Flight of the Golden Harpy (43 page)

“He’s angry with me, and you,” Kari said. “He told me yesterday to leave the city, and I have disobeyed him, and he’s upset with you for breaking your promise to protect me. He was concerned with the hunters at the range and that the swarms will hit this city soon. If I don’t leave, he’s threatened to break our bond, saying I should take Ted for a mate. He’s seen me with Ted for the last two days. Other than that, nothing has changed. He doesn’t want to be saved and only wants to die.”

“But why, when he seems strong and confident now?”

“He’s filled with hate, and he cannot foresee that it will ever leave. He’s scared and feels lost, since he’s controlled by an emotion he doesn’t understand.”

“Once I free him, his hate will fade and he’ll be fine,” John said.

Kari somberly gazed at her father. “Will he? I’ve never felt so much rage in him. Right now he’s willing to risk his male flock and attack every human on the planet. This is what he fears and why he’d rather die. Shail is a full-blooded harpy and lives in the present like all animals. He can’t see his future, and he lacks optimism. That’s why caged harpies die with depression. They don’t believe things can change for the better.”

John put his arms around his worried daughter. “Your boy is brave and intelligent. He overcame his fear of cages and hundreds of men, and he has the willpower to change and overcome his hate. Of course he’s staying angry. Those men are tormenting him to keep him that way for the auction.”

Kari smiled. “He did overcome his human fear, but I wish you had seen him when I first got him. He was so cute and skittish, jumping with fright every time he entered the cabin, like something would grab him.”

“Why does Shail think the swarms are coming to Hampton? He’s been caged and drugged for a week. Does he even know he’s on the east coast, and the nearest swarm is over a thousand miles away?”

Kari leaned against the vehicle. “I don’t doubt him, Dad. When it concerns his jungle, he’s never wrong, but I’m not leaving here without him. I don’t care what he knows or wants.”

John sighed. “Kari, if you’re in real danger here, Shail is right to be angry with me. Can I convince you to leave with Charlie for the estate, and I’ll stay for the auction?”

“No, I’m as stubborn as you.”

Ted and Charlie walked up to them. “The place was so packed. It took us forever to get out,” Ted said and grinned at John. “You were great, Mr. Turner. Yelling at the range owner for hurting Kari’s pet. You sure showed him.”

“Simpson didn’t back off because of me,” John said. “I just reminded him of his priorities. Does he want to sell a damaged harpy or a healthy one?”

They climbed into the vehicle and drove to the hotel. John checked the news on the swarm progress and discovered the closest swarm strike was still far away, and his timber estate had yet to come under attack. He focused on tomorrow night’s auction and grew concerned. If the huge crowds at the range were any indication of the harpy’s price, John could be in trouble financially. Killing the men, Shail had elevated himself from a rare game animal to a much-sought-after prized trophy, testing a hunter’s skill and courage. Some men would pay an enormous amount for such a challenge. John would know the next morning the extent of his credit line.

The dark clouds rolled in from the ocean, and sheets of rain flooded Hampton’s streets, making a dreary afternoon. John chatted with Ted and liked the hardworking and easygoing young man. There was no doubt that Ted idolized his daughter. He hovered over her, seeking to please her every whim, but Kari was absorbed and worried about Shail, making her subdued. Her mood just rolled off Ted. He was happy to be near her and help her through the crisis. She apparently had not revealed that she was a harpy and Shail was not a pet, but her mate. John, Ted, Charlie, and Kari milled around the lobby, talking about the auction.

As evening approached, the rain let up. Kari suggested dinner at some seafood shack on the water where she and Ted had dined. The group decided to walk to the restaurant. A cool breeze swept through the streets, and Kari and Ted walked ahead of John and Charlie.

“It’s too bad things couldn’t have been different,” John said to Charlie and motioned to the couple half a block ahead of them.

Charlie glanced at Kari and Ted. “That boy could never make her happy, John. He’s too tame. She’s always been wild like the jungle and her golden mate.”

“I know, but her life would have been easier if she had chosen Ted. I don’t know if she knows it, but that boy is in love with her.”

They reached the restaurant and feasted. Afterward they strolled down to the beach. The clouds had disappeared, revealing the stars and twin moons. Gentle waves rolled and broke against the shore.

