light.
Spreading his wings to capture the oncoming wind, he took flight with his precious cargo strapped perilously to his back.
With both the Western Mountains and the Slumbering Hills behind him the Stoman boy headed down into the low country. Walking through crooked canyons and past rocky outcroppings he made his way through the harsh landscape.
Yet as hard and as unforgiving as the stony countryside was it still felt like home. It was scenery that he was familiar with and his village, even further south, was only two days’ walk away. Tired but happy, the boy felt as though his trip had been a success. He had sold his rock fruit and crystal flowers for a surprisingly high amount. With the war going on and Bane demanding that more and more soldiers join his armies, the merchants, normally serpent-tongued and oily-fingered, had been only too happy to pay twice the normal rate for his wares. His rock sisters and brothers would be happy and perhaps for once he might be able to put a smile on his father’s brooding face.
A shadow flashed overhead. It narrowly avoided slamming into a rock spire, but in its efforts to right itself careered into the canyon’s wall in a shower of dust and pebbles before bouncing off and losing altitude. Lower and lower the thing flew, its trajectory wobbly and ungraceful.
The boy flinched, fearing it was another Wyrm or even another pack of those wild, evil-sounding crows. But once his heart had stopped hammering and he actually managed to open his eyes, he realized that the odd shape was in fact a Winged One – with someone hanging hazardously off its back.
The boy watched open-mouthed as the odd pair barely made it over the far wall before disappearing. Without thinking he shrugged the pannier off his back and rushed down the canyon, towards where he assumed the Winged One and its passenger had landed.
26
A New Arrival
Nibbler waited for the cramp to subside before attempting to close his wings. His shoulders ached and he was sure that his skin was bleeding where the fabric binding Charlie’s wrists together had cut into his flesh.
Wearily he snaked his head from between Charlie’s hands, then used his teeth to gently cut her free. Shaking loose the dust that clung to his head after his brush with the local landscape, he tried to stand on unstable legs and investigate Charlie’s injury. But his muscles gave way and he collapsed in a further explosion of dust. Too tired and too weak to move, he dragged himself closer to his friend.
Shutting his eyes, he breathed deeply in an attempt to recover his strength.
When he opened them he found, to his surprise, a young Stoman standing in front of him.
‘Back off!’ he growled, and tried once again to struggle to his feet. Failing to regain his footing, he bared his teeth and hissed out a warning jet of flame.
The Stoman hastily retreated, but didn’t disappear. Instead he stood out of harm’s reach and stared with curiosity at both Nibbler and Charlie. The Stoman, although somewhere in his teen years, was to Nibbler’s mind still a potential threat. His long lean frame was wrapped in tight muscle and even though he didn’t carry any obvious weapon Nibbler wasn’t about to let down his guard.
‘Back off, I said!’ Summoning all his strength the Hatchling pulled himself upright and staggered forward.
Surprisingly the young Stoman didn’t retreat, but bowed deeply. ‘Winged One,’ he began in a soft but well-spoken voice. ‘I mean no harm. I-I only came to see if I could offer some help.’
Nibbler didn’t know what to say. It was obvious that he was in dire straits yet he was wary of allowing anyone he didn’t know close to Charlie.
‘Don’t … trust … him …’ groaned a voice.
Turning round he found Charlie revived, but her eyes barely open. Disturbingly and somewhat frightening to behold, a flicker of both black and gold flames flittered and fizzed round her fingertips.
‘Can’t … trust … strangers … can’t … trust …’ Charlie’s eyes rolled up in her head and with a long shuddering sigh she passed out. Thankfully the shadowy flames disappeared too.
Nibbler didn’t know what to make of the change coming over Charlie’s Will. Neither too, by the look of things, did the Stoman. Eyes wide, the boy took a step back.
‘Is-is she OK?’ he asked.
‘What does it look like?’ snapped Nibbler, fear for his friend causing him to grow angry. ‘She has suffered more –’
‘Winged One,’ interrupted