by Dave Hazel
“That was odd,” Finley said while they all watched him fly into the air.
Everyone stared heavenward and followed the blue streak in the sky. “Man, he is fast in the air,” Mykal said to break the silence. “So,” he turned to the six Elves and paused. He wanted to be careful how he asked his question. “I know he said he is a man of, or rather an Elf of his word, but what do you guys think?”
The Elves looked among themselves and then back to Mykal.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not doubting what he said as far as being true to his word,” Mykal said quickly so they wouldn’t take offense to his lack of trust. “But if he is cursed and a prisoner and all that stuff do you think he will be able to honor his word? Do you think he is really free to make that kind of a decision? I don’t have a problem taking him at his word, but I don’t want to risk everyone’s lives by blindly following what he said since we just met the guy. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
“I understand my friend,” Starling spoke first. “I would be somewhat cautious as well,” Starling said while looking at his fellow Elves. “If his heart and mind are truly the heart and mind of an Elf, then we can most assuredly count on his word being true. That is what we are unsure of. I have never met a brother Elf who has had to endure such a curse. There are too many uncertainties.”
“I would suggest we trust him,” Leeno said. “However I would suggest that we keep our eyes always on alert and our minds always to be cautious in order to watch for any potential traps.”
“I agree,” Captain Diaz said. “If we’re going to err then let’s err on the side of caution.”
“I would ask that you warn your men,” Blair said and looked to Diaz and then to Towbar. “To be watchful and to give warning if they hear or see any strange thing that may be deemed as a potential threat.”
“I agree, and don’t take me wrong,” Mykal said with a hint of optimism. “He may turn out to be the best thing we’ve come across and he may be true blue, no pun intended,” he laughed. “But he may be true blue, stick to his word, and all that kinda stuff. I just don’t wanna put all you guys in harm’s way.”
“Let’s take time to have a meal and take a break and we’ll discuss this further,” Diaz said.
“You heard the captain,” Ratner shouted. “I want extra eyes and ears all around.”
3.
“So, do we know when we’re going to hear from Lanorear or any of his compatriots?” Lieutenant Finley asked the six Elves.
“Lanorear did not tell us his plan,” Starling answered and looked to his fellow Elves as if he had been uninformed.
“That is true,” Leeno said. “He did not say how or when he would communicate with us.”
“I think we should just continue as if we had not met him and wait until we encounter him again,” Blair suggested.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Captain Diaz agreed. “Gunny,” he paused after turning to Ratner. “Make sure all the men are ready and tell them to be ever alert and if we encounter the Hawkmen, they are friendlies unless of course they attack or become aggressive.”
“Aye aye Sir,” Ratner replied and looked to his fellow leader Lemon.
“Will do Sir,” Sergeant First Class Lemon agreed.
“I just don’t know what to expect,” Diaz said. “When he left, he left suddenly and didn’t really fill us in on what their plan was with us.”
“I agree,” Mykal said. “It’s better to be safe than sorry. I honestly think he will keep his word. My only concern is when we get close to the palace of Ziggy Stardust. The big Mister Zee,” he snickered. Lanorear and his fellow Hawkmen know their lives are on the line and I don’t expect them to die for us, but I just don’t want them to turn on us at the last minute.”
“I definitely agree with you there Myk,” Finley said and turned to the Elves. “Do you think he would betray us at the last minute to save himself and his clan?”
“This is something we really can not answer,” Egoneal replied and pressed down on his sword to insure its position on his belt. “If he had been an Elf, and not an Elf who had been cursed, thus changed into a strange creature, I would most assuredly believe he would be true to his word. However, since for many years he has been a prisoner to his Master and under such a strange curse I can not guess what he will do.”
“We will have to treat this situation with care,” Towbar said while he sheathed his mighty sword down his back. “I believe there must be a way to undo the curse,” he said and looked to Mykal. “If we can take him to my longtime friend Nidious, he may have an answer for this situation.”
Mykal looked at his friend and remembered when he first met Nidious. Nidious told him they couldn’t come up with a way to undo the magic that changed Towbar into the giant he is now. Mykal realized that Towbar would probably never want to change what he is physically to what he had been all those years ago, but that would probably be different than what Lanorear and his clan was living with.
“Let’s move out,” Finley shouted after a nod from Diaz.
They marched on in single file of pairs. Talking was kept to a whisper. They wound their way through rocky and rough terrain to avoid going into the forested area. The trees hid danger whereas the open rocky terrain would reveal potential threats much sooner. They wanted to stay in the open until they had to re-enter the forest.
After a few hours marching along, Mykal felt somewhat concerned about their new so called ally. He wondered if Lanorear and his clan of Elf Hawkmen would really help them or would they turn them over to Zizmon-Tarl. The more Mykal thought about the conversations they had with Lanorear, the more he thought the Elf Hawkman was a little crazy which would make Lanorear unpredictable. Anxiety grew the more he thought about it. For all Mykal knew, Lanorear and his clan could be revealing to Zizmon-Tarl’s forces where they were and what they were up to.
