Just Breathe (6 page)

A quiver in her lip fumbled her smile. “Thank you.”

Mummy?
Desperation stained the tiny voice.

A deeper song farther out bled into the sea. It must be his mother. Thank God.

“Tomorrow.” She nodded to Westbrook and the female Wæter, then dove into the dream ocean to lead the baby home to his mother.

Let the revolution begin.

Chapter Six

September 2

Warm rays of sun dazzled the aqua blue ocean, highlighted the currents, and scattered beams of dancing light. Despite the beautiful day and calm water, Lily carried a heavy weight in her heart. The calf in Sydney died yesterday. She had sensed the terrible pain of his loneliness at the loss of his mother and the pangs of hunger swallowing him from the inside out.

At least Zoe had been with him through the end. Though Lily couldn’t get into the Dreaming, cries of elation reached her last night from the other side of the Veil when mother and calf were reunited. Zoe had done well, especially under the difficult circumstances.

Lily leaned to the side and stared up through the water column to the throbbing sun overhead. The Fyres had wreaked so much havoc, both here and in the Dreaming.

Mum, I’m tired.
Her calf, Araluen, had put on a brave face since orca whales attacked him a couple of days ago, but his wounds were not healing as they should. The journey to Hervey Bay had been a harsh one.

Let’s have a rest, then.
Surrounded by twenty other humpbacks, Lily caressed Araluen’s bumpy rostrum with her pectoral flipper.

One of the other Elementals swam up and lowered his barnacled head.
Lily, we know you don’t wish to ascend to the throne, but won’t you consider taking the position temporarily? If there’s no Archelemental in place by the spring equinox in a few weeks, Aqua will be displeased. Worse, the Elements will fall out of alignment. The Fyres will gain control, and it will be even harder to regain Balance once they have momentum.

All true. But the tragedy in Sydney proved how much Araluen needed his mother. Fyres sought both her and her calf with the express intention of murder. There was no way Lily would give up Araluen. And playing dual roles of mother and Archelemental simultaneously was out of the question. She could barely care for the baby as it was, let alone tend to Archelemental responsibilities right before a tithe.

Yes, the needs of the many were important, but she was a mother. Her child had to come first. Once Lana took office, the pressure from the Fyres would be off Lily.

Thank you for helping Araluen and me, but I cannot risk my baby’s life, even for a temporary position. Lana is the only choice.

Another whale joined the conversation.
But Lana’s followers plot against you. They tried to get rid of Zoe with threats of harm. They cannot be trusted.

Lana had nothing to do with it,
Lily said.
She is a good person who does not condone such behavior. Yes, it’s unfortunate that some of the human Elementals resorted to bullying, but do not judge Lana by
their
actions.

Lily believed in Lana’s innocence. The woman didn’t play dirty politics. Though she couldn’t read minds or understand human language, Lily sensed sincerity in Lana’s Water. And a genuine desire to advocate for the Wæters as a whole—even the non-human ones.

Another humpback swam up.
We believe you are making a grave mistake by not taking up the mantle. Many Wæters—and human Wyldlings—could suffer if the wrong candidate becomes Archelemental.

Lily closed her eyes.
Your objection is noted. My decision stands.

Mum, are you fighting about me? Did I do something wrong?
Araluen asked.

Lily’s exasperation eased, and she tucked him under her pec fin.
No, little one. You did nothing wrong. In fact, you did everything right. Are you ready to continue onward?

The wrinkles around his eye tightened. She sensed the pain flaring in his tail again, and her heart ached. Her being an Archelemental candidate had put his life in danger. He’d be an even bigger target if she took the position. This had to end.

Stay in my slipstream, just behind my flipper. It’ll be easier to swim there, and hopefully, less painful for you.
Lily turned to the small mob of humpbacks surrounding her in the water column.
No more talk of this appointment. My son doesn’t need to be involved any more than he is.

They collectively lowered their heads.

She wished they’d stop that. She was no better than any of them.

Tired of fighting, Lily continued onward toward Hervey Bay, and her escorts followed. They wrapped her and Araluen in a web of song to ward off any Fyre Elementals that might venture close. The music helped pass the time, but it also provided adequate cover for a long distance conversation.

