A dark shape shot after them and landed on the bank of the stream. Remaining hidden, Jaradee swooped into the trees and landed on the leafy branch of an elder-leaf. Karia perched nearby, her telie-eye searching.
Containing her desire to act, Jaradee forced her thoughts into stillness. An image flashed and melted away. Katareen hid in the branches of a weeper on the opposite side of the stream. Overhead, Toa spiraled downward. Kuparak was nowhere to be seen.
The shadowy figure loosed a vacant, windy cry. A shaft of moonlight trapped it and highlighted the churning of dim, gray clouds comprising it. A zigzag of white careened a diagonal path from one side to the other, cutting the figure and the clouds in two. The rumbled rejoining vibrated thought the night.
Kuparak materialized, facing the creature. Another flash of lightning preceded another rumble of cloud against cloud. Billowing fog formed and shaped a mouth-like orifice.
The Vasrosi leader called. Jaradee swooped to the ground, shifted, and released the tethered connection to her tukoolo. A berigora landed beside her. Katareen appeared. Together they walked from the trees and made their way to his side.
Mesmerized by the strange creature, Jaradee studied it with a touch of wonder. Not as tall as Kuparak, its amorphous body absorbed the moon’s light one moment and faded into the night shadows the next. Vision orbs that morphed from gray to blue and then from blue to gray regarded them with the innocence of a child. The coolness of the rain misting around it dampened her skin. She glanced at Kuparak.
He put one arm around her and the other around Katareen. “This is a maelstrom. It was formed at the top of the Gruseeno Mountains on El QuilTran and brings a message from Conclave Arcana. Zarrin has escaped. It is feared he will board one of the Rompeerial ships anchored off the coast of Neseer. Journeymen track him, but if he makes it to El SyrTundi, he will have the advantage.”
Jaradee reached a hand toward the maelstrom. Moist softness caressed her fingers. “Does it have a name?”
The creature’s body roiled and steadied. Intense azure orbs gleamed. “I am Squal.” The clouds forming its body mass churned. It spun upwards, hovered, and returned to land. “Danger closes the gap. Leave. I will obscure your departure. May the storms of El Stroma protect you.”
Kuparak hurried them beneath a weeper tree. Squal billowed into a massive thunder cloud and floated above the stream bed. Torrential rain pounded the ground. Wind whipped the tree tops and created a frothy foam on the water’s surface. The cloud tripled in size, obscuring the night dome and blotting out the light of El Stroma’s moons.
Jaradee’s tether to Karia snapped into place. Lightning ripped the clouds in two. A crack of thunder followed. Katareen and Kuparak shifted and flew through the stand of trees. Jaradee shaped a whistler hawk and raced to catch up.
Silent flight carried them away from the raging storm and put distance between them and an enemy they did not know.
9
Jaradee’s Legacy
Part 1 - Birth
K uparak led the way, his galee form untiring. Dyad completed its journey across the night dome. Alkina slipped along the far curve of its arc. Behind them, the maelstrom had vanished, and the sun’s soft dawn light announced the start of another turning.
“Land now!” Tupuni’s cry filled Jaradee’s mind.
Kuparak’s black galee swooped into a thicket of berry bushes. Kat and Tupuni flew after him. Jaradee glided downward and landed on a stout branch to find her sister sitting cross-legged on the ground, her head in her hands. Kuparak, attention riveted to the morning dome, stood not far from her. Allowing the tether to Karia to dissolve, Jaradee fluttered to the ground and materialized.
“Are we still being followed?”
“Toa is off to find out. He can fly higher than the rest of us. Hopefully, he won’t be seen.” Taking care not to tip it, he cupped a large, dew-filled leaf and offered it to Katareen. “Drink this, Kat. Then pick some berries. We don’t have much further to go, but I don’t want to lead the enemy to our benefactors.”
Kat lifted her head, blinked back a tear, and accepted the leaf. “Thank you.” She sipped the sweet liquid and climbed to her feet. Plucking a juicy berry, she popped it in her mouth. A smile blossomed. “I feel better already.”
