Born of Air
Born of Air
Book One
Valdir Chronicles
By R. A. Lewis
Also by R.A. Lewis
Novel, Fantasy
Secrets & Swords
Short Story, Fantasy
The Sellsword And The Beast
The Sellsword And The Bandits
The Sellsword And The Raven Girl
The Sellsword And The Siren
Born of Air
Copyright © 2019 R.A. Lewis
All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Under no circumstances may any part of this book be photocopied for resale.
Dedication
For the real Kalina. And for lost little girls who just want to belong.
Also by R.A. Lewis
Born of Air
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
About the Author
Chapter 1
Darkness wrapped around her, the dense trees blocking out any trickle of moonlight. It was nearly impossible to see anything, even her own hand waving in front of her bright blue eyes. Kalina stood still, listening to the faint rustlings of small nocturnal animals snuffling for food around her. There was panting from an enormous creature coming from her right. Her heart began to race both from excitement and fear.
She had ventured into the forest for a reason, but now in the darkness, that reason seemed small and silly. Mari was a village girl who had had it out for her since they were small. Every day, that girl had made life a living hell since Kalina was small, and the final straw that broke her back was when Mari had called her a coward.
Kalina was anything but, and she refused to let Mari and the other girls believe it. Just because she was an orphan didn’t mean she was less than any of them. Mari may have the opportunity to be courted by village boys and marry above her station, so why couldn’t Kalina have the same chance?
Kalina’s heart sank slightly at the thought. Mari already had plenty of suitors. Kalina hadn’t managed to turn the head of even one boy, even at sixteen.
She hoisted her pack on her back and shuffled forward, one hand outstretched feeling for trees or rocks in her path. She turned towards the noise, waiting until she was right upon the creature to light the torch she had strapped to her pack. These beasts had to be taken by surprise, and like any self-respecting creature, it slept at night, so Kalina had set out at sunset to make her way into the forest.
Her outstretched hand bumped into the cold surface of the rock outcropping. She had been to this place many times during the day to look for signs of the beast, but at night she was disoriented, the creature’s deep snores the only things guiding her steps. The sound was now immediately to her left. There was a small cavern in the rock, just big enough to fit one of the Abbey’s largest oxen, and inside was the prize she sought.
Kalina inhaled deeply and slid to her left. When the warm whoosh of its’ breath ruffled the wisps of hair at her temples, she pulled out the flint and striker from her pocket and struck it once. The resulting spark lit the cave and surrounding forest like a lightning bolt, throwing everything into bright relief.
She bit back a muffled gasp at the sight of the coiled green scales, leathery hide, and glinting sharp talons. She quickly pulled her pack off, her fingers feeling for the pitch wrapped torch. The breathing hadn’t changed as the torch dropped softly to the ground. Either the creature was unconcerned by small thumps or it was a deep sleeper.
She struck her flint again, letting the sparks fall on the torch, the embers coming to life. When the small torch finally caught, it lit up the cavern as bright as daylight. The beast finally stirred, blinking enormous yellow cat-like eyes. Its’ scaled head raised, a forked tongue slithering out to test the air, tasting the tang of the burning torch.
“Who are you?” It asked, in a melodic, deep voice.
“I am Kalina, daughter of none. And I’ve come here to conquer you, Dragon.” Kalina’s voice rang out without a tremble of fear into the quiet of the nighttime forest.
“But I am no Dragon, Littling,” the creature said. “I am a Wyvern, a smaller cousin of Dragons. How do you seek to conquer me?” The Wyvern was puzzled but pleasant. Kalina, surprised, squinted, holding her torch up high. Sure enough, this beast had no proper forelegs, only wings that had talons on the end for gripping and climbing, not for tearing and fighting.
“So you are.” Kalina sighed unhappily. Mari would call her an idiot as well as a coward. She began to lower her torch, disappointment rising in her chest. She was prepared to walk away, her quest unfulfilled, when an idea struck her. Maybe, there was a way she could still show them she was no coward. She turned back to the Wyvern.
“What is your name?” The giant lizard swiveled its head back towards her.
“I am Savath of the Deep Glen, Kalina, Daughter of None.” The Wyvern moved closer to her, the torchlight bouncing off its scales, creating a rainbow pattern on the walls of the little cave. “What has happened to your face, Littling? Has someone hurt you?”
Kalina’s hand flew to her eye, lightly fingering the slowly healing bruise. It had turned a nasty shade of green just that morning. She dropped her hand and straightened up. She refused to let the shame of having been beaten up by a girl only a year older show on her face.
“It was nothing.” She looked up at the Wyvern through her muddy brown hair that fell in front of her face. Her hair should have been a bright, shining silver, but ever since she could remember, Gwen had helped her dye it every fortnight.
“Don’t let the silver show, Kalina.” Gwen would always say. “You know the High Father doesn’t like the color.” One time when her silver roots had shown when Gwen was too sick to dye it, Mari had dubbed her the Old Crone and made fun of her for a week. The girl had never let her forget it and still called her the name on occasion.