Zoe,
she called out.

Lily. I’m here,
came Zoe’s response.

My calf and I will be in Hervey Bay in less than two weeks. Can you find Lana for me and invite her to a meeting? We have much to discuss, and I’ll need you to translate.

A long, heavy pause.
All right. Are you and your baby okay?

We will be fine. I heard about the calf in Sydney. I’m very sorry I couldn’t get to him. We had a small…incident. Nothing to worry about.

I’m not sure you could have helped anyway,
Zoe said.
He was emaciated and dehydrated. He’s with his mother now in the Dreaming.

Thank you for making his transition an easy one. We will meet soon.

Safe journey, Lily. I can’t wait to see you.

The weight of scrutiny fell on Lily’s back. She glanced around. The entire pod stared at her. Disappointment, worry, and regret leaked from their Water.

If any of you wish to go, I will not be offended. Lana needs your support and tithes, so pledge them to her. Keep Water close to your heart. She will need every bit you can spare to sacrifice to Aqua on the equinox.

Lily swam onward for a few minutes. Silence followed.

In the uncharacteristic absence of song, she snuck a glance back, expecting to be alone.

Not a single whale had left the group. And four new humpbacks had joined them.

* * * *

That night, Gavin rang Zoe as soon as he got in his car at the Hervey Bay Airport.

“You get in okay?” She sounded tired, distant. Cold.

“Yeah. How are things?” He navigated the parking lot and pointed his car toward Zoe’s house.

“Busy. Got a lot on my plate at the moment with the whales. How’d it go in Sydney? Did you find out anything from Whetu?”

“Still no progress on breaking down the mental wall she put in place. Jack stole an out-of-service ambulance, had some Elemental friends rip out the GPS, and fixed it up. They should get here tomorrow with Whetu.”

Zoe laughed softly. “I don’t even want to ask how he stole an ambulance.”

“He’s a sight, your dad.” Felt so weird to say that, having known Jack and Zoe separately for about the same length of time, but together only recently.

“Yeah.”

Conversation stilled for a few moments—just long enough for the ever-present hint of Scarlet’s smell to creep out of his pores and fill his head with more guilt.

“I need to see you tonight, Zed.”

Another long pause and a sigh. “It’s kinda late, and six o’clock comes mighty early.”

He squeezed the phone tighter in his grip. “If not tonight, then when?” He was getting the feeling no matter when he asked to see her, she’d have an excuse to say no.

“I’m not sure. Since the whales are so active and the days are getting longer, we’ll probably stay out later from now on.”

Bingo
. “So, I have to wait for a bad weather day to see you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.” Her exasperation cut through the line and headed straight for his throat. “I heard from
her
today. She’ll be here by the fifteenth. How about we talk then? It’ll give you time to figure out what’s going on with Whetu, and maybe I’ll have sorted through my…feelings by then.”

He rubbed his spiked hair. He fucking hated this plan. “Okay. If that’s what you want.”

“It’s not what I
want
. I think it’s
best
.”

Best for whom? Neither of them. She had no idea how much he needed her
now
—not two weeks from now. He’d struggled to maintain a hold on the slippery tether to her heart, and she just cut the one string that kept him from flying away.

“Whatever, Zed. You’ve got my number. Ring me when you’re ready to talk.”

“I’m sorry,” she said in a small voice.

“Yeah, so am I.” He hit the end button on the phone and tossed it into the seat beside him.

His ribs constricted around his lungs like a vise. Scarlet’s revolting smell rose from his skin again and choked him.

What the hell would he do without his muse?

Do what you did before you met Zoe. Take that defeated, broken, lost soul of yours and bury it deep inside where no one can hurt it. You have too much Water. Remove the emotion from your situation, and you’ll be an efficient, Balanced Sentinel machine. Just what the Council needs. Just what the Wyldlings need.

The Water he’d fought so hard to reclaim protested.

His Air countered with a stiff breeze of reason.
Zoe’s right. It’s for the best. Let her work through her issues, and see where you end up. If you bully your way back in, she’ll resent you. If you leave her alone, she’ll respect you—maybe even miss you. Either way, you win.

