Dakkonin's Grudge

by C A Ardron

  Falcon couldn’t help but smile, the people nearby giving her a wide birth. They’d be amazed if they knew there was a short of stature Unician beneath the gleaming metal and tough leather.

  Falcon flapped her wings and lifted off the ground. Her bird of prey vision wasn’t the best in the dark, but the streetlights would be enough to find her way.

  She rose above the buildings and turned towards the Predgarian Centre. Rising up beyond the roofs Falcon gasped, something hard and fast hurtling into her from behind.

  Out of control, she crashed onto the roof directly below, her silver armour scraping across cement. Falcon righted herself and rolled forwards. Spinning round, Falcon sucked in a breath, her eyes coming to rest on the lean warrior only a metre or so away.

  ‘Ugh,’ she muttered, even in the dark recognising his close-fitting silver steel plates, grey wings, gleaming claw and short sword. ‘Harrier.’

  The Sarpien’s wings unfurled with a snap. ‘Silver Harrier, if you don’t mind.’

  Falcon backed a step from him, his fierce Avian mask was so similar to her own, he was almost as fast as her in the air too.

  Was Harrier the reason for Lion’s message? No, couldn’t be. The young, cocky Sarpien had sought her out plenty of times in the last six months.

  ‘You’re out late, Falcon,’ Harrier purred at her. ‘You can’t be on patrol, not when it’s this dark.’

  Falcon let her long claw unsheathe. ‘Silver Falcon – if you don’t mind.’

  Harrier grinned at her, then charged in the Talon-Rush. Falcon was expecting it, she was fast getting used to his preferences. She rolled sideways, using the Veer-Off and swept down into the Claw-Sweep, tripping him up.

  Harrier recovered quickly, and Falcon had to hurriedly raise her claw to ward off his sword swipe.

  Wanting some room from him, Falcon tried to back off. Harrier rushed forwards and into a Wind-Kick, wings propelling him forwards.

  Falcon saw it coming and rolled into the Veer-Off but Harrier still managed to clip her. She struggled to regain her balance, hearing the Sarpien's armoured boots on the cement behind her. She whirled to face him and was blasted in the face by an invisible wall of air.

  Falcon gasped as she staggered backwards, there was nothing nearby for her to cling onto. As she was flung off the edge of the building Falcon spread her wings wide, allowing the torrent to take her high into the sky.

  Harrier was shooting up to meet her in an instant. Falcon grunted, realising for the first time why Harrier was so fast in the air.

  Must be really handy, she commented to him in his head, being able to tailor your own wind currents.

  Jealous?

  I’m a peregrine falcon, fastest in the world. It must burn that you have to cheat to keep up with me.

  Harrier was racing up to her, a snarl plastered to his face. She dived towards him, her mind set on what it was she wanted.

  Her hands already glowing, Falcon latched onto the Sarpien, her wings for an instant becoming foiled with his. She grabbed Harrier’s shoulders, letting a stream of ice run from her hands and up his arms and wings.

  She tore away from him, pushing him downwards. Falcon heard his startled cry of anguish as he dropped, his ability to fly lost.

  Falcon watched for a little bit. The Sarpien managed to manoeuvre onto the top of an office block. She saw him hit the surface and bounce. She shrugged and flapped her wings, taking a gentle, sloping dive towards home.

  * * *

  Harrier gasped, clutching at the rough cement beneath him. He couldn’t move his wings at all, and the biting cold was agony.

  With shaking hands, he deactivated his medallion, letting his armour and wings disintegrate. As he’d hoped, the change got rid of the Silver Falcon’s ice as well and he quickly re-activated and got to his feet, ready for her next attack.

  He scanned the night sky, where was she? Harrier threw out an aura sweep, and his teeth clenched, finding her on the very edge of it, moving out of his range.

  She’d just left? She couldn’t do that! Harrier raced for the edge of the building but skidded to a halt as he heard his radio bleep.

  ‘What?’ he grated.

  ‘Are we having a bad evening?’ Jackal drawled. ‘In Trine’s chamber, you’ve got twenty minutes.’

  Harrier glared down at his radio after the transmission ended. He gazed up at the sky again and shook his head. He couldn’t chase after Falcon, it’d take almost twenty minutes to navigate the tunnels to Trine’s lair.

  Harrier breathed in and out a few times between his teeth. She’d just left like…like he was nothing!

