Flight of the Golden Harpy (32 page)

“Our golden ruler can survive, for he has already done so,” relayed Aron. “I shall return to the gathering the following light and hope he is found. I now defend his golden mate and unborn fledgling.” Aron walked to his western flock. They nuzzled him while he stared skyward at a cloud made of two thousand pairs of departing wings. A massive search for the golden ruler had begun.

“We must find Shail,” Aron relayed to his males. “If unfound, we shall all perish under the swarms.” They took flight, joining the other harpies, and he spread his wings and flew toward the west coast and Kari.

In the late afternoon, dark clouds gathered and thunderstorms rolled in. The stinging rain hit Aron’s face. He lowered his head, allowing his long hair to protect his eyes. Although the rainstorm was an annoyance, he felt more secure, because the feeble humans sought shelter from the sky water and rarely hunted. He beat his wings and pressed on, knowing it would be dark when he reached Turner’s home.

*   *   *

John, Charlie, Doc, and Kari loaded up in John’s hovercraft. They stopped at the mill, and Doc took the extra hover back to Westend. They proceeded with the one-hundred-mile northern journey along the coast. The day was overcast, but when they landed on the beach near the cabin, Charlie was relieved to see dry ground. “It did not rain here. We might discover signs of what happened.”

Kari hurried up the path to the small cabin and entered its door. She bent down and touched the unoccupied floor where she had last seen Shail’s fallen body. Fighting back the tears, she glanced around the place they had first shared. On the counter sat the plastic cup Shail had initially refused to touch, and alongside it was the solar light, its switch becoming his toy. She stood up and moved to the bed where he wrapped her in his arms and wings at night. Sitting on the sheets, she sniffed the pillows, and his sweet scent still lingered. She noticed her father watching from the doorway. He lowered his head and looked down.

“Come,” Charlie said from the outside. “The tracks show where they dragged him to the beach where the hover set down.” They followed Charlie to the beach. “Here they dropped in the sand, and look at the deep struggle marks. The harpy fought them, but there is no blood. They must have stunned him again.”

Looking at the scenario, John rubbed his chin. “Those boys wanted him alive, but why?”

Kari pulled a small yellow feather out of the sand. “For two days, Carol’s boyfriend Jake kept Shail alive and planned to hang and torture him elsewhere.”

“These men weren’t hunters like Jake and won’t bother hanging a harpy,” John said. “They were only interested in money. If they wanted his wings, they would have cut them off in the cabin and carried half the load to the hover, plus they ended up fighting with Shail. To put up with that, they definitely wanted him alive.”

“I believe you are right, John,” Charlie said, examining the deep grooves in the sand. “They’d be angry after such a battle, yet they spared him. They could have easily hidden the wings and come back later, but they now also face charges for the hover theft. The harpy was worth more alive.”

“Let’s head back,” John said. “Perhaps the authorities have located my missing hover.” As they loaded up into the hover, it began to rain. The daily afternoon thunderstorms were part of Dora’s wet season. The strong gusts rocked the hovercraft, and the blinding showers created a rough ride home. John finally landed the craft in the front yard and relaxed for the first time in his seat while killing the engine. “I hate flying at this time of the year.”

They unloaded and made a dash for the house. The storms would continue the rest of the day. John and Kari went to the den, and John placed a call to Terrance.

“No, Mr. Turner,” said an officer. “Nothing on your hover, but Terrance is pretty shut down due to the swarms. Most people are leaving for Hampton, and the commercial flights have been booked, and tomorrow is the last run. Don’t want to take the chance of setting down during a swarm attack. Those men are probably on their way to Hampton in your hover. I’d advise you to contact the Hampton authorities and check the off-planet flights.”

“Taking a small hover cross continent during the wet season is risky, and it doesn’t have the range,” John said.

“People are growing desperate,” the officer said. “They’re traveling in small hovers, vehicles, anything that will take them over the river and out of the western outback. This morning twenty-three hunters were killed in a big camp thirty miles south, and it’s created a panic. As far as your harpy, most don’t live long in captivity, but we could possibly recover his wings.”

John glanced up at Kari. “The harpy doesn’t fear cages so he’d still be alive. Thank you, Officer. I’d appreciate it if you keep me posted.” He hit the disconnect key and the transmission ended.

