“Good girl,” Aisling called.
Kapia felt more secure on all fours so she continued to crawl up the steep incline of the wing until she reached Olaf’s back. Instead of feathers, the lion portion of the body was covered in golden brown fur which was more familiar to Kapia. She shifted forward until she was situated as Aisling had instructed her, then she buried her fingers into the thick green mane around the gryphon’s neck. She was surprised to find that it was silky soft to the touch. From it’s appearance, she had thought it would be coarse.
“I’m ready,” she called out so that both Olaf and Aisling would hear her.
“Don’t forget, hang on tight until Olaf is back on the ground, all right?” Aisling called.
“I shall not forget,” Kapia replied, feeling a bubble of nervous laughter threaten to choke her. She closed her eyes and breathed in, then out slowly, centering herself as she had been taught. After a moment she felt calm again and opened her eyes to see Aisling transforming nearby. It was such a wondrous thing to watch that for one moment, Kapia envied the other woman. She shook her head at herself. Envy was not acceptable for one such as she.
The gryphon began to move beneath her, slowly at first, taking a few steps forward as though to warn her what was coming. Kapia heeded the warning and adjusted her grip in the green fur. Olaf unfolded his wings and leapt lightly into the air. The wings came up on either side of her and she bent forward, burying her face in the thick fur without thinking. The wings went back down, then up again in a steady rhythm. After a few moments, even though her heart was racing in her chest, Kapia dared to raise her head and look around her.
The speeder she had been forced onto had gone faster than she had ever imagined it possible for anyone or anything to move, but the gryphon’s flight was faster still. She looked down and was relieved to note that they were not very far off the ground, though the thought of falling made her clench her fists tighter into the gryphon’s mane. She looked to the side and saw Aisling flying beside them, and smiled when the smaller gryphon with dark red mane turned its head toward her. Somehow, Kapia knew that Aisling was checking on her and she hoped that her smile reassured her that she was fine.
A moment later she saw another large gryphon fly past them, moving so quickly that Kapia realized how slow Olaf was going. She thought she should tell Olaf he could go faster, but she wasn’t sure she was quite ready for that yet.
She watched the other gryphon until it disappeared in the distance. A few moments later, it appeared again, growing larger as it neared. If the other gryphon had flown ahead to check on the Hunters, then they were not too far away. She felt nervous again at the thought of facing her brother.
“If you would like to go faster, I’ve no objection,” Kapia said, speaking loudly enough that she hoped Aisling could hear her.
Evidently it worked because after a moment the wings began moving more quickly, increasing their speed, but not by too much. Kapia gave herself a few moments to get used to that speed, then urged Olaf to go a bit faster. This time Olaf hesitated for a moment, so she released her grip on his mane and dug deeper into it. Once she had a fresh grip, Olaf picked up his speed again.
Kapia was enjoying her flight so much that she was surprised to see the large band of Hunters appear before them. Olaf slowed, then lifted his wings high as he approached the ground in a gentle landing. Aisling and Rand landed on either side of them, transforming back into their humanoid forms the moment they touched the sand.
“How do you feel?” Aisling asked.
“Wonderful,” Kapia replied. “That was very exciting.”
Aisling laughed as Rand climbed onto Olaf’s back to help Kapia down. When she was on the ground, Olaf stepped away before shifting back to his humanoid form.
“Please tell Olaf thank you,” Kapia said, her eyes sparkling. “I admit that I was frightened at first, but he was very careful, and so allowed me to enjoy it. I shall never forget his kindness and generosity.”
Aisling translated Kapia’s words to Olaf, feeling strange doing it. She could not get past feeling as though she was hearing and speaking Standard, and kept forgetting that he could not understand Kapia as easily as she did.
Olaf wasn’t sure how to react to such high praise for so simple a thing, so he simply bowed. “You are most welcome, Princess Kapia,” he said.
“Those soldiers are hurrying toward us,” Rand pointed out. “How shall we handle this?”
“We will wait for them and see what they do,” Olaf said.
Kapia heard the approach of the Hunters and stepped forward so that she was in front of the Gryphons.
“Please allow me to speak first,” she said to Aisling over her shoulder.
“Of course,” Aisling said, standing between Rand and Olaf. She realized that the soldiers coming toward them had no idea who they were, or that the King had sent them. They might well think they had been the ones to steal Kapia.
Kapia recognized her cousin leading the Hunters, and wasn’t sure whether she was relieved that her brother wasn’t there, or disappointed. She pushed aside her personal feelings and watched with outward calm as her cousin approached. When he was about ten yards away, he waved his men to wait and came forward himself, alone. He stopped a few feet in front of Kapia and stared at her for a long moment, taking in the bruises on her face without expression.
“Cousin, are you well?” he asked carefully.
“I am now, Bredon,” Kapia replied as she began walking toward him. “These people, sent by my father, rescued me.”
Bredon relaxed a fraction. He had seen the three strange beasts land, one with a rider on it’s back, but he had never imagined the rider would be Kapia. He knew that those who had taken Kapia had used land machines to escape, so he didn’t think that these were the same people, though he hadn’t been sure.
