McHarne's First Flight

McHarne had faced many dangerous situations in his life as a bounty hunter, but never before had he been so afraid. He was wedged into the rear cockpit of a red double-winged aeroplane -- or biplane, as his nineteen-year-old assistant Jedwyn called it. The youth was in the forward cockpit, piloting the aircraft as it sped down the dirt runway.

"Hold on sir, here we go!" shouted Jedwyn. McHarne felt a strange lurching sensation in his stomach as the biplane angled up and left the ground. He shut his eyes, feeling cold wind whipping through his hair. The rough droning sound of the engine seemed to vibrate clear through his bones, and he clamped his teeth together to keep from screaming.

After a few moments of ascending, the plane curved around and tilted. Jedwyn called out, "Look to your left!" McHarne wanted to keep his eyes closed until they were back on solid ground, but he forced himself to open them. He let out a gasp as he took in the view before him.

The farmhouse and barn of Jedwyn's uncle Preston were like little wooden boxes on the ground below, surrounded by sprigs of greenery that were the oak trees bordering the property. A vast sea of pale grass sprawled away in all directions, interrupted only by the thin line of roadway that led to the nearest town.

"What do you think, sir?" asked Jedwyn, looking back over his shoulder. The goggles he wore could not disguise the grin of delight on his face.

"Amazing!" McHarne shouted back. "Just ... amazing!" His fear was gone, replaced by awe and wonder, and he leaned over the side of the plane to watch the farmhouse grow small in the distance.

"We'll head north," Jedwyn said. McHarne nodded and settled back into his seat. In order to avoid being seen, they would have to steer clear of the railroad line to the south and the town of Whithorn to the east. Westward lay the Mourngap Territories, home to bandits and marauders, so north was the only reasonable direction they could go. If they ventured too far north they risked entering Ghreldok-dominated lands, but Jedwyn had assured him that they wouldn't be going that far at all.

Even so, McHarne had brought along his Brashmond SGR-5, a short-barreled shotgun-revolver. The weight of the weapon, nestled in a reinforced inner pocket of his long leather coat, made him feel more comfortable.

After a few minutes, Jedwyn called out, "Would you like to see a trick, sir?"

"What kind of trick?"

"I'm going to roll the plane. We'll be upside-down for a moment or two."

Panic seized McHarne, but he kept his voice steady as he replied, "No thanks! Just keep us flying straight upright."

"Very well, sir," Jedwyn replied, sounding a little disappointed. It was clear that the youth wanted to show off the aerial maneuvers he had learned from his uncle, but McHarne hadn't expected the experience of flying to be so unsettling. It would probably take a few more flights before he was ready for anything more than a smooth and level journey.

The land below was now dotted with low hillocks and clumps of trees. Jedwyn informed McHarne that they were over what was once known as Chetbull Province in the pre-invasion era. The bounty hunter looked to the side to watch the landscape speeding by, but a movement in the sky caught his attention. It seemed to be a large bird flapping off in the distance, but as they drew closer McHarne could see that it was not one bird but three. A moment later he realized that the "birds" had arms and legs, and wore tight-fitting clothing. There were two that sported bat-like wings on their broad backs, while the third one, smaller than the others, had feathered wings.

"Jedwyn!" he shouted.

"I see them, sir!"

"I thought you said they never came this far south!"

"They don't! It's the first time I've seen any of them down here."

McHarne cursed. Trust his luck to be in the air when the winged folk of the northlands decided to venture out of their territory!

He was about to tell Jedwyn to turn the plane around, but now he was able to see that the two ghrelsib -- the bat-winged creatures -- were pursuing a feather-winged shentakin. The latter was twisting and dodging in an attempt to escape, and when it shot straight upwards McHarne saw that this particular shentakin was just a boy, no more than twelve or thirteen years old. His white wings were partially entangled in a torn black netting.

Tangle-mesh, thought McHarne. It was common knowledge that the Ghreldoks and the Shentavim had used it against each other during their war. Everyone also knew that shentakin -- transformed human servants of the Shentavim -- were the superior flyers, and had various abilities that would easily allow them to escape a pursuer. So this shentakin boy was clearly hobbled, but what was he doing outside of his kind's territory in the first place?

