Darena of the Ducas by Julie Rollins

Author:Julie Rollins [Rollins, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gyroscope Books
Published: 2017-12-30T22:00:00+00:00

9. A Flying Leap

Darena stepped out of the dark cabin into the late-morning light. Now that she’d eaten, she was ready for some action. Taking in a deep draught of the unusually warm mountain air, she smelled the granite dust and the trees. It would be nice to lose herself in flying for a few hours. She slipped her arms into the padded sleeves of her leather flight jacket.

I thought I’d know what to do and where to go after I became a balith, like my purpose in life would suddenly materialize, but now I’m as lost as before. God, how can I help our colony? All I do is fuss over Valiena. I’m a balith with one duca, how lame does that look?

That thought put her in a sour mood. Rubah stole around the corner of the cabin, his face a perfect reflection of her bitterness.

“Have you seen Kelren?” he growled.

Darena pulled back her long brown hair and stuffed it under her flying cap. “Nope. Why are you asking me? I’m not his keeper!”

The boy’s scowl deepened. “You don’t have to get all bent out of shape. All I did was ask a question! I just thought you might have seen him. He was gonna take me on a hike to the upper ridge lakes.”

“Sorry,” Darena said in a flat voice.

Rubah flung his arms about in an impatient manner. “Well, he’s late!”

She felt a twinge of guilt for snapping at her brother. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll fly over the trail between our cabins. If I see him, I’ll tell him to hurry up.”

“Thanks.”

Rubah sat down and pouted as he leaned against a porch beam. He seemed determined to wait. Darena buttoned her padded jacket, donned her gloves, and lowered her goggles. Valiena rumbled happily before her.

“Let’s go flying, you big, beautiful duck!”

Some of her father’s teasing about edible waterfowl had rubbed off on her. Darena climbed into the saddle and strapped herself in. The duca leaped into the air. Darena rejoiced as they ascended with each wing stroke. The great wings seemed to wipe the worries from her mind. A brief search of the trails failed to reveal Kelren. That was odd. He was rarely late for anything.

Oh well, I looked.

A few scattered clouds crept across the sky like roving sheep. She anticipated fair weather.

Let’s go for the sky!

Valiena rose until they soared over the clouds. The air grew thin and cool, but Darena didn’t care. She glanced down at the small altimeter attached to her saddle. A duca could survive in much thinner air than a human, so Darena had to keep an eye on their altitude. When the sky and the mountains began to fade in color, she suspected she was reaching her limits. A glance at the altimeter confirmed it. Valiena rolled and dove, bugling. Darena whooped as she hung inverted. She clung to the duca as they twisted, turned, spiraled, and rolled through a string of aerobatics. Valiena was her wonderful partner, dancing above the mighty peaks.

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