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Authors: Daniel Arenson
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of her brother.
Riding on her roc, she drew her sword and caressed the bronze blade.
"I slew Zerra with this sword." She spoke softly for only
her roc to hear. "But now I must face a greater enemy. Now this
blade must pierce the heart of the man who hunts me, who unleashed
these creatures, who drove my brother to death. Now I must kill my
father."
She could not remember King Raem. She had fled him too many years
ago. In her nightmares, he was only a shadow, faceless, reaching out
arms thrice the usual length, trying to grab her, to tug her into
darkness. She took a shuddering breath and clutched her sword. She
would not let that figure haunt her. She was done hiding and here,
among her people, she made her stand, no longer a frightened girl but
a leader of men and beasts.
A mountaintop appeared upon the horizon, a mere bulge from here. Was
there the end of their journey? Laira was squinting, struggling to
bring the distant crest into focus, when the shriek rose behind her.
Rocs cawed and dragons growled. Laira tugged the reins, spinning her
roc around, and her heart sank. It was flying from the south, a
single creature.
She cursed. "A demon scout."
The creature buzzed closer, wings moving as fast as a bumblebee's. It
looked like a severed human hand the size of an oak. Upon each finger
blinked an eye, and a mouth gaped open upon the palm. The creature
flew higher, faster than any roc or dragon, then spun to dart away.
"After it!" Laira shouted. "It'll bring news back to
Raem!"
She kneed Neiva and the roc beat her wings madly, flying in pursuit.
Other rocs flew around her, and the dragons flew at her side. Yet the
creature flew twice as fast, shrinking into the distance.
"Shoot it!" Laira shouted. She grabbed her bow and fired.
Other hunters fired from their own rocs, and the dragons blew fire.
One arrow seemed to pierce the creature. It yowled, dipped in the
sky, but kept flying. Within moments, it had disappeared over the
southern horizon.
"Stars damn it!" Jeid flew up beside Laira. "We won't
catch the bastard."
Laira stared at the horizon. "Perhaps we don't have to."
She took a deep breath. "Let Raem know. Let him come here. Two
Skull Mountain is near; it will be our battlefield." She
caressed her sword again, then tugged Neiva back toward the north.
"Fly north, Goldtusk! Keep flying to the mountain."
Leaving the demon scout, they turned. They flew back north, crossing
hills and valleys as distant demon shrieks rolled behind them.
Finally, the sun dipping into evening, they saw the mountain ahead.
"Two Skull Mountain," Laira said softly, spine tingling.
She had seen the place once, years ago, from a distance; Zerra had
dared not fly closer, for here was the territory of Leatherwing. Two
Skull Mountain had chilled her then and it chilled her now. The
origin of its name was clear to all who saw it. Caves yawned open
upon its crest, forming the rough shapes of eye sockets, nostrils,
and mouths like two skulls fused together, melted into each other
like conjoined twins joined at the face. The skulls seemed anguished
to Laira, screaming silently, begging for a respite from pain. Laira
leaned forward in her saddle, narrowed her eyes, and scrutinized the
mountain, but she could see no sign of the Leatherwing tribe or its
fabled beasts, the pteros. Laira clenched her jaw, remembering the
old tales she had heard of this place—tales of flying reptiles
tearing into flesh, of hunters who drank blood from human skulls, and
of slaves who languished in chains, their limbs food for the tribe.
She tightened her lips. Zerra feared the escarpment too, but I
found my dearest friends there. She looked at the dragons who
flew to her left. I found Requiem, the anchor of my soul, the
light of my heart, the land I will sacrifice everything for.
She looked behind her at the tribe. Seventy rocs flew there, larger
than dragons, dripping the oil they secreted. They stank of old meat,
and their yellow eyes always seemed so
of her brother.
Riding on her roc, she drew her sword and caressed the bronze blade.
"I slew Zerra with this sword." She spoke softly for only
her roc to hear. "But now I must face a greater enemy. Now this
blade must pierce the heart of the man who hunts me, who unleashed
these creatures, who drove my brother to death. Now I must kill my
father."
She could not remember King Raem. She had fled him too many years
ago. In her nightmares, he was only a shadow, faceless, reaching out
arms thrice the usual length, trying to grab her, to tug her into
darkness. She took a shuddering breath and clutched her sword. She
would not let that figure haunt her. She was done hiding and here,
among her people, she made her stand, no longer a frightened girl but
a leader of men and beasts.
A mountaintop appeared upon the horizon, a mere bulge from here. Was
there the end of their journey? Laira was squinting, struggling to
bring the distant crest into focus, when the shriek rose behind her.
Rocs cawed and dragons growled. Laira tugged the reins, spinning her
roc around, and her heart sank. It was flying from the south, a
single creature.
She cursed. "A demon scout."
The creature buzzed closer, wings moving as fast as a bumblebee's. It
looked like a severed human hand the size of an oak. Upon each finger
blinked an eye, and a mouth gaped open upon the palm. The creature
flew higher, faster than any roc or dragon, then spun to dart away.
"After it!" Laira shouted. "It'll bring news back to
Raem!"
She kneed Neiva and the roc beat her wings madly, flying in pursuit.
Other rocs flew around her, and the dragons flew at her side. Yet the
creature flew twice as fast, shrinking into the distance.
"Shoot it!" Laira shouted. She grabbed her bow and fired.
Other hunters fired from their own rocs, and the dragons blew fire.
One arrow seemed to pierce the creature. It yowled, dipped in the
sky, but kept flying. Within moments, it had disappeared over the
southern horizon.
"Stars damn it!" Jeid flew up beside Laira. "We won't
catch the bastard."
Laira stared at the horizon. "Perhaps we don't have to."
She took a deep breath. "Let Raem know. Let him come here. Two
Skull Mountain is near; it will be our battlefield." She
caressed her sword again, then tugged Neiva back toward the north.
"Fly north, Goldtusk! Keep flying to the mountain."
Leaving the demon scout, they turned. They flew back north, crossing
hills and valleys as distant demon shrieks rolled behind them.
Finally, the sun dipping into evening, they saw the mountain ahead.
"Two Skull Mountain," Laira said softly, spine tingling.
She had seen the place once, years ago, from a distance; Zerra had
dared not fly closer, for here was the territory of Leatherwing. Two
Skull Mountain had chilled her then and it chilled her now. The
origin of its name was clear to all who saw it. Caves yawned open
upon its crest, forming the rough shapes of eye sockets, nostrils,
and mouths like two skulls fused together, melted into each other
like conjoined twins joined at the face. The skulls seemed anguished
to Laira, screaming silently, begging for a respite from pain. Laira
leaned forward in her saddle, narrowed her eyes, and scrutinized the
mountain, but she could see no sign of the Leatherwing tribe or its
fabled beasts, the pteros. Laira clenched her jaw, remembering the
old tales she had heard of this place—tales of flying reptiles
tearing into flesh, of hunters who drank blood from human skulls, and
of slaves who languished in chains, their limbs food for the tribe.
She tightened her lips. Zerra feared the escarpment too, but I
found my dearest friends there. She looked at the dragons who
flew to her left. I found Requiem, the anchor of my soul, the
light of my heart, the land I will sacrifice everything for.
She looked behind her at the tribe. Seventy rocs flew there, larger
than dragons, dripping the oil they secreted. They stank of old meat,
and their yellow eyes always seemed so
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