Something within McHarne warned him not to get involved. But the sight of the ghrelsib made his blood rise, and he pushed the thought away. He tapped his assistant on the shoulder and said, "Catch up to them!"

"Sir?"

"Go through them! Help the boy get away."

Jedwyn nodded, and McHarne felt the plane accelerate.

The shentakin had now leveled off, but failed to shake off the ghrelsib. Several moments later, Jedwyn pulled the aircraft up behind the creatures and raced toward them. McHarne drew in a breath, and in the heartbeat before he released it he felt his perception slow and magnify. He could clearly see the dark forms of the ghrelsib, their huge demon wings aggressively beating the air. The bounty hunter had fought and slain many of their kind, with both gun and blade, and knew that the creatures were ruthless, tenacious, and difficult to kill.

The biplane was nearly upon the two ghrelsib now, and McHarne viciously wondered how deeply the propeller would cut into their thick, leathery skin. The Ghreldoks created these hairless, reptile-eyed horrors from human recruits, and McHarne felt that such beings did not deserve to exist. He was sworn to destroy any that he came across -- whether he was paid to or not.

Only a single second remained before the creatures would feel the bite of whirling metal. McHarne tensed, anticipating the contact. The ghrelsib were directly in front of them, close enough to see the veins in their massive wings --

-- and time snapped back to its normal flow as the creatures dived away in opposite directions. McHarne let out his pent-up breath as Jedwyn banked the plane hard to the left. The bounty hunter saw with satisfaction that the ghrelsib had broken off their pursuit, and that the shentakin boy was speeding well away from them.

"Great flying!" he said. "Now let's get out of here."

"Yes, sir!" the youth replied. The biplane straightened out from the turn and settled into a southerly direction. McHarne snorted at the thought that Jedwyn would have actually chopped into the creatures with the propeller. Such an act would certainly have damaged the blades and caused them to crash. He casually glanced back, then twisted himself fully around in his seat. The ghrelsib, he saw with a shock, were now in pursuit of them.

The bounty hunter swore. He leaned as close as he could to the forward cockpit and shouted, "They're behind us now!"

Jedwyn cast a look back, and McHarne could see his eyes widen despite the goggles.

"Don't worry, sir, I can lose them," Jedwyn said. He turned back to the controls, and almost immediately the aircraft angled upwards. McHarne gasped in surprise and braced himself against the inside of the cockpit. The plane climbed for several seconds, then paused. For the merest instant, McHarne felt like he was floating. Then the plane tipped forward and, to the bounty hunter's alarm, fell into a steep dive.

McHarne stifled the urge to yell out in terror. He squeezed his eyes shut and grimly held on as Jedwyn pulled out of the dive and threw the aircraft into a series of wild, desperate maneuvers. Once he even thought that they had flipped upside down.

After what seemed like hours, Jedwyn's voice caused McHarne to open his eyes again. They were flying upright, thank the gods above.

"Sir! Are you all right?" the youth called anxiously.

"Yes, fine! Did we lose them?"

"I'm afraid not, Mr. McHarne. I'm sorry!"

The man took a quick look back. The two ghrelsib were still airborne, about fifty yards behind them. McHarne realized that if Jedwyn could not outfly the brutes, they would simply follow them until the plane ran out of fuel. They had to be dealt with, and soon. He reached into his jacket and drew out the Brashmond.

"Slow down!" he shouted.

"What?" Jedwyn asked, turning. His mouth hung open as he caught sight of the weapon that McHarne was holding up and inspecting.

"I said, slow down!"

"But sir --"

"Can you outrun them?"

"I'm trying! I can't go any faster!"

"Then we'll have to fight."

Jedwyn went silent for a moment, then nodded. "Just tell me what do!"

"Let them catch up. Give me two shots, then make a run for it."

"Understood, sir!"

McHarne had loaded the weapon beforehand, but he checked the cylinder anyway. The shells that the Brashmond used were smaller than standard shotgun ammunition, but still capable of inflicting serious damage at close range. Satisfied that the five chambers were full, the bounty hunter pulled back on the hammer and turned himself around in his seat.

