The UnFolding Collection Three

by S. K. Randolph

  Kuparak began to unhitch the horse. “They are, but they’re searching the woods behind the homestead. If we’re lucky, they’ll be occupied there for some time. If not, we are well-hidden here.”

  Jaradee rounded the end of the wagon. “What can I do to help?”

  “Stretch a highline between a couple of trees near the back of the overhang. I’ll bring the horse. Then pack the supplies in the secret compartment, and see what you can do to hide the wagon.”

  Floree lifted Rethdun down from the tailgate and situated Rayn on her hip. Holding Rethdun’s hand, she made her way under the protuberance of rock and brush. A smiling Mylos greeted her.

  “It’s been awhile since I saw the children. They’ve grown.”

  Floree kissed the top of Rayn’s head. “They are maturing much too fast.” She regarded him with interest. “I have a question or two. How long has Kup been back? Who’s the Vasrosi leader…you or Kuparak?”

  Kuparak and Jaradee walked up beside her. “I am honored to serve as Mylos’ deputy. I have been back less than five El Stroman moon cycles.” His sad gaze grew distant.

  Jaradee touched his arm. “And Tala?”

  The sadness intensified, then faded. “Talarah is on the planet of Thera in the fourth galaxy from the great central suns. She and my son are with Zarrin in the Central Mountains.”

  Mylos expressed a touch of surprise. “Zarrin?”

  “He accompanied us on our journey. His association with the Klutarse changed him. During the journey to Thera, he mastered his temper and his desire for wealth. He will take good care of Tala and Lortin.” He sighed. “I miss my sibling sister, but I’m glad she is safe.”

  Jaradee finished arranging the stones for a fire pit. “How did you discover Thera?”

  Kuparak smiled. “Let’s make camp and prepare food. I will tell you our tale after mid-morning meal.”

  Replete on dried fruit and bread and exhausted from their journey, Rayn and Rethdun napped. Floree reclined next to Mylos, her gaze flicking from the fire to the enraptured expression on Jaradee’s face. Kuparak, a hand resting on Jara’s smaller one, picked up a stout stick and stirred the fire. Propping it on a stone, he stared into the flames, then turned to the woman beside him.

  “Before I begin my story, I wish to apologize for leaving you and Floree to face the anger of Lusktar Rados alone, Jaradee. Talarah’s safety became my primary concern.” A quizzical expression creased his brow. “That and the fact I feared my growing love for you, Jara, inspired my ignoble behavior. It is my hope you will both forgive my actions and understand my concern for my sibling.” He squeezed Jaradee’s hand. “We will talk more of this later.”

  Jaradee’s shy smile and the flush warming her brown skin expressed without words her response to his unanticipated declaration. Floree nestled closer to Mylos and glanced at him from beneath her lashes. His gentle smile made butterflies flutter in her stomach.

  Kuparak released Jaradee’s hand. His amber eyes reflecting the fire’s flames deepened to gold. “It was not my plan to leave El Stroma. It was, rather, to find my sister sibling the care she required to carry my son full term. When we reached the Cliffs of Cimondeli, it became clear I needed to take her to El QuilTran. Not only was she physically fragile, her mental state was such that I feared for her life.” He rubbed his palms against his thighs.

  Floree sat up and wrapped her arms around her bent knees. “Losing a child causes emotional upheaval…even when it is an unborn fetus. The girl child implanted in her womb was her biological daughter. Her death left an aching wound in Talarah’s heart.”

  Kuparak nodded. “Losing the child stole her will to live. Taking her to the shameena of the Giroblania became my goal.” He shrugged. “We did not make it to our homeland. Soldiers tracked us. Talarah’s weakened state made travel arduous and slow. In desperation, I took her to Tazio and Nioka near Tahellive, hoping their work with injured birds might translate to Humans.”

  Jaradee studied him. “Did it?”

  He sighed. “They helped the physical body to heal but could not break through the melancholia. We stayed too long in the hopes that time might bring about a change. One night, Tazio came home from making a delivery to the Rompeerial estate. Our presence had been detected by a SorTech. Nioka advised us to leave El Stroma. As long as we remained, she said, we would be hunted and a danger to others. We left Tahellive immediately. I took Talarah to Tic Calag. A friend bought us passage aboard the Serprentine , a galactic cruiser headed for the Inner Universe.”

