by S. W. Gunn
Feligrin laughed, which elicited a giggle from Elyse.
He said, “That sounds like a pretty good reason to me.”
Jarron nodded. He had not noticed before but as he looked at Elyse he realized that she was wearing some of his clothing. Specifically she was wearing one of his light blue dress tunics and a pair of black trousers. They did not fit her very well but he suspected it was better than that robe that she had on before. Their eyes met again as he was examining her.
“Jarron!” Feligrin yelled.
He jumped slightly and asked, “Yes?”
“You’re staring at Elyse again.”
Sullenly Jarron asked, “I was?”
“Yes.” Feligrin replied with a nod.
Deeply embarrassed Jarron stated, “I didn’t realize it.”
He could feel the heat of a blush on his face as he quickly started to turn away from her and back to the control panel of the ship.
“Jarron.” Elyse said.
“Yes.” He replied as he stopped turning his chair and looked back at her.
“Don’t feel bad. There is some sort of weird bond between us. I can feel it and I’m sure you can too. My guess is that the men who kidnapped me knew about it too and planned something very bad. We need to get to Father Lapella because he’ll know what to do.” She told him.
“Well first we’re going to a cousin of Hain’s. He’ll hide us until we can come up with a plan.”
Her voice sounded pensive as she stated, “I really need to get back to Cantua, although I’m deeply worried that I might cause trouble for them if I go back.”
Feligrin said, “You can stay with us while we figure this out. We have an extra room on the Keg. We just need to convince Hain, which might be tough because he seemed very upset about the whole thing in general. Though I suspect he was madder about not being paid.”
Elyse nodded at him. Jarron thought that her skin almost seemed to shimmer from the light reflecting into the cockpit from the stars racing by. He found himself once again entranced. It was seemed as if she sensed that his eyes were on her because she turned away from Feligrin to look at him. Their eyes immediately locked into a deep stare.
After a while Feligrin called out, “Guys! Hello! Brumkin still in the room!”
They both startled from his words. She blushed heavily, rose from her chair, and hurriedly ran out of the cockpit. As soon as she left the cockpit Jarron felt a twinge of guilt and sorrow from immediately missing her. He was starting to believe that he was going insane. After all, he had just met her but between her presence and all of the mumbo jumbo about the Gift, he found himself very confused. It was all messing with his head. Slowly, he turned back towards the controls of the ship. The nav computer beeped to let them know they would be reaching their destination soon. Jarron reached to the comm unit and pushed the activation button for a ship-wide announcement.
“Attention, this is your captain speaking. We are about to leave the fold, please secure yourselves and prepare for our upcoming landing. Thank you for flying Air Jarron.”
Feligrin laughed at his words.
The comm buzzed and Hain’s voice said, “Lad ya wise arse, make sure to let ‘em know that we need to talk to my cousin Dalain. He can hide us til we figure out what we’re dealin’ with. I’m gonna buckle down here.”
Jarron pushed the comm button and said, “Will do.”
He could sense Elyse as she approached the cockpit. As she entered, he felt a sudden and overwhelming sense of relief. A wide smile crossed his face and he did not know why.
Feligrin stood up from his seat next to Jarron and patted it softly before saying, “Elyse sit here.”
Jarron glanced over at him and saw a wicked grin on his face. It dawned on Jarron that Feligrin had decided to take up tormenting him as well. It took every bit of his strength to keep from looking at her as she sat down next to him. He could feel her eyes on him as he continued to stare forward.
Chapter 4
The ship rocked slightly as it leapt into normal space. The planet Kala-al-Drakal came into view, it was a light blue orb with several splotches of green.
The comm came to live, “Attention unknown ship, identify yourself an your purpose.”
Pushing the comm button Jarron replied, “This is the Keg, we are here to visit a relative named Dalain Stonefist. This ship is registered to his cousin, Hain Stonefist, who is aboard. Could we be patched into his comm channel please?”