He reached the turn for Zoe’s street, hit the brakes, and slammed the Monaro’s gearshift in neutral. With a heavy stomp of his boot on the gas pedal, he revved the engine long and hard.

God damn it.

Let it go.

With a deep sigh, he shifted into gear and continued straight, toward the last place he wanted to be alone: home.

He should listen to his Air more often.

Chapter Seven

September 3

The dark-haired one was a little afraid of her. Whetu could tell. Every time the ambulance bounced and their arms accidentally brushed, the Erthe Elemental sitting beside her flinched.

Though she hadn’t opened her eyes yet, Whetu knew what her rescuers looked like. Papa had painted pictures of them inside her mind. The older man with the gentle voice who smelt a bit like beer and apples was the Sentinel, Jack. His clothes were too young for him, and he had long, gray hair. He led a strange group of Elementals—his ‘Librus’ team—from America.

Whetu had heard a lot about Americans and liked their television shows very much.

The dark-haired Erthe Elemental was tall, and her body was more square and angular than round and soft like other women. She reminded Whetu of an Olympic gymnast she’d once watched on the telly who’d won a gold medal. She had beautiful eyes, the colors of limes. They called her Jet, which sounded like an airplane, not a name for an Earth-lover.

Papa had shown Whetu images of the scars on Jet’s back and how they got there. Whetu was very sad that Jet had to carry so much pain to help others. Even sadder that her touch hurt Jet. She must be very lonely. Whetu knew how that felt.

“Here we are,” Jack said. The ambulance slowed to a stop.

“I’ll get her out.” Jet’s voice was close to Whetu’s ear.

“Best not to risk it. Her Air zapped you pretty good when you healed her. You go open the door, and I’ll take her in. Vexx should have the extra bedroom set up.”

Jack dragged Whetu’s gurney through the open back door, popped the wheels down, and pushed her up the driveway. The loud steel clashing with concrete hurt her ears.

She was scared. She missed her Papa.

A threshold rendered a
bump-bump
, and then the wheels quieted over carpet. The house smelt of clean laundry, air-dried on the line. Like home in Christchurch. Whetu wished she could go there now.

The motion stopped, and a yellow-tinged breeze—how she knew it was yellow, she wasn’t sure—pushed Whetu’s long hair across her nose. It tickled, but she couldn’t move her hand to scratch. The heat of a body drew close. Cool, bubblegum scented breath puffed the strands away.

Bubblegum?

A delicate hand dipped into her hair and mussed it. “We’re gonna have to do something about her color. You think she likes pink?” The voice was as soft as a bird’s feather.

If Whetu could smile, she would have.

“I don’t know. Why don’t you wake her up and ask?” Jack said.

Gum snapped fast like gunfire. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Two palms clutched either side of Whetu’s face, a cool, dry forehead met hers, and something wispy but strong tugged at her mind.

This odd woman—who must be Vexx—jostled her this way and that as if trying to shake Whetu’s brain free of her skull. A mighty pull accompanied every touch. It didn’t really hurt, but it drained some of her mental energy. She didn’t like that. She needed to keep her mind active.

After a minute, Vexx let go. “This girl is about to go through the change. Did you know?”

“Ah, yeah, Gavin may have mentioned it. And I may have forgotten to pass it along,” Jack said.

“That’s some pretty epic information to forget, dude.” More gum popping. “This complicates things. Her subconscious has shut down her body and forced it into a cocoon-like state while she awaits the transformation. Helps save energy. It’s unlikely we’ll get anything out of her until she wakes up.”

“Any idea how long that’ll take?” Jet said.

“She doesn’t seem very far along, but once it starts, the change will happen quick. Best thing to do is leave her alone. I’ll keep picking at her brain to monitor her progress, but for now, we’re gonna have to sit tight. It’s all on her.”

“We’ve got to get control of the door to the Dreaming before the equinox,” Jack said.

“I hear ya. If we can’t coax it out of her, maybe we can try an alternate plan.” Vexx paused. A soft blow, a candy scent, and a pop followed. “I’m known for my plans. Did I mention that?”