He had to be honest with his son.
He had to tell Tarrin about his heritage.
“Are you and Mom going to stay together?”
Catal looked down at Tarrin and nodded. They were on the hill that was behind Kimi’s house. They had a view of the road and driveway, but the pines hid them from sight. Tarrin had stayed close to him since they’d arrived in Montana. His voice held concern and Catal couldn’t blame him. A lot had happened to him in the past week. He’d been kidnapped, sold, shot at, and learned he had a father. Now Catal had to tell him the rest of the story.
“Your mother knows I didn’t betray her.” Catal sat on a fallen log and motioned for Tarrin to sit beside him. “She feared I had lied to her and left me. I have spent several years trying to find her.”
“Couldn’t you talk to her with your mind?”
“One day I will be able to, but the bond between us hadn’t grown that strong when she left me.” Catal cleared his throat. “A Hunter can only mind connect with a human if they are pair bonded.”
Tarrin frowned. “Mom never told me anything about you.”
“Your mother wanted to forget me.” Catal looked up at the blue sky and sighed. “She was afraid to trust me because I am a Hunter.”
“You said I was one too.” Tarrin picked at the bark on the log. “Will that mean people will be afraid of me?”
“Your mother was frightened because I didn’t tell her about myself.”
“She asked you for help to find me, though.” Tarrin grinned up at him. “I’m glad she did.”
“So am I. You will find that others will come to you for aid.” Catal eased his breathing. “It is wonderful to make things right for them, but there is danger, also.”
“Like fighting bad people?”
Catal nodded. “There are others on this planet that will chase you because you are different.”
Tarrin’s eyes pulled together and his mouth pursed. “You mean because I can hear you in my head?”
“That is a secret among Hunters.” Catal forced his voice to remain calm. “You may only speak of it among us. If others knew about it, they would hunt us down even more than they do now.”
“I will keep it a secret.” Tarrin’s voice was serious. “Who are these people?”
“They work for government agencies on Earth.” Catal pushed back his memories of the underground facilities where he had been imprisoned. “They do not want us here.”
“Where should we be?”
“This is where you were born, but I was born on another planet.”
There was a moment of silence before Tarrin spoke. “Are you from outer space?”
“I crash landed on this planet when I was ten years old.” Catal looked down at his son. “I was hunted down and imprisoned. I was lucky to escape with my life.”
“Why did they want you?”
“We weren’t from Earth.” Catal grimaced. “They were afraid we would hurt them, but we were only children and what they did to us was unspeakable. That is why I was afraid to trust humans. I never associated with them until I met your mother.”
“Where are you from?” Tarrin’s voice was hesitant.
“Since time began there have been Hunters.” Catal began the history that was so familiar to him. “We were taken by the ancients to their planet Cygnus, to be their elite fighters. Genetic modification and training have made us the best warriors possible.”
“So I am one too?”
“Yes, but you are unique.” Catal touched his son’s head. “In the past, we have been created in labs and birthing chambers. Never before has a Hunter been born of a woman. You are the first.”
“Didn’t you want mothers?” Tarrin’s voice was puzzled.
“On Cygnus, no one has a mother. All children are brought into the world by birthing chambers.” Catal lifted the sleeve of his left arm to show the two symbols marked there. He pointed to the first. “This signifies the day I was created and this is my clan. I am clan Saidir as are you.”
“What does Saidir mean?”
“We are the soldiers.”
For the first time, he realized how much he had to teach Tarrin. He’d been three when he’d learned the differences between the clans. He was proud to be clan Saidir. They were always at the beginning of a battle and their skills allowed them quick reaction times and dexterity to manoeuver their weapons and bodies.
“Some Hunters are experts in healing, or in explosives, or in mechanical machines. Clan Saidir are fierce fighters and that’s why we’re chosen to go into battle first. Today, you will meet Ardal. He is clan Rioge. He is the leader.”
“Is he scary?” Tarrin’s voice held awe.