There was a moment of pause before the comm crackled again, “Confirmed, patching the channel to Dalain Stonefist.”
The comm crackled and popped loudly for a bit and then the gruff voice of Dalain came through the comm, “This is Dalain Stonefist, Whaddya what?”
Jarron chuckled at Dalain’s usual ‘pleasant’ demeanor. He made Hain seem like rainbows and sunshine.
Pushing the comm button he answered, “Dalain, this is Jarron, we need a place to hide for a bit. Can you help us?”
The comm responded back, “Hey laddie! Of course, I’ll send ya a set o’ coords o’ one of my safer places. Tell my cousin I said hello. I’ll try to meet ya in an hour or so.”
The comm cut off and the nav computer beeped with the receipt of a transmission. Jarron smiled as he set the nav computer to guide him to the coordinates.
Making sure that he continued to face forward as to avoid looking at Elyse he said, “I’ve always loved that gruff old Kalan. Feligrin you’re gonna like him because he loves to harass Hain as much as you do.”
Jarron could hear Feligrin’s evil laugh coming from behind him, which elicited laughter from both Jarron and Elyse. He guided the ship smoothly to the landing pad and it rocked slightly as they landed. In his peripheral vision he saw Elyse rise from her seat. He tapped out a few commands on the controls to power down the Keg and then stood.
Feligrin said, “Lead on Jarron.”
It had been a few years since he had last seen Dalain and he was very excited about the prospect. Jarron led Feligrin and Elyse through the ship, making sure to grab his belt and holster, which he slipped on, before exiting. As they left the ship, Jarron could see Hain standing nearby in a spirited conversation with one of Dalain’s employees. Once they came into view Hain pointed at them. The Kalan that Hain was talking with nodded and then signaled the group to follow him.
As they walked behind him the Kalan said, “Master Stonefist informed me o’ your visit. I took a moment to ready room for ya. I see you’ve got a few extra guests since your last visit, which willna be a problem as we’ve got plenty o’ rooms. As I was instructed, the rooms are located in one o’ our most secure areas. Please follow me.”
As they slowly walked away from the Keg, Jarron activated the ship’s defensive systems. The Kalan led them into a door, which opened into a large mansion. He nodded at another nearby Kalan male, who Jarron thought looked an awful lot like a guard, and then led them to the main stairwell. They went up a flight of stairs and then down a long hallway. The Kalan stopped at the first door and gestured to Hain, who stepped into the room and closed the door. Next he placed Feligrin across the hall from Hain, Elyse was given the room next to his and finally Jarron was assigned the room across the hallway from her. Jarron watched as casually as he could when she entered her room and closed the door. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled before entering his room and closing the door.
The room’s comm buzzed and a voice announced, “Dinner will be in one hour. Feel free to relax or maybe take a shower til then.”
Jarron had not taken a proper shower in a few weeks so he decided that now would be the perfect time to take a shower. The thing about sonic showers is they can clean you but they never were quite as refreshing as a real shower with water. He stripped down before setting his clothing on a chair and then he entered the bathroom. Reaching out to turn on the shower he waited for a moment to let it heat up before stepping in. The shower was a lot shorter than he would have preferred. For a Kalan they were probably the perfect hei
ght but for him the water splashed against his chest instead of over his head. He chuckled as the hot water splashed against him. Even at the short height the hot water still felt wonderful. After he finished the shower he quickly dried off and stepped out. One of the biggest advantages of visiting a Kalan home was that each bathroom always had a beard trimmer for guests. He wrapped a towel around his waist before grabbing the trimmer and then neatly trimming his goatee. He grew it out a few years ago to with a mustache and while he did not like the mustache he kept the goatee, which he loved because of the roguish look it gave him. It also helped him decide to keep it when the ladies seemed to love it too. He tended to be very youthful looking so having the goatee made him look at least a little older. Setting down the trimmer Jarron turned towards the door that led into the bedroom. He was struck with the sense that Elyse was nearby. As he stepped back into the bedroom he was proven correct when he saw that.she was standing near the bed looking out the window. She turned as he entered and blushed when she caught sight of him with just a towel wrapped around his waist.
