The Noble One sat in a clearing munching on long grass and reeds that grew close to the river. The massive creature heard us approach, cocked its head sideways in our direction, its one eye taking us in with peripheral vision. The reverberation it released deep in its throat gave the impression the beast was relaxed and expecting our arrival.
Suma made an unusual clucking sound with her tongue and the Noble One responded by rising from its hunched position and turning toward her, its long tail swishing back and forth dangerously. At least that’s what I thought at the time. I stepped back out of the creature’s path and waited to see what Suma would do, what the massive beast would do.
Suma walked ahead and stopped before the creature. “Hey Ebony. We have a guest today. Xiomara will join us and ride with us. You will be carrying two.”
Ebony shifted his eyes to take me in and snorted loudly.
Suma reached up to stroke Ebony’s neck and the creature calmed immediately, turned toward Suma and gave her a slight shove with his snout.
“It’s okay, Ebony. Xiomara needs to see more of Tarmon. This will be the fastest way. You must fly straight for me. No tricks and no sudden moves. Do you hear me?” Suma stroked the beast’s neck as she spoke.
Suma turned to me and waved me forward. I cautiously walked toward the two, entirely unsure whether this was a good idea. “I won’t fall?”
“No,” Suma responded with a smile.
“What will hold me on?”
Suma lifted both of her hands. “These. You’ll grasp the ridges along Ebony’s spine and hold on tight. But I also have a double saddle.” She pointed to the contraption tied to Ebony’s back, with straps passing beneath his belly and tightly secured. “There is a safety strap that will wrap around your waist and make you feel more secure.”
“Do you use one?”
“No. But I’m very accustomed to flying through the air. I’ve ridden since I was a child. I know my strengths and limitations. I’ve never once fallen.”
I stared at her and wondered how that was possible.
“I’ve had some close calls.”
I waited for her to continue.
“Ebony once made a crazy turn mid-air. He noticed a young troupe of Noble Ones clinging to some rocks to our right. He got so excited, he forgot I was riding him and made an extreme turn. I wasn’t ready for it and slipped from the saddle. There wasn’t enough time to grab the safety rope or increase my grip on his ridges. It felt like I was falling for a long time. Ebony immediately realized his mistake and circled around and nosedived beneath me. He kept up the fall with me until I could grab hold of him and get back in the saddle. As soon as I was securely on, he shifted his projection toward the sky.
“It sounds precarious.”
“Not really. Ebony was young then and inexperienced. We’ve had many years together. He wouldn’t let me get hurt, as long as the situation is in his control.”
I didn’t know what to say.
“On Tarmon, the flying conditions are always in his control.”
I gave her a hard stare, wanting to ask a question because her words begged for it. Suma didn’t give me the opportunity.
“Okay, let’s go.” Suma walked to the belly of the beast, slapped it hard and Ebony lowered to the ground. She turned to me and said, “Come. I’ll show you how to get on.
Cautiously, I walked toward Ebony and stood beside Suma. She showed me the right method of mounting, stepping up to stand on the creature’s folded leg, reaching up to grab the rope hanging from the thing she called a saddle and pulling herself up until she could swing one leg over to the other side.
After she slid back down to the ground beside me, she waved one hand toward the beast and said, “Try it. You’ll be sitting behind me, the back seat.”
It took two failed attempts before my anger was aroused. Fury fueling me, my third try found me sitting in the saddle and I waited for Suma to join me.
Soon she was straddled before me and my heart began to pound wildly in my chest. Suma reminded me to secure the safety rope to my waist. Lifting off the ground terrified me. My feet had never left the solid terra firma of a farrin before. I was completely out of my element and yet I felt an uncanny and heady anticipation in experiencing something so unimaginable. I’d often wondered what it would be like to be a bird, how our world would look from their perspective. What mysteries could be hidden above the dust cloud that constantly cloaked our view?
Suma gave a command and Ebony’s wings emerged, stretched wide and began to flap in powerful, strong strokes until I could see the earth beneath us begin to move away. I looked ahead and saw that we were steadily rising, the edge of forest before us lowering substantially with every mighty push of Ebony’s wings.