Catal smiled. He remembered the first time he’d met Ardal. They had just rescued him from a military secret base in northern Canada. Even surrounded by a group of armed Hunters, Ardal had faced them down. He was a leader beyond compare.
“No. Ardal is a friend and a true Hunter. He accepted me into his unit even though I threatened him and his mate.”
“Why would you do that?” Tarrin moved closer to Catal.
Catal put his arm on his shoulder. “When I was left on Earth I was only ten years old and my training was incomplete. Ardal understood this and has helped us finish our teachings. He has great honor.”
“Why did he come to Earth?” Tarrin leaned against Catal.
“He and his unit were sent here to be executed. They were the last Hunters in the universe. When they took over the ship that was transporting them to their death, it crashed on Earth.”
“You mean they were to be killed?” Tarrin’s voice shook. “Did they do something wrong?”
“There was a civil war on Cygnus and the Kaladin, who all Hunters obeyed, were defeated by the Holman. The Holman didn’t trust us to follow their directives, so they ordered all Hunters killed. Ardal and his unit were the personal guards for the High Council. Their last mission was to hide the council and that’s why they arrived back on Cygnus after the others had been executed.”
“That’s not right.”
“A lot of things aren’t just, that’s why there are Hunters. We right the wrongs.” Catal squeezed Tarrin closer.
“Like you did with those men who kidnapped Gates and me?”
“Exactly.”
Tarrin was silent for a few minutes and then he spoke. “How long have you and the others been on Earth?”
“I have been here thirty years.” Catal looked down at Tarrin. “Ardal and his unit have been here for ten months. I have learned much since I joined them, including that the legends about Hunters and their mates is true.”
Tarrin looked up at his father. He gazed at him with a steady calm. “You didn’t believe Mom was your mate.”
“I knew that she was the only woman I had ever desired, but I didn’t trust the legends.” Catal felt a surge of pride. His son understood quickly. “Because of the modifications that were done to make us superior warriors we develop a strong bond with only one woman. She is our pair bond. If we mate, it is an attachment that lasts for life. There will never be anyone else for me but your mother.”
Catal suppressed the pain that shot through him at the thought of the years he’d spent apart from Selena. Tarrin was too young to understand the intensity of the pair bond. Because he was half human he might never experience it fully. That would be a loss. Tarrin might not have the pain of separation, but he would never experience the pleasure and oneness with a pair bond.
“What happened to the mates of the other Hunters? Were they left on Cygnus?”
“We were forbidden to mate.”
Catal’s voice was matter of fact. He knew that the Kaladin had denied them a great joy, but it was his own fault that he had lost Selena. If he’d been honest about who he was from the beginning, she would have trusted him.
Just then a sound from the road caught his attention. He focused and saw a dark van approaching the house. The others were here. He stood and reached a hand down
for Tarrin.
“Ardal is here.”
The two walked down from the hill to the house below.
Selena met them at the door. “They’re in the kitchen.”
Catal pulled her close and kissed her. “Let’s go.”
Ardal was standing at the kitchen counter. His arms were crossed across his chest and he looked formidable. Catal glanced at Tarrin to see how he was holding up. He was looking at the leader with wide eyes. Catal could understand why. Clan Rioge were larger than clan Saidir, but Ardal was an honorable leader. A man to be respected.
He held Selena close to his chest with one arm and his other hand was on Tarrin’s shoulder. He stopped in front of Ardal. “This is my mate Selena, and our son, Tarrin.”
Ardal nodded at Selena. “I am Ardal of the clan Rioge and last leader of the Hunters. I am honored to meet you.” He then crouched down in front of Tarrin. “I hope we can be friends. We are brothers, so there is no need to fear me.”
There was silence for a few seconds and then Tarrin smiled. “You can talk in my head too.”
Ardal grinned. “All Hunters can speak to each other this way. Just focus and connect with me.”