The biplane had slowed, and the ghrelsib were drawing near. McHarne kept the SGR-5 out of sight and fixed his gaze on the nearest creature, approaching on the left. The thing's pockmarked face had a look of anticipatory malice, a wide teeth-baring grin that somehow angered McHarne. He tightened his grip on the gun and willed himself to remain calm.

Twenty yards, ten yards, five ... close enough! McHarne brought up the Brashmond and squeezed off a shot just as the ghrelsib stretched out its arms and dived towards the plane. A cloud of black blood erupted from the creature's shoulder, twisting it back as if punched. McHarne immediately spun to his right, reflexively cocking the gun as he did so.

The second ghrelsib was much closer, and had smoothly glided in and grabbed onto the edge of the rear cockpit before McHarne could take aim. He ducked as a clawed hand slashed at his head. McHarne thrust the gun directly at the ghrelsib's face and fired. The creature started to jerk away, then screamed as its right ear exploded in a shower of blood and flesh. The cry was lost on the wind as the ghrelsib released its grip and sharply fell away.

"Go!" McHarne yelled, twisting around to the left again. The first ghrelsib, though wounded, was still trailing the plane. As the bounty hunter cocked the Brashmond for another shot, a white blur sped down and struck the ghrelsib square in the back. The creature shrieked as its wings suddenly folded. The blur ricocheted off as the ghrelsib tumbled through the air.

McHarne felt the biplane bank slightly to the left and accelerate. Jedwyn shouted, "Did you see that?"

"What was it?"

"The boy!"

McHarne quickly scanned the skies and saw the shentakin boy hovering in the air a dozen yards away. The black netting was gone from one of his wings, and he seemed to be pausing expectantly. After a few moments, he zoomed off. The two ghrelsib furiously beat their wings and gave chase.

"That stupid little --" McHarne pounded his fist against the side of the plane. After all the trouble they had gone through to give him a chance to escape!

"Should we go after them?" asked Jedwyn.

"No!" snarled McHarne.

"But sir, he came back to help us!"

The bounty hunter exhaled sharply. He knew that Jedwyn was right; they had to save the boy. "All right! Go!"

Minutes later, they were once again in sight of the three winged folk, coming upon them from above. The shentakin had led his pursuers down to treetop level, and was attempting to evade them by darting from one copse of trees to another. McHarne had reloaded the Brashmond, and was now taking aim out the right side of the plane.

"I think he's getting tired, sir!" Jedwyn called. McHarne didn't bother to reply. He had already noticed that the ghrelsib were nearly within arm's reach of the boy and easily keeping pace.

Jedwyn put the plane into a shallow dive. McHarne readied himself to take a shot as soon as they came into range. Suddenly, one of the ghrelsib -- the one with the blasted ear -- surged forward and seized the shentakin's ankle. The boy violently pitched upwards, and at nearly the same moment the second ghrelsib sped by and kicked him in the head. The one-eared ghrelsib let go, and the shentakin fell through the air like a limp doll, crashing down into a patch of woods.

McHarne gave a scream of outrage and fired. The shot clipped the top of One-Ear's wing, causing both creatures to turn about. Jedwyn increased the biplane's speed and began climbing, leaving no time for the bounty hunter to mark where the young shentakin had fallen.

"Get us away from here! Fast as you can!" But even as McHarne said those words, he knew that their chances of escaping were not good. There was nothing so tireless as a ghrelsib out for revenge, and he now had two of them to contend with. He cocked the Brashmond, drew a deep breath, then quickly twisted around. One-Ear was in the lead, closing fast with the biplane. McHarne fired, but the ghrelsib flinched aside, unhurt. The creature slowed and took up a position next to its partner, who was lagging behind.

The bounty hunter sensed that the pair was following them at a distance just beyond the SGR-5's range. That would buy him and Jedwyn a little time, until they ran out of fuel or the creatures made another assault. Could he go on the offensive and try shooting at least one of them down? He dismissed the idea with a shake of his head. He only had seven shells left, and even those might not be enough. So what other options were there?

