter. But the danger is too much.

"I'm sorry, but I won't," I say.

Lagan just stares at me with his gray eyes. He doesn't react to what I have said.

"No," I say.

"We will see," says Lagan.

With that, Lagan turns from me and keeps walking toward the Crag.

5

When I get back to the room, I see that Flot and Jet are almost ready. They both have their leather armor on. Lagan was the one that discovered that a cow's skin makes good armor. That was when I realized just how smart Lagan actually is. I've never really thought about him that way, but a lot of what we do as hunters is because of him.

Lagan and a few of the other hunters know how to make leather armor. They won't share how they make it with anyone outside of the hunt though. I think it's because Lagan realizes that if other groups can make their own armor, they will start a war in the Crag.

The armor works well if you fall down, or if someone tries to hit or kick you. But it will not stop a spear, and it will not save you from a rock thrown from a sling. It will protect you some from a wolf bite, but you will bleed. Still, it is better than nothing.

I help Flot tie together the last pieces of his armor. He has already helped Jet with his, but I make sure that he has done a good job. It all looks right, and I check it by pulling at the different pieces, making sure they won't fall off.

While I help them, I look at the carvings on the chest pieces. Both have the symbol of the Crag: connected rings, with shapes that look like curved squares outside of the rings. Charm told me that the rings form a clover leaf. One ring for the harvest, one for the animal keepers, and one for the hunt. The squares are the protectors, standing guard over the other groups.

When I am sure that both Flot and Jet are ready for the hunt, I put on my own hunting armor. My armor is different in a few ways. It is longer, because I am taller than both Flot and Jet. Lagan also made it so that I can move my arms more easily than the hunters who use spears. That is what both Flot and Jet use, and will keep using for a few more snows. My armor makes it easy to use my sling, and should also help when I use the new sky spears.

My armor is black, and the carving on it is different from Flot's and Jet's. Instead of having a large carving in the middle, my carving is smaller. It makes it easier to tell who is a lead hunter during an attack.

Flot and Jet both help me get into my armor, not because I need help, but because it's faster. After I'm finished with my arms, legs and chest, I put on my black helmet. It covers most of my face, but I can still see. Picking up my sling and bag of rocks, I tie them to the side of my armor.

Whenever I hunt, I carry a bag of rocks that are just the right size and shape for my sling. I know they will fly true, and will hit their mark. Because there are rocks everywhere, I've never run out of them.

Although I have always been good at using a sling, it's only been since the last snow that I've been able to take down the black fliers in the Crag. Sometimes I find a group of them hanging upside down from the ceiling. I can use my sling to hit them with rocks as they sleep. I am good enough now that I can knock down a black flier, and be so quiet that it doesn't wake the other fliers.

It is a good thing too, because fliers have a mean bite. There have been a few times when a black flier's bite has caused a person to... change. They become dangerous, and not like themselves, so we try to stay away from the black fliers as much as possible.

I finally leave our room, with Jet and Flot following behind me. As we pass by the Great Fire, I notice that a small group of gray ones have gathered in front of it. They are there to worship, to ask for happiness and health, and to bless the hunt. Charm is among them. She usually prays before the hunt, praying for Flot's, Jet's and my safety. I go over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, letting her know that we appreciate it. She smiles then turns back to the fire.

Flot and Jet do the same, both placing their hands on her shoulders. This time she is deep in prayer and does not react to their touch. We leave Charm to her prayers and head to the mouth of the Crag.

The weather has decided to hold, which is good news. There is a slow wind blowing across the field. No rain, and no sky fire. The sky is still dark gray, which makes me wonder if the weather will turn bad again. I can hear the sound of grass moving, and in the distance our fields of wheat and barley. It is a beautiful sound, one that calms me, and makes me feel alive.

It doesn't take long for the other hunters to appear. Like usual, Lagan is one of the last to arrive. I don't know if he purposely does it, but it gives us a chance to talk to each other before we must focus.

"Sam, do you know where we're hunting today?" asks Jet.

"We will head for where the sun rises," I reply.

"Didn't we do that yesterday? Why do we only hunt in that direction? Why don't we ever go toward the sunset?" asks Jet.

"You know why. It's because dragons are there."

"Why don't we hunt dragons?"

"Because we have nothing to kill them with," I say.

"We could try out Lagan's new spear. I bet it could take one down," says Jet.

"I don't think you could kill a dragon with a sky spear if it was tied up and sleeping."

