Flight of the Gryphon

by Ann Durand

  She turned to look at him as he guided the Lynx into the AeroDock, the launch pad for AeroCars in the city of Ocean Park. He looked so handsome in the half light of the morning, his face dissolving into shadows with a thin streak of light running the length his profile. She pulled a long breath into her lungs. Today was going to be different. Today she wanted him to enjoy himself and to feel her appreciation. His muscled arm tensed as he reached into the pocket behind his seat to grab a map.

  "You're going to want to know exactly where you are as we approach it," he said, handing her the map.

  "Not it, Mikolen, her. We are going to visit a goddess today. Show some respect," Katera teased, as she stuffed the map in her pocket.

  Mikolen laughed. "If you're really interested in showing respect, then maybe we shouldn't walk all over her face today. Talk about no respect."

  Katera tossed her head, smiling. "I had our shoes blessed, so it's okay. Even though they'll be inside our spacesuits, Lupana will be pleased. Every one of our steps will feel like a warm ray from the sun to her."

  Mikolen shot her a sidelong glance. "You're kidding, right?"

  "You know I don't kid about things like that. I had them blessed."

  She looked at him hard, hopped out of the Lynx. He swung his legs out, hopped up, and locked the Lynx, shoving his thumb over the ID pad.

  "I hate to tell you this, but whoever you found to administer your blessing was not a Lupanist priest. What did you do? Snag the first guy you saw wearing long robes?"

  Katera met him behind the Lynx and punched him in the arm. "No, I did not use a Lupanist priest, nor did I use an elder ." She wagged her head on the last word. "Nobody calls them Lupanist priests, and if anyone asked for one in Parallon they'd look at you like you were crazy."

  "They'd look at you like you were crazy if you asked for an elder in Ocean Park. So, who'd you find? Since you don't kid about stuff like that." He looked at her sideways again, a glint in his eye.

  "I used a Catholic priest," she said, defensively.

  "Oh, a Catholic priest. That makes sense. So, it was the robes, right?"

  Katera smiled. Probably so , she thought. Though the elders of her village were not the kindliest of people and had filled her with dread much of her life, they still reminded her of home and all things familiar, as did the long robes of the Catholic priest.

  "Just be grateful that Lupana may receive you without insult." She lifted her chin.

  Mikolen steered her by the elbow into the lobby of the Ocean Park AeroDock. "Insult? I'd think she'd feel flattered to receive us after everything we went through to get this far-half a dozen appearances before the World Union Council, reams of digital documentation, a six month waiting period…"

  "That is proper preparation for an appearance before a goddess." Katera knew Mikolen expected humor from her, but too much of it did not support the importance of this visit. As a non-believer, she wanted to give him latitude, but enough was enough. "I'm glad your world takes such pains before granting permission. It's an incredible honor to go, as it should be. When I thought we were returning to Parallon, my biggest regret was that I was going to miss this trip."

  Mikolen's voice turned soft. "I would have brought you back for it. We'd have had Gryphon, remember?"

  "Oh, that's right. I forgot." She flinched, wishing the topic of Gryphon had not arisen. "That would have been nice."

  A silence fell between them, and Katera knew he was mourning the loss of the stargate. Two months had passed since Felipa made off with it, and rarely a day passed without Mikolen cursing their luck, probably because she'd put off their wedding again. She cited the same old reasons, notably her discomfort living in this era. Although lately, she had to admit, she was enjoying herself more. Just yesterday, she'd found an excuse to run an errand just so she could take the Micro for a leisurely drive.

  And then, she passed that little bistro overlooking the ocean, stopped in and ordered a hearty soup made with chunks of tender beef and fresh vegetables. It tasted surprisingly close to the kiddik stew that her mother made. Later, she strolled through the row of shops near the bistro, allowing the cool ocean breezes to part her hair at the nape and cool her neck. She turned into a shop with beautiful, shimmering Scaley dresses displayed in the front window. When she returned home with her purchases, shopping bags filled with clothes, Mikolen called her genetically empowered and a credit to her sex. She feigned innocence, blaming her Micro for heading to the shopping district, as if it had a mind of its own.

