Six

  24 Karat Magic In The Air

  The whole forest woke up before my friends did.

  Even before there was a hint of light beyond the trees, I could hear the distant, musical sounds of the feathered creatures. Several soon zipped by overhead, their soft brown wings fluttering effortlessly. I felt a surge of envy as I watched them, and my shoulders involuntarily tensed to ready my wings. I winced as an ache pierced my muscles, but I did notice I wasn’t as sore as I had been the day before. Relaxing my wings, I felt a now slightly damp fabric bundle shift on my back and I reached around to grab it. Whatever had been in the cold package must have thawed because now it felt floppy and full of liquid.

  Maybe there’s more in that blue and white box. I wondered.

  I quietly inched to my feet and stepped out of the tent. Reclined on the ground by the blackened wood pit, my caretaker stirred but kept on sleeping. The soft, brown foot covers he’d given me made my steps even more muffled as I crept past the other tents. I knelt by the box and popped open the lid. Inside were a handful of glass bottles filled with amber liquid, the white plastic packages packed all around. I gently pulled one out, unrolling the cloth bundle and putting the melted package back, hoping it would get cold again. Putting the new freezing block in the fabric, I figured out a way to hold it against my back while I was moving around, the material long enough to wrap over one shoulder and under my opposite side like a sling. Tying it over my chest, I closed the box and stood as I heard a rustling in the bushes on the edge of the clearing.

  It was like the creature I’d seen before the wingless had found me; an animal with light brown and white fur and four spindly yet strong legs. It had the same kind of neck, angular face, and teardrop shaped ears, but while the first I’d seen had nothing on the top of its head, this one had a huge pair of what looked like bare branches. They were slightly off-white in color and almost symmetrical, mirrored to one another with a bunch of long points growing up from the top of the main branch.

  This much larger and horned creature strode through the foliage with an air like he owned the whole forest, then paused to turn and look at me. I stared in fascination, taking a little step closer. The creature flicked its ears before doing the same and in a few strides, it was standing right in front of me. It bumped its wet nose against my cheek with gentle snuffles and I giggled and reached up to stroke its neck. Under its fur I could feel a solid wall of muscle. Whatever this thing was, it could certainly do some damage if it wanted to, but it clearly had no intentions of doing so at the moment. I sat on the blue and white box and the animal bent its legs to follow me down. It made a pleased sounding grunt as it rested its heavy head on my knees, closing its eyes when I started scratching it behind its ears.

  “Sa knuedun alo sadiu eo keette sai dak,” I mused aloud. (I wonder what kind of creature you are.)

  It didn’t open its eyes and just kept faintly grunting as I rubbed its forehead.

  (Everything in this world is so new and strange to me. Even the animals don’t look familiar. Not that I got to see a lot of animals on Ey’os.) I muttered, resting my chin in one hand.

  I looked up between the trees as a whole flock of small, black, fluttering creatures dipped by. Way up high past the canopy I could see another winged thing soaring. My hearts swelled with jealousy and longing, and I carefully tensed my wing muscles again. The cold package had numbed them a little, but it seemed like the soreness was just about gone. My wings only ached with the need to be stretched by the wind. Today was the day for sure. Today I would fly and find a way home.

  My daydreams poofed away when I heard a whisper behind me. I turned and saw all my wingless friends were awake now. They were crouched near the ground and hardly daring to move as they stared at me and the creature with its head in my lap. I smiled at them in confusion. Was this thing something dangerous to them? Had they never gotten close to one before? I’d felt how strong the animal was, but I figured there was something else I didn’t know.

  There was a lot I didn’t know honestly.

  As though sensing we weren’t really alone anymore, the animal opened its eyes and lifted its head. It froze when it saw the wingless men and I swore I could see the fear come over it. Heaving itself to its feet, the creature lightly licked my cheek in passing before leaping away into the forest as fast as it could, disappearing in seconds. I stared after it for a bit, wondering why it had reacted like that, then sighed as I added that thought to my ever-growing list of questions.

  “Sansoh. Hante eijin,” I murmured. (Goodbye. Be safe.)

  Then I looked up as I felt a hand brush my arm, seeing my caretaker also staring in the direction the creature had gone. He glanced down at me, still seeming completely puzzled, but all I could do was shrug. A second later he shook his head with a chuckle, ruffling my hair and handing me a wrapped-up food bar which I enthusiastically accepted. As I ate it and downed another bottle of water, I watched the men begin rolling up their bedding and dismantling their tents. Within a few minutes they’d taken everything down and folded it up into packs that they then slung over their shoulders. My wingless friend took the handle of the blue and white box and motioned me along as they began to walk. Curious and not wanting to be alone again, I followed them, clinging to my caretaker’s hand as he offered it. They all seemed to know where they were going, heading in a specific direction and not wandering aimlessly as I’d been doing.

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  The wingless must not live in the forest all the time then. I wonder why they were out here. Is it just something the men do? I pondered.

  We walked in relative silence for a while, the men occasionally gesturing to various things and making brief small talk about whatever it was they found interesting. There was a whoosh of wings close by me, making me gasp, and I stopped and looked as a feathered creature landed on a nearby branch. It was bigger than the little fluttering ones, with creamy brownish grey feathers and a few darker marks. Its head was small and round, beak short and pointed, and eyes perfect spheres of pure, inquisitive black.

  It's so cute. I thought as I stared at it.

