Wings of Steele- The Series, page 191
part #1 of Wings of Steele Series
“Your Majesty...”
The voice of Lady Phyllis snapped her attention away from the trees and she glanced at her TESS as she reached the stairs, looking up to where the Lady stood at the landing. “It's nearly two o'clock, have you located him yet?”
“No your Majesty.” Lady Phyllis held out her hand, Colton's TESS resting in it. “He left it behind. I think he did it on purpose...”
Alité plucked it from her hand as she passed, “I'm sure he did. What am I going to do with that boy?”
“I am terribly sorry...”
“Not your fault, Phyllis,” interrupted Alité. “It's painfully obvious he is growing up far too quickly...” They passed through the doors into the grand foyer, “What we need to do, is figure out how he's getting out without being seen... maybe our security is compromised somewhere.”
“I don't understand how a boy his age...”
“That's the problem, Phyllis,” countered Alité as they crossed the open gallery headed for the north wing, “we're not a boy his age. We don't think like a boy his age...”
■ ■ ■
Angular slivers of rosy warm light played through the canopy of leaves, dancing across Colton's face as dawn chased away the darkness. His face and jacket damp from the morning dew, he opened his jacket and dried his face with his shirt. Looking over the side to the forest floor he listened intently, scanning the shifting shadows - the forest was still asleep. If he was lucky, he could get back to the palace and his room before anyone noticed he was gone. He sat up in the hammock, his legs hanging off either side and slung his Katana over his head, laying it across his back before collecting his other things from the branch above him. With the knapsack buckled in place, his sword underneath sticking out above his shoulder, he let the walking staff fall to the ground below, barely hearing it hit the forest floor.
Dropping off the tree and collecting the walking staff that equaled his height, he strode off in the direction of home with the barest of light reaching through the trees. His father had a special electronic eye that allowed him to see in the dark... he could see a definite use for that.
Even at a hustle it was still probably a thirty or forty-minute hike back to the palace. And that didn't include getting back in. Unfortunately, in this light, a hustle probably wasn't wise, he'd have to make up time as light improved.
As the forest awoke it came alive with sounds; birds, insects, animals, flitting, scurrying running... running? Colton jumped off the trail and peered around a tree. Nothing. Shifting quietly, he peered around the other side. Nothing. Was he hearing things? No, he heard it again along with the thudding of his heart in his ears. With a crush of foliage and galloping feet, a pair of Ridgeback feral hogs burst from the underbrush and dashed across the trail behind him crossing back into the forest on the other side, grunting and squealing, trampling noisily through the ground cover.
He let out a sigh of relief and continued walking. While the Ridgebacks could be nasty little creatures, he was fairly confident they posed no real threat to him. He could hear them circle through the forest to his left, scrambling about, making a ruckus. It sounded like another pair off to his right, rutting and fighting, their footfalls sounding like a small stampede. He decided it might be a good time to hustle and put some distance between him and the hogs. He trotted for a while, slowing when their sounds fell behind him. Maintaining a hurried pace, he focused on the trail ahead.
Each time he heard something out of the ordinary he paused to listen as the forest played tricks with his hearing, deadening sounds, creating echoes. Like it was playing with him. It made him jittery and that irritated him. He felt like he wasn't alone but pushed it out of his mind as nonsense. Nothing is out there but those damn hogs... and they're not stalking you. That's ridiculous. He walked on, determined to ignore his imagination which kept prodding him for attention.
The soft galloping footfalls and grunts that materialized on the trail behind him startled him, prompting him to look over his shoulder, “Stupid hogs...” He barely caught the dark blur in his peripheral vision as his legs went out from underneath him, dropping him to the ground on his back with a jarring thud. Being up-ended, he lost the walking staff and when he opened his eyes it was just in time to see it before it cracked him across the face with a solid whack. Grabbing his face in an attempt to rub away the stars in his tearing eyes, he was tempted to cry, but a guttural growl sent a spike of adrenalin racing up his back that instantly replaced pain with fear. Hogs don't growl like that... Looking through his fingers a Volken stood at his feet, hair hackled, teeth bared, staring through him with piercing green eyes.