Jaradee followed her example. Soon the emptiness cramping her belly eased, and she felt her energy returning. “Potent berries.” She stuffed another one in her mouth.
Kuparak grinned. “They are used to make a drink for the RomPeer’s athletes.” The grin faded. Total concentration took its place. “Toa returns. Make sure you have eaten enough.”
A black dot appeared high above their hiding place. Gradually, Jaradee could make out the shape of a smoky galee and the breadth of wings stretched wide to catch the currents. The galee spiraled gracefully downward, landed at the top of a tall tree some distance away, and pecked at the feathers on his breast. His cackled song echoed through the morning. Launching into the air, he flew well beyond the berry thicket and dropped from sight.
Kuparak gathered the girls to him. “Company not far behind. Shift shape and remain hidden here. Don’t panic. Toa feels certain our enemies will pass us by.” He shaped a galee and lifted into flight.
Jaradee pulled Katareen down beside her, changed to a hawk, and allowed the thick, leafy bush to camouflage her existence. Kat shifted to berigora and nestled close. Karia and Tupuni were nowhere to be seen.
Overhead, a huge, winged form blocked the sun. Another shot past it, circled, and made a clumsy landing some distance from the thicket. A man wearing huge, gawky wings shaded his eyes to watch his companion alight. The two spoke. The first nodded. The second slipped his arms free and set about adjusting something on his friend’s back. He stepped away, said something, and watched. Wing-shaped appendages opened, wafted back and forth, then lowered. Another adjustment and the first man pumped his wings and lifted awkwardly into the air, trailing a stream of gray smoke behind him. Waiting only long enough to assure that his companion would remain airborne, the second slid his arms back into place. A squinted gaze in the direction of his comrade and the powerful thrust of his huge wings launched him upward in a billowing cloud of white. Resuming their original line of trajectory, they were soon out of sight.
The sun, now high overhead, warmed Jaradee’s feathered back. Still Kuparak and Toa remained absent. Katareen ran a long wing feather through her beak, fluffed up her neck feathers, and seemed to hunch lower.
Again, a shadow blocked the sun. A black galee landed and Kuparak materialized. “Don’t shift. We’ll talk after we arrive at the safe haven.” He returned to his galee form and soared into afternoon light. Whistler hawk and berigora falcon followed.
The short flight ended in the alleyway between stalls in a dilapidated barn. A cow mooed a welcome. Jaradee shifted and smiled at the ginger cat rubbing her leg.
Katareen appeared, knelt, and murmured, “Hello, Tag.” She scratched the white diamond under its chin and stood. Kuparak put a finger to his lips and peered through the crack between weathered boards.
Moments later, a short, stocky man strolled into the barn. “Good t’ see ya, Kup. Wasn’t sure you’d make it when I saw them broticos. Thought they might be followin’ ya.” He pushed a battered hat back and sized up the girls.
Kuparak smiled. “Good to see you, Harie. Gotta place where we can rest?”
“Best stay here. Soldiers have been turnin’ up at odd times. Also, a couple of Klutarse in their fancy purple and black uniforms rode in yesterday. Doubt they’ll be back, but—” He glanced upward. “You’ll find a basket of food, water, and some blankets in the loft. I’ll come back for a chat after dark.” He pulled his hat low on his brow, grabbed a bucket, and, whistling, strolled from the barn.
When they had settled in the loft, Kuparak glanced at Katareen. “Did you sense anything wrong?”
She shook her head and opened the food hamper. “No. Just honesty and curiosity. I’m starved.”
The basket c
ontained thick slices of meat and cheese between slabs of fresh-baked bread, a jug of water and four mugs, and a variety of fruits. Kat handed out sandwiches. A bite left her nodding in appreciation. She licked crumbs from her lips. “Delicious.”
Jaradee nibbled at hers. “I didn’t know the RomPeer’s soldiers could fly. Is that why they’ve been experimenting on birds?”
Kuparak took a deep drink of water. “I heard they’d managed to get a man airborne. I would guess what we saw were prototypes being tested.”
Katareen paled. “We don’t stand a chance against soldiers who fly.”
