Soar

Chapter 12

"As this is likely the best welcome we can hope for, I suppose I should not eat her," Runedan said. He shifted to stand, knocking me away in the act. I cast him a sidelong glare and stumbled to my feet.

"Whatever else was around probably bolted when you started snoring," I said.

Runedan lifted his nose. "I do not snore."

I shrugged. "Then you make a very fine imitation of it."

"If we are going to argue about sleep habits, I should point out that you have a tendency to talk in your sleep."

"I do?" No one had ever accused me of that before.

The bird called again, reminding us it was still there.

"Hello," I said politely. The bird bent over as if bowing and I laughed.

"Lovely manners for a songbird," Runedan grunted. Then he added to my surprise by bowing back: he leaned forward, one foreleg bent under himself, and lowered his head.[If this book had illustrations, this scene would have to be one of them.]

The bird fixed its dark eyes on me expectantly, making me feel more self-conscious than any bird should have been able to. In the end, I had no choice but to drop a curtsy and offer a smile.

Satisfied, the bird puffed out its chest and chirred briefly before darting skyward.

Runedan watched it wing its way west and announced, "Now to breakfast."

Our first good meal in a long while ended up being a wild goat. I made use of a dry thorn bush for firewood, though I had to cook the meat on rocks near the coals for want of branches for a spit.

"You ought to consider that skin for a new skirt," Runedan remarked, running his dark tongue over his snout.

I glanced at the remains of the goat, then down at my worn clothing. I certainly needed something new to wear, but the idea of cleaning hides to make into dresses made my stomach knot.

"Where do we go now?" I asked instead.

Runedan considered the landscape for a long moment. "Unless you have any objections, I am content to continue west."

I tried to recall Lida's words. She had said we could only find our people when they chose to let us. Were we supposed to continue wandering until they decided whether or not they would reveal themselves?

"Perhaps I should see what sort of land we are in," Runedan said. "It would be difficult to hide a city in this sort of terrain."

"I thought I saw mountains last night," I offered. "Small ones, maybe that way," and I pointed north-west.

Runedan nodded. "It is worth investigating." A while later, he took off, flying swiftly away to survey the land. He had invited me to join him, but though I had spent more time on his back, I was still uncomfortable in the air.

He returned sooner than I expected, looking as weary as I felt. "It seems disuse has weakened my wings," he told me. "I did not reach any mountains. By foot, they are days away. I believe I saw trees that direction as well, and perhaps a lake."

We rested another day and then headed for the mountains.

The farther we walked, the stronger the sense of being watched grew. And then there were the lights.

Runedan saw them first. It was the evening of our third day across the river, and the clouds had thinned enough to allow the light of a full moon to reach us. We would have stopped to rest at sunset, but at the time the only place to stop was an open stretch of ground and neither of us was keen on sleeping in the open.