Gift of Flight

by S. W. Gunn

  "So Jarron will you and my daughter be having any children soon?" Her father asked.

  Elyse responded, "Not yet father. We still need to deal with the man who kidnapped me. We escaped twice but he seems determined to capture Jarron and experiment on him. After we resolve that issue we are going to settle on Terra and maybe start a family there."

  He nodded at her response and then said, "You both would be welcome to live on Sethinalor."

  Jarron knew right away that living with the Eal'tain was not a lifestyle he was interested in. He only hoped that Elyse agreed with him.

  She answered him, "Father we're flattered by the offer but we really belong with our kind. I love everything I've seen, and my siblings, but we'd be better off on our own. Plus I've yet to meet Jarron's family."

  Jarron was quite happy with the response. He only hoped that the leadership of the Eal'tain would not do something like try and make them stay on an Eal'tain planet. After all Jarron was apparently very rare and they might try and keep him, like Tiberius did. Jarron only wanted to be kept by one person, and that was Elyse. He smiled widely thinking about the lovemaking from last night. The joy of meeting her family must have driven her into an emotional frenzy. Jarron had no doubts that she had left marks all over him.

  "What are you smiling about?" She asked him.

  "Our discussion from last night." He replied evilly.

  "Oh stop!" She said as her face turned red.

  Her father chuckled and stated, "My mate and I have had those discussions many times daughter, there is no need to feel ashamed or embarrassed. It is part of being mated together. Could you both tell me more about how you met and the man who kidnapped you?"

  Elyse told him everything she had known, with Jarron filling in the parts that he knew and she did not. His reaction to the story was a combination of shock and concern.

  "It would seem that this man is a serious concern since people with that kind of determination are usually up to no good." He said to them.

  Jarron could not help but agree. Tiberius had something evil planned and Jarron knew that he and Elyse had to prevent it somehow. Jarron just hoped he could avoid being captured again because his time as a prisoner was not fun. The nav computer elicited an unusual ring, which Jarron deduced meant they were about to arrive at their destination.

  Her father stood and said, "I will have to land us as the location and information is supposed to be kept secret. I broke a few of our laws by letting you fly the ship but I had to see your skills for myself. The stories about focal points are true and you are simply amazing to watch in action. I would hate to be on the other end of a space battle with you."

  Jarron stood from the chair and moved to the navigation seat as her father sat down. He slowly worked the controls as the ship left the fold.

  "Actually I wish I could tell you that I've been in any real space battles, usually I'm just trying to escape with my friends. Although there are five dead Grokmal who tried to stop me from saving Elyse, I dealt with them easily enough."

  As he piloted the ship downwards her father said, "I could imagine they did not last long."

  "Nope, but I was highly motivated to get past them." Jarron replied.

  "Why is that?" Her father asked.

  Jarron replied, "They had taken Elyse from me and ever since we first met I've been drawn to her, intensely drawn to her."

  Her father stated, "Interesting, I believe that you will find meeting the Green Council enlightening. They know more about the Gift and focal points than any other beings in the galaxy."

  "That reminds me; the man who kidnapped us said he found out his information from an Eal'tain. Any ideas on that?" Jarron asked.

  He shook his head and replied, "I am afraid not but I would suggest asking that question to the Green Council. They would know more about it as well."

  Jarron nodded. The ship softly touched down and Jarron could immediately see the home world of the Eal'tain. This time the landing pad seemed to be floating in midair somehow. It was not the same tree style landing pad of Sethinalor. Jarron had to admit that he was excited to see something new. Her father rose from his chair.

  "Follow me." He announced.

  Jarron and Elyse both rose from their chairs and immediately fell in step behind him as he opened the hatch. Jarron's nose was immediately hit by the smell of ocean air. As they exited the ship Jarron saw that the landing pad appeared to be some sort of repulsion lift pad that floated well above a forested island. The technology to make such a landing pad was impressive and well beyond the abilities of the Galactic Union.

  "Whoa!" Was all that Elyse said.

  Jarron chuckled and nodded at her before saying, "This has to be the most impressive landing pad I've seen in my life."

  Her father continued walking down the small set of steps and over to a strange looking vehicle that was attached to the landing pad. The vehicle reminded Jarron of a sleek looking conveyance. It was made of shiny silver metal and the top was open to the air around them. Only a sheen of gracefully curved glass to the front of the vehicle served as a protection against the environment around them. Instead of wheels the vehicle had four repulsion engines. Her father entered the vehicle and gestured for them to follow him. Her father unhitched the vehicle and quickly moved it downward towards the island.

  Jarron laughed gleefully and then said, "I could do some amazing things with this too!"

  Elyse quickly yelled out, "No!"

  Both Jarron and her father laughed at her response. They continued the trip down to the island.

