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Chapter 11, Chronicle III - Morgan's Flight By William Black The morning brought clear skies and a light breeze. The air was crisp, but not uncomfortably so. A day to forget your worries and just enjoy. The balloon drifted up slowly, no one noticing its ascent into the early morning sky. It was a good thing that the Craft Master had his engineers work through the night to get the balloon ready. It was due to their late night that no one was around when Morgan set her plan in motion. Yes, it was a good day for hunting, Morgan thought to herself. The breeze caught her hair sending it in tiny waves across her face. She brushed it away from her eyes as she looked down at the scene below. She felt free. Free from the concerns of the world, from Robert and her obligations to him though she loved him, and free from thoughts of Will. But she wasn't really free was she? The balloon continued to rise. Screams and curses brought her out of her musings and she glanced down again. A few men had noticed the balloon's absence and were scurrying around in confused disarray. But she thought she saw Will and Robert shouting angrily at her. Captain Tactus was issuing commands as usual, yet this time to no effect. His words would not bring her back. In fact, she wasn't sure how to get back. She comforted herself that eventually the air in the balloon would cool and she'd start to descend. Will had explained to her the balloons general operation, and she'd been there for the engineering briefing, which focused on its construction. She was as prepared as she'd ever be. The shouting subsided from below. She knew Will wouldn't give up attempting to retrieve her. She watched as he ran towards Aspen while pointing to Captain Tactus. Doubts whispered to her. Maybe she should have waited for Will. Two archers hunting for Morlyn's creature was better than one. And now that she thought of it, how was she supposed to defeat such a great beast? It had speed and agility on its side. And here she was stuck in a cumbersome gondola attached to a less-than manoeuvrable bag of hot air. She fought the sudden urge to compare the balloon to some of Robert's drunken tirades, but giggled to herself nonetheless. Hmmm...that was unkind. Shit, another negative thought. What was wrong with her, she chided herself. It must be nerves she finally decided. As the balloon continued higher and higher, Morgan began to worry. Fear wriggled its way into her consciousness. Normally she could handle it, but that was when she had some semblance of control of the situation. She started to feel helpless. It was the wind and the balloon in control. "Stop thinking this way," she urged herself. Morgan continued to watch the scene below attempting to distract her mind from the immediate situation. She could see Will on Aspen trotting along to keep up. He had thirty mounted men with him. The air started to grow warmer and the balloon stopped its ascent. It drifted lazily in the light breeze like an ornament against a sea of blue; a deadly bauble ready to destroy the winged eyes of Morlyn! She noticed that Will and the others were directly below her. She could barely make out his words. Something about a string. She looked around and silently cursed him; there were dozens of strings and ropes hanging about. Then she heard the cry of a great bird of prey. It was Arrow slowly circling not far above her. An image flashed in her mind. A picture of a hole in the top of the balloon was shown her. It was somehow related to the strings. Then she understood, the strings could control the size of the hole either allowing the warm air within the balloon out, or closing to keep it in. The image of two colours also impressed themselves on her mind. Green to close, red to open. "Clever Will. You thought of everything," she shouted down at him. Again an image nudged its way into her consciousness. This time of the Craft-Master who engineered the balloon. "Okay, I get your point. Thank him for me. Hmmm...maybe I should give him the hug that I was going to give you?" Arrow let out a great cry. Morgan laughed at Arrow's loyalty to his Master. Yes, everything was going to be okay. She looked around and discovered that she'd travelled quite a distance. There was a hill between her and where she thought Morion's army was. She could see smoke from it but no other evidence. The men below were easily keeping pace with her, though no other images from Arrow were sent. She noticed too that the great eagle was moving away from her. Well now, to wait and see if Morlyn's creature made an appearance. Surely it would be hunting for them or doing other surveillance work. Morgan pumped the bellows sending surges of hot air into the balloon. It sluggishly responded rising a few feet. The men noticed and caught Will's attention. She could see him shrug in response. He knew she'd see this through to the end. The day grew hotter and the balloon started to loose altitude. If the air warmed up any more, she'd not be able to stay aloft. Their plans would be ruined. She pumped the bellows again until she arose into a bit cooler air. This both made the balloon rise faster than she wished and it caught a strong breeze that sent it northward. She opened the aperture to let out some air, which lowered her altitude and slowed her a bit. But the horsemen below were some distance off. She'd travelled further than she first supposed. She opened her canteen, took a sip of water, and waited not only for Will and his friends, but also Morlyn's creature. She took another sip. Looking into the northern sky she saw a dark smudge that seemed to grow larger with every passing moment. Arrow must be returning. She glanced down looking for Will and the others. To her surprise, they were nowhere to be seen. She shifted to the other side of the gondola. The riders had vanished. "This can't be", she said to herself. "Will would never leave me alone." The smudge was growing larger. At least Arrow hadn't left. But Will hadn't either. She could feel his presence, but where. It seemed diffused. She pumped the bellows again. Then an urgent tingle ran through her spine. 'Ooo...what now?" The feeling was familiar, but now it was a warning. She felt, before she heard, the cry of the beast that was bearing down on her. The creature looked huge even from this distance. It's cry born not of hatred, but of rage caused by pain. Yes, that seems to be the way Morlyn controls his servants, she thought to herself. The tingle came again. Descend! The word flashed in her mind as she spotted Arrow racing to meet the onslaught of the creature targeting her. The eagle would be no match for the winged nightmare. Morgan pulled the red string and the balloon responded immediately. It was still moving northward, but she could see the ground growing closure. She released the red cord and pulled the green about 30 feet off the ground. She then pumped the bellows frantically to make sure there was enough hot air to keep her from crashing into the ground. Her decent halted abruptly and she seemed to bob up and down in mid-air. The dual cries from above signalled the engagement of the winged warriors. Arrow was swift and agile. He swooped and darted like a Sparrow fending off a Condor. Morlyn's creature jerked this way and that barely avoiding collision with the great eagle. The creature was in no real danger, but it seemed annoyed at the smaller flyer's hit-and-run attacks. The beast did some wondrous mid-air manoeuvres to avoid Arrow. Regardless of its ugliness, it was truly graceful. Morgan found herself admiring the beast. So much so she'd forgotten to get her bow ready. Shaking herself, she opened a jar containing the poison and dipped the tip of an arrow in the viscous goo. She strung the arrow and waited for her opportunity. Where was that blasted Will? It must have been him directing her thoughts, so where was he hiding? She chanced a glance at the ground, but again there was no sign of him or the other soldiers. Arrow was only slowing the creature's progress. It would be upon her at any moment. If Arrow continued to distract the beast, she might have a clear shot. A cry of pain pierced her ears again. The creature was bearing down on her, with Arrow desperately trying to stall the nightmare's progress. The beast streaked down from above, its talons spread for the strike. It would only take one... William Black © Continues... Chronicle III, Main page |