“Sorry,” She said, “I didn’t know what you were doing. I just wanted to see you.”
She began to turn to leave the room.
Jarron softly told her, “Hold on a second, lemme get dressed and we can talk.”
She nodded at him and then sat down on the bed. He grabbed his clothing and went back into the bathroom, closing the door. It only took him a moment to dress. He stopped at the door of the bathroom and took a deep breath to try and calm down, just thinking about her had caused him far more nervousness than he had ever felt around a woman. For some reason even as a teenager he always had good luck with women. He opened the door and walked into the bedroom. Elyse was still sitting on the bed. She was admiring the few paintings on a nearby wall, which she stopped doing as soon as Jarron entered.
She turned to look at him and then said, “I know this is weird but we seem to be bonded in some unique way. I find myself drawn to you in a way that I’ve never been to anyone. I really need to know what you’re thinking about all of this.”
He sat down on the bed next to her and sighed.
After a moment he finally spoke, “Honestly I’m not sure. I realize something bigger than us is going on but all I can think about is you. I know it sounds corny and I’m not sure if it the whole Gift thing or legitimate feelings but I’m drawn intensely to you and it is very unusual. Either way, I’m not sure what to do about it.”
Elyse turned and looked at him.
He could see happiness written on her face as she stated, “I feel the same way and it scares me. Usually I’m very conservative around people, even ones I know, but you and your friends feel very comfortable to me.”
“So what should we do?” He asked.
Elyse smiled softly at him and then slowly reached out with her left hand. Her hand touched his cheek, which caused Jarron’s face to tingle sharply with an electrical shock. It was very much like a shock from static electricity, only not as harsh. She pulled her hand back quickly, almost as if she was in pain.
Jarron asked nervously, “Did you feel that too?”
“I don’t know what it was, but it sure was unique.” She answered.
He nodded at her. She reached out her hand again and touched the same spot. Once again his face tingled with the same electrical shock, but this time she did not remove her hand. A broad grin crossed her face.
With curiosity in her voice she said, “I wonder what other odd things are going to happen during our little adventure together.”
Jarron chuckled at her words. Elyse suddenly pushed herself into him and pressed her lips on his. Bursts of the sharp electrical tingling pulsed through his body as the kiss went from a soft touching of lips to a passionate deep kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. The warmth of her body threatened to overwhelm him as they kissed.
Just as the passion of their kiss started to cause Jarron’s hands to explore her body there was a loud knock on the door, which was followed by Hain’s coarse voice, “Lad we seem to have lost our guest an it’s time to go eat supper.”
They stopped kissing and looked at the door. Elyse blushed, rose from the bed, and then walked over to the door. Jarron stood up and followed her. She opened the door to a very grumpy looking Hain.
He said, “Ahhh, there she is, which shouldna have been a surprise bein’ how you two’ve been starin’ each other down like two matin’ Talikoins.”
She flushed a deep red, which Jarron had no doubt matched his face.
Stuttering out a response Jarron said, “Hush Hain, we were just discussing her experiences with the Gift and with those goons.”
Hain chuckled before responding, “Lad you’re the worst liar I done ever met. Her hair alone tells me that you both musta had one passionate discussion.”
He turned around and then stomped down the hallway towards the dining area of Dalain’s mansion.
She giggled at his words before commenting, “He sure knows you well.”
“We’ve been best mates for the last six years. We’d better follow him.” Jarron replied.
He gestured toward the door to allow her to leave first. As she passed by him he closed the door and raced after her down the hallway.
Once he caught up with her he asked, “How did you know to play Thriller?”
She took his left arm as she answered, “I don’t know I just had a feeling to play it.”
“It’s my favorite song for flying.” He told her while giving her his biggest grin.
She laughed at his comment. Up in front of them Jarron could hear Hain’s grunt in response.
“My question,” She said, “Why do you like a song that seems to indicate the power of a great evil known as the Thriller?”
Laughing at her question Jarron responded, “Because the song might suggest the Thriller is evil but when I’m piloting that ship, I’m the Thriller.”
Hain grunted once again.
“You’re silly Jarron.” She said with a chuckle.
He nodded at her. They walked through the hallway and finally entered the dining area of the mansion. It was a massive hall with large marble pillars that rose from the ground, each intricately carved with various Kalan warriors engaged in combat with both mythical and real beasts of their home world. The walls of the dining hall were covered with dozens of tapestries and portraits of Kalan, both male and female. Centered in the hall was a large oaken table, which easily spanned over around four meters long and was probably about a meter wide. Along the sides of the table were at least two dozen plush padded oaken chairs, and finally along the furthest end of the table was an elaborately designed throne that was big enough for a large Kalan male. Sitting in the throne was Dalain. He was an older Kalan male with long grayish braided hair and a thick gray beard that was braided into three long braids. His dark brown eyes lit up as they entered the hall.
He said excitedly, “Hain, Jarron! It’s been a very long time! What brings you lads to my hall?
Hain replied, “Let’s draw a stout ale an discuss things.”
Dalain nodded and then pointed at some of the chairs near his throne. They all sat in the chairs indicated.
“Before ya bring the ales cousin, lemme introduce ya to some folks.” Hain said.
He gestured at Feligrin as he said, “This is my navigator, Feligrin Bumbletoes.”
He then gestured at Elyse and said, “This lass was our most recent cargo.”
Dalain looked puzzled.
“Cargo?” He asked.
Hain nodded. Several mugs of ale were brought out, along with plates of a variety of Kalan dishes.
Dalain said, “So, let’s hear your tale cousin.”
Hain nodded at him and told him everything from the first initial delivery for their recent employer and all the way up to the final delivery and firefight. As soon as Hain described Elyse’s powers in action Jarron could see the look of shock on Dalain’s face. He looked at her with disbelief o
n his face.
“Floatin’ trees ya say? I kinna believe that cousin!” He exclaimed.
“Its true cousin.” Hain stated firmly.
Feligrin piped in, “Elyse show him with that cup.”
He pointed at a nearby cup. She nodded at him and then reached out to hold Jarron’s hand. He could tell by her facial expression that she was focusing on the cup, which caused an immediate pulsing throughout his body along with an inability to move. The cup slowly rose into the air.
Dalain gasped in shock and exclaimed loudly, “Holy Hell!”
He rubbed at his beard and then declared, “I’m quite impressed lass.”
She grinned at him. Using every bit of effort in his being, Jarron struggled to try and move his hand. He could not do it no matter how hard he tried.
Elyse must have sensed his effort so she lowered the cup and said “Sorry.”
Dalain looked confused for a moment before he turned to Jarron and asked, “What’s she apologizin’ for lad?”
Once he was released from the grasp of her powers he answered, “Every time she uses her abilities I seem to have issues moving, or talking, or generally doing anything.”
Dalain grunted and said, “One o’ my nieces has the Gift an I ain’t heard of such a thing. Guess she’s a unique one.”
Suddenly Elyse asked, “Could I get a bit of string or something to tie my hair back?”
Dalain nodded and turned to one of the nearby servants. The servant left and then returned a moment later with a small piece of thick string. He passed it to Elyse. She gently twisted and maneuvered her hair into a ponytail. As soon as she pulled her hair back both Hain and his cousin gasped in horror.
“Holy hell!” Hain yelled out.
Jarron and Elyse both jumped in response from the loudness of his voice.
Dalain said angrily, “Cousin ya done brought a freakin’ Eal’tain into my hall!”
“Cousin I swear I didna know she was an Eal’tain.”
Jarron had known that Hain did not trust Eal’tain, but he did not know just how badly. He could sense fear emanating from Elyse.
