Chapter Thirty

RESURRECTION

 

Being stout-hearted and of buoyant nature, the citizens of Valkyrie did not spend long mourning the losses of war. The streets and walkways of the township were soon filled with salutations and chitchat. The monkrat males bickered about which type of kelp made the best tasting biscuits (which, of course, determined the price per bushel). The women chattered about upcoming bake-offs and dress-making contests.

Even the normally reclusive dwarols spent more time in town being sociable and swapping war stories.

Bill had spent so much time with Lady Sharpeye nursing the wounded back to health, the two of them had become inseparable.

“Have you heard from Brighton?” Sharpeye asked her one day as they hung fresh laundry together in the sunlight.

“I’ve been to visit him, as you know,” Bill sighed. “He wants to be alone. I suppose I understand.”

“Hmmm,” Sharpeye said, then changed the subject. “Do you miss Meland?”

“I miss Brighton.” Bill glanced at Sharpeye in a blush. They both shared a knowing gaze.

Using her beak, Sharpeye raised the corner of a damp sheet over the laundry line. Bill fastened it with a clothespin. “You’re welcome to stay with us as long as you like,” Sharpeye said. “In fact, old Wark and I would miss you terribly if you were to leave our home.”

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Having said that, I suspect that someday...” Sharpeye had a mischievous twinkle in her eye. She didn’t need to finish. Bill knew what she meant. But neither of them dared speak of it more. It would have been bad luck.

 

Out on the tiny islet of Meland, Brighton lived alone in his dark, silent cottage. He slept mostly, after the battle of Drakton. Once in awhile, he’d stare at the Teidalbaden and the rest of his falcon riding gear. He’d wonder if ever again he’d soar through the sky on the back of a Magradore. He wandered out now and then to gather a little food or just to smell the air. But the sight of Handower’s empty corral filled his heart with such weight, he quickly lost interest in anything outside his four thatched walls.

He’d assumed he’d be able to return to his life of quiet isolation. Living happily on berries and tubers and the occasional smoked squirrel. And reprimanding the mischievous honey bears, Flack and Mustache. But as the weeks turned into months, he began to feel more and more like a stranger in his own home.

A few times, he’d wandered to the stone hut where Lizard Bill used to live. He’d sat on the berm remembering her laughter as she chased her pet lizards through the salt grass. He missed her so much he wouldn’t allow himself to think about that either. It was too painful. First he had to complete his time of mourning. He was still young, after all. His healing would come soon enough.

He spent more time on the shore staring across the channel at the Isle of Perpetua. He watched it floating like a jewel on a bed of glimmering light. He’d let his mind go blank, sitting on the beach like that. It had a soothing effect on his entire being.

One day, gazing at the mystical isle, he pulled the parchment drawing out of his shirt. He’d begun carrying it with him as if it were some kind of legal document—a paper that proved his identity. He opened it. The crude image of the boy riding the falcon always made him feel good. It emanated some kind of childhood magic. He wondered if he should mount it on his wall.

As if a band of cherubs had suddenly come down on a raid from heaven, a powerful gust of wind swept out of the sky. The parchment drawing blew from his hand, carried away by the wind. He shot to his feet and ran after it. He watched it twist and tumble as it headed toward the water, seeming to have wings of its own.

He ran faster. The sun glared in his eyes. He stopped.

As the drawing flew out over the sea he felt, for a moment, a terrible angst. Then he realized it was all right. A peace came over him. A peace he’d never known before. He watched the drawing grow smaller and smaller until it vanished from sight.

Brighton Aviamore smiled to himself. He just stood there. He knew who he was. At last, he knew. He didn’t need the drawing to remind him.

 

Three months after the war had ended, the township of Valkyrie staged its first celebration in years. The citizens had held council, headed by Wark. They’d decided to feast and dance in homage to the upcoming kelp harvesting season.

It was dusk. A troupe of musicians played the traditional ditties. Monkrats danced with each other. With their mates. With their male friends. Or female with female. Didn’t matter to them. The dwarol sparrow riders and the little, wooden robots fluttered above the town square. Even the titan Wolfstalks joined in, waltzing together on the edge of the crowd.

Bill was dressed in a new gown Sharpeye had helped her make. She felt nervous about dancing since she never had… well, not in public anyway. Mitor wheeled over and shyly asked her to dance. Next thing she knew, she and her mechanical friend were romping and rollicking with the rest of them.

Bonfires, torches, and gas lamps burned around the township as night fell. So it was only the silhouette of a young man that Pello spotted. It stood in the middle of the street watching the affair from a distance. But the apparition was enough to bring the monkrat’s feet to a halt. Biffee saw that his brother had stopped dancing. And he, too, became still. The two of them were staring at the silhouette when Pello finally whispered, “Falcon Lord.”

