Freeforce: The Gryphon Saga

by L. E. Horn

  Lianndra estimated close to fifty Darkon resided within the underground enclosure, although she rarely saw more than a few at a time. The Darkon seemed equally excited about this new contact. Emitting shrill chirps at her arrival, they took turns landing on her, bombarding her brain with indecipherable queries framed as vivid images and sensations. Darkon saw a broader spectrum of color than even her enhanced eyes, and it took Lianndra some time to learn to interpret the images. Things that looked brown or black to her glowed with iridescent color when seen by the Darkon. They flashed the images at her so fast she had difficulty understanding what they wanted. Over time they learned to slow the images down, adding sensations and emotions with them until her brain figured it out. Some things—for instance, an image of aquatic creatures along with the sensation of hunger—were easy.

  Focusing the destruction beams proved child’s play for her. Lianndra kept her sessions with the creatures short since she often developed a headache if she worked with them for too long.

  The work with the Darkon distracted her so much that at first, she didn’t notice Michael avoided her. After repeated visits to his empty hut, and her third attempt in one afternoon to find him, she became suspicious his elusiveness was intentional.

  Investigation revealed the situation with Michael wasn’t unique to her. Conversations with Hannah and Drake indicated they hadn’t seen him either. The universal disappearing act increased her concern, so she set out one afternoon determined to track him down.

  Hours later, frustration consumed her. She met people and Gryphon who’d seen him mere moments before, but no matter how crafty she was—in her modified body she could be very crafty—she couldn’t catch even so much as a glimpse of him.

  Baffled and more than a little hurt, Lianndra gave up. She had no idea why he would want to avoid her like this. She worried there might be a problem with his recovery. Wilf had seen him in the morning at breakfast and reported he progressed at a reasonable rate, but Lianndra knew better than anyone how close and for how long Michael skirted death.

  He could be suffering from more than just physical issues, she thought, and he might need more help than he thinks. I must talk to him!

  She calmed herself by leaving a note beside his bedroll.

  It said:

  I’m worried about you.

  Please talk to me.

  Lianndra

  FROM HIS VANTAGE POINT ABOVE the valley, Michael watched Lianndra search. A few times he ducked deeper into the cave to avoid being seen. By the time she checked the caves he could see by the set of her shoulders and her twitching tail she was close to giving up. Her examination was cursory at best.

  Michael felt horrible for avoiding her. But until I figure a few things out . . .

  He watched her walk in and out of his hut for the fourth time. Even though she was far away, he could see her disappointment and frustration.

  Heaving a sigh, he leaned against the cave wall and let his head fall against the stone. The cool rock soothed the fire that burned from deep within, and he wiped a shaking hand over his sweaty face. Michael’s injuries had healed, but pain had become his constant companion, something he hadn’t confessed to anyone. The ache in his bones throbbed in rhythm with every beat of his heart, and his skin hurt as if it would split open every time he moved. He hadn’t said anything to Wilf because he feared the answers to questions he didn’t want asked. Questions that surfaced despite his best intentions.

  How well do we know our own bodies? He raised a hand, ignoring the fact it trembled, and focused on the long fingers in front of his face. Fingers that are familiar, and yet, not. Bones which seem a little—different—from what they’d been. Am I going crazy? He trailed the fingers over his face, feeling the planes and angles of his brow and jaw. Hannah had told him the details of Lianndra’s efforts to save his life. He retained little memory of it, just brief snatches of blurred images. The redheaded Healer explained about Lianndra using her blood to keep him alive. Did she give me more than just my life?

  His thoughts snapped back to the morning’s events. Wilf popped into Michael’s hut, catching him shaving. The miniGryph’s sudden appearance surprised Michael, causing the sharp knife to slip and nick his jaw. The minor pain, combined with being startled, triggered something deep and dark within him. Michael remembered a surge of inexplicable rage, and he’d spun toward the miniGryph with his lips curled back from his teeth. He could remember the snarling sound he’d made.

