Читать книгу The Rise of the Omarlo Clan - Rosylan McCallum - Страница 8

Chapter 2

The sun was high overhead. As far as the eye could see, the land lay hot and hazy. Just ahead, a startled rabbit froze in its tracks. Collin stopped and dropped to his knees in the dirt. Noon, he thought. How much time did he have before his brother caught up with him? A small movement caused him to look to his right. He saw a rabbit. The head of the rabbit turned left then right, its ears frantically twitching. The rabbit then took off, hopping out of sight. Focusing on the movement of the rabbit distracted the teenage boy, and he failed to notice the nearer, more sinister movement of a snake coiled and ready to strike.

Johan decided to also stop for a breather. He too noted that the sun was at its highest position in the blue gray sky. Johan’s thoughts centered on the past six hours, which he had spent tracking Collin. Then he smiled. Off in the distance, he spotted the movements of the scampering rabbit. Collin was near. Aha, little brother, he thought, each year, our little game improves. With each passing year, it takes less time to catch up with you. Drak will be pleased. Johan stretched his six-foot-two frame and then dropped to a crouch. He pulled out his water bottle and took a long drink. The water was warm but satisfying. Soon Johan would silently approach the object of his hunt, confident that his brother probably labored under the false hope that he was not near. Collin was the better of the two at shielding his thoughts. Johan never had been this close and not have his brother sense him.

In the yard of the farm stood Drak. He followed the progress of each boy via the mind link. This had been the best performance by the twins since the start of the monthly game. Drak scratched his chin as he thought back to when they arrived fourteen years ago. They were exiles on an alien planet. His one goal was to survive at all costs; he, a supreme warrior, was entrusted with the care of two small four-year-olds. He had to become the surrogate parent, responsible for their education and development as befit the sons of a ruling monarch.

A sudden thought of pain in the left leg brought Drak out of his reverie. A weakly received thought came through <A snake has bitten me >

Almost simultaneously, Drak received from a shocked and anguish Johan, <Did you hear that? A snake bit Collin. Are you receiving from him? I am near, and I hear nothing! >

<Do not panic, > sent Drak, <the suddenness of the snake attack must have caused Collin to pass out. I am able to read his body signals; the healing factor is already dealing with the poison. He should be coming around just about now. >

<Ouch, that hurt, > sent Collin.

<I hear him now, > sent Johan, smiling. <Never would I have fainted from snakebite. He is standing up. He sees me now and is coming this way. >

The brothers approached each other, Collin limping and looking sheepish, and Johan smiling with understanding. They looked each other over, ensuring that the other was all right.

Johan looked at his brother’s leg. “How is the leg now? How do you feel?”

“I’m fine. It only feels like a muscle strain,” responded Collin.

Grasping each other’s arms, they nodded and then looked out under the hot sun and heat. They both received Drak’s message to return; the exercise was over for the day.

Collin said, “If it wasn’t for the snake, you probably would not have caught up to me until the next rest stop.”

“Not so, I had stopped just before you were bitten. I saw the rabbit and thought that you had startled it. You passed out for no more than a half of a minute at the tops.”

The brothers turned toward the direction leading home. They were in complete agreement with Drak; they had had enough of the game for today. Together they began the jog back to their farm. Halfway home, Collin came to an abrupt stop; within seconds afterward, Johan too came to a halting stop.

“Problem with your leg?” queried a concerned Johan.

“No,” said Collin. He pointed and said, “Thinking what I am thinking?”

“Ah, yes!” smiled Johan.

And so they turned onto the next lane branching off the road they were traveling. It led to their nearest neighbors, the Morans. Both brothers were developing interests in the Moran sisters, Sylvia and Mona. As they approached the main house, off to the right, they spotted Jared Moran, the sisters’ brother. He was working alone, loading bales of hay onto a truck.

He looked up and hailed the twins. “Hey, got time to give me a helping hand?”

