The Rookery tribe turned out to be a bunch of daredevils. The insane first flight of the season only kicked off their idea of celebratory activities. Kids went racing to the iced over waterways with mats they pulled from somewhere so that they could go racing down the cliffside. A group of determined high divers began to cut through the icy crust covering the upper lake under a couple of of spires. A few prematurely clambered up the arched pillars without a care for the frost, all so that they could plunge into the freezing waters below first once the rest finished their hard work. Despite being from a waterhole tribe I’m not sure I wanted to do the same.
Others joined those already in the air. In some cases it looked like they simply wanted to enjoy flying while the rest competed in races and who could do the quickest, fanciest turns with their birds. Cooks got easily portable food cooking while someone else broke out the alcohol. The few remaining more subdued members of the tribe made snow art or fetched treated animal skins to sit on and watch everyone else’s antics.
The cohort hesitated under the feathered pine tree, unsure of where we were welcome or what we wanted to do. The day had suddenly changed from a busy training schedule to one of leisure and celebration.
Nor did it help that the awkwardness between me and everyone else was back. Which wasn’t such a terrible thing, but I didn’t like the feeling that everything wasn’t completely back to normal between Prevna and I. She had pushed me too hard, too fast to open up to the others and my response hadn’t exactly been gentle.
Miyan, the girl who brought us to the Tamer when we first arrived, paused as she ran past with a mat in one hand. “Join us on the shoots! You won’t regret!” She pointed as she kept running. “There’s extra mats over there!”
No one was thrilled to do something as an entire group, but then Wren took the lead with a bright smile as she went over to the nest Miyan had pointed at. “Let’s try it!”
And Breck turned it into a competition when she met my eyes, Idra’s, and Ulo’s in turn with a bit of a feral grin. “I’m going to make it the bottom first.”
Ulo’s face scrunched at the declaration while Idra huffed and walked faster. “You’re more likely to be the first one stuck.”
Prevna raised her eyebrows at me and I shrugged. “They can say what they like but I’m going to win.”
She chuckled. “Not if I’m quicker than you.”
Prevna nudged me with her elbow and I held in a small sigh of relief. Just like that, things felt closer to normal, our argument no longer commanding attention as the last thing we had done together.
The mats weren’t anything fancy: just long grass woven together and tied in place with cord. Handles were tied on the sides of the mats near the front. Most were on the smaller side too, so Breck, Prevna, and Ento had a harder time finding mats that would keep them from scraping their knees on the ice.
Andhi, Loclen, and Dera were the least enthused about zipping down dangerous water channels at breakneck speed. Loclen pointed out the logical question of what we were supposed to do if someone accidentally went over the side of a channel, but she was brushed off Breck who said to grab a nearby channel and she’d be fine. Besides, the tribe kids seemed to enjoy it and if they were fine doing this every year, we’d be fine too.
Dera still looked pale at the idea of going over the edge, but Wren held out a mat to her and she automatically took it. From there she was locked in to go down the shoots whether she liked it or not. Loclen and Andhi’s quiet dislike for each other helped push both of them to giving in to the others, though Breck giving Loclen the longer mat she had found sealed the deal. Breck ended up tying two mats together with some extra cord she had in a pouch.
Screams of terror and exhilaration filled the air as we joined the group of younger kids crowded between the edge of the lake and the cliff. There were a handful that were our age and a little bit older, but of the young adults had joined the high divers. Miyan told us it was because you weren’t allowed to jump from the ribs until you got the mark of adulthood. She also pointed out which of the easiest of the channels were better for beginner, intermediate, and advanced ice fliers.
“I practice every year. The riders says this is as close as you can get to flying on the ground.” Miyan’s eyes gleamed.
A couple of adults kept the ice fliers orderly, so we had to wait for our turn to use the beginner channels. Breck tried to convince the one closest to us to let her try out an advanced route right away, but the older woman wouldn’t hear any of it.
“You work your way up or you don’t go at all. That’s that.”
And it was, though Breck looked determined to be allowed to go on the more difficult channels as quickly as possible. Then we had to figure out who was racing who since there were four beginner routes that we could use at the same time. It turned out simple for my group. Breck had challenged Idra, Ulo, and me first, and there was no way we were going to back down now.