  Fortunately, Michael, horrified by his reaction, caught himself and apologized to the old miniGryph. Wilf accepted it with his usual aplomb, but the incident shook Michael to the core. And a short time later he noticed the cut on his jaw vanished as if it’d never been. He almost assumed he’d made a mistake about cutting himself. Until he saw the line of blood trailing down his neck.

  The cut healed itself.

  That freaked him out, but his crazy reactions bothered him even more. He almost attacked Wilf this morning simply because the miniGryph surprised him. Michael prided himself on his self-control, even when in sticky situations. Mind over matter. His reaction this morning was the exact opposite, a reaction not involving his mind at all.

  The body thing differed; he wasn’t sure what to think about the possibility of his body changing. Would he become more like Lianndra? He wasn’t any hairier than before and he didn’t seem inclined to sprout a tail. If those things happened, would it upset him?

  I used to think she was being ridiculous, avoiding me because she thought she was no longer fully human. Now here I am hiding from her.

  Until he knew what was going on, he wanted to keep to himself. Day and night, Lianndra occupied his thoughts, denying him sleep and turning him into a physical wreck. Now this thing with Wilf—it created doubt he’d be able to control his own mind in her presence, let alone body. What he’d begun to develop with Lianndra was too fragile and precious. He didn’t want to jeopardize it.

  So for now, I hide.

  Chapter Twenty

  MICHAEL DID NOT RESPOND TO Lianndra’s note. She would have been frantic, except Wilf reassured her the big man’s health improved. The miniGryph suggested Michael needed time.

  I’ll respect his wishes, Lianndra thought, but I’d feel a lot better if I could just talk to him even for a few minutes.

  She sat back in the heated pool, letting the warmth soak into her tense muscles. Working with the Darkon stretched her abilities to their limits and left her neck and shoulders sore. The work was worth it because the little creatures improved daily at communicating with her human brain. Together, they practiced slowing and unifying the Darkon’s thoughts, resulting in the transference of crystal-clear images or emotions. It helped Lianndra, but Hannah lacked focus and therefore experienced trouble maintaining the bond, so they practiced often.

  I feel like I’m connecting better with the Darkon. Now it’s just a matter of what we do with these newfound skills, Lianndra thought.

  Virra encouraged the Healers to continue refining and developing the link. “We have never considered using the Darkon’s power against the Tlok’mk. I would have a hard time justifying it on moral grounds, however such things may not matter if our backs are against the wall.”

  Lianndra knew the creatures’ destructive potential could make a difference. But even with the improvements in communication, the power proved an unwieldy weapon. The Darkon used it for defense against predators, so focusing the beam at close range was easier than at a distance. As the beam moved away, it spread out over a large area. It would cut a wide swath on its way to a more remote target.

  Lianndra tried to increase the power’s accuracy over a distance by acting like a lens. She focused on a target and encouraged the Darkon to gather the energy. As the power increased, she envisioned it as a dense laser ray lancing out from her toward the target. When she signaled the release, the beam pulsed right through her, making every hair stand on end. It left her brain feeling stretched and scorched. Despite the work on
refinement, they were still far from taking out a selected, smaller target from a distance.

  Even if the Gryphon wanted to risk further exposing the Darkon’s power, there is just too much potential for collateral damage for us to use it in a battle. The toll in slave lives would be scary.

  The warm water soothed her tense neck muscles. Lianndra stood, sluicing it off her skin and hair with the edge of her hand. She dove over the partition and into the cold water, shuddering at the contrast in temperature. She emerged refreshed but with much on her mind.

  Lianndra hadn’t walked far along the path when a young miniGrypha cantered to her. She slid to a halt in front of Lianndra.

  “The shiev requests your presence.” She seemed a bit breathless, and Lianndra assumed the creature had spent some time looking for her. Wondering if Drake and Hannah had also received a summons, she jogged along with the miniGrypha to the Great Hall.