"Sir, are they still behind us?" Jedwyn asked, anxiety plain in his voice.

"Yes, they are. Just keep flying!" McHarne looked down at his gun and wondered if he should save two shells for last.

No! he told himself fiercely. Think!

The desire for a drink of whiskey suddenly gripped him. Why hadn't he brought a flask? Jedwyn didn't drink, so there was no point in asking. Then a thought struck him, and he smiled grimly.

"Jedwyn! Is there any water around here?"

"Sorry sir, I didn't bring any --"

"I mean a lake, or a pond, or a river!"

"Yes! I think there's a river nearby."

"Head for it, then. Ghrelsib hate water!"

Jedwyn nodded vigorously. "Yes, sir!"

McHarne felt himself being pressed back into his seat as the biplane banked hard to the right. He mentally kicked himself for not immediately remembering the creatures' aversion to water. Hopefully, the mere sight of it would make them flee, but if they didn't there was one final thing McHarne had in mind. He fervently hoped it wouldn't have to come to that, though.

Jedwyn kept to a more or less straight course, but jinked the plane left and right at random times. The ghrelsib weren't fooled, and maintained their distance.

Finally, to the McHarne's great relief, the river came into view. It lay like a broad silver ribbon on the land, sheltered on both banks by stands of leafy trees. There were no towns nearby that he could see, but that was just as well. Even one ghrelsib was enough to terrorize an undefended settlement.

Jedwyn brought the plane down low and began flying along the river's course. McHarne looked back and saw to his dismay that the creatures were still following. Did the beasts really want to kill him and Jedwyn that badly? Well, there was no way that was going to happen.

"They're still behind us, sir!" Jedwyn said, looking over his shoulder.

"I know," McHarne replied, gripping the Brashmond tightly. With a heavy heart, he said, "Take us as low as you can. We're going to have to jump."

The youth frowned. "Jump? I don't understand."

"Yes. Into the river!"

"But the biplane can't land on water!"

"I know."

A look of despair crossed Jedwyn's face. McHarne felt a pang of guilt, knowing what he was asking his assistant to do. Not only was the biplane a priceless relic of the old world, it was something of a family heirloom, having been passed down from Jedwyn's grandfather. The youth considered it an immense privilege to be allowed to fly the aircraft, and McHarne sensed that he would rather die than allow harm to come to the plane. But it was only a machine, and -- irreplaceable relic or not -- it would have to be sacrificed.

"We may not survive, sir!" said Jedwyn.

"I know that, too. I'm sorry!"

Jedwyn started to reply, but stopped and shook his head. After a moment he said, "What do you want me to do, sir?"

"Slow down and go as low as you can. I'll tell you when to jump."

"Understood!"

As the biplane began descending, McHarne faced to the rear and kept his eyes on the pursing ghrelsib. He pointed his weapon at the creatures, but held his fire. The ghrelsib moved farther apart from each other, but continued to keep well back.

The aircraft was now only a few yards above the river, which was wide enough that the trees growing along the banks were clear of the plane's wings. As Jedwyn started reducing speed, the ghrelsib simultaneously flung themselves skyward. McHarne felt a surge of elation -- they were giving up the chase!

Then his spirits fell as he saw the creatures loop around and dive towards the plane from opposite directions. In a flash, the bounty hunter comprehended their strategy. He would only have time to fire at one of them, giving the other the opportunity to get through. Which one should he target? No time to think about it. Choose! He locked his eyes on the creature speeding from the left and raised the gun.

But just before his finger squeezed on the trigger, a huge plume of water gushed up just behind the plane, as if a boulder had splashed into the river. McHarne threw up his arm to block the spray, but some water still got into his eyes. He shook his head and rubbed his face with his free hand. When his vision cleared, he saw the two ghrelsib flying away from them, emitting shrieks of agony and heading high into the sky.

For a moment McHarne thought that the tail of the plane had dipped into the river, but they were still flying above the surface. So what had just happened? Then he caught sight of white wings flashing through the trees on the right bank of the river, and he understood.

"Jedwyn! Find a place to land."