Jaradee gave her a quick hug. “Sure we do. We have tukoolos to help us. Which reminds me. Does Zarrin still have a tukoolo?”
“No. I reprogrammed it to guard Cupress-Cone Forest. It reports directly to Toa.” Kuparak grimaced. “Unfortunately, Zarrin knows how to create his own tukoolo. He also knows about ours.”
“What if the Journeymen don’t catch him?” Kat fingered the crust on her bread.
Kuparak’s tone hardened. “I have men in Tahellive. If he manages to board one of the Rompeerial ships, they’ll be waiting for him.” A yawn brought him to his feet. “Eat. We don’t know when our next meal will be. And I suggest a nap.” He grabbed a blanket and spread it on the hay. Sleep caught him almost before his head came to rest on his arm.
Following his example, Jaradee deposited a blanket next to Katareen and made herself comfortable. “Finish your meal and join me.” From beneath half-closed lids, she watched her sister chew her last bite and then sit in silence for some time, her brow furrowed in thought. Heaving a sigh of frustration, she snuggled next to Jaradee, wiggled one way and then the other, rolled onto her side, and slept.
The sound of a door opening invaded Jaradee’s dream. A wooden rung creaked. She rolled onto her side. Kuparak’s eyes, fixed on the top of the ladder, glowed in the dim light from the loft doors.
Mylos’ head appeared above the floor. “Got some news. Not good, I’m afraid.” He finished the climb up the ladder and plopped down in the hay next to Kuparak. “I took a detour on the way here. There’s been a raid in Chunarrie. The building where the cryogenics canisters were stored has burnt to the ground.”
Kuparak rubbed his chin. “Did they save anything?”
“Said the last batch from El QuilTran is still at the Protariflee Center. It’s hidden and safe. Our people are not under suspicion. At least, not yet.”
Katareen stretched and sat up. “What made you take a detour?” Her gaze searched his face, her tone held an edge Jaradee rarely heard.
Mylos returned her gaze, his own open and straight forward. “I saw the two broticos land back there by the berry thicket.” He whistled a low trill of notes. A hawk landed on his shoulder. “This is ReRe. He told me you were hidden there. When the broticos took off, I followed. They landed in a compound this side of Chunarrie. I decided since I was close, I’d do a little reconnaissance in the city. The safe haven, nothing but charred beams, still smoked.”
Kuparak cleared his throat. “Anyone hurt?”
Mylos’ brows bridged his crooked nose. “One man was trapped in the fire. The rest managed to escape. Denee answered ReRe’s call. That’s how I found out about the canisters.” He looked back at Katareen. “Satisfied?”
She knee-walked to his side and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks, Mylos, for your patience. I’m not sure what I felt when you arrived but…” She shrugged.
He shook his head. “You’re good, Kat. I saw Zarrin in the compound. He might have recognized my energy signature, Kup.”
Kuparak opened the food basket and passed Mylos bread, meat, and cheese. “Eat. It seems we need to get moving. I prefer not to put Harie and his family in any more danger than they already are.” He turned to Kat. “When Mylos has eaten, he’ll take you to meet Floree and the others.”
Katareen straightened and folded her arms. “And Jaradee?”
“She’s accompanying me to Chunarrie, Kat. I’d take you, too, but your Eleo Predan appearance would put us and you at risk. You’ve already been seen and—” He pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to her. “Harie gave me this.”
Jaradee peered over her sister’s shoulder. Her heart lurched in dismay. The artist who had done the sketch captured a likeness of Katareen that took her breath away. The sizable reward for her capture printed across the top increased her alarm.
“What do they want me for?” Kat’s voice shook.
“Lusktar Rados wants you for his women’s household.”
Her fair skin turned pink. “You mean he wants me to be a courtesan.” Stubbornness wiped fear from her face. “He does not get to have me. I’ll go with Mylos, Kuparak, but you must promise to keep Jaradee safe. “I’ll do my best, Kat. Please tell Floree what has occurred here. We will join you when we can.” He swung his leg over the top of the ladder and began his descent.
Mylos gulped down the last of his water and climbed after him.