Uncovering his face slowly, Colton cocked his head, staring at the animal who was no more than about thirty inches tall. “I thought you'd be bigger...” He eased himself into a sitting position, the animal backing up as the boy rose slowly to his feet with the aid of his walking staff. “Easy does it, my friend... I'll go my way, you go...”
He could feel the moist heat of the growl behind him on his neck and panic nearly struck him rigid. He turned ever so slowly, looking over his shoulder, the nose of a much larger Volken just inches from his face. There were two, side-by-side, but he could only focus on the closest one. He swiveled and took a step back, forgetting about the smaller animal behind him. He wanted to cry now more than ever but he was too afraid to even do that. He took one step back, then another. He was still holding his staff but his hands were numb, he couldn't remember how to use it. His body was on fire with electricity and all he could do was jitter and shake.
“To survive you must think.” The voice went through him like it came from inside him, and all around him at the same time. “To fight or defend you must be able to think. Bury the fear... Breathe, Colton. Breathe...”
As he took a deep breath, his mind cleared enough to realize the smaller of the three Volkens was leaning against his left leg, beside him facing it's two larger siblings. Colton let the staff drop to the ground at his feet and slowly reached back for the hilt of his Katana, drawing it out slowly. He was fighting tunnel vision and only just realized a fourth Volken had appeared from the shadows behind the two in front of him. It dwarfed them. With a short guttural bark she commanded the two litter mates to move aside as she stepped between them, pushing them aside with her muzzle, moving forward, her saber teeth nearly as big around as the walking staff he had dropped.
Her size stunned him, left him breathless, a monster of nightmares. His mouth was paste-dry, his heart hammering so hard his body shook, the adrenalin flooding him to the point of nausea. The only thing separating them was the blade of the Katana which he could barely hold up, his hands trembling. He could see it in front of him but he couldn't feel it in his hands. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die...
“Just stay very still, Colton... breathe...”
She towered over him, the boy amounting to nothing more than a snack. She looked down at him, her head reaching down, sniffing the blade of the Katana, the polished metal fogging with the humidity of her breath. She moved her muzzle past the blade and sniffed his face and hair, inspecting him. He felt lightheaded, seeing nothing but darkness until she pulled back. She moved close again and bumped his chin with her nose.
There was a wet snort in his ear that made him jump, a guttural snarl so evil, so low, tears ran down his face. He dared not turn his head to look. The two adult Volkens snarled and snapped at each other, barking, their teeth clacking, their saber fangs flashing back and forth inches from his face. He was frozen in place, his feet anchored to the ground. They were fighting over who would get to eat him... The female swung a mighty paw at the newcomer, nails extended, and Colton could feel the swish of air as she connected with her target. With a bark and a grumble, the newcomer begrudgingly strolled away, leaving the boy to be eaten by the others.
She bent down, sniffed the Volken at his side, and bumped its nose with her own before turning away and strolling back the way she came, barking a call to the two adolescents. One stubbornly remained and the Volken at Colton's side advanced, snarling at his larger litter mate. With another call from the adult, it too turned and left, disappearing silently into the shadows leaving the young boy and the runt of the litter alone together.
No longer able to control his muscles, Colton collapsed in a heap on the trail, his body drained, his mind numb, physically and mentally exhausted. The Volken laid on top of him and curled up.
■ ■ ■
The first thing Colton had done upon waking from his slumber was to roll over on his hands and knees and vomit, his arms shaking to hold him up as he emptied his stomach. Not that there had been much of anything left in it anyway... Since he was alone in the underbrush, he had to assume the Volken dragged him there, though he wasn't sure why. Barely able to control his wooden hands, Colton ate his last two power bars and finished off his water hoping his stomach wouldn't reject it all. Uncomfortably wet, he realized he'd peed himself sometime during his ordeal, Great. Just great.
