Human Company | Page 2

up on my toes to see over the
women's heads. I could just make out Redblood leading the way with
Apogee on her arm. Redblood's company flanked them: Stoneheart
carried Apogee's pennant; Slayer, the Mechanic's pennant. Mechanic
Axeblade, the Court, and important property owners trailed close
behind.
Redblood looked fierce. She wore full battle gear: a broadsword across
her back, a short sword at her side, and numerous knives stuck in her
belt and strapped to her legs. The black leather armor and polished
breast cups clung to her figure and emphasized her strength.
"Redblood. Redblood. Look at me," a little village boy called as she
passed. Her answering wink brought a chorus of screams and whistles
from the other boys. They kept it up, making her grin and breaking her
pretense at a serious demeanor.
Apogee remained somber. Dressed in the traditional heavy shirt and
baggy trousers of a mech rider, he kept his eyes straight ahead and did
not respond when called.
Since ancient times, the flight ceremony has tested the boys from
Farhaven. By mountain law, only boys who have flown can rule. So
today Apogee would ride a mechanical and earn the right to
commission a company. One day he would become the Rider; his
captain, the Mechanic.
The confusion and milling about helped me. No one noticed as I
pressed through the excited crowd and attached myself to the
procession. I was taking a chance: the women tried to keep boys out of
the garage; too dangerous they said. And Axeblade had threatened dire
punishment for the next time I got into trouble. But I had drawn the
Mech Card. I had to go.

#
The long path to the garage wound back and forth up the face of the
mountain. On the switchbacks, I could look up and see the black
openings of the cave mouths where the mechanicals took off and
landed. They liked the long drop down the sheer cliff because it
allowed them to build up the speed needed to create lift from their
wings.
But the trip dragged on when you had to walk. I kept hoping we would
finally be there, but it never seemed that the garage got any closer.
Eventually the pull of the steep trail wore at my legs and as my
excitement cooled, my mind drifted.
Below I could see the village, grown tiny as we climbed. I spread my
arms:
#
I was a mechanical soaring high above the land. I swooped down low
and fast over the rooftops. The boys and old women ran around in
panic, frightened by the fierce rush of my passing. Trying to chase me
off, guards shot arrows into the air. But I laughed at such feeble efforts
and used my speed to dodge the tiny shafts. Choosing a fat cow for my
prey, I swept forward in a terrific dive, impaling it with my
manipulators and dragging it into the air. With mighty beats of my
wings, I surged upwards towards my garage.
#
The grasp of a powerful hand on my arm ended my triumph. It
belonged to Mistress Tallebrand, a shop owner I could sometimes talk
out of taffy or peppermint. "Careful Gypsy. You almost went over the
edge."
Her words made me look down. When I saw the depths below my feet,
my head spun and I clung to her.

"You shouldn't be here anyway," she continued as she dragged me to
safety. "Maybe you should go back down to the village."
"Apogee wants me here," I said. "He says he might need me." It wasn't
really a lie: I was Apogee's adopted brother; he should have invited me.
She looked dubious but couldn't think of another excuse to send me
back. "All right," she said at last, "but stay out of the way. And no more
play acting."
I wiggled from her grasp and hurried to catch up with the procession. I
had to be more careful. What would Redblood think if I got kicked out
for acting like a kid?
#
At the garage, I followed the procession through a series of dimly lit
tunnels until we stepped into the glare of light flooding a large cavern.
Across the cavern, blue sky marked where it broke out of the cliff edge.
To the left, more tunnels led back into the rock; to the right, a little
alcove overlooked the ledge.
While the crowd milled around in the center of the cavern floor, I
stayed in the tunnel hoping to keep out of sight. Then, thinking that the
alcove would be a better spot, I edged quietly around the cavern wall
towards it. But when I got there, I saw that someone else had the same
idea. A little girl hugged the shadows where she