The Book Gatherer

Chapter Eighteen

"So, Firek."

He'd been staring off into the trees all morning and now straightened. "What?"

Honi traced her fingernail down a line of stitching in the saddle's leather. "I, uh, noticed that you rode Jeje yesterday. When you rescued me—the Holy Book, I mean."

Firek tensed, and Jeje flicked an ear back to listen. "How do you know?" he said defensively. "I could've jumped right into the river and swam after y—the Book. Or ran. Or—"

"Or summoned a flock of ravens to swoop down and carry you to me, sure. But I refuse to believe there is any other way you could've caught up so fast and gotten to the correct place without Jeje. No way a boy full of hot air like you can swim better than a girl who's lived on the land all her life."

"Maybe all that hot air helped me float."

Honi laughed, and though Firek didn't turn around she thought she sensed a smirk on his own face. "Maybe the rocks would've punctured your head and I would've been slinging a deflated bag over the saddle this morning. Come on, Firek. Why you trying to deny it? You did ride Jeje, all by yourself, which was really brave."

He snorted, shaking his head a little. "You sound like my parents after my first flight. Nearly crashed my poor bird right into the ground, and all they did was praise me."

"They can't be too rotten, then. Shouldn't criticize a kid too harshly when they're so young. What were you, eight?"

"Eight? I started flying when I was four."

"Pfft. Sure. And this is the fifth Holy Book I've found."

Firek twisted in his seat to stare at her. "I'm serious! What do you think I am, a Rook? I would train and train and train—I've only fallen off Krunin four times in my entire life. And—"

"Did you include the night you fell on top of me in the storm? Or was that part of your training?"

Firek sputtered in outrage for a moment. "I did not fall on top of you. I was attacking you! I purposefully jumped off to get the Holy Book! I performed an extremely risky and advanced move no others my age could ever—"

Honi laughed, holding up her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright! I get it, bird people like to seek death at an early age. Sounds like rotten meat, but how's a LAND gatherer girl supposed to judge?"

Firek huffed, crossing his arms across his chest, a finger tapping on his bicep. "When did you start riding, huh? Climbing trees? Falling into rivers and nearly drowning?"

Honi counted off on her fingers. "Never drowned before, thank the Earth Serpent, been climbing trees since before I could walk, got to ride with my aunt or mother on her giraffe when I was six, and I got Jeje when I was seven—when I began gathering—and started riding solo then."

"Oh, and all of that isn't certain death, climbing before you can walk, riding a twelve-foot beast at age six—"

"First off, Jeje is fifteen feet, thank you very much, and second off, you mock riding a land animal with an adult in the saddle when you flew a bird by yourself at age four? And nearly crashed it?"

Firek waved that away with a strange hand gesture. "Flying is in the blood. Riding land animals, on the other hand . . ."

Honi laughed incredulously. "If humans were meant to fly, we'd have wings! But no, we have legs—for walking! With other land animals!"

"Then maybe my people are simply stronger and braver than yours—we actually challenge ourselves and work hard for our Serpent."

"Then what are you and your flock doing down here, the oh-so-mighty fliers dredging through the icky forest's mud?"