The UnFolding Collection Three

by S. K. Randolph

  Tiptoeing to the half-closed door, she listened to the banter between sister and brother. Wistfulness brought a sigh. Is Kat safe? Daar?

  Peering around the door, she discovered Kuparak and Talarah sitting at a table beside a small fireplace, their dark faces glowing, their amber eyes alive with laughter. She paused, uncertain of her welcome.

  Talarah glanced her way and smiled. “You’re awake. Good.” Jumping to her feet, she pulled a third chair to the table. “Come, Jaradee. We have been reminiscing about our childhood…a happier time, a time prior to the RomPeer’s reign.” Her beautiful face, so like her brother’s and yet so feminine, invited her into their joy.

  Jaradee joined them and accepted a mug of water so cool and crisp it took her breath away. “This is delicious.” She took a deep swig.

  Kuparak grinned. “There’s a spring out back.” He looked at Talarah. “How about some food, sibling of mine. Decisions will be easier made on a full stomach.”

  Jaradee started to rise. “I’ll help.”

  Talarah shook her head. “Sit. Everything is ready to serve. I know you have questions for Kuparak. Ask now while you have time.”

  “Thank you, Talarah.”

  “My friends call me Tala. Kup is one of the few to use my full name.” She crossed to a small stove and began to fill bowls with something so deliciously aromatic Jaradee’s mouth watered.

  Forcing her thoughts away from food, Jaradee pictured the tabletop mesas. “As we flew in, I saw buildings on all three plateaus. Where is the Protariflee Center?”

  “It is on the mesa closest to us, along with institutes of learning, medical centers, research facilities, and the like. The far mesa is reserved for industry and manufacturing. All three plateaus are laid out in a grid, except for the Rompeerial grounds, which are circular. Of course, this RomPeer did not design Chunarrie.”

  Talarah placed steaming bowls of vegetable stew in front of them and sat down. “I continue to marvel at the technology the Pheet Adole have developed.” She dipped her spoon. “But my musings do not answer your questions, Jaradee.”

  Sipping a taste of the steaming stew, Jaradee licked her lips. “This is wonderful, Tala.” She savored another mouthful and swallowed. “Why are you collecting sperm and eggs from our leaders?”

  Kuparak stirred his stew, then sat back. “If the RomPeer’s plan to annihilate the Eleo Preda and to take over El QuilTran succeeds, we must have a plan in place to ensure the survival of our people and our history.”

  “If he succeeds, how do you plan to keep the samples safe?”

  “We have friends at the travel port in Tic Calag who have promised to take the samples to safety in the Far Universe.”

  “Since the building in Chunarrie has been destroyed, where will you store the samples now?”

  Worry clouded Kuparak’s expression. “Today, I go to assess the damage. You and Tala will remain here.”

  Jaradee placed her spoon on the table and folded her arms. “I’m going with you.”

  Tala’s eyes gleamed. “You’re not leaving me behind.”

  “And if there’s trouble?” Kuparak looked from one to the other.

  Tala pushed her chair back and began to clear the table. “We’ll cross that valley when and if we get there. Help me clean up, and we can be on our way.”

  The small work area and table took only a short time to organize. Tala made a final circuit of the cabin, securing the windows and doors, and turned to her brother. “Tell us what you need us to do.”

  “Since you insist on coming…” His smile flashed. “And since I could use the help, stay close and alert. You know the area, Talarah. Jaradee does not. If there’s trouble, take her to safety.”

  Talarah rested her hands on her hips. “And your plan?”

  “I want to see the damage first, and then check to see if we can sneak into the Center. Neither is without risk. According to Mylos, both are being closely watched. I wish he were here. I expect the RomPeer’s men to be suspicious and edgy. We could use another pair of eyes.”

  The door swung open. Mylos strode into the small room. “Your wish, Kup, is my command. Hey, Tala.” He put an arm around Jaradee’s shoulder. “Kat is safe with Floree.” After a quick hug, he released her and turned to Kuparak. “I received a message from the boys via my tukoolo. They have managed to lead the soldiers back to Tahellive. Tealin and Daar will head for Chunarrie as soon as they feel the soldiers have given up the search.”

