Gift of Flight

by S. W. Gunn

  Her soft voice called out, “Jarron are you awake?”

  “Yes.” He replied.

  It was still too dark for Jarron to see her properly, but he saw movement as she rolled over and pulled herself closely to him. As her face got close enough he could see that she looked slight haggard compared to her normal self. She looked as though she had little sleep for some time. She began to cry softly.

  “I’m so sorry for using you like that.” She said.

  Jarron suddenly remembered everything. He blacked out after she had healed Dalain.

  “How’s Dalain?” Jarron asked.

  Between sniffles she replied, “He’s fine, but we’ve all been worried about you.”

  “Why? I just blacked out again. It was pretty intense.” Jarron said confused.

  “You’ve been unconscious for three days.” Elyse stated.

  Jarron could not believe it. He was a little tired but otherwise he felt perfectly fine. As he sat up he realized that he was quite hungry. He reached out and ran his hand along her soft face. She smiled slightly in response, which he responded to by giving her a grin.

  He rubbed the top of his head and announced, "I need to use the restroom and I'm starving but otherwise I feel perfectly fine."

  He stood up and stretched heavily.

  Elyse climbed out of their bed and announced, "I'll go and let them know you're awake and see about something for you to eat. It is pretty early in the morning so I don't know who'll be up."

  Jarron reached out and squeezed her hand before saying, "Thank you."

  She smiled at him and then left. Jarron quickly turned away and went to the nearby restroom. He recognized that they were again in the room that they had stayed in many times before. After he finished in the restroom he collected a fresh set of clothing. Jarron had no doubt he would need a shower, but he would take care of that after eating something. Elyse entered the room again, this time she seemed much happier. She waved him closer to her. As soon as he got closer she wrapped her arms around him. He gave her a kiss on the lips.

  She said solemnly, "I was so worried. We literally raised Dalain from death and as soon as he awoke you collapsed."

  Jarron rubbed his chin and then said, "That's why we need to keep ourselves a secret. We'd never get to live our lives if people found out about us."

  "Well I found Burdal and he said he'd summon some food for you. Let's go get you something to eat, I can imagine after three days you're probably starving."

  Grinning at her Jarron said, "Yes dear."

  She released her grasp on his midsection and then took his hand to guide him out of the room. They walked through the door and into the hallway. The hallway was dimly lit and Jarron could spot plenty of battle damage from the previous fight. Elyse pulled his arm to gently tug him towards the dining hall. As they entered Jarron was surprised to see that it was mostly repaired. The last time he saw the room it was a disaster and probably the central focus of the entire conflict. Now the table was back in place with a dozen chairs around it. Burdal was sitting in one of the chairs.

  He turned and smiled as they entered before saying, "It's good to see ya on your feet lad. We were quite concerned for ya, especially after ya both saved Dalain from dyin'."

  Jarron grinned because he was very pleased to hear that Dalain lived. It was the first time that he had seen any tears anywhere near Hain and he found it quite disconcerting.

  "I'm fine Burdal, just a little hungry, and I'm happy to hear Dalain is as well." Jarron replied.

  "Aye lad, well eat up. Three days without eatin' is enough to make anyone hungry." He replied.

  Jarron grinned and looked at the food provided. It was a standard meat heavy Kalan breakfast with some cheese and breads. He guessed that they had considered Dalain's recovery a celebration since in place of a juice or water was a large mug of ale. Jarron usually did not drink alcohol this early but he decided to make an exception today. Jarron noticed that they had stopped putting ale by Elyse's meal. She had a large cup of juice. He chuckled at the thought of her asking them to replace it. No doubt it took every single day and every meal that he was out to get them to finally cave in and bring her something other than ale. Jarron chuckled to think what would have happened if Hain was the one bringing the drink. She would probably still be receiving ale, and would have continued to get one until the end of time. Hain was as stubborn as a steel wall. Jarron hungrily attacked his food. About halfway through his meal Hain and Dalain entered the hall. Jarron smiled at seeing the both of them. He had grown quite attached to both of the Kalan and would have hated to see either of them die.