“What troubles you my friend?” Towbar whispered. They had walked side by side but remained silent most of the walk.
“I dunno. I’m worried about a number of things,” he admitted. “I’m definitely worried about Doninka. Who knows what that bastard is doing to her or what’s been done to her.”
“I am concerned for her also my friend,” Towbar sighed. “However, to worry about something we have no control over is not helpful for her or for us. Some of the things you may be tormenting yourself with may just be your imagination. If that is the case then you will get yourself worried and fearful over things that are not real.”
“You’re right,” Mykal sighed and shook his head. “I’m beating myself up over this and we don’t have a clue if anything has happened to her.”
“Correct. I tend to lean on the idea that the Evil One will not do anything to her. I say this only because that would ruin his chances of getting his hands on his true prize, King Loankore III.”
“You’re right Towbar. I need to try not to think of what I’m thinking.”
“It is hard, I understand.”
“But I’m also worried about this whole situation with Lanorear,” he whispered and hoped the Elves didn’t hear him. “Since Ziggy Stardust is his master, I’m worried he’ll turn on us and not help us,” Mykal admitted and his face expressed his concern. “If he turns on us and points Mister Zee’s armies to us, well, I’m worried for all these guys I’ve brought along with us. I don’t want to see any more of these men get hurt or killed.”
“I understand your concern my friend--”
“What is that?” Someone shouted and halted the group from the front. Immediately everyone dropped to one knee or fell prone and faced in all different directions in preparation for an attack from any angle.
Everyone started to whisper and pointed to the sky. Mykal saw the six Hawkmen flying toward them. Two of them flew together and looked to be holding something very large between the two of them. Mykal’s sudden fear was they were going to drop a bomb of some kind. They flew to the front of the parade and dropped what they were carrying near t
he tree line. Mykal couldn’t see the object that fell, but he could almost feel the heavy thud.
“What the hell is that?” Mykal whispered harshly.
Freeman ran from the front and stopped at Diaz and Finley who were twenty to thirty yards in front of Mykal and Towbar. “Come here Mykal,” Freeman yelled and waved for Mykal and Towbar to rush to his location. Everyone remained in their positions while Mykal and Towbar rushed to join them. “It’s unbelievable Sir,” Freeman said.
“What is it?” Mykal asked and feared Lanorear and his clan were about to attack.
“It’s crazy Sir,” Freeman said. He turned to Mykal and laughed. “It’s a big cat. I mean a big ol’ cat. Lanorear and his clan killed this big ass mother of a cat that makes our lions and tigers back home look small. I’m telling you Myk, this cat made me feel like a little mouse. Lanorear and his clan said they’re going to eat it and we should walk around them if we don’t wanna see that. But this cat is huge. It would easily have eaten any of us in a couple of bites,” he exaggerated. “They shot it down with arrows, cuz it’s got about ten arrows in it and they brought it here so we could see the danger they helped us to avoid,” he said and looked directly at Mykal as if the message was intended for him.
“It’s big, huh?” Mykal asked and tried to look ahead but couldn’t see anything.
“Oh Myk, I swear I never seen a cat that big,” Freeman laughed and shook his head. “Have you ever seen those documentaries on Africa where they show two or three lions attacking a big ass wildebeest? And the lions look small?”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Mykal snickered at his reference.
“Well, this cat they killed and dropped is bigger than any of those wildebeests?” Freeman gasped his shock. “The paws on that thing is huge.”
Starling, Leeno and Egoneal rushed back to where the leaders stood. “Mykal, and Cap-tain Diaz,” Egoneal spoke during their silence so as not to interrupt their conversation. “Lanorear and his clan request that we turn to avoid watching them eat their prey.”
“What? I don’t understand,” Mykal said.
“Due to their bird form, they are eating their catch raw,” Leeno replied. “They would prefer that we do not watch them eat.”
“Since they were Elves in the past they must be somewhat embarrassed,” Finley offered.
“That is correct,” Starling said and gave a brief nod.
“Sure, I don’t care,” Mykal said with a shrug. “But also let them know that it wouldn’t bother me if we watched them eat. We would think no different of them either way.”
“I will inform them when we speak to them later,” Starling agreed.
“We will still be able to see them while we file past,” Leeno said. “They ask that we do not watch them eat.”
“Sure,” Mykal replied and wondered why it was such a big deal since they had been cursed for many years. ‘If they have been eating like this for years and years, why would it matter if we saw them eating?’ He wondered.
They snaked around the six Hawkmen gathered around the carcass of the large cat. From their distance they couldn’t really see the birdmen feasting on the great creature, but they could be seen huddled around the lifeless form and they would take their turns to bend over to bite and pull the flesh, or to cut off pieces to eat. Their colors were amazing and bright. Mykal couldn’t wait to meet the rest of the Hawkmen clan to see what they look like up close. Lanorear was bright blue with bright yellow, green and orange colors. Mykal clearly saw other magnificent vivid colors from the other Hawkmen. There was no camouflaging their bright colors.