Kalina set her jaw. She needed something, anything that could make her stand out and give her a fighting chance.
“Do you think-” she paused, excitement and hope roaring in her chest at the thought of what this Wyvern could do for her. “Do you think you could help me?” The Wyvern blinked its lamp-like eyes slowly, considering.
“Are you pure?” Its voice was calm, like it was the most normal question in the world.
“Pure?” Heat crept up her neck in embarrassment and confusion. She’d heard stories about dragons se
eking only virgins, she was definitely “pure” in that sense. But perhaps it meant something different. There were rumors that Wyverns had peculiar habits or desires. Some only wanted shiny things, some were obsessed with virgins, some refused to sleep on rocks.
“Are your intentions pure? Do you seek knowledge or to better yourself? Or do you seek revenge, to hurt someone?” The Wyvern hissed out the last question like a snake. Kalina paused, she realized a part of her did want help for selfish reasons, but ultimately she wanted to put a bully in her place.
“I think so. I want you to help me prove I am not a coward.” She straightened her neck and jutted out her chin. “You can judge for yourself if my motives are pure.” The Wyvern nodded sleepily.
“Very well then, Kalina, Daughter of None, I will help you; but in the morning. I think better on a full night’s sleep.” It gestured with a flick of its tail. “You may sleep in that corner there.” The giant lizard then curled back up, its tail gently lying over its nose like a kitten.
Kalina chuckled slightly. She was going to spend the night alone in a cave with a Wyvern. If Mari only knew, that alone would prove she wasn’t a coward. She settled the torch into a v-shaped niche in the wall and then lay down on the sandy ground. Yawning, her adrenaline began to fade. Lacing her fingers behind her head she propped her head on her pack, admiring the great sleeping beast beside her. Her mind wandered, watching Savath in the dwindling torchlight until she fell asleep.
She dreamed that night of flying through the clouds, the whole world stretched out below her, crowds screaming her name in a triumphant swell of noise.
Chapter 2
Kalina woke to the sun streaming through the trees into the cave, glinting off the silver roots of her hair, that had begun to show and lighting her warm tan skin. She blinked and stretched, having slept the best she had in months. She had learned to sleep with one eye open which meant she rarely got an entire night’s sleep. The other orphans were mostly nice enough, but Mari’s cronies ranged far and wide, and some of the older girls in the orphan’s dormitory were all too happy to do Mari’s bidding. She woke up at least once a week soaked in some sort of liquid.
She looked to where the Wyvern had been the night before and jolted upright. The lizard was gone! Kalina hurried out of the cave, scanning the dense trees surrounding her for any sign of the creature, but found none. She turned slowly, disappointment and shame at having been tricked building in her chest and throat, threatening to spill over in her eyes, when a voice rang out.
“I’ve been contemplating your situation, Littling, and I think I have an idea.” Kalina’s head snapped up to the rocky crags above the cave. On the rock’s grey surface close to the edge, the green Wyvern lay sprawled, sunning itself. The rock stretched out behind the creature into the distance, too far for Kalina to see the other edge. A huge smile spread across her face at the sight of the creature, relief blooming in her chest.
“What is your solution, Savath?” She sat down on a rock just outside the cave mouth and followed the flick of the Wyvern’s tail as it swished back and forth.
“You want to prove you are brave? A force to be reckoned with?” Kalina nodded. “Then I think riding into town on my back would serve that purpose.” Kalina was stunned. It was more than she had hoped for.
“Are you sure? I get to fly?” She began to shake in excitement, her stomach doing flip-flops. She’d get to fly like the dragon riders she’d read about once in the library.
“Yes, Littling.” The Wyvern did a lengthy stretch, arching its body like a giant cat, extending its talons, each as large as Kalina’s hand, and raking them across the rock, scoring deep gouges. It shook itself, wings snapping out, sun glinting off their jewel-like tones.
Kalina shivered in anticipation, picking up her pack and hoisting it onto her back once again. Savath jumped onto the ground before the cave, its large bulk shaking the ground slightly with its impact.
“Climb on just behind my wing joints. Grip me with your legs and you may hang on to my shoulders as I fly. Trust that I won’t drop you or let you slide off.” Kalina made a slight croaking noise as she climbed up, using Savath’s hind leg as a step. Nerves were getting the best of her voice. Once she was settled, she searched for a place to grab, the Wyvern’s shoulders sloping and moving beneath her uncertain grip. She didn’t feel secure at all, and she realized that riding a Wyvern would take all her courage.
“Hold on.” Savath rumbled, and suddenly the world dropped away from Kalina’s feet, her stomach going with it, and she was very grateful that she hadn’t eaten the bread and cheese in her pack. Soon they were soaring above the trees and Kalina’s stomach caught up with her and remained fluttery as the great wide world spread out before her. Her knuckles had turned white as she’d griped Savaths scales, but she gently loosened them as they steadied and she became more comfortable. Kalina looked around them in awe.
