25. Flight on the Mars
The long, flat sheds at the mars ranch and the wooden farmhouse lay sprawled across the grassy plains. The mars grazed peacefully, with their wings folded up over their backs. They were longer limbed and carried more muscles than their close relations, sheep, and their wool was short with a loose curl.
Just beyond the meadows, Teeter range loomed up majestically, its peaks forming a narrow jagged line like a set of broken teeth. After sharing a hearty dinner with the travellers, the mar herders bid them an early goodnight. The next day they would be rising before the sun for a practise flight. The four companions were exhausted and even the constant bleating of the mars did not disturb their sleep.
It happened so fast, Tien felt that she had just closed her eyes to blink. When she opened them she was looking out at a large expanse of manicured hedge that rose over her head. As she stood on her tiptoes, she could see that the hedge went on and on, but there was a pattern to it. A maze, she thought. How exciting!
The flimsy dome of a parasol bobbed above the green expanse as its unseen owner moved through the maze. Intrigued, Tien found the entrance and started to walk through it herself. The route to the heart of the maze had not been created to challenge the mind and was relatively simple. Tien rounded the last corner and found herself in a leafy arbour.
The owner of the parasol was there, seated on a shaded bench. She wore a gown of palest green, cut from a delicate frothy material. Her deep red hair was loose and hung in a wavy mass over her shoulders, a crown of real daisies wreathing her brow. The girl was beautiful. Unforgettably, catch-your-breath beautiful. No particular feature in her face was perfect or remarkable, but her presence radiated life and energy. She was luminous. It was the only way Tien could have verbally described her. Luminous. She looked through Tien, her eyes eagerly fixed on the path as though she was waiting for someone.
She doesn’t see me, Tien realized. Why not?
Ragged breathing from the maze distracted Tien and she stepped back against the wall of the hedge to let the person in. Someone emerged from the maze, walking in a tired shuffle. He or she, it was hard to know which, had once been tall, but now stooped low, bent with age. The soiled remains of a tunic hugged its emaciated frame. Wrinkled skin hung loose off long limbs and its face was gaunt as though any life had been sucked out of it. Where a nose should be, a hairy snout dribbled mucus, and its black hole of a mouth was open, sharp teeth protruding as it panted.
As the thing passed her, Tien smelt the stench of death. She drew back in horror. The girl in the arbour jumped up joyfully. She ran to meet the shrivelled thing and threw her arms around it, kissing it soundly on both cheeks. Then she pulled it over to the bench, and entwining its forearm with hers, she had an animated conversation with it, undeterred by its answering croaks and slobbering snout.
***
Tien woke gasping, to a light tap at her door. She jumped up, immediately alert. What was that about? Another dream, but was it connected to her or to one of the others, she wondered as she opened the door to Fen.
“Good morning” Fen said with a cheery smile. “We leave right after a bowl of porridge.”
The stewed wheat porridge soaked in honey and fresh cream was fragrant and familiar. Tien blinked back tears, as she realized that if she closed her eyes and breathed in the wafting smell, she could be back at home eating this breakfast with her family.
She saw Flip looking at her with compassion, and they exchanged a knowing smile. In a way, they were both displaced and uncertain of ever finding their loved ones. She gave him a quick glance. Was he connected to the girl in her dream? Oh it’s too much to start thinking about now, she told herself. I’ll work it out later, not that it is any of my business. After breakfast and a brief practise session, they gathered their packs and stood watching as fresh mars were led out of the stables and saddled up. The mar’s back was wide and Tien was grateful for the knobs and grooves on the saddle that she could dig her knees into.
“Now remember, ‘Gizooooooow’ will tell your mar to take off. ‘Ingrrrut’ is for ‘veer left’. ‘Bazbuut’ is ‘veer right’. ‘Zooowzigg’ means ‘land here’.” The chief herd summarized. “Don’t forget to shout the commands into their third ear!”
***
After a cry of ’Gizooooooow’, Tien felt her stomach lurch as the mars took off. She peeped out of squinting eyes as the earth dropped away and became a patchwork of colour. The mars rose steadily, their large wings flapping strongly. After her heart stopped racing, Tien relaxed and began to enjoy her flight. Flip and Fen were ahead and Saka and the spare mar, brought optimistically for Andron, hovered near Tien.
