Once upon a Summer Day

35

Soaring

“M y love,” said Borel, “I have seen the world from above, and I would take you there.”

“Are we to go to a mountaintop?”

“Something much better, ma cherie.”

Chelle smiled. “Then let us away.”

Hand in hand they stepped through the enshadowed door and out onto a broad, windswept ledge upon a looming mountainside. Snow shone white on the crest above, wooded slopes lay darkly on the flanks below, the trees leading down to a deep forested valley, where a glint of a river hinted at its existence in the light from the waning moon, a thin crescent in the sky. To their right a torrent of meltwater thundered onto the ledge and then cascaded on downward into deep shadows ’neath.

“It is beautiful up here,” said Chelle. “But I thought you said we were not to go upon a mountain.”

“This is but temporary, Cherie,” said Borel, stepping behind her and clasping her in his arms. “Here comes our mount now.” And he pointed, and silhouetted against the starry sky came winging a Great Eagle.

“Do not be afraid,” whispered Borel.

“I’m not,” said Chelle, and she pressed Borel’s arms tighter about.

With a graceful turn the mighty bird glided down to settle upon the broad shelf, and then stepped ’round and to the verge and waited. “After you, Cherie,” said Borel, and he handed her up to sit on the eagle’s back, and he took seat behind.

“Away,” he called to the eagle, and the raptor leapt from the ledge and flew into the air.

Up they soared into the night sky and out over the forest below, the mountainside falling away as eagle wings stroked atmosphere.

“Oh, but how splendid,” cried Chelle, enraptured. “Would that we ourselves had wings.”

High over the terrain they flew, and they left the woodland behind, and far below they could see farm fields looking much as would an echiquier, squares awaiting echecsmen-spearmen, hierophants, kings, queens, towers, and chevaliers all that were lacking.

They flew over campsites, some with small fires ablaze, others with nought but ruddy coals aglow, still others dark. Over lakes they soared, some with night fishermen casting their lures. Wild horses ran across plains, and then in the sky beside them a vee of honking geese flew by heading for a place only they knew.

“Oh, my Borel, how did you ever-?”

Of a sudden the air shuddered and jolted, and Borel — woke to a thunder and rumble and a juddering of the ground.

He sat up in the dawn as hundreds of strange wild beasts like an engulfing, dark flood raced past the acacia grove, but whether running from or to, Borel could not say.

Somewhere in a distant aerie, a Great Eagle awakened disturbed.