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Authors: Craig DeLancey
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human hands, nor made of earths using fire.”
The makina looked at him but her expressionless face betrayed nothing. Seth stood in the shallows, looking back at the forest with impatient wariness. The Guardian held the rope and peered at Chance. Finally the Guardian said, “I understand.” He dropped the rope, strode directly to Chance’s side, and grabbed him in both hands, lifting him as one lifts a child. He took great splashing steps to the airship and tossed Chance through the door, onto the soft carpeted deck within.
“You did not choose to ride this ship, Puriman. I forced you.”
Chance climbed to his feet, indignant. “It’s not that easy! I cannot ride this.” He quoted scripture as he stepped toward the door. “Thou shalt turn thy back on the machines of unmen that shroud the wonders of creation.”
He was about to step into the stream when Seth barked a loud yelp of fear and splashed toward the door. Behind the coyote, a cacophony exploded out of the dark forest. Mimir, Chance, and the Guardian all froze and looked up the hill. The canopy was denseand they could see little in the shadows, but a roar poured down, the sound of hundreds of beasts cresting the hilltop at a run. Here and there through breaks in the trees, Chance could see a flash of black fur or brown fur, as wolves, bears, dogs, and other soulburdened creatures raced toward the bank.
Seth swam the last few paces to the airship, then climbed the bobbing ramp, his back feet scratching in panic on its edge. The Guardian followed with a single great step that made the airship rock. He pushed Chance inside as he ducked under the low doorway. The makina came last, and the ramp lifted silently behind her. Chance stood, uncertain and silent, as the door closed.
There was a window on the door, streaked now with river water. Chance peered through it. As the airship started to lift, the first of the soulburdened, a group of wild dogs, climbed over Elder James’s overturned boat and then splashed down into the stream where Chance had stood just seconds before. Behind them came more dogs and then bears. A seething mass of fur and claws, of snapping white teeth and bulging furious eyes, crowded onto the bank.
As the airship lifted away, in his last view of the river bank, Chance caught a glimpse of sparkling gold. A creature like he had never seen before, larger than a man, and shaped like a man, but covered with black fur, strode out into the river on two legs, head held high. It was dressed in gold armor that sparkled in the sunlight, and in the center of the snarling mass of beasts, it stood with quiet dignity, looking up at him as the airship escaped. Chance’s eyes met the black eyes of the creature, before a bough parted his view and the airship ascended with a dull low humming, scraping a few times at tough branches as it drifted up and out of the narrow valley.
CHAPTER
9
T he river below shrank to a blue ribbon. Rolling green hills stretched off in every direction. Chance tottered uneasily to the windows facing south so that he could search the most distant green hills. Seth turned uneasily around him, still trembling after their perilous escape from the pack of soulburdened beasts.
Chance had never been higher than the roof of his own home. Airships, helmed by Trumen from the city of the Freshsea, sometimes came to Walking Man Lake and carried back the Purimen wines. Chance loved the ships, as did most young Purimen, although like the others he had watched without speaking of his interest, and he would not before have betrayed his creed and climbed aboard one if offered. Though he had once been delivering barrels of Kyrien Caffran wine to a ship, and saw Jeremiah Green standing inside, not for a ride but to spy around, to feel the bounce of the cabin as the airship fought its tethers to the Earth. Green had blushed when he looked up and found Chance standing outside by his cart. The heavy boy had pushed angrily past him, saying,
The makina looked at him but her expressionless face betrayed nothing. Seth stood in the shallows, looking back at the forest with impatient wariness. The Guardian held the rope and peered at Chance. Finally the Guardian said, “I understand.” He dropped the rope, strode directly to Chance’s side, and grabbed him in both hands, lifting him as one lifts a child. He took great splashing steps to the airship and tossed Chance through the door, onto the soft carpeted deck within.
“You did not choose to ride this ship, Puriman. I forced you.”
Chance climbed to his feet, indignant. “It’s not that easy! I cannot ride this.” He quoted scripture as he stepped toward the door. “Thou shalt turn thy back on the machines of unmen that shroud the wonders of creation.”
He was about to step into the stream when Seth barked a loud yelp of fear and splashed toward the door. Behind the coyote, a cacophony exploded out of the dark forest. Mimir, Chance, and the Guardian all froze and looked up the hill. The canopy was denseand they could see little in the shadows, but a roar poured down, the sound of hundreds of beasts cresting the hilltop at a run. Here and there through breaks in the trees, Chance could see a flash of black fur or brown fur, as wolves, bears, dogs, and other soulburdened creatures raced toward the bank.
Seth swam the last few paces to the airship, then climbed the bobbing ramp, his back feet scratching in panic on its edge. The Guardian followed with a single great step that made the airship rock. He pushed Chance inside as he ducked under the low doorway. The makina came last, and the ramp lifted silently behind her. Chance stood, uncertain and silent, as the door closed.
There was a window on the door, streaked now with river water. Chance peered through it. As the airship started to lift, the first of the soulburdened, a group of wild dogs, climbed over Elder James’s overturned boat and then splashed down into the stream where Chance had stood just seconds before. Behind them came more dogs and then bears. A seething mass of fur and claws, of snapping white teeth and bulging furious eyes, crowded onto the bank.
As the airship lifted away, in his last view of the river bank, Chance caught a glimpse of sparkling gold. A creature like he had never seen before, larger than a man, and shaped like a man, but covered with black fur, strode out into the river on two legs, head held high. It was dressed in gold armor that sparkled in the sunlight, and in the center of the snarling mass of beasts, it stood with quiet dignity, looking up at him as the airship escaped. Chance’s eyes met the black eyes of the creature, before a bough parted his view and the airship ascended with a dull low humming, scraping a few times at tough branches as it drifted up and out of the narrow valley.
CHAPTER
9
T he river below shrank to a blue ribbon. Rolling green hills stretched off in every direction. Chance tottered uneasily to the windows facing south so that he could search the most distant green hills. Seth turned uneasily around him, still trembling after their perilous escape from the pack of soulburdened beasts.
Chance had never been higher than the roof of his own home. Airships, helmed by Trumen from the city of the Freshsea, sometimes came to Walking Man Lake and carried back the Purimen wines. Chance loved the ships, as did most young Purimen, although like the others he had watched without speaking of his interest, and he would not before have betrayed his creed and climbed aboard one if offered. Though he had once been delivering barrels of Kyrien Caffran wine to a ship, and saw Jeremiah Green standing inside, not for a ride but to spy around, to feel the bounce of the cabin as the airship fought its tethers to the Earth. Green had blushed when he looked up and found Chance standing outside by his cart. The heavy boy had pushed angrily past him, saying,
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