  Funny, Ocean Park was feeling more like home. Even Mikolen's proposal to get married felt more attractive and natural in the last few weeks, though she hadn't told him. She had to be sure-for his sake and hers-she wanted to know beyond a doubt that this choice was the right one for both of them and that she would make a good wife for him in his world. She wanted to be sure that she was ready to have a family in this age-that she could cope with children who would take the same miracles for granted that she gawked at on a daily basis. And most of all, she wanted to know if Lupana blessed the union.

  Mikolen handed his check-in documentation in the form of a small chip to the official behind the counter, a stout middle-aged blond woman wearing a cobalt blue ulli who identified herself as Ingrid. She inserted the chip into a panel blinking with icons. A moving image of Mikolen and Katera appeared on the panel depicting their last interview with the World Union Council, the interview that had comprised the final step in their bid for approval to land on the moon.

  "Okay," Ingrid said, pointing to a door on the right. "Go to that room, and you'll find your spacesuits. Put them on, except for the helmets. You'll carry those until you need them. You received all your instructions, right?"

  Mikolen nodded. "I've been there several times before as an undergrad student at MIT. My whole geology class of ninety students went there for a field trip. That was before they slapped a limit on the numbers of people visiting the moon, of course."

  Ingrid tossed him an indignant look. "Groups like that were the reason the World Union Council had to crack down. Crowds traipsing right over the footprints left by Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin. Wrecked 'em. They would have stayed in that pristine condition forever if those hooligans hadn't scrambled over the fences. A historic landmark wiped out for all time. There can never be another 'first' footprint on the moon."

  Ingrid's mouth wrinkled up like a dried piece of fruit. Bet you wish you'd kept your mouth shut, Katera thought, glancing at Mikolen.

  "Don't worry," she said, trying to distract Ingrid. "We're going to respect every inch of her while we're there."

  The seriousness in Katera's tone calmed Ingrid, and she smiled at Katera. "Oh, that's right-your religion revolves around worship of the moon, doesn't it? Lupana? Is that what you call it? The moon?"

  " Her ," Katera said, softly. "That's what we call her ."

  * * *

  Katera caught her breath as the small spaceship they'd chartered for the trip descended toward the surface of the moon. The desolate expanse of the Sea of Tranquility loomed larger and larger below, like a silver-gray mantle over the bosom of the goddess. Though neither she nor Mikolen spoke, her chest rumbled with the fire of her Lan Ma Ke, ignited by fierce emotion. She could not believe she was this close to the most sacred body in the universe. And very soon she'd be walking in this holy place, the home of Lupana.

  Mikolen eased the ship onto the surface. It landed lightly as if it weighed nothing. He shut off the control panel and handed Katera her helmet. After adjusting it and checking their oxygen supply, he opened the first hatch. They climbed inside the chamber before he opened the hatch to the outside. With her heart pumping madly, Katera climbed down the stepladder and turned around to face the ultimate temple, the holiest place in the universe, Lupana's castle. Her eyes scanned the landscape. Acres of fine ashy dust stretched before her, pockmarked with rocks and small depressions.

  For a moment, she couldn't move, and the only sound she heard came from her
breath inside the helmet. So still and quiet…no wind, no birds, no clattering of human activity. Nothing…only, what was under her feet? Though nothing moved, she felt the sensation of dry heat rush into her toes and the soles of her feet, then blaze up her ankles and legs until it filled her torso, arms, neck, and head. A sense of peace glowed inside her. Even during her deepest trances praying on Earth while she gazed at the full moon, she had not experienced this power, this incredible current of wellbeing. Was this the life force of Lupana her mother had talked about?

  "Are you okay?" Mikolen's voice reached her through a speaker in her helmet.

  "Yes. Oh, yes, it's wonderful."

  "I wasn't sure. You weren't moving."

  "I think I might have forgotten how."

  Mikolen's soft laugh filled the inside of her helmet, and Katera felt a deep connection pulsing within her-was it the life force of Lupana? She felt it jump from her chest across to Mikolen. A faint column of light flowed between them. Was the goddess communicating her intent? She looked at Mikolen in wonder, but he seemed not to notice.