The twins ran over to him, and each picked up a pitchfork. It soon became a race to see which one of them would load the most. In a short time, the task was done, and they told Jared that they would just go by the main house and say hello. He laughed because he knew their interests lay in the direction of his sisters. By the time they got to the house, cold ice tea was waiting for them. Mrs. Moran had seen them when they went to help her son. They were his best friends—decent boys, and the Moran family always enjoyed their visits.

“Come in,” she said, smiling and holding the door open for them. “Hot enough for you? By the way, who won the race loading the wagon? It looked even to me.”

The twins were conscious of their sweaty condition and harbored the uncomfortable suspicion of the possibility of a too-ripe smell, so they declined the offer to enter the house. They did accept the offer of the tea under the conditions that they remain on the porch. Mrs. Moran brought two large glasses out and handed one to each of them. The tea was good and refreshing and was gone in record time. She noted that though they held polite conversations with her, each had from time to time looked around as if trying to spot something or someone.

“How are Drak and Anya? I haven’t seen them in a spell. Things going okay over by your way?” said Mrs. Moran as she fanned herself. “Hummmm, wonder what brought you around today. I sure know it was not interest in helping Jared or concern about my comings and goings,” she said with a mischievous smile.

Collin immediately assured her that all was well with Drak and the farm and that they always cared about all of the Morans. Johan added that they had been out running since early morning and just happened by this way on their way back home. Laughing at their expressions, she told them that they had missed the objects of their interest by several hours. She told them that her daughters were with their father who had set out for the Talcot farm.

More sightings in the sky had been reported as coming from old man Talcot’s place. People were talking about what Talcot was up to. Since Talcot was something of a recluse, people had asked her husband to approach him. They wanted to find out if Talcot was aware of these sightings or had information as to what was going on. Over the years, Talcot seemed to be most tolerant with her husband, more so than with anyone else in the area.

Jonas Moran told his wife that though he put no stock into the rumors that were going around, he felt obligated to check into the situation. He and Talcot did have a certain respect for one another, and he wanted to make certain Talcot was in fact okay. The girls asked to go along as company and for the adventure of it. They were curious about old man Talcot.

Mrs. Moran did add that she was sure if her daughters had known that they would be stopping by, both would have stayed home. She was sure her daughters would be sorry that they had missed them. Johan and Collin took this all in while Johan sent to Drak. They thanked Mrs. Moran for the tea and took their leave.

<Well, did you receive all of it? >

<Yes. Come straight home. We have things to discuss. After all of this time, I had thought that nothing would change our way of living. Seems I was wrong > sent Drak.

Johan and Collin entered the house some time later and headed straight toward the bathrooms. Drak called out that by the time they finished and dressed, Anya would have food waiting for them out on the enclosed back porch. Drak watched as Anya bustled about and was reminded as always of the circumstances of her coming into their lives. He could not imagine having done as well without her. Her efforts were wholly responsible for the home atmosphere that he shared with her and the boys.

Their house had a twenty-five-square-foot great room, which contained a fireplace and two large sofas facing each other at one end and a large pool table, chair, and small writing desk at the other. Large picture windows on two sides of the walls lit the area during the day and recessed lights in the ceiling lit the area at night.

Drak finished eating and went into the great room. He sat on one of the sofas to read while the twins finished getting washed and dressed. He heard them going out to the porch to eat. He looked up when they dropped down on the sofa opposite him. They had finished eating in record time and had left Anya to clean up.

Drak marked his place in the book and closed it, saying, “Before you give me your theories about what is going on, let me say this, I have kept a record of all of the times we heard of reports of sightings near old man Talcot’s farm. Most of the reports, we were responsible for. They occurred during flying practice. I have never had an opportunity to speak to him, but I have questioned some who have when I go to town. Talcot has been a fixture in the area for the last fifteen years. Seems he arrived a year before we did. He is retired, and his farm is not active. He tends to stay to himself. He is known to be a fair but very private old man, which is why he does not bother us as a neighbor. I am worried about the latest reports that occurred during the past two weeks. We did not cause them.”

The twins looked at each other. For as long as they could remember, Drak never expressed fear or worry. Two sets of eyes watched him. He seemed to be trying to come to a decision about what to say next.