“I thank you for saving our Princess,” he said, bowing politely to the three human looking figures standing behind Kapia.
He watched as the female spoke rapidly to the males in Standard, and was, for once, glad that his uncle, the King, had insisted that a select number of his family use the linguistic interface module offered by Captain Singer of the Welfare ship.
“I apologize,” he said in Standard, “I should have spoken Standard. I only wished to thank you for rescuing Princess Kapia.”
“You are most welcome,” Olaf replied solemnly. “I am Olaf, this is my brother, Rand, and this is Aisling, our Arima. We would discuss what to do next.”
“I am Bredon, and I would be pleased to speak with you,” Bredon replied. He looked at Kapia once more and threw caution to the winds. He hurried forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against him.
“I was so afraid for you,” he said into Kapia’s hair, ignoring the sting of tears in his eyes. “I feared we had lost you forever.”
“I was afraid, too,” Kapia admitted in a whisper as she returned Bredon’s hug. “But I promise you, I did not compromise my honor.”
Bredon pulled back and stared into Kapia’s eyes for a long moment. He didn’t care about her honor. He cared only that she was alive and well. But he could not tell her that. She would not understand, nor was he altogether certain he understood himself. Honor was everything to his people.
“I am proud to call you Cousin, and Princess,” he said solemnly. He looked up at the Gryphons as he released Kapia and stepped away.
“Again, I thank you for returning Princess Kapia safely,” he said.
“We are pleased to have been of assistance,” Olaf said. “You may wish to know that the man responsible for all of this is dead by Princess Kapia’s hand.”
Bredon looked at Kapia with surprise and pride. He raised his fist to his forehead and bowed to her, not trusting himself to speak for the depth of his emotion.
“There are thirteen more males several miles ahead,” Olaf continued when Bredon rose from his bow. “Our brother, Rudy, is guarding them now. We offer to carry two of your men ahead to
take his place guarding them until the rest of your men are able to arrive. Then we will return Princess Kapia to her father, King Rhobar.”
“That is generous of you,” Bredon said. He turned toward his men and made a quick gesture, then turned back to face Olaf. “I would be most grateful to accept your offer. I will select one of my men and I will accompany him.”
“Bredon,” Kapia said in a soft voice. “Where is Zakiel?”
“I am sorry, little flower,” Bredon replied. “Zakiel went north to hunt this morning, many hours before dawn. Runners were sent after him as soon as it was discovered that your party had been attacked and you were missing, but we could not wait for his return. We had to follow you at once.”
“There is nothing to apologize for,” Kapia said. “Thank you, Cousin, for coming after me so quickly.”
Chapter 36
Karma watched as two tall men with deeply tanned skin, wearing nothing more than a thin white cloth wrapped around their waists, quickly tied the boat to the dock. As soon as they were finished, the sphin leapt easily off the boat, followed by Captain Singer. Karma went next, then Torl.
As soon as they were all on the dock, the King gestured to his guards who immediately surrounded all of them.
“As your friends seek to rescue my daughter, so shall I see to your safety and care,” the King said. Then he turned around and led them off the dock, up a wide stone ramp and onto a street paved with large blocks of stone cut so precisely that there was no gap between them. There were wood and stone buildings lining both sides of the street, most of them shops from what Karma could tell as they hurried by. She thought it might be interesting to explore the city, but now was obviously not the time for it. There were quite a few people out and about, but the overall feeling was subdued and quiet.
They were walking so quickly, and she was surrounded by so many of the King’s guards, that she couldn’t really see much more of the city than those first vague impressions. Until they rounded a corner and she looked up to see what had to be the royal palace. The building was immense, with massive pillars of stone along its front. The walk leading toward the main entrance was at least thirty feet wide, and paved with polished red stone. On either side of the walk way, spaced about fifteen feet apart, were dozens of statues leading from the main road all the way to the palace. Each one was at least 25 feet tall and depicted a different being or creature. Some appeared human, some partly human, and some so alien that Karma couldn’t begin to guess what they were.
“This place reminds me so much of Ancient Egypt it’s uncanny,” Karma said to Captain Singer.
“Yes, that was my thought the first time I came here as well,” Captain Singer replied.
“What is Ancient Egypt?” the King asked, surprising Karma. She didn’t think he would be listening to anything she had to say, though he was only a couple of paces ahead of them.
“It was a civilization on Earth in ancient times,” Karma replied. “The country was much like this, desert with a river running through it. They made extensive use of stone to build their cities, much like you do. The pyramids they built from huge blocks of stone still stand today, as do giant statues, tombs, and buildings. On Earth they are still regarded as wonders of the world.”
“Interesting,” the King said as they reached the end of the long walkway and began climbing a broad set of stone steps leading up to a long narrow plaza. By the time they finally reached the entrance to the palace, Karma was ready to sit down and take a rest.
