She twisted her head to the side to meet my cast down eyes. “I had a feeling. Maybe you should go home?”
“I can’t. Not right now.”
I glanced around the corner again--all clear-- then paced in the small space between the buildings. Going back to the castle would remind me of all the obligations I couldn’t meet. Staying here wasn’t safe. The heavy darkness returned to my thoughts dragging me under, drowning me.
“I know a place. Did you want to get out of here?”
I closed my eyes. “Please.”
She slipped her hand in mine, her cool skin melting against my flaming palm. My head jerked her direction and locked on her dark eyes, two mysterious shadows under the moonlit sky. A stillness radiated from her touch. A calm I hadn’t felt in days ran through me and eased the constriction around my lungs. A hush. Veda gasped as her breath caught in her chest. Did she feel it too? She cast a glare at our hands twined together and slid her fingers up to grab my forearm instead, pulling us back under the lantern lights.
We ran silently through the streets, up the hill toward the dark forest. As we neared the edge she tucked two fingers between her lips and whistled. Above a black cloud appeared and sped toward us, growing larger and larger until it landed in front of us with a gust of wind and a deep throaty squawk.
“Your Highness, meet Alizeh.”
The giant bird lowered its head as Veda ran her hand over its glossy bronze feathers, the massive beak sharp and inches from being able to snap at her arm and break it in two.
I stepped back taking in the full wonder of the massive creature. I’d seen these birds before. A means of transportation between the highest mountain ranges and the valleys, but never one this close. Royalty needed to travel using the safest means possible, and an unsaddled, untrained bird did not fit in that category.
The bird nuzzled next to Veda’s face until she tapped it gently between the eyes and it bowed its front legs and lowered its body closer to the ground. I stared at the bird’s talons carving deep trenches through the dirt, each one as tall as my hip.
I shuddered. “Are you sure this is safe?”
Veda grabbed at the creature’s neck and swung her leg over its feathered back, mounting the gigantic bird as if she were a stable horse, straddling between its wings. “Of course. I’ve had her since she was a hatchling and she’s never let me down. Have you girl?” She stroked the feathers on top of the bird’s head. It closed its eyes and leaned into her touch. “Why? Are you scared?”
“Of course not.” I crept slowly along the side of the creature, its burrowing stare following my every step.
Veda held out her hand and I grabbed on, pulling myself up behind her on top of the great bird. Its lungs expanded and contracted beneath my thighs and I leaned closer to Veda. Hibiscus and eucalyptus diffused between us from her hair, and the scents calmed my pounding pulse.
“Alizeh, up,” Veda called and the bird stood, our heads edging near the tops of the trees.
I swallowed hard and gripped handfuls of silky feathers, as the bird spread its gigantic wings.
“Hold on. It takes some getting used to.” Veda emitted a whistle and the bird darted skyward nearly tossing me back down to the cobblestones.
My stomach rose into my throat as we lifted higher and higher, the lines of Mosa townhouses shrinking to doll-sized toys.
“I’ve never done this before,” I admitted as we passed over Takka’s Tavern, the image of Kalmin’s betrayal stabbing me one last time.
“You’ll love it.” Veda rested her hand on my leg. “I just hope you’re not afraid of heights.”
5
24th May
The stars hung big and bright in front of us as we soared past the moon through the mountains. I dared to reach my hand over my head and tried to grab a fistful of starlight as it slipped between my fingers, but I didn’t care if I caught it, just the simple thought that I could try seemed amazing. I’d never been this high before, never flown through the clouds one wrong move away from plummeting to the ground, and as much as my stomach twisted with fear I’d also never felt this joy of weightless freedom.
Alizeh glided east and a small rocky peak came into view. She circled, bringing us closer and slowed until she touched down on the cliff edge with a jolt. I jerked backward and yanked on Alizeh’s feathers to keep upright. She let out a loud caw but leaned down to help me regain balance.
Veda slid off of Alizeh’s back and patted the bird’s side before looking back at me. “Looks like you made it, Your Highness.”
I swung my right leg over and jumped down to the ground.
Whoa. My knees wavered and buckled being back on steady ground and squeezing my thighs so hard to hang on during the ride. I fell forward.
Veda grabbed my arm and slid herself under my shoulder. “Don’t worry, you get used to that after a while.”
“I hope so because I definitely want to do that again.”
She laughed, the notes echoing through the bottomless ravines around us. “Good. Cause I think Alizeh likes you.”
I looked up at the giant bird and she stared back, then blinked.
Veda walked forward, easing me back to holding my own weight until I stood straight again.
“There you go. Now I’ll go make some tea, can you give Ali a snack? I’ll meet you inside.”
“What?” I watched Alizeh’s enormous beak and gulped. “Are you kidding?”
“Of course not. Carrying both of us must have been exhausting for her.” She ran toward the cottage before I could protest any more. When she needed the door, her arm swung out to the left. “There’s some fish in the bin over there.”
Veda disappeared
