Dawn's light shone brightly on the tip of Olae-phas, and Freezia opened her eyes . . . and blinked. Above her and silhouetted against the sunrise, was the great feathered plumage of the golden eagle, its wings outstretched and the light crimson on every feathertip.
'You're still here!' she exclaimed mentally, astonished. It seemed even brighter and fiercer than the night before. It's head swivelled towards her, and she realized it understood her, and seemed able to communicate. It tipped its great plumed head towards her and looked at her from one eye. Gradually, she edged closer, and reached her hand up to touch it's neck.
The warmth throbbed underneath her, and she felt an odd sort of trance sweep over her. "You couldn't leave?" She said to herself, and to it. It seemed to give the slightest of nods. "Where are we going? Why?" she asked, as the eagle bowed its neck and allowed her to climb aboard.
Only once she looked back, and the light seal was in some sort of cradle that fit it perfectly, in the center of the tower. It shone weaker than before, but she had the feeling that it would be renewed there. Then she looked forward, and saw the entire lake spread before her, and felt herself drifting off to sleep, the steady rhythm of the wings assuring her the eagle knew where it was going.
The silver sheen of the lake rippled slightly with the westerly wind, and the eagle was the only thing in the sky. The sun was warm on her back, so they were headed east. They --
She was asleep.
~~~~~
The moon had already rose in the night sky when they finished crossing the lake. They flew closer to the ground here, flitting through the tops of the tallest pine trees. She could smell rich, heavy soil, and the scent of crushed pine needles was strong. She clutched the strange eagle's feathers as the land seemed to drop away.
Here, too, there were waterfalls, but they were mere trickles down the face of the embankment. She could see the silvery threads coiling on the rich, flat slopes below, where the grass grew thick and green and great red cliffs rose on all three sides but where they were flying.
Nothing could be seen on each side down the lush valley, but Freezia had the feeling they were watched. Then the eagle banked and she sucked in a breath, ducking as they flew into the smallest of cracks in one of the cliffs. She felt a breath of air pass over her, and heard the feathers brush the stone, and they were in a long tunnel.
Here the eagle could not fly, so he set her down and they went down the natural cleft until they saw stars peeping through the cieling where the steep walls widened on both sides.
She stopped and gasped. Spread out before her like an ancient tapestry was another, larger valley. The cliff dropped away steeply for about a hundred meters, and then sloped gently to the grassy bottom, which was obscured a little by a bluish haze. The bottom of the slope was covered in talus from falling rock, and she saw a the great jagged teeth of mountains rising on the other side of the valley. The end of the valley was not in sight, and she was surprised she'd never heard of it in her yondering.
She remounted the eagle and he flew due north until they rounded a curve of the cliff and found a city spread out before her. The style of the houses was adobe, and they were built against the cliffs that made a great cleft where the city was. There seemed to be a great deal of activity, and she realized that this was probably one of the Hahaelli, the pueblo cities of Hahael, a tribe of men.
They glided down to the top of one of the pueblo-style buildings, and they heard a startled exclamation from inside. A girl about Freezia's age rushed out, and laughed when she saw the eagle.
"Rahlzi!" she exclaimed, and Freezia stepped off. The girl saw her and blinked. "Y' doalto?" She asked in a strange language, and looked up at Freezia. Her eyes were large and dark, her hair black in smooth braids down her back. She saw Freezia's blank expression.
Freezia was puzzled. "Who are you?"
Realization came to the girl's eyes. "Oh! You are Windsong! Come, I get ladder." So she did speak english. Freezia went swiftly to the edge of the roof and climbed quickly down.
"We are Hahaelli people," the girl said, pronouncing Hahaelli with a throaty emphasis on hael. "You come from over lake. Why?"
"I was carried by the eagle, but I come to find people to fight the evil lord, who has attacked Arwillene and approaches Waterfall City, the last of the havens."
The girl nodded slowly. "Arwillene . . . elves, they are friends. Olaekys are proud, they do not fight. Evil has attacked here, also. Many have died of plagues and two of our cities have fallen."
Freezia rubbed her forehead, brushing the silver hair out of her eyes. "You mean that they have attacked? Here?"
The girl looked at her strangely. "Yes, and you will find most are ready to fight."
She motioned towards the doorway, where a thick, woven curtain covered. She brushed it aside and led her into the cool, dark interior. "If attack, go there." she said, pointing to a corridor inside the building, which went down steps. "It leads to -- how you say? Cave. We will all be there. I must go watch for dragons and goblins in the fields. I will be back in several hours, and I will talk to the others about fight." She vanished outside and Freezia blinked, feeling tired.
She spotted a small balcony, and she went there and lay down on the cool stones, looking out over the carefully tilled fields until her eyelids drooped and she drifted asleep.
~~~~~
She heard movement behind her, and looked around. She spotted the girl, who beckoned. She followed her down the stairs for a while, then they came to a cool, damp and dark place, where she sensed they had gone underground. The ground underfoot was moist and her hand brushed the walls, which werer rich loam, reinforced with timber.
Then they came to a large cavern, back under the lip of the cliff. A good four hundred people were gathered, all dark eyed and black-haired like the girl, who she noticed was armed with a light javalin and bow and arrow. The tip of the bow was a curved knife, in case an enemy came to close while she was shooting.
They were dressed lightly, and the foot-soldiers had a light shirt of interlocked rings, which were of a black metal that did not shine. They were dressed in dull, earthy colors and seemed to be prepared for indian warfare. About a third were in small one-man chariots of the same black metal, and their horses were mostly grulla, buckskin or dun -- colors that easily faded into the background. These carried large supplies of arrows and had two spears at each of the front corners. There were two footsoldiers to every chariot driver, one to fight in the front lines -- wearing a little more armor and carrying swords and light shields -- and others like the girl, wearing little armor and bows and quivers instead.
Freezia felt their eyes on her, and the girl was talking to them. Then, after what seemed to be a quick explanitory talk, a general spoke to them in pursuasive tones. There were mutters from the crowd, and Freezia noticed uneasy glances at the cave enterance. Apparantly, this man was opposed to their fighting. But he saw Freezia standing there and subsided, muttering.
Freezia took a deep breath and spoke out. "There are communities suffering because of evil. If we do not band together, we will each be crushed. We must fight, or live lives in hiding."
The girl translated quickly, and then about fifty left the assembly. The rest remained, and the girl turned to Freezia. "They will follow you. I am Vialla, daughter of Vialdi, leader of the people. He will stay here, but I will ride with you. In a twinkle, she was on a beautiful buckskin mare. "Rahlzi is waiting outside. If you will guide us, we will reach Waterfall City in two days."
Then they left the cave, filing out of a narrow crack in the cliffs. Up a steep path and on the crest of the cliff, she found Rahlzi, the great eagle, waiting for her. She mounted and they were off into the morning.