Tarrin frowned and his eyes narrowed. A couple of seconds later Ardal laughed and stood. He touched Tarrin’s shoulder and glanced at Catal.
“You father is an excellent warrior. He will do most of your training. After that, I will gladly help you learn.” Ardal shook his head. “You are truly a miracle. One that no Hunter ever expected.”
At that moment, Ardal’s mate Fiona, came in with Niail and Kimi. She was still as beautiful as Catal remembered. Her face glowed and her smile was welcoming. Niail and Kimi stood back as Fiona rushed into Ardal’s arms.
“This is my mate and wife Fiona.” Ardal introduced her to Selena and Tarrin. “She’s been anxious to meet you.”
“I’m so happy not to be the only woman in this group of men.” Fiona sighed and then pushed away from Ardal. “Kimi has me to her children Wil and Peta. They’re adorable. Now there is Tarrin.”
She hugged Tarrin. “I’m glad to see you’re safe.”
Tarrin nodded. “My father and the other Hunters saved us.”
“I hear you were very brave and were able to help in your rescue.” Fiona stood away and looked at him. “Would you like to go and play with Wil and Peta for a little while? Wil told me they’ve got a new board game.”
Tarrin nodded and let Fiona lead him away. Niail pulled out a few of the kitchen chairs and motioned for the others to take a seat. Catal let Selena sit and then stood behind her with one hand on her shoulder. He sensed she was nervous meeting so many at once, so he sent her calm and peace. In time, she would come to trust the others. All Hunters had vowed to protect the mates of their brothers, so she had no reason to fear.
“You have recovered Niail?” Catal knew that Niail had suffered head injuries recently.
“I can connect again.” Niail smiled as he sat beside Kimi. “If Kimi and the children had not rescued me, I would not be here.”
“I’d say you saved us.” Kimi gave Niail a kiss. “You put your life on the line for the children and me.”
Fiona came back into the kitchen and sat on the chair Ardal held out for her. She waited for Ardal to sit and then took his hand in hers. Catal sensed that this meeting was more than an interest to meet Kimi and Selena.
“I haven’t been feeling well for the last couple of months.” Fiona’s voice was low. “At first I thought that I was overtired with all the moving around we’d been doing since the crash. Then I began to suspect it was something more natural.”
Selena cleared her throat. “Are you pregnant?”
“Yes.” Fiona smiled. “It shouldn’t be possible. Ardal is not from earth. He wasn’t even certain that the capability to have children hadn’t been bred out of him. That’s why I was excited when I heard about Tarrin.”
“Niail looks human as do all the other Hunters.” Kimi’s voice held concern. “My grandfather thinks that they might be related to the people who left earth with the Star People eons ago.”
“Your grandfather may be right.” Kimi glanced over at Ardal who nodded. “When I found out I was pregnant the doctor in me was concerned about how our two species could create a child. I still have friends in the medical community, so I contacted one who agreed to do a DNA test on Ardal.”
Catal frowned. “I don’t understand what you were looking for.”
“We know that animals of different species can have children together, but those offspring are rarely able to have babies.”
“You mean like a horse and donkey creating a mule?” Selena’s voice shook. “Are you saying that Tarrin might be sterile?”
Fiona reached over and clasped Selena’s hand. “That was my fear too, but I was wrong. The DNA profile I had done on Ardal was a pleasant surprise.”
“In what way?”
Catal had never given the mechanics of having children much thought. He hadn’t believed that Hunters could mate, and children were not something that anyone had on Cygnus. Until Selena had told him that Tarrin was his son, he wouldn’t have imagined it was possible. He could understand Fiona’s concern when she found out she was pregnant.
“Ardal’s DNA is human.”
There was complete silence for several seconds. Niail was the first to speak. “How is that possible?”
“Either the inhabitants of Cygnus are humans, or you were from Earth originally.” Fiona shrugged. “I have no other explanation.”
“Grandfather knew.” Kimi’s voice was a low whisper. “He’d said that you were returning home.”
