High on Dahl Radam

Abstract

Although we had missed the stopover between Sema Rhublt and Dahl Radam, we were able to renew contact with Yendred nearly two hours before the freight balloon landed at the small station called Mkien Tarj, halfway up the gentle slope of Dahl Radam. We found Yendred in a state of earnest conversation with a fellow passenger and so contented ourselves for a time with a long look at the balloon, gondola, and occupants. This turned out to be a lucky thing for us: not three minutes into the contact, a strange creature flew directly under the balloon, traveling in the opposite direction. It was less than a meter long and looked for all the world like a snake! It puzzled us that a snake could fly until we realized that there was no reason why a snakelike creature shouldn’t fly in the atmosphere of Arde. It could not fall quickly because of the air trapped beneath its body. It could even make forward progress, flying in effect, by catching pockets of air in its curves and so undulating its way forward. We left the balloon and followed the snake for a short time, recording what we could of it until contact was threatened by our distance from Yendred.