Slowly, the others saw, too. The music faded away and the dancers stood still as a forest. They heard the monkrat brothers as they said the words over and over, “Falcon Lord. Falcon Lord. Falcon Lord.”

Soon the citizens were chanting in unison. And the square reverberated with the name: “Falcon Lord!”

The silhouette moved toward them. As he came closer, the firelight revealed the nervous smile on his face. And the tender love in his eyes as he approached Bill.

Brighton felt re-born. He knew, right that moment, he would never return to Meland.

Bill stood there, watching, her eyes wide. Brighton could almost feel her heart pounding. She looked unsure what to do or say. She had to do neither. He came to her and took her hands. And the electricity that flowed between them was enough to light the night on its own. That light was so bright the citizens could no longer chant. They stood there in a communal gasp.

He took her in his arms and kissed her on the lips. They kissed, and cried, and trembled. They held each other as if they would never let go.

After a time that no one could measure, Brighton turned to the crowd. He was flush with embarrassment. “Hi, everyone. I, ah… Well, I thought we were here to dance.”

The gawking stares turned into grins. The band struck up again. Brighton and Bill and the citizens of Valkyrie danced and kibitzed until dawn.

 

 

The sun came up on Valkyrie Heights. The old Lizard King and his attendants sat up on a rocky ledge basking in its warmth. They watched the tired monkrats douse the torches and lamps and slowly disperse from the town square.

The king gazed off then. He was content that Bill would be safe and cared for. He was fairly certain by now she was “The One.” The harbinger for whom he’d waited for so very long. There was nothing more to do at present but continue to wait. And watch for the time when he might again be of service to the deities who’d chosen her to play a still-secret role in the destiny of Perpetua. He smiled into the future. He saw Brighton Aviamore climb the rocks of a cloud-shrouded peak where he coaxed a Magradore chick from its nest. The young falcon that would become his new mount.

He then saw something else. Something that drew a shadow over his bliss. His mind raced into the mountains. Through the tunnels that still connected the underworld. He followed the sound of shuffling footsteps. He found Lady Aviamore, wandering like a tattered ghost. She was filthy and emaciated. Her bugging eyes were filled with the torments of her own private hell. She stopped and peered into the darkness. She listened for some hint of redemption. She could only hear her own desperate breathing, which she countered by screaming out, “My son!” followed by a quivering whisper, “Forgive me.”

Her words flew off like bats in the night. She chased after them. And somehow the Lizard King knew she was hoping. Hoping they might lead her to daylight.

 

GLOSSARY OF CREATURES & TERMS

 

Ambroglious—(Book II) an ancient dinosaur-like monster (related to the Tyrannosaurus rex and common lizard); twenty-five leapspans (200 feet) tall; dwells beneath the sea in a state of long-term hibernation unless awakened by divine powers to protect the Earth.

apecats—(Book II) chimpanzee-like primates with the haunches and claws of Bengal tigers; bodies striped and powerful. Able to walk upright and move with tremendous speed.

Aviamore—Brighton "Falcon Lord" Aviamore (human): Brighton's family name; from Old French avis meaning "bird" + amor (Latin equivalent)  meaning "love" — "Lovers of Birds." 

blackaert—bastard.

bloater—a gorpe airship; small, pirate-style, steam-driven dirigible.

chibbit—(Book II) a small wafer of gold equal to about twenty, 18th century, American dollars.

Chancellor Wark—a Gothhoven raven; elected town leader of Valkyrie; commander of the Valkyrian citizen army.

decapods—ten limbed, steam-powered, mining devices; ten leapspans high; able to lift large masses of microal, feed them into internal crusher jaws, process them into dust, then shoot the dust out behind them. They can also be employed to move large equipment, as well as fight in battle, devouring soldiers and discharging their ground-up remains.

Dredgemont, Seigneur—formerly the Seer of Buer; an entrepreneurial human trained in the Black Arts, i.e. possessing magical powers. He resurrected Perpetua's illegal microal mining operation to produce wheal, the most widely used, global fuel source thus making himself one of the wealthiest men on the planet.

dwarol—a cross between the handsome tree dwarf and miniature mountain troll; forest dwellers who have domesticated Perpetua’s giant cliff sparrows for the purpose of transportation.

"eee ochk"—command for a Magradore to take flight (equivalent to a cowboy's "Heyah!").

Eleanor Sharpeye—a Gothhoven raven; wife of Chancellor Wark; the honorable First Lady of Valkyrie.

Eugenic science—the application and nurturing of varied gene combinations for the purpose of creating new, experimental animal breeds as well as animal/plant/machine hybrids. Many of the unusual creatures of Perpetua were thusly created by humans who once populated the lost isle. Later, gorpes learned to employ eugenics to create mutant creatures for the purpose of warfare.

