Taking Flight

Whether roundabout or not, this stretch of the Great Highway was smooth and level, and again, they made excellent progress. At times, it seemed to Kelder that they were almost racing-Azraya and Irith seemed to be hurrying more than necessary. As a result, there was little or no conversation.

They were about a league from Bugoa when Asha tripped and fell, and Ezdral stumbled over her and toppled headlong. The girl burst out crying; the drunkard simply lay face-down in the dirt.

Kelder and the two young women turned back to help. Irith lifted Asha back to her feet, but the child simply sat down again, sobbing.

Ezdral was heavier and even less cooperative, and when Azraya and Kelder between them were unable to get him upright, they settled for rolling him over on his back.

“What’s wrong, Asha?” Irith asked, stroking the child’s hair. “What’s wrong?”

Asha shook her head.

Irith persisted, and at last Asha said, “I’m just tired.”

“Maybe we’ve been hurrying too much,” Kelder suggested. “Asha, would it help if you could ride?”

Irith glared at him for a second, then turned back to Asha and asked, “Do you want me to be a horse for awhile?”

“No!” Asha exclaimed, so loudly that she startled everybody, including herself; even Ezdral twitched at the sound. “No,” she repeated, more quietly, “that’s all right, Irith. Don’t be a horse.”

“What are they saying?” Azraya asked Kelder.

“Irith was asking Asha if she wanted to ride,” Kelder replied.

Azraya looked at Kelder, puzzled. “Ride what?” she asked.

Kelder realized that the Ethsharite was unaware of Irith’s magical abilities. “I’ll explain later,” he said.

“Can you walk again?” Irith asked Asha.

“Not yet,” Asha said. “Let’s just rest a little while.”

Kelder relayed the suggestion to Azraya, who made a noise of displeasure. “I was hoping we could cross three kingdoms today,” she said.

“I don’t think so,” Kelder told her.

“That’s stupid,” Azraya said. “Why do you travel with these people, anyway, Kelder?”

Irith glared at her.

“Asha doesn’t have any family,” he explained. “We happened to be there when her older brother got killed, so we’re sort of taking care of her for now. And Irith accidentally enchanted Ezdral, so we’re trying to find someone to break the spell.”

“He’s enchanted?”

“A love spell,” Kelder said. “That’s why he follows Irith.”

“Oh,” Azraya said. “So why is that your problem?”

“It’s not,” Kelder said, “I’m just trying to help out.” Saying openly that he wanted to be a champion of the lost and forlorn seemed somehow ridiculous. Fortunately, Azraya did not press for further explanation.

Upon further investigation the question of whether to press on turned out to be academic; Ezdral was unconscious.

“Now what?” Azraya asked.

Kelder sighed. “Now we wait here, eat some lunch-I have cheese in my pack-and when we can bring him around we go on.”

This did not sit well with either Azraya or Irith, but they both gave in, with ill-concealed annoyance. No one was about to try carrying Ezdral. Kelder suggested that even unconscious, he could be draped over Irith’s back while she was in equine form, but she rejected the idea.

“He’ll slip off,” she said in Ethsharitic, “and besides, I don’t want him on top of me. I don’t care what form I’m in, or whether he’s conscious, I don’t want him on top of me.”

This reference to changing forms led to Azraya asking questions about Irith’s magic, which Kelder tried to answer as he shared out the cheese and wafers he had bought in Krithimion. Irith was clearly annoyed by this discussion of her past, but did nothing to stop it; she was settled cross-legged on the grass by the roadside, with Asha curled up on her lap, and any attempt to shout back or stomp off would have disturbed the child.

While they ate, they chatted idly-or tried to. Asha’s ignorance of Ethsharitic, and Azraya’s ignorance of Trader’s Tongue, made conversation difficult. Irith grew steadily more aggravated by the constant demands either that she translate for someone, or that she wait while Kelder did so.

Later on, after the last crumb was gone, the three teenagers made a concerted effort to rouse Ezdral, but without success.

“May demons eat his guts out!” Irith said, following this up with comments in several languages Kelder did not understand.

Azraya just laughed.

That was the last straw for Irith.

“I’ll meet you in Syndisha,” she said, spreading wings, “if you ever get there!” She flapped, and took off.

Azraya stared in open-mouthed astonishment as Irith flew away to the south. “She really does fly!” she said.

“Yes, of course,” Kelder said. “I told you she did.”

Azraya looked at him with an unreadable expression, then back at Irith.

When the Flyer was out of sight, Azraya said, “Let me try the Sot again.” She began not merely shaking Ezdral, but slapping him, hard, first on one cheek, then the other.

“I wish Irith wouldn’t fly off like that,” Asha said, looking away uncomfortably.

“Me, too,” Kelder agreed, putting an arm around the girl’s shoulders.