Mortal

Chapter 15

I climb onto my roof, where Skylight is waiting.

"Climb onto my back. C'mon," says Skylight.

I climb onto Skylight's back. She runs toward the edge of the roof, and jumps off. Then, she takes to the air.

The last time I flew with Skylight, I was terrified of heights. Now, I don't want to be anywhere but here.
We fly over Sky Haven. The night sky is beautiful. There are a million stars, and the moon takes on a crescent shape.

The wind in my hair feels amazing, too. It's a warm autumn night.

"This is amazing," I say.

"I don't usually have a passenger," laughs Skylight.

We fly higher, and higher. The ground becomes smaller and smaller the higher we go. I wonder if we'll ever reach the clouds.

We fly over a lake.

"You wanna go really fast?" asks Skylight.

"Yeah," I say.

She dives. I have a feeling we're going much faster than any car I've ever been in.

We zoom like a bullet through the city. A few people see us and gasp.

"YEEEEAAAAAH!" I shout.

Skylight squawks out of joy.

The air is whistling past us. I wonder what we must look like from the ground. Do we look like a blur?

We fly across a lake. I can see the ducks looking at us. How many birds can fly as fast as Skylight?

At the shore of the lake, we finally land. I get off.

"That was amazing. I can't believe the military rejected you. You have to be one of the fastest hippogriffs I've ever seen," I say.

"It was my temperament and size. I was too small to be ridden by a deity. I also didn't let anyone on my back. Actually, I haven't even been broken in yet," says Skylight.

"People treat animals the same way gods treat mortals," I realize.

"Finally. A human who realizes," says Skylight.

"This is why I get along so well with animals. They understand how I feel. They know what it's like to be pushed around the way that I have," I say.

"I can't say I've ever had a human try to relate to me, Shadow. But I have to say. I've never met a human like you," says Skylight.

"Really? Am I really that different from everyone?" I ask.

"It would seem. You are an exception. You see the world in a way that nobody else does. That's good, even though it may seem very lonely," says Skylight.

"I wish there could be another human like me," I say.

"There might be, but you don't need that. Not every human is good, and not every non-human is stupid. Not all gods are brilliant. In the end, we are all mostly the same. We are alive. Some of us have a time limit, some of us don't. All that matters is how we change the world," says Skylight.

"You sound like a philosopher," I say.

"My other stable-mates in the military always told me to shut up," says Skylight.

"I don't want you to shut up. I like hearing philosophical things," I say.

"Good. Not everyone does. You'll be very wise one day, Shadow. Don't give up. The people who have been through the most will have the most wisdom," says Skylight.