  Rubbing at his shoulder, Harrier couldn’t get her words out of his head, his teeth clenched down even harder. ‘Laugh while you can, Silver Peregrine Falcon. Doesn’t matter how fast you are, I’m still gonna take you out.’

  He turned and lifted off, heading for the old warehouses. Jackal sometimes handed out punishments for lateness.

  Harrier felt he made it back into the tunnels in record time, though he wasn’t too thrilled when Osprey jogged to his side. He deactivated and ran a hand through his black hair with one hand.

  ‘Did you hear?’ Osprey asked, his young, round face and broad grin eager.

  ‘Hear what?’ Harrier asked. He wished the boy would go away, he was beyond irritating.

  ‘You know the Predgarian, Bronze Hawk?’

  Harrier glanced at him and discarded his open disdain. ‘Yeah?’

  ‘A Sarpien from North Sector attacked him earlier today, knocked him unconscious.’

  Harrier frowned. ‘That’s bad manners, this is our Sector. Is Jackal doing anything about it?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Osprey’s shoulders slumped, ‘but we’ve all been ordered off. I wanted the chance to have another shot at the Silver Falcon, but Jackal’s sending in Komodo Dragon so the red Sarpien won’t know it’s us.’

  Harrier frowned at him, ‘what’s the Falcon got to do with this?’

  ‘Eh? Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to leave that bit out. The Sarpien’s told the Preds that if they want Hawk back then Falcon’s got to go see him – alone.’

  Harrier whistled. After a moment his face cracked into a broad grin. So that’s why Falcon was in such a hurry to leave. He’d bet anything she’d been in town and just heard the news – either that or she was trying to locate her partner before the arranged meet.

  Checking his watch, he decided he had time to change. ‘Tell Jackal I’ll be there in five.’ He veered off at the intersection and made for his quarters, letting Osprey’s voice echo off in the passage.

  Wasting no time, he pulled off his purple shirt and took out a grey t-shirt. Pulling it over his head, he sought around in his closet for his black, hooded jacket. He wasn’t going down to the lower levels with bared arms, it got really chilly down there.

  Harrier ran his comb through his hair and left, jogging through the tunnels and down the rough, uneven steps leading into Trine’s gigantic cavern.

  He squinted through the smoky haze the wall torches had created, noting that Lord Trine, though at the mouth at his lair on the other end of the chamber, was presently snoozing.

  Harrier admired his master’s emerald scales, his four muscular arms resting on his thick coils. The sclithe’s snake-like head looked peaceful.

  ‘Why have you called us down here, Jackal?’ Mantis’ scathing voice drifted across.

  Harrier stepped into the chamber and strode towards his general.

  ‘It wouldn’t be fair if I told you before everyone was gathered, Mantis.’ Jackal replied. ‘Don’t worry, this is one mission I think you’ll approve of.’

  ‘I couldn’t find Cobra, General,’ Rhino rumbled.

  Harrier stopped beside the tall, pasty-skinned man, his hair a bare shadow.

  ‘He isn’t in the tunnels.’

  Jackal grunted, ‘figures. Fine, he’ll have to catch up on the details later.’

  Harrier glanced behind him, hearing movement on the steps. His eyebro
ws rose, seeing more Sarpiens coming in. These meetings were usually for Elites only, what was going on?

  Turning his attention back to the others, he noticed Rhino, Mantis and Osprey were surprised too. His hand twitched when he saw Jackal activate his armour but decided to stay as he was for now. None of the other Elite were in armour after all.

  Jackal removed his helmet and let it drop to the ground. Harrier still wondered why he kept doing that. If he was going to take it off why activate in the first place?

  Harrier glanced behind him again and saw several Sarpiens he recognised. A lot of them were ones on the cusp of Elite, the ones making the biggest splashes.

  He’d not had many dealings with Skua or Purple Scarab, but he knew the two brown warriors, Fox and Hyena. He was acquainted with Salamander, Skink and Iguana as well.

  The Sarpiens manoeuvred themselves loosely behind the Elite so Harrier turned his attention forwards again.

  ‘As I’m sure you’re aware,’ Jackal began in a loud voice. ‘We’re still in the process of cutting the ground out from beneath the blue Sarpiens in South Sector.’

  Harrier could feel a pulsing coming from the snake under his shirt. He glanced over at his sclithe, finding the ruby glow of his eyes escaping from narrow slits.

