CHAPTER EIGHT

Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

Two and a half weeks later…

Dark, black, and dangerous storm clouds lined across the sky, illuminated by the lightning which forked through the sky every few seconds. The wind picked up, sweeping a thick fog in from the riverbeds and across the wooden docks which lined the southern rim of Kota Kinabalu. These were the first sights Marco took in as he stepped down the gangplank of a small cargo ship. The fog blocked his vision from truly appreciating the tropical paradise which he could only imagine would be very different than his home deep within Rio de Janeiro. His dark questing eyes glared out, shrugging as he took in the reality of the situation. Here he stood, far from home, looking for a bird that he did not know, and the weather would not help in his search. Any amount of falling rain would have washed away the scent and the tracks of any bird wandering the region. Worst of all, he did not even know where to begin. Was he in the rainforest? Was he in the city? His eyes narrowed further as he sighed and admitted defeat. The only way to end the search would be to begin.

"Oh well," he sighed, "I suppose I should just get this search over with, I have places to go, things to do and people to kill. I'm not going to pretend to like being here but if this helps me destroy the Spix Macaws then I will just get this over with quickly."

"Exactly,"

Marco lowered his head and peered back at the dark-robed hawk emerging from the darkness of the cargo hold which had been his home for the past two and a half weeks. His beak curled as he spit with disgust remembering the foul taste of the rats which sustained him and served as his only source of food during the journey. His eyes narrowed as his foul mood began to brew upon the surface. Turning to face his sister, he pointed a wing in her direction. His face darkened as his voice rose with his growing anger.

"I've made it here, just like you wanted now tell me where I can find this Jollo creature. The sooner I get back to Rio the better. I want to sink my blades into any Spix Macaw I come across. It's bad enough I am going to have to work with two of them but having to spend my time searching one out is ridiculous. Let's just get this over with, okay?"

Sabrina shrugged her shoulders and nodded her head. She admired the spunk of the hawk. She loved the determination and the cruelty of the creature before her. It reminded her so much of herself, a fact which formed a wicked smile upon the end of her beak. Closing her eyes and turning away she responded with a hint of amusement towards her brother's antics.

"But of course, my dear brother. I can sense him within this very city… however, there is a shift in his destiny that will not belong to us. I sense blood and a lot of it, I sense pain and growing insanity from a poison that cannot be healed. I can see a flower… an orchid which colors match the blood which flows within our veins. It is there where we will meet our new friend. We will go there and await his arrival. I promise we will have our new comrade within our grasp soon."

Marco's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "You better be right, and he better be worth the effort, or you will regret it."

#

Heavy Rainfall pounded the city of Kota Kinabalu just on the northernmost point of the island of Borneo. However, it made no difference as she walked into the bar drenched from head to toe. Her bright blue cerulean feathers reflected the light, making her sparkle like diamonds. Her bright sapphire eyes glared out at the large group of birds, insects, and other rabble of common, every day, run of the mill, filthy animals which she despised with all of her heart. Her beak curled as she seated herself near the bar and raised a wing for the bartender to head over.

"Good evening beautiful," he smiled peering at her feminine features, cracking a smile. "What can I get you?"

Jewel rolled her eyes, dropping her beak out of sheer disgust. Her voice rang out hinting her desire to simply do business then get as far away from him as possible. "I want good clean freshwater, not some tap water, not something you think is clean from the river, not rainwater, I want it pure. Got it?"

The bartender nodded his head. "Right, I'll be right back."

The bartender, which was a white-necked babbler, with brown body feathers, black head, and white neck, hurried off to complete her order before long he brought back a small glass containing the clear liquid.

Jewel sipped the water, swishing it around her mouth as she studied the flavor for a moment. It held a sort of chemical taste which she could not identify. The babbler waited by her side, grinning as he watched her finish the glass. Jewel arched a curious eye in his direction.

"What are you looking at?" she asked, slamming her wings down upon the bar. "Get back to your business and quit staring at me."

"Normally I would," the babbler admitted, "but turns out that bird over there has ordered you a drink."

Jewel followed the bartender's wing towards a blue macaw sitting at the far side of the room. He looked like her, with pure cerulean feathers and bright green eyes. He smiled as he noticed her before quickly peering away. "Just great, another pig." Jewel sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Well, I suppose I should at least thank him for the drink."

