Chapter 37: Chapter THIRTY SEVEN

Tishuan was a tall man in his fifties with black skin and white hair and a greyish beard. He was broad-shouldered and muscular, clearly built for power. It was necessary to take care of the most recalcitrant wyverns. He had a few scars here and there, including one on his cheek, an old cut just below his eye, and another on his right arm that looked more like a dagger wound. Or something inflicted by a very sharp claw that had dug deep into his skin.

He carried in his hands a wide saddle capable of accommodating two people, which looked like a classic riding saddle except that it had a small backrest to prevent falling backward, two pairs of stirrups, and a metal bar in the front to hold on to. A fact that reinforced Mia's anxiety at the idea of ​​being in the air. Flying with modern means such as an airplane was one thing, and she tended to trust human aerial technology instead, but depending on an animal that could knock you over the edge if it wasn't happy was harder to accept without fear.

"Taure flew in the early afternoon, she'll be calm, you don't have to worry about it," he said, addressing the blonde after noticing that she was nervous.

She nodded as the only response, barely reassured by his confident words. It wasn't that she didn't believe in his years of experience, but the concept of falling made her feel particularly uncomfortable since she had fallen from the top of Eva's terrace. It was hard not to suffer from vertigo with a tumble of several meters in mind, even if she hadn't died from it.

The couple watched as Tishuan clicked his tongue against his palate, making precise gestures to direct the wyvern to stand beside him and lower her torso. From there, he harnessed the saddle to her and then gave her a quick shake to check that it was well attached. The wyvern nevertheless remained in this position, patiently waiting for her travelers to take their place on her back.

"The important thing is to let your body accompany the movements. If you are tense, you will hinder her flight. Let her lead, she knows how to choose her flight paths better than you. For this time, you will not leave the airspace of the city, and tonight you will only have to let her follow the other wyverns. It is above all a question of being comfortable enough in the saddle so that tonight's flight goes smoothly, as much for Taure as for you."

The man then invited them to get on the saddle. Ethan didn't hesitate and stepped over the animal to sit down, slipping his feet into the stirrups and bracing himself against the backrest so as not to fall, the wyvern not being completely horizontal. He held out his hand to Mia with a smile, and she accepted it, placing hers in his palm for him to help her up. The creature was low enough that the operation was not complicated, despite her small size.

Taure was relatively calm and didn't move an inch until the animal keeper clapped his hands to give her the go-ahead. Immediately, she galloped towards the edges of the cliff, forcing Mia to cling to the metal bar, her fingers turning white from the pressure she exerted to cling to it as if her life depended on it. Ethan had wrapped his arms around her shoulders to grip the bar himself, creating a protective cage around her. It was only because she could feel the Vila's chest against her back and he surrounded her reassuringly that she didn't scream in fear when the wyvern leaped into the void to take flight. She couldn't help but close her eyes, however, to spare her limbs the distinctive tingles of vertigo.

"Open your eyes, you're missing a hell of a sight," Ethan advised her, his voice hinting at the enthusiasm he felt.

Timidly, she obeyed him feeling that the flight was stable and that she held perfectly on the saddle without risk of falling. Her fingers around the bar relaxed slightly, and her body relaxed when her gaze finally registered the panorama before her. From this height, the sun was bright and it was better not to look up, but the view from above was incredible. She could see the whole mountainous desert that surrounded the city, as well as the entire city, the contours of the river and the surrounding cliffs, and even the birth of a forest in the distance, and a huge lake on the opposite side.

"Wow," she exclaimed, grinning ear to ear, adrenaline winning the battle over her fear. "I have to admit, it's pretty cool!"

The wyvern flew in circles around the Heart, without sketching a single sudden movement that could surprise them, which considerably reassured Mia. She even allowed herself to remove a hand from the metal bar to place it at the level of her eyebrows to protect her eyes from the aggressive luminosity. She felt like she was being gently cradled on the creature's back, and to feel the warm wind, almost cool at this altitude, on her face was incredibly invigorating.

Tishuan let them fly like this for a quarter of an hour, after which he called Taure back, whistling simply. The animal descended gently, without diving, then landed quietly on her four legs. The landing was certainly more hectic than the flight, but Mia almost managed to enjoy the thrills of it now that she was reassured by the exercise.

"So, how was your first flight?" he asked the blonde with a big smile.

"I'm almost looking forward to tonight to fly again," she replied with the same enthusiasm. "That'll probably be the only fun part."

"Two hours for a first trip is relatively long, I'm afraid your body will not agree when you arrive," he informed her, laughing. "Take advantage of being still on the ground, for now, you have less than two and a half hours before departure."

The young couple followed the man's advice by returning to the great hall of the HQ and settling comfortably on the few armchairs arranged in the corners of the room. Hardly anyone paid attention to them here; everyone was too busy with recent events. They didn't even know where they were supposed to join the others for the start, although they suspected it was at the top of the cliff.

It's starting to feel like the longest two hours of my life, she complained to herself as she sank completely into the plush back of the chair.

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