  ‘We have the larger territory and the larger army,’ the general continued, ‘though the Green Swallow turning traitor on us has been mildly annoying.’

  Harrier’s eyebrow arched. Annoying? The woman had probably told General Silver Tigermoth tons of their secrets by now.

  ‘The arrival of another sclithe in North Sector changes the dynamic here in Steiron. There will be more Dakkonin, perhaps more Predgarians, and of course, less room for us to move around in.’ Jackal paused and paced down his line of Sarpiens. ‘I don’t like sharing. I like being disrespected even less. If the Sarpiens of North Sector think they can casually wander through our territory without asking or even giving us a courtesy call, then they clearly need a reminder on who Lord Trine is, and who I am.’

  Harrier nodded, he was glad Jackal was taking this stance. It was rude of the red Sarpien to attack Bronze Hawk like that. There was no reason for it. Chances were that they’d heard Jackal was trying to capture Silver Falcon. This act was a clear challenge to the general.

  ‘What do you intend?’ Mantis asked. ‘You know you need permission from the Black Emissaries to initiate an all-out attack on another sclithe. They don’t like in-fighting.’

  Jackal gave the Insecta a hard frown. ‘True, but we’re given leeway in holding our territories, since once the takeover begins in force, the lands the sclithe hold will remain there’s.

  I don’t intend to attack any sclithe’s territory, at least not yet. I just want to remind certain people who I am, and why Lord Trine chose me to head things up here in Steiron. It’s time to send a message, and it’s going to be loud, messy and bloody. So tomorrow, we’re going to Central Sector.’

  ‘Are you insane?’ Mantis growled. ‘There’s three temples of Light in Central Sector. We’d be overrun.’

  Jackal smirked. ‘Scared, Mantis? I’ll be aiming this attack at the Predgarians, by the time the Dakkonin and Pharollin hear about it the damage will be done.’

  ‘The Predgarians?’ Osprey asked. ‘You mean the temple? The temples and other Order bases are off-limits until the takeover, aren’t they?’

  Jackal’s smile was indulgent. ‘Very true, Osprey, but when the blood starts flowing, they won’t be able to sit still. Trust me, when they see the killing start, they’ll come out to play – they always do.’

  Harrier smiled, this was his chance to prove to certain people he deserved to be Elite. Like Falcon for instance, he could feel his teeth clenching again and relaxed his jaw.

  He activated his medallion. Harrier waited a few seconds for his steel plates and grey wings to finish coalescing around him, then let his claw unsheathe from his gauntlet.

  He stepped forwards. ‘If chaos and death is what you desire, Bloodrunner, I will not disappoint you.’

  Harrier saw Jackal’s eyebrow arch. He knew he’d not shown as much interest in killing and butchering as Sarpiens like Mantis, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t.

  Jackal nodded and Harrier met his hard, cold eyes.

  ‘Good,’ the Bloodrunner replied, ‘I look forward to watching your performance.’

  Chapter Seventeen

  Falcon walked through the door to the Centre and sighed, closing the door behind her. She leant up against it, not bothering to deactivate her armour and gazed wearily at the high, half-moon reception desk.

  It was hard to believe it was still the same day - South Sector and Jackal, Dakkonin, Unicians, a rogue, a date and Harrier as well.

  Falcon let out a long breath, she just wanted to sleep now, but there was obviously something wrong for Lion to try so hard to contact her.

  She touched the silver coin at her chest, allowing her armour to fade. Peering down at her smart clothes, she wondered if she could get to her room to change without seeing anybody. She didn’t really want to talk to anyone about her date and she remembered Hawk’s disapproving frown and the way Jay had looked at her. The teenager had glared, Falcon wasn’t sure why. Maybe she should talk to Dove about it.

  Falcon sighed again. No, not Dove, not on this subject.

  The door to the left of her opened and Falcon’s head lifted.

  ‘Falcon,’ Dove spoke. ‘Come to the kitchen.’

  Falcon opened her mouth to speak but the healer left. ‘Okay,’ she muttered.

  She didn’t really understand the way everyone was reacting. She’d messed up with Dove, it would be obvious to the empath the date had been just to try and stop her nagging, but why were the others acting like she’d done a bad thing?

