Flight of the Golden Harpy (26 page)

“So this is how all female harpies exist?” Kari asked.

“Most of us live this way, since it is safer. When young, we are taught not to do or say anything that would reveal our true nature.”

Kari raised an eyebrow. “I guess I broke the rules when I came back to Dora. I ran my mouth about how much I liked harpies and had the ability to communicate with them.”

“Yes.” Lea nodded. “You took great risk when defending the harpies. Some humans might have guessed you were a harpy. The outcome can be very bad.”

“I learned my lesson the hard way when three hunters caught me in the jungle. They planned to rape me. If Shail hadn’t come…” Kari shuddered.

Lea put her arm around Kari. “Some hunters have discovered male and female harpies together in the jungle and learned of the female’s disguise. To choose a life with your mate among the trees is risky, but separation also is painful.”

“So how can you have a relationship when you live apart?”

“By day I live as a woman with my mother on the outskirts of Westend. We pick berries and make jams for the humans, but at night I become a harpy. My mate comes at dark and flies me to our jungle nest. One learns to treasure the night.”

“You know, Lea, if the humans knew we were related, they might stop the hunting of the harpies, realizing we’re not animals.”

Lea’s eyes widened. “No, our secret must be kept. We know the outcome of exposing our females. Have you not heard of the first men who landed on Dora?”

“I know the Dorial explorers discovered the planet a hundred and seventy-five years ago. The settlers followed twenty-five years later. It’s in the history books.”

“Yes, the human history books.” Lea sighed. “They do not hold the terrible truth of those explorers, and it was hidden from the settlers. From generation to generation, the harpies have passed along the story. The explorers landed on Dora and discovered the harpy community. The harpies, not fearing humans, welcomed those men. The men saw that our females looked like women and learned the harpies were a gentle race. Desiring the females, men caught, caged, and raped them. Many females died of shock and heart failure from the abuse. The males rushed to their mates’ defense and also died in great numbers, killed by human weapons. The men cut off their wings, bragging of their trophies. It was the darkest of all seasons for the harpies, yet the history books glorify those malicious men.”

Lea added another log to the fire and continued the story. “Some females survived, and, to the men’s surprise, became pregnant. When the featherless winged males were born, they disgusted the men, thinking their offspring were four-armed freaks. The men cut the fledglings’ throats and started a ritual that exists today. A wounded male exposes his throat to the hunter and hopes to receive the same death as the past sacrificial fledglings. This courageous and honorable death proves we are the enlightened, the civilized ones over the lowly human beasts.”

“What happened to the female fledglings?” Kari asked.

“They were spared because they looked human. After that season, the pregnant female harpies hid their labor pains, feeling the male wings in their stomach. At night they gave birth, and through the cage bars, handed their male fledglings to the surviving free adults. The male harpies reared those fledglings as their own sons. The female fledglings remained with their mothers. These daughters grew, and when the settlers arrived, the females passed as women. A wicked partnership began between the Dorian explorers and the harpies; neither would divulge the true nature of the female harpies, and the deception still exists.

“The male harpies were labeled as thieves when they attempted to reclaim their females. If a bonded harpy pair was found by humans, the male was killed and the female was returned to the human world, but she soon died of despair, unable to live without her mate. The second lie was hatched. The humans, thinking a female harpy was a woman, believed that women lost their minds and died after a male harpy took and raped them.”

Kari rose from the nest and paced the room. “I know of the despair we face. On Earth, I was so miserable that I nearly lost my mind. I can’t imagine existing without Shail; I love him so much.”

Lea grinned. “Yes, like some animals, harpies bond for life, unlike a human marriage.”

Kari returned to the nest. “Besides going to war, there has to be another way to stop the harpy hunting. Dora has a lot of good people, and if they knew the truth about the harpies, the killing would end.”

“There are some good humans, but to reveal the truth to them would also expose every female harpy and could make them slaves.”

“It might be worth the risk,” Kari said, “if it changed the hunting laws.”