The King led them through a wide, arched doorway and into the palace itself. It took a few moments for Karma’s eyes to adjust after the bright sunlight but when she was able to see clearly, she gasped softly at her surroundings. The hall the King was leading them down was very wide and very high, but it was the walls that caused her to gasp. They were made of stone, and intricately carved with beautiful scenes from floor to ceiling. There were people, animals, birds, trees, plants, and fish. Too much to fully grasp as they hurried along. She promised herself that, if she were given the opportunity, she would come back here and spend time studying it.
“The carvings in the Hall of People are not bad,” Nikura said. “Those in the King’s Audience Chamber are much nicer.”
Karma glanced down at the sphin who was walking beside her. “Let me guess, Nikura,” she said, “there are sphin on the walls there, right?”
“Of course,” Nikura replied.
Karma’s laugh died in her throat as the King stopped and spun around, an expression of shock on his face as he stared at Karma, then the sphin, then back to Karma. He opened his mouth to say something, looked at the crowd of people surrounding them and changed his mind. Without a word he turned back and continued to lead them down the hall, picking up the pace a bit.
Chapter 37
Karma, Captain Singer and Torl stood uncertainly in the middle of the large room that the King had led them into. He had closed the doors firmly on the guards, leaving everyone else in the hall. Then he began to pace back and forth before a large throne at one end of the room, his forehead wrinkled in thought. Karma glanced down at the sphin sitting beside her, it’s head nearly at her waist, wondering why it seemed to be sticking close to her.
“I’m sticking close to you because I find the fact that you can understand me interesting,” Nikura said, answering her silent question.
“How did you know that’s what I was thinking?” she asked. “Can you read my mind?”
Nikura looked up at her, one ear cocked back in expression of disdain. “Of course I can’t read your mind,” he said. “Even if I could, why would I?”
“Then how did you know what I was thinking?”
“I did not know what you were thinking,” Nikura said with an air of boredom. “You asked me a question, I answered it.”
Karma thought about that as she watched the sphin yawn widely, displaying an impressive number of white, needle sharp teeth.
Karma looked up to find that the King, Captain Singer, and Torl were all staring at her. She was suddenly very glad that she wasn’t prone to blushing.
“Excuse me,” she said. “That was probably rude.”
The King studied her for a long moment. “May I ask your name, please?”
“Of course,” Karma replied. “My name is Karma.”
The King’s eyes widened. “May I ask, is talking to animals a usual talent of yours?”
“No, it’s not,” Karma replied. “This is definitely a first for me.”
The sphin’s ears flattened against his head and he growled softly. “I am not an animal.”
Karma rolled her eyes at him. “Shush,” she said.
“What?” the King asked.
“Please remember, this comes from him, not me,” Karma cautioned. The King nodded.
“He insists, emphatically, that he is not an animal.”
The King’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “If he is not an animal, then what is he?”
“I am a sphin,” Nikura said. “Are all humans so dense?”
Karma cleared her throat in an effort to hide her desire to laugh. “He says that he is a sphin.”
“Why is a sphin not an animal?” the King asked.
“Because animals cannot talk to humans,” Nikura said in his snootiest tone yet.
Karma wasn’t so sure about that. Princess Lariah was able to communicate with animals, but she didn’t think now was the time to bring that up. Instead, she told the King what Nikura had said, leaving out the sphin’s tone.
“We have a legend that speaks of women who speak to the sphin,” the King said. “It is said that she had other gifts, special gifts, that were unique to her alone.”
“What gifts?” Karma asked curiously.
“They varied,” the King replied vaguely. “Do you have other unusual abilities?”
Karma nearly laughed. He refused to be forthcoming with her, but expected her to tell him her own secrets? Not hardly.
“Good decision,” Nikura said.<
br />
Karma frowned down at the sphin but decided not to engage in further conversation with him at the moment. She’d had enough of the spotlight. She glanced back up at the King, the expression on his face reminding her that he had asked her a question.
“That may depend on what one considers unusual,” she hedged. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“No, I do not mind,” the King said with a reluctant smile.
“What exactly is a Techu?”
“Where did you hear that word?” the King asked.
“Nikura,” Karma replied. “I asked him why I could hear him when no one else could, and he told me that if I were a Techu and had a...something...it would make sense, but as I didn’t, he didn’t know.”
The King studied Karma for so long that Karma began to get uneasy. “A Techu is one who speaks for the dead,” the King said. “We have not been graced with such for many generations. Too long, in truth. A ti-ank is the mark of a Techu. Literally, it means staff of life.”
Karma’s heart skipped one beat, then another as her breath froze. She had almost expected that he would say something like that, but hearing the words was far more frightening than thinking them. Karma knew that the King was going to get suspicious if she didn’t say something soon, but she couldn’t force herself to breathe, let alone speak.
Suddenly the door burst open, startling Karma into breathing at last. She stared as a tall, dark haired man with pale blue eyes marched into the room. He wore a red pleated kilt low on his hips, leather sandals and an open leather vest. The pleats of the kilt were split from the middle of his thighs to his knees, the bottom edges of each pleat trimmed in gold so that they swung with each step he took. His sandals were dark leather with long ties that wrapped around his calves and thick soles. The vest was dark like the sandals, and decorated with myriad symbols. The man also wore wide bands of gold around his wrists, and a golden torc around his neck.
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