"But the ghrelsib --"

"They're gone."

Several minutes later, the biplane sat on a patch of hard ground not far from the river. McHarne stood and watched as Jedwyn carefully inspected the aircraft for damage.

"Other than those scratches the ghrelsib made, she's perfectly fine," the youth said, coming around to McHarne's side.

"Glad to hear it. As will your uncle, I'm sure."

"So that splash that drove them off ... how did it happen?"

"Here comes your explanation now."

Jedwyn looked to where McHarne was pointing, and saw the shentakin boy gracefully descending toward them. He bowed deeply as soon as his sandaled feet touched the ground.

"My great and humble thanks," the boy said in a high, reedy voice. His tan-colored tunic and breeches were torn and stained in places, and an ugly bruise covered the left side of his thin, delicate face. He flexed his wings, both of which were free of black netting, and folded them against his back.

Jedwyn stared at the shentakin, then tried to stammer out a reply. McHarne smiled, for his assistant had never seen one up close before. The bounty hunter put a hand on Jedwyn's shoulder to quiet him, then said, "Glad to help out."

"My name is Falakren, of the Banded Spire Unity, in the service of Nethalisha," said the boy, making a formal bow. He then got down on one knee. "I cannot express enough gratitude for your efforts this day."

McHarne suppressed a smile as the boy stood back up. He was a polite one, that was for sure. The bounty hunter introduced himself and Jedwyn, who finally found his voice and said, "We thought you were dead when they knocked you into the trees!"

Falakren touched the injured side of his face. "I was not seriously harmed. In truth, I allowed them to think I was dead, so as to have time to remove the rest of their tangle-mesh from my wings."

"You didn't really have to come back for us," McHarne said.

"But we're glad you did, though!" Jedwyn quickly interjected, casting McHarne a disapproving look.

The shentakin smiled. "Ghrelsib can be quite vengeful, especially when deprived of their prey. I could not let you face them alone."

"So how'd you get here so fast, without us seeing you?" the bounty hunter asked.

"It is one of my abilities. I am not supposed to say too much about them, but it is why I was chosen."

"For what, some kind of mission? Spying on the Ghreldoks, were you?"

Falakren nodded. "As cautious as I was, they discovered me. I might have been caught, had you not arrived in your machine. May I see it?"

"Oh! Of course, yes," said Jedwyn, stepping aside to allow Falakren to move closer to the biplane. The shentakin's eyes were wide with wonder as he moved around the aircraft, occasionally touching it and asking questions. Jedwyn explained that his grandfather had bought it from an antiquities dealer, who claimed to have discovered it in the ruins of a faraway city.

"So it is a rarity, then? Unique?" asked Falakren.

"Yes, as far as we know."

"But do you not want to keep this machine safe?"

Jedwyn replied, "My uncle says that a machine that isn't used is no better than one that can't be used. We only fly it once every few months, and not where people can see it. He doesn't want to be causing a sensation."

"Of course," said the shentakin, nodding. He glanced up at the sun. "I think I have to leave now. Again, thank you both."

"But wait -- I have some more questions!" said Jedwyn. "How did you cause the water to spray up like that?"

"Another of my abilities," Falakren said with a grin. "The ghrelsib won't be back, so it should be safe for you to return home." After making a deep bow, the boy turned, took a few running steps, then leaped into the air and spread his wings at the same time. He looked back and waved before soaring away into the sky.

"And how do you fly so fast?" Jedwyn murmured to himself.

McHarne strolled over to the plane and ran a hand along the flat of the propeller blade. "Well, if you see him again, invite him to dinner. Maybe you two'll become best friends."

Jedwyn grinned. "Ready to go, sir?"

"Sure."

As they climbed aboard the plane, McHarne said, "Just one thing, Jedwyn."

"Sir?"

"If I hadn't said anything, would you still have tried to save him?"

The youth paused. "Yes," he replied, "but I can't imagine why you wouldn't have said anything."

"You know me that well, do you?"

"I believe so, sir."

"Well in that case, you're buying me a drink."

Soon, they were back in the air and heading for home.  ◊