“You think you could last ten seconds fighting a Silver?”
“I lasted far longer than that last Tuesday against Llewellyn.”
That set off an even nastier tone, “Don’t try and drop names, boy. Unless you want to be in even more trouble. I checked―there are no Ravensfords in town, that means no Llewellyn. He and Tarl’s sister Beatrice were inseparable. She ain’t here; he ain’t here.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but Llewellyn Silverglade is here. He married into house Stratford, not Ravensford. It may very well be the fact that he had to kill Beatrice’s brother that drove them apart.”
Dawn suddenly froze. So THAT is why Father left planet. He and his childhood sweetheart broke up after Tarl’s death. She lifted Astrid out the window and carefully balanced her on the tree branch before carefully following her out. Suddenly the conversation below percolated to the back of her brain and her fur stood on end. Beatrice. Beatrice was her Fourth Mother. Her maiden name was Ravensford. Her Fourth Mother was Llewellyn’s old sweetheart almost fifteen years ago. And Dawn was a bit more than fourteen years old herself. Was Llewellyn her real REAL father? Too many question for now. Must concentrate on getting the little girl out. Dawn carefully helped the little girl back to the trunk. Astrid was unwilling to climb down on her own, so Dawn simply had Astrid climb on her back and then the pair safely descended.
“Making things up will only get you in more trouble,” she heard Eric hiss.
“The mistake you are making, sir, is assuming that just because you are a liar, everyone else is as well,” replied Gavin in an even tone.
That set off a firestorm of obscenities that was interrupted only by someone reporting bad news.
“Eric, forget the kid. Someone left the latch open on the girl’s room!”
“Is she still there?” screamed Eric.
Dawn shifted into high gear, the edge of the falls were only two hundred yards away and she started running through the forest as fast as she could with her precious cargo on her back. She plowed through briars and bushes ignoring the cuts and tears to her dress and into her fur.
“Girl is gone! Someone cut the ropes!”
More obscenities followed, “Someone grab the boy, everyone else spread out and find the little girl! Now move it!” Eric was obviously livid.
Dawn kept running, hoping that Gavin knew what he was doing. She made her way to the trail and tore down it like a hare being chased by an eagle. She rounded the corner and found a rough looking man on the top of the falls.
“Oh, no you don’t, girl! You are staying here,” barked the man. He pulled a sword from a scabbard and charged the pair.
Dawn kept her speed up even though a collision seemed imminent. As they closed to striking distance, the man reared his sword back for a powerful smashing blow. Dawn winked in her trademark pair of swords and expertly parried his clumsy attack before retaliating with a long gash to his upper arm. The surprised man shrieked out as he recoiled in pain and shock, dropping his sword to the ground. Dawn kept running until she could see the edge of the cliffs.
“Astrid, I need you to get off my back and let me carry you across the front!”
The little girl dutifully crawled down and around, grasping Dawn around the neck from the front while Dawn quickly undid the back of her dress. “Hold on tight and don’t look down.”
“You aren’t going to jump, are you?” whimpered the little girl.
Dawn fought for the right thing to say, “Don’t worry, I’ve got you. I do this all the time. You will be perfectly safe,” she lied. Well, it wasn’t a big lie―she did fly all the time, just never with passengers.
Just as Dawn got Astrid settled and her dress adjusted, a large band of men broke into the open ground and quickly started closing on Dawn. She started her run for the cliff face, holding off on deploying her wings until the last moment so she could run faster on foot. Oh! it was much more awkward trying to run with the girl across her chest. The mob was closing fast and Dawn wasn’t sure if she could make it to the cliff on time. They were much faster than she expected, but she wasn’t going to back down now. She had come too far, and the little girl had been through too much already for her to give even an inch. She screamed like a madwoman as she made for the edge, but they were getting close. Way too close.
An echo flowed through her skull. It was an eerie but familiar sound, a sound that made no noise but she could hear it nonetheless. Forest Wall.