“You don’t understand. The Dorian explorers’ descendants are the senators who make the laws. They rule the planet and know we carry human blood. To hide the disgrace of their ancestors and keep their power, the senators promote hunting and protect the lies. They long for harpy extinction. If harpies attempt to change things, the senators have sworn to bring in the galactic army and kill all harpies. Our males have chosen the hunt, rather than risk their females.”

“The truth is slowly coming out, and not by the harpies. Old Doc and a vet at the Hampton Zoo know harpies carry human blood. Eventually the whole planet will know, and there’s nothing the senators can do to stop it.”

“Someday men may change their ways toward the harpies, but their way takes a long time. The research and history must be proved; seasons must pass before new and fair senators are elected; and then the hunting laws and harpy status must be changed. Kari, we do not have this kind of time.”

“But is war the answer? Shail could stop the war and give the vet’s research a chance. Dr. Watkins is trying to place a hunting ban on the harpies until the flocks recover.”

“The war cannot be stopped. It is years in the making, and the harpies have given up all hope of man treating us fairly. Better we drive them out of our land. The number of hunters grows, while our male harpy numbers shrink. Our kind is losing the race to survive.”

“Thank you, Lea. You have explained many things about the harpies. I understand why Shail has been backed against a wall and must strike out. He’s tough, but not a killer. I feel guilty for teasing him, now that I know he must be sick with worry.”

“No harpy has ever killed a man, but things are about to change. We all feel this sadness. Is there anything else I can tell you or do for you?”

Kari looked at Lea’s harpy robe made from the same material as Shail’s sash. “You don’t wear store-bought clothes here. I’d like to get out of my human clothes and wear a robe like yours.”

Lea smiled and bounded to her feet. “I have an extra one. I’ll go get it.” She returned quickly with the rope and sheets of the material. Kari slipped into the soft robe, recalling the old picture in her bedroom. Her mother had worn the same type of gown.

They sat down by the fire, and Lea began to fashion the second robe as Kari watched. They had become best friends.

*   *   *

Shail walked through the vacant space freighter toward Kari’s room. His mind was troubled. So many things could go wrong. The harpies had kept the swarms in the jungle and away from the towns that held women and children, but the swarms turned deadly and were multiplying at an alarming rate. The humans would soon have to flee to the stars or perish, and his flock would then face the swarms, out-flying the beetles and destroying them. All was timing and must be completed before the second rise of the full moons. To delay meant the swarms would be unstoppable, consuming every living thing on the planet.

He flinched the shoulder holding his broken wing. It, too, must be healed and be ready. The eastern and river flocks would follow only a pair of yellow wings. Without a leader to direct the harpies, the flocks would seek the safety of the cold mountains. The humans would die in vast numbers, and there would be no attack on the beetles. After devouring the jungle, the swarm might evolve to travel over water and reach the islands or penetrate the cold mountains, where eastern females and fledglings hid. All could be lost on a broken wing.

Two seasons before, Shail had come upon two beloved males who were slaughtered and hung from a tree. His decision was made there and then. He halted the harvest of new beetle queens and let the swarms multiply, hoping to drive out mankind. The loca eagles ate the beetles and had taught the harpies to control the beetle population and thus protect the jungle. Because of man and his ignorance, both loca and harpy now faced extinction. Once the harpies were gone, the beetle explosion and disaster was inevitable. Shail allowed nature to take its course early, hoping he could save his race and the jungle. With no weapons or technology, Shail launched his silent war against man and let nature do his bidding.

*   *   *

He reached the corridor and felt the weight of the world rested on his wings. He longed to crawl into Kari’s arms and forget who he was, preferring to be a simple young male enjoying his new mate and their coming fledgling.

Nearing the doorway, he heard Kari and Lea talking. He entered the room, and with the slight toss of his locks, Lea bowed and left the room. Kari stood up, and her robe hugged her slender figure while her long hair flowed down her shoulders and back. She took his breath away.

Her deep blue eyes sparkled in the firelight. “Are you all right, Shail?”