  "I know what you mean," he said. "It's incredible the first time. Any time actually." He held out a gloved hand. "C'mon. Let me show you the monuments. Over there, behind that ridge."

  He pointed to a blunt hill in the distance with a bony ridge shaped like a dinosaur's vertebrae. Katera squinted.

  "Looks like it might take a while to get over there…oh."

  Mikolen leaped up, pulling her along so that she was following him in a great arc over the landscape. Up, up, over, over, and down they came landing softly in the powdery, gray surface. They were halfway to the ridge. Before she had a chance to protest, they were upward bound again, arcing and descending on top of the small ridge. When they landed, Mikolen pointed down.

  Merely a moon-step away, a flag with red and white stripes and white stars on a blue background sat upright with no atmosphere to disturb it, frozen like a photograph. It was surrounded by a protek, a transparent barrier with glowing edges so no one would run into it. Something lay on the ground next to the flag, but she couldn't see what it was. In another moon hop, they were next to it. Ah, now she could see a small plaque. She bent over to read it, but Mikolen was reciting the words to her.

  "Here men from planet Earth first set foot on the moon. July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind."

  "Yes, that's what it says," Katera said, peering into the protek.

  "Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, the first two humans to set foot on the moon, left the flag and this plaque here. The plaque was stolen in 2252, but a witness in an AeroCar was able to ID the thieves with an in-car telescopic camera. The thieves were caught and the plaque returned. Since then, they've placed these impenetrable proteks around all the historical objects." He patted the protek, his hand hitting a solid, yet invisible material. "And they terminated the mining operations that were going on all over the surface, too."

  Katera shuddered to think people had been digging through the delicate surface of Lupana.

  "What were they mining?"

  "The crust yields elements like hydrogen, oxygen, iron, and aluminum. Remember those from your periodic table?" Katera nodded. "Those elements are in abundance in these simple rocks." He reached over, plucked a small rock from the ground.

  "What do they use the elements for?"

  "They produce rocket fuel, for one thing. Want to know how?"

  Katera shook her head. "Not now. It's too beautiful to be studying that stuff. I just want to take it in. Can we take a walk? Or, I guess, a jump." She laughed at the idea that walking felt more difficult than leaping on the moon. "C'mon."

  She grabbed Mikolen's hand, lowered her body, and sprang twenty feet into space with Mikolen. They came down, pressed their knees into the surface, and shot upward again. They landed on the far side of another ridge, but Katera was laughing so hard, she forgot to spring off for the next one and tumbled like a rubber ball over the surface. When she finally stopped, she lay on her back, her arms and legs spread eagled as she caught her breath. Mikolen sat down beside her. His shoulders shook as he laughed.

  "We should notify the World Council about the perfect place to hold the next Olympics."

  "Yes," Katera answered. "Even we could compete."

  He peered into her helmet with his sparkling eyes. "There's something else I'd like you to see." He pointed to a large crater twenty feet long, and fifty feet away. "It's in there."

  He scrambled up, held out his thick space mitten for her to grasp. They bounded toward it, this time in small, measured leaps. Katera figured he didn't want to land at the bottom of it, though they could probably hop out if they had to. When she got to the edge, she looked down and gasped.

  "Oh. It's so beautiful."

  Below, on the floor and lining the sides, was the most exquisite display of grey stone flowers, intricately carved from the material in the crater bed. Flowers with delicate petals and leaves twisted and turned around each other as if growing in a wild, tangled garden. The detail and graceful curvature of stem and petal belied the stiff material. Like everything else on the moon, the whole garden looked like a three-dimensional photo, its movement forever arrested.

  "Who?"

  "A group of artists one hundred years ago did it. They called themselves Eco Sculptors. They traveled the world looking for ways to create art from the natural landscape. Then one of them got the bright idea to do it on the moon. Of course, that was back before…"

  "Before everyone got kicked off," Katera finished. "Well, I'm glad they got to finish. It's gorgeous."

  She reached down to touch a flower on the rim, but Mikolen caught her hand.

