As we walk to the south, a few hundred yards in front of us, a two-foot-wide geyser of water erupts at least fifty feet in the air. As the water falls back to the ground, the mist left around the top of the spout forms a winged creature that’s almost angelic in shape. Reflecting the colors of light from the barrier, the translucent figure slowly flaps its wings until it eventually evaporates.
Across the half-mile of land between the first fern and the edge of the cliff, several more geysers shoot upward. Each one of them creates a winged creature in flight that soon disappears. The geyser spouts bathe the ferns with water and soak the ground all around the gigantic plants.
“The spores on the leaves are full of nectar that the Aerodyne consume,” Sash tells us, coming to a halt about a hundred yards from the first geyser. “Never damage them.”
Maya and I stop behind Sash. Hoping to spot one of the Guardians, I survey the sky above us.
“Where are the Aerodyne now?” I ask.
“Somewhere in the sky,” she answers. “They fly through the clouds so as not be seen. I’ll see if I can get one to join us.” Sash looks at Maya. “Have you learned to throw a spear?”
“The Keepers and Watchers have taught us,” she answers.
“Let me show you how I throw,” Sash says. “It’s important to keep your body under control. Never throw too hard and let the spear follow the focus of your mind.”
Sash bounces her spear in the palm of her hand a few times before finding the balance she wants. With her hand at roughly the center of the shaft, she curls her fingers around the steel and aims her eyes at the geyser closest to us. One of the huge, purple ferns stands just a few feet past the hole in the ground. When the water erupts from the geyser, Sash rears back her spear. Taking one powerful step forward, she launches her weapon into the air with a graceful but strong throwing motion.
“Never hit a plant or tree that provides for us or others,” Sash says to us while her weapon is in flight. “Even the trees of the Barrens.”
Neither Maya nor I say anything while watching Sash’s spear soar across the sky. At the same time that the angelic shape above the geyser dissipates into the atmosphere, Sash’s spear impales the ground. The point punctures the dirt in a tiny space between the outer edge of the geyser and the tip of one of the fern’s roots. The vibrating steel shaft sticks almost straight up.
As Maya and I follow Sash towards the Aerodyne’s domain, the rocks under our feet shimmer like a field of black diamonds. When we reach the geyser, Sash stops in front of the hole in the ground. She motions with a hand for Maya and me to stay behind her. The tip of her spear perfectly split the middle of a six-inch open space between the hole in the ground and the root of the fern. Sash reaches out a hand, closes her fingers around the spear, but doesn’t pull it out of the dirt. We all look up at the sky.
No more than a spec at first, a winged being emerges from the clouds high above us. As it spirals downward in broad circles, I realize that the creature has the body of a man, including arms and hands. But extending out from the center of his back are two wings with a span of at least sixteen feet each. The wings are covered in snow-white feathers, except for a small row of jet-black ones that line the outer tips.
Still a half a mile above us, the Aerodyne suddenly ends his spiral and dives straight at Sash. The swish of air slicing over his wings pierces through the deafening sound of the Great Falls. When he’s about fifty feet over us, he vigorously flaps his wings to slow his speed. Moments later, he hammers to the ground a few feet in front of Sash. The terrain around us shakes with the force of a small earthquake.
The Aerodyne immediately aims his eyes at Sash, his pupils a multitude of swirling colors. At least eight feet tall, the shirtless man is built like a world-class bodybuilder. His skin is bronze, absent of hair, and shimmers as though a semi-gloss paint was sprayed all over him. Except for the natural skirt of white feathers that hangs from his waist to the middle of his thighs, he’s entirely unclothed. Instead of feet, enormous talons extend from his ankles and grip the dirt.
A crest of long, cherry-red feathers run like a mohawk from his forehead to the back of his neck, but his head is otherwise bald and smooth. His face is chiseled and handsome—I’d almost describe him as beautiful—much like the famed Adonis of Greek mythology. His tightly flexed muscles and fisted hands leave no doubt how furious he is.
Clutching my shirt with both of her hands, Maya steps behind me. She peeks around my side to look at the Aerodyne as Sash bows her head to the creature. Although Sash doesn’t pull her spear out of the ground, her hand remains firmly clenched to the shaft, and the muscles of her arm are rigid.
“Greetings, Chasmatu,” she says.
“Why are you in my domain?” he bellows in a voice so deep and booming that it sends shockwaves through my bones.
Chapter 31
Without showing any apprehension or fear, Sash raises her face to Chasmatu. “I’m not in your domain,” she says graciously. “My spear is.”
“Your hand is touching the spear!” he roars.
“I didn’t want to leave something from the Delta in your land.” She pulls her spear from the ground and rests the tip on the dirt by her side. “I was afraid you might find it inconsiderate. I was showing the child how to throw a spear, but throwing