Johan spoke up, “You said that we were not the cause, so that leaves the planetary guard. Maybe they were flying maneuvers in our area. It’s easy enough for them to conduct nighttime flight training. Has any one cleared it with them?”

Collin was listening to his brother but also kept an eye on Drak. He could just barely sense the conflicting thoughts in Drak. Drak had lowered his blocks. Collin tightened his mind link to get a better grasp at what was going on. Drak however was more adept in the use of the mind link. The attempt by Collin caused the blocks to be reinstated, temporarily diverting Drak from his meditative thoughts. Now he sensed that Johan had joined his brother in creating a stronger mind link to him. Anya chose that moment to enter the room.

There they go again, she thought. No talking, just staring at each other. She had given up wondering why they did it. Whenever she asked about it, they would laugh and say that it was a game. Then they would ask her if she wanted to play. Her reaction was to leave them alone, saying she had no time for such childish foolishness. Now that she thought about it, within the last two years, the times of finding the three engaged in the staring game had increased in frequency. Well, let them play their game, she thought. She only wanted to tell them that she would be going to her cousin’s this evening. Knowing from past experience that it would be useless to disturb them, she went to the kitchen and left a note.

Earlier, she was sorting the dirty clothes in preparation to do laundry when she felt an urge to call her cousin. Her cousin, happy to hear from her, invited her over to go with them to see their daughter in an evening dance performance and then dinner at the local lodge. Not having seen them in some time, Anya was happy to agree to the night’s entertainments. In the note that she left for Drak, she added that she had decided as an afterthought that she would be spending the night. She would be back in the morning in time to fix breakfast.

Looking around and seeing that everything was in order, Anya went to her room. She packed her overnight bag and returned to the kitchen window just in time to see her cousin’s truck turn onto the roadway leading to the house. She picked up her bag, blew a kiss in the direction of those whom she thought affectionately of as her guys, and left.

They heard the door close and waited to hear the truck drive away, and they smiled at each other, knowing they had done it again. They had “suggested” through the mind link that Anya call her cousin. And as it had worked every time, her cousin was ready with plans for Anya to take a break and come for a visit.

In a way, they felt that they were doing Anya a favor. She was such a mothering hen that if left up to her, she never would find time to spend away from the farm. Her belief was that there was something pressing that required her attention. The fact was she loved being around and doing for her “family.” As she was so fond of saying to them, “Unlike a man, a woman’s job is never done.”

With Anya out of the way, the twins renewed their attempts to break Drak’s block.

<Good try, but you need more time and practice> he sent to them.

Aloud, he said, “What has been weighing heavily on my mind is the fact that there is so much that you still need to know. I have always known that this time would come, but it just arrived sooner than I anticipated.” This caused puzzled looks to be passed between the twins.

“You know that over the years, I have insisted you study among other things the history of the Nissarian system. I had you become proficient in understanding its geography of planets. I drilled into you facts about the political environment it operates under with particular concentration on the planet Racine. This was done with a specific purpose in mind. You needed to know where you came from.”

The twins began to feel uncomfortable. This was too unexpected. Collin said, “Come from? What . . . adopted? We are adopted?” Then his face blanched. “Kidnapped! Surely not!”

“Wait,” said Drak, “evidently, I am not getting this right. Let me explain by starting at the beginning with no interruptions. I can see that you need to concentrate on listening so you don’t go off on wild-goose thinking. You do not call me ‘Father’ because I am not your biological father. We resemble each other in looks because I am a relative, your cousin, more specifically, your father’s first cousin. Our fathers were brothers.”

And so Drak quietly told the twins about all of the events that happened in the past that landed them here literally on Base II. The twins were stunned. They just sat looking at nothing in particular, each caught up in coming to terms with what had been said. Drak felt awful seeing the looks of confusion on their faces. He had not thought it would be as bad as this. He had tried the best he could. He could not help having loved these boys as if they were his own. He thought that he now saw disappointment and lack of understanding on their faces.

Johan was the first to speak. “As long as I can remember, calling you Drak was my substitute word for ‘Father.’ Nothing that you have said has caused that to change.”