  Mylos pulled Floree into the crook of his arm. “Did you know where you wanted to go?”

  “I had no idea. The ship made several stops along the way. We could have disembarked on Roahymn or RewFaar, but neither felt right. When the Serprentine began its orbit of KcernFensia, I joined the crew of the shuttle craft and spent a bit of time at the supply depot. I spoke with a man who suggested Thera, a little-known planet close to the distant sun. He thought if anyone pursued us, Thera would be the last place they’d look.”

  Jaradee twisted to see him better. “How long was the trip?”

  Kuparak rubbed his chin. “We made several long jumps using vortex portals to cut time. The trip to Thera took almost two sun cycles. Talarah gave birth to Lortin on board the ship. Coming back, I secured a job on a jumper. It traversed the Clenaba Rolas System in less than a moon cycle. The trip from The DéCussate to El Stroma was the slowest leg.”

  Mylos tossed a small log on the fire, watched the shower of sparks settle, and looked at his deputy. “I know why you came back.” He smiled at Jaradee. “How did Tala feel about being left behind.”

  “She wanted to stay on Thera. By the time we arrived, she had begun to regain her sense of self. She loved the Central Mountains and the people we met there. Given Lortin’s birth parents, she could not return here, so Zarrin chose to stay and take care of them. I am as indebted to him as he is to me.” He glanced beyond the light of the fire and smiled at the two sleep-tousled children standing in the shadows. “You can bring Rayn, Rethdun. I have something for you.”

  Floree caught a glimpse of silver as he withdrew something from his pocket. A premonition shot through her—a premonition that something auspicious was about to occur.

  19

  Jaradee’s Legacy

  Part 2 - Escape

  F loree beckoned the birth-mates into the flickering firelight. Rethdun urged Rayn ahead of him. She ran to Jaradee and scrambled into her lap. Rethdun moved to stand beside Floree. His steady gaze rested on Kuparak. Expectation sizzled in the air around him.

  Kuparak contemplated the contents of his hands before looking from one birth-mate to the other. “I have a birth gift from Tazio and Nioka for the children. I believe you, Jaradee, and you, Floree, should hold these gifts in trust.” Long silver chains spilled between his fingers. Holding a clasp in each hand, he let two identical silver lockets drop and swing in the light of the fire. Moonstones surrounded by silver and gold glowed. “Inside you will find portraits of the birth-mates created by Nioka in a shameena’s trance. The spirits of the children’s tukoolos are secured within the moonstone. Today, we will call them forth and tether the birth-mates to their compeers.” He gave Jaradee a locket. A miniature portrait of Rethdun smiled up at her.

  Floree opened Rethdun’s and examined Rayn’s feminine visage. “Nioka is very good.” After showing it to Rethdun, she looped the chain around her neck and tucked the locket beneath her shirt.

  “She is indeed.” Kuparak beckoned Rayn to his side. “Do you know what a tukoolo is, Rayn?”

  Her shy gaze brightened. “Momee has Karia. She watches over us.”

  He smiled. “I have a lovely falcon that wishes to be your tukoolo. Would you like that?”

  She bit her lip. “Will it protect me?”

  “It will.” He observed her closely. “Are you, Rayn Jaradee Palmira, ready to accept your compeer?”

  Rayn gazed at Kuparak’s face, her countenance grave. “I am ready.”r />
  A high-pitched cry escorted a small, female falcon under the overhang. She landed on Kuparak’s shoulder, her telie-eye scrutinizing her compeer.

  Rayn stepped closer. The tukoolo fluttered to her raised arm and nibbled her cheek. A tiny, startled smile became a grin. “This is my friend Kia.”

  Kuparak touched her head and the back of the falcon. “Rethet Ceerus.”

  Color flooded Rayn’s tanned complexion. “I love Kia.” Petals of understanding unfurled. “I am Kia and she is me.” She carried her compeer to Jaradee. “Look, Momee. I have my own tukoolo. This is Kia.”

  Jaradee kissed the rosy cheek. “I am proud to know your compeer, Rayn.”

  Rethdun walked to Kuparak. “I, too, have a compeer.”

  “Are you ready to tether, young Rethdun?”

  “May I tether to a galee like you?”

  Kuparak considered the child’s face. “I believe a woodland galee might serve. Does that feel correct?”

