Storm Over Vallia by Alan Burt Akers

Author:Alan Burt Akers [Akers, Alan Burt]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781843196785
Publisher: Mushroom eBooks
Published: 2007-12-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter eleven

Drak changes plans

The black-beaked yellow-winged flyer soared on through the early morning mists, tinted palest apple-green and soft rose-red by the veiled radiance from Zim and Genodras. The breeze blew past the flyer astride the flutduin’s back; but no blazonry of apparel in fluttering scarves and trailing cords, no swirling confusion of feathers, marked the flutduin or his rider out from the half-squadron who flew escort right, left, above and below and to the rear.

Drak, Prince Majister of Vallia, flew this early morning recce patrol in person. His brown Vallian eyes looked down past the curve of his mount’s neck. His brain noted, numbered and catalogued all he saw.

The bird’s powerful wingbeats carried him on in a long undulating series of perfectly judged strokes.

Drak did not have the opportunity to fly a flutduin as often as he would have wished. There was, truly, little to compare with the experience. Riding a zorca, well, that was superb in its own way, a quite different way from this joyous flight through thin air.

Two ulms[10]off and spread out below like toy soldiers on parade lay the host of Rosil Yasi, Strom of Morcray; Kataki.

Despite the nibbling advances made and local victories gained over him, the Kataki Strom still could field a formidable force. Drak’s icy brain went on figuring the numbers, the formations, the qualities and types of the troops spread out below.

The Jiktar who had taken command of this half squadron to escort the prince shrilled a warning cry. He used his long flexible lance to point up and ahead.

Well, by Vox, you couldn’t expect to carry out a recce without meeting opposition.

Strom Rosil’s aerial component consisted mainly of fluttrells and mirvols, birds and flying animals in general use among the aerial cavalry of many nations. So far as Drak was aware, the flutduin, which he considered the best of all saddle birds, was to be found only in the country of Djanduin. His father, who was the king of that distant land down south in Havilfar, had organized the supply of top-quality flutduins to his island stromnate of Valka, to the east of Vallia’s main island.

A goodly force of flutduin aerial cavalry had been built up over the seasons, and a fresh colony had been established in his mother’s province of the Blue Mountains. The more hidebound elements of Vallia had resisted this uncanny idea of fighting from the backs of great birds of the air; but the proof of the soundness of the scheme had been seen when the aerial cavalry of Hamal, among other nations, had so plagued Vallia.

Drak would have liked a force of Djangs from Djanduin. Those four-armed warrior Dwadjangs were among the most formidable, powerful and feared fighting men of all Paz.

Still, the Valkan flyers he had with him, trained up by Djangs, were efficient at handling their mounts in the air and consummate in the art of aerial combat.

So he had no real problems over the patrol that flew down toward his own little force.

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