“Seeing you, I feel I have reached the summit of a lifelong climb. Never have I known such joy.”

She walked to him and gave him a long, slow kiss. “I take it you like the harpy robe?”

“Yes, but more what it holds. Come. We shall walk a little before sleep.”

They left the room and walked down the corridor back to the large expanse. A small glow came from the fading fires in the pits. The place was empty of harpies.

“Have they all gone?” Kari asked.

“A few remain. When the moons are round, I join them.”

Kari stopped walking and stared at him. “The full moons are in seven days. Your wing might not be healed.”

“Kari, I must go whether my wing is ready or not.” Shail expected an argument from his feisty mate, but she said nothing about the wing or his leaving.

They walked through the crevice and reached the outside. It was night and the moons had reached their crests. The cold wind blew hard against the cliff, and Shail’s mate shivered in her robe. Shail moved behind her, hugging her with his arms and warm wings. The couple gazed at the outline of the black mountain range silhouetted by stars and relished the precious moment in time. He nuzzled and kissed the back of her neck, and she tilted her head back, rubbing her cheek against his and giving him permission to breed. He pulled up the back of her robe, holding her against him, and mounted her.

When Shail had finished, Kari turned and faced him. “I don’t want to live without you,” she said.

He softly kissed her quivering lips and placed her head against his chest, embracing her. “I shall do my best to return.”

The wind whipped at their hair, and they clung to one another with feelings of bliss and sadness mixed. The eastern black sky took color as the sun crept above the jungle. They returned to the nest and curled up to sleep.

*   *   *

Kari woke to an empty room. She went to a small water pool formed from rains that had seeped through the old ship’s broken hull. After washing, she ate some fruit and waited for Shail. He came in and dropped on the nest. “I have made a decision on your welfare.” He sighed deeply. “You shall not like it.”

“What is it, Shail?”

“Since you want to know, I shall tell you all of the war that was kept from our females. The females dwell too close to men, and if my plans became known, the humans might have sought revenge and attacked the harpies. If this happened, all could be lost. You shall understand when I tell.” He leaned back and told her about the swarms and his plan to drive the men out of Dora, but it was a risky plan, and all could be lost.

“The swarms killed Carol and the hunters in Westend,” she said.

“Yes, Aron brought a swarm down upon them, fearing those men would cause me more harm.”

“How did you create the swarms, and how will you destroy them?” she asked.

“I did not create them. These swarms have always been. We learned from the loca eagles to control the swarm numbers by removing the new queens from a mound. We shall destroy the beetles the same way, though it now comes at great risk.”

She ran her hand across his body. “So what’s this decision you have made for me?”

“I am taking you back to your father.”

Kari jerked her hand away and jumped up. “No, Shail. I’m not going. I don’t ever want to see him again. I’ll stay here while you’re gone, or you take me to the islands with the other females. I could be with Lea.”

Shail leaped to his feet. “I have decided.” He felt the urge to raise his wings at her. “You are going back to your father’s home.”

“You can’t force me, Shail!”

Shail tossed his hair and ruffled his feathers as he paced around the room. He finally stopped and gazed at her. “Kari, I and the flocks might never return here. If this happens, there is no way down from the mountain, and you shall die. The islands might also fall under swarms. My harpies protect your father and land, and I have learned he has made a room that is safe from a swarm attack. If we fail and the land is consumed, he shall send you to the stars. He is the only one I trust to save you and our son.”

“I told you I don’t want to live without you.”

“Stop thinking like this!” he growled, and grasped her shoulders. “Stop thinking like a weak harpy. Draw from your human strength. You must survive my death for the sake of our son. He is the future ruler of our race.”

Kari stared blankly. “If all are lost, who will he rule?”

Shail embraced her and nuzzled her neck. “There shall be survivors, and he must be among them.”

She hugged him. “This scares me so much.”

“I, too, am scared. I hope I have chosen wisely.”

“You’re right,” she said quietly. “Dad would protect me at all cost. I’ll go so you won’t have to worry about me, but I’m not happy about it.”