“I’m going up to my room,” Kari said.

“All right, dear. If I learn anything, I’ll come and get you.”

*   *   *

Kari walked into her room and discovered Maria had locked the balcony doors either to keep rain or male harpies out. Kari unlocked them and pushed them open, then crawled into bed. She lay curled up, grasping the yellow feather, and watched the rain splatter on the floor. Maybe Shail will come in my dreams, she thought, closing her eyes.

She woke to the sound of the balcony doors closing and saw her father.

“No, I want them open. Aron will be back.”

John opened the doors again. “I didn’t mean to wake you. Go back to sleep, and I’ll wake you for dinner.”

Her father left, and Kari shut her eyes, feeling the familiar depression she had suffered and fought on Earth, but this time it was close to crippling. Without Shail, she barely had energy to move. She managed to maintain with the help of the antidepressant patches. Shail hadn’t come in her dreams, causing her more concern. Was he dead? She reached over and replaced the patch with a new one. “I must stay well. I can’t help him like this.”

Hours passed, and her father woke her for dinner. She went downstairs but didn’t stay. She took some fruit back to her room and saw Aron set down on the balcony. He breathed hard and his wings and body were drenched. Apparently he had traveled a great distance. He shook his hair and ruffled his feathers before stepping into the bedroom. His green eyes held a foreboding gaze. “Shail is not found,” he relayed, “and the harpies fear the worst.”

She put her arms around his muscular streamlined body. “We can’t give up, Aron.” She sensed he equally grieved Shail’s loss. They settled on the floor, and Kari gave him her fruit dinner. Watching the wailing rain drift across the meadow through the open doorway, Kari curled up in his secure arms under the brown wing. Though not her mate, Aron relieved her tension and anguish.

John looked into Kari’s bedroom before going to bed. In the balcony doorway she slept on the floor with the male harpy wrapped around her. His brown wing shielded her from the wind, cold, and mist. The harpy raised his head and glared, but no longer hissed.

“She’s not mine anymore, is she?” John said quietly before closing the door. Only her promise to Shail kept her in his house.

*   *   *

The first rays of dawn filtered into the bedroom, and Kari felt Aron nudge her cheek with his nose. She opened her eyes and smiled, seeing he still lay beside her.

“I must go and learn if there is news of Shail,” he relayed. “I do not wish you more worry, but if Shail is lost, all life might also be lost. The time approaches where you must consider the safety of the stars. Your father knows the way.”

Kari climbed out of his arms and stood up. “What do you mean, Aron?”

“Without a golden ruler, the harpies follow none. The flocks shall divide, each male seeking his family in the mountains or islands while the swarms grow too numerous to destroy. Already Shail’s wishes fall under question. The attack on the human towns draws near. By the rise of next round moon, the swarms shall own the land, and you must be in the stars.”

Kari sat down on the bed. “I thought that with or without Shail the harpies would eliminate the swarms.”

Aron shook his head. “A harpy might destroy one swarm that threatens his family, but a mass attack on all beetles requires the leadership of a golden male. The harpies now struggle to hold the beetles in the jungle, and Shail’s desire to save the women and children is but a dream. The beetles are drawn to the smell of wooden towns and human flesh. They soon shall cross the river and attack the cities. Those humans who failed to reach the stars shall be the first to die, then the trees, animals, and us. I must fly to the river. I do not know when I return.”

“I’ll be all right, Aron. Do what you can.”

“Some of my males protect this structure from a swarm attack. Do not leave here. There can be no risk to you and your coming fledgling.” He walked out on the balcony and spread his wings. With a leap he was gone, disappearing into the morning fog.

As Kari showered and dressed, she was occupied with Aron’s words. She fully understood why Shail wanted her with her father. With the beetles turning deadly, there was a real danger the planet could be devastated. Her father would safely get her off Dora. She went downstairs and heard the communicator buzzing in the den.

John pressed the key as she walked into the room. The police officer was on the screen.

“Mr. Turner, I have information on your stolen hovercraft,” he said. “An officer heard about your stolen harpy and said those men might have taken it to an old warehouse on the river, just south of town. It’s owned by some men who deal in the wild animal trade. I was in the area helping with this evacuation, and I swung by. Sure enough, your hover was there.”

