Gift of Flight

by S. W. Gunn

  * * * * *

  Jarron awoke the next morning to a loud knock on the door. He sat up and immediately discovered that Elyse was currently in the restroom.

  A stern voice called through the door, “Wake up lad an lass, it’s time for breakfast an we can’t keep Dalain waitin’”

  Jarron recognized the voice immediately as Hain’s. He slowly shifted himself off of the bed and then stood up. As soon as he stood up the bathroom door opened and Elyse entered the room. Jarron immediately noticed her short dress first. It was very form fitting, which Jarron found it unusual for her because it was a drastic shift from her usual conservative style, it was a sleeveless one piece dress that ended slightly above her knees and was light blue in color with several thin wavy vertical white lines. The neckline dipped downward midway between her neck and chest. It looked wonderful to him as it displayed her athletic figure in its full glory without exposing too much skin. She immediately noticed him examining her closely so she gave him a wide smile.

  As she slowly turned to let him see the dress she asked, “Do you like it?”

  He walked towards her, stopping as soon as he stood in front of her, and said, “Very much so, it displays your figure excellently.”

  She flushed a bit before saying, “Well the intent was that you’d like it.”

  Jarron softly ran his hands along her sides before saying, “I do. Lemme go to the restroom and then we’ll go eat breakfast.”

  He applied a soft kiss on her lips before going into the restroom. After he was done he came back out, dressed and they headed off to the dining hall. All eyes turned to Jarron and Elyse as they entered the dining hall. Everyone Jarron had expected to be there was however there was one additional surprise. Sitting opposite of Hain, but besides Dalain was the Kalan admiral from the holo-projector.

  Dalain announced, “Ahh there they are Admiral.”

  The Kalan grunted in response and said, “Call me Kraggi cause that rank and structure talk are all fine and good out with the troops, but here we’re just drinkin’ together.”

  Jarron slid out a chair for Elyse to take a seat. Once she sat down he tucked her chair a little closer to the table and then took a seat next to her. The breakfast had already been served; it was a typical Kalan breakfast of meats, cheeses and breads. Jarron served several slices of each to Elyse before filling his own plate.

  Elyse leaned closer to him and whispered, “Do they have something to drink other than that ale?”

  Jarron chuckled at her before shaking his head. The Kalan usually had water and some juice with breakfast, but he could see neither available today, which meant it was either a holiday or Dalain just wanted ale. Elyse frowned at his response. While she did not show an initial reaction to the one ale she drank before, Jarron was convinced that it hit her the next morning. Jarron asked for some water, which caused some laughter before a pitcher of water was brought out. The Kalan at the table laughed and made jokes about anything and everything as they ate their breakfast. The majority of the jokes did revolve around the weak drinking abilities of humans however.

  After the meal the Admiral turned to Jarron and asked, "Alright lad, we've eaten an now I'm ready to hear your tale."

  Jarron nodded before regaling the entire tale to him, making sure only to exclude anything that might have been illegal. The Kalan did not seem to believe his words about focal points and the Gift until Elyse gave him a proper demonstration by lifting a few items from the table. Jarron sensed immediately afterwards that the Kalan was deeply concerned about the information just revealed to him.

  He rubbed his beard and said, "I can see why Drusilla was so persistent. Makes one wonder why Tiberius Miramar would resort to kidnappin' folks. Lad I think it best ya stay here for some time while I go an perform an investigation."

  Hain grumpily said, "How long will this take?"

  The Kalan shrugged in response before saying, "However long it takes."

  Hain grumbled again. Jarron could only imagine how angry Hain was to have to sit around for an extended period of time. Hain always wanted to keep moving to make more gold whenever possible and sitting around in Dalain's home was quite the opposite of that.

  Dalain reached out and slapped Hain's shoulder before saying, "Lad I got some work for ya to keep ya entertained while we wait on Kraggi here. I could use your engineerin' skills on several of my other ships, well once we get the Keg fixed up."

