The Long Last Leg

Astra steeled herself for the last leg of the journey. Travel at the the height of the Great Northern Way did not tax her muscles, but it was unpleasant. She was well-insulated from the cold, but the air was very thin, and after a while she got headaches from the lack of air. And although dragons were more resiliant to pressure changes than humans, she could not talk and make herself be understood, as voices were lost in the stream. Astra suspected that Sartoma or Solbert had some tricks to make the gondola more comfortable, but she did not ask. She was also going to be fighting fatigue. She promised herself that once she hit the Black Capes, she would find a cave or cove or someplace, and just go to sleep for a day or two.

There was enough of whatever the dragon equivalent of adreneline was, or perhaps just enough expectation from what was still a new experience, that allowed Astra to enter the jet stream without feeling bad. "Here we go," through Astra. Her belly fluttered as she accelerated in the thin current of air. Now came the most difficult part. A blast of hot air from time to time, and a fight to stay awake.

She could see the stars. The constellations were about the same, so she knew that she was about as far north as Chessman Cliff. The "days" during the flight were an hour or two short, as they were racing away from the sun, and night came earlier than usual. The balloon had climbed a bit in response to her blast of hot air. She had just talked silently to Solbert. All appeared to be well.

She looked down into the clouds that were far below. She now saw a blue flash, and then another. The thin, strained sound of thunder could barely be heard. Astra wondered what caused the ship to burn. They had not gotten much information from Jan. He lived in a town called Coperton, and they were closest to a place called the Black Capes. That did not sound like a promising place for a port - which could work to their advantage, if true. She would want her privacy when she landed. And Checkers could not tell her much about it. She was annoyed at Checkers at first, but then she stopped to think. If someone from her continent asked her for details about the Three Kingdoms, or Tetralonia, she would not be able to give them much more than hearsay and legends. When placed in that perspective, the information that Checkers was able to give was good.

The balloon was holding steady, and Astra's mind began to drift. The lights below from the lightning seemed to glow more steadily, and it seemed like she was staring at a city. Another vision, thought Astra. She let it continue.

It was not a large city by Aqualarian standards, although it appeared that it might be an important Glider city. Astra had a feeling that it might be Celestial Mountain. It was built on an alpine meadow at the base of a large pink mountain. Astra noted a few things about the city. The streets were wide, and there was lots of park land, compared even to the cities of Aqualaria. The buildings were built on two basic plans. The first plan was that of a functional wooden hut. The second was that of a blocky pinkish stone building, with no ornament, and with solid walls broken only by openings for windows. The larger buildings were of two or three stories. Astra thought to herself, "If this is the best that the Gliders can do with their buildings, this is going to be dreary. We would not build a portable outhouse in Aqualaria in this style."

As she looked closer at the parkland, she saw nice, pretty little gardens, with regular cobblestone paths cutting through them. From time to time, she saw painted statues, some with Gliders in heroic poses, and others with Gliders and animals engaged in digging, eating, and playing. She gazed on one very odd thing in the park. She could not tell whether it was a statue or an engine. It had a number of levers, gears, wheels, and pulleys. Astra could recognize an hourglass, and statues of animals, Gliders, men, and other creatures. In the middle of the machine was a giant weight, poised over something that looked like a walnut. The complicated assembly appeared to be rigged to lift the weight up and down, and pound the little object. She looked at the whimsical device, and wondered whether it had some serious use, whether it was part of some tradition, or whether the Gliders just had an odd sense of humour.

"When I look at their gardens, I see that they do have an appreciation of beauty that is not far different from my own. And when I look at the statues, they do appear to have some talent. Their houses and public buildings are disappointing; they remind me of anthills. Well, I am not going to live in one of those. I will need a house to protect my body from the rain and sun, as well as store my hoard. I think that I will build it in the style of the Red Palace from my homeland. Maybe the masons of the Dolomite League will get some inspiration from that."

1. Astra's vision continued, as her attention was drawn by a light burning in one of the wooden huts.
2. Astra's vision is interrupted, as Jan starts to stir, and she reads his mind.

Add New Option

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree