Fish Out of Water (34 page)

He explained quickly that the word
spell
was merely shorthand, that it was simple physics really. One sound blocking another, stifling it. But what was not simple was how Mom could have known the correct arrangement to utter. Therein, Zorax insisted, lay the magic. He talked about how he believed that a perfect collection of sounds, a song, could achieve anything. After all, it was the basis of hydroporting.

Zorax believed it was essentially possible that it could move matter, shape new worlds.

It was simply a matter of finding the right patterns.

I needed more. “How can we find them? The right notes? If we find the girls tonight, if we get blasted with that thing, what do we sing?”

Zorax shrugged, and seemed genuinely remorseful that he could not provide the answers we sought. “I do not know, Rania. For me, evensong was the product of a long, careful series of experiments. You do not have the liberty of that time.” He considered Carragheen’s still-furious countenance and rushed on. “There is something, I don’t know if I’m right. The fact that your mother was able to find the right pattern at the right moment, it makes me think…”

“What?” Carragheen’s tone was sharp, insistent.

“It makes me think that if the right person, or perhaps people, sing from their heart at the right moment, with the right emotions, they may produce the correct pattern.”

“That’s a lot of mights.” Carragheen sounded far from impressed. “Too many, to my way of thinking.”

“I’m sorry.” Zorax held up his open hands. “It’s all I have to offer you.”

Chapter Fifteen

Sighs and Songs

Carragheen’s Pool

Mom, Carragheen and I formed a group.

Mom was utterly focused on the search, so I didn’t even contemplate discussing Kraken with her, even though there was now more to discuss. I mean, bad enough that Mom never told me she used to have a hot and heavy affair with the High Priest of Aegira. Then there was the nuts stuff he’d been spouting back at the meeting.

And the new information from Zorax.

Had Kraken always been a little psycho? Is that why she ended it? Or maybe he ended it ’cause she wasn’t nuts enough for him? And what the hell was the Queen going to do about him? I mean, it was pretty clear (to me at least) what he’d meant back there at the meeting. Whether he was responsible for Imogen’s disappearance or not, he obviously had some whole other evil agenda going on. An Armageddon for the land-dwellers.

Someone needed to rein the nutjob in, and, after what Carragheen told me about poor Leisen, I’d happily be just the someone to do it.

But I needed to know what Mom knew first.

Our group was allocated the southern quadrant of the city. We were to search it in
rata
, ever-widening swimming circles used for foraging and ceremonial parades. I didn’t tell anyone at the meeting about the cave. But I knew exactly where I was going, as soon as I could shake the others. I wasn’t having any hangers-on this time. Our small party split up, and I used the opportunity to disappear, kicking back the way we came and heading for the cave. But before I even begin to lengthen my strokes, Carragheen was at my side.

I know where you’re going
. He was swimming with my rhythm.
Let me help
.

Yeah, you were so useful last time
. I spat the words into his brain like barbs.

Something about the look on his face made me wonder. Had he seen something? Something new? Something I should know about? With that other kind of sight that I now knew he had. I needed to know, even more than I needed to hurt him.
Do you think she’s alive?

He didn’t skip a beat.
I don’t think it, I know it
.

Don’t offer me empty comforts, Carragheen
.

Rania, I am not. I know she is alive. I can feel it
.

I suddenly realized from the serious expression on his face that Carragheen was talking about that whole other kind of knowing. And I seized his hand.
You have seen her? In visions?

No, not quite. No. But sometimes I… feel things. Sense them. Since the visions started. It’s like they, the visions, have… turned me on somehow
.

I thought again about Mom’s words. Evolution. Another awakening.

He stopped and turned to me.
This has happened to you too?

I nodded, and he asked the next logical question.
So, have you felt her out there too?

I felt myself flush.
No
.

The flush spread. Why would Carragheen have knowledge of Lecanora,
my Lecanora
, and not me? I thought about Mom, how I had last seen her, moments ago. I wondered if how I felt about the Princess was the problem. I knew when I worried about Mom I could hardly see straight. I certainly can’t be logical, or careful. I wondered if this was the same.

