The other Novices disappeared quickly, confirming Halley’s suspicion that their parents were from the Air. Fargo stood a little off to her right, looking as confused as she felt. 

“Novice Halley, you will follow me,” the Elder ordered. As she rushed to catch up, she glanced over her shoulder and noticed that Fargo was following Kyrie.

Once they had left the big chamber, she found herself climbing down two more flights of stairs carved into the rock. Her footing wasn’t sure until she reached a path that master hewers had created. Halley began making mental notes, picking out landmarks so she could find her way back to the big chamber if that was the common meeting area.

“No, the assembly chamber is used for ceremonies and for addressing all members of the Welkin at once. All meals are eaten together in the Klaven. I will come and get you in the morning and show you the way,” Ryvka stated.

“Thank you, Elder. I will learn quickly,” she said as she bowed. Did he read her thoughts?

“As is your duty.” He stopped outside a large grey metal door. “These are your chambers. I will leave you to get settled. You are to leave your blue Selection clothes outside your door, and Supply will pick them up. There is an alcove filled with all the uniforms and clothing you will need. If something does not fit properly, Supply will adjust it.”

“Yes, Elder.” Halley turned toward him, but her voice echoed off the rock walls. Ryvka had vanished. 

She felt like a land animal plucked from the dust and placed inside a mountain. Everything was foreign, even the language, to some degree. Duty above all!

Halley took a deep breath, turned the metal lever, and entered. She closed the heavy door behind her securely and paused for a moment as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. Gone were the wood walls and square rooms of the house she was raised in. The relatively smooth stone walls created a good-sized chamber. As she moved forward, Halley noticed the glowing stones radiating out of outcroppings at various intervals. She was not familiar with this light source. A small fountain appeared, nestled between two of the glowing stones with a bowl formed out of rock underneath. Temba branches were lying in a stone tray next to the bowl. They brought a sense of home, which she would cherish every time she scrubbed her teeth.

Halley turned and looked across the width of the chamber. Thick blankets covered a raised stone sleeping platform in an alcove along the far wall. She sighed with relief as she lifted the blankets and saw the down-filled pallet that covered the stone. 

There was a small bathing pool just past the sleeping alcove. It was surrounded by large flat rocks that would offer seclusion. From there, the passageway narrowed until it exited into a vast cavern. A third of the floor was covered in hay, piled around a large platform that stretched from the entrance and extended to the back wall. There were hooks in the wall and strange steps ending in space above the platform.

Halley moved forward cautiously until she was standing beside a massive archway. An equally wide, smooth stone ledge stretched outwards into the darkness. A gust of wind pinned her against the wall, causing fear to rise up. The Sajan was never wrong, but this didn’t feel like her path. 

Desperate for rest, she turned and ran back to her chamber. She located the clothing alcove and grabbed a sleeping shift. Once changed, she placed the blue Selection garments outside her door. After scrubbing her teeth, she crawled onto the sleeping pallet and piled the blankets on top. The resulting warmth lulled her into a dreamless sleep.

***

Halley sat up as the dream of being on the land ebbed away. As she glanced around the rock chamber, reality set in. She was of the Air now. Duty above all.

After a cleansing bath, she put on her new uniform, which was made of a soft, rugged dark grey hide. A wing symbol was branded into each shoulder of the tunic. She struggled to get into the leather pants, wondering why she was dressing like a man. She pulled the tunic down over the top of the pants, reached for her hairbrush, and braided her hair. As Halley reached for the door handle, a sharp knock made her jump. 

She turned the handle and stepped outside.“Good Rising, Elder.”

“Good Rising, Novice. The Klaven is this way.” 

He followed the same path they’d used the night before, which intersected with a number of other paths, until she paused before two massive metal doors that stood open. Inside were large round tables and a buzz of activity as members of the Keep broke the night’s fast.

Halley ate the standard morning fare, consisting of a hot bowl of thick grains and a steaming mug of Qava, in silence. The Elder stood, made his way to a smaller gong, and struck it. The sound reverberated off the rock walls and brought instant silence.

“WatchWing leaders, may you have clear skies and fly high.” 

The entire room stood, with the exception of the four Novices and Kyrie. In unison, they crossed their arms over their chests and bowed. The Elder disappeared in the throng as everyone moved onto their assigned duties.

The other Novices appeared at her table along with Kyrie. His cornsilk hair was pulled back by a leather thong that matched his amber leather uniform. He led them down a winding staircase to the bottom of the Keep.

They entered a small cavern that resembled a vertical tunnel. Winds from high above whistled down in mighty gusts as they braced themselves against the stone walls. The wind didn’t affect their instructor as he strode confidently across the room, grabbed a long metal lever, and pulled it downward. The winds stopped, and the Novices cautiously stepped away from the walls.