  Kuparak smiled at Jaradee. “Daar has a good head on his shoulders. Glad he joined the team.” He then shared his plans with Mylos and led the way outside.

  Jaradee called Karia to tether. The link snapped into place. She shifted and lifted into the air, taking her assigned place next to Tala’s shifted form, also a whistler hawk.

  Soaring high above the valley, they flew in a loose formation toward the mesa housing the Center. Their tukoolos shot ahead and vanished into manicured trees at the rim of the tabletop. A short time later, Kuparak’s smoky galee swooped into a copse of trees. Soon, Jaradee stood on solid ground. Her flesh prickled a warning. Mylos materialized and pulled her behind a thick bush. Tala perched above them in hawk form. The sound of voices drawing near kept the small group noiseless and stationary.

  “You’re certain we are unexpected?” The undertone held a distinct note of aggression.

  A voice responded. “We’ll catch them this time and destroy every Eleo Predan sample they’re hiding.”

  “You’re sure you know who they are?”

  A pause, pregnant with uncertainty, preceded the second man’s answer. “I don’t, but they will give themselves away. I’m sure of it.”

  The soldiers strode into the open.

  Toa swooped to Kuparak’s shoulder, his quartz side reflecting the leafy trees. Jaradee sensed the exchange of information between the man and the galee. The large bird soared upward and over the open expanse of green between the trees and the back of the Center.

  Kuparak motioned his team into a huddle. “A surprise inspection is underway. Mylos and I will do a reconnaissance flight. Talarah, you and Jaradee stay here.” He gave them both a no-nonsense stare. “Don’t improvise unless it becomes necessary. Understood.”

  The dewy-eyed innocence in Tala’s face made Jaradee smile. Kuparak put his hands on her shoulders and studied her with a brother’s concern. “I mean it, Talarah. Keep yourselves safe.” He shifted. The breeze from black and silver wings blew a curl over her forehead.

  Mylos’ hawk flashed after the smoky galee.

  Tala tugged the curl and stared after them. “At least, we aren’t treated like the women in the Rompeerial household…pampered, educated, dressed up like dolls, and married off to serve husbands, to have children, and to remain hidden from sight for the remainder of their lives.” Scowling, she lowered to the ground and rested her back on a tree. “And to put up with their mates having as many consorts as they choose.”

  Jaradee studied her friend’s face. “When you are raised in a culture where you are cloistered away from society, you don’t know anything else. We have experienced the freedom of a different lifestyle, so it would be more difficult for us.”

  Talarah folded her hands in her lap and gazed at the dome. “Sure am glad I’m me.”

  “And I’m happy to be me.” Jaradee settled next to her and let her mind search for Karia. The whistler hawk explored the far side of the Protariflee Center Park. The image of several military vehicles arriving in the parking lot filled her mind.

  Tala’s hand on her arm kept her still. Their eyes met. Talarah mouthed, “Don’t make a sound.”

  11

  Jaradee’s Legacy

  Part 1 - Birth

  H ugging the center’s outer wall, soldiers in dark khaki rounded the end of the building, their red and silver insignias gleaming in the late morning sun. A signal from the leader sent three men sprinting toward the trees. A man wearing the black and purple of a SorTech lowered a large pack from his shoulder
to the ground and knelt beside it. Opening a flap, he withdrew a sizable rectangular box.

  Tala turned a grim face to Jaradee and whispered, “SorTechory. Tether and change now. Put distance between you and the SorTech. Go.”

  The snap of Karia’s tether sent Jaradee into shifted form. Letting her raptor instincts take charge, she swooped along a path through the trees, shot upward, and landed at the top of a tall, leafy sycama. Close by, Tala’s bird form perched camouflaged by leaves, her tukoolo near at hand. Below them, the three soldiers spread out, searching with furtive silence. The SorTech affixed a patch to his temple and stared intently at the black box.

  A slight tingle penetrated Jaradee’s thoughts. Karia’s telie-eye lengthened, focused, and retracted. Reigning in her fear, Jaradee flew further from the SorTech and closer to the entrance of the Center.

