The Bone Scroll: An Elemental Legacy Novel by Hunter Elizabeth

Author:Hunter, Elizabeth
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-941674-67-3
Publisher: Recurve Press, LLC
Published: 2021-08-23T16:00:00+00:00

21

Ben and Tenzin flew out of Addis near midnight, when the traffic in the streets had finally died down, working people had returned to their beds for the night, and the only activity was the street dogs trotting down the avenues and the clubs in the Bole district still pumping music into the air.

As they rose over the city, Ben surveyed the fascinating place. It was a place of diplomacy, commerce, and all the strange ways in which they overlapped. It was a place of religious devotion where churches and mosques were often only divided by a road or an alleyway. It was a young city but a growing one, bristling with concrete towers that rose higher every year.

Tenzin glanced down. “I will not miss that city.”

“You don’t miss any city, Tiny.”

She tucked herself under his arm in a position she often took when they flew together. “I know. I am craving quiet.”

They headed north to Lalibela, a small town in the mountains of the Amhara region with a population of less than twenty thousand people. Lalibela had been a previous capital of the empire during the Zagwe dynasty, which had followed the Aksumites, and it was known as a place of pilgrimage because of the eleven monolithic churches carved from rock.

Ben had only seen pictures of the place, but he knew the churches were spectacular. Also spectacular? Its location as a launching area for their explorations in the north. Lalibela was within three hundred miles of most of the sites they planned to explore, and all the major ones, which meant they could get there easily within a night. They’d have to camp out to give themselves time to search, but according to Daniel, there were plentiful caves and natural light safes in the region.

They flew directly north, following the path of a river they could see from the sky, climbing higher and higher as they followed the valley. They flew over sleeping villages and small towns where only a few lights were burning. The air lost the scent of car exhaust, trash, and humanity. Clear, crisp breezes twisted around them, welcoming them to clear, cold skies.

They took shelter for an hour in a cave high on a forested peak when a sudden storm swept through the valley. Ben spread a camping roll along the stone floor and a blanket from his backpack. Waiting at the mouth of the cave, Tenzin stared into the curtain of rain.

“There is a wildness here that reminds me of Tibet.”

Ben patted the seat next to him, and Tenzin joined him on the cushioned floor.

“Tibet?”

“Even though people have lived in those mountains for thousands of years, the hills have not changed. The people change themselves to the environment, not the other way round.”

“That’s a beautiful thought.” He rested his chin on the top of her head. “Tell me about Tibet.”

“There is a valley, narrower than this one, and the mountains are very steep. There are wild sheep on the ridges, and people climb very narrow paths to hang flags along the top so they will flap in the wind.

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