“And my harpy?” John asked.

“Gone, I have to tell you the place was bad. There were two dead harpies with stripped wings, but they had brown hair, and aside from decaying animal corpses and some empty cages, the warehouse was vacant. Looks like they left in a hurry. I did a background check on the warehouse owner, Gus Simpson. He has a long rap sheet and was recently released from prison for serving time for assault. He’s been arrested for murder and rape, but was never convicted. The witnesses disappeared. I won’t tangle with this guy, Mr. Turner. If your harpy manages to survive his care, the harpy’s probably on a star freighter headed for a zoo or hunting range. Anyway, do you want me to move your hover to the airport? Terrance is evacuating. I’m leaving in a few hours.”

“It can stay at the warehouse. Thank you, Officer; you’ve been a big help.” John disconnected and looked at Kari. “I wish you hadn’t heard that.”

Kari put her hand to her mouth. “My poor Shail.”

John stood up and held her. “Kari, at least we know he’s hasn’t been killed for his wings, and those men want him alive. Shail is a golden harpy and very valuable. I’m sure they’d take good care of him. I’ll call Hampton shipping right now and see if he’s left the planet.” John sat down in his chair and punched in the numbers.

“Dora Shipping,” said a man.

“My name is John Turner, and I need information on wild animal export. I’m looking for a golden harpy.”

The man chuckled. “Yeah, isn’t everyone?”

“Let me talk to your supervisor, Mr. Davis,” John said.

“Mr. Davis isn’t here,” the man said, “but I can take care of you, Mr. Turner.”

“Fine, as I was saying, a golden harpy was stolen from my estate, and he might be shipped off the planet.”

“I’ll do a search on the outgoing manifests, but Hampton port is a madhouse. Ships are taking off without logging their cargo. Your animal hasn’t been inside the port, since a golden harpy would create a lot of interest, but he might have been loaded outside. If I find your harpy, do you have documented ownership papers, or does the harpy have an imbedded chip or tattoo?”

“No.”

“I’m wasting my time if you can’t prove ownership. Harpies fall under exotic game and don’t carry registration papers like domestics. If I did locate your animal on a ship or in the port, you have no legal right to claim him. I’m sorry.”

“You locate him, and I’ll make it worth your time, say ten thousand credits. I’ll deal with the claim of ownership.”

“Mr. Turner, I have your com number, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for your harpy.”

John nodded and turned off the com.

“If you find Shail, how will you get him back without papers?” Kari asked.

“Buy him. I just wonder what a live golden harpy is worth.”

14

Turner’s two employees Jerry and Sam walked down the beach toward the hovercraft. “I can’t believe Turner is going to let those yellow wings rot,” said Sam. “They’re worth a heck of a lot of money.”

“Yeah, but Mr. Turner doesn’t need money,” said Jerry, “besides, his daughter would freak if he loaded the wings in the hover. Did you hear her? She’s already screwed up, loving a harpy.”

“Jerry, you realize a mounted golden pair is worth fifty grand in Terrance? That’s a year’s salary for the both of us, and we’re gonna be out of work soon, with the swarm. After Turner leaves with Charlie and the girl, we could double back through the mountains and grab the wings. No one would know.”

Jerry stopped in his tracks. “Are you sure they’re worth that kind of money? Turner warned you to leave ’em, and he’s one guy you don’t want pissed off.”

“Before he finds out, we’ll be long gone with twenty-five thousand in our pockets, and I’ve seen the price of old, beat-up yellow wings hanging in the gun shops in Terrance. We’ll just cure and stash them near the estate and then take ’em to Terrance this weekend. It’s sweet.”

Jerry thought for a moment. “It does sound pretty easy. All right; it can’t hurt anything, and I sure could use the credits.”

They reached the hover and took off, heading east over the mountains. After circling around, they landed on the beach, north of the cabin. They crept up to the cabin, making sure that Mr. Turner had gone south to his home. They neared the cabin, and a fledgling bolted out the door.

Jerry leaped back. “That thing scared the shit out of me,” he said, and watched the small harpy disappear into the tree branches.

Sam laughed. “Little jumpy, aren’t you?”