Stretching below them and off into the distance was the great green expanse of the Glen Forest and off to their right, the rising peaks of the Great Grey Mountains, their tops snow-capped year-round. Kalina had only seen these places in maps within the Abbey’s library; her personal domain consisted of a small portion of the Glen forest. She had been abandoned at the Abbey as a baby, as orphans and unwanted children often were, and there she had stayed.
Flying with Savath gave Kalina a feeling of freedom she had never known, and as Savath began to descend towards the small town that surrounded her Abbey in the depths of the forest, circling around, Kalina strained to see farther, to take in every detail before her world once again shrunk to the few miles of forest she called home. She knew this was possibly the most adventure she’d ever have in her lifetime and she wanted to cherish every moment. Flying felt like she had put on a second skin, one that fit her perfectly, and her heart sank as they did, not wanting to give up the joy of flying.
The screams echoed up to her as the Wyvern circled lower, great wings outstretched to better display the sheer size of the beast that Kalina rode. She grinned in delight at the thought of what they saw: a brave girl riding a dangerous beast.
Savath landed with a thump that shook the ground, a great cloud of dust rising around them. The gathering crowd gave out a final gasp as the dust settled. Kalina dismounted from Savath’s back, positive she didn’t miss Mari’s blonde curls bouncing in the crowd. She turned to the Wyvern to thank her.
“Thank you, Savath of the Deep Glen. I owe you a favor, should you ever need one.” Savath eyed her with those yellow orbs and huffed. Then the great bulk of the Wyvern was propelled into the sky with one mighty sweep of its wings and Kalina was forced to shut her eyes against the dust that swirled as Savath flew away, back into the forest.
A brunette, slightly plump girl around Kalina’s age with round, red cheeks, came sprinting breathlessly up to Kalina, a look of awe on her face.
“Are you kidding me?” Delisa blurted out. “What were you thinking, Kalina? You could have been killed!” Delisa was always the more cautious of the two of them. Kalina smiled in confident triumph as townsfolk and Mari alike looked at her with newfound trepidation and perhaps a little respect and fear. Mari stared open-mouthed at Kalina until she noticed Kalina and Delisa grinning at her.
“Be careful, Mari, or you might start catching flies,” Kalina’s voice cut across the crowd, and Mari’s mouth snapped shut, her eyes practically molten with rage. She seemed to be about to march over and teach Kalina a lesson when suddenly she stopped, looking behind Kalina, and smirked. She turned and walked away into the crowd, as if Kalina hadn’t just ridden in on a Wyvern. Kalina’s heart fell. Maybe it hadn’t made the impression she was hoping for. Mari had seemed more eager than ever to come to blows with Kalina.
There was the sound of a throat clearing behind her and Delisa as the town around them began to return to its normal morning rhythm. Kalina winced as she turned to find Father Martin behind her, flanked by Father Nic and Father Lane. Father Martin did not look pleased in the sli
ghtest.
The High Father cleared his throat again, clearly waiting for Kalina to give an explanation. Kalina’s mind raced to find a lie, as she had so often done to get out of trouble with him, but there was none. He was the man in charge, and he dictated the lives of all the abandoned children of the Abbey. Kalina had a penchant for getting into trouble, and she had encountered this dark-eyed look from him many times before. Behind him, Father Nic was obviously trying to hide a smile. Kalina looked down at her dusty, worn boots, and decided on the truth.
“Well Father Martin, you see, Mari called me a coward for not punching her back, so I thought I could prove that I’m no coward…” she trailed off, her explanation dying on her lips and the look in his eyes only darkening. Her mouth clamped shut.
“You thought?” Father Martin’s tone was calm, but his look was all thunder. Kalina winced at his words. “What did you think, Kalina? That you’d ride in here on a giant lizard and everyone would hail you as a hero?” When he put it like that, Kalina began to feel small and ashamed. “You have disrupted this abbey and this town, terrorized the people, and made a mess of the main square, all just before St. Martin’s Day!” His voice went up at the end, his outrage at her possibly ruining his namesake holiday coming out.
Kalina looked around sheepishly, noticing that the multicolored decorations covering the buildings surrounding the square were windblown, some torn down, all of it covered in a layer of dust. The townsfolk were slowly putting the square to rights again, casting annoyed looks her way.
“I’m sorry, High Father.” Her voice was very small, as he looked down on her. Delisa was still beside her, hands clasped behind her back, head down.
“You are never to go looking for that beast again. Ever. You are sixteen, Kalina. Too old for this nonsense. You should be learning a trade, or finding a husband, not gallivanting about on a lizard! You will begin to make up for your impulsiveness by helping Father Nic clean up the square.” He glared sternly down at them. “Both of you.” Delisa’s head came up in protest but Father Martin lifted a finger. “Both of you,” he repeated, shutting down any argument. With that, he turned on his heel, Father Lane following in his wake, shaking his head sadly.