The ground behind her exploded into thick bushes and tall trees. Bursting to life on the otherwise barren rocks of the top of the falls, they shot toward the sky, green and tall. In just a matter of seconds, the trees and bushes had formed a barrier between her and the mad mob behind her. Gavin! She smiled. Gavin had bought her that last little bit of time she needed and she made good use of it: her wings erupted from her back in blue flash and she leaped off the edge of the cliff.
Astrid’s eyes went wide and her claws dug painfully into Dawn’s fur, but Dawn didn’t mind: they were free and clear and she was flying! The updrafts along the falls quickly filled her wings and she was able to make stable flight even with the extra weight. She pumped hard and was actually able to climb. She was going to need the extra altitude--once she was clear of the updrafts, she would be on her own power. Dawn wasn’t worried; she knew she could do it. She had made a perfect launch and any landing that she could walk away from would be fine with her, so long as little Astrid was safe.
She banked as she pumped her wings and made her way down into the valley below. She scanned the floor below looking for anyone, and there in the distance, she could see someone coming up the path. Several people as it turned out. As she got closer, she could make out Owen and several of the constables. With a quick turn and a hard tuck, she descended to the path below. She pumped hard as she neared the ground, but not quite hard enough to be stable on her feet. As she landed, she fell forward, but caught herself arms extended. Astrid didn’t even touch the ground.
Owen and his men stared at Dawn, total flabbergasted. Word of her flying had gotten around town, but few had seen it for themselves, and no one had seen her with a passenger!
Dawn winked her wings away and peeled an awestruck Astrid from her chest. “Are you okay?”
“You can fly! I mean, really FLY!” exclaimed Astrid. Suddenly her ears flushed and she doubled over and hurled.
“Gavin is still up there!” began Dawn, “You’ve got to get him! Where is Llewellyn?”
Owen, still somewhat struck, replied, “He left a few minutes ahead of us. He should almost be there by now. How many were there?”
Dawn’s mind raced, “About eight to ten adults and about another five or so teenagers. It was all a blur!”
Owen looked at his three other men, “That’s quite a mob. We had no idea he had gotten so many people together again after his last fiasco.”
“Then we need to move faster, don’t we?” Dawn winked her wings in again with a flash and pumped them hard as she took to the sky.
“Dawn, wait!” called Owen, but Dawn wasn’t listening. She had to find Gavin!
Dawn was grateful that Gavin had insisted they pause for water; she was very hot and parched. Between the running and the flying, she was all but exhausted, but she was going to find Gavin. She climbed high enough to be safe and followed the trail back up the falls keeping an eye out for Llewellyn and Gavin. Two High Silvers in their element―finding them was going to be hard. Or was it?
At the footbridge by the fountain she could make out the surly mob and there was Gavin! He was standing there in plain view with swords at the ready as he held his ground on the bridge. It was narrow enough that they could only approach him one at a time. Excellent use of terrain! She closed and landed behind him.
“Llewellyn’s almost here,” she assured him.
“Good, I’m not sure how much longer I can stall them.”
“Get them! Kill them! I don’t care which!” screamed Eric from the far side of the bridge.<
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The mob pressed hard toward Gavin and he held his ground the best he could.
“When we hit the back of the bridge, I’m going to change color and run into the woods. You just need to take to the air and get clear.”
Dawn nodded. Wasn’t much of a plan, but it was the start of one.
“Is this a private party or can anyone join?” asked a voice behind them. They both relaxed visibly as Llewellyn stepped out of the woods and onto the bridge behind them. “Excuse me, Dawn, coming through,” he gave a fatherly smile as he passed her on the narrow bridge. “Gavin, Gavin! I told you, no pick up fights! Tsk, tsk.” He smiled broadly as he passed Gavin on the bridge.
Llewellyn
The mob was suddenly less of a mob and more a group of nervous men and boys. They backed clear of the foot of the bridge as the three approached.
Llewellyn shook his head as he looked over the mob, “I hate to admit it, but I actually know some of you kids. Do yourself a favor and run on home and I’ll forget I saw you here.”