Getting up from her seat, Jewel walked over to him and sat down at his table. "Well, good evening, beautiful," he said in a thick Russian accent.

"I heard you ordered me a drink," she grinned, "a bit presumptuous, aren't you? What makes you think I'm the slightest bit interested in someone like you?"

The bright blue macaw bowed his head, closing his eyes. "Surely, there is no harm in exchanging drinks between friends." He grinned, raising his cup. "I took notice of what you ordered and did you the liberty of ordering another."

Jewel nodded, watching the bartender walking over and placing a small cup in front of her. "But what do you want? What will this drink cost me?"

"Nothing," the Spix Macaw smiled. "It's just good to see another one of my own species, there's not many of us left, especially here in Borneo."

"There's not many of us anywhere," Jewel said taking a drink from her glass.

The Spix Macaw folded his wings together, his eyes narrowed. "Perhaps there is one way you could repay me," he admitted, "a little bit of information is all I require. You're Brazilian, aren't you?"

Jewel nodded her head. "Yes, I am. What about it?"

The Spix Macaw grinned, "I can tell right away from the way you handle yourself, the way you carry your feminine features, even your beauty is top-notch."

Jewel's eyes hardened. "You don't have the right to talk about my feminine features." She growled, tossing her cup at him. "It's been nice, but no thanks, I'm not buying what you're selling, thanks for the drink."

The bird nodded his head, rising onto his talons. "You don't walk away from me." He said pointing an accusing wing at her. "Grab her!"

Before Jewel could make a move, a large variety of different birds descended upon her. Unleashing her talons she dove forward striking a vicious blow right to the gut of a large Bornean Bristlehead. He hadn't stood a chance. He gasped as the wind knocked from his beak, and he fell to the ground. She peered back, eyeing the babble from the bar swinging a large stick to subdue her. She dodged, swinging her wing right into the backside of his skull. Her eyes glistened as she forced a confident smile. Once again, she proved she held no equal.

"Well, who is next? She asked.

Before she could make another move, her heart lurched forward draining her energy. The room began to spin. The bright spotlights became blurry, filling her eyes with nothing but blurry beams of different colors. She couldn't make out anything else except her head swimming and spinning.

"What… what's happening?" she asked.

"Just relax," The Spix Macaw grinned. "Let the drugs take hold. You won't remember a thing."

Jewel would have made a move to defend herself, but she fell to the ground, slamming her skull against the ground.

The next thing she knew she woke up within a cold gray chamber. The Spix Macaw stood over her, holding a wicked grin across his beak. She couldn't move, her wings and talons wouldn't cooperate. He leaned down, planting a kiss on her neck, and stroked his wings across her chest. His voice rang out through her ears completely distorted and deep. "Let me go," she pleaded, "Don't touch me."

"No," the Spix Macaw's grin widened. "You're mine, you'll always be mine, we are mates."

"No," Jewel squawked and screeched trying hard to fight back. Her wings and talons remained in place, frozen and completely paralyzed. "I am not your mate. I won't be your mate. Not if you were the last guy on the planet."

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," The macaw grinned, "The deed has already been done. You didn't think your compliance was a factor, did you?"

Jewel's eyes widened in horror as she peered down at her own body, her wings trembled as she fought the urge to cry. "You… You… didn't?" her beak curled as she struggled to keep calm.

"I did…" Jollo grinned, "And I enjoyed every second of it,"

Without any warning, Jewel leaped forward striking her wing directly into the Spix macaw's face. He stumbled back a few paces, wiping the blood from his face with a single wing. His eyes burned bright as he fought back, knocking Jewel down to the ground with the power of his own wing. His eyes darkened as he became consumed by his rage, his talon grabbed her by the throat, strangling the life from her.

"You stupid, idiotic, female!" he growled, "I'll show you how I fight. I'll show you how you'll die!"

Jewel reached her wing across the room, reaching for whatever she could use as a weapon. Once her wing reached something solid, she swung. The Spix Macaw stumbled back as he felt the blow straight across his face. The shards of glass from a broken bottle pierced his skin, drawing blood, separating tissue, and damaging muscles. He fell back, placing a wing upon the damaged half of his face. The blood flooded through his feathers, staining his bright cerulean feathers a blood red. He could not even fight back as he stared too stunned to move. Jewel attempted to run but found herself stopped as he grabbed hold of her talon. She peered back as the macaw grabbed hold of her once more.

