chance to fly together.
“The glow of your necklace could give us away.”
“The glow…” Dalan picked the necklace off his chest and examined it. As when he had first worn it, two pink dots winked at him like eyes from its interior. “Something strange happened the other night.”
Nyr didn’t answer, so he continued, “The man I fought tried to stab me in the heart, but something deflected his blow. Checked for wounds, but not even a scratch.”
“His blade was probably deflected by the trinket.”
Dalan pulled the purple stone closer to his face. “Didn’t feel the pressure of the knife either.” No nicks or scratches marred its smooth surface.
“Maybe he was just incompetent.”
Nyr’s tone conveyed her disinterest, but Dalan wouldn’t relent. “He tackled me and was on top in an instant,” he said, carefully wording his rebuttal. “I don’t think he was incompetent.”
“Oh, I bet you’d know a good fighter from a bad one, with your level of expertise.” She threw up her hands. “What happened, then?”
“Not sure.” Dalan gave up. Her guess was as good as his, then.
Sweat bled from Dalan’s every pore, making him wish he could transmeld and fly away. He’d be home by now, surely. But the day wore on.
“What are you doing out here alone, anyway?” Nyr’s raspy voice broke the silence.
“What?”
“You did some sort of weird dragonfly dance. But why alone?”
“Could ask you the same question.” The thought had never occurred to him. Among her tribe, she wouldn’t have needed his help at all.
“You first.”
Dalan’s hackles raised. “Haven’t told you enough about my tribe already?”
She said nothing.
After a short time, the weight of the silence pressed on him. “If you must know, besides bonding, the Omdecu Tribe sent me on a mission to explore the world and solve a problem of some consequence.”
“Of course.” Nyr chuckled. “You could say I’m on a bit of a mission myself. In order to secure succession as the next clan master, I need to find plunder of some worth.”
Dalan couldn’t tell if she mocked him. Saquey buzzed by, broadcasting images of the ravine ahead again. In his mind’s eye, Dalan himself flew along the ravine, skimming nearer the walls here and there, playfully darting around and over the boulders clogging its floor.
Then the flight slowed to show a humanoid form stretched out on the canyon floor. Saquey had flown closer. Not human after all—one of the silver-skinned, mysterious aliens. The Joey’s expression contorted in all-too-human pain.
Saquey’s vision swooped around to reveal the Joey’s predicament. A large boulder rested atop his tail. Smaller rocks surrounded the creature. Dalan guessed it had tried to climb out and had dislodged the rock from the canyon wall. In the vision, the Joey’s slender silver fingers scraped at the ground near his tail, trying to dig it out.
“What is it?” Nyr said, intruding on the image and bringing Dalan back to himself.
Dalan touched his face, feeling as though his body were foreign after flying through the ravine. As soon as his view cleared, he took a few steps while gathering his thoughts. “There’s a… Joey.”
“Yes?” Nyr asked. They continued north around the ravine.
Dalan explained, “Never have seen one except in drawings…” He took a deep breath. “Is trapped in the ravine ahead with a rock across its tail. Push the rock off, and it’ll probably be fine.”
Nyr stared at him.
“What?”
She scratched her cheek. “Why would we want to?”
“Needs our help! The Teachings—”
Nyr’s interrupted. “The Ancient Teachings, right?”
He hesitated, wondering what she meant. “Yes…”
“But the Ancients and the Joeys didn’t get along, now did they?”
Dalan considered his words as he stepped over a small bush. “Don’t you think it’s time to move past that? It’s been centuries since the Catastrophe, and nobody really knows what—”
“No,
“The glow of your necklace could give us away.”
“The glow…” Dalan picked the necklace off his chest and examined it. As when he had first worn it, two pink dots winked at him like eyes from its interior. “Something strange happened the other night.”
Nyr didn’t answer, so he continued, “The man I fought tried to stab me in the heart, but something deflected his blow. Checked for wounds, but not even a scratch.”
“His blade was probably deflected by the trinket.”
Dalan pulled the purple stone closer to his face. “Didn’t feel the pressure of the knife either.” No nicks or scratches marred its smooth surface.
“Maybe he was just incompetent.”
Nyr’s tone conveyed her disinterest, but Dalan wouldn’t relent. “He tackled me and was on top in an instant,” he said, carefully wording his rebuttal. “I don’t think he was incompetent.”
“Oh, I bet you’d know a good fighter from a bad one, with your level of expertise.” She threw up her hands. “What happened, then?”
“Not sure.” Dalan gave up. Her guess was as good as his, then.
Sweat bled from Dalan’s every pore, making him wish he could transmeld and fly away. He’d be home by now, surely. But the day wore on.
“What are you doing out here alone, anyway?” Nyr’s raspy voice broke the silence.
“What?”
“You did some sort of weird dragonfly dance. But why alone?”
“Could ask you the same question.” The thought had never occurred to him. Among her tribe, she wouldn’t have needed his help at all.
“You first.”
Dalan’s hackles raised. “Haven’t told you enough about my tribe already?”
She said nothing.
After a short time, the weight of the silence pressed on him. “If you must know, besides bonding, the Omdecu Tribe sent me on a mission to explore the world and solve a problem of some consequence.”
“Of course.” Nyr chuckled. “You could say I’m on a bit of a mission myself. In order to secure succession as the next clan master, I need to find plunder of some worth.”
Dalan couldn’t tell if she mocked him. Saquey buzzed by, broadcasting images of the ravine ahead again. In his mind’s eye, Dalan himself flew along the ravine, skimming nearer the walls here and there, playfully darting around and over the boulders clogging its floor.
Then the flight slowed to show a humanoid form stretched out on the canyon floor. Saquey had flown closer. Not human after all—one of the silver-skinned, mysterious aliens. The Joey’s expression contorted in all-too-human pain.
Saquey’s vision swooped around to reveal the Joey’s predicament. A large boulder rested atop his tail. Smaller rocks surrounded the creature. Dalan guessed it had tried to climb out and had dislodged the rock from the canyon wall. In the vision, the Joey’s slender silver fingers scraped at the ground near his tail, trying to dig it out.
“What is it?” Nyr said, intruding on the image and bringing Dalan back to himself.
Dalan touched his face, feeling as though his body were foreign after flying through the ravine. As soon as his view cleared, he took a few steps while gathering his thoughts. “There’s a… Joey.”
“Yes?” Nyr asked. They continued north around the ravine.
Dalan explained, “Never have seen one except in drawings…” He took a deep breath. “Is trapped in the ravine ahead with a rock across its tail. Push the rock off, and it’ll probably be fine.”
Nyr stared at him.
“What?”
She scratched her cheek. “Why would we want to?”
“Needs our help! The Teachings—”
Nyr’s interrupted. “The Ancient Teachings, right?”
He hesitated, wondering what she meant. “Yes…”
“But the Ancients and the Joeys didn’t get along, now did they?”
Dalan considered his words as he stepped over a small bush. “Don’t you think it’s time to move past that? It’s been centuries since the Catastrophe, and nobody really knows what—”
“No,
Similar Books