About three of the younger ones needed no second offer and immediately bolted.
“So it’s really you,” sneered Eric. “You barely had the guts to kill Tarl all those years ago. Do you think you have it in you now?”
Llewellyn grimaced, “Unfortunately, yes.” He glanced over at Dawn, “Several hundred met the hereafter when I had to go get Dawn. If you at least had the decency to be there when Helen was killed, I would have gladly taken you out, too. Did you know that blast also killed Tarl’s sister Beatrice? Not a good way to honor your late best friend.”
“Shut up!” screamed Eric. “You are just stalling for time!”
Llewellyn laughed, “Of course I’m stalling for time. The odds that you will peacefully surrender right now are dreadfully low. Those odds go up when Owen and his men arrive.”
“So you admit you couldn’t take us right now!” boasted Eric.
“Highly doubtful I could subdue the lot of you without killing half. Half or all, if pushed, I’ll do what needs to be done.”
Eric laughed, “Wild boasts! You have no idea what you are in for.”
“Are you referring to the two people on the side with crossbows, or the one to your left with the pulse rifle? The three grenades on your belt won’t do much save for injure your own. Five of your men cannot control Live Steel, one is lame, three are so drunk they are a menace to themselves, and, oh… look at that… two more just ran away. It is quite a sorry lot honestly.”
“Stop with the mouth! We finish this now! You, me. One on one.”
“Sounds fun!” With a quick motion, a blue burst ran from Llewellyn’s hand and struck a man behind Eric. A minor explosion and sparks erupted as the pulse rifle he was carrying ripped itself apart in its owners hand. “Sorry, just making sure you didn’t cheat.”
“Let me take him Father,” offered Dawn coldly.
“You expect me to fight a little girl?” scoffed Eric.
“Well, it is as close to a fair fight as you’re going to get. Besides, she’s not all that little.” Llewellyn turned to look at Dawn, “Tell me, why do you want to fight him? No matter what you do, your old family will still be dead. No matter what you do, the hurt will still be there. This will do nothing for ghosts of the past.”
Dawn bit her lip, “You’re right. Revenge serves no one.”
Llewellyn kissed the top of her head, “That’s my girl!”
“Okay, Dad, just make sure he can never hurt anyone ever again,” offered Dawn as she rejoined Gavin. “And you remember that no matter what happens, you will never get back Beatrice or the time you two lost.”
“I know. It took a long time for me to learn that one.”
Gavin and Dawn locked arms as they casually walked away.
“Hey, Dad! Don’t have too much fun; Owen needs something to do. And oh, yeah, be home for dinner. Gavin and Lynn are staying over,” she called over her shoulder.
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll do my best. Aren’t kids wonderful?” Llewellyn’s voice suddenly shifted tone as he addressed Eric, “Okay, now where were we?”
Chapter 25
Dawn sat at the front door and watched the fireflies in the distance. A gentle breeze was a welcome reminder that the hot and frantic day had finally come to an end. Astrid was back with her parents and Llewellyn had made it home without a scratch. He hadn’t talked about the day’s events at dinner and it had been so nice having both Lynn and Gavin over. But some things still distracted her.
“Would you like to talk?” asked Llewellyn behind her.
Dawn smiled. She hadn’t heard him approach, but she was getting used to that. She turned and smiled, “I’d love to. That is if you want.”
“What I do or do not want is immaterial. It is what you deserve to know,” he replied stoically.
“Tell me about Beatrice. She always seemed a little sad, and now I think I understand why.”