  Dalain called out, "The lad is awake, excellent. Lad I wanna thank ya for savin' me."

  Jarron started to respond only to have Hain actually walk up to him and embrace him in a hug. Jarron was very stunned since Hain had never shown such emotion and had certainly never embraced Jarron before.

  "Aye lad, thanks to ya both for savin' my cousin." He said sincerely as he let go of Jarron.

  Jarron grinned as he said, "It was our pleasure. We couldn't let one of our close friends be hurt if we could stop it."

  Elyse reached out and softly rubbed Jarron's shoulder as she said, "That's right."

  "Aye well lad, you an the lass will always be welcome in my home," Dalain replied as he sat down, "But on to business. This person who dared to attack us in my own home must learn a proper lesson about dealin' with the Kalan. As soon as we're done eatin' we're goin' to Kala-a-Karum. It's proper protocol to request an audience with the King before the Kalan go to battle. This person has declared war on my can so once we finish there we're goin' to form a battle party an attack this man's base on Savilus Prime an then we're goin' to hunt him down and deal properly with the man."

  Jarron was concerned about going to Kala-a-Karum. Dalain had said that Eal'tain were not allowed there and Jarron was not going anywhere without Elyse.

  "What about Elyse?" Jarron asked, "You had said that Eal'tain was not allowed on Kala-a-Karum."

  Elyse giggled at his question.

  "Aye lad that would be the normal case, but my newly adopted daughter is allowed to go anywhere I am."

  Jarron was shocked. He had missed quite a bit while he was out.

  Dalain replied, "Aye since ya both saved my life I made ya both formal members of my family so you're allowed anywhere. I hope ya don't mind. Since you were out I had your wife sign the declaration for ya. Also we can't have folks tryin' to kidnap members of my family so this person will be dealt with. For now, let's eat an then get on our way."

  Jarron shook his head. It made sense in the aspect that it would allow Dalain proper authority in the eyes of the Kalan to call a battle party. Jarron had heard the last battle party called by the Kalan was large enough to defeat the entire GDF. Basically every Kalan ship was called into the fray. He had learned a lot about the Kalan during his time with Hain and they considered an attack on any Kalan family an attack on all Kalan families. Jarron ate all of his meal and sat back in his chair as everyone else at the table ate. He turned to look at Elyse. She was slowly eating her food. She caught his gaze and smiled broadly at him. He returned her smile. Even now that they were married, he still found her as entrancing as ever. She winked and then went back to eating again. Jarron chuckled at her. After they all finished eating Dalain guided them through his home to the main landing pad. Jarron held Elyse’s hand as they walked up the ramp of a very large ship. Dalain led them through the ship and into the main compartment.

  He stopped and turned before saying, “Ya all have a seat here. My pilot will take us into orbit. Once we’re there we’ll be meetin’ my personal fleet. They’ll escort us to Kala-a-Karum.”

  Jarron took a seat on one of the large more comfortable chairs. He purposely picked a chair that would seat two people. Elyse followed his lead and immediate sat next to him. She softly rubbed her hand against the back of his neck, which elicited a smile from him. He turned to look at her and she gave him a wi
de grin. Dalain walked out of the compartment. Jarron finally took a moment to really examine the room. It was quite simple in its design, which was a staple of Kalan design. It had several dozen soft chairs made of a light brown fabric. The floor was hard gray steel that matched the walls. Hanging against the largest wall of the room was a massive galactic map. Jarron looked at Hain and for some reason he just noticed that Hain appeared apprehensive.

  “Are you well?” Jarron asked him.

  Hain looked at him and shook his head before saying, “No lad.”

  Elyse frowned and then asked, “What’s wrong Hain?”

  Hain grumbled loudly before saying, “Well lass, we’re headin’ back to my home planet.”

  Jarron was confused. They had made many runs to Kala-a-Karum without issue. Why would now suddenly be a cause for Hain to be upset. Jarron stated as much to him.

