Chapter 3 #3
“The turnoff is coming up fast,” Amellia said. “We’re going to have to walk a little bit, I’m afraid.”
“My night vision is excellent and I have a handlamp in my go bag in the trunk which you can use.”
Hagan parked in the visitors’ lot at the edge of the nature preserve and Amellia led the way, handlamp in hand.
She’d never been here at night but the trail was clearly marked and after a brisk fifteen minutes or so they were in the grove of trees she remembered from her younger days.
“The trees look bigger in the dark,” she said in a hushed voice, feeling silly the next minute when she realized they were bigger after a decade or so of growing since her last foray here with her cousins.
“We should keep our voices down so we don’t startle the birds.
The flock should be asleep on the nests right now and we want them to stay that way, not attack us. ”
“Would they? You didn’t show me a holo of these birds.” Hands on his hips, he was surveying the dense growth above them. “Which tree is our best bet?”
Amellia slung the handlamp at her side and headed for a medium sized tree on the edge of the grove. “I’m thinking this one.”
Hagan hastened after her, catching her gently by the elbow to swing her around. “You aren’t climbing.”
“Yes, I am,” she said in astonishment, retreating a step. “I’ve done this dozens of times.”
“In the daylight. And I have a tail to assist me in climbing.”
“And have you ever gathered mawkhen eggs before? Slid the egg out from under the bird so she doesn’t notice, doesn’t attack? I know what I’m doing. Now give me a boost up to the first good sized branch. I have a ways to climb.”
He stared at her for a moment.
Nervously she checked her pocket, making sure she could safely carry an egg or two in the depths of her overcoat and then raised an eyebrow at him. “Well? Time’s wasting here.”
“I don’t like it but will accept you have the necessary expertise.” Hagan made a stirrup with his hands and steadied her with his tail as she stepped up and reached for the branch she’d chosen.
Puffing with exertion, Amellia hauled herself up and got a secure footing on the branch, which bent a bit disconcertingly.
The night was damp and the tree bark was slick.
Not wanting to give herself time to reconsider, she reached for the next handhold and then progressed to the one above it.
The task was a lot harder than she remembered as a kid, scarier, and why had she been neglecting to make her scheduled visits to the gym where she had her expensive membership?
Or gone jogging more often or something.
She leaned on the broad tree trunk and took in deep breaths.
“Are you all right?” Hagan’s voice drifted up to her from far below and holding onto a smaller branch, she leaned over to see him far below.
Putting a finger to her lips, hoping he could see it since he’d boasted of his night vision, she continued upward without answering the question.
She really didn’t want to disturb the birds.
One of her cousins had been attacked by a small flock during a childhood egg snatching expedition and had required stitches and nearly lost an eye.
He’d worn the patch as a symbol of his courage for months until the eye healed. Yeah, we were crazy as kids.
Finally she began to hear the soft cooing of the drowsing birds as she reached the loftier branches and was able to make out a set of the big, messy nests a few feet above her current perch.
She waited for a wind gust to subside, clutching desperately at the tree so she wouldn’t get blown off, nails digging into the bark, then crept carefully to the next level of intertwined branches and crawled toward the nests an inch at a time.
The birds’ white head plumage glinted in the occasional moonlight as clouds scudded past in the night sky.
As far as she could tell they weren’t disturbed by her presence.
Amellia hummed a song she dredged up from her childhood memories, which was supposed to hypnotize the mawkhens.
She had no idea if the folklore was true or not but she’d take any help she could get.
Carefully, hand trembling, she reached under the lush tail feathers of the mawkhen on the nearest nest, gliding along the soft fluff which lined the structure of twigs and vines and other materials, until her fingertips brushed against a warm, smooth, solid surface which rocked a bit in response to her touch.
Amellia locked her fingers around the egg and withdrew it as slowly as she’d probed initially, until she freed her hand and slid the egg into her pocket in one gesture.
She backed away on the branch, nearly slipping off and sat briefly, head on her knees as she panted. Do I dare try for a second one?
There was no denying eggs were a fragile commodity, unlike a pearl or a root knot, which were their other two assigned commodities on this weird scavenger hunt.
Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, she forced herself to climb to the next set of nests, rather than leave the first mawkhen seriously short of eggs.
Performing the delicate maneuver required to extract the egg from under the bird, she tucked it in the other pocket and took a moment to wrap a scarf around one egg and a pair of gloves around the other before sealing the closures.
When she went to descend, vertigo struck with a vengeance and Amellia thought she was going to throw up.
She couldn’t even see the ground clearly but she knew it was a long way down.
With a stifled moan she leaned against the sturdy tree trunk and gathered her courage.
She made it past the level where the first nest was and kept going, afraid if she paused for any reason she’d never be able to make herself resume the challenge.
It was harder to find the right foot-and-handholds now, she was exhausted and terrified she’d slip.