  Chapter 2

  The ride from the landing pad to a small docking area on the island was very smooth. Jarron had wished he could have taken the vehicle for a joy ride as he would have had a lot of fun with it, but he knew he probably already pushed his limits with Elyse for the day. The dock rested against a beach along the edge of the island. The water was crystal blue and the light tan sands of the beach were immaculate. Jarron thought that it would be wonderful to go for a swim because he had not done so since before his father kicked him out. Elyse's father guided them off the dock and to the wooden planked pathway. The trees of the island were unlike any Jarron had ever seen. Instead of a long trunk lined with branches, these trees had barren trunks all the way up that seemed to sprout wide leaves only at the top. Jarron spotted dark green orbs hanging from the top of the trees here. With the exception of the pathway, the entire area was completely covered in thick and very colorful vegetation. Flowers of red, green, yellow and orange peppered the area. This island had to be one of the most beautiful places in the galaxy. It reminded Jarron of some of the old holo-vids of the tropical islands of Terra before the asteroid struck. The weather was also extremely even and pleasant. Jarron turned to look at Elyse as they walked. She looked as entranced by the beauty of the island as he was.

  She caught him looking at her, which she responded to by giving him one of her beautiful smiles before saying, “Its beautiful here.”

  “Yes it is.” He responded to with a cheeky grin.

  They continued walking for a few more minutes before the arrived in a clearing that opened into a village. This village was a circle of small buildings that left a large open space in the center. In the center of the village was a circle of about twenty chairs that sat around a small open fire. Around those chairs were dozens more chairs. Jarron could tell that the central chairs were the most important due to the different style of chair. They were very plush looking and covered in a soft looking green material. The remaining chairs were basic brown padded chairs. Most of the chairs were filled by a wide variety of Eal'tain. Jarron took another look at Elyse to see that she was examining the scene thoroughly. He was not sure if she was as concerned as he was.

  He leaned closer to her and whispered, "I don't know about this."

  She looked at him and smiled before saying, "Everything will be fine."

  Jarron wished that he had her confidence but the grumbling of both Hain and Dalain
about the Eal'tain echoed through his mind as they moved closer. An elderly man who was sitting in one of the green chairs stood and spoke in the Eal'tain language. Jarron still had no idea what he was saying. Elyse's father replied to his words. They communicated in their language some time before her father gestured to them to follow him. Jarron took a good look at the man. He was wearing the same style of clothing as every other Eal'tain, the only exception seemed to be that their sleeves had been shortened to just below their shoulders. It was a soft green color, which seemed to be the case for all of the Eal'tain who sat in the green chairs. He had long white hair that he wore loosely. His eyes were a light blue color. Even though he was much older than the other Eal'tain Jarron was impressed by his skin. Usually when a being would age their skin tended to wrinkle heavily, but this man's skin was in excellent condition. The only way Jarron could tell his age was his slow and deliberate movement as he stood and his white hair.

  Elyse's father stopped inside the circle and gestured for Elyse and Jarron to stand next to him. Once they both did her father slowly walked away from them.

  The elderly man spoke, "Greetings, I am the Prime Speaker of the Eal'tain. Welcome to Alathia, home of the Eal'tain. Please state your names for us."

  Jarron spoke first, "My name is Jarron Moynihan."

  Elyse then said, "Elyse Moynihan."

  Jarron was a little surprised to hear her use his last name but since they were married it made sense. He turned to her and smiled widely, which she returned immediately.

  "So it is true, you are mates?" The man asked.

  Both Jarron and Elyse nodded. The man rubbed his chin, clearly thinking about something.

  "That is most unfortunate." He said.

  "Why?" Jarron asked irritated.

  He had grown tired of their love being a bad thing in the eyes of other people.

  The man replied, "Because your kind is so rare, to waste you on just one person is a shame."

  Elyse must have seen or sensed the anger brewing in Jarron because she interrupted before he could respond, "We understand, but what is done is done. We've come as requested. What do you wish to speak to us for?"

  The man replied, "Very well, I appreciate directness. We have called you here for several reasons. First we had never heard of a focal point who was not Eal'tain, which concerns us greatly. Second we wish to test the both of you. It has been many centuries since the last time the mistake of letting a focal point bond with a person who has the Gift. We are curious about its effects. Lastly just finding a person who is a focal point is so rare that we wish to document everything we can about him."

  Jarron was very uneasy about the idea of being tested, especially since the last time he was tested on he barely escaped with his life.

  The man must have seen Jarron’s look of concern because he said, "You need not worry. We would never harm either of you. When we say testing we just wish to see you both in action."

  Jarron was still unhappy about being tested but as long as they would not be harmed and then allowed to leave if they wanted to later, he decided that it could not hurt anything to play along. He simply shrugged at the man’s response.

  Elyse said, "We understand the concern about focal points of other races but how will seeing us in action would help with that?"

  The man replied, "It is just for verification for us to see that it is indeed true. Could you show us something? Perhaps with a stone?"

  Elyse nodded at him and glanced around until she found a decently sized stone. Jarron felt the pulsing of her powers in use run through him as the stone rose from the ground. He could not see them, but he heard some murmuring coming from the crowd around him. No doubt they were unhappy to see others outside their race using the Gift in such a way. It was not as though Jarron could control it, he was who he was and Elyse was who she was. She released the stone and Jarron was able to move again.

  The man nodded and said, "It is as Iaeth said. How long have you both been together?"

  Elyse answered him, "Not even two weeks."

