Chapter 1

The Fontail Chasm ran along the northern edge of the Fontail Desert. The chasm ran along the land in a straight path for as far as the eye could see. The shelf had been created long ago, long before any record existed. The chasm was several hundred feet deep, leading down a nearly vertical cliff. Something about the cliff seemed unnatural.

The area, as if not already odd enough, split the land into two distinct areas. The Fontail desert was a dry and dusty place. Miles upon miles of giant sand dunes ran south of the chasm. A few settlements were scattered where water had bubbled from the ground, but from the most part the land was uninhabitable. The only remarkable feature of the entire desert was the city of Takait.

The upper cliffside was the complete opposite. Lush tropical forests practically fell off the top of the chasm's edge. Water was plentiful upon the northern face, as was life throughout the jungle. In fact, in one defined spot the water had created a giant waterfall. The waterfall was by far the biggest in the land, easily a furlong in width. The name given to this wonder was the Great Vein. Its mighty currents fell of the top of the chasm in giant sheets. The falls came crashing down into the base of the chasm, forming a wide river that traced the border between the two odd worlds.

It was nearly impossible for man to ascend the cliffs by natural or assisted means. The height at which he may have to climb was far too steep. Since he was unable to climb its face, the engineers of his race had come up with a solution.

The Fontail Elevator rose up and down the entire height of the Great Vein. Using his mastery of metal, man had a century ago created a large pulley system from which to ascend the chasm.

Huge gears at both the top and bottom of the chasm had been put on iron spindles. Pairs of them, spaced apart had been erected and solidly secured to the earthen rock.

From these gears stretched individual chain links made from wrought steel. Each link was the size of two grown men. Several hundred of these links connected the elevator's gears.

Upon the chains, a single elevator platform had been installed. Made from thick timbers cut from the forest above, its flat surface spanned the width between the twin chains. In the four corners of the house-sized platform lay hooks which locked the platform into place. At its maximum, the platform could carry around fifty individuals if they were all to pack together. Although the platform would slightly sway in the wind, it was definitely sturdy and the ride up on it was fairly pleasant.

For the safety of its passengers, an intricate gearbox system had been developed to start and stop the elevator with little trouble. The system could be locked into place at a moments notice, and it could actually be used to gradually speed up the platforms as their ascended. In addition, the entire motion of the elevator could be reversed when the platform either reached the top or the bottom.

And what powered this incredible man-made structure? Why the Great Vein itself.

Sitting beside the gearbox system at the base of the elevator was a large set of stone paddle wheels. Carved from the very walls of the chasm, they were connected to the great Fontail elevator. The tremendous force of the fall's waters easily turned their massive forms, giving life to the elevator. Through a series of pins and locks, the paddles could be disconnected and reconnected to the lift within several minutes. While its system was not as precise as the elevator's controls, it still was a tremendous marvel of human ingenuity.

The Fontail Elevator could lift passengers and their cargo up to twenty times a day, including both trips up to the forest and trips down to the desert. Because of this, its use was somewhat costly but not terribly expensive. It was a matter of slots being available, rather than the expense of its operation. The lift had been built at least a century ago, and the only cost of running the lift was its staffing and the occasional maintenance.

Caravans and traveling parties would often use the lift to climb the mighty chasm. Cattle were a common bit of cargo, as the best grazing lands lay on the upper cliff. In addition, the populace from Takait would need to travel from their desert city to the larger cities up above.

It was for this reason that Marissa was going to get her chance to ride the great Fontail Elevator yet again.

Marissa had ridden on the wondrous lift before: once when she was just shy of five years old, and again just recently six months later. Although she had only ridden it twice she had visited it many times, far more than she could count.

As it turned out, Marissa's father Graham worked as one of the staff members at the elevator. His duties at the site were for security and passenger safety. Should matters get out of hand, say a loose calf panicking to get on the lift, then he would come to assist. Years spent wrangling cattle and keeping the peace had hardened the man to the point where it seemed he could climb the cliff face itself. Graham's station was located at the base of the elevator near the conductor's controls.

Graham could see his little girl coming up the desert path. He was so surprised at how fast she was growing. Her dark black hair trailed down her back just like the waters of the Great Vein. She was wearing a light blue dress, almost a gown, and it fluttered in the wind. He could see her brown eyes connect with his and then saw her smile. Graham began to grin as she skipped up to see him. Tiny little footprints imprinted in the sand from the little girl's sandals.

Following behind Marissa was her mother, Sicily. Sicily, just like her daughter, had long black hair. Instead of letting is flow loose, a large ponytail had been fastened at the back of her head with some ribbon. She wore a simple tunic and looked to be traveling light for today's trip. Just like little Marissa, she continued up the path to meet her husband Graham.

"It is surely nice to see the both of you this afternoon. A bit early I see?" said Graham.

"Yes, yes. And why do you think we are 'a bit early' dear?" replied his wife.

"To see you daddy!" chirped Marissa. She hugged her father tight.

"Ah, I was hoping as much. It is certainly great to see the both of you," Graham paused. "Are you glad to riding the great Fontail elevator today, lil Marissa?"

"Of course daddy. Are you going to be coming up with us today?" she asked in an inquisitive voice.

"Not today I'm afraid. We had several caravans riding today and I have to keep my eye out to make sure all is well."

Marissa pouted.

"Now please don't pout Marissa, your father has his responsibility and we have ours. We have to make it to Thatcher before the sun sets. We need to make sure we get the supplies the horse master requested."

Marissa still wasn't pleased, but nodded anyway. She hadn't seen her father in two weeks. He often had to spend long stints manning his post at the elevator. Only occasionally was he able to spend any real amount of time at their home.

"I brought you a present daddy."

From a little purse she kept tied to her waste, she plucked a tuft of feathers tied with a bow. She handed it to her father.

"Now what is this? Whatever could this be?" Graham continued to speak dramatically, "Is it magic?"

"Well no, but my friends have told me it's lucky. There are seven tweiler feathers and two… two?" Marissa's statement turned into a question.

"Those are two vhan feathers, Marissa," her mother answered.

"Seven tweiler feathers and two vhan feathers. Also there is a single blade of green grass in the middle. Do you like it?"

"Do I like it? Of course I do, it's because you made it. And it is very pretty."

"Yeah, I like the little green feathers the best. Really pretty."

Graham took the bit of feathers from his palm and tied them to his coat pocket. Marissa let out a small giggle of glee.

"Here my dear," Sicily handed her husband a cloth sack. "Miscellaneous treats and foodstuffs. I know how much you miss the food at home."

"And that I do, but nowhere as much as I miss the two of you."

The three of them held together in an embrace, with little Marissa hugging the tightest.

Continue reading onto Chapter 2