Unbound
by Bernadette Gardner
Jaran stepped back, but his feral gaze told Lara he wasn't finished with her. "You've already been paired, Odan. Go away."
"I'd like nothing better than to go to my aerie and be with Jehri, but I had to stop here and speak to Lara first."
Lara transferred her gaze to Odan and fought to overcome the sudden rush of mating hormones her symbion had produced in response to Jaran's brief kiss.
"I've made a list of tasks that previous co-leaders have accomplished. I thought you might want to look it over."
Lara crossed the room, eager to see the paper Odan produced from the messenger pouch he wore, but Jaran intervened.
"These tasks won't be necessary."
"They might." The joviality drained from Odan's voice.
"The committee plans to vote in ten days."
Lara pushed Jaran's hand away and took the paper Odan had written on. "Why so long? Why don't they just get on with it?"
"Because someone argued that you should be given an opportunity to prove your worth."
"You?" Lara gave Odan a half smile.
"Me. And Daralei. There are others who haven't yet made up their minds, but the opposition is growing."
"This is nonsense." Jaran blustered, and his wings twitched.
Lara scanned the page. For centuries Icarian females had endured great risks to prove themselves worthy of being chosen by Icarian tribal leaders. Even Namara had proven her 98
Icarus Unbound
by Bernadette Gardner
worth when she'd rescued Jidar's ailing grandmother from a storm-swept aerie. With no storms brewing on the horizon, and no elderly Icarians trapped on distant islands, Lara had little chance of pulling off that feat.
The other tasks seemed outrageously dangerous or difficult. "Hand raising an orphaned symbion ... I could do that if there was one available," she said. "But it would take a lot longer than ten days. Aiding in a difficult birth ...
considering there won't be any Icarian births for nearly a year, that one's out. I could string fishing nets in the Minarian Strait, or place daily offerings in the northern temple for a year ... if I had a year."
Jaran grumbled. "Odan, this is ridiculous. Some of those tasks were performed hundreds of years ago and would be totally unnecessary today. Lara is a scientist. She has much more to offer than stringing fishing nets."
"It's about posturing, Jaran. It's about a dedication to our culture, not modern accomplishments. Half of the people of our generation are scientists, inventors and teachers. Lara needs to do something that will set her apart from everyone else."
"Here's one," Lara showed the list to Odan. "Retrieve a black egg from a symbion nest. Why would that be—"
Jaran grabbed the paper from her hand and crumpled it.
"Collecting oddities is no more worthy than working to increase our food supply, and Lara has done that since she received her degree."
Odan gestured with a wing tip. "Listen to what I'm saying, Jaran. It's about traditions."
99
Icarus Unbound
by Bernadette Gardner
"I've never seen a black symbion egg," Lara mused. "I've never even heard of one." Her mind whirled. Kiala might be a source of information. Her friend monitored symbion breeding grounds. If any of the birds had produced a black egg recently, Kiala might know.
"The black eggs are very rare. They're unfertilized and they never hatch. They harden to stone, but many symbions protect them anyway, sometimes for years. Generations ago, so my mother told me, the black eggs symbolized eternity because they could not break or rot. Given as a gift to the Icarian leader, they represented a wish for him to live forever."
"What happened to the egg when the leader finally did die?"
"It was cast into the ocean along with his body. That's why you've never seen one," Odan said.
Jaran had walked away and was glaring out the nearest window, his wings partially spread, signifying his agitation.
"Legends will not help us, Odan."
"This is the only task on the list that I might be able to accomplish," Lara
by Bernadette Gardner
Jaran stepped back, but his feral gaze told Lara he wasn't finished with her. "You've already been paired, Odan. Go away."
"I'd like nothing better than to go to my aerie and be with Jehri, but I had to stop here and speak to Lara first."
Lara transferred her gaze to Odan and fought to overcome the sudden rush of mating hormones her symbion had produced in response to Jaran's brief kiss.
"I've made a list of tasks that previous co-leaders have accomplished. I thought you might want to look it over."
Lara crossed the room, eager to see the paper Odan produced from the messenger pouch he wore, but Jaran intervened.
"These tasks won't be necessary."
"They might." The joviality drained from Odan's voice.
"The committee plans to vote in ten days."
Lara pushed Jaran's hand away and took the paper Odan had written on. "Why so long? Why don't they just get on with it?"
"Because someone argued that you should be given an opportunity to prove your worth."
"You?" Lara gave Odan a half smile.
"Me. And Daralei. There are others who haven't yet made up their minds, but the opposition is growing."
"This is nonsense." Jaran blustered, and his wings twitched.
Lara scanned the page. For centuries Icarian females had endured great risks to prove themselves worthy of being chosen by Icarian tribal leaders. Even Namara had proven her 98
Icarus Unbound
by Bernadette Gardner
worth when she'd rescued Jidar's ailing grandmother from a storm-swept aerie. With no storms brewing on the horizon, and no elderly Icarians trapped on distant islands, Lara had little chance of pulling off that feat.
The other tasks seemed outrageously dangerous or difficult. "Hand raising an orphaned symbion ... I could do that if there was one available," she said. "But it would take a lot longer than ten days. Aiding in a difficult birth ...
considering there won't be any Icarian births for nearly a year, that one's out. I could string fishing nets in the Minarian Strait, or place daily offerings in the northern temple for a year ... if I had a year."
Jaran grumbled. "Odan, this is ridiculous. Some of those tasks were performed hundreds of years ago and would be totally unnecessary today. Lara is a scientist. She has much more to offer than stringing fishing nets."
"It's about posturing, Jaran. It's about a dedication to our culture, not modern accomplishments. Half of the people of our generation are scientists, inventors and teachers. Lara needs to do something that will set her apart from everyone else."
"Here's one," Lara showed the list to Odan. "Retrieve a black egg from a symbion nest. Why would that be—"
Jaran grabbed the paper from her hand and crumpled it.
"Collecting oddities is no more worthy than working to increase our food supply, and Lara has done that since she received her degree."
Odan gestured with a wing tip. "Listen to what I'm saying, Jaran. It's about traditions."
99
Icarus Unbound
by Bernadette Gardner
"I've never seen a black symbion egg," Lara mused. "I've never even heard of one." Her mind whirled. Kiala might be a source of information. Her friend monitored symbion breeding grounds. If any of the birds had produced a black egg recently, Kiala might know.
"The black eggs are very rare. They're unfertilized and they never hatch. They harden to stone, but many symbions protect them anyway, sometimes for years. Generations ago, so my mother told me, the black eggs symbolized eternity because they could not break or rot. Given as a gift to the Icarian leader, they represented a wish for him to live forever."
"What happened to the egg when the leader finally did die?"
"It was cast into the ocean along with his body. That's why you've never seen one," Odan said.
Jaran had walked away and was glaring out the nearest window, his wings partially spread, signifying his agitation.
"Legends will not help us, Odan."
"This is the only task on the list that I might be able to accomplish," Lara
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