Collin added, “Same goes for me. I understand now why you preferred we call you by your first name even when it was evident that we shared the same genes. I was also beginning to resent that we trained so hard and were good, yet you would not allow us to join the planet patrol. I see the sense in that now.”

Drak looked at the twins and smiled. It seemed the worst was over. He had laid all the cards on the table and had survived. They had survived. “I have raised you as any father would. I have pride in all that you have accomplished. You are and have always been my family. I would be proud to have you call me ‘Father,’ but the truth is I am not, and he may still be alive. For political reasons, he had me become the father he could not continue to be. I want you to know that he had no less of a love for you than I.” Drak watched as the boys nodded their understanding.

“I am speaking out now because our peaceful existence may be about to change. The time has come. You need to acknowledge your true heritage as the younger sons of the House of Omarlo, ruling lord on the planet Racine. Depending on the outcome of the long ago invasion, your father is Lord Imir Omarlo. Your mother is the Lady Tess Omarlo, daughter of the House of Marlis. Your father’s heir is your older brother, Prince Rarg Omarlo. You are Prince Johan and Prince Collin Omarlo of the planet Racine. I am General Drakar Omarlo, supreme warrior protector of the House of Omarlo.”

All of a sudden, the brothers burst into laughter. They couldn’t talk and explain why they were laughing, and it left Drak stunned and worried. They finally managed in between bouts of laughter to get over to Drak that it was the way he said their names with so much pretentiousness. They couldn’t help themselves. The laughter became infectious, and soon Drak too broke down and joined them. Most of the names they remembered from their studies, but to hear Drak as he called out the names struck their funny bone.

When at last they had quieted down, the twins then questioned Drak about the older brother. They were used to each other but curious about him. Having an older brother seemed such a foreign idea to them. They did not remember him. He explained that Rarg would be turning twenty-one soon. He had remained on Racine, as was his duty as heir, with their parents. It was hoped it would allay suspicion and delay an immediate hunt, giving them time to escape. The plan was to ensure sovereignty remained with the House of Omarlo, but if that was not to be, their father wanted to guarantee the survival of his family name.

“There is more,” said Drak. “Racine developed a device, which in the right hands would control tyranny in the system. However, it could also be used as a means to cause absolute chaos in the wrong hands. With it installed on every ship in a star fleet, one could invade a planet in stealth—unseen and appear positioned to demand total surrender or cause maximum destruction. Since COP was unstable at the time of its invention, Lord Imir chose to send the prototype and specs with us. When we left, the existence of such a device was a rumor. Naturally, the device could not be found to exist after the invasion. It was hoped that as the years passed, interest in the device would fade as an unconfirmed rumor. That part of the plan worked according to the last transmission sent before we got out of range.”

Collin said, “Drak, you fear the sightings concern us. You think we have been found after all of this time?”

“No, not found, but still being looked for,” said Drak. “I think that the search for our whereabouts began when it was discovered that you and I were gone. I think the assumption has been to find us means finding the device. I believe the ongoing search has finally reached Base II. If that is the case, we need to leave before we are discovered.”

Suddenly a blinding flash erupted near the window. The emotional level had been running on high, which caused all three to be caught off guard. Another blast took the door off its hinges, and a pandemonium erupted in the form of armed men and smoke. The twins and Drak were blown across the room with the second blast and lay still. The intruders, wearing green and maroon jumpsuits with the insignia of the Group of 3, charged through the house. Shouts of “All clear!” were heard periodically. The men checked the three bodies for life. No pulses could be detected. The leader stationed two of his men to guard the bodies and two more to stand outside while the remaining four ransacked the house. Radio contact confirmed that this was indeed the home of a cheese farmer and his family.

The four were then sent outside to check on the teams that were searching the surrounding farm property. The leader of the teams reported to the Star Cruiser orbiting the planet that the Hawks farm was secured. According to the papers found, there were three males who unfortunately were killed. A housekeeper left a note saying that she was visiting her cousin, and the farm’s manager lived in town. With the manager safely out of the way during this attack, the farm could still be productive for them when he returns.