  Kraggi stood and announced, "I shall head off. Once I’ve got a resolution I'll send word immediately."

  He nodded at Hain and then slowly walked out of the hall. Once he was out of sight Hain stood and muttered to himself. He waved to Feligrin as if to tell him to follow and then shuffled off towards the landing pad where the Keg was. Feligrin stood and immediately followed him down the hallway. Jarron stood up and reached his hand out to assist Elyse in standing.

  As she took his hand she said, "Where are we headed?"

  "With Hain." Jarron replied.

  She got a keen look on her face before saying, "Don't you have something you said you'd take care of for me?"

  He had forgotten about the neutralizer shot. He nodded at her firmly.

  Turning to Dalain Jarron asked, "Where is the nearest medical center?"

  Dalain replied, "Ya gotta go back to Laern, where ya bought clothin' lad."

  Jarron said, "Could I borrow a conveyance to go there?"

  Dalain replied, "Of course lad. Just head down that way and there is a whole pad of em. Take whichever one ya need."

  Jarron grinned at him. He escorted Elyse from her seat and down the hallway that Dalain pointed at.

  Jarron could not help but laugh when Elyse said, "No crazy flying mister."

  Chapter 9

  Jarron guided the conveyance as easily as any ship he had ever flown. He purposely directed it steady and smoothly in order to make sure Elyse was comfortable during the trip. They stopped several times in order to get directions to the medical center. Jarron had forgotten just how much bureaucracy was at a medical center. It took several hours of waiting and a lot of paperwork to finally see a doctor. A happy looking Kalan woman entered the room. She was slightly shorter than Hain, with long blonde hair that she had wrapped into a complex bun atop her head, sharp blue eyes and a round face. She wore a plain white lab coat over a light blue tunic and dark blue pants. She greeted them both as she entered and then began reviewing the physical scans that were performed after Jarron checked in.

  She had an unusual look on her face as she asked, “Why do you have a tracking chip?”

  Jarron was confused. He had never had a tracking chip because it was something that he would never want.

  “I don’t” He replied unevenly.

  The doctor turned her screen so Jarron could see. Jarron could see the chip clearly. It was implanted near exact spot that the woman had been drawing blood when Jarron was imprisoned by Tiberius. Jarron became very concerned since it meant that Tiberius had been tracking him the whole time. He frowned. Elyse looked just as concerned as he did.

  “Can you remove it?” Jarron asked.

  The doctor nodded and said, “Yes we can. It would be a simple procedure. Also let me give you the neutralizer shot since that is why you are here.”

  The doctor took a small needle and gave Jarron a shot on the inside his elbow.

  “This should take effect in the next day so be careful otherwise you will find yourself a father,” She glanced at Elyse and saw her smile, “Unless of course that is your goal.”

  Jarron suddenly realized that if Tiberius had a tracking chip on him, what would keep them from having one on Elyse.

  “Could we also have a scan done on Elyse? She might have one of those chips too.” He asked.

  The doctor nodded at him and said, “Yes, let me go get a nurse to come and do that for her. She will need to fill out the paperwork for the medical center as well.”

  The doctor turned and left the small exam room.

  As soon a
s the door closed Elyse said nervously, "He knows where we are doesn't it?"

  "Yes," Jarron said solemnly, "Which means he is probably either on his way here or sent more people to find us. We better get back to Dalain's and warn everyone as soon as we can. First we need to get this thing out of me and make sure you don't have one either."

  She replied, "I know, I just wish he'd leave us alone."

  Jarron reached out to her and softly rubbed her shoulder. He felt the same way about Tiberius. The only positive about the whole situation was the existence of Elyse in his life. He could no longer imagine life without her. Another Kalan woman in a white smock and white trousers entered. Jarron recognized her as one of the nurses. She had a portable computer.

