Chapter 11 Children of the Moon

Chapter 11

Children of the Moon A semi feathered broad chested winged creature with black eyes, human limbs and torso and flawless human face soared toward Wayferra, his name was Alexander and he bore terrifying news.

Careening toward The Common, he swooped down so suddenly that some of his chest feathers broke free and fluttered down like snowflakes. When he landed on the wooden deck, it shook the entire structure.   

   On hearing the horrendous ruckus, Lucius sailed from a treetop snagged the Common’s deck railing just enough to sling his body up over Alexander, landing feet first just three in front of the mighty Avian’s imposing six-foot tall-feathered frame.   

  “Alexander what, is the matter?” Lucius said between panting breaths.

  “It took them, Lucius.” He reached out grasping the smaller creature so violently he actually lifting him from the floor. “It took them all. I saw it, Lucius I saw it, but I was too far away to save them, too far, too far.” Alexander realizing Lucius was dangling above the floor gently set him back down. “There was no chance to save them.”

  “Save who Alexander?”

 Alexander blinked, bobbing his beaked head toward the sea, “The Captain his crew, his, his ship Penelope and Kress. It took them all. His ship just floated up. It plucked it right out of the water sucking up Penelope right along with it. Then Kress came out of nowhere, brave little fool. It took her too then shot straight up and out of sight.”

 “What Alexander, what are saying?”

  “A saucer silver and huge, large as a cloud, metal, shining light from its’ belly, swallowed them whole and flew away.”

  “Preposterous, surely…”

  “Lucius I see Sprites from miles away and I do not lie.”

 “I know Alexander, I know.” Lucius slumped, knowing Alexander was not prone to foolish talk or histrionics. “We must tell the others, my wife and Kia are at Timmons’ brook they could be in danger…”

 “I’ll fetch them, don’t worry Lucius. They’ll be all right.”

  “How, if that thing took the Captain’s ship, how can they be all right? None of us are safe.”

 Alexander spread his wings shielding Lucius just long enough to spring back into the air and slice into the forest bobbing and weaving through the branches like grayish black needle.

   It was just a few scant minutes before he spotted them, it seemed like hours; he landed within arm’s length of Natty. His countenance alarmed her. He was usually so reserved, majestic in his demeanor.

 “Alex, what is it?” Natty asked reaching to him.

  Alexander wrapped his arm and his wing around her as Roman and Kia looked on stunned and helpless.

  “A great air ship took the Captain his crew Penelope and Kress.”

  “Air ship,” Kia exclaimed, “Here, it must be them. It has to be!”

  “Them,” Alexander asked.

 “The ones who made me and brought Kian here,” Kia said glaring up at a ragged patch of blue showing though the treetops. “There’s nothing we can do.” Her last statement popped out like a steel spike. She did not mean to hurt them with her words but Natty cried the moment she heard them.

 “Then there’s no hope,” Natty cried, weeping into Alex’s soft feathery shoulder.

 “There’s Kian,” Kia boldly announced. “I know he’s up there, I know it…”

  Kian could feel Doctor Miles eyes crawling on his skin like a roach. He turned his face away from the blur of white racing past the tube car and stared back at Miles. “What is it?”

  “What is what?” Miles asked, his eyes darting away from Kian’s stare.

  “You have me Miles. You can say and do what you want. If you have another lecture for me, spit it out.”

   Miles flared his nostrils, leaned forward grasping his thighs as he pushed his face right up to Kian’s, “You were nothing Kian West; a factory worker with a C minus high school education, no ambition, no goals, hiding from your one true gift, denying your potential too lazy to cultivate it or too scared. Yet you are the one born with the gene that makes you immortal. Time and chance endowed you; a nobody with life eternal. It is just not fair. We have dedicated our lives to the search for knowledge and betterment of mankind. We saved mankind. We turned this dead dust ball into living thing, a refuge, and a home for millions of people when they had nowhere to go. But time and chance rewarded you. It gave, no squandered, the God gene on you and it’s just not fair!”

  “Oh, is that all,” Kian said, turning face back toward the window, “I was just wondering…”

   The phrase fairytale meant nothing to Kress, but the mention of Penelope’s name yanked from the bed. “Penny’s here?” Kress asked racing toward the nurse.

  “Yes and she needs your help.” The nurse said holding up her hands. “Step back and I’ll wheel her in.”

  “What, she’s in wagon.”

  “No silly, a chair,” Said the nurse as she grabbed Kress’ right arm and led her back to bed. “She can’t walk. We gave her legs, but still, she doesn’t walk.”

 “Legs,” Kress slid back into bed, “I don’t understand,” she said holding up her hands but seeing no golden glow.

   The nurse smiled at the poor girl, mocking her with her eyes, “Of course you don’t understand, you’re ignorant. Maybe that’s why your mermaid friend can’t walk, maybe she needs you to teach her.”

  “How, how is this real, who are you, what did you do to us?”

 “You may call  meTech Maria, and what we did is cleanse your DNA of all its inhumanity. It took months, long tedious months but here you sit a perfectly human teenage girl. Why are you not more grateful, ah ignorance, well we are going to fix that just like you are going to teach our friend to walk.”