Flying robots—small, steam propelled, machines (origin uncertain) capable of flight by means of three-tiered canvas wing systems; possessing clamp-like hands and duel wheels for ground transportation; constructed primarily from wood and copper; originally designed to mine microal underground. They were later re-engineered by Dredgemont who provided them with surprisingly sophisticated mental capacities, including the ability to speak and process thought.

gorpes—mutant ghouls who were once men, mostly prisoners brought to Perpetua to labor in the mines; forced to live underground for so many generations, their skin turned gray and they are extremely sensitive to sunlight. Very hardy, but crude, ignorant, and vicious; able to climb as well as mountain goats and in bare feet, no less.

Gothhoven raven—species derived from Common Raven (Corvus corax); just over a full leapspan tall (approximately ten feet) when standing upright.

Gretch—a 137-year-old, Komodo troll; a full leapspan (eight feet) tall. So named after the Komodo Dragon, a large reptilian creature that kills its prey by infecting them with highly putrefied (or bacteria ridden) fangs, then devouring its rotten flesh.

Lady Aviamore—Brighton Aviamore's mother; human; originally from the little-known European kingdom of Baldore.

leapspan—a unit of measurement; approximately eight feet; the length the average monkrat can leap from a standing start.

Lightning Giant—(Book II) titanic, fire-shooting, steam-driven robot created by gorpe engineers.

Lord Aviamore (a.k.a. Vada)—Brighton Aviamore's father; human; last descendant of the original explorers who were stranded on the Lost Isle of Perpetua several generations earlier.

Magradore Falcon—a giant bird of prey related to the species Falco peregrinus; average height just under two leapspans (or fifteen feet); wingspan typically six leapspans (forty-eight feet). Their typical diet consists of goats, cliff trolls, and giant sea pike.

Malgor—a mutant Vampire bat nearly as large as a Magradore falcon.

megaboars—(Book II) Huge elephantine creatures with massive, clawed feet; all four limbs enhanced by exoskeletal steam pistons; possessing enormous warthog heads with fighting tusks.

Mitor—a small, steam propelled, flying robot.

microal—a mineral substance that can be converted into a fuel source known as wheal.

monkrats—the most common creatures on the Isle of Perpetua; scruffy creatures resembling giant lemmings; average height approximately one half leapspan (four feet).

"ney"—command for a Magradore to rise from his belly, but only part way so his rider can cinch his saddle belts beneath him.

Perpetua—a lost island paradise thought to lie somewhere between Norseland and Jan Mayan in the North Atlantic Ocean.

rotopods—(Book II) steam-powered, animal/machine hybrids designed after the common spider (roughly the size of a monkrat) with eight double-edge razor legs able to traverse virtually any surface. They possess rat-like heads with venomous fangs and keen noses; whirly blades positioned on their humped backs allow them to fly in packs.

"stoop"—command for a Magradore falcon to drop to his belly so his rider can mount.

Teidalbaden— a steam-powered flight unit that contains an altitude and air pressure meter, a three-dimensional compass, and a long-distance, wireless telegraph device. Straps onto the neck of trained Magradores sitting just above the bird's saddle horn.

terra—command for a Magradore to land

terrameter—a unit of measurement (approximately one mile).

"up now"—command for a Magradore to stand fully upright in preparation for take off.

Valkyrie—the only remaining community on Perpetua; located on the far western shore of the isle; populated primarily by monkrats.

Valkyrie Heights—the plateau region to the north of the Valkyrie township.

wheal— a highly efficient fuel source made from microal ore. Wheal burns almost indefinitely and generates enormous heat, so very small amounts can power microscopic as well as gigantic steam engines. Hence steam engines power almost everything imaginable from wrist watches to trans-global air vessels the world over.

Willowmena (a.k.a. Lizard Bill)—a young, human female; shipwreck survivor. Brighton Aviamore's love interest.

Wolfstalks—tall, thin giants with lupine heads that are part timber wolf, part lop-eared spaniel; torsos covered with dark brown dog hair. From the waist down to their long, humanoid feet, they are coated with spotted fur that resembles leopard skin. They speak a language no one had ever been able to translate. Deceptively strong, they fight by throwing hut-sized boulders. Loyal citizens of Valkyrie, they can grow up to three leapspans (twenty-four feet) in height.

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

D. A. Metrov

 

D. A. Metrov is a writer, filmmaker, and fine arts painter. Born and raised in Southern California, he has lived in New York City, Los Angeles, and now resides in Santa Barbara with his wife Maureen and one ornery, black cat. He loves animals and nature, and can be found riding his mountain bike at Ellwood Bluffs almost any day of the year.

 

You may write him at: metrov@lightmasters.net. Please leave your review on Amazon.com. And make sure to join our mailing list on www.lightmasters.net to learn about his other books, and to become eligible for prizes & giveaways. Thanks for reading FALCON LORD!