The air was thin and cold. Despite their girth, the mars moved fast, and Teeter Range’s awesome height was soon in front of them. Its face seemed smooth, plunging into a completely vertical drop. Fen’s voice was thrown back to Tien and Saka in the wind, crying out the right turn command to her mar. As the first two mars veered right and began to circle the range, Tien remembered what she had to say.
“Bazbuut, ” she yelled loudly into its third ear, which twitched on the back of its neck. Through their shouted directions, they directed the mars around to the other side of the range. And then they saw it. The box. It was compact, large enough for a tall man to stand in without stretching, but not sit comfortably. It seemed to be built right into the cliff face, until a gust of wind sent it swinging from side to side. It was dangling from two ropes. Following the others, Tien had her mar descend.
They came to rest on the part of the peak directly above the box. The ground they landed on was actually quite flat and wide enough for the mars to sit. They unsaddled and patted the beasts, which were soon contentedly working their way through the vast packed snack, which had been brought to keep them happy on the mountain.
As they munched placidly, the others discussed the situation. “It would have been so easy to fly in next to the box,” lamented Flip. “But the raseen pre-empted that. Did you see all the Quill nettles they have planted into the wall of that mountain? It would have been far too dangerous.” He was still flushed and grinning from the flight.
“And did you see it dangling there?” said Saka. “It seemed to be attached to a pulley system from up here. Let’s try and find it.” They struggled around the ledge. The wind whipped them about, so it was a battle to take a single step in one direction, and if they turned, it seemed that they would be blown off.
“Here!” yelled Flip. “I found the pulleys!’ They made their way over to where he stood. The ropes appeared strong and new.
Fen tugged on one gently and shouted over the whistle of the wind, “It may be crazy, but we have to try it.” The others nodded in quick agreement. “We’ll need to wrap our hands up with our scarves so we don’t burn them on the ropes,” Fen added.
They quickly did this, their eyes streaming in the icy blasts of wind. Thus armed, Flip and Fen gripped one rope, and Tien and Saka pulled on the other. They started to hoist the ropes up slowly. It was not as hard as it could have been, Tien realized, though it made sense that the box was light. It made the hauling up and down easier for the captors. They could hear faint yelling below them, even before the top of the box rose into view. Flip beamed.
“It’s Andron all right, he’s alive!”
“Shhh, what he saying?” Saka cupped his hand to his ear, straining to hear Andron’s words before they were blown away.
“A trap?” Tien looked doubtfully at the others, ”Maybe not,” she shrugged.
Andron was still shouting out loudly.
“You’re right. He’s saying it’s a trap,” said Fen as the entire box emerged over the top of the peak. “What’s a trap?”
The back wall of the box was made of a large pane of glass. A short, athletically built man was waving his arms carefully about, as they pulled the box up onto the ledge, his short white beard and moustache bristling with agitation. ”Look out it’s a trap!” he yelled. They peered down, over the peak, to where he was gesturing.
Strands of vapour like ghostly inchworms, floated up quickly from where the box had been. These strands did not disappear in the biting wind, or evaporate against their swatting hands. The foul smell like rotting eggs was overpowering as the strands seemed to swim against the current, searching out their warm nostrils. Somehow, tendrils of the gas had even filtered through the walls of the box, and floated around Andron’s face. They brushed them away and looked back over the edge.
Below, a narrow bird’s head emerged from a hollow in the cliff, its long neck swaying like a snake, when it saw them. Hissing, it looked like it wanted to fly up and tear them apart with its cruel curved beak. They pulled back, preparing for it to swoop up and attack. Nothing happened. After a few moments, they cautiously peered over the edge again, and saw why. The vulture’s head was encumbered with an oversized chameleon-like body. It crept out onto the mountain wall in a slow disjointed gait. While one front leg and the opposite back leg, supported its distended stomach, the other two limbs stretched out falteringly, hovering in mid air, before coming to rest only slightly ahead of where they had previously been. That was just one step.
In horrified fascination, the group stared as four of these creatures inched out onto the cliff face, and began their painstaking ascent. Their black eyes glittered malevolently up at them, putrid fumes rising from the top of their heads. Tien coughed, her eyes watering from the fumes, as she turned to gage the others’ reaction to these horrible beasts. She gasped as she saw Fen, Saka, and Flip crumpled on the ground behind her.