  Soldiers marched workers into a plaza, checked identification bracelets, and ran a small, handheld monitor over each one. When the last woman had been checked, the workers filed up the steps and disappeared inside. The soldiers, except the three exploring the woods, gathered on the lawn. The commanding officer dismissed them, order them to stay alert, and focused his attention on the SorTech.

  After a brief conversation, the SorTech packed up his gear, ambled down one of the pathways in the woods, and knelt behind a tree. Reassembling his equipment, he began a second search.

  Remaining perfectly still, Jaradee silenced all thought. The tingle of SorTechory ruffled her feathers and sent goosebumps racing over the skin underneath.

  Military vehicles rolled in single file from the parking lot. The last one stopped in front of the building. Three soldiers jogged from the trees and climbed aboard. The SorTech packed up, trotted across the open area, stowed his equipment, and climbed into the front seat.

  As the truck turned from the drive onto the main road, Karia landed beside her. High above the Center, a smoky galee circled, began a spiraled descent, caught an updraft, and glided into the trees. Kuparak materialized. Talarah appeared next to him. Toa and Tala’s tukoolo settled in a tree at the edge of the lawn. Jaradee released her tether to Karia, glided to the ground, and changed.

  Kuparak drew them further into the trees and faced her. “You have a question, Jaradee?”

  She bit her lip. “What is SorTechory? I felt a current run through my mind. How does it discover an untethered shift or telepathic thought or—” Lifting her hands in a questioning gesture, she shrugged.

  Kuparak stroked his beardless chin. “I don’t know the workings of The Box. It is that combined with the power of sorcery which creates SorTechory.”

  “So the man, the SorTech, is a practitioner of the mystical arts?”

  Talarah entered the discussion. “Pheet Adolan sorcerers can only access a small number of the feats accomplished by our shameenu. The Box enables them to detect mystical powers in others, but only when those powers are in use.”

  Kuparak grinned. “Now you know as much as we do. It is somewhat of a mystery, is it not?”

  The soft sound of wings escorted Mylos into their midst. “The Center is clear, Kup, but you’re not going to appreciate what else I learned.”

  The Vasrosi leader raised a single brow. “Do not keep us in suspense.”

  “Only one cryo container has been saved.” Mylos tugged his beard. “The concern is that if it is found, we lose everything.”

  “Host mothers have already been selected.” Talarah looked from one man to the other. “Why can’t the remaining embryos be implanted in them?”

  Kuparak frowned in frustration. “We need to move quickly. The host mothers are hidden up the coast.”

  Jaradee glanced at Talarah. “You have two women right here.”

  His frown deepened. “I can’t let you put yourselves into such a dangerous position.”

  Talarah gripped Jaradee’s hand. “It is our decision to make, Kup, not yours.”

  A challenge flashed between the siblings. Mylos started to speak. Kuparak silenced him with a look. “You may not be the right match, Talarah.”

  “We won’t know unless we are given the tests.” His sister’s response, spoken with utmost calm, seemed to diffuse his fear for her.

  He sighed. “Then I suggest we find out if it’s safe to run them.” A glance in Mylos’ direction brought a nod. A moment later, he shifted and ascended into the fading light.

  Jaradee walked to a stump shrouded in shadow and sat down. Dusk’s coolness chased a shiver of anticipation up her bare arms. What if… Shaking her wavy, dark hair free along with her uncertainty, she pondered whether she might soon become a host for embryos created from the eggs and sperm of Eleo Predan leaders.

  Thoughts of her mother, a powerful shameena, brought tears to her eyes. Oh, Momee, I miss you. I wish I knew where you were. Blinking the tears away, she smoothed her hair into a queue at the nape of her neck and wound a leather thong around it.

  Unlike Katareen, she had not inherited the pale beauty of the Thornlandian Eleo Preda. Her mother, half Thornlandian and half Giroblania from Charnland, had given her the warm, brown skin and dark eyes of her mixed mating. She glanced at Kuparak and Tala, members of her mother’s tribal family. Periodically, mixed matings were arranged to enhance emotional ties between cultures. Jaradee felt privileged to have come into being as a result of this most honored union.

  Mylos materializing beside Kuparak ended her musings. Talarah’s beautiful smile flashed. Jaradee’s anticipation quickened. Stifling any ambiguous feelings, she joined her friends.

