Hickman mumbled to himself and wiggled his misshapen, calloused fingers as if he was trying to come up with a sum.“Uh… 300,000 Darams ought to cover any inconvenience I’ve suffered.”
“Oh, ya bollocks,” cursed Kai.
Kora scoffed. “We don’t have that kind of money.”
“No money?” Hickman said, confused by the concept.
A loud shriek emerged from the open back entrance to the foundry. Hickman gave her a wide grin. The gold in his mouth shimmered in the light of the blazing furnace to his right. “Well, I do love to gamble.”
“Ah, here we go,” said Kai tiredly.
Kora turned to Tarak, who stopped his work to listen with a silent intensity. He gave her a short nod.
“What’s the bet?” she said to Hickman.
His eyes moved toward the direction of the continued shrieks. Gunnar followed his gaze. When he saw the creature, his lips parted and his eyes went wide. “Holy hell. What the…”Just outside was a corral made of iron and wood. Three men tended to a magnificent creature of great stature, an oversized hybrid of bird and animal. He had an immediate tightening of fear in his belly, along with utter fascination. Part of him wanted to see it up close, and another part wanted to turn and run if they had to do anything with it. How could any human be a match for it or tame it? Its thick, muscular hind legs kicked up dirt while its clawed front legs attempted to scratch three ranch hands trying to take hold of it. Loud guttural cries escaped its black beak that could rip off the scalp of a man in one swipe. Its shiny feathers were the color of soot beneath an oily sheen. He could hear Hickman chuckle. Gunnar glanced around, hoping his face or body language didn’t betray his conflicting emotions. He pulled back and crossed his arms.
“See that creature out there? It’s called a Bennu.” Hickman said.
Kai chimed in, “How the hell did you even get one of those? This isn’t their home.”
“I won the creature in a game of chance on Samandrai. After a few shots of spirits, it seemed like a good idea because their loyalty is unmatched. They will kill for you. But the damn thing won’t let anyone near it. Even killed a man who tried to feed it. I said I would give it six more months then it would be slaughtered for meat and the feathers sold by the bushel.”
Kai nodded. “Who am I to judge?”
“If Tarak can break that creature out there, his debts are squared with me,” said Hickman, a little dejected as he stared at the creature.
“You get nothing for nothing in life. What are we putting up?” Kora asked.
“If he don’t ride him, you all get a chain and shackle. That’s the deal,” said Hickman.
Tarak no longer looked at Hickman or Kora. His gaze was fixed on the Bennu with confidence.
“Can you ride him?” asked Kora.
Without turning back, Tarak answered, “Yeah, I can ride him.” He swung his hammer in a wide arc, hitting the chain attached to the shackle on his ankle. It split in two with the softness of an overripe fruit. He looked at Hickman while kicking it off then walked out the back door toward the corral. He rolled his bare shoulders while flexing his back muscles. Without the shackles, he appeared taller and wider.
“Hehe. I have to see this,” chortled Hickman as he followed behind Tarak. Kora and Gunnar joined him at the edge of the corral. Hickman nudged Kora then spit in the dirt. “Not sure about this. With his history, he runs given the chance. Let his own people die at the hands of the Realm. Some men you just can’t trust.”
Tarak entered the corral with the ranch hands still struggling to control the Bennu without losing their lives. It pecked its pointed beak toward them with fury in its eyes. “Drop your leads.”
One of the hands shook his head toward Tarak while gritting his teeth. “She’ll tear you apart.”
“Drop your leads and clear out. Now.”
The creature stood on its hind legs and let out a half-squawk and roar. The three ranch hands nearly toppled over one another. “Suit yourself!” shouted one of them as he let go of the leads and ran to the entrance to the corral. The other two looked back and didn’t waste time sticking around. They dashed away at the same speed. The Bennu fell back to all fours as it studied Tarak. He held out a steady hand and made eye contact with the Bennu. Its yellow eyes shimmered beneath the blazing sun. He kneeled in front of the creature and bowed his head. When it approached close enough for their heads to just touch, he spoke to the creature in his native tongue.
“Shhhh. I’m not going to hurt you. You’re far from home and so am I.”
The Bennu listened without attacking. “You and I, we’re alike. We’ve been hurt, betrayed, our trust has been broken.” When he stood before her, he stroked her thick feathers that turned to a softer down toward the end of her torso. The Bennu rolled her head at his touch. She stood easily quite a few feet taller than him, with broad shoulders that appeared even larger up close. Tarak rested his head against her chest and synced his breathing to hers. He closed his eyes. “We both know fear. Yet, the biggest fear we both face is the fear of ourselves. Let’s show them we’re not afraid. Let’s show them we’re more than the shackles that bind us.”
“Well, I’ll be…” whispered Hickman to Kora.
Kai slapped him on the arm with the back of his hand. “Looks like you might lose this game of chance.”
Hickman shrugged. “Either way I win. Once it has been mounted a single time, I can do it again. And it will know it can be conquered. I’ll be its master.”
Without prompting, the Bennu bent its front legs and bowed its head. Tarak leaned against its ear. “Thank you. Let us show them who we really are without fear.”
Confidently but with care, Tarak grabbed the rope the ranchers had left behind and lassoed the beak before moving onto the Bennu’s back. He climbed on, patted its neck, and it leapt into the sky. The Bennu shrieked as it circled and dived around the corral. Tarak leaned into its neck. It flew straight for a tunnel of lethal sand spires. Tarak and the Bennu whizzed through. Its giant body soared through the air with ease, but it resisted Tarak’s guidance. The Bennu bucked and bashed against stone cliffs. Tarak continued to hold on until it tossed him off onto a rocky outcropping. Tarak rolled, then jumped to his feet to run at speed to catch the creature. With perfect timing, he jumped from the outcropping back onto the Bennu’s back. This time, instead of fighting, they were flying. The Bennu continued back toward the corral then dived deeply toward the onlookers. They all crouched to the ground except Kora. She looked up and smiled as the rush of wind from its flight blew her hair into her face. She raised one hand to feel its feathers.
Tarak sat upright again and the Bennu circled slowly until it landed back in the corral. He gave her one last pat before climbing off. Hickman stood and clapped. He entered the corral. “Well done!”
Tarak stood before him. “Hickman, I’ve done as you asked.”
Hickman couldn’t contain his eagerness to touch the Bennu. His eyes were fixed on her. “Your debt is square with me.”
Tarak bowed his head. “Be good to her.”
Hickman stepped away before Tarak could finish this sentence. He motioned with an impatient wave for the ranch hands to enter the corral with him. Tarak stopped before walking through the ironworks toward the freighter. Kora looked back at him watching Hickman have the ranch hands assist him mounting the Bennu. He kicked his legs into her ribs and tugged on her feathers. “You’re mine now. Go.” It launched into the sky with rocket speed and bucked with its full wingspan on display. The sharp motion threw an unsuspecting Hickman to the ground. “Whoa! Whoa!” he screamed as he coughed blood, lying on his back. The Bennu dived from the air and landed on his chest. Her talons embedded in the meat of Hickman and probed deeper as she pecked at his skull and face until it was a bloody pulp. Meat stretched and tore as her powerful beak consumed him. The ranch hands ran past the feasting Bennu, back into the ironworks. Tarak continued to watch the Bennu with its kill. It turned to him, giving him a knowing look, then bolted back into the sky and out of sight with Hickman’s body in its talons.
“That a girl,” Tarak said.
“How did you do that?”
He smirked. “They are indigenous to my world. I grew up with them my whole life and my first love traded in their feathers once they died.”