  The youngster escorted Lianndra past the raised platform to a chamber beyond, dominated by an enormous wooden table in the center. Around the table sat several Gryphon, including the old female scout who accompanied Lianndra and Kaye on the trip to free the rebels. Near her stood a large male who looked even older, with most of his spikes broken or missing. Opposite them were five miniGryphon. Lianndra recognized Virra’s distinctive pale-blue and white coloring. Other occupants of the room included Drake, Hannah, and two of Drake’s soldiers. She recognized one as the blond man named Sean who had been in Lianndra’s FHR—Find, Heal, and Reactivate—division. Drake often referred to Sean as his second in command, which no doubt explained the young man’s presence. Lianndra took an empty seat next to Hannah, folding her tail around her hips.

  It seems they’d been waiting for her. As soon as she settled, Virra spoke in her accented English. “I have summoned you all here to discuss some developments.”

  Movement behind a pair of Gryphon caught Lianndra’s eye. A tall figure stood in the shadows, and with a jolt, Lianndra recognized Michael. He looked gaunt with his bones too close under the skin, although his shirt fit tighter across his chest. She tried to meet his eyes, but he kept his fastened on Virra. His presence distracted Lianndra so much she almost missed the first part of Virra’s speech.

  “We wish to confess something to you.” Virra’s spikes stiffened, emphasizing the importance of what she was about to say. “The scout troop that contacted Healer Lianndra was not on a random patrol. They were on assignment to contact any slaves fleeing the Fang units within the jungle. At the time, we did not know your entire group traveled so far into the grasslands.” Virra’s crest flattened as she continued. “The scouts believed they captured a Healer fleeing from a nearby FHR unit. If they had understood Lianndra was a member of a larger group, they would have continued on to find the entire rebel troop. As it was, the scouts suspected a Fang unit was close by, so they snatched the Healer and made a run for it.” Her spikes sagged. “To our regret, we lost rebel comrades because of our delay in rescuing you.” She bowed to Drake. “We apologize for those losses.”

  The captain nodded back to her, his expression grim.

  The news startled Lianndra enough to rip her attention away from Michael toward Drake. They were looking for us? That meant the Gryphon followed the Fang rebellion’s progress. Her words to us when we freed her from the Fang indicated the Gryphon knew of the rebellion, but they said nothing about playing any part in it. Are they connected to the rebels?

  Drake’s lack of surprise about the first part of Virra’s speech confirmed he’d been immersed in the planning process. He’s heard it all before.

  “What we are about to discuss is not to leave this room.” The miniGrypha took the time to meet the eyes of everyone present, imparting the seriousness of what she was about to say. “It is not unusual for the strain of a war such as this to cause divisions within a culture. Such is the case with the Tlok’mk. For some time now, we have been in periodic contact with a Tlok’mk rebel group. We have been cautious in our communications. So far, this group has proven reliable in their efforts, which included the Healer recruitment to deactivate slave collars.”

  All eyes fell on the Healers. The Tlok’mk rebels’ efforts weren’t news to Lianndra and Hannah, but it certainly was for some. Tlok’mk. It sounded strange to hear them use the Fang’s actual species name. Somehow the harsh glottal stops seemed to suit the reptilian species.

  “Thus, our fate and yours are intertwined,” Virra said, “and now we must decide our next course of action. We have not heard from the Tlok’mk rebels for some time. This is of concern as our planetary radar indicates there are now five Motherships orbiting Tarin, rather than the previous four. We are expecting a fresh influx of both Farr and slave fighters from this new arrival. All we can do is proceed based on the last message. Now that you have joined our ranks, the first priority is to further estrange the army’s slave component from their Tlok’mk commanders. This will be dangerous as the Tlok’mk may now be suspicious. We don’t think they are yet aware of their internal rebellion, but they must have noticed compromised slave collars.”

  Lianndra heard a collective breath taken within the room. Her eyes sought Michael’s, and she caught him looking at her. His stare glinted silver and gold before he glanced away.