  Rethdun closed his eyes, calmed his breathing, and lifted both arms. “Aquila, come to me.”

  A galee landed at his feet. One side of its body reflected the fire. A telie eye searched the faces of those gathered around the pit.

  Rethdun knelt. “Aquila.”

  The satisfaction in his voice made Floree smile.

  “Rethet Ceerus.” Kuparak’s hand on Rethdun’s head and the back of the galee brought a gasp of delight.

  Rethdun stroked the raptor’s back. “You are my compeer.” He pressed his hand to his heart. “Thank you, Kuparak.”

  Kuparak bowed his dark head. “You are welcome, ConServator of the Eleo Preda.”

  Rethdun returned the bow. “When do I fly with Aquila?”

  Kuparak laughed. “You know far too much for a boy of three and a half sun cycles. I will teach you to tether to your compeer when your maman says I may.”

  Rayn’s beautiful eyes widened. “I fly, too?”

  Jaradee looked from Kuparak to the children. “They are young to shift, Kup.”

  Mylos came to his feet. “But they will need to learn soon or be trapped in this canyon. ReRe and Toa brought word of the soldiers.” He walked into the open, shaded his eyes, and peered up at the blue afternoon dome.

  Kuparak stood and brushed off his breeches. “Floree and Jaradee, please work with the children. Teach them to tether to their compeers. Aquila and Kia will help them make the shift.” He joined Mylos.

  Floree explained to Rethdun what it meant to tether and how to form one with Aquila. The child listened with rapt attention, laid a hand on the galee’s head, and shifted. Aquila lifted into flight. Rethdun followed and soared with his compeer over the trees. Circling back, he landed and materialized, his face aglow.

  “Aunt Floree, I love my tukoolo. I love to fly.” His forehead wrinkled. “I must think about this.” Aquila strutting next to him, he walked into the sunshine and sank onto a rock near the overhang.

  Rayn’s gaze followed her birth-mate, looked up at her maman, and back at Rethdun. “I want to fly, too.”

  Jaradee held up the falcon. “This is a strelke. See its pretty blue wings and speckled breast.”

  Rayn nodded and ran a finger over Kia’s feathered wing. “Why is her head a different color?”

  “Akasci, Mother of All Things, thought brown feathers would look best. This is what you will look like when you fly, Rayn. Now, listen and remember everything I say.” When she had explained tethering and the importance of doing exactly what her tukoolo asked, she looked from the falcon to the child.

  “Tell me what I just said, Rayn.”

  The small face crinkled in thought. “Tethering is when my mind connects to my Kia’s. I must never shift unless we are tethered. Kia will tell me in my head when it is time to be strelke and when it is time to be me again.” She flashed a satisfied smile at her maman. “I did right?”

  Jaradee laughed. “You did right. Are you ready to shift?”

  She shook her head and pointed. “No. Kia says to wait.”

  Floree turned in time to see a smoky galee swoop through the trees and land on a sturdy pine branch. Jumping to her feet, she strode to Mylos’ side.

  Kia flew to Jaradee’s shoulder. Rayn gripped her hand. Rethdun appeared beside them, Aquila at his heels.

  Kuparak shifted and with his compeer flew domeward.

  Mylos hurriedly joined them. “Broticos are headed this way. With luck, they’ll pass us by. Jaradee already hid the wagon and supplies. The fire has gone out. I’ll scatter it and make sure we’ve left nothing behind. Take the children as far back under the overhang as you can. Your tukoolos are on guard. If they contact you, let me know.”

  Floree gazed at his bearded face. “What about the horse?”

  He shot a look its direction. “It’s well hidden.”

  “And what about you?”

  “I’ll be close.” He scattered the fire pit, tossed dirt over the remains, shifted, and flew to the top of a fagus beech.

  Rethdun slipped his hand into Floree’s. “Please, Auntie, Aquila says we must hide.” He led her over the rubble-strewn floor to a mound of rocks spilling down the canyon wall and scrambled over it. Glancing back, he motioned Floree to follow. When she reached the far side, he took her hand and pulled her after him into a crevice concealed behind the spill of loose stones.

  “We’re right behind you.” Jaradee’s whisper urged her forward.

