The Reef (16 page)

‘I think Manolin’s different. He’s really shy usually. He’s an absolute gentleman, too. Unlike dad. No, Manolin is a different guy.’

‘Is he a man?’ Yana asked.

‘Yes, of course.’

‘Then he’ll do anything in his powers to possess a girl like Myranda. It may be a subtle effort, but he’ll try. Half the time he won’t even realise he’s doing it. But I think it’ll do him some good to have a flirt with someone different and new. It’ll make him feel mildly alive again. Don’t hate him for it. He’s one of those guys that will ride waves for years, being taken in many directions, and he’ll cling on to whatever he can to survive.’

‘He can cling on to me.’

‘I think he needs someone to order him about. Tell him what to do. And a stereotypical island girl maybe the thing to help mend his shattered ego.’

‘It’s so unfair. She’s gorgeous.’

‘And she knows that these new foreign men that have arrived think that too.’

Becq nodded in agreement, turned her head. She leaned out of the hut, above the water and looked up at the sky. ‘Yana, look. I’ve never seen so many stars.’

Yana stood up, leant over Becq to see the sky. It wasn’t yet fully night. The stars littered the sky in powder trails or thin white smears. The light pollution in Escha had always prevented such a sight. Becq sat up as Yana lingered in the doorway. She sat back down near her bags and after she had rummaged for a moment, drew out a stuffed doll and some thread.

She closed her bag, drew the doll over her lap.
It
was about a foot and a half long, had a thick crop of black wool for hair. She had made two brown eyes from small gemstones, had dressed the doll in a white shirt and black breeches.

Yana turned from stargazing and glanced towards her. ‘Oh, that’s nice. Did you make that yourself?’

‘Yeah