  Falcon moved to the door leading out of the reception area. She’d had no precognition of danger or life-threatening situations, but a feeling of trepidation was beginning to well up.

  Stepping into the corridor, she found herself alone so went right away to the kitchen. Falcon paused in the doorway, her eyes widening as she took in the room. Tiger, Wolf, Lion, Coyote, Dove – even Jay. The only ones missing were Hawk and Leopard, but Falcon knew the Feline woman was on leave in Havelo.

  ‘Why..?’ she began, her eyes roving across her friends serious expressions. ‘There’s no one on patrol – what’s going on?’

  ‘You should probably sit down,’ the lean, stoic Coyote suggested.

  Falcon turned her attention to him. He was wearing his favourite worn, purple sweater, the long scar on his neck half-concealed beneath it.

  The ex-Dakkonin warrior was serious to a fault. Falcon studied his dark eyes, if the man looked any graver, he’d probably be dead.

  Tiger pulled out the chair at the end of the table for her. Falcon couldn’t help her stare. The short Predgarian woman, her straw-coloured hair looking as messy as usual, seemed as serious as Coyote. Tiger was usually up-beat and cheerful, there must be something really wrong if she couldn’t even crack a smile.

  Falcon grunted when Wolf came up behind her and started to gently push her towards the chair. She took the seat and looked about again. ‘Where’s Hawk?’

  ‘He’s…not here, Falcon,’ Lion told her, sitting at the other end of the table. ‘He was attacked on patrol earlier.’

  Falcon drew breath. ‘No, he’s not-’

  ‘He’s alive,’ Lion assured, raising one hand, ‘as far as we know, anyway. He was attacked by a Sarpien with a red snake on his arm.’

  Falcon blinked at the new information. ‘Red? There aren’t any red sclithe in Steiron.’

  Lion grimaced, ‘there are. I learnt about it this morning, it was one of the reasons Dingo came to visit. Apparently, it’s appeared only recently and has territory in North Sector.’

  ‘North,’ Falcon muttered. This was bad, red sclithe were the largest of the breeds, and usually came with a lot of Sarpiens.

  ‘The Sarpien has Hawk and says if we want him
back you have to go see him in Central Sector tomorrow – alone.’

  Falcon stared open-mouthed at her captain, she couldn’t even work up the skill to ask him to repeat the sentence. ‘Alone?’ she managed to drag out.

  Lion nodded.

  ‘Are you sure-’ Falcon cut off. She avoided eye-contact with Coyote. She wanted to ask if Lion was sure it had been a red snake on the Sarpien’s arm and not black. She couldn’t possibly ask while Coyote was there though, she still hadn’t told him about her past.

  ‘Are you sure the mark was red?’ she asked instead.

  Lion nodded again. ‘Positive, Falcon. It was hard to miss, the head had large, curved horns.’

  She nodded. Horns were standard for reds, but again, she couldn’t speak the thought.

  Falcon realised her fists were clenched. She slowly relaxed her muscles, placing her hands face-down on the table. She exhaled, ‘all right.’ Falcon couldn’t believe how calm she sounded. ‘I guess…I’ll have to go to him.’

  ‘You can’t!’ Tiger exclaimed, ‘he’ll kill you!’

  ‘He’ll try,’ she snapped. Falcon drew a shuddering breath, seeing the surprise cross Tiger’s face. ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered. She rubbed at her forehead with one hand, not wanting to look at any of them.

  Falcon felt a hand on her shoulder. ‘We know this is hard for you,’ Dove spoke, her voice soft, ‘but you can’t give in to his demands.’

  ‘Neither can we leave Hawk in enemy hands,’ Lion disagreed.

  Falcon looked at the two of them. ‘Just what do you want me to do?’

  ‘Go meet him tomorrow,’ Lion told her, ‘but you won’t be going alone.’

  ‘I have to, Lion,’ Falcon objected. ‘If I don’t Hawk will die.’

  Lion shook his head, ‘this has been set up with you in mind, Falcon. He wants you, not Hawk.’

  Falcon met his gaze, her face taut. He was right, this was all on her. Hawk’s life was on the line because the Sarpiens wouldn’t leave her alone.

  ‘Green Python wants you to meet him at the Eastern Warehouse Yard in Central Sector at noon tomorrow,’ Lion informed her. ‘Go to him but the moment you know Hawk’s out of danger get in touch with us and we’ll come in to help you.’