  She handed it to Elyse and said, "Fill out the information and we can get your scan done immediately."

  They completed everything required quickly and sat in silence before Elyse was taken into another room for a scan. She came back and they again just sat waiting. Eventually the same doctor returned and informed them that Elyse had a tracking chip implanted in her as well. Jarron could tell that she was very unhappy about the news. It took them a whole half day to finally get the chips removed and destroyed. As they left the medical center Jarron noticed some smoke rising in the distance. It seemed to be in the direction of Dalain's home. Jarron became very concerned, especially in light of the recent discovery that they had been tracked this whole time. A loud siren began blaring.

  With concern written heavily on her face Elyse asked, "What's going on Jarron?"

  Jarron shrugged before saying, "No idea."

  They watched as most of the Kalan around them began to run rapidly around them. Many of them seemed to be either running for buildings or arming themselves. Jarron became very wary because something unusual was going on.

  "Elyse I think we should get outta here, something bad is going on." Jarron stated.

  She nodded and they got into the conveyance and began heading toward Dalain's home. As they slowly approached Dalain's home Jarron realized that it was in fact where the smoke was coming from. His home was being strafed by about seven different fighters. One of the landing pads was occupied by unusual ships. Dalain’s home was under attack. Jarron stopped the conveyance.

  "This is not good." Elyse said grimly.

  Jarron shook his head before saying, "No it isn't. Somehow we need to find our way in there. We need to make sure Hain and Feligrin are okay."

  "Jarron we need to help because we can make a big difference."

  Jarron responded, "I think we’re the reason for all of this."

  "That man sent these people?" Elyse asked nervously.

  "I think so, why else would there be so many? A normal group wouldn't be enough to deal with you, they would need a lot." Jarron stated.

  She nodded sullenly. Jarron decided that they would need to ditch the conveyance and work their way up stealthily. With Elyse's powers they could easily make it through a side pathway and any obstructions. He told Elyse his plan, which she agreed was a wise choice to get past the assault and find their friends. They exited the conveyance and worked their way through the heavy forested area towards Dalain's home. Jarron was glad for the forest since it covered their tracks nicely. They slowly crept up to the side of the building. Dalain's home was atop of a small mountainside, which meant that there was only one walking path to the building. Jarron knew they would have to use Elyse's abilities to get to building unnoticed.

  He turned to her and said, "Lift us up and to the side of the building, but keep us very close to the mountainside so no one will see us."

  She nodded and he immediately felt the signature electrical pulsing as she lifted them into the air. It was only a matter of a few seconds before they were on the ground near the building and he was released from her powers. Jarron glanced around and found a nearby entrance into the building that was not in use. Jarron had no doubt that the building had many side entrances. He suspected that Dalain would not have expected anyone to actually attack his home. Jarron could hear the blaster fire occurring within the building. No doubt the Kalan were going to put up an intense fight to anyone showing up, even though Jarron could tell the numbers were heavily in the favor of whoever was attacking.

  He guided Elyse to the door and then said, "You should prolly take the lead and shield us as you go."

  She grinned at him and said, "You're best battery a girl could ever ask for."

  Jarron chuckled just before she began to use her power.

  She slowly crept through the hallway that the entrance opened into. Jarron could tell immediately that she was very uncomfortable. He wished he could say something but he could not move at all while she used her powers to protect them. She had him slightly floating off the ground. As they moved along Jarron could hear blaster fire slowly increasing in volume. They were getting much closer to the fight. The hallway they were in came to an intersection where an active fight was in full pitch. Jarron could see blaster fire crisscrossing down the hallway that intersected theirs.

  Elyse pulled them backwards before releasing him and asking, “What do we do now?”