Llewellyn smiled as he sat down beside Dawn and stared at the glow of the bugs in the distance. He didn’t talk for quite a while and Dawn just let him be. Finally he said, “We were more than a couple. We were married in secret because her parents didn’t like me. In that same month, I ended up having to kill her brother and then everything went horribly wrong. She had a nervous breakdown and her parents had our marriage annulled. When the smoke all cleared, my sister took her in to get her away from her own family, and I went off world.” He paused again and sat lost in thought for several minutes. “When you were born, Helen and your father took you in without question. I found out about your birth, and your wings for that matter, while on leave from a campaign with the Shukurae. I was happy for Beatrice, as she appeared happy in her new family. It wasn’t until you were about five that I found out the fine point of it all: yes, I am your biological father. But it seemed we were never meant to be together. Beatrice could never be around me without having a breakdown, and Helen and the rest of your family were taking good care of you. I was unmarried and living day to day. It is amazing how hard you can live your life when you think you’ve already lost it all.”
“But then you met Ivy,” prodded Dawn.
Llewellyn laughed, “Yes, indeed. Even before my brother’s death, the Shukurae had been politely trying to get me out of service and settle down. I had done so much for them and they had never done anything in return. I didn’t see that as give and take, I was just happy to be helping someone. Anyone! So, we were taking a break by doing a simple guard detail right where Ivy was working on cultural research. I wasn’t aware that they set the two of us up, but we were both grateful. She took to me and the rest is history. She knew from day one about you, but she understood, and before long little Heather came along and we added Maria to the family.” Llewellyn stopped again and just stared out into space.
Dawn hugged Llewellyn. “And when everything went wrong again, you left the safety and calm of your new family and came to rescue me. You know, I don’t think I ever actually thanked you.”
Llewellyn returned the hug. “I would have done that even if you were ‘just’ my niece.”
“I know, but I’m thankful nonetheless.” Dawn paused as her mind raced. “Can you survive a few more questions?”
Llewellyn laughed, “After that, just about anything is easy! Go for it, little one.”
“After I was kidnapped, how did you find me? If it had been easy, I would have expected the local police to have been there first.”
“Addressing the second part first: the local police wanted help. There were actually almost a thousand of the militia of the old viceroy there. It was more of a military assault than a traditional police rescue. And we were good at that. Too good…” Llewellyn paused and stared out into space. “How did I find you? I don’t know, but I know where all my children are. At first I thought I was sensing Beatrice, but when I met you the first time, I could tell it was you, not her. Parental instincts? I’m not sure. It is just a part of what makes me a High Silver, I guess. I have so much running through
my head at any given time that it makes me a bit of a nervous wreck trying to sort it all out. At times I feel like I’m going to lose a fight for control of my mind, but having you children around me helps a lot. You guys are the lighthouses that keep me safe heading back to shore.”
Dawn nodded as she tried to soak up what he had said. “Okay, now an easy one: do you think I’m getting too attached too early to Gavin? I know you are fond of him, but we are both kind of young.”
“That is the easy one? Questions like that are known to cause ulcers in parents!” Llewellyn smiled and hugged Dawn, “While I am fond of Gavin and do take his training seriously, it is all up to you. You are young, yes, and there are other people out there. The one piece of advice that comes to mind is when someone really reaches you to your very core, hold on to them. Whatever it takes, hold on tight. The worst thing you can do is let go. People may say this or that about you and yours, but follow your heart and hold on tight. You and Gavin make for a wonderful couple. You add in Lynn and you have rounded out a loving family core. But don’t let anything I say influence you; listen to the voice inside.”
Dawn smiled and looked at her toes, “I’ve noticed he has asked around in circles trying to find out what size bells Lynn and I wear. We are young, but I can be patient.”
Llewellyn hugged Dawn and held on tight, “Oh, they grow up so fast.”
Chapter 26
Lynn sprawled on the couch beside Dawn with a jet black infant on top of her. She carefully cradled the child as she held it close to her fur. “Check out Lilac. She and Violet look just like you,” giggled Lynn.
“And the other two looked just like Dad… that makes four of them, or did someone have triplets when I wasn’t looking?” joked Dawn as she stroked the fur on the head of a snow leopard colored infant she had on her lap.
“Nope, just twins times two,” Lynn laughed.
“Now I know why Dad had them build the house so big! Time to just go up to the third floor and hide.”
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