"It can't be far to the aviary," the young fugitive said quietly, the delicate wings on his back fluttering softly in the night air. The long narrow walkway was smoother than he remembered, and more slippery. Of course, that was probably intentional - to keep people from scaring the birds while someone was near them. One hit with one of their wings would probably send the handler in to the next kingdom, and break his wings while it was at it.
Shaking his head, the young man hurried along the slick bridge, painfully aware of the many places to be shot at from where he was. The king protected his birds very carefully, and he should - they were among his most powerful resources.
He sighed with relief when he reached the cover of the aviary entrance. He was safe now, or at least, safer than he had been a moment ago. The aviary was extremely defensible, and easy to close off at a moment's notice. And he knew some of the handlers here, so he hoped they would accede to his request. He didn't know what he would do if they didn't - there was only one exit out of the aviary.
"Tien Pari! What are you doing here?" Tien Pari sighed in relief at the familiar voice.
"Shakuntala! Thank goodness you're here! I thought you were still away on sick leave! I need to get away from the castle, tonight, preferably before the guards get here." The delicate female, who was much older than she looked, had been working at the aviary for as long as Tien Pari could remember. Her pale translucent wings fluttering gently, Shakuntala gave him an odd look before considering.
"Well, Daithi is the only fast bird we have that's able to fly. Do you really want to take her? She's half wild and a finch."
Tien Pari sucked in a breath and licked his lips nervously before answering. "I don't think I have a choice. I'll take her. Just help me get on her and I'll be out of here." Tien Pari continued and Shakuntala led him towards the far end of the aviary where Daithi apparently was. "When the guards come, either tell them that you didn't see me come in or that I threatened you. It'll be nothing compared to what they've already accused me of."
"Why is the king after you? What did you do this time?"
"You'll hear soon enough, and you know me well enough to guess what actually happened. If you don't know, your reaction will be more real when the guards interrogate you."
The bird handler nodded and stopped in front one of the stalls. "I'll get him ready, you go up and open up the launch platform." Tien Pari nodded and continued on.
Only a few moments after he was ready, Shakuntala showed up, leading Daithi. The finch was bigger than Tien Pari had thought, almost half again his height at the top of his head. The fugitive swallowed hard. He'd never ridden a finch before, but he had heard about them.
"Go on, climb on up. You're the one that wanted to leave so fast," Shakuntala urged, holding Daithi steady next to the mounting platform. Nodding and ignoring the nervousness building in his stomach, Tien Pari clambered up the ladder, using his wings to help. Faery wings might not be useful for much anymore, but they were invaluable when used properly.
"Thank you, Shakuntala. I'll be back, eventually, after the king dies or settles down some." She nodded and with a salute, a snap of the reins and a shout, they were off.
The finch's wings beat, lifting them off the platform and into the moonlight sky. Tien Pari braced himself, and sure enough, only moments into the flight, the bird's wings snapped shut and Tien Pari felt himself soar for a moment, and then freefall. He couldn't help the alarmed shout that burst from his throat, but before they fell too far, the finch opened its wings again and flapped furiously for a moment, lifting both bird and passenger into the sky again. Tien Pari's relief only lasted for a moment, for the bird almost instantly closed its wings again. "This is going to be a very long flight," Tien Pari said to himself, signaling for the bird to turn south.
Shakuntala, still standing on the platform, watched the bird leap into flight and begin it's up and down, roller coaster flight. "I don't think he knew what he was getting in to," she commented, dryly amused, to the night air. Shaking her head, she turned and went back inside, already composing what she would say to the guards when they came.
July 10, 2005
Thoughts: I rather like this one. I was inspired by the flight of some finches (or are they sparrows?) and wondered what it would be like to ride one of them. In case I didn't make it clear enough, Tien Pari and Shakuntala are both faeries.