Flight of the Golden Harpy (29 page)

John backed out of the striking range of the slender harpy. He learned from the surviving mountain hunter the golden male had brought down three men with lightning speed. He stared into the harpy’s blue eyes, and they showed no fear of him or his weapon. Kari’s airy mate could put up a hell of fight if only wounded. “Why did you attack those three hunters in the mountains?”

Shail tilted his head, puzzled by his question. “They caught my mate and threatened harm. They are lucky I am harpy that does not take life.”

John’s hate gave way to respect. “Okay, if Kari is pregnant, I promise to watch over your fledgling. No hunter will get it.”

Shail made a slight nod and lightly stepped in front of him.

John raised his weapon, gripping the trigger, but the harpy dropped to his knees and arched his head back, exposing his throat. His luxurious yellow feathers cascaded across the cabin floor. John sighed and lowered his weapon. The noble male deserved an honorable harpy death. Withdrawing a large hunting knife from his belt, he held the blade toward the harpy’s throat and grabbed a handful of its silky hair. He jerked the male’s neck back to ensure a clean cut. The male shut his eyes and quivered slightly. With his knife against its throat, John stared at him for a long moment and noticed the young male resembled his daughter and dead wife. “Goddamn it.” He dropped the knife and grabbed his laser gun. Pointing the barrel at the harpy’s chest, he fired. Kari’s mate crumbled to the floor face down, his wings extended unnaturally over him.

*   *   *

Kari heard the laser gun. She ripped free of the unsuspecting man and raced up the path toward the cabin. Her father stepped out of the cabin and caught her before she entered.

“Shail!” she yelled and wrestled to be free. She caught a glimpse of his body lying on the cabin door. “Shail,” she screamed, but he didn’t move or answer her calls.

“It’s over now, Kari,” John said, holding her. “You don’t want to go in there.”

Kari called Shail’s name again and again. She tried to reach him with the telepathy, but got no response. Even wounded, he would have answered. Realizing he was dead, she collapsed into her father’s arms.

John picked her up and carried her toward the beach. She softly sobbed, repeating Shail’s name and begging him to come. Sam started to pass John, heading for the cabin. “Where in the hell do you think you’re going?” John barked.

“Mr. Turner, I figured you didn’t want the wings,” Sam said. “They’re worth a bunch, and it’s a shame to let them rot.”

Hearing the man’s statement, Kari shook in her father’s arms. All her hopes, happiness, and love had been reduced to a bundle of lifeless feathers that lay on the cabin floor. She felt the dark gloom and heavy weight of despair that crept into her soul and crushed her will to go on. She didn’t fight it.

John growled at the man. “It’s my land, my kill, and my wings. Leave them as they lay.”

“Sure, Mr. Turner, anything you say.”

“Get to the hover and get back to the mill,” John ordered.

Sam jogged ahead and was joined by Jerry. They disappeared over a bluff.

As John walked up the path cradling Kari, he was met by Charlie. The old Indian just shook his head and slowly strolled up the beach.

“We’ll be home soon, Kari,” John said. “Everything will be all right.”

She softly whimpered in his arms.

He finally reached his hover, and Charlie was waiting in the passenger seat. The other hover had already left for the estate. He placed Kari on the backseat, and she curled up in a tight ball resembling an incoherent, wounded animal. “She’ll be okay,” he said to Charlie. Charlie didn’t answer.

The hovercraft ride was as quiet as a funeral. No one spoke.

*   *   *

The male harpy’s words played over and over in John’s head. Was Kari pregnant? He had promised to protect the fledgling, but he now wondered if he could persuade Kari to abort it. Kari’s sniffles occasionally were heard over the hover engine, and he glanced back her. She looked so much like her mother. Her limbs were pulled in, and she rested in the traditional curled-up way that harpies slept. For the first time his daughter truly looked like a harpy. He leaned back in the hover seat and exhaled deeply. He’d honor his promise to the golden male and look after his son.

In the afternoon, dark clouds had gathered, signaling the beginning of the rainy season. John landed the hover on the front lawn, close to the house doors. He climbed out, opened the hover back door, and lifted Kari into his arms. Her eyes were shut, and she trembled. Maria met him at the door and followed him upstairs to Kari’s bedroom where he laid her on the bed.