"But you don't know that for sure."

"Yes, I do. Remember, I tried fighting a dragon before. It was only by the will of the Sky Gods that I'm still alive. I used to think like you, before I met one. That maybe there's a way to kill a dragon. And I tell you, Jet, that it's impossible."

"Maybe someday I will prove you wrong," says Jet.

"I pray to the Sky Gods every day that you never meet a dragon," I reply.

"Maybe someday I will go off on my own and hunt a dragon."

I turn, grab Jet by the collar of his armor, and bring his face close to mine.

"You better hope that dragon kills you when you find it," I say.

"Why?"

"Because if it doesn't kill you, I will."

I push Jet backward, hard, to get my point through his stubborn head.

"Do you understand?" I ask.

Jet looks back at me with anger.

"Do you understand?" I yell.

All of the other hunters have turned to look at us. Jet looks around like a sheep, not knowing what to say or do. Finally he speaks.

"Yes, Sam. I understand."

"Good. And Jet, don't ever look at me like that again. I will end you if I have to."

"Yes, Sam."

Because of the argument, Jet has lost some status with the other hunters. They realize he was acting like a child, and that I treated him like a child. There was no other way to keep him from going after a dragon, though. He has a hard time listening, and you have to be strong when telling him what he shouldn't do.

Jet isn't very good about staying safe. I try my best to keep him and Flot from getting hurt. At some point I will have to let them live their own lives, and hope and pray for the best. But for right now, it's my duty to protect him from himself.

6

"I need a few volunteers to carry sky spears during the hunt," says Lagan.

Everyone's arm goes up, even Jet's and Flot's. Even mine is in the air, and I hope that Lagan lets me use one of the new weapons. Now that I know how to use it, I could easily take down a deer.

But Lagan doesn't pick me. He picks a few of the gray ones, and a few of the others; mostly people I don't talk to and don't know very well. Lagan hands out the sky spears to them. He looks over at me, and can tell by the look on my face that I'm not very happy about it.

"Those of you with sky spears have earned it. I've seen with my own eyes that you are the best at throwing them. If you did not get one, try harder next time. Until then, I will not hear any complaining. Not everyone can carry a sky spear. We still need hunters to carry slings, and hunters to protect us with big spears," says Lagan.

I notice a few of the people with murder in their eyes during training look back at me. My stomach turns when I see the vicious smiles on their faces. They think that they are better than me now. That is fine. Now I might be able to sleep in peace tonight, without having to worry about dying at the hands of jealous hunters.

Lagan is very wise to do what he did. He protected me without being obvious about it. I realized it, but the same people that would have killed me don't seem to understand that they are being fooled.

The other smart decision that Lagan made was to call the old spears 'big spears'. The word 'big' in the Crag is very important. If you are called 'big' in the Crag, it means that you are strong, and can protect yourself. People won't try to kill you if you are big, because they are afraid that you will kill them first. It makes using an old spear still seem honorable.

I don't know that I could be as wise as Lagan if I replaced him. He always seems to know how to keep people from fighting and killing each other. I'm good at keeping people from killing me, but I don't know if I'd be able to keep things peaceful between the others.

Distracted by my own thoughts, I finally look up and notice Lagan staring at me. I give him a nod of thanks to let him know I realized he's saved my life. He doesn't react to my nod. Instead he looks away. He picks up the last sky spear and carries it in the direction that the sun rises from. The rest of the hunters pick up their weapons then turn and follow behind Lagan.

When we hunt, we form a square of people, with big spears at the front, and rock throwers like me in the back. This protects us from a direct attack, but it isn't very good when we're attacked from the sides.

One time a pack of wild wolves came at us from the side. A lot of good people died that didn't need to. If the hunters were smarter, more people might have survived.

But the hunters are likely to kill anyone that has too many good ideas. So to keep fights from starting, Lagan has been forced to keep things the same way they have always been. It surprises me that he took the risk of showing the hunters the sky spears. Someone might try to take his life tonight because of it.

Our square of hunters moves slowly for a few reasons. The first is to stay quiet. If animals hear us, they will run away. The other is to keep hunters from accidentally hurting each other. If you walk too fast with a sharp spear then trip, you might accidentally kill the person in front of you. And if you do, you'll never be allowed to hunt again.

We walk for a long while, searching for animals to hunt. Off in the distance I can see a few wolves attacking a deer. I ready my sling and wait. Wolf meat is filling, but it doesn't taste very good. Deer tastes very good, which is why we keep hunting them. It is disappointing that the wolves will have eaten most of the deer by the time we get to them.