“Antel and Silon, please explain the purpose of this cavern for Fargo and Halley’s benefit since your parents are of the Air, and you have the advantage of being raised here,” Kyrie ordered.

The two Novices moved into the middle of the cavern and stood back to back. “This is where you will learn the ways of the wind. For those of us born of the Air, it’s as easy as breathing, but not for those whose parents are of the land.” Antel’s condescending tone was cut short as Kyrie pulled on a second lever. 

The wind burst upward from underneath the two Novices, who had linked arms and were now suspended in mid-air with their legs extended. In one quick movement, they turned until they were facing the floor, and as they straightened their legs, they unlocked their arms.

Silon shot straight up. A few seconds later, he flipped onto his belly, extended his arms to the side with forearms bent at the elbow, forming a right angle with his palms down. His legs were bent upward at the knee, forming a matching right angle.

Antel had formed the same position, and the two Novices looked like they were floating. Silon dipped to his right and dropped down until he was closer to Antel, who dipped the opposite way and caught an updraft. The two met and clasped their forearms before descending, like two feathers floating to the ground. As they neared the ground, they pulled their legs down and put their arms up over their heads, shifting their bodies into an upright position facing Halley. Kyrie pushed the lever up, and the winds stopped. Antel and Silon stood on the ground, unharmed and grinning.

“Did that bring anything familiar to mind, Novices Fargo or Halley?” Kyrie asked.

“Yes, the way birds soar on the winds,” Halley answered.

“Exactly. Do you know why it’s important that every member of this Keep knows how to navigate the wind currents?”

Fargo and Halley pondered the question and shook their heads silently. Kyrie paced the floor while Antel and Silon laughed.

“Silence!” Kyrie commanded. “You will both report to Malon at the Klaven. A day of service may remind you of the humility you must walk in to become part of The Welkin.”

The two Novices stood to attention, bowed once, and left the cavern. Halley and Fargo shifted where they stood. 

“Novice Halley, take your place in the centre of the room.”

Halley moved without thinking. Fear began to whisper, but she banished it with a thought. Duty above all! She looked at Kyrie and waited for instruction.

“This is going to be vastly different from anything you’ve experienced. I need you to trust me and fight the urge to panic. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Put your feet together and stretch your arms over your head and interlock your fingers. Good. Now, when I open the vents, you are going to shoot upward quickly. When you are as high as the first staircase we came down, I want you to kick your legs back while you bring your arms forward and copy the body position that you saw the others take before they began to soar in the different air currents. Then I want you to feel for those currents, float in and out of them. Pretend you are a bird.”

Halley shot upward a second later and turned her head so she could look for the staircase. Within a couple of seconds, it was in full view. She kicked out with every ounce of strength she had and brought her hands down with force, as though she was churning butter. She almost overdid it and had to correct her body position until she was on her stomach. Arms out, palms down with her legs bent upward. Once she attained that position, she allowed herself to breathe. 

As she exhaled, she felt a surge to her right. She intuitively tipped her body toward it and found herself shooting upward again. She tipped left and found the middle stream that allowed her to float. Angling left one more time, she found the downdraft, which sent her back down to the ground. When she was slightly more than a body length above the ground, she clasped her hands together and forced them above her head while she pulled her legs straight down. A moment later, she stood on the cavern floor, speechless.

“Novice Halley, that was a perfect first Freeflight. You are a natural—the Sajan was not wrong!” Kyrie said with a huge grin. “Tell me now why it’s important for every member of the Keep to be able to soar on the winds?”

“Incase we fall off the cliffs?” Halley guessed.

“Yes, it certainly comes in handy, but that is not the most important reason. I will give you a hint, the Elder introduced himself, and he introduced me; think about his words.”

“He said you were both riders and listed two different names,” Fargo interjected. “What does that mean?”

Kyrie led them up the same steps, past the Klaven, and up another narrow winding stone staircase. The two Novices followed and found themselves standing on a very wide ledge. Halley realized this was very similar to the ledge in her own chambers. 

Kyrie stood outside near the edge and raised both hands in the air. Then he stepped off the ledge and disappeared. Fargo moved forward, but Halley grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

A giant Aigle launched skyward with Kyrie mounted behind the short golden feathers on its neck. The duo turned and landed on the ledge. After he had dismounted, the Aigle followed Kyrie inside, eying the two Novices with a piercing gaze.

“Auger, these are the new Novices this year—Halley and Fargo.” 

The Aigle dipped his head in response as they stared in wonder. 

Photo by Susan Karl on Unsplash