Maria stroked her forehead. “It will be okay, Miss Kari. You’re home now,” she said. Kari didn’t respond or cry. She stared at the wall in a trance. Maria glanced at John with concern.

“Go call Doc,” he said.

Maria left the room, and John heard Maria and Charlie on the stairs. “Kari’s harpy?” Maria asked.

“Dead,” Charlie answered, and walked into the bedroom.

John sat on the bed and caressed Kari’s head. She shivered and her eyes were fixed. “Come on, baby. Snap out of this,” he said, covering her with a blanket.

“I doubt she can,” Charlie said and left the room.

John became seriously worried, knowing a female harpy could die from the loss of a mate, especially if she had no offspring, but he didn’t figure it could happen to his strong, willful daughter who was half human. He paced the room. Doc’s arrival was taking forever.

*   *   *

John looked out the balcony window and saw Doc’s old hover set down beside his. Carrying a black medical bag, Doc got out with another man. They walked to the door, and he heard their voices as Maria let them in. Doc, the man, and Maria soon walked into the bedroom. Charlie returned to the doorway and leaned against the threshold.

Doc didn’t say a word and went straight to the curled-up girl on the bed. He examined her set, dilated eyes and felt her pulse. “Maria, more blankets,” he said. “She’s in shock.”

The other man quickly dug through the medical bag and handed Doc a syringe and a vial. Doc filled the syringe and administered the drug into Kari’s arm. Maria covered Kari with more blankets.

“Is she going to be all right?” John asked.

Doc straightened and glared at John. “I doubt it. You damn fool; you killed her golden male, didn’t you?”

“It had to be done,” John said.

“You probably have also killed your daughter,” Doc said. “Dr. Watkins, let’s draw some blood and get the DNA scanner out.” Watkins reached in the bag for another syringe and the monitor.

“Why do you need all that?” John asked.

“Because I want to know if I’m working on a human or a harpy. There is a big difference.”

“I swore to my wife I’d never tell,” John said, glancing at Kari. “She’s harpy.”

“Oh, my word,” Maria said, covering her mouth.

“John, you knew your daughter was a harpy, and she had bonded with the young male, yet you still killed him.” Doc huffed. “The female harpies are as fragile as the males when caged. They go into shock and die of despair. They’re not strong like humans.”

“Kari is part human, and I figured she could survive,” John said. “How did you learn about harpies?”

“Dr. Watkins and I have been doing a lot research on harpies and their history. It became apparent that the women who were taken and raped by male harpies were really female harpies. Once their mates were killed, and they were forced back to civilization, the females suffered from shock, heart failure, and death … just like the males.” Doc leaned over and patted Kari’s arm. “I’m surprised the poor thing stayed alive all those years on Earth and didn’t commit suicide.”

“What are her chances?” John asked.

“Small,” Doc said. “If she survives the trauma, she’ll never be the same. The girl you once knew is gone. She’s embraced her harpy side. With the loss of her mate, she only wants to die. It’ll take drugs with around-the-clock surveillance to keep her alive. I warned you that disaster would come if you interfered.”

John slumped in a chair. “My father also warned me. He said my life would be a disaster if I married a harpy, and the creature could only bring sorrow.” John placed his face in his hands to conceal the tears. He finally wiped his face on his sleeve, cleared his throat, and looked up at Doc. “I really believed Kari would be okay. I didn’t want her running around in the woods being chased by hunters.”

Doc rubbed John’s shoulder. “I’m sure you had the best of intentions.”

“The harpy said that Kari is pregnant with his fledgling. Do you think it’s true?” John asked.

“The male harpy spoke to you?” Dr. Watkins asked.

“It surprised the heck out of me,” John said. “He spoke perfect English. I didn’t think males could utter a sound, much less talk. He asked me to protect his son.”

Doc reached in his bag and pulled out his scanner, the same scanner that the male harpy had knocked from his hand and sent flying across his room. “I liked that blond male. He had balls. Even badly wounded, he tried to defend your daughter.” He ran the scanner over Kari. “Congratulations, John. If she lives, you’ll be a grandfather.”

“She’s pregnant?” John asked.

“The fetus is roughly three weeks old,” Doc said.

Kari gasped for breath and her eyes rolled back.

“No, girl, don’t do this,” Doc said, and scanned her again. “Hurry, Watkins. Her heart is racing and she’s shut down. Give me the stimulant.”

“What’s happening to her?” John yelled.

Watkins handed the stimulant to Doc. “She’s creating her own death,” Watkins explained. “Depressed harpies have enough concentration to shut down their organs. I’ve seen it when they’re caged.”

Doc scanned her. “The stimulant is slowing her heart rate. Let’s put an antidepressant patch on her and load her with tranquilizers. She’ll be a zombie, but it will keep her alive. Some vets came up with this new drug treatment. It prolongs the life of a caught harpy.” Doc stood up and faced John. “I’m sorry. This is all I can do. Your daughter will live a life of tranquilizers and semiconsciousness. I’m not sure how those drugs will affect her fetus. The baby might be mentally impaired.”

John walked to the bed and placed his hand on Kari’s frail, clammy arm and watched her trembling in a coma. “I didn’t do it, baby,” he mumbled to Kari.

“Didn’t do what?” Doc asked.

“I didn’t kill her mate,” John said. “I only stunned him. I thought I could bring her home and persuade her to forget him. Guess I was a fool to think so.”

John glanced up, and everyone stared at him. “Look, I really didn’t kill him. I couldn’t. After he spoke, I saw him for what he was: not some wild, raping animal that had seduced my little girl with his flashy good looks, but an intelligent, loyal husband. He was damn brave and had so much dignity. He dropped to his knees and threw back his head.” John walked near the balcony. “The only thing he wanted was my promise to protect his family. I put the knife to his throat and knew I’d regret it. I’ve never known a man with that much heart.”

Charlie went to John and patted his shoulder. “I’m glad, John.”

Doc looked at Kari. “Well, she certainly thinks he’s dead. The stunning would have worn off hours ago, and he’d have come here. The male would never let his mate come so close to death. Are you sure your gun was set to stun or that the stunning didn’t give him a heart attack?”

“I’m sure,” John said. “I checked him, and he was breathing fine. I made sure all the men had their weapons set for a mild animal stunning.” John froze. “Goddamn them!” He whirled around. “Charlie, take my hover to the mill and see if Jerry and Sam came back.” Charlie raced out of the room, and the hover engine sounded. John looked out the balcony and watched the hover fly toward the mill. The sun was sinking into the horizon.

In minutes, Charlie returned and leaped out of the hover. He yelled to John on the balcony “They’re not there and neither is the hover.”

John looked up at the orange and purple dusk sky and felt ill. “God, what have I done?” He walked back into the bedroom. “The two men that were with me, they must’ve doubled back and got him. They killed him for some lousy feathers. Oh, Jesus, I’ve made a mess of things.”

“Are you sure they killed him?” Watkins asked.

John nodded. “They wanted his wings.”

Doc stroked Kari’s forehead and sighed. “She was coming back to Westend anyway to give Dr. Watkins some kind of proof that would help her harpies.”

John searched Kari’s pant pockets and pulled out an old disc. “This must be it,” he said, handing the disc to Dr. Watkins.

Watkins examined it. “Do you have the equipment to play it?”

“I think I can rig something up,” John said.

“Go ahead; I’ll stay with her,” Doc said and eased into a chair. “She’ll sleep for some time.”

Downstairs, John and Watkins worked on the equipment while Charlie watched. Maria went into the kitchen and made sandwiches and coffee. She served them to the three men in the den. “I will take a plate up to Doc,” she said.

“Thanks, Maria,” John said. “I plan to stay up all night with Kari. You might as well go home and get some rest. I might need a break by tomorrow.”

“If you’re sure, I’ll clean the kitchen and go.” Maria headed toward the stairs with Doc’s sandwich.

John worked on the recording equipment, making adjustments to play the ancient-looking disc, and was grateful to take his mind off Kari and her dead mate. Doc joined them, reporting that Kari was sleeping peacefully.

John, Charlie, Doc, and Watkins sat down and watched the old log of Captain James and his ill-fated space freighter,
The Princess
. When the last log was over, they were too astonished for words.

Dr. Watkins finally broke the silence. “I need to take the disc to Hampton and put it in the right hands. Do you realize the log might vindicate the harpies and prove they are a race of gentle mortals? It’s inconceivable that harpy hunting would continue.”

Doc slowly stood up. “So all our research and assumptions are correct, and this is how the harpies came about.”

“How could two different species create the harpies?” John asked.