© 2006 by Shelly Taylor
Just beyond the meadows, Teeter range loomed up majestically, its peaks forming a narrow jagged line like a set of broken teeth. After sharing a hearty dinner with the travellers, the mar herders bid them an early goodnight. The next day they would be rising before the sun for a practise flight. The four companions were exhausted and even the constant bleating of the mars did not disturb their sleep.
It happened so fast, Tien felt that she had just closed her eyes to blink. When she opened them she was looking out at a large expanse of manicured hedge that rose over her head. As she stood on her tiptoes, she could see that the hedge went on and on, but there was a pattern to it. A maze, she thought. How exciting!
The flimsy dome of a parasol bobbed above the green expanse as its unseen owner moved through the maze. Intrigued, Tien found the entrance and started to walk through it herself. The route to the heart of the maze had not been created to challenge the mind and was relatively simple. Tien rounded the last corner and found herself in a leafy arbour.
The owner of the parasol was there, seated on a shaded bench. She wore a gown of palest green, cut from a delicate frothy material. Her deep red hair was loose and hung in a wavy mass over her shoulders, a crown of real daisies wreathing her brow. The girl was beautiful. Unforgettably, catch-your-breath beautiful. No particular feature in her face was perfect or remarkable, but her presence radiated life and energy. She was luminous. It was the only way Tien could have verbally described her. Luminous. She looked through Tien, her eyes eagerly fixed on the path as though she was waiting for someone.
She doesn’t see me, Tien realized. Why not?
Ragged breathing from the maze distracted Tien and she stepped back against the wall of the hedge to let the person in. Someone emerged from the maze, walking in a tired shuffle. He or she, it was hard to know which, had once been tall, but now stooped low, bent with age. The soiled remains of a tunic hugged its emaciated frame. Wrinkled skin hung loose off long limbs and its face was gaunt as though any life had been sucked out of it. Where a nose should be, a hairy snout dribbled mucus, and its black hole of a mouth was open, sharp teeth protruding as it panted.
As the thing passed her, Tien smelt the stench of death. She drew back in horror. The girl in the arbour jumped up joyfully. She ran to meet the shrivelled thing and threw her arms around it, kissing it soundly on both cheeks. Then she pulled it over to the bench, and entwining its forearm with hers, she had an animated conversation with it, undeterred by its answering croaks and slobbering snout.
***
Tien woke gasping, to a light tap at her door. She jumped up, immediately alert. What was that about? Another dream, but was it connected to her or to one of the others, she wondered as she opened the door to Fen.
“Good morning” Fen said with a cheery smile. “We leave right after a bowl of porridge.”
The stewed wheat porridge soaked in honey and fresh cream was fragrant and familiar. Tien blinked back tears, as she realized that if she closed her eyes and breathed in the wafting smell, she could be back at home eating this breakfast with her family.
She saw Flip looking at her with compassion, and they exchanged a knowing smile. In a way, they were both displaced and uncertain of ever finding their loved ones. She gave him a quick glance. Was he connected to the girl in her dream? Oh it’s too much to start thinking about now, she told herself. I’ll work it out later, not that it is any of my business. After breakfast and a brief practise session, they gathered their packs and stood watching as fresh mars were led out of the stables and saddled up. The mar’s back was wide and Tien was grateful for the knobs and grooves on the saddle that she could dig her knees into.
“Now remember, ‘Gizooooooow’ will tell your mar to take off. ‘Ingrrrut’ is for ‘veer left’. ‘Bazbuut’ is ‘veer right’. ‘Zooowzigg’ means ‘land here’.” The chief herd summarized. “Don’t forget to shout the commands into their third ear!”
***
After a cry of ’Gizooooooow’, Tien felt her stomach lurch as the mars took off. She peeped out of squinting eyes as the earth dropped away and became a patchwork of colour. The mars rose steadily, their large wings flapping strongly. After her heart stopped racing, Tien relaxed and began to enjoy her flight. Flip and Fen were ahead and Saka and the spare mar, brought optimistically for Andron, hovered near Tien.