One of the six Hawkmen turned his head and looked at the men. Mykal felt the creature looked directly at him. The Bird Elf was taller than Lanorear and seemed to be larger. The face and the way the Hawkman turned its head reminded Mykal of an owl. The color of the large owl was beautiful to behold. He was bright purple with different shades of purple throughout the wings. The face appeared to be white and the long hook beak was black. The eyes blinked after a couple of moments of staring. Mykal noticed the creature’s eyes were bright, almost turquoise with black pupils that seemed to drill into Mykal’s inner most being despite the distance. The feathers above the eyes were similar to the crested owl in which it looked like the creature had long ears. The owl had arms and weapons like Lanorear.
The closest the men came to the feasting Hawkmen neared about thirty to forty feet. The men consciously turned away to avoid seeing them eat per the request of the Elves. It was difficult to turn away, not to keep from watching the Hawkmen eat, but due to the bright colors they all had. They were beautiful to look at and all six of the creatures were different in size, shape and particularly colors.
“It reminds me of Sergeant Pepper’s album,” Mykal whispered.
“What?” Several men nearby asked.
Mykal laughed at Towbar’s confused face because he knew Towbar wouldn’t have any idea what he was talking about. Diaz, Finley and a couple other Marines moved closer to hear what Mykal meant. “It reminds me of the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s the album that came out in 1967 and had all the famous and not so famous people on the album cover. The Beatles themselves were dressed in the super bright uniforms.”
“Oh yeah, I see what you mean,” Lieutenant Finley laughed quietly. “The bright colors. I get it. At first, I thought you meant them eating that big animal reminded you of their music or one of their songs and I was going to have to challenge you on that because I am a diehard Beatles fanatic.”
“Oh cool,” Mykal laughed and held up his hand to high five Finley. “I am too,” Mykal said enthusiastically.
“I was going to say if any of their album covers fit the scene, it would have to be the discarded Butcher Cover album,” Finley said with a knowledgeable laugh.
“Oh yeah, where the Beatles wore white coats like butchers and were covered in baby doll pieces and raw meat,” Mykal laughed when he noticed others were listening. He now had someone he could converse with concerning his love for music. That would help take his mind off the mundane trekking through strange lands. “I definitely didn’t mean anything about the music. I saw the bright wild colors from a distance and the first thing that popped into my head was the suits the Beatles wore on the Pepper album cover.”
“One of my cousins actually has a real Butcher Cover album,” Finley declared. “Supposedly when they pulled the album off the shelf they slapped on the replacement cover over the Butcher Cover and re-issued the album like that. My cousin, like a few others, was able to steam the new cover off to reveal the hidden treasure. He has it locked away in a safe and it’s supposed to be worth a few hundred dollars. And I guess now it would be worth even more.”
“That’s amazing,” Mykal said with a joyful smile though he kept stealing glances at the Hawkmen to see if there would be anything peculiar they wanted to keep hidden from him and his men. Other than them taking turns to eat raw flesh from the big cat, he couldn’t detect anything out of the ordinary.
Mykal and Finley continued to discuss the Beatles and their music. They shared their favorite tracks and spoke of tidbits of Beatle trivia the other may not know. They discussed the solo years of the 70s and both shared their great desire for the Beatles to have a reunion, but since December 8th of 1980 that would never be possible. Mykal looked down at the ring on his middle finger and realized he had a sudden craving to turn himself invisible in order to seek out John Lennon’s assassin Mark David Chapman in prison to exact his revenge for killing one of his idols. Mykal knew he had to put down such foolish selfish thoughts.
4.
Hours later after they took a break for a meal, Mykal sat with Towbar, Diaz and Finley when Ratner and Lemon approached them.
“How is it going Gunny?” Diaz asked his senior Marine.
“Just fine Sir. We just came by to see if you are ready to move out yet Sir,” Ratner asked and looked at the tree line
they were getting ready to enter after the meal break.
“Yes Gunny, we’ll head out in about ten minutes,” Captain Diaz said and rolled his head from side to side to get the kink out of his neck. “I want to make sure all the men had an opportunity to eat and weren’t forced to scarf their food down. I know the men who stood watch first didn’t eat and I don’t want them to be forced to rush because they stood watch first.”
“We appreciate that Sir,” Sergeant Lemon said and smiled. “My men,” he said in reference to the Army personnel. “Really appreciate having you as our field C.O.”
“Well thank you, but things may change if we come under some heat,” Diaz said and looked around at the men. “If the men are asking, provided we don’t suffer any injuries we will return to the Pass in about the next two or three days,” he said as if he anticipated the question from Lemon.
“Thank you Sir. We’ll be sure to let the men know that.”
“Hey Gunny, have the Elves, or anyone for that matter, had any contact with the Hawkmen since we saw them at their meal?” Mykal asked and looked over to Roy Jr. and Randy conversing with a number of the military men. He was glad they fit in with the military personnel.
“No Mykal,” Ratner answered and wiped the sweat from his brow. “Can I voice my opinion Sir?” Ratner turned to Diaz.
“Sure Gunny, what’s on your mind?”