“It’s been twenty years since I’ve been on the east coast,” Charlie said.

Kari stopped walking and stared ahead at the long, dark beach.

“What is it?” John asked her.

“A harpy is out there,” Kari said.

Ted strained to see in the dark. “Where? I don’t see anything.”

Kari walked alone down the beach, and a brown harpy emerged from the shadow and approached her.

“My God, it is a harpy,” Ted said and started toward her.

“No, Ted, wait here with us,” John said, calling him back.

Ted whirled around and looked at John. “But it might hurt her.”

“He won’t,” John said.

Ted’s face showed that he was clearly puzzled, but he stayed with John and Charlie and watched from a distance as Kari and the harpy met. The harpy lowered its head and knelt on one knee in front of her.

*   *   *

“I’m glad you are here, Aron,” Kari relayed.

Aron rose. “I, too, am relieved to find you.”

“Shail is in a hunting range, and by tomorrow’s darkness, we hope to free him.”

“I know where he is,” Aron said, “and he does not wish freedom, nor does he wish you here. As your guardian, I asked you to remain in the west. You have disobeyed Shail and me and placed yourself and his unborn son in danger. You are a golden female, but still a female. It is the male harpy’s place to decide what is best. We give our lives to protect you.”

Although polite, Aron was obviously irritated with her, but she had little tolerance for the subservient female roles in the harpy culture. “Shail has told me this crap many times, and I chose to ignore it,” she said. “I’m staying here and taking him out regardless of what you or he wants.”

Aron shook his head. “You truly are a golden first. Shail’s concern is valid. The swarms shall be here soon, sooner than the humans know. In two lights they fall upon this city, and the blackness shall be so vast that no life escapes. I have come to take you, Turner, and the old man away. This is Shail’s wish.”

“And I wish to remain until he is free.”

“I, too, long to free him,” relayed Aron. “I willingly would risk my life and my flock and fly into the weapon blasts to take him from the hunters, but he has forbidden a rescue.”

“You spoke to him?” Kari asked.

“No, but he spoke to another and gave up a valued flight feather to honor his words. When the humans are gone, the harpies shall unite and destroy the swarms. The jungle, the animals, and the harpies shall be saved as he had hoped. Already, great flocks gather in the north. Also, with his feather, he demanded you be taken to a place of safety. You must not think of Shail’s loss, but of our future monarch you hold within.”

“How can I not think of him? You talk like he’s already dead.”

Aron looked down and kicked at the sand. “I also think of him. He is my brother, and if lost, my mourning shall be endless, but he is also my ruler. His surrender to death must come with good reasons.”

Kari saw Aron’s watery eyes and detected his agony. She put her arms around his waist and hugged him. “Don’t worry, Aron. Tomorrow night I’ll do as you ask and leave the city with or without Shail, but I took him from hunters once before and must stay and try again.”

Aron placed his hands on her shoulders. “I shall pray to the jungle spirits that you succeed and bring our Shail home, but by tomorrow’s darkness, you must leave with haste. The harpies cannot lose the golden bloodline. I shall wait for you in the trees beyond the structure that holds Shail.”

“I’ll bring him home.”

Aron spread his wings and flew over the ocean that sparkled with moonlight and disappeared. Kari slowly walked back to the three men.

“Shail was right, Dad,” Kari said. “The swarms will hit Hampton in two days. Whether you buy Shail or not, we must leave with the harpies after the auction. I have promised Aron.”

“The swarms are a long ways off,” Ted said. “The satellite information says it’ll be months before the beetles start moving east.”

John ignored Ted. “We’ll go to the auction in my hover so we can leave in a hurry. There’s a small park nearby where I can land.”

“You’re taking this threat seriously?” asked Ted.

Kari took Ted’s hand. “When we spoke on the com last week, I asked you to get on a ship and leave Dora. The harpies know more about nature than any satellite. Hampton will be gone in a matter of days.”

“You really believe in these harpies,” Ted said.

“We don’t lie,” Kari said.

“You talk like you’re one of them,” Ted joked. When she didn’t answer, he released her hand and stepped back. “You’re one of them?”

“I am,” Kari said. “Because of the danger, a female harpy must not reveal her true identity.”