  “Aye lad that’s true,” Hain explained, “But this time is different cause I’ll have to finally go an see Mara.”

  Jarron furrowed his brow. In the whole time he had known Hain, there was never mention of a person by that name. Elyse looked over at Jarron, which he replied to her visual inquiry by shrugging his shoulders.

  Hain must have seen their reactions because he then said, “She’s the lass who I almost got married to.”

  Jarron curiously asked, “Almost?”

  “Aye lad, remember how I said that the bride an groom fight?”

  Jarron nodded at him.

  He explained, “Aye well I was the one that won the fight, since I kept my freedom I went into the shippin’ business. But now since you an the lass are plannin’ to head to Terra an settle down I’ve gotta go an see if she’ll give me another run.”

  Jarron grinned, he knew that Hain was tough as nails, but to be able to fend off a Kalan woman and her whole family must have been an impressive sight to behold. Jarron felt the ship rock as it lifted off. He had no doubt that the flight to their destination would be a quick one. Elyse leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. Jarron looked down at her face, she looked exhausted. She fell asleep quickly.

  “Lad she spent every moment by your side since ya collapsed.” Hain stated.

  Jarron said, “I believe it. She seemed very upset when I awoke.”

  “Aye and about that lad, thanks again for savin’ Dalain’s life. He’s as good a cousin as one could want and he’s way too young to be dyin’”

  Jarron replied, “Of course, especially since I awoke to find myself a member of the family.”

  Hain chuckled before saying, “That was a political move for Dalain to ensure both the right to form a battle party and to make sure your lass can come down planet side. Bein’ half Eal’tain would’ve completely barred her access, but now no one can say a word about it.” He rubbed his beard before continuing, “Although it might be best if she kept them pointy ears hidden from sight while we’re there.”

  Jarron laughed before saying, “I don’t know if you’ve noticed Hain, but she usually does keep her ears covered by her hair.”

  “Aye lad, I can imagine the attention she received around humans. She prolly gets tons of requests to touch them ears when people see ‘em.”

  Jarron could not help but laugh at his comment. They had gotten plenty of looks while on the Lunar Colony. They were moving so fast to try and escape that Jarron had no doubt people could see her ears. He was just glad no one tried to stop them over such silliness as they went. Jarron softly reached his arm around her to allow her to rest against his chest instead of his shoulder. She shifted slightly but kept sleeping. Jarron felt the ship rock as it went into the fold. Jarron knew that this fold would take an hour at most. They sat there quietly during the entire trip. Jarron felt the ship rock slightly as it came back into normal space. They continued to sit in silence until the ship landed on the planet.

  Dalain came tromping into the compartment and announced, “We’re here. Burgal will escort ya to my private quarters here on the planet while I go an wait my turn to meet the King.”

  Elyse slowly sat back up awake. She stretched and gave a broad smile. Dalain turned to head out, which they responded to by standing and following him.

  “That little nap was nice.” Elyse announced.

  Jarron chuckled and softly took her hand. They slowly made their way back out of the ship and onto the surface of the planet.

  Elyse looked immediately confused as she said, “Where is the city?”

  The landing pad was nestled against a mountainside and facing out into the wilds of Kala-a-Karum. Jarron looked out into the distance where she was looking at in confusion. There were not cities or buildings of any kind, just wilderness. Jarron chuckled because it was the same reaction that he had when he first came here. The capital of the Kalan was actually within the mountain they were on.

  Jarron turned towards the large open doorway behind them and said, “Within the mountain Elyse.”

  “Really?” She said with an expression of shock.

  Hain chuckled before saying, “Indeed lass, our people come from the mountains. a-Karum is a massive city built under a mountain range, you’ll find it quite impressive, assuming you don’t get all soft on us about bein’ underground. Most humans seem to get fidgety underground after some time.”

  As they entered through the large door Hain walked briskly to catch up with Dalain. He whispered in Dalain’s ear and then turned back to Jarron.

