48

Dive Bombed

Nick and Lottica charged, too. Towards the hilltop where the piercing cry had set their hearts pumping. Concerned about their grandfather’s well being, they sprinted up the path and emerged from the wooded thicket into a steep little meadow where they were surprised by three sheep. The grazing sheep silently raised their curious heads as the two children burst upon them.

The wind blew much brisker out of the protection of the trees, and Lottica shivered again. Suddenly, a swift, screeching shadow passed over the sheep, which made them bleat excitedly. Nick and Lottica instinctively ducked.

"What is it?" Lottica asked trying to catch her breath.

“No clue,” Nick answered, his eyes darting around them.

They remained crouched as the screeching black thing passed close by again. Then they heard a scolding voice begin a tirade in Lebreiman. It was their grandfather's voice echoing high above them.

Nick and Lottica moved further out into the meadow where they could see above the trees. Lottica‘s skin tingled again, but not in fear or because of a chill. She experienced a tremor of excitement. Her grandfather stood on the flat roof of an old stone building, beyond which rose a silver-domed tower. A narrow spiral staircase led from the rooftop around the tower to a heavy wooden door near the top. It was the dome that made Lottica tremble. It was clearly an observatory.

She reluctantly drew her attention back to her grandfather who was admonishing, in a playful way, a tall angular man who had his arms raised as if reaching up for the rungs of an imaginary ladder. The tall man gazed into the sky, and Lottica followed his gaze. She sighted a small black shape high in the sky. It zipped gracefully against the deep blue. With a swift motion, the tall man next to her grandfather brought his arms down and the small black shape dove with a shrill, wind-rending rip right towards her.

With a yelp, Lottica dove into the grass as the dark shape sped past. "Look out!" she yelled to her brother, but Nick remained standing with his eyes fixed on the tall figure next to their grandfather.

"It's a kite, Lottie."

Her peripheral vision finally picked up the dark shape rising once more. She watched as the tall man's hands moved deftly and the kite responded. She felt a little foolish. Then she remembered the observatory.

"Nick, did you see the tower? It's got…”

Before she could finish, their grandfather called down for them to come up and join him. Lottica was on her feet darting up the path before Nick knew it. The path led to a small courtyard. On the east side was a grey and weathered door that stood ajar. On the west side was a weathered wooden staircase that led onto the roof. Lottica bounded up the stairs and was met by her grandfather.

She was beaming. "Bopei, this is the coolest."

In a moment, Nick clambered up and joined them. "Wow!" he exclaimed, admiring the view of Krestia below and the rolling hills spreading out to the west. Beyond, steeper peaks thrust up like jagged black teeth capped white with the first dustings of snow.

"Yes. Is beautiful," Grandfather Breima acknowledged. “I must introduce." He turned to the tall man who was winding the nearly invisible lines of his kite. "Nick and Lottica, this is le Heidein."

The tall man reeled in the last of his lines and the dark kite that had spooked Lottica and Nick, and the three sheep, in the meadow. The triangular kite was meticulously painted. In each of the three corners blazed a gemstone: one red, one blue, one white. And up close, the siblings easily recognized the familiar form painted on the kite: piercing crystal eyes, sharply hooked beak, powerful talons.

The tall owner of the kite bowed to them. "Call me Hawk."