Born To Fly - The Copper Tree Series (book #1)

2| The Flight

     Fawntonya looked behind her shoulder, making sure that Estel didn't know that she was leaving.

     Fawntonya knew that Estel hated it when Fawntonya flew without permission from her father. Estel was quick to see that Fawntonya was not around the house, but she didn't notice every time that Fawntonya was gone. Fawntonya smiled to herself, remembering the many times that she had practiced her flying without Estel aware of it. If Estel really knew, how many times she was awake in the middle of the night on the roof of the huge mansion that she lived in as a summer home with her parents, she would really be in trouble. Today she was going to try flying again. 

     She approached her copper tree that her father -  Lord Kiton , caretaker of this section of the country - had planted to celebrate her birth nine years ago. She gently stroked the bark softly - if it could be called bark at all. It was a mix of metal and wood, and was very smooth to the touch, but her favorite thing about it was that when the sun was caught on it's surface, the bark shone like polished copper. That was where it got it's name "Copper Tree". She flapped her dragon-like wings, trying to touch the highest leaf without touching the rest of the tree. Oh, she could almost reach the copper colored leaf.

 Almost there...

“Fawntonya! You get down here right this second!” Estel called.

     Fawntonya had hoped that Estel would be too busy to notice her absence - especially because her mother had started to go into labor, but apparently things were not working out as she had hoped. She sighed to herself as she obediently landed on the soft spring grass, and braced herself for a long, and merciless scolding. But what she heard was very different from what she expected.

“Fawntonya, your father has called a meeting, he wants you there right now.” Estel instructed urgently “It is very important that you get there as soon as possible. Hurry!"

"Why does he want me at one of his meetings? What's wrong Estel?"

"Your mother is having her baby, and the physician is out of the mountain range! Run Fawntonya, Run!"

     Fawntonya didn’t say a thing as she sprinted across the meadow in the direction of her home. She didn’t need an explanation of why she didn’t have much time. Her mother - Vanya - didn’t do well during Fawntonya’s own birth; Vanya had lost so much blood, she almost died. The phyisician had said that if Vanya had another child, she would most likesly die.

     While she was running, she tucked her wings as close to her body as she could, and pulled her cloak over them, doing the best to hide her gift from the Reanna so as to not scare any outsiders who thought that the Reanian did more harm than good. Securing the clasp, she burst in through the door, startling a large number of  Lord Kiton ’s advisors who were all standing around the big polished oak table.

"Oh, good. Fawntonya has finally arrived." Lord Kiton said. Fawntonya faintly smiled as she saw the twinkle in his eye, that was hidden the best it could be from the rest of the men there. But as soon as it was there, it was gone again, and they were both reminded of the present dilemma they were facing. He cleared his throat and turned back to his larger audience to continue his speech. 

"Vanya will die if we do not get help for her immediately, but our physician is not in mountain range...are there any suggestions for what we might do?" Lord Kiton questioned, looking about at all the faces that were loyal to his name, searching for inspiration.

"What about Orlena? Could she help?" a young man suggested.

"Orlena? Oh yes, the midwife that came here a few moons ago, I should have thought of that. Yes, we should ask of her assistance. Will anyone volunteer to go get her? We are quite a ways way from the village where she lives. Who should go?" Lord Kiton  looked at a map by his hand, his finger indicating where that particular village was. Fawntonya looked over his shoulder at the paper that knew folds and creases very well. She had been to that village recently, and she knew a little girl there that had the Reanna. She had colored fingernails, which showed her feelings, red if she was angry, purple if embarrassed, blue if she was calm, just like that magic rings that traveling wizard apprentices tried to sell. Fawntonya knew a shortcut above the forest, and she could get there very quickly, and scince nobody else was saying anything, why shouldn't she go? She wanted to save her mother too.

"Maybe I should go father, I know the way." she suggested hesitantly, not wanting any embarrassment to come to her for suggesting laying this huge task on the shoulders of one so young, but still wanting to help in the biggest way she could.

Her fathers eyes narrowed in thought as he considered this new option. As he started to nod, an older man at the end of the table cut in. 

"Her my Lord? I do not doubt your authority, but she is so young, and little. How could she go fast enough? She is still just a child."

"Yes she is young...but she is also quick, she can go faster than a horse at full speed. Show them your wings Fawntonya. They need to trust your swiftness." he replied. Fawntonya had never been allowed to show her wings indoors before, and never in front of so many men. Every one in the area knew that she had wings, but she seldom showed them in public. The only times someone saw her gift was when she was alone with her parents, or they might catch a glimpse of her flying to different places now and then, or at the festival time so that she could race, but even at the races, as soon as they were over her cape went back on, shielding her wings from close inspecting eyes. Thus she was hesitant to show her wings in a meeting where people could look at them as intently as they wished.

"It's alright Fawntonya, you can let them see." her father encouraged, as she fumbled with her clasp. She let her cloak fall to the ground, and for the sake of show, she pushed her wings out with as much strength as she could muster, stretching them as far as she could, to emphasize their strength. There were a few gasps around the table and she smiled as she saw the affects of her stage play. Just to show off a little, she flapped her wings, trying successfully to make it look effortless as she raised herself up off the ground twenty feet and did a few spins just for fun. Her father smiled and turned to the older men.

"Now, should we let her go?"

"Well, we are just wasting time sitting here. I think she should go. We can always sned a few men on horse back, just in case something goes wrong, or if she is not fast enough.” a man next to Lord Kiton  answered, and there were various nods coming all over the table, no objections. Fawntonya landed gently next to her father.

"Alright Fawntonya, your mother is depending on you. Fly swiftly, and stop for nothing. Go." Lord Kiton ordered, gently pushing the girl to the door.

She exited with all eyes on her back and jumped into the air, feeling the harsh wind rip through her hair. She pumped her wings as hard as she could, and flew off into the direction that she wanted to go. 

The flight wasn’t nearly as fast as she wanted it to be, because she was flying against the fierce wind current.

Come on wings, go faster! I have to make it to the village soon…I can’t be to slow; I can’t take too much precious time. She worried, as she shot across the field, surprisingly aware that her mother’s life was very much in her nine-year-old hands. 

The sound coming from the market place was almost deafening; sellers were shouting at the tops of their lungs, trying to sell their wares, men were arguing prices over live stock and tools, Mothers were calling for their children, the blacksmith’s hammer was banging out a rhythm for all to hear, but Fawntonya didn't pay attention to any of that. She just ran through the crowd, heading for the midwife's home and office. She burst through the door, and Orlena looked up from her desk in surprise. Fawntonya blurted out her message, and Orlena quickly began to gather supplies telling her to fly back to her home, she would ride on her horse with the supplies. Fawntonya nodded and shot off into the street, and up into the air.

She turned the opposite way that she wanted to go and spread her wings, letting the wind push her forward until Orlena caught up to her. Then she turned over and started to fly with the wind, keeping an eye on Orlena, making sure that she didn't get into any trouble on the way. She looked up ahead at the road, seeing a large caravan coming towards them, taking up the whole width of the road. Orlena would not be able to get past them....she would have to cut across a feild. It would take a few extra minutes, but it might be faster than trying to get through the caravan. 

She quickly flew down to Orlena and told her the change of plans, and Orlena entered the field. as they neared the house, Fawntonya flew to it and told the men who were still sitting at the table, and she went to her mother's room to tell the servant's helping her that the midwife was coming, but when she got there, there was no one at the door as was custom to prevent interuptions in the labor. The door was wide open. She entered just in time to see her mother's pale hand drop from her father's grasp and onto the blood covered sheets.

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