  Jarron could see concern written heavily on her face. It Jarron unsure they should continue unless they could come up with a plan that would allow them to succeed in stopping these men without hurting them. Then it hit him, she could lift anything so why not just lift the weapons right out of their hands? Jarron slid to the floor and poked his head out along the floor so he could identify each side. To his right Jarron saw several roughly overturned tables and various Kalan heads dipping in and out as they fired and to his left were many heavily armored human men with heavy blast shields and rifles. These men obviously came prepared for a firefight. Jarron slid back and stood.

  “Alright here’s the plan,” Jarron said to her, “On the left are the bad guys. Use your powers to pull their weapons away from them, not their shields but just their weapons. Maybe if we disarm enough of them, it’ll force them to retreat.”

  Jarron could read the grim look of determination on her face. He just hoped that the plan would work. She nodded at him and then turned to step forward. Jarron found he was unable to move once again. His feet left the ground and slowly he began drifting behind her. She stepped out into the corridor and immediately turned to her left. Jarron could only see her and then further down the empty corridor in front of them. He felt the electrical pulsing throb slightly and then could see a dozen or so rifles clatter down by her feet. Loud cheering came from the direction that Jarron knew was the Kalan. Elyse stepped back out of the corridor and Jarron could move again.

  She said, “They ran away.”

  Jarron grinned wickedly. If they could force enough of these men to retreat then they would win the day. Jarron could hear footsteps approaching from the left corridor. He peeked out again and saw about eight Kalan stomping towards them. He immediately recognized Burdal in the lead.

  Once Burdal caught sight of Jarron he said, “It’s good to see ya lad. Those men came prepared to put up a fight. I’m wonderin’ what the heck they are thinkin’ to attack Dalain’s home like this cause it seems kinda dumb to me.”

  “Burdal they’re after me and Elyse.” Jarron stated flatly.

  Burdal nodded solemnly and said, “Aye lad we know, but they can’t be showin’ up in our lands an expectin’ to take our friends without a fight.”

  Jarron grinned. The Kalan held honor, friendship and loyalty above all else. Burdal waved for them to follow him and then hefted his rifle and began walking down the hallway towards where the men had retreated. The other Kalan immediately began following them. Jarron picked up one of the rifles that Elyse had removed from their foes. He doubted he would use it since she would most likely use her powers, but he had wanted to be prepared. They worked their way through the palace with Elyse disarming their foes as they went. The once pitched battle turned into a rout quickly. Jarron could still hear a pitched battle outside of Dalain’s home, it had grown
in intensity as they moved, which led Jarron to believe that the seven ships from before were being met by the defense forces of the planet.

  They finally worked their way to the dining hall to find a large group of Kalan in a battle circle behind the overturned dining table. Jarron spotted both Hain and Feligrin in the center of the circle. They both had looks of extreme concern as Jarron and Elyse approached. Once Jarron got close enough he could see what the issue was, Dalain was lying on the floor prone and his skin looked very pale. As soon as they were next to Dalain Jarron grew very concerned for him. He was not moving at all, he had a very serious wound on his belly, his eyes were closed and he was not breathing at all. Jarron was convinced he was dead.

  With a tear in his eye Hain glanced up and said, “Lad my cousin just died.”

  Before anyone else could murmur a word Elyse knelt down by Dalain and placed her hands on him. Jarron felt her powers immediately began to throb through him. The electrical pulsing began to increase in intensity and was starting to cause Jarron immense physical pain. She was using the Gift as a higher level than she ever had before. Jarron could see her hands and arms glowing intensely. Jarron could feel the pulsing so coarsely that his body actually began twitching instead of remaining perfectly still as usual. He could not control the twitching any more than he was able to move on his own. After another half-minute Dalain coughed violently and lurched forward. Elyse lifted her hands from his chest and everything immediately went black.

  Chapter 10

  Jarron did not know how long he was out this time, but it was now dark outside as he opened his eyes. He could feel Elyse sleeping next to him. He felt slightly tired and his muscles were a bit sore but otherwise he seemed fine. He reached his arm out and softly touched Elyse’s shoulder. She shifted slightly and then awoke.