His arms felt like lead, he could only imagine trying to stand and walk... alone. It was then that he spotted the Volken hiding in the underbrush mere feet away watching his every move. “Did you bring me here to protect me, or eat me?” he had asked. The Volken simply rose and moved to the trail, a slight limp in his gait. He watched the boy over his shoulder and waited.
The remainder of the hike had been grueling, carrying a nearly empty knapsack that felt like it was full of rocks, dragging a walking stick that was as heavy as a tree trunk, all on heavy rubber legs that barely motored along. But no matter how slow he trudged along, the Volken youngster never left his side. Several times it stopped, listening intently, scanning the forest with its intense green eyes before trotting a few steps to catch back up. It was as if it was bound to Colton by the strong cord of a moral obligation.
■ ■ ■
The subterranean emergency shelter buried in the rocky hillside behind the palace was no longer in use and had been walled off from the building during the renovation but the air handling system still functioned and remained connected to the royal residence. Colton had found it by accident, crawling through the duct work from his bedroom. Sure, it took a couple weeks of exploration but when he climbed out in one of the rooms of the shelter it was a whole new exciting world of exploration. The fact that it had a hidden exit into the forest made it an even sweeter discovery. Although in retrospect his secret exploration days might be coming to an end. For a couple of reasons - today's events included, his rapid growth would soon prevent him from navigating the air ducts. Whereas he could previously crawl on his hands and knees, he was now having to do a slow, laborious, belly crawl. Although he had to admit, the slow part had a lot to do with his painful exhaustion. It was a lot easier when you didn't feel like you were going to drop dead.
Sliding his knapsack and staff along in front of him, his small headlamp lighting the way, Colton checked over his shoulder, the eerie green eyes of the Volken youngster shimmering in the darkness behind him. “Good boy. You're doing really well... we're almost there. Stay quiet, OK?”
Reaching the grate for his room, Colton waited, listening. It was silent, the light in the room muted. Had it gotten dark already? The Volken youngster was tired of waiting confined in the small space and tried to crawl over him, whining. “Ssssshhhh!” corrected Colton, holding him back. Gently unclipping the grate he eased it down to the floor...
■ ■ ■
Nearly running down the wide marble corridor, Lady Phyllis led the Queen, hand-in-hand, “He's back, you Majesty. I don't know how or when, but he's back!”
“No one saw him return?”
“No ma'am. A palace security detail noticed his door was closed - we left it open, remember?”
Alité adjusted her tunic as they neared the room, “Did they check?”
“No, they thought you might like to address him first, they are posted outside the room.”
Rounding the corner to the next corridor, two plainclothes palace officers stood outside the double doors of Colton's room, previously Alité's childhood room. The Queen exchanged nods with them and one of the officers leaned to open the right-hand door and nudge it open without leaving his position, “Your Majesty.”
She eased the door open, entering quietly, Lady Phyllis at her side. Colton slept on the floor on the other side of his bed, fully clothed, his back to her, only his head and shoulders visible, his knapsack tucked under his head as his pillow. A mixture of emotions rolled around inside of her; anger, relief, admiration, love, frustration. She was torn as to which was going to surface first, fighting off anger as least productive. “Colton,” she called from the doorway.
Ears appeared over the bed like the rising sun, slowly, steadily - except the sun didn't have shimmering green eyes. Or saber teeth. The two women recoiled and Lady Phyllis screeched, the Volken springing to the top of the bed, taking a defensive stance above the sleeping boy. Before the security officers had a chance to enter the room, Alité's Katana was clear of its sheath with a zwing and in position for a fight, the polished blade shining even in the muted light. “COLTON!”