Ted stared at her. “I knew you were different from other girls,” he mumbled. His eyes widened. “You love him. You’re in love with the golden harpy.”

“Shail is my husband,” Kari said. “I’m sorry, Ted.”

Ted took more steps away from her and stared at the water. “You sure fooled me, Kari, but I should’ve guessed. You and your husband look an awful lot alike. You’re both beautiful.”

She walked to him and reached for his hand, but he pulled away. “Just leave me alone for a minute.”

Kari went back to John and Charlie. “That boy is hurting,” John said quietly. “Let me talk to him.” He walked up to Ted and stood beside him. “This is my fault, Ted. When you met Kari, she didn’t know she was a harpy. Shail had to tell her. She never meant to deceive you.”

“Ten years ago they fell in love at the lake when they were just kids,” Ted said. “You knew, and that’s why you sent her to Earth, to keep them apart.”

“Yes,” John said. “I had hoped she’d find a good man like you, and she’d stay out of the jungle.”

Ted turned and looked at him. “You should’ve taken the time to know your daughter, Mr. Turner.”

Ted walked back to Kari. “I’ll do whatever it takes to help you get him back.”

Kari embraced him. “Thank you, Ted. After the auction, you can leave with us.”

“No,” Ted said. “Once you’re back with Shail, I’ll find a way off the planet.”

“All right,” Kari said. “I’ve never understood why I didn’t have many human friends. You’ve been my best friend, Ted, and even though I’m a harpy, I don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t,” Ted said.

Kari, her father, Charlie, and Ted left the beach and strolled through the empty, windswept streets. In the late hour, Kari glanced at dim lights that glowed from inside the building windows. The moist ocean breeze blew fallen leaves up the pavement, and tree limbs swayed as if yearning to follow and escape the impending storm. The atmosphere was haunting. In two days, the storm would come, but not one of great waves, wind, or rain. It would be a downpour of black that would destroy the city.

*   *   *

Sunday night Shail remained chained, and forced to stand in the display cage. The crowds of men had come and gone. So bitter over his brother’s death and his own injuries inflicted by Shail, Bill had no pity for him and ordered his men to make him stand all night and suffer without food or water. Bill and most of the employees were gone, and two guards sat in chairs near his cage. Instead of being rolled out to the range and fresh air, the cage remained in the large front room.

The guards quietly talked to one another, and Shail rested his lowered head between his half-raised arms and shifted his weight, one leg at a time.

“How long you think before he collapses, George?” one guard asked.

“I don’t know, but it’s pretty damn cruel,” said George, an older man with salt-and-pepper gray hair. “When I got here this afternoon, the harpy was covered with sweat. He’s gotta be thirsty. I’m giving him some water, regardless of Simpson’s orders.” The robust guard grabbed his plastic water bottle and stood.

“You better stay out away from him,” said the guard. “The harpy was sweaty because he’d been flailing his wings at people all day. Mr. Simpson even gave up going in his cage for fear of getting struck. Did you see the man’s bruised face and throat? The winged devil nailed him and it’s killed three men. It’s mean.”

“I’ll take my chances, Harold,” George said and approached the cage door. “I don’t believe he’s mean. He’s just been mistreated. Mollie told me how Gus Simpson and his two pals tortured him. Well, Gus’s luck ran out when he hurt the wrong animal. Those boys got what they deserved, and the same goes for Bill Simpson.” He unlocked the door, and the harpy lifted his head out of his arms.

Harold stood up to watch. “You’re crazy. The harpy is going to knock your teeth out with his wings.”

George grinned and removed his false teeth. “Too late.” He walked to Shail, holding up the bottle. “Easy, little guy, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m giving you a drink.”

Shail arched his wings and hissed at the approaching man. Despite the man’s kind words, Shail didn’t trust him. He angrily rattled the chains and flung his hair.

George slowly moved closer. “Look. It’s only water.”

Despite Shail’s threats, the old man kept coming, coaxing him to drink from the bottle. Shail tried to swallow, but his throat was dry. He stretched his neck, and the enticing water touched his parched lips. He took a quick, nervous sip before jerking his head back and curiously looking at the old guard. Shail’s judgment was clouded by hostility, and he sniffed the wrinkled hand to gain a sense of George.

“See, I’m just trying to help you.” George again offered the bottle.