The Rhythm of Nature
by
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Up ahead, he caught sight of their final destination. Rows of great, winged lizards were tied down to heavy wooden stakes in the ground. Thaklar knew these as the Taradons. At times, some of the flying beasts tested their bonds, trying to free themselves, while others spread their wings idly. The wingspan of just one of the beasts could shade twenty men easily and their long, sharp beaks could spear the most experienced warrior without pause. In addition to razor talons that allowed them to pick their prey from the ground, or the air, their scaly hides were ample protection from arrows and sling stones.
Sindraal had chosen this day to teach his pupil how to pilot one of the Taradons. . .
. . .The lesson progressed and the pilot first strapped in Thaklar on the back of the Taradon, then himself. Sindraal led the beast by the reins to an open field. Once there he handed the reins to the pilot. The beast, at its controller’s urging, broke into a dead run, flapping its wings all the while. Soon they were airborne and after a few minutes, the pilot handed the reins to Thaklar. The air rushing past their heads made speaking to each other impossible while in flight, but he still remembered the instructions given to him on the ground. He pulled the reins right and the beast flew right. Left meant left. The degree of sharpness to which he jerked the reins indicated the speed of the turn. After making a couple rights and a couple lefts, he handed the reins back to the pilot as agreed. The pilot brought the beast around and soon they had landed on the ground again. Once back in the pens, the pilot mumbled something about Thaklar being good with animals, a half-hearted compliment meant to abate the ire of the acolyte’s master, Sindraal, who stood ready to take charge of his student once again. The training pilot then moved off to find his next charge. Sindraal and Thaklar left the Taradon pens and began to walk in the direction of the keep. Barely an hour had passed since Demtry had arrived with the message of the planned meeting.
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About the Book
Adventure, fantasy, magic and prophecy combine in The Rhythm of Nature, Book Two in Cheney's Seventh Circle series. An excerpt: "Up ahead, he caught sight of their final destination. Rows of great, winged lizards were tied down to heavy wooden stakes in the ground. Thaklar knew these as the Taradons. At times, some of the flying beasts tested their bonds, trying to free themselves, while others spread their wings idly. The wingspan of just one of the beasts could shade twenty men easily and their long, sharp beaks could spear the most experienced warrior without pause. In addition to razor talons that allowed them to pick their prey from the ground, or the air, their scaly hides were ample protection from arrows and sling stones. Sindraal had chosen this day to teach his pupil how to pilot one of the Taradons. . . . . .The lesson progressed and the pilot first strapped in Thaklar on the back of the Taradon, then himself. Sindraal led the beast by the reins to an open field. Once there he handed the reins to the pilot. The beast, at its controller’s urging, broke into a dead run, flapping its wings all the while. Soon they were airborne and after a few minutes, the pilot handed the reins to Thaklar. The air rushing past their heads made speaking to each other impossible while in flight, but he still remembered the instructions given to him on the ground. He pulled the reins right and the beast flew right. Left meant left. The degree of sharpness to which he jerked the reins indicated the speed of the turn. After making a couple rights and a couple lefts, he handed the reins back to the pilot as agreed. The pilot brought the beast around and soon they had landed on the ground again. Once back in the pens, the pilot mumbled something about Thaklar being good with animals, a half-hearted compliment meant to abate the ire of the acolyte’s master, Sindraal, who stood ready to take charge of his student once again. The training pilot then moved off to find his next charge. Sindraal and Thaklar left the Taradon pens and began to walk in the direction of the keep. Barely an hour had passed since Demtry had arrived with the message of the planned meeting."
About the Author
Todd Cheney has loved fantasy and science fiction writing for a long time. He is an avid reader and enjoys biking, computers and baseball. He lives in Wisconsin.