Chapter Three Hundred and Twenty-Six - Introductions are in Order

Chapter Three Hundred and Twenty-Six - Introductions are in Order

Chapter Three Hundred and Twenty-Six - Introductions are in Order

The carriage rattled and shook as we rode up towards the edge of the city. Not one of the sections that hung off the side of the mountain, or even towards one of the many ports surrounding Goldenalden. No, we were heading up, towards the taller parts of the city where it more or less disappeared into the mountain.

Even after just twenty minutes of riding along steep switch-back roads, I could tell that the air had grown just a little bit thinner. It was certainly colder. Awen was stuck between Amaryllis and I with a heap of blankets on top of herself, and she was still shivering a little.

I shifted around and wrapped an arm over her shoulder. There, thatll warm you up a little, I said.

Thank you, Awen said.

You know, its only going to get colder once were in the air, Amaryllis noted. And the air will only grow thinner.

Im used to it onboard a ship, Awen said. But being stationary makes it different somehow. Also, I dont think we usually flew all that high with the Beaver.

I grinned. Im kind of excited about this. Last time, when we flew with Rhawrexdee, I could barely tell what was happening. I spent the entire flight focusing on not falling off his back.

Amaryllis gave me a look. Youre so reckless, she said.

Im sure the sylph have a bunch of safety precautions. They seem like very safety-minded people, I said.

Yes, probably because they had a few people like you in their ranks before they slipped out of the population, Amaryllis said.

I harrumphed at her. You know, what youre doing now isnt legal here.

What? Amaryllis asked, her grin shifting away in place of confusion. What are you talking about?

Being so smug isnt allowed here.

I doubt they made a law about it, Amaryllis said, rather smugly at that.

Its called smuggling, and its not allowed.

Amaryllis stared at me, then she looked to Awen. Can we switch seats? I need to smack Broccoli around a bit.

We tussled a bit, filling the carriage with laughter and Awens squeaky giggles. Eventually though, the carriage rolled to a stop and we all paused to look out and see what was going on. We were at a gatehouse that blocked the roadway. It was manned by a single young sylph dressed in an ill-fitting guards outfit. He spoke to the carriage driver, and we were let through.

Our carriage circled around a driveway next to a tower that stuck out from the mountainside. It reminded me of the old palace where the summit had taken place. This had to be a place built with magic. There was careful stonework on the outside, but the rearmost wall seemed to almost melt into the mountain itself.

I suppose this is it, Amaryllis said. She pushed the door open, peeked outside, then jumped out.

Awen shed her blankets and did the same, with me following right behind her.

I guess we go to the tower, I said with a gesture to the building in question. There were a few other places nearby, newer looking barracks and a warehouse with a tin roof, but there didnt seem to be too much going on up here.

Ill be heading back down, as ordered, the carriage driver said. Do you need any help with your things?

What about in the wild? Awen asked.

Far fewer, Winnow said. Unfortunately, wyverns are a threat to lone sylph and even smaller airships. Theyll avoid cities unless something has disturbed them, but theyre still a threat. The only wild flights are far to the north and east where settlements are sparse and theres no real air-traffic.

That was a little sad, but probably understandable. We continued to climb up the stairs while Winnow told us more about the wyverns. They were apparently gluttonous eaters if you let them. They were also lizards, so they were cold blooded and really enjoyed a bit of warmth. It was one of the rewards they gave to a well-behaved wyvern, so we didnt need to panic if we saw a knight spraying one with some magical fire.

We reached the top of the tower. One half of the room was a ramp leading up onto the flat roof, where I imagined wyverns could take off. The rest of the tower pushed into the mountain and was filled with big pens with metal bars between them.

Wyverns slept within those, and I started to feel nervous about our flight for the first time. They were so big! Each wyvern had a pen big enough that we could have parked the Beaver within it if we were willing to squish it in a little.

A wyvern raised its head up from the bed of straw it was resting on and watched us walk past. Its head was taller than I was, ears and all. It could have chomped me in half if it wanted to, I think.

Well be taking Bloodfang, Greencrest, and Little Doug today, Winnow said.

I blinked. Those are the names of the wyverns? I asked.

She nodded. They are. They should be saddled up for us already, but well go and meet them first. Its good form to get them used to your smell and what you look like before a flight. Especially since none of you are sylph. Youll look and smell different from what theyre used to.

We stopped by Little Dougs cage first, and Menos stepped up and opened a slim door in the cage and stepped in without hesitation.

Little Doug had a chest bigger around than the carriage we used to get to the tower, and was as long as the Beaver Cleaver was wide. Hey there, little guy, Melos said as he patted the wyverns snout.

Why is he called Little Doug? I asked.

Oh, he was the runt, Winnow said. Almost failed every test. By all rights he shouldnt have been trained any further, but we discovered that hes one of the most soft and docile wyverns weve raised. Not optimal for an aerial combattant, but he doesnt mind new knights flying on him. So hes the training mount for a lot of newer knights and when we need to escort VIPs around, Little Dougs the wyvern to go to.

Oh, I said. So he was just a friendly little guy. I liked him already!

He seems nice, Awen said.

Good, then you can ride on him with Knight Melos. Go on in, hell show you how to greet Doug, and then well have some of the stablehands load your gear up, Winnow said.

A wide-eyed Awen was ushered into the wyverns cage. She stood back for a bit, but Awen was quite brave when she wanted to be (and the situation wasnt a social one) so she walked over to the wyvern and gave it her hand to sniff as if it was a big dog.

A Wyverns sense of smell isnt great, Winnow said. But their eyesight is second to none. Their hearing is awful, but enough that they can hear orders.

How long have you been working with them? I asked as we continued on.

Oh, nearly a decade now. Which is a long time for a wyvern knight. Its very much a young persons career.

How long do wyverns... work for? I asked.

Three, maybe four decades, Winnow said. Depending on injuries and how gracefully they age. We train them to be used to multiple knights, but they do have favourites. Come, this is Greencrest, Sir Bastion will be flying her.

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