Carragheen read my thoughts.
I wonder if we should try together
.

I still wanted to kick him, still didn’t know if I could trust him, but I wasn’t exactly knee-deep in other people having visions right now and the idea made sense. I remembered that my mother was able to protect me with her song, when she was so afraid for me, and so focused.

Maybe together, with this thing we both had, Carragheen and I could locate Lecanora.

I nodded, and Carragheen led me down and over to a resting place between some homes. He sat close to me, and I was reminded momentarily of the action on the sofa the night before. But this time the vibe was very different. I got down to business.
How do we do this?

I have no idea
. But he smiled at me encouragingly and picked up my hands.
Think about her, think on her. But not about this, your fears for her. Just... the fact of her. Do you think you can do that?

I nodded meekly, taking his hands in mine. He squeezed them, and I tried.

It was strange, but it was like I could feel Carragheen’s very mind inside mine as I looked for her. Like his mind was watching mine, joined to me somehow. Suddenly he tensed.

“I’m feeling her,” he said.

I tried not to feel like I was in an episode of Ghost Whisperer.

I concentrated harder, freeing my mind of all that was not Lecanora. Focusing on the energy of the man beside me. Feeling like a kick to my stomach his strength and the power of his mind. And imagining Lecanora’s mind too, out there somewhere, waiting to be found.

Like a lightning bolt inside my head, it happened. I felt her too.

“I have her,” I breathed.

Oh sweet mother of us all, I did have her, and she was crying.

She was crying out for me.

But not with her voice. No. She was crying out in some private place in her brain. Or maybe not crying. She was… what was she doing? Oh no. She was hoping. Hoping I would come for her. And she was not alone. She was with Imogen.

Lecanora was trying to tell me something, but her brain was weak and feverish. I could see muddy pictures. She was looking for something when she was taken. Ah, I saw it now. She was searching for some lighsa weed, on the south-western ridges, to take to her mother. To aid her journey back to strength, and vigor.

I concentrated harder, trying to look right into the deepest places of her brain.

Singing. She was talking about singing. She was telling me that I must sing, that somehow this was the answer. I must sing to find her, and sing to save them both. What could she mean?

I felt Carragheen stiffen beside me.

“Oh no,” he groaned. “It’s her. Lecanora’s the second one. This is what I saw. Exactly as I saw it. I had it the wrong way around. Imogen was the first. Lecanora is the second.”

I saw the truth of what he was saying.

But while I felt our minds straining and pawing at the edges of the vision, neither of us could pull back the veil sufficiently to see where they were being kept.

And then it was gone.

It took us a few minutes to center ourselves back in the moment once the feeling dissipated. Once we did, we were both as one mind.

“I have to go back,” I said. And Carragheen nodded.

“Yes,” he agreed. “To the cave. I don’t know if that’s where they are being kept. Imogen, and now Lecanora. But it’s really the only lead we’ve got.”

“No,” I said. “You’re not coming.”

He looked dark and closed as he whispered into my mind.
Oh yes I am
.

I was blunt. “No. Because I’m grateful for what you just did—”

More than that. Impressed as hell. Blown away. Suddenly not alone
.

“But I don’t trust you. And I don’t want you there.”

I watched him watching me. Then I felt him, inside my mind, feeling around.

You’re lying
, he said.
On both counts
.

As he stood to push off, I knew he was right. But I wasn’t going to tell him so.

He shot me one last look, then Mom was suddenly with us. How is it mothers always have a spidey sense for when you’re going to do something they’d rather you didn’t?

Do they implant you with radar at birth?

I was about to spin some line when I looked over at Mom and realized she was bringing news. “What is it? Lecanora?”

I could tell she had something she wanted to say to us. She was shifting uncomfortably in the water. Unusual for her, usually so graceful and light. I went to her, and touched her face.

“Rania, there’s something I think you both should know. About Kraken.”