Lagan also notices the wolves and puts his arms out to stop us from walking further. He points to the hunters that carry sky spears, and has them move away from the group. He also makes sure that they are all side-by-side, where none of them are closer to the wolves than the rest.

Lagan holds up his own spear, like he is ready to attack, and the sky spear hunters do the same. Once he is ready, he gets a running start then throws his sky spear toward the wolves. The other hunters do the same.

I can only imagine the fear that the wolves must have felt just before the sky spears came raining down on them. The group of wolves are all struck by the spears. Some of them die instantly, while others will soon die from blood loss. Lagan waves everyone to move closer to the wolves.

We only make it part of the way to the pack before Lagan orders the rock throwers to hit the wolves with our slings. I load up a stone from my bag, spin my sling a few times then launch the stone. It comes down from the sky, crashing into the head of an injured wolf. The good thing is that it isn't awake anymore, and will hopefully be with the Sky Gods soon.

Once all of the throwers have had a chance to hit the wolves with their rocks, Lagan brings us even closer. He tells the people with big spears to stab the wolves that are still moving. The big spear hunters do their jobs, and then all is quiet.

There are as many wolves in the pack as there are fingers on both of my hands. It should be enough food for the Crag for a few days if we clean and cook our kill quickly enough. We also want to leave the killing field before other predators arrive, because we are at our most vulnerable when we are collecting our kill.

When we hunt, we each bring a bag along to carry the meat we have gathered. As I fill mine, I look across the field. I can feel the wind pressing on my face as I see a thick fog coming toward us. It moves like a frightening blanket of hands; fingers of white crawling across the grass.

"Lagan," I yell.

Lagan looks up, turns his head and sees what I see.

"Everyone, quickly, we must get back to the Crag," says Lagan.

I pull the strap of my wolf-filled sack over my head, so that if I fall, I wont lose my kill bag. I'm worried, because in a thick fog it is easy to lose what direction you're walking in. I go over to Flot and Jet, and help them put their kill bags over their heads too. I push them ahead of me, making sure they move in the right direction, and so I don't lose them in the mist.

We take a few steps forward before we're swallowed by the fog. The air turns white around us. I can still see Flot and Jet, but it is hard to make out any of the other hunters. I hear Lagan yell out to us.

"Everyone, stay calm and follow my voice. I will talk so that no one is lost."

I am glad that Lagan is thinking well. He seems to be at his best when things are at their worst. He continues talking, giving us a way to keep the hunters together.

I notice that Jet can't seem to walk in the right direction; I have to grab him and push him toward Lagan's voice every few steps. I can tell that he hates me doing it, but I don't care, because I'm not going to lose one of my brothers to the fog.

It seems like I am always trying to push Jet in the right direction, like all he ever wants to do is walk toward danger. He just doesn't understand what will happen if he does. That he could end up dead, or maybe even worse. This time though, I think he just can't hear Lagan. It makes me wonder if his ears don't work well. It would make sense, since he doesn't seem to hear my warnings, either.

We continue walking. Things seem to be getting worse. It doesn't feel like we're walking in a straight line. The sky is so dark with clouds, and the air so thick with fog, that I cannot tell if we are heading toward the Crag. I don't say anything to Lagan, because I trust him, and I know that he would never lead us in the wrong direction.

But as we walk more, I worry more. It seems like we should have reached the Crag already. I hear people talking to each other; whispers in the fog. I think that they are worried too. Both Jet and Flot look back at me, trying to see if I'm as worried as they are. I turn them back around toward Lagan's voice.

I can hear the worry in his words. He doesn't sound brave and strong like he normally does; he sounds like he is lost. I think he's still trying to act brave so that the other hunters will stay together, and continue following him.

I speak to Flot and Jet through the fog.

"Ready yourselves," I say.

They both look back at me. Flot nods his head, and Jet just turns away. He does listen to me though, and raises his spear as well. I place a rock in my sling, just in case we run into predators.

After many more steps, Lagan finally speaks.

"Everyone, ready your weapons. We do not know what we will meet in the fog."

The fog has only grown thicker since it met us, and I reach out to Jet and Flot to make sure they are still ahead of me.

I stop walking. Off in the distance I hear a familiar sound. It is the sound that has haunted my nightmares. It is a sound I haven't heard for many snows, but I will always remember. It is the sound of a dragon.