  The crevice ran under the mountain for some distance. The roar of fast flowing water grew louder the further she went. Cool darkness brought her to a halt. “Rethdun, where are you?”

  “Here, Auntie.” A soft blue light flared. Holding out his hand, he showed her a small, shimmering ball hovering above his palm.

  Jaradee and Rayn crept from the crevice. “I hear water.” Jaradee eyed the blue light. “How did you—”

  “Aquila taught me. He says we are safe, but not to go further under the mountain. There’s a big drop into a rushing river not far ahead.”

  Floree shook her head. “We knew they’d be special.” She ruffled Rethdun’s hair and knelt. “What else does Aquila say.”

  Rethdun put a finger to his lips and clasped Rayn’s hand.

  Floree mentally reached out to her tukoolo. An image formed. Puna perched in a tree. Her telie-eye followed the progress of two winged men soaring above the canyon. A circled search brought them back to the gorge. One landed in the shade of an ebon pine. The other swooped between the high bronze-orange walls. Puna’s eye zoomed out. Three broticos glided from the gorge and landed beside their comrade.

  The men conferred, lifted into flight, and fanned out over the canyon. Crisscrossing its length and breadth, they scoured every inch of the terrain. A signal from their leader brought them to the ground so close to the overhang Floree almost stopped breathing. One man pointed through the trees. The leader shook his head, tightened the strap on his helmet, and launched upward. Two broticos shot after him. The fourth looked in the direction of the overhang, shrugged, and unfurled his robotic wings.

  Floree blew out a breath. “They’re leaving. Let’s go back.”

  Rethdun’s small ball of light quivered and dimmed. “Not gone.”

  Exchanging glances with Jaradee, Floree scrutinized the young boy. “Tell me when it is safe.”

  The roar of water, the only sound in the hollow beneath the mountain, did little to sooth Floree’s nerves. Rayn had fallen asleep in Jaradee’s lap. Rethdun stood beside his tukoolo, watching the blue light on his palm.

  Floree observed his young face. I knew you would be extraordinary, but I had no idea your gifts would appear so soon.

  The boy smiled. “I carry the memories of my grandsire, SaHal Elan Torinhota.” He touched Aquila’s blown glass side. “We are safe.”

  Floree followed him from the darkness of the crevice into the dusk-filled space beneath the overhang. A hand on her arm made her jump. Rayn’s soft voice called out, “Uncle My.”

  The Vasrosi leader took the child from Jar
adee. “Kuparak and Toa are making a final pass to make sure we are in the clear. When he comes back, I suggest we eat and sleep. At dawn, we leave for Tahellive.”

  Rayn squirmed in Mylos’ arms. Her gaze found Kia. “I fly, Momee. Kia says now.”

  Mylos put her down. “What do you think, Jara?”

  “I think it’s important for her to try now while things are calmer.” She took her daughter’s hand. “Remember what I told you, and do what Kia says.”

  The small falcon fluttered to the ground. Rayn knelt and touched her back. The next instant, two strelkes shot upward.

  Rethdun shifted and followed Aquila after her. Galee and falcon flew in formation over the canyon, swooped under the rocky overhang, and landed. The birth-mates materialized hand in hand. Kia fluttered to Rayn’s shoulder. Aquila rubbed his head against Rethdun’s arm.

  Jaradee went to her knees. “Well, Rayn, what do you think about flying.”

  Her daughter threw her arms wide. “I love it, Momee. And I love my Kia.” The joy fled her features. “Trouble.”

  Floree swung around. Puna landed on her shoulder. Kuparak marched toward them. “The broticos are back; a group of soldiers and Klutarse are not far behind. We must leave, and we can’t fly.”

  Mylos took command. “I’ll release the horse. It knows to go home. ReRe says Rethdun found an underground river. It may be our only escape route. I’ll meet you there.”

  Floree grabbed Rethdun’s hand. “It’s this way.”

  A flurry of wings brought Karia to Jaradee’s shoulder. Kuparak scooped up Rayn and strode after her.

  Soon, they were gathered in the hollow under the mountain, the roar of water in their ears and damp, cool darkness pressing them into a tight group.

  20

  Jaradee’s Legacy

  Part 2 - Escape

  F loree peered back the way they had come. Where are you, Mylos? Kuparak’s grip on her arm kept her from going to find him…that and Rethdun’s firm grasp on her hand.