I could see the torment in her eyes, and I knew she was thinking now was the moment to unburden herself about her affair with the High Priest. I wanted to meet her where she was, wherever it was, but I just couldn’t allow it. We’d taken too much time already. We needed to go. “Mom, it’s okay. Whatever happened, we’ll talk about it later.”

I saw Mom’s eyes widen as she registered that I was following her drift.

“No, you don’t understand. There are things that may be important.”

I caught Mom’s shoulders. “Unless you’re sure that they are important right now, unless you are sure that we must hear them now, I think we should go. We have delayed enough.”

Mom nodded, and touched my hair. “Later, then. Find her, Rania, but please, by the Goddess Mother, take care of yourself as you do. I couldn’t bear to lose you too.”

Before I had time to take in what Mom was saying, there was another interruption. The Gai-ga-lan again, Meegost.

“What is it, friend?” I felt my voice shake as I asked him.

“I have news of the Queen. She has decided to address the nation. In the Eye of the Goddess, and by tele-pad throughout the city. Very soon. She wants everyone there.”

“Do we know what she plans to say?” Mom frowned as she questioned him.

He shook his head. “She has not said, no.”

As he went, Mom answered the question in our minds.

“I think she will tell them about Imogen, and what was done. And about Lecanora.”

Oh jeez. I felt my heart deflate. The Aegiran equivalent of a prime time TV appeal from the family. Great. Now we’d have every fish with half a clue on the case, messing around with any real clues. “Oh no,” I groaned.

“I don’t know, Rania,” Mom sighed. “I think the Queen might be doing this to make peace. With her community and her ancestors. I think she feels a great responsibility for what has been done, like she cannot make right with her people, and get her daughter back, until she fixes this. And I think she’s right.”

Trust the old mothers to stick together. Okay, time to split, regardless of what Imd was doing. I needed to find Lecanora.

“Well, I’m not going,” I insisted.

I made ready to head for the cave. Carragheen was with me and this time I didn’t even think about protesting. Even Mom wasn’t telling me to stay. In fact, no-one was arguing with me, even though I could tell that they were horrified that I was ignoring the Queen’s command.

Within moments, Carragheen and I were skimming through the water, picking up speed, humming ourselves longer and faster. We had no idea what awaited us at the dark cave, but I could sense that both of us just wanted to get there, to find out, and (hopefully) to get this done.

Okay, so, great.

We were going out to face who-knows-what, possibly some evil that the monster Kraken has unleashed, and we had some maybe-defense of our own, in the form of some pretty pissweak song thing that might or might not work if we hit the right notes.

Ran be with us. ’Cause nobody else is tonight.

The city was sparkling and peaceful below us. Impossible to believe that dark things had been nesting here, twisting the minds of peaceful people. As we swam, we heard the heralds’ calls, warning everyone that the Queen was about to deliver a message of supreme importance, and that all must immediately stop what they are doing, and come to the Eye of the Goddess.

We reached the outer edge of the city, where the darkness lay, and I felt the now familiar clammy fist grab my stomach and squeeze. Carragheen sensed the moment’s hesitation in me. He stopped, treading water beside me, and turned me to him. He asked the question into my mind.
Are you sure you must come? I can do this. You have done enough
. The purple-blue of his irises was even darker than usual, and his pupils were huge inside them.

I nodded and something made me take his hand as we continued, swimming through the ever darker water, until we could see the outline of the cave in the distance. At the sight, the blood inside my veins seemed to freeze, and my heart-rate galloped upwards inside my chest.

I thought about my conversation with Dad, his words about courage. And Ran’s words about how the land-men would help. She’d made it sound like it was gonna be a long campaign.

I shook my head. For now, I needed to concentrate my energy on finding Lecanora. I knew with a powerful certainty that they were there. In the cave. My whole being filled up with the knowledge. Imogen. My beloved Lecanora. Waiting there, hoping. Waiting for us to come. My rib-cage stretched painfully with the hammering of my heart as I waited every second for the crippling pain to strike us down. I could almost feel the sting and crush of it, the absolute obliteration of my senses. As we moved closer, I knew it must happen soon. This was the moment last time, the moment they used the weapon, whatever it is.