18
Zara
The sun was still high in the sky when I knew Shazeera could go no farther that day. I only hoped they’d allow us to make camp and rest, but somehow, I knew that wasn’t a possibility. She’d kept pace with the eagle flying just ahead of us, but she had to maintain at least a canter or fast trot the entire time. Now, her nostrils flared so wide I could see red inside, her sides foamed with sweat, and her breaths came in heaves.
“Enough,” I said to her and to Commander Talon above us as I flung myself off Shazeera’s back.Keep walking!I told Shazeera when she threatened to halt. She couldn’t just stop now; she risked her muscles seizing and worse things.
She walked in tired circles around me as Neo landed nearby.
Why didn’t you slow when I asked you to?
Better to collapse than willingly be carried by that monster,she said, her inner voice sounding as exhausted as she looked.
Commander Talon walked over to me, his boots making soft sounds on the grass. “I don’t know much about horses, but she doesn’t look like she can go on.”
I looked over to Shazeera, where she was stumbling along.“Can we make camp here for the night? I know it’s only afternoon, but—”
“No, the treaty needs to be returned as soon as possible.”
I stared at Neo, whose talons were as long as daggers and who looked right back at me with his golden eyes.
“How do you know he won’t hurt her?” I asked, arms wrapped around myself with a shudder at the thought of Shazeera being attacked in front of me. “What if he gets hungry?”
“He knows she’s important to you. And he ate a big breakfast.”
It was obvious now that Commander Talon and his eagle could communicate, possibly on the same level that I did with Shazeera, but still, I felt sick every time I imagined her in the eagle’s clutches.
“I still worry she’ll be terrified,” I admitted.
Commander Talon glanced over right as Shazeera stumbled for what must have been the tenth time. “I don’t think she even has the energy to be frightened at this point. Have you considered blindfolding her? It might help with any fear of heights.”
I’ll do it,Shazeera said suddenly in my mind.He’s right that we need to get the treaty back. I shouldn’t have been so selfish.
You weren’t being selfish. You were afraid.
Still, many lives hang in the balance.
I walked over to her and put my hand on her sweaty neck.Are you sure? Do you want me to blindfold you as Commander Talon suggested?
Shazeera swung her tired head toward Neo. After a moment’s thought, she said,Yes.
I went to my bag and pulled a silk scarf free before returning to her, tying it carefully over her eyes, and securing it beneath her throat.Just rest easy here. I’ll talk you through everything so you won’t be surprised.
I followed Commander Talon over to Neo’s side, and maybe it was because I was trying to be brave for Shazeera’s sake, but I didn’t even flinch when Neo turned to look at me with those piercing eyes.
“Would you feel safer riding in front of me or in back?” Commander Talon asked as I tilted my head to look up at Neo’s saddle far above us.
My mouth suddenly felt dry. It was slowly sinking in that I would soon be in the air. On the back of an eagle. Part of me was thrilled—flight was something I’d always dreamed about. But the other part of me—the part born on the soft grasses of solid earth—wanted to fling myself onto my belly and refuse to leave the safe and familiar ground. “What would you suggest?”
“Wind currents that high can get pretty strong, and since you’re not used to it, if you rode behind me, they might rip you off Neo’s back.” He said all this matter-of-factly, and I tried to nod as though I were taking it all in calmly. In reality, my heart raced so fast in my chest that I felt a little faint. “Ordinarily, if that happened, Neo could catch you.” He pointed to Shazeera. “However, he won’t have that ability this time.”
“So, in front of you would be best.”
“Yes, that way I can catch you if we hit rough air.”
“Rough air,” I repeated slowly.
“Unless, of course, you can control the wind currents,” he said, his gaze holding mine. “Then you can make the flight as easy as you’d like.”
