5 A Legend for the Road

Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark." -Rabindranath Tagore

Mother Acko could tell a story better than anyone Julie knew. Her voice wound and wove, lilting and deepening in all the right places, transporting you to a distant time and place.

"When the first men and women moved over Rathya, it was far different than it is now. They were mere settlers, trying to find places for themselves on an entirely new planet. And everywhere they went, they were watched by the birds.

Some thought they were demons or spies, others believed them guardians. They were not so different from the birds back on the home planet of Earth, but there was something in their eyes that the settlers could not understand. But there was one girl, a young girl named Anna, who seemed drawn to the birds.

One day, while walking in the woods, she heard a strange sound; a buzzing that tickled at her brain and would not go away. She thought she might be going mad, but on impulse she walked until the buzzing grew. She could feel something pushing at her mind. When at last she thought she could bear it no more, she came to an enormous oak tree with spreading, knarled branches. Looking up, she saw a tangled mass of sticks lodged high above.

Anna was an agile climber, and she went hand-over-hand up the rough trunk until she reached the nest. Within, she found a single egg, speckled with gray, an egg that was rocking gently. She reached out, fingertips stroking the smooth shell as if in a trance, as the humming in her mind grew stronger and stronger.

Julie had closed her eyes, reminded irresistibly of her bonding with Icarus. Again she felt that smooth warm eggshell beneath her hand…

And the shell shattered, and Anna cried out and almost lost her grip from surprise, for her mind was suddenly filled with a warm, raspy voice whistling, "Aaaannnnaaaa…"

And a tiny chick with gray down feathering and infinitely wise black eyes was gazing up at her, the chick of the bird known on Earth as the bald eagle. And Anna took the creature back with her, to tell the villagers that it had spoken to her.

Many of them thought her insane, and wanted her driven out immediately, and the chick killed. Others talked of demons and witches, stories left over from a superstitious Earth. But the wise elders of the village would let no such thing happen. So Anna reared the chick, and it grew into a handsome male eagle who called himself Ichor, though none but Anna knew that it was the bird and not the human who had chosen the name. When Anna reached adulthood, she left her village, to see if there might be others who had spoken with the birds.

Anna did many things in her long lifetime. She did indeed meet others who by chance had bonded with the birds. It is interesting that legend always says that the men and women who were chosen were those with minds that reached out to the world, minds that were open and searching. Those were the minds that the birds found most easily, that built the deepest connections. In time, Anna gathered a small following about her, and together they set out to try and teach Rathya about this species that could become man's greatest friend, helper, and ally. They were known far and wide as the Bonded, and while some lived in fear of these strange people, most looked with awe upon them. But such a great discovery could only have consequences in equal measure.

Mother Acko's voice held a chilling note of foreboding, and Julie listened even more carefully, both dreading and anticipating what came next.

When Anna and Ichor were becoming old, a great king, whose name has been lost to time, invited them to his court. There he entertained them with kindness and respect. On the fourth day of their stay, the king called the Bonded before him and ordered that they find him a bird bond, for he could not secure one for himself. When Anna explained that this was impossible, the king showed his true colors. He went into a towering rage, and in his jealous madness he murdered the kestrel bond of Anna's husband, Marlon. It was the catalyst for a much greater tragedy. The Bonded renounced all authority, claiming they would obey no monarch ever again.

The allies of the Bonded were furious, and they surrounded the king's lands and razed them. The king retaliated. For nigh fifty years the greatest Rathyan war ever fought ravaged the lands, between the Bonded and their followers and the armies of the king. Finally, the king was killed in a final battle, and his son the successor, who happened to bond with a golden eagle chick, made peace with the Bonded.

The war was ended, but by then Anna and Ichor had reached mighty ages. But no one ever forgot the birds and their ties with Rathyans again. People began to trust the birds, and more and more of them tried hard to open their minds so they might have a bond. It became an honor rather than an oddity to have one. In time, all Rathyan society became inextricably entwined with the birds, until it was a rare one who didn't have a bond. And in the capital of Carraw there still stands a mighty statue of Anna and her husband Marlon and their bonds, who began the connection all of us share with the magnificent birds.

This is the story," Mother Acko finished formally, "Remember it, so that history will live on, and the future will know the sorrows and triumphs of the past."

Julie felt winded, as though she had run a long distance. Images from the old woman's story were swirling through her mind. A tall young woman with a bald eagle on her arm…an angry king surging to his feet in a throne room…multitudes battling as birds wheeled screeching above their heads.

Mother Acko brought her back abruptly. "Now, Julie, you must go. Maeron will be here any moment, and you must not be here!" The old woman hugged her tightly, showing amazing strength for someone of her age. Jujo hooted a gentle farewell. "I will see you again, Julie, I promise it," whispered Mother Acko, blinking hard.

Icarus flew out the door ahead of her as she stumbled into the open street, slinging the pack over her shoulder as she went. She still felt as if she walked in a dream, but was forced to waken as the cold evening wind rushed over her. At least dark was falling in earnest; no one would see her leave. Mother Acko had recommended leaving by the least used gate, the eastern one. Julie had learned to walk soundlessly, and Icarus's wings hardly stirred the chill air. She unlatched the large, roughly made gate, wincing as the old wood hinges groaned and creaked. Carefully, she shut the huge doors behind her. Before her stretched the eastern forest, dark and uninviting. It was the last place she wanted to travel, but the only place really left available right now.

The soft earth turned to leaf litter as she reached the edge of the trees. It was eerily silent among the tall, ghostly pines. Several times she thought she saw a shadow from the corner of her eye, but each time she turned there was nothing. Knowing there might be search parties or the like looking for her, she forged deeper into the forest, Icarus a speckled spirit floating ahead of her.

After what seemed like hours of walking, she found a sheltered clearing ringed by pines. She cleared a space and built a tiny fire just large enough to give off warmth. Icarus settled on a branch just overhead, tucking his head under his wing almost immediately. Good night, Julie, he whispered in her mind. Julie raked together a pile of leaves and spread the blanket from her pack over them. Too tired to think of anything else, she curled up and fell asleep instantly.

When she woke up, someone had a hand clamped over her mouth.

She would have screamed, but the hand was tight. The sound was smothered in her throat. She scrabbled for the small knife, but remembered too late it was buried at the bottom of the pack. A panicked thought came to her, Why wasn't Icarus helping? Surely he would have warned her if she were in danger?

Then another thought struck her, one so crazy it was impossible. It absolutely couldn't be.

And yet…it was really the only explanation.

Julie rolled over hard, twisting to face her captor. As a resigned and furious part of her had known all along, she looked up into bright hazel eyes, fringed by untidy hair a shade darker than wheat.

"Don't you dare scream. Trust me, I know how loud you can scream," Luke said earnestly. He didn't seem to find it at all odd that he was sitting here in a clearing in the eastern woods with his hand over her mouth when she was supposed to be in hiding.

All Julie's fear evaporated. She yanked Luke's hand off her harshly, hissing, "You idiot! What in the world are you doing here?"

"That's the best question you could come up with?" Luke pretended to look shocked. "Not, how are you, or how long are you staying, or did you bring any food?"

"Get serious, you thickhead!" Julie felt panic rising in her.

"I am serious." Luke's words were at odds with the grin still on his face. "You honestly never thought for a second that you were going to leave without me?"

Julie opened her mouth to say she did think that, but then realized it was a lie, of sorts. There was always a part of her, down in the place where she was connected to both Icarus and Luke, that had hoped and believed he would come after all. To cover her answer, she whirled to face her bond.

Were you in on this? she demanded of the gyrfalcon.

I knew Athena was in the woods. She asked me to keep silent. Icarus fixed her with his gold eyes. You need him. We both know that. And I certainly couldn't have stopped him.

That was the truth. Still looking for somewhere to expend her rapidly disappearing anger at Luke, she glared up at the huge eagle owl sitting serenely next to Icarus.

This better not have been your idea, Athena, she said in her mind.

The owl's returning mind-voice was deep, female, and amused. When is it ever my idea, Julie?

The calm reply doused Julie's remaining frustration. She laughed, and her mind turned in a more positive direction. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have Luke and Athena along.

But she didn't want Luke to know that.

"Here," she said, tossing him the flint rocks none too gently. She made her voice determinedly grumpy. "You start the fire, I'll get some food for Ic and Athee."

Luke grinned at her again and went to work on the fire with ease, whistling softly through his teeth in a surprisingly melodious way. Julie knew she had been unsuccessful in convincing him she was really angry. If his unique connection to her didn't give it away, her relaxed use of Icarus and Athena's special nicknames probably had.

You know, we could of course hunt our own prey now that we are in this forest, Icarus commented as she draped a dead mouse over the branch where he perched. But I for one will not complain if I must be doted on for a while longer.

"Lazy," Julie told him as she gave Athena her ration. Both birds set to work stripping the tiny bodies of flesh. Julie dug out some of the dried trail-type food Mother Acko had hurriedly packed. "So," she shot at Luke, "Did you bring any food?"

"Nope," he replied cheerfully. "I would have gotten some, but I was afraid I'd lose your trail if I waited any longer."

Julie responded to that by not speaking to him all through breakfast, though it didn't faze him. She hadn't really expected it to.

They set off deeper into the forest as soon as breakfast was done. Icarus and Athena wove in and out of the branches over their heads, making strange shadows on the forest floor. After about an hour of straight walking, Luke asked, "So where exactly are you planning on going? Or do you have a plan?"

"Of course I have a plan," Julie snapped, her brain working furiously. She didn't, of course, but she made one up on the spot.

"We'll head west, away from Carraw," she said, her voice firm and authoritative. "The Seithan Foothills are that way, they'll give us some easy cover for a while."

"Wow," said Luke, giving her a look full of respect.

"What?" asked Julie, slightly disconcerted, feeling that she'd missed something.

"Oh, nothing." Luke started walking, Athena skimming over his head. "That just sounded really serious and convincing for something you just came up with."

Julie stared at his retreating back, which was trembling slightly with stifled mirth, her mouth hanging slightly open. Sometimes Luke's way of reading her was uncanny. Either that or she was far more transparent than she'd thought.

The next two days passed with nothing eventful happening, just simple routines of walking, resting, and eating. They encountered no other life. Julie was just starting to relax and almost enjoy this odd adventure when she was awoken on the morning of the third day by the tugging.