My grip tightened on Ebony’s ridged back, and I tried to imagine how it would feel to plummet to one’s death from such a height. I pushed the thought away and watched as the creature distanced himself from the tops of the trees and we soared above them. The waterfall came into view, the sight even more mesmerizing from this height. I’m sure my mouth opened in amazement and I couldn’t get over the expansive view in every direction.
I noticed Drue far below waving at us as we flew by. I wanted to wave back but I was too afraid of falling. Suma waved wildly and gave a shout as Ebony flew on.
We picked up speed and the distance from the earth grew exponentially as we rose higher.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Suma asked.
I pushed my terror down and decided to take in as much as I could on this my maiden voyage and probably only flight in the sky. The panorama of hills, mountains in the distance, clear, blue sky, bright orb of a sun shining down on us and the sparkling rivers and lakes far below rendered me speechless. It was too beautiful to describe and any attempt to do so on my part could never compare.
We flew over the settlement next, Suma’s home. That’s the only name I knew it by. I never heard its official title. The village was far more impressive from this height and it still shocked me that I could see everything so clearly with no ferocious wind picking up sand and dust to obscure the view.
The settlement behind us, Suma pushed Ebony on to a mountain range before us. We flew for a long time, the panorama in every direction indescribably stunning and beyond human description. Everywhere I looked, perfection and loveliness assailed me. Some type of roadway system snaked between the mountains in the valleys. From my view, they looked well maintained and well used. We passed numerous waterfalls and I could hear the muted thundering from the sky and noticed the crystal clear water rushing through mountain streams. The trees that clung to the lower elevations of the mountains filled my vision with green. I still wasn’t used to all the color this farrin possessed. I could feel anger rising from my gut again.
“Look there,” Suma said. She pointed to buildings ahead of us, tucked in a wide valley and surrounded by green fields. “That’s one of our citadels, one of the smaller ones but still very beautiful.”
I was astounded at the height of the buildings. Each one was different from the others and all of them proudly reaching to touch the few white clouds dotting the sky. I didn’t know how it was possible for them to build buildings so tall, straight and strong.
“We’ll swing over the citadel and head toward the coast, then return by that route,” Suma said.
I didn’t answer, still too awestruck by the elaborate, well-defined citadel far below. I noticed on the outskirts of the massive settlement that smaller dwellings were laid out in unusual designs. Some areas, the way the houses were situated, looked like the petals of a flower; each area tucked beside another and created the illusion of a flower from this height. Multiple flower shapes surrounded the outskirts and made it appear like a flower patch instead of a bustling population center. The only way to see this design clearly was from up above in the sky and I felt astounded at the intricate planning involved.
Ebony banked to the left and the citadel slowly grew smaller behind us until I could no longer see it. I kept looking back at it. I wanted to save it to memory so that I could perhaps draw it out in one of my mother’s old journals.
With the citadel left behind, the view from up ahead caught my attention. The sea glistened before us as though filled with some type of precious stone or crystal. I’ve seen very few in my lifetime. Ngangi once showed me a precious rock that he had taken from the leader of a farrin we defeated. He said it was called a diamond and bragged that he had many just like it. Tilly has one. She showed it to me once. The rock was but a tiny speck compared to the one Ngangi had. I’m convinced that Ngangi is the one who gave Tilly the gift, a recompense for her services.
Ebony banked again and flew parallel to the coast, bright greenery growing on the steep hills rising from the sea and the bright azure blue lapping up against the sandy shore. The contrast of the two took my breath away. Never had I seen such a mesmerizing sight and I forgot to hold tightly to the beast’s ridged back.
A strong wind suddenly pummeled us and I noticed I was slipping too late to correct myself. In a moment of terror I reacted on instinct, pulling my knife from my waist and plunging it into Ebony’s side to stop my fall. The sound that erupted from Ebony still plays through my mind and my guilt comes back at the memory.
Ebony nosedived and turned sharply. Suma shrieked for him to stop his frantic movements. She turned back to check on me, realized what I’d done and began to speak soothingly to the beast, trying to calm him and guide him toward the ground the best she could. Ebony released strange sounds deep in his throat, cries of pain no doubt.