"No… you're not going anywhere!" he growled, "You're mine… do you understand… you're mine…."

Jewel struggled to free herself from his grip, but he was still too strong for her. She couldn't fight him off. Her wings scrambled across the floor as he pulled her closer to him. Her feathers bristled as she felt his warm breath coursing down her neck.

"Then prove it," Jewel snapped finally, "If you're mind than prove it, do something that no one else can."

The Macaw laughed, raising his damaged body from the ground. "A contest, eh?" he grinned, "What do you have in mind?"

Jewel held a wing to her beak for a moment, thinking of what she could do to get rid of the macaw. In that small amount of time, she would flee Borneo never to return. Her eyes shimmered with the thought of being rid of this retched land.

"I have heard the native birds of this land talk about an orchid which blooms every fifteen years. Find the blood orchid and bring it to me. Then and only then will I accept you as a mate, agreed?"

The macaw's eyes narrowed, despite the pain of the blood surging through his left eye, he still formed a wicked smile. "Agreed!"

#

The moonlight peered down in pale beams of light through the jungle canopy as the Spix Macaw first made eye contact with the orchid. Its potent red petals glistened as it danced and swayed in the soft tropical breeze, catching his eye and his full attention. A cruel greedy smile passed his beak as he reached out to touch the delicate flower which rested on top of a small ledge over top of a swift-moving river.

"At last," he grinned, chuckling to himself, "I've finally found you. At long last, I have actually found you." In that moment images of the future flashed through his mind. He would bring the flower back to Jewel, he would be her mate, and the Spix Macaws would be safe at last. Without thinking, he grabbed hold of the flower watching the blood-red liquid seep from the petals and stained his wings a bright red, at that moment the sweetest smell of honey erupted through his nostrils forcing him to back away. "Yes," he chuckled, "I have you, I have you!"

As he turned back, he felt the sharp stinging thorns pierce his body. He had been so distracted by the flower. He had failed to see the sharp thorns which protected it. As he turned away, they tore into his flesh. All he could feel was the sharp stabbing pain of the poison as it coursed through his veins, popping blood vessels, destroying the interior of his internal organs, and the burning destructive sensation of his body slowly beginning to shut down. His vision clouded over as he fell sideways, off the ledge, and into the cold river below. The vast greenery of the jungle became nothing more than a vicious blur as his head submerged below the waves. Then everything he knew faded into darkness. Then he heard her voice.

"What do we have here, eh?"

The Spix Macaw's eyes widened in horror as he found himself washed along a small shoreline nestled among a pile of dead reeds and straw-like grass. His body trembled as he recalled the last couple of moments of his life. His wings surged with the same sharp pain which had caused him to plummet into the water which now had brought him to this moment. His eyes narrowed as he found himself peering up at two robed figures, both of whom kept their hoods over their faces, concealing their identities from him. He could see that they were birds, but as to the size or species, he could not even begin to guess. Their black beaks curled as a cruel smile passed between the pair. He closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"W-Who are you?" he asked, "Why are you here?"

The female voice rang through his ears once more. "I am a friend. One who is searching for a creature I have been unable to find. The Dark Robed Sage. You, however, are nothing, and yet I can see something within you, but to achieve it you must give up your life to achieve your goals, do you agree?"

Jollo nodded his head.

"Good," the female cackled, "Then we grant you the mark that matches your soul, accept it now."

The male bird bent down and with a sharp stick and sticky red sap carved a few lines along the course of his wing. The Spix Macaw cringed as the lines began to surge and burn as they worked their way along the feather column and blood feathers rearranging into the shape of an orchid. Once it had finished, the orchid mark began to glow a bright purple. The two robed birds let their smiles widen as their eyes burned down upon him. The female's voice rang out one last time.

"Welcome to the Dark Robed Society, Jollo," she cackled, "You may not know it yet, but we have just saved your life."

Jollo nodded his head, feeling thankful to just be alive, he closed his eyes and passed out. His head fell limp as it landed upon the ground.

Marco eyed his sister for a moment. "You aren't the Dark Robed Sage, you told me her spirit was separated into nine separate pieces."

"It was a little white lie," Sabrina mused, "The point of the matter is, we now have a new little puppet to pull the strings of… and he will do our bidding… or he'll suffer the wrath of the poison which flows through his veins."