Maybe she moved too fast, trying to end the ordeal, or perhaps her foot slipped on a slick branch but she screamed and grabbed frantically at branches as she fell, clinging onto one for a heart stopping instant before it bent and slid out of her fingers.
Above her the tree shook as the mawkhens launched themselves from their nests, screeching loudly and flying in disturbed patterns.
Amellia had no time to do more than scream and she landed hard, caught in a pair of sturdy arms as Hagan broke her fall and they both collapsed onto the soft, mossy ground.
“Mind the eggs,” she said, not making much sense but terrified they’d broken.
No way could she get more tonight. The flock wouldn’t settle in time.
Dazed, she stared into his deep green eyes. “You—you caught me.”
“Of course I did. Are you all right?” Effortlessly he rose, carrying her in his arms and headed for the groundcar park.
“I have to catch my breath but I think I’m okay.
A few bumps and bruises no doubt.” She closed her eyes and laid her head on his rock-solid chest, overwhelmed now the task was over.
“I got two eggs. We’ll have to check and make sure they aren’t broken.
” She could still hear the birds calling and bugling challenges behind them.
“Good thing the flock didn’t attack us.”
“One or two did while you were disoriented from your fall but I flicked them away with my tail,” he said calmly. “It’s a powerful weapon.”
“I’m sure. I can walk now, I think.” Much as she enjoyed being in his arms, it was an awkward situation. They weren’t a couple, they weren’t even dating and the intimacy of Hagan carrying her as if she was the breakable object was embarrassing.
“Let me get you to the comfort of the car.”
True to his word, he activated the groundcar passenger side door and set her on the edge of the seat.
Immediately Amellia checked the two eggs, relieved to find them in pristine condition. “We should make a container for them, rather than keep them in my pocket, since we have two more errands to go.”
He rummaged in the cargo carrier while she sat and worked on regulating her breathing and her racing pulse. Eventually he brought her a small box and hovered close by while she transferred the eggs and the makeshift packing materials to the container.
“I’ll put it in the back,” he said, taking the box from her after she closed the lid. “I have to tell you looking at plain birds’ eggs and reflecting they’re supposed to help us break a curse isn’t exactly confidence inducing. I blame myself for allowing you to risk your life getting them.”
She waited to respond while he walked around the groundcar and slid into his own seat, initiating the drive mechanism.
“Remember we’re both supposed to die at dawn, according to the curse, so taking a risk here and there is the only thing we can do.
And Cheline explained the symbolic nature of the egg and the other things we’re to bring her. Didn’t what she said all make sense?”
“In her chamber of sorcery, surrounded by the incense and the glowing gems and in her presence?” He raised one eyebrow and grinned. “Yes. Indubitably. Out here in the forest in the night, with a box of ordinary eggs, not so much.”
Amellia wanted to rest her head on the cushions and fall asleep but there was too much to do.
At least her stomach had settled down in the cold night air.
She fished out her handheld. “I’m going to research the pearl.
Drive generally south for now. I think we might be going to one of the large lagoons.
And the mawkhen is no ordinary bird, you know.
They’re a creature in many folktales on this planet. ”
“For good or for evil?” he asked with every evidence of genuine interest.
“Kind of neutral, I think. The birds can serve both sides but there are a few legends where people rode giant mawkhens into battle.”
“Good thing we didn’t face any such creatures tonight. Did you find the lagoon?”
“Yes. I think our best bet would be the Carlbidian Lagoon—it’s the largest and according to this reference site, is known to have a sizable population of the satin sea clams.”
The groundcar accelerated as Hagan programmed in the definite destination.
“We’ll have to swim out to the sand bar,” she said.
“I. I will swim. You are not swimming.” His tone was flat and final. “You’ve risked enough. It’s my turn and swimming and diving are strong skills for my people.” Leaning back from the console now the autopilot was engaged, he said, “Show me a holo of these clams?”
Amellia triggered the proper link and a large whorled shell floated in the air between them.
“Says here the bivalve muscle is incredibly strong and hard to open while the creature is alive. Wow, the muscle material can stretch to 200 times its normal length and remain five times stronger than a major human tendon. The shells cling to their rocky homes with a web of filaments which also filter the water for nutrients.”
Hagan held out one hand and dramatically unsheathed his claws with an audible snap. “I will place my faith in these. My people were born to be efficient and lethal.”
“I can see that.” Amellia blinked.
“Is there more information to be gleaned? We’re nearly there.”
“Nothing good. Apparently the pearls are pretty rare, occurring in only about one in a hundred clams.”
Frowning, Hagan flexed his hands and took control of the groundcar again. “I have no desire to kill needlessly, not even sea creatures. Is there a way to tell which ones might contain a pearl?”
Amellia checked the site again and shook her head. “No.”
“We’ll see.” He sounded confident. “It may be my senses, being different from yours, can detect a difference, no matter how tiny. A creature gestating a pearl has to be distinct from its peers.”
“When you explain the logic the idea makes sense.”