Colton rolled over, reaching up, grabbing the Volken by the tail, “Jax, NO!” The animal spun quickly around and Alité leapt in for a strike, Colton snagging his front paws and dragging him off the bed on top of him, “NOO!” He screamed at her, one hand outstretched, trying to roll away with the animal on top of him. She stalled the blade mid-swing, afraid of hitting her son whose arms and legs were wrapped around the Volken. Colton nodded toward the security detail in the doorway with their weapons drawn, “Get them out and close the door!”
“Let him go!” commanded Alité, repositioning her blade.
“No, mother - he is my friend! Get them out! NOW!” His arms and legs were starting to scream in pain, he was not sure how much longer he could hold Jax. Although he didn't seem to be fighting to get loose. “Put your blade away!”
“Colton he is a wild animal. He's dangerous!”
“He is a puppy. And he's my friend. He protected me and saved my life!” Tears rolled down his cheeks; both from the pain in his body and the emotional bond he was forming... “Pleeease,” he pleaded.
The animal, no matter how initially frightening, seemed to be comfortable and content laying across her son's body, his initial aggressive posture and attitude gone. She waved behind her at the security detail, “Close the door.” Reaching back, she sheathed the Katana. A quick glance told her Lady Phyllis wasn't as convinced, standing behind an overstuffed chair in the corner. “Do you want to leave?”
“No I'm fine right here...” she replied meekly.
Colton's arms and legs could take no more, dropping off the Volken who remained draped across his boy, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth past a set of juvenile saber teeth. “I think she gave him to me,” panted Colton, flexing numb fingers.
“Who?” asked Alité. “Who gave him to you?”
“His mother. At least I think it was his mother...”
“Colton you're not making any sense...”
“I think he's the runt of the litter. His bigger brothers were picking on him... Well,” he corrected himself, “maybe they were his sisters - they were pretty mean... But his mother nudged me with her nose,” he said tapping his chin, “right here.”
Alité blinked, trying to understand exactly how he could know this, and/or how much was created by the imagination of a five-year-old boy. She glanced at Lady Phyllis who simply shrugged. “Darling, how do you know all of this?”
“The mother,” continued Colton, “she kind of scolded his siblings... Gods, she was big,” he breathed. “Then the father showed up...”
Alité' eyes narrowed, it was becoming almost comical, “The father,” she repeated deadpan. She dropped to her knees and sat on her heels.
“Yeah, and he was really angry. The father and mother argued...”
“Argued...”
“Yeah, right in front of my face - by the Gods I was sooo scared...” He looked down at his now dry pants, “I think that's when I peed myself.”
Alité's eyes widened.
“Anyway, she punched him in the face,” Colton motioned with his fist. “And then he left. I really think he wanted to eat me but she wouldn't let him. Then she said goodby to Jax and they all left. Except Jax. He stayed with me.”
Alité blinked, doing her best to separate fact from fiction, “Jax...” she repeated.
“Yeah, that's his name.”
“Who told you his name? Did his mother tell...”
“Don't be silly,” waved Colton, “They can't talk. I named him Jax.”
“I see. Why Jax?”
“Well, father's whole name is Jackson but everyone calls him Jack for short. And I didn't think it would be a good idea to have two Jacks - but that gave me the idea to call him Jax.”
“From the mouth of babes,” mumbled Lady Phyllis.
Alité held out her arms, “We will discuss this more at dinner - come give your mother a hug. You had me very worried...”
“I'm sorry, mother.” Nudging Jax off of him, Colton got to his feet and on wobbly legs walked over to his mother for the embrace he needed. The Volken puppy circled around them, sticking his nose in her ear with a huff, rubbing against her body - his own version of a hug.
After kissing his head, Alité held her son out at arm's length with one hand, covering her nose with her other hand, “Dear Lords, you stink! To the shower with you, mister... Phyllis, burn those clothes...”
“What about... Jax?” motioned Lady Phyllis.
“Phyllis, if you can get them both in the shower, you will have my undying gratitude and admiration...”