  “Our contact told me Lusktar Rados has given orders to remove all military personnel from the building. He does not want the specimens damaged. If it isn’t a trick, now could be the perfect time to run tests.” Mylos frowned. “We do have one problem. A contingent of men will remain around the perimeter.”

  Kuparak’s amber eyes narrowed in thought. “I suggest we wait until dark. What’s the best approach to the building? Can we all go together?”

  Mylos rubbed his scarred brow. “Four is too noticeable. I’ll take Jaradee first. ReRe will let you and Tala know when to meet me on the far side of the Center.” He put an arm around Jaradee. “Are you sure you want to volunteer, Jara? If it works and the RomPeer finds out, you will be hunted like an animal.”

  “How can I not do this? Saving our lineage and our history must come before personal safety, Mylos. Besides, we will have you and Kuparak to guard us.”

  The Vasrosi leader grew solemn. “I cannot promise to stay, but I can promise you will be well protected.” His gaze sought his sister. “And you, Talarah? Are you sure?”

  Her beautiful face softened and then grew stern. “Like Jaradee, it is my duty and my personal desire to serve.”

  “I will honor your decision, sibling of mine, but you must swear to be prudent.”

  She smiled. “I swear, Kup. Let’s get this done.”

  Long shadows lengthened over the lawn and crept up the side of the Center. A personnel rotation kept Jaradee and her companions hidden in the trees. Workers and technicians moved in and out of the building. When the park and lot were once again quiet, Mylos moved away from Jaradee.

  “We will fly to the opposite side of the woods, circle, come back, and land by the annex on the far side of the grounds. If we get separated, do not fly straight back here. Make sure anyone watching will not suspect you are more than you appear.”

  Before she could reply, his hawk form lifted to a low branch where Karia waited. Jaradee opened to her tukoolo’s tether and shifted. Mylos led her to the furthest edge of the woods. Once in the open, he swooped below the lip of the mesa and soared over the trees in the valley. A wide circle brought them back to the tabletop. A long, low glide ended by a square building. Shifting to Human, Mylos waited only long enough for her to materialize and then led her inside.

  Rakes, hoes, hoses, and planters lined three walls. Mylos reached through the center of a hanging coiled hose, withdrew a wad of black fabric, and handed it to her.

>   “This is a mask. Everyone you meet today will wear one, Jara. Our identities must be obscured so that if we are captured, the RomPeer’s men cannot cull information from our memories.”

  Jaradee pulled the mask, a bag with holes for eyes and a nose, over her head. Mylos donned a second mask and rapped on the wall. A door opened and a uniformed technician, face hidden, beckoned them into an elevator.

  Lights glowed in a panel to the right of the door. Ignoring them, the technician inserted a card into a reader on the left. A small door opened, exposing a panel of electrical wiring. A quick jerk disconnected a yellow wire. The technician flipped a switch. The elevator jerked to a start, descended, and stopped.

  Beyond the doors, a woman greeted them. She nodded to Mylos. “You can go. I will be ready for our second host when you return.” Her attention focused on Jaradee. “No names and no information that could tell me who you are or you who I am. Other than that, do you have questions?”

  Mylos stepped into the elevator; the doors slid shut, blocking him from view.

  Jaradee experienced a moment of misgiving. Steadying her resolve, she said, “How many tests, and how long for the results?”

  “First, we’ll draw blood and do an examination of your womb and ovaries. Further studies will be based on the results of these. I believe your friend told you we have one container of specimens. This container holds six cryogenics canisters, one of which has been damaged. With your permission, we will harvest eggs from you to be fertilized by sperm from a Thornlandian leader. If we are lucky, we will obtain an embryo for implantation in you and more to be frozen.” She paused. “It’s a lot, isn’t it?”

  Jaradee appreciated the understanding. “It is. I suggest we get started.” Her voice sounded much calmer than she felt.

  12

  Jaradee’s Legacy

  Part 1 - Birth

  J aradee woke up confused, disoriented, and smothered by something covering her head. Her first instinct—to pull it off—was arrested by a gentle hand on her arm. A face in a half mask filled her vision.