“There is evidence of the genetic modifications though.” Fiona pursed her lips. “The human genome has been mapped and there are long sequences of genes that are non-coding, in other words they don’t produce proteins. In the past we called them junk DNA, but now we know that these sequences help with enhancing other genes, or regulating when a gene is switched on or off.”
Catal frowned. “These are the areas where the modification have happened?”
“Yes.” Fiona nodded. “You produce the same proteins as us, but you might make more of a protein for muscle mass than a normal human does.”
“We are the same, yet different.” Ardal crossed his arms. “I suspect that each clan has different modifications. This would explain the clan’s expertise in certain areas.”
“So essentially I am the same as Kimi, but I have modifications that make me stronger and a better shot.” Niail’s voice was hesitant.
Fiona nodded. “That’s is what we believe. I would have to have a sample of your blood to verify it.”
“What about Tarrin?” Selena leaned forward. “How will he be different?”
“He would be like any other human baby. Half of his genes come from you and half from Catal.”
“So he gets his ability to mind connect from a gene that Catal has passed on.” Selena raised an eyebrow. “So there is no means of knowing what our children might inherit from their fathers.”
“If Tarrin is any indication, I’d say he has inherited a lot from his father.”
Catal was stunned by what he’d heard. He wasn’t a scientist, but Fiona had given him a lot to think about. Tarrin was a Hunter, there was no doubt. The difference was that he would have a choice of whether he wanted to be a warrior or not. There was still one thing that bothered him.
“Why were our ancestors taken by the Kaladin?” Catal leaned close to the table.
“My grandfather said that the Star People asked the best warriors to join them.” Kimi’s voice was low. “Perhaps the Kaladin are the Star People of my grandfather’s legends.”
“It is very possible.” Ardal shifted in his chair so that he was facing Kimi. “Since crashing on Earth, we have learned that many of our myths are true. There is no reason that the same is not true for your people’s legends.”
“Grandfather’s teachings are very ancient.” Kimi looked over at Niail. “I
f the Star People did take humans, they did it eons ago.”
“Hunters have existed since time began according to the Kaladin.” Niail frowned. “This might also be the reason Earth was the planet we were heading toward.”
“And why we were sent here for training.” Catal crossed his arms.
He pushed away his anger. For years he had blamed the humans for what they had done to him. To find out that he was one of them would take some getting used to. He needed time to understand and come to terms with what had happened to him. Right now, all he wanted was to make certain that his son did not suffer as he had.
“Earth is more our home than we realized.” Ardal’s voice was calm. “We must not forget our training or the Sacred Codes. We are still Hunters.”
“We have traveled much of the universe.” Niail spoke in a quiet voice. “Our experience and breeding means we will stand apart.”
“But we belong here.” Catal frowned. “This is probably why we have found mates here also.”
Ardal nodded. “This is true. I am only surprised that the others who crashed here with you, did not find mates. Perhaps your implants were still working.”
“Something must have happened to mine.” Catal rubbed the scar on his arm where his implant had been removed. “I had never been attracted to a human before I met Selena.”
“Tell us about that.” Ardal leaned back in his chair. “When we first met, you did not believe in the legend of mates.”
“I was afraid to admit it.” Catal looked down at Selena and stroked a finger down her cheek. “I hadn’t trusted that it was a pair bonding. Instead, I believed that I had betrayed my brothers by being with a human woman.”
“Understandable considering what happened to you on earth.” Ardal sighed. “This may be hard for those of you who were stranded here as children to deal with. For too many years, Lorcan and the rest of the clan Saidir have seen humans as the enemy.”
“It will take time.” Catal sighed. “They will have a better understanding of the work they do to bring justice to others.”
“Instead of hiring out as mercenaries.”
Selena shuddered. “Even when I thought that Catal had betrayed me, I still worried that he might be dead somewhere because of the work he did.”
aHunter4Life (aHunter4Hire) Page 19