  “Our scouts have detected movement among the Tlok’mk fighting forces.” Virra waved a hand and a holographic map projected above her. “There is a gathering of several units along this border.” She used a small handheld electronic pointer to show the spot in question. The use of even simple devices was not common with the Gryphon. Lianndra reminded herself that they were not technically challenged but rather deliberately reticent. After all, their technology had built the planetary shield.

  The area Virra pointed to wasn’t too far from the valley. “We believe that one unit is an FHR.”

  Lianndra straightened, and beside her, Hannah reacted as well. More Healers? She thought of their recent discovery with the Darkon. Someone else to bond with the Darkon? Hannah is still having some problems with the process. Other Healers might have better success.

  Virra’s eyes skimmed over the two Healers before she continued. “We are proposing to start our new campaign with the interception of the FHR unit.” She pointed to an area along the jungle border shaded red to indicate the frontline of the conflict. “Kesar will coordinate an attack here, designed to draw off the Tlok’mk fighting units. This should permit a small group to penetrate the perimeter and contact the FHR unit.” Virra looked at Hannah and Lianndra. “We are counting on your many skills to make this possible. Your camouflage ability and agility in the jungle will be essential to the success of this mission. The priority is to free the Healers, although we hope to free as many other slaves as possible.”

  Virra paused. “We recognize there is a high degree of risk associated with this venture. It is important to obtain Healers for our war effort.” Her violet eyes caught and held Lianndra’s. “We believe your unique skills hold the key to our success. With enough Healers, we can continue to capture Tlok’mk fighting units and free the slaves. Most of those freed will, we hope, agree to help us with our cause. At worst, the lack of control over the slave soldiers will cripple the Tlok’mk ground army.”

  It’s an ambitious plan, Lianndra thought. She noticed Virra neglected to mention the work between the Darkon and Healers. Drake knew about the Darkon because the miniGrypha had apparently let some in on the secret. She doubted many human rebels knew about them. Virra held back, keeping the potential union between the Healer and the Darkon in reserve. The thought of playing such a key role in the war unnerved her. They’re banking a lot on us.

  Virra motioned to an old Grypha. “Zar will coordinate with the scouts, and then she will drop you as close as possible to the FHR unit.”

  Zar nodded, and the broken spikes rose on her neck, indicating a confidence Lianndra wasn’t sure she shared.

  She could tell by the look on Drake’s face the rebel leader wasn’t happy. This is a mis
sion he can’t help with. The Healers would be on their own.

  Virra gestured to the third Grypha, a dark blue-patterned female with an electronic device strapped to her upper torso. “Shan is our communications expert. She will outfit you with a device enabling you to call for backup when you contact the FHR unit. The bulk of the group will wait at the jungle’s edge for your signal. They will move to extract you and the newly recruited rebellion members with all possible speed.” She turned to Drake. “You and your selected men may wait with the extraction group. We have requested human-sized weapons from the nearest Gryphon home valleys and they should arrive sometime today.” She surveyed the room. “We move out tonight. Kesar’s troop will attack at dawn. Does anyone have any questions or changes to this plan?” She met Drake’s eyes, but the dark-haired man shook his head at Virra. It was a good plan, as good as possible. For the rebellion to succeed, they would have to get used to doing this kind of thing.

  Virra’s small spikes sagged, and she gave the Gryphon equivalent of a sigh. “This will be dangerous for all concerned. Drake, I will leave it to you and Zar to coordinate how many of your men come with us. You will need to match them with Gryphon carriers. Several young male volunteers are willing to try their mettle. We have limited weapons suitable for human use.”

  The Gryphon stood at the finality of those words and until then, Lianndra hadn’t noticed most were now kneeling at the table. As everyone filed out of the room, Michael held back and met her eyes. They blazed with a barely suppressed anger.

  What the heck? Feeling confused and a little angry, Lianndra turned and left.

  “I AM ABSOLUTELY NOT SITTING here on my ass while you guys go to war!” Michael snarled. Watching him, Lianndra noticed his entire body trembled, the muscles quivering in long ropes along his arms and legs. His eyes reminded Lianndra of a thunderstorm. The dark gray menacing clouds shot through with streaks of golden lightning.