The air was thin and cold. Despite their girth, the mars moved fast, and Teeter Range’s awesome height was soon in front of them. Its face seemed smooth, plunging into a completely vertical drop. Fen’s voice was thrown back to Tien and Saka in the wind, crying out the right turn command to her mar. As the first two mars veered right and began to circle the range, Tien remembered what she had to say.
“Bazbuut, ” she yelled loudly into its third ear, which twitched on the back of its neck. Through their shouted directions, they directed the mars around to the other side of the range. And then they saw it. The box. It was compact, large enough for a tall man to stand in without stretching, but not sit comfortably. It seemed to be built right into the cliff face, until a gust of wind sent it swinging from side to side. It was dangling from two ropes. Following the others, Tien had her mar descend.
They came to rest on the part of the peak directly above the box. The ground they landed on was actually quite flat and wide enough for the mars to sit. They unsaddled and patted the beasts, which were soon contentedly working their way through the vast packed snack, which had been brought to keep them happy on the mountain.
As they munched placidly, the others discussed the situation. “It would have been so easy to fly in next to the box,” lamented Flip. “But the raseen pre-empted that. Did you see all the Quill nettles they have planted into the wall of that mountain? It would have been far too dangerous.” He was still flushed and grinning from the flight.
“And did you see it dangling there?” said Saka. “It seemed to be attached to a pulley system from up here. Let’s try and find it.” They struggled around the ledge. The wind whipped them about, so it was a battle to take a single step in one direction, and if they turned, it seemed that they would be blown off.
“Here!” yelled Flip. “I found the pulleys!’ They made their way over to where he stood. The ropes appeared strong and new.
Fen tugged on one gently and shouted over the whistle of the wind, “It may be crazy, but we have to try it.” The others nodded in quick agreement. “We’ll need to wrap our hands up with our scarves so we don’t burn them on the ropes,” Fen added.
They quickly did this, their eyes streaming in the icy blasts of wind. Thus armed, Flip and Fen gripped one rope, and Tien and Saka pulled on the other. They started to hoist the ropes up slowly. It was not as hard as it could have been, Tien realized, though it made sense that the box was light. It made the hauling up and down easier for the captors. They could hear faint yelling below them, even before the top of the box rose into view. Flip beamed.
“It’s Andron all right, he’s alive!”
“Shhh, what he saying?” Saka cupped his hand to his ear, straining to hear Andron’s words before they were blown away.
“A trap?” Tien looked doubtfully at the others, ”Maybe not,” she shrugged.
Andron was still shouting out loudly.
“You’re right. He’s saying it’s a trap,” said Fen as the entire box emerged over the top of the peak. “What’s a trap?”
The back wall of the box was made of a large pane of glass. A short, athletically built man was waving his arms carefully about, as they pulled the box up onto the ledge, his short white beard and moustache bristling with agitation. ”Look out it’s a trap!” he yelled. They peered down, over the peak, to where he was gesturing.
Strands of vapour like ghostly inchworms, floated up quickly from where the box had been. These strands did not disappear in the biting wind, or evaporate against their swatting hands. The foul smell like rotting eggs was overpowering as the strands seemed to swim against the current, searching out their warm nostrils. Somehow, tendrils of the gas had even filtered through the walls of the box, and floated around Andron’s face. They brushed them away and looked back over the edge.
Below, a narrow bird’s head emerged from a hollow in the cliff, its long neck swaying like a snake, when it saw them. Hissing, it looked like it wanted to fly up and tear them apart with its cruel curved beak. They pulled back, preparing for it to swoop up and attack. Nothing happened. After a few moments, they cautiously peered over the edge again, and saw why. The vulture’s head was encumbered with an oversized chameleon-like body. It crept out onto the mountain wall in a slow disjointed gait. While one front leg and the opposite back leg, supported its distended stomach, the other two limbs stretched out falteringly, hovering in mid air, before coming to rest only slightly ahead of where they had previously been. That was just one step.
In horrified fascination, the group stared as four of these creatures inched out onto the cliff face, and began their painstaking ascent. Their black eyes glittered malevolently up at them, putrid fumes rising from the top of their heads. Tien coughed, her eyes watering from the fumes, as she turned to gage the others’ reaction to these horrible beasts. She gasped as she saw Fen, Saka, and Flip crumpled on the ground behind her.
© 2006 by Shelly Taylor
posted by michelle at 9:46 PM
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