I pulled myself back up and righted myself in the saddle. I thought it best to leave the knife where it was. Pulling it out now might cause Ebony even more pain and there was no knowing how he’d respond. I didn’t know if he’d target me now, knowing what I’d done to him.
We were descending quickly, the trees to our left and the ocean to the right. Ebony was aiming for the beach but his descent seemed awkward and flustered. He was going much too fast in my estimation.
Suma’s next statement confirmed it. “Slow, Ebony, slow! It’ll be okay. Take it easy, boy.” She said all this while patting his neck in comfort.
The words seemed to calm him slightly and he pushed hard with his wings to slow his descent. We were just above the tree tops and the ground was still coming much too quickly. He landed hard, sand flying in every direction and he groaned pitifully, then let out a ferocious, pain-filled cry.
After recovering from the rough landing, Suma rushed to get down, taking something from her bag slung over her shoulder. I descended after her and stood beside her, my eye watching Ebony’s response. I reached out to pull out the knife but Suma placed her hand on my arm.
“Not yet.”
I noticed Suma holding a small bottle. She opened the lid and poured some of the creamy liquid into the palm of one hand. She placed the bottle back in her bag, turned to Ebony, stroked his side and spoke with gentle, reassuring words. Uncannily, Ebony responded by lowering his cries, turning his head in Suma’s direction and released puffs of hot air through his slightly open jaws.
“That’s my boy,” Suma said quietly. “You’ll be better before long.” Suma stood on Ebony’s bent leg and lifted herself to stand on it, just below where my knife still extended from his scaly hide. She smeared the creamy liquid around the knife edge, coating his hide liberally. Grabbing hold of the hilt, she slowly withdrew it, smearing the liquid close to the wound. When the knife was free, Suma patted more of the creamy elixir directly on the cut.
Right before my eyes, the cut began to disappear until all that was left was Ebony’s perfect scale, shining in the sunlight that warmed my skin.
Suma turned to me and handed me my knife. There was concern in her eyes and I understood the message. Using my knife to harm a creature she loved and trusted was not allowed here. I should have known better but my instincts took over and survival was my only thought. Plunging my knife into the creature’s hide was based purely on a desire to live. I never meant to harm Ebony.
Tucking my knife back into my belt at my waist, I slowly walked toward Ebony’s neck, stroked it and said, “I’m sorry I hurt you. I never meant to. I won’t do it again.”
Ebony’s dark eye studied me and I felt vulnerable so close to the creature’s razor sharp teeth. I could feel his full intake of air through the thick hide of his neck. He released it slowly, the warm wind in my face and the low, calming growl in his throat assuring me that all was forgiven. How I knew all this in that moment, I don’t know. But I was convinced of it, like I could read his mind, know his thoughts.
We stared at each other, his dark eye fixated on my face. I felt as though caught in an ethereal calm, my heart slowed and my breathing grew unnaturally peaceful. I’d never felt anything like it before. I suddenly had the uncanny suspicion that he could see into me; that he knew what I was thinking, my heart exposed and vulnerable.
I tore my hand from his neck and the knowing suddenly stopped.
“You connected with him,” Suma said. “He now knows you.”
“What do you mean?”
“He will never forget you. The connection is forever.”
I still didn’t know what she was talking about and I didn’t want to ask. I felt suddenly overwhelmed by all that had taken place this day, by all that I’d seen.
“Come, I’ll take you back to my mother’s home. She mentioned her wish to take you to the business section in our settlement, but only if you would like to.”
I nodded but felt disconnected from everything around me. I’d seen too much, heard too much and experienced more than my heart could take. I suddenly longed for Akoni, for my dusty, windy farrin and those of my own kind, my friends who understood me and for my tiny hut that I called home.
Suma and I got back into our saddles and Ebony took to the sky, his pain gone and my attack on this gentle giant behind us. All I could think of, as we banked inland and left the sea behind, was getting back into my vessel and rowing toward home.
