Donte ran, drawing the ursidae away from the men. The ursidae stumbled and fell, then got to its feet and charged Donte again. Donte swerved, putting a tree between him and the ursidae.
On silent wings, a huge white strigiformes swooped down and grabbed the ear of the ursidae. The ursidae stopped and stood on its hind legs, roaring its rage as it tried to bat the strigiformes out of the air. But the strigiformes was already climbing into the sky. The ursidae turned back to Donte. The weapon still wasn’t flashing that it was fully charged yet so he ran to the side, dodging behind another tree. All he needed was a few more minutes.
He was so focused on the ursidae that he tripped over a dead limb and fell, dropping the weapon. The ursidae was almost on him. Donte rolled to the side and leaped to his feet, leaving the weapon on the ground where it fell.
The men were no longer firing. With all the commotion, they would be afraid of hitting Donte. Donte dodged behind another tree, trying to work his way back to the weapon. It had to be ready by now.
Once again the white strigiformes swooped down, aiming for the face of the ursidae. Once again the ursidae was distracted. Donte darted for his weapon. He dived over the dead limb, landing on his hands and knees. Grabbing the weapon, he somersaulted to his feet, facing the ursidae. He planted his feet to steady his aim and slid the cover back on the laser. Lifting the weapon, he pressed the button. The ursidae was almost on him again when the beam sent it to the ground. Momentum took the dead ursidae forward, slamming it into Donte’s legs. Donte fell flat on his back on the ground, knocking the air out of him and sending the weapon through the air.
Beier was suddenly beside him. “Are you hurt, Monomi?” He lifted Donte into a sitting position.
Donte was finally able to gasp for air. “I’ll be alright.” He finally managed. He looked at the dead ursidae and ran a hand through his hair. “Always close the cover after you fire the laser.” He looked around. “I lost the laser.”
One of the men found the weapon and handed it to him. He smiled as he closed the cover and tucked it into his pocket. He leaned forward to stand and found he had four sets of hands to help him do so. “Thanks.” He said as he brushed leaves and dirt from his clothes.
Beier watched him. “That was something to see – that strigiformes. I’ve never seen one that big – or that white. It was almost as if it was protecting you.”
Donte said nothing. The strigiformes was on a limb nearby, watching him, as if it wanted to say something. He stepped away from the men and slowly lifted his arm. He had nothing but his father’s shirt to protect him from the talons. He trusted her not to hurt him now.
As soon as his arm was elevated horizontally, she flew from the tree and landed on it. She gripped his arm gently and he was careful to hold his arm still so she wouldn’t lose her balance.
Donte looked into the large eyes and spoke in the language of the Anialwch. “Thank you, Celyn.”
The strigiformes watched him for a moment before launching from his arm and flying away. Donte watched her until she disappeared. Rianne was right. He did have a strong connection with Celyn. If there were any vows involved in their future, it wasn’t the kind he exchanged with Rianne. This was how they would lead the colonies to freedom. They were working together, using their unique strengths.
He turned to find Beier and the men watching him, their mouths hanging open in shocked silence. They didn’t know what to think. Sensing animals in the forest was strange enough, but working with them and talking to them was a bit over the edge.
Beier was the first to speak. “Celyn?”
“Donte nodded and looked in the direction where the strigiformes had disappeared. King Neirin’s daughter. I don’t know how she does it, but she connects with me.”
“The aves gene.” Beier said, still watching Donte.
“But how?” Donte asked. “She doesn’t have the aves gene. She’s Anialwch.”
Beier shook his head. “She has the aves gene.” He turned and looked at the men, who were still watching them in shocked silence. “Come on boys. You’ve skinned an ursidae before.”
The men looked at each other and split up, walking to the two ursidae’s.
Beier stepped closer to Donte and lowered his voice as he repeated. “She has the gene of the aves. She got it from me. I’m her biological father. She doesn’t know and neither does King Neirin.”
Donte watched him for a few minutes, unsure how much of what he was hearing that he could believe. It did make sense, though. He looked at the sky where the strigiformes had disappeared and mused. “She is the other half of the Anialwch Connection.”
“And you are the first half.” Beier spoke behind him. Then the information is correct. The offspring of a mixture have super powers.”
Donte jerked his head up and looked at Beier. “Where did you hear that?”
Beier’s smile was slow. “Do you think you are the only one who has talked with Niall?”
Donte frowned. “Did you serve on the Baigh?”
Beier shook his head. “No, back then you could only serve on a ship of your colony. I served on the Moeder. Niall was like a father to me. He told me about Dalziel’s vision. I came back with him to help him with the underground complex. I was captured, though. You know the rest of that story.”
All the puzzle pieces were coming together. The picture was bizarre but becoming clear. In a way, it was still difficult to believe, and yet, it was too coincidental to be mere folklore. Was Celyn’s power to connect with the aves any more difficult to believe than his power to sense the animals? It wasn’t as if either of them became the animals. The aves couldn’t talk. Her visions were unusual, but certainly not unique.
Even so, they had to be careful. They had to learn to use the powers to help others and not let the powers control them. Celyn was allowing her future to be dominated with the idea that she would exchange vows with him. It would not only destroy his relationship with Rianne, but any possibility of love for her with someone else. Celyn was a little girl, lost in dreams, but he was old enough to know better. Avoiding her wasn’t going to solve anything, and he obviously needed her assistance. He had to help her as well, and guide her in the right direction. One thing he could do was make sure she saw a world other than the one King Neirin was building for her. She wanted and needed to see other cultures.
Beier put a hand on Donte’s shoulder, bringing him back to the real world. “While you were at the Baigh, did you happen to see Chait?”
Donte shook his head. “Why would he be there?”
Beier smiled. “He dropped by to see Donica before he signed up for his three years. I believe that boy has designs on your sister.”
Donte lifted his brows. “And the presidency of Lochfowk, no doubt.”
Beier laughed. “Perhaps. I think these men can take care of the job here. Let’s head for Bergen.”
Donte shook his head. “I’m going back to Libertad. Rianne is waiting for me.” He looked at Beier. “Could you give Pieter a message for me?”
“Sure.”
“Tell him that Rianne and I will need a separate cottage, and let us know when one is available.”
Beier grinned. “He will be happy to hear that.” He lifted a brow. “And the uniform, Donte?”
Donte hesitated. If he was going to lead the people to freedom in the uniform of Bergen, he’d better learn to accept all the commitments that went with it. He nodded. “And the uniform.” He reached into his pocket and brought out the laser. “And return this, would you?”
Book 2 in THE MASCOT TRILOGY
“The Anialwch Connection”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Linda L. Rigsbee is a multi-genre writer. She writes Clean Romance as Linda Louise Rigsbee, Westerns as L. L. Rigsbee and everything else as Linda L. Rigsbee. Linda has been publishing since 1986 and has over 30 books in print and ebook format.
Linda has placed multiple times in writing contests and is a member of Ozarks Writer’s League. In addi
tion to self-publishing, Linda also home publishes. She writes the books, designs the covers, formats, prints and binds the books in her home office near Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Linda maintains a website of free online reads. She writes fiction and non-fiction from cradle to rocking chair.
For more information on Linda Rigsbee and her books, visit her websites:
http://www.lindarigsbee.com
http://www.deartales.com
The Purlieu Experiment, Book 1 Page 33