Short Story Excerpt: FOR THE BIRDS

 Culver took position behind M'kar, one hand gripping her shoulder, ready to offer psi energy to brace her if necessary. The fact that she didn’t feel that humming sense of his presence and psionic strength encouraged her. It meant he trusted her to handle this without his help.

Greetings in Enlo’s peace, she called, making it a prayer as well as a gesture of friendship, and slowly lowered her outer mental shield.

Her first impression was of rising fury and terror in the birds, conflicting waves of icy, jagged teeth and scorching thorns. All that jangled and twisted sideways when the subliminal clang of the airlock opening vibrated through the ship. Taking a deep breath, she reached for memories of the floating sensation that came from entering the mind-circle with her Infrenx classmates, to spread through the mental contact and calm and sooth the birds. She needed them to accept her alien touch as friendly before she could penetrate their panic and jealousy and convince them it was good for Shay and his people to return to their own nests.

Her mental barrier sifting out the negative "blips" from the birds shuddered when it slipped, just for a moment, allowing more than their emotions through. The stench that reached her through the birds' noses was thick and gritty and pungent. The birds considered it normal, and even liked it. She fought not to let her initial nauseated reaction slip and undo all the good she was somehow managing. A friend who was sickened by their ordinary, comfortable world wasn’t a friend. Birds were especially sensitive to those who camouflaged themselves; bodies, scents, sounds, and minds.

Liars.

M’kar knew right then the ambassador hadn’t revealed even a fraction of a percent of the situation. These birds were too highly aware and intelligent, if they could grasp the concept of lies and liars and betrayal.

And still that stench thickened and coated her throat and reached down to her stomach. She tasted the fetid thickness and grit in the air.

Her throat ached with the effort not to gag and heave.

A single sharp thread wove through her brain, threatening a strain headache. M’kar reached into the center of calm she had learned in Infrenx class and pushed it out to share with the minds swirling all around her.

The churning of the bird minds smoothed out and calmed in spreading ripples. 

They were listening to her. They were aware she was something new.

This story is available as an ebook download from Ye Olde Dragon Books.