One of my favorite ideas I've had for this universe is introduced in this chapter. As well as a few other hints and whatnot.
2
In Which Discomfort Occurs
The canyonlands stretched for miles and miles, and were a hassle to cross. They were a maze, to put it simply, and were subject to unforgiving heat and sun. To the west, however, was an unforgiving desert. To the east, somewhere Kalinka put her best effort into avoiding.
Fortunately, the vast crevices and towering walls were not uninhabited; once could find easier passage if they knew where to look.
The wind caught and played with Kalinka's hair, and stung her eyes. She kept a tight grip on the waist of the woman in front of her, and did her best to avoid looking down. Gliding easily through the air, the Roc took a wide, sweeping arc to catch a thermal. The woman leveled the animal off and pointed at a structure below them.
"You see that? The statue?"
Kalinka swallowed, and leaned over slightly so she could see down. Carved into a wide rocky spire was a well-endowed woman with her hands spread, seemingly deep in meditation. It had been worn and smoothed over by time and wind, but the features were still recognizable. She gulped and mumbled her affirmation. It was interesting, but she was too queasy to inspect further.
"She's called the Goddess of the Sand," the pilot explained. "This whole area used to be desert, apparently. Legend says the Three cleft the land into pieces to punish its people for committing a great evil. But the Sand Goddess took pity, and sent the Rocs to allow us to travel freely. This though… look at it! Don't you think it's far better than a desert? Some punishment that turned out to be…"
While the landscape was indeed beautiful (especially at sunset, which was fast approaching) Kalinka was too busy attempting to quell her unsettled stomach to pay much attention. She needed a way to take her mind off the thought of falling.
"Who carved the statue?" She asked. Don't hurl, don't hurl, don't hurl…
"Who knows?" The woman replied. She teased her bright red braid thoughtfully in one hand. "There's a whole temple in there where the tribes gather once a year. The architecture's beautiful, and there's yet another statue inside. Though it's not as big and impressive." She yawned. "The birds like to rest on it—maybe the Goddess herself built the place."
How long until we land? The voice complained, I feel… it abruptly stopped talking as they suddenly dropped several feet.
We're in the same boat, Kalinka grumbled, Deal with it. You're stuck with me. She shifted the shoulder where Shadow hung. They had been flying for nearly the whole day, and with any luck, she could put the canyons behind her by that evening. Her guide was friendly and talkative, and flew steadily enough, but parts of the experience were… undesirable. Being attacked by a mob of crows was not something anyone wanted to go through twice. Or once. Or at all, ever.
Just then, another one flapped noisily toward them and gave a loud caw.
"We must be going over nests!" The guide said cheerfully, "That's why they keep following us!"
Kalinka groaned, and readied her sling. By the Three, this had better be the last time...