Falco Invictus: On the Forge of War by Rodney C. Johnson Read Free Book Online Page A

laughter
almost died away, yet he could not help himself. This trinket dared
go where few should tread. “To be Tarik, is to embrace tairlock --
instinct. All those dark primal things the Budjah fear, which fuels
their hatred of Tantric Priestesses. The D’Har Tarik takes darkness
and finds in it starlight to guide him while he walks on the long
road over the abyss. In one simple and dangerous mantra: 'OM
Geihva, Geihvat, Geihvar OM' lays the understanding of D’Har Tarik.
Those who speak this shibboleth are never again the same. It is, my
pretty one, something that you should be fearful of.”
    Ch'Kran's sapphire eyes flashed an
otherworldly green. A rush of wind blew her blonde curls and a
sound of jets fired in her ears. The Falcanian glared down at her
from the ships upper deck, his tail behind him whipped about and
burnt-orange wings were now safely folded out of his way. It
happened so fast that even Frederika's enhanced senses could not
make reason of what occurred.
    She looked up and gasped. One moment she was
staring at the Falcanian and in the next breath, he swooped up to
the upper level of the boat. She didn't even seen him fly. The
notion chilled her. What could cadres of winged shock troops do for
her Dukedom against her enemies?
    “Do you know, girl?” Ch'Kran shouted, a hint
of humor to his words. “Aside from bats, Falcanians are the only
other mammals to have achieved powered flight. Mankind has dreamed
of it for a lifetime and we have accomplished it. Much awaits you
at Vanguard Island, my radiant falcon.”
     
     
    Nadia entered her office, pleased to come
upon bouquets of her favorite flowers in every open corner of the
room. Her workplace had become a small garden, each vase arranged
in the most artistic manner possible. Nadia bent over a bunch of
red hybrid-roses, and relished their rich scent. Clearly Sharr had
ordered the floral arrangements to be brought here as a surprise.
For her. She loved him so much. Sharr had known he would ask her to
restart her reproductive cycle, and these flowers were intended to
make her more inclined to do so.
    On her desk she discovered a package. Nadia
unwrapped it and let out a giggle.
    “Perfect!”
    Sharr had obtained for her a copy of Huntress XLR: Demolition . Always the geek girl, she had
soothed her childhood loneliness with video games which Nadia
observed to be quite a needed stimulation for her always
overwrought brain. She sat on the edge of her desk and broadly
grinned.
    “T'Saar Maharani,” Priyanka, her aide
greeted, bent to smell an arrangement of fire lilies. “Our
Padishah's work I assume?”
    “Just Sharr being his sweet self,” Nadia
said. “You know, he wants another child.”
    Concerned Priyanka opened her mouth, and
then stopped herself not sure if she should speak her mind.
    The Queen frowned. “What troubles you
Priya?”
    “Isn’t that dangerous?” asked the aide.
“Weren’t there complications when your daughters were
conceived?”
    Nadia sat in her chair. “Yes. And it's one
of the reasons I stopped my cycle. I wasn’t sure I could handle
another pregnancy. Twins weren’t expected, or even thought possible
for our species. In my case, there were other difficulties that
have made me cautious about once more giving conception a try.”
Nadia smiled at her aide. “But how can I deny him a child?
Especially a son?”
    Priyanka nodded. She should have expected
this to arise sooner or later between Sharr and Nadia given the
Shotar’s recent loss of his male heir. “May I speak openly?”
    “Of course.”
    “We all grieved our Shotar and his Kajra
Re’s loss,” the girl said carefully. “I understand why you prefer
to birth his heir and not another woman –”
    Nadia narrowed her eyes. Certainly her aide
hadn’t meant to say she had been glad Sharr’s son had died?
    “What do you mean, Priyanka?”
    “What I mean, my Lady, is I know you also
grieved with Shalimar as well...” She hesitated. “Only... please