A Whisper of Wings Read Online Free PDF Page A

of the thrower’s arm.
    *) Chaki-Zho: Literally “Honoured folk”. The upper strata of clan society. The Kashranii nobility are distinguished from commoners by their brightly coloured wings.
    ***) Zha: “Revered”, the suffix reserved for a clan chief or a tribal king.
    By donning a mask, a dancer in effect becomes a housing for the Ka of the depicted deity. Nakedness is connected with the assumption of deific power - a deliberate abandonment of mere worldly things.
    ***) Skreg: Any unidentifiable gluey mass found adhering to the sole of a foot or mocassin.
     

Chapter Two
     
    Once upon a time, there had been an age of Poison.
    The earth had long been sore abused; the trees were thin and sickly, slowly dying from the toxins in the soil, and the seas and rivers flowed thick as pus across a tortured world.
    The Wind had been seduced. He had taken the poison spirit as his lover - Our Lady of the Withering Hand. She was beautiful, and she was wanton. The evil spirit laughed and rolled in the destruction she had wrought, while the Wind lay trapped within her spell, shivering beneath the ecstasy of Poison’s touch.
    The Rain wept, her heart torn by unrequited love. Without the Wind, her powers dulled, for no one came to bear her up into the skies. Rain languished on the ground and wept, trying to forget the love they once had shared. Finally the pain proved too much for Rain to bear, and so she burrowed into hiding far beneath the ground.
    On the world above, the reign of Lady Poison raged unchecked. The forests dried and withered, and the few remaining creatures wandered lost within a haze of pain. Still the Wind sighed and whimpered in his lover’s arms, blind to the destruction he had helped to cause.
    The animals finally raised up a wail of hopeless terror, their voices joined by a thousand Ka who still clung loyally to the earth. Their cry pierced the darkness where the Rain sat and shed her tears.
    A world died, while far above it all Poison squealed for joy; Rain felt a terrible anger growing in her heart.
    Deep inside the darkness, a strange light bloomed. The Fire spirit coiled hissing in the deeps, a thousand wicked plots glittering in its eyes. The creature stealthily crept closer to the Rain.
    “Oh Rain, I have brought you a gift to serve your anger. Take it! Reach out and hold the precious thing I offer.”
    Rain stretched out a trembling hand. Fire’s gift seemed to sigh and sing like a hungry animal crooning out for blood.
    “Lord Fire, I fear to touch it! What will it do to me?”
    “Why everything and nothing. It is only a tool; you will make of it whatever you wish. Only remember this; once your hand has touched it, the gift will never leave you. No matter how much you pretend, no matter how deep or far you hide it, the gift shall always be there when you secretly desire.”
    Mother Rain suddenly reached out to snatch the gift. The Fire Spirit hissed in glee, then scuttled back into the gloom. The Rain held aloft the shining gift and felt her mind spin bright and new.
    “Wait! Fire, what is this gift called? What have you given to me?”
    “I call it blade…”
    “How shall I pay you? What do you desire from the Rain?”
    The Fire only hissed and faded back into the dark.
    Rain felt her spirits soar. She sped up from the darkness with stars streaming from her tail, finally seeking to do battle with her enemy.
    Lady Poison had news of her coming, and as Rain stared at the withered world, her rival screamed into the attack. The two mighty Ka battled one against the other for the love of Father Wind. Clouds burned and earth trembled - wild energies boiled the waters of the rivers. Hour after hour the combat raged; piece by piece the Rain began to weaken, driven to despair by Poison’s strength.
    Finally the Rain was almost spent. Poison lunged in for the kill, but she had not counted on the strength of love. The Wind shouted out in fear, finally seeing how he had been deceived. He hurtled his power