  “Lad, you three go with Dalain. I’m gonna take care of that personal business I mentioned. I’ll come back to ya once I’ve finished.”

  “Alright Hain.” Jarron replied.

  Hain turned towards a second hallway and left them. Jarron continued to follow Dalain. He looked over at Elyse and could see awe written on her face. He was just as impressed by the carved structures of a-Karum now as he was every other time they had been there. The Kalan had carved a massive series of hallways that were wide enough to allow conveyance travel in all but the central part of the city. That part was built long before conveyances existed. Kalan history had it dated back to the equivalent of the human Stone Age. The mountain was held up from the deep and wide carving by a series of massive pillars. Each pillar was elaborately designed with historical figures of Kalan past. Jarron had always enjoyed Kalan history because the Kalan treasured their past as much as their possible future and Jarron had found it all quite fascinating. Unlike Terra’s past, which was littered with hundreds of wars between each other, the Kalan had one big war and then would solve their conflicts with duels. They saw that everything that they did was only part of a ripple of that which they did in the past. In Kalan society a historian was considered one of the most honored positions a person could take up and only those with the best of memories were allowed the position.

  As they continued to follow Dalain for some time Jarron took in the sights. There were thousands of Kalan moving about on their daily business. Jarron spotted more Brumkin than humans, which he expected because the Brumkin also lived underground. They tended to live in small homes carved into a hillside but it was not as elaborate as the Kalan’s underground structures. He noticed very few humans, which made sense because humans were usually very uncomfortable underground for long periods of time. Jarron knew he felt the same as any other human about the matter as he could handle some time underground but after a while he found himself itching to get out. Thinking about the matter, Jarron had no doubt that the Eal’tain would feel the same way as humans. He saw nothing during their visit with the Eal’tain to expect otherwise.

  Once they hit a large intersection Dalain turned and said, “From here follow Burdal on the tram. I’ll be headin’ to the city center. Once I’ve got word I’ll either send for ya or meet ya all back at my place. Keep your heads low and stay in there. I’ll be triplin’ the guard while ya both are there.”

  He climbed aboard a nearby tram and quickly disappeared out of sight.

  Chapter 11

  Jarron, Elyse and Feligrin followed B
urdal as he boarded a different tram. This one was packed full of Kalan, all of which took a keen look at Elyse. Jarron knew her body structure was different than most humans but he wondered if the Kalan could see the difference. He highly doubted it, after all Hain and Dalain did not know she was half Eal’tain until she showed them her ears.

  Jarron leaned over to her and whispered, “Keep your ears hidden alright?”

  She nodded solemnly at him. They sat quietly on the tram until it stopped at the stop where Burdal stood. He waved at them and they all exited the tram. Jarron recognized the area they were in. It was one of the larger residential areas of a-Karum for those with more wealth. Burdal guided them down a walkway until they arrived at one of the many non-descript carved residences. Jarron could tell it was two levels tall but with the Kalan buildings it was always hard to judge them until he actually got inside. The Kalan loved to dig in all directions when forming their homes and Jarron had found that the more wealthy the Kalan, the crazier they tended to go. Dalain was very wealthy so Jarron had no doubt Dalain’s home would be excessive for a Kalan.

  As they entered the building Elyse loudly called out “Whoa!”

  Her response to the entryway of Dalain’s home elicited a chuckle from Burdal. Jarron stepped in behind her and he had to admit that he was in as much awe as she was. Dalain had somehow managed to turn what seemed like a normal home on the outside into a massive palatial estate. Within the doors of his home was an actual self-contained ecosystem that had a massive and very green garden, along with dozens of smaller buildings within. Jarron had both no idea how the Kalan built it or just how wealthy Dalain was. Jarron could barely believe his eyes. He turned back to ensure that he was not somehow transported from Kala-a-Karum to another planet. Behind him he could see through the door and the streets of the city. He was stunned by it all and said nothing in response. Burdal escorted the both of them through the large garden and up to the door of one of the side buildings. He stopped as he reached for the door.