| Author: | F Hampton Carmine | ISBN: | 9781370545605 |
| Publisher: | F Hampton Carmine | Publication: | February 17, 2017 |
| Imprint: | Smashwords Edition | Language: | English |
| Author: | F Hampton Carmine |
| ISBN: | 9781370545605 |
| Publisher: | F Hampton Carmine |
| Publication: | February 17, 2017 |
| Imprint: | Smashwords Edition |
| Language: | English |
Moira stood unmoving on the highest prominence outside the cliff-side entrance to her cave home, a hundred long strides up the cliff in tier fifteen. She watched some of her friends as they leaped unfettered into the bright and clear air to hitch rides on the large broward leaves that drifted down the cliff face.
“Moira, don't use those things!” Gabriela shouted as she ran through the living room to the cave's cliff entrance. “You'll kill yourself. The other riders can release the leaves and land on the shore.”
She spread her wings for Gabriela. “I saw a great keratec gently lifting up the cliff face last year, sailing on the morning updrafts with its great wings spread wide. It only moved its wings a little to fly up, down, left, or right in graceful sweeps and curves.
"I don't want to land on the shore. I want to ride …”
“Ride the high air?” Gabriela interrupted. “No Moira! The few fliers that actually did manage to sail above the royal tier, all disappeared into that awful fog up there and were never seen again, ever. What did your mother say about you flying with those things?”
“She even said it would be my future husband's duty to give me permission to fly, if he was liberal enough.”
“She didn't.”
“She did. And I told her that …” She leaned out and shouted up the cliff face. “I will never marry if I have to grovel just be be myself. I don't care what the king says!”
“We have created a good life. Isn't it enough?”
“No, not for me! There has to be more. We are trapped between a sea which apparently goes on forever and that mist above the royal tier up the cliff. Good bye Gabriela. Tell mother that I am going to fly the high air.” As the updraft filled her wings and joy filled her being, leaving no room for her grief for her friend and mother or the marriage broker. Giddyness came bubbling up from the depths of her soul in great peals of laughter as she sailed in lazy circles and highly banked figure eights. She set her sights up the cliff face up toward the king's tier and beyond and rode the low air up the cliff. She was going to discover what lay above that perpetually cloudy haze beyond the king's tier and the great broward trees.
“Look a flier!” A comment floated to her as she drifted by the twentieth tier.
“Look! She has wings!”
“The fates preserve her. She's going to ride the high air!”
“Who is that? What tier is she from?”
Updraft after updraft moved her further up the cliff until she neared the royal tiers where see saw regally clad guards standing in each cliff-side entrance. “We have another high air flier! Prepare the archers!"
“Archers?” she said aloud, afraid for the first time.
Moira stood unmoving on the highest prominence outside the cliff-side entrance to her cave home, a hundred long strides up the cliff in tier fifteen. She watched some of her friends as they leaped unfettered into the bright and clear air to hitch rides on the large broward leaves that drifted down the cliff face.
“Moira, don't use those things!” Gabriela shouted as she ran through the living room to the cave's cliff entrance. “You'll kill yourself. The other riders can release the leaves and land on the shore.”
She spread her wings for Gabriela. “I saw a great keratec gently lifting up the cliff face last year, sailing on the morning updrafts with its great wings spread wide. It only moved its wings a little to fly up, down, left, or right in graceful sweeps and curves.
"I don't want to land on the shore. I want to ride …”
“Ride the high air?” Gabriela interrupted. “No Moira! The few fliers that actually did manage to sail above the royal tier, all disappeared into that awful fog up there and were never seen again, ever. What did your mother say about you flying with those things?”
“She even said it would be my future husband's duty to give me permission to fly, if he was liberal enough.”
“She didn't.”
“She did. And I told her that …” She leaned out and shouted up the cliff face. “I will never marry if I have to grovel just be be myself. I don't care what the king says!”
“We have created a good life. Isn't it enough?”
“No, not for me! There has to be more. We are trapped between a sea which apparently goes on forever and that mist above the royal tier up the cliff. Good bye Gabriela. Tell mother that I am going to fly the high air.” As the updraft filled her wings and joy filled her being, leaving no room for her grief for her friend and mother or the marriage broker. Giddyness came bubbling up from the depths of her soul in great peals of laughter as she sailed in lazy circles and highly banked figure eights. She set her sights up the cliff face up toward the king's tier and beyond and rode the low air up the cliff. She was going to discover what lay above that perpetually cloudy haze beyond the king's tier and the great broward trees.
“Look a flier!” A comment floated to her as she drifted by the twentieth tier.
“Look! She has wings!”
“The fates preserve her. She's going to ride the high air!”
“Who is that? What tier is she from?”
Updraft after updraft moved her further up the cliff until she neared the royal tiers where see saw regally clad guards standing in each cliff-side entrance. “We have another high air flier! Prepare the archers!"
“Archers?” she said aloud, afraid for the first time.