When the woman called for the next group to get ready we all slid out onto the iced over lake while Prevna, Wren, and Miyan called out encouragement. Chirp twittered something but I couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be encouragement or boasting that the little puffball would beat all of us.
The shoot I ended up at didn’t look all that promising even if the channels’ presence was impressive on its own. Simple stonework half filled with ice and open air on either side. It’d be a tighter fit for Breck, but I had a decent amount of space on each side and the channel was deep enough that I had to lift my head to see over the edge, but that was fine, because the tribeswoman in charge warned us to keep our heads low so we wouldn’t brain ourselves on any of the other water channels.
I laid on my stomach like the fliers had on the back of the birds, arms tight against my sides as I held the mat’s handles in a death grip. It felt a bit like when I had leaned out over the root wall to help pull up the commander, but my stomach wasn’t as high in my throat because this time, at least, I had something to catch me other than a wave full of enemies.
Miyan said this was as close as we could get to flying on the ground.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
I wanted to know what it was like.
“Go!”
I shoved off with my feet.
Tipping, sliding…momentum. A straight shot and the thrilling rush of growing speed. And then the first corner, left—I leaned too far and the edge of the channel rose up in front of me. A scream started to tear itself from my throat but I cut it short and corrected back in the other direction.
Right. Left. Another left. Spiral. Double right.
Turns again and again and again.
Barely any time to think, only react. Wind streaming by, stinging my eyes. The ice chilling my chest and legs through the mat. Its handles digging into my palms as I desperately tried to stay in the center of the channel. Thankfully there wasn’t any quick turns or sudden drops.
But it did feel like I was flying.
Uncontrollable, unstoppable.
I shot out of the end of the shoot, skidding along the lower lake. I hung on until I slowed enough to prop myself up and look around.
Second. Breck beat me down.
Idra came sliding out of her shoot cursing. I scrambled upright and got out of the way. As I met Breck at the edge of the lake I matched her self-satisfied smile. I might not have been first—which was irritating—but Ulo wasn’t going to like coming in last one bit. Idra already wasn’t happy with third.
Idra held her nose up in the air and refused to acknowledge us as Ulo came skidding out over the lake. Either her channel had been longer or she got started a second later than the rest of us. Otherwise, I’m not sure how she could have been so far behind.
When Ulo stomped over to us looking like she wanted to accuse me of something again I looked down my own nose at her. “You can’t possibly be thinking of accusing me of cheating again. I learned about this at the same time you did.”
There was the briefest of stutters in her step, so small that I couldn’t be sure she hadn’t just slipped slightly on the ice, before she snapped out, “Don’t talk to me.”
My jaw clenched but I didn’t press the fight further even if I hated the idea of listening to Ulo. I didn’t want to talk to her either. She kept going past us and Idra and Breck started to trade boasts and insults about who was going to win next time. I saved my breath for the unfortunately long hike back up the cliffside.
That is until my gaze caught on the woodland surrounding the Rookery. They weren’t the connected trees we had practiced with for the statue, but the goddess grown tree was a lot closer than the statue’s tree had been. Surely, I could cross that distance on my own now? Especially with the goddess grown tree to act as a beacon?
Idra caught the change in my trajectory. “Where’re you going?”
“Taking a shortcut.”
They both got my meaning. Ulo was too far ahead to hear. Breck eyed the switchback up the cliffside before glancing over at the trees. She shrugged. “I think I’ll join you.”
Idra cursed again and glared at me. “Juniper should let me punch you already.”
I smirked at her. “You’d regret it.”
“If you shared what you knew I wouldn’t have to climb a cliffside!”
“Juniper heard the same lecture I did. Ask her.”
“I hope a storm swallows you, Gimley!”
“Enjoy the exercise!” I called back over my shoulder as I kept walking towards the tree line.
Breck stretched her arms over her head next to me. Once again the bored girl was gone and replaced by a grinning maniac. Nothing like a bit of thrill to pull Breck into her comfort zone.
“You’re going to join to the high divers, aren’t you?” I asked.