Jaradee stood and helped her sister to her feet. Pulling her into her arms, she inhaled the spicy fragrance of her hair and forced her tears to remain unshed. “I will come to you as soon as I can. Trust only those your inner knowing affirms as true.” She held her at arm’s length, memorizing the pale face, the silky black hair, the eyes the color of honey straight from the hive. “Be safe, Katareen.”
Kat hugged her one last time and disappeared down the ladder.
10
Jaradee’s Legacy
Part 1 - Birth
J aradee stood to one side of the loft doors. Night had crept away, inviting the new morning to begin. Two black shapes imprinted against the gold and salmon dome grew smaller and smaller. The fact that Mylos would give his life for her sister did not ease the tightening in her throat nor dry the tears refusing to remain unshed.
The ladder creaking announced Kuparak’s return to the loft. Soon they would leave for Chunarrie. She dried her eyes and turned to find him repacking the food basket.
Grabbing a blanket, she folded it. “Will we see Harie again?”
“No. I’ve told him to keep his family clear until we’re gone. I don’t want them to have memories of you. What they don’t know may keep them alive.” He pitchforked the hay to cover all traces of their presence.
Toa swooped through the loft doors, circled overhead, and swept back into the morning’s warm glow. Karia flew to his side. Kuparak waited for Jaradee to shift. Together, they soared after their tukoolos, the sun rising at their backs.
Wings pressing the air, the rapid beat of her whistler heart, the sense of time unending accompanied the long flight. Farmland transitioned to forest transitioned to an arid, sun-soaked land, stretching in all directions. Still, the ebony galee pressed forward. Fatigue threatening to drag Jaradee from the heavens gave way to astonished delight. Cresting the horizon, a land of scattered plateaus grew more beautiful with each wing stroke.
Raptor-enhanced vision picked out a trio of table-topped mesa’s rising side by side. Lush, green forests covered the valleys between and crept midway up the steep bronze sides of the plateaus. A river cut one valley in two; a lake, longer than it was wide, divided the other. Atop the central plateau, the residential mansion of the RomPeer held center stage. Burnished copper turrets topping ivory stone towers tossed the sunlight domeward. Manicured parks and gardens formed splashes of color around it. High, ivory walls divided the grounds from the city proper at one end and the citadel at the other.
As they flew closer, Jaradee picked out large rotaveles strategically placed along the sides of the three plateaus, their cars, pulleys, and counterweights exposed to the elements; their shafts ending in cleared acreage below. Four suspension bridges, two on either side of the middle mesa, connected it to its neighbors. The city, comprised of buildings of various heights and shapes, covered the back third of the plateau and, she discovered, could be reached by a steep, graded road constructed at the end furthest from the palace.
Toa and Kuparak ba
nked left, swooped into a valley beyond the trio of tabletops, and glided to a landing amongst leafy, deciduous trees. A dark-skinned woman stood by a tall fagus beech and waited for them to shift. Without a word, she led the way along a barely discernible track to a door Jaradee didn’t notice until their guide opened it and stepped through.
Once inside the small cabin, the woman, hands on hips, flashed a white-toothed smile at Kuparak. “About time you came to visit.”
He scooped her into a warm embrace and winked at Jaradee over her luxurious black curls. Maneuvering her to his side, he grinned. “Jaradee, this is my sister sibling, Talarah Whalend. Talarah, meet Jaradee Myrlinduh, offspring of Kier Myrlinduh and Necee Walerain.”
Talarah’s mouth formed a round of surprise that transformed into a welcoming smile. “The seed of your family line goes back to before the first settler arrived on El Stroma. I am honored to meet you.”
An unexpected flood of fatigue drained Jaradee’s energy reserve. “I’m g-glad to—” The room tipped. Her knees buckled. The last thing she remembered—Kuparak catching her.
The odors of burning wood and food chased gentle dreams into a full-bodied yawn. She stared at a rough-hewn ceiling. Where am I? Sitting on the edge of a narrow cot, she combed her fingers through tangled hair. The memory of smiling siblings made her pause. Kuparak and… Her brow wrinkled in an effort to remember. Ah yes. Talarah.
The UnFolding Collection Three Page 73