  "And has it been continuous?"

  She shook her head. After all they were separated when Tiberius kidnapped her.

  "Have you mated physically?

  Her father interrupted the conversation and said, "They are mates Prime Speaker."

  The man nodded before saying, "Well then the bond is no doubt set and unbreakable."

  He paused and motioned over to his left before continuing, "Now for our test. We have someone with the Gift and a focal point. We wish you to play a simple game with them. Ianni will raise that same stone and try to move it to touch you Elyse. Your job will be to push it to her. Please make sure it does not hit her hard, make it so that it just touches her."

  Elyse nodded at his instruction. An Eal'tain woman, who Jarron could only guess was slightly older than him, entered the circle. She was followed by a very old looking Eal'tain man. The man actually looked old, including heavy wrinkles that Jarron found unusual for his kind. The woman they named Ianni had the same pale skin of her kind, dark brown eyes and soft brown hair, which she had tied into a loose fitting bun. Jarron thought she was lovely looking, although not as lovely as his wife. She wore the same dress as other Eal'tain, although it was completely sleeveless and a light pink color. The old man who was with her was wearing the same clothing as the men. It was a very bright yellow color with an unusual symbol on the right breast.

  The woman smiled as she approached and then said, "Hello, are you ready?"

  Elyse nodded at her and then took a firm stance. The small stone rose from the ground, which caused Jarron to immediately feel the pulsing throb through his body. As soon as the stone lifted to eye level it started to move towards Elyse. The pulsing increased throughout Jarron and then the stone stopped moving and then started slowly plodding towards Ianni. The look on the face of Ianni immediately shifted to intense straining. Elyse looked completely calm and composed. Jarron would have thought she was doing nothing at all as calm as she appeared. It continued its path until it gently tapped the Eal’tain woman on the head. The stone dropped and then Jarron released from the grasp of Elyse's power.

  The man who they called the Prime Speaker spoke, "What happened? Ianni did you even try?"

  With exasperation heavy on her voice Ianni said, "Yes Prime Speaker. As soon as she grasped the stone with her powers I was unable to do anything to it. Her powers are not just stronger than my own, but overwhelmingly so."

  The Prime Speaker nodded. He looked like he was lost in contemplation.

  "Alright let us increase the strength against her." He said.

  He again waved to his side and this time another two Eal'tain came out. This time it was a woman who looked like she was a bit older than the first. She wore a simple white dress that matched the style of their people. The man with her was a young boy; Jarron guessed he was around fourteen years old. He wore the same shirt as the old man, yellow with an unusual symbol on the right breast. The pair stood next to Ianni and the old man.

  "This time Elyse, Ianni will again pick up the stone. We will have Haeri assist her in pushing it towards you. You must again push the stone until it touched Ianni. Do you understand?"

  Elyse nodded at him. She shifted her weight and Jarron could again feel her powers throbbing through him. The stone rose again, this time Jarron could tell that Elyse did not wait to grab it with her powers. The pulsing began to softly throb through him at an increased amount, although nowhere near what she had used before. Jarron could see both of the women who were pushing against Elyse. They both had strained looks of intense concentration. Yet again the stone plodded along slowly until it touched the head of Ianni. The stone dropped and Jarron was released. He glanced to the two men who were with the woman. They both looked exhausted. The older man dropped to a knee. Jarron was impressed with Elyse. She was clearly more powerful than both of the women combined. The Prime Speaker looked impressed at her effort.

  He turned to Jarron and said, "How d
o you feel Jarron Moynihan?"

  Jarron shrugged and said, "Fine since all I do is stand around."

  "Looking very handsome." Elyse interjected with a giggle.

  The Prime Speaker appeared thoughtful for a moment before asking, "Does her utilizing her powers not tire you?"

  Jarron replied, "Yes, but she needs to do much more than push around some stones. Maybe lift a boulder or a spaceship would make me a tired. Perhaps if she healed all day and then lifted a boulder I’d be exhausted."

  Elyse reached her hand out and softly rubbed his shoulder. He glanced back at her and they exchanged a brief smile.

  "Interesting," The Prime Speaker said, "How often have you utilized your powers Elyse?"

  She said with a giggle, "Probably way more than I should. At first using my powers around poor Jarron would tire him greatly, but the longer we've been together and the more I've used them the more he seems able to handle."

  Jarron could hear the crowd around them murmuring. He had known for certain that she was right. The little display of tug of war between her and the two others did not even tire him a little bit. Yet the two focal points there seemed heavily exhausted. No doubt that would have been Jarron as well, until he bonded with her. The term bonding was funny to him. It made him think back to their first night together, when she was so nervous that she was trembling as he touched her. He smiled widely at the thought of it.

  Elyse suddenly reached out and poked him before saying, "I know that smile. Quit it!"

  Jarron could not help but laugh loudly. She had caught him red handed with his mind deep in the gutter, with her rolling around all over him.

  The Prime Speaker spoke again, "Well there is no need to further test you this way since we are most likely just to tire out more of our focal points. Of course we only have two here."

  Elyse asked, "Where are the rest, I was under the impression that the Eal'tain had six."