Strike teams were simultaneously occurring all over the planet. The Group of 3 had decided to expand to the neutral planet, Base II, and add its agricultural resources to its coffers. The leader gathered his men and moved on to the next farm, intending to return later to dispose of the bodies.

Collin was the first to become aware. He stayed where he had fallen and listened intently for any movement that would give away the presence of intruders still in the house. This was done exactly as Drak had them practice—slow the heart rate and remain inert. Using the mind link, he knew exactly when Johan began to do the same thing. However, nothing was coming from Drak. This almost caused him to break the training, which called for either one-hour to pass or quicker determination beyond a doubt that it was safe to move.

The one exception to the rule was move if the place was on fire. Suddenly, footsteps, just barely audible, were heard moving toward them from the sleeping quarters. Ever so slowly crouched over was old man Talcot who creped silently into the room. He moved over to where Drak was. He bent down to him in an attempt to listen for a heartbeat.

“Johan, Collin, get over here and give me a hand. We need to move quickly, Drakar is badly hurt. Our time is limited. We must hurry.”

Living with Drak had taught them to respond instantly to certain tones of authority, and there could be no doubt that they heard those tones coming from old man Talcot. They got up and looked around as they moved to help lift Drak. They saw that the house was a wreck. They knew that Anya was going to be furious. They also saw that Drak had suffered serious injuries. They had been drilled to expect the unexpected and to act without emotional involvement during an emergency. Their training kicked in, and they left unnecessary talk for later.

“Come this way to the fireplace.” Talcot pressed a stone, and a doorway appeared. “Come on quickly, watch your steps.”

The entryway closed once everyone had passed through. Talcot turned on a light and led them down a tunnel. Turning right, they came to a small four-wheel vehicle. They laid Drak in the backseat. They climbed into the front with old man Talcot driving. Talcot drove them to the end of the tunnel where they came out in the woods near the mountain that concealed their ship. Talcot sent <open alpha>, and the hangar doors opened. He drove the vehicle into the hangar and sent <shut alpha>, and the doors closed.

“Hurry, I know you have questions, but we must get Drakar to the medic area on the ship. It is his only chance for survival. His injuries are too severe. They are too much for the healing gene to handle.”

Johan sent to the T42 computer to raise the lift to the ship’s door. They carried Drak on board and took him immediately to the medical room where Talcot worked to stabilize Drak’s condition. The twins had been watching the quick and agile movements of “old man” Talcot. Never before had they witnessed the agility and strength of command that he was now demonstrating.

They remember the one summer when they were fourteen, and he had approached them. He asked them who they were and then said if they were interested and had spare time that he would teach them how to fish for trout. They fished with him that entire summer, and then he chose to again go his own way. Everyone knew him to be an odd recluse, so they respected his wishes.

Now here he was, saving the day, using the mind link, and knowing about a secret passageway in their house! He walked over to each and checked to make sure both were all right. Their clothes were torn, but the healing factor had worked to save their lives. They stared at him, not sure what to say. Too much had first been said by Drak and now him. Too much had happened in too short a time. They had managed to reach safety, and now they waited. They waited, exhausted and in shock. They waited for him to explain. They waited for Drak to recover. Then at almost the same time, they sent <anya! >

Talcot said, “She is aboard and is asleep. I gave her a sedative. I thought it best. We will need to decide what is to be done with her. You know that it is no longer safe for any of you to remain on this planet. The House of Marlis has invaded. They intend to arrange for a distant relative to set up a new ruling house, which will be under the direct control of the Group of 3. If you stay, in time, they will eventually stumble onto who you are.”

The twins moved over to Drak. They checked the monitors to be assured that he was stabilized. Then two pairs of eyes turned to regard Talcot. He stood straighter, and in the ship’s light, his skin looked stained, which gave him an aged appearance. It was very obvious that something was afoot about him.

“Who are you?” said Johan. “I mean aside from being old man Talcot, a neighbor on the farm nearest us, who are you?”

“How is it,” added Collin, “that you know so much about us? About important things that we only found out about earlier this very evening?”

Before Talcot could respond, Drak chose that moment to groan. All attention was immediately turned toward him.