The grin got a bit wider. “After another run or two down the cliff if they don’t let me do the more difficult channels. I don’t want to be soaked through and stick to the ice if I get a chance at the fun stuff.”
I rolled my eyes as we reached a pine’s shadow. Breck and I shared a look before we stomped our heels down. The transition into the shadow paths was easier this time even without taking the time to visualize sinking into the shadow like water. Less of a stomach curdling drop and more queasy disorientation.
I’d have to keep working on it.
For now I turned my attention on building a path to the feathered pine tree above. Focused on how the feathers hanging from it caught the sunlight, its wider proportions, every branch and root and needle in as good of detail as I could remember.
The shadows connected and I tied them together before I strode down the new path I had made. As soon as I sensed that I had passed over the edge of the new shadow I stomped my foot down.
Disorientation and then sunlight was blinding my eyes and I could the sounds of the tribe all around me. Blinking the glare away I realized that I was near where we had sat and watch the storm roll in. I smiled. Precision exiting was getting better too.
After a bit of hesitation I decided to wait for Breck so she’d know I was still first when it came to shadow walking. It didn’t take it long and I got a nod of acknowledgment after she got her bearings.
Ulo looked like she wanted to throw a fit when she found us back with the group, waiting to go another round, but she turned on her heel and stalked off to do something else instead. Andhi might have gone after her if she wasn’t currently hurtling down the cliffside.
I got another two rounds of flying down the water channels before the whisper women and older seedlings started to show up. I was standing near the goddess grown tree, waiting for Prevna, and silently debating if I wanted to keep going or take a break and try something else for a bit when two figures I recognized stepped from the tree’s shadow.
Clara and Shawsh.
Who I had never seen outside of the library in the Seed Landing before.
They caught sight of me staring and Clara huffed. “What? You think you’re the only one who gets to enjoy the festivities?”
Shawsh smiled gently as he gestured to our surroundings. “I wanted a bit of inspiration.”
Clara pressed her lips together at his more helpful answer and dragged the old man away.
Of course. Why not? Why shouldn’t random people easily show up in the Rookery I had spent weeks trying to find? Next there would—
It happened again. More people I knew stepped free of the shadow and noticed me.
Esie and her sister, Yeelan, and Kaylan, the lazy lookout. Hattie and Melka and Tasha. The entire group that had gathered on Esie’s platform after the Warming Winds freed me from staying frozen.
“Little Diver!” Hattie sounded happy to see me.
“Oh.” Esie waved me over to them and, since I couldn’t very well ignore the intermediary for my secretive patron, I went joined the group. “I didn’t expect to find you so soon. Enjoying the shoots?”
I lifted the mat I was still holding slightly and nodded.
Kaylan peered up at the sky. “Just wait until you get to real flying. Sometimes I hope everything’s cloudy when I need to head to an assignment, so I can ride instead of taking the shadow paths.”
Esie gave Kaylan an indulgent smile. “What happened to ‘the shadow paths are the greatest way to travel’?”
Kaylan shrugged, a smile tugging at her own lips. “They are. Quick and easy—but sometimes it’s nice to let something else do all the work too.”
Esie and Yeelan laughed at that while Melka and Tasha kept hovering awkwardly behind the rest. Apparently saving someone’s life and being left to die by another left an impression.
Esie glanced up at the sun to judge the time. “Join us for the midday meal. It’d be good to catch up.”
“I was—”
She brushed my words away. “If you waiting for the lovely friend of yours she’ll be welcome to join us too. We won’t be too far from the tree so she should easily spot you.”
More protests gathered on the tip of my tongue, but I held them back. While getting into whatever Esie wanted to talk about sounded much more unappealing than any of the activities going on around us I didn’t have much of a choice. I was supposed to be a model seedling, and even if I wasn’t the best at fulfilling that role, I couldn’t exactly break it right in front of the person who tasked me with it.
“Let me just put this mat away first.”
She nodded and pointed to a spot right along the grassy area the birds were using as a runway. “We’ll be right over there. Don’t take too long.”
I resolved to teach Prevna how to shadow walk between trees sooner rather than later. That way, next time, she’d get here quicker and I wouldn’t be easy prey for a handful of unpredictable people.