  "Better not," he warned. "The rock is very soft and crumbles easily. The artists knew it would stay perfectly preserved as long as no one touched it."

  Katera withdrew her hand. "Sorry. It looks like hard rock. What a lot of work to do this, and what a lovely tribute to Lupana…even if they didn't do it for her."

  She took a step back to study the entire effect, and as she did, one foot slipped and flew forward like a missile. She fell and landed on her bottom at the edge of the crater, her legs poised over it. Afraid to move, she sat with her arms behind her, leaning into them. Before she had time to figure out how to get up, Mikolen had squatted, reached his arms under her torso, and lifted. He turned and walked away, cradling her like a small child.

  "Can't take you anywhere, can I?" he said, with a soft chuckle.

  "Maybe you'd better take out some insurance on me," she joked, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  She wanted to lay her head on his chest, but her helmet prevented it. She settled for leaning back into his arms and gazed up into his helmet. A soft light was swirling within. What was that? She looked closer.

  Ma Lan Kena Lupana. Merciful Lupana. Something bright- a glow- emanated from inside his helmet. It danced around his head with an animated rhythm, as if it were alive. Lupana. She blesses Mikolen. She wanted to tell him what it was, because he seemed unaware, and then she remembered that those blessed often did not witness the light themselves. She strained her eyes to see it better, but it vanished.

  She blinked. Had she imagined it? No. She had not. Though she'd never witnessed one before this, she'd heard her mother and grandmothers describe the lighted blessings of the goddess. Li Lan her people called it, or Living Light. Mikolen had received the Li Lan. It was more than she had hoped for in the way of a sign. Lupana's voice was loud and clear. What a great idea to come here and hear the goddess speak.

  Mikolen carried her all the way back to the landing module without springing, taking his time. She felt grateful that she weighed so little on the moon, and he could carry her long distances. When they reached the module, Katera twisted reluctantly from his arms, hopped onto the ladder, and climbed up, followed by Mikolen. Once they removed their helmets and secured themselves in their seats, Katera turned to him.

  "Yes," she said.

  Mikolen tossed her a puzzle
d look. "Yes, you're ready to go home? Or yes, you're cooking dinner tonight? Yes, you'll marry me? C'mon…give me a clue."

  Mikolen laughed, as if the joke was on her.

  "Yes," she said, again. "To all three. Yes."

  Mikolen slowly turned to face her. "Really? You mean it? I mean, are you sure?"

  "I am sure. I am so very sure."

  Mikolen let out a long breath, shook his head. Then, with his eyes misting over, he reached out and pulled her to him.

  "In that case," he said, his voice cracking, "I'll have kiddik stew tonight."

  She was laughing as he moved his lips over her face, smothering it with small kisses.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Two and a Half Months Later

  Katera swept her hair on top of her head and pinned the back in place with a self-lit BeamPin. She wove the loose ends over the top of her head, twisting the strands in different directions and securing them, trying to imitate the current style among women in the West Divide of the World Union. When she finished, she stared at the hologram in front of her. It reflected her three dimensional image with intimate detail. She smoothed her tummy, flat under the lace panties, and readjusted the transparent straps of her bra. Not bad if you like compact, small, and curvy, she decided. Even so, she felt much prettier with her hair down, maybe with a strand of the fragrant red Lidala blossom woven through it, but this was July 23, 2276. It was Mikolen's wedding, too, and he did not need a bride walking down the aisle from the Stone Age.

  Standing back from the hologram, she reached for the strapless white satin gown on the suspension bed and held it in front of her. The hologram stared back with an enchanted look. She flipped a section of the voluptuous skirt over an extended leg and studied the tiny bodice, glittering with an abundance of delicate crystals. She fingered the bustle in the back, let her hand slide along the long, cathedral train. Yes, it was beautiful and easily rivaled the most elaborate, embroidered gowns worn by the maidens of Parallon. Ironic though, Mikolen had called it an antique, but for her it was so…futuristic. Yet another crowning example of the incredible beauty this contemporary world had to offer. How she would love to show this to her family and friends!