  My wingless friend stopped to see what I was looking at. After a second he slowly raised his arms and cupped his hands together, pressing them to his mouth. He took a breath and blew through his hands, doing a motion with his fingers, making an echoey sort of whistle. I was fascinated. Then I heard a similar noise, but not from my caretaker. Looking back, the creature dipped its head and its chest puffed a little as it made the same kind of warbly coo. I gasped in delight, raising my hands and trying to cup them like my friend had. When I blew into them though all that I managed to produce was a muffled splutter. The winged thing startled and flew away. My shoulders slumped in disappointment, my cheeks flushing as my companions chuckled, but my friend just ruffled my hair and took my hand again.

  I smiled to myself as I walked along. I think Agoka’ta’jai would like these wingless. They’re nice and funny like him.

  A few minutes later we reached what looked like a well-traveled trail of packed dirt that stretched to both our left and right. The men headed left on it and after hiking up a short slope, I could see the path winding down to what seemed to be the way out of the forest. There was a huge clearing of nothing but soil and gravel with cut logs placed around it. A small building sat on the opposite edge where the ground was divided by a wide swath of some sort of black stone that wound out of sight again on either side. Sitting in the baren clearing was an odd four wheeled machine. It was similar to the big container machine from before, but much smaller, with metal panels covering the front, sides, and back, but only a few thick bars caging over the middle. There were five seats inside, two forward and three behind, and the back was an open bed. My friends led me down to it, opening the doors and piling their gear in.

  I stood by nervously watching them get ready to apparently leave. They weren’t going to leave me behind, were they? Retrieving something from his bag, my caretaker came over, pausing when he saw how concerned I was, then smiling and taking my hand again. I felt a surge of relief as I followed him to the machine, the others gathering around as my friend held up a small, flattish, rectangular device. On its screen, I could see a perfect reflection of the five of us. The men all grinned and I managed to smile too before my companion tapped a white circle on the device and the image of us froze in place.

  What was that? I stared as he showed the still image to me. How did he do that? Did he just freeze a moment in time? What kind of technology do the wingless have?

  My friend put the rectangle in his pocket before I could study it more, the others climbing into the seats in the machine. He tapped my shoulder and motioned for me to get into the open bed in the back. Using his offered hands for balance, I climbed up, following his further instructions to hang onto the bars that covered the seats. He went up front and slid into the other empty front seat, sticking a small, metal piece into a panel of gauges and buttons. There was a weird, rapid metal sound before the machine rumbled like it was coming to life. My friend shifted a leaver then started turning a large round hoop in front of him. The machine bumpily rolled backwards a little, then stopped, the wingless moving the leaver again. He controlled the machine forwards and towards the stretch of black stone. The ride became much smoother once on it and the machine quickly picked up speed.

  My hearts were pounding. I hadn’t been able to see out of the box container before. Had it been going this fast? It was equal parts exciting and scary, seeing the trees whipping by on either side, the wind blasting against my face and against my … my wings.

  My eyes widened.

  I could feel the air curling against my wings, almost like a hug. Like hundreds of gentle hands rolling up under my feathers and lifting them up. Keeping one hand on the metal bar, with the other, I untied the cloth holding the cold pack to my back. I tested my muscles, feeling them tighten all through my neck, chest, ribs, and shoulder blades. My wings … were finally ready.

  I looked at my friends who were turned around in their seats and I guess they could see it in my face because theirs lit up in equal excitement. They held up their hands for me to keep my balance as I carefully stood, taking deep, trembling breaths as I slowly let my wings unfold. I felt the air slicing between my feathered limbs, almost creating the sensation of a vacuum, holding all six together. It was a lightbulb moment.

  Of course! Why didn’t I try doing that earlier?! I couldn’t fly before because I wasn’t moving all my wings at the same time! I realized.

  With a giddy grin, I let my wings be pushed against one another and in a spine-tingling moment of weightlessness, my feet left the floor of the machine’s open bed. My friends let out cheers of amazement as I laughed in breathless awe, floating above them as I still held onto their hands. Then one of them gently let go. I felt a little adrenaline jolt of fear, thinking I’d somehow drop back down if I was untethered, but the steady wind never faltered. The man pointed to the sky and held up his thumb with beaming smile. I looked at the others and they nodded in encouragement. Staring for a moment, I finally realized what they were trying to say.

  I guess this really is goodbye. I felt tears welling in my eyes.

  Then I smiled sadly, shook it off, and grinned in determination. They were giving me the greatest shot at getting back home I ever could have dreamed of. I wouldn’t let their help go to waste. My caretaker winked as he waved at me in a mirror hanging from the machine’s front glass panel. The man holding onto me gently kissed the back of my hand before stretching out his arm and letting me go.

  I pumped my wings in unison, catching the air and feeling myself propelled higher. My friends whooped and cheered and waved and I waved back, watching them and their machine grow smaller and smaller beneath me. My hearts panged, part of me wanting to reach out and grab them again, not wanting to let them go. Not wanting to think I’d never see them again. I let out a sob and pressed my hands to my chest. What was I thinking? Of course I’d see them again! There was no way I’d ever forget them. Their faces were etched in my mind like the frozen image they’d taken. Them and the woman from before who’d help me escape. When I learned to speak their language and found my family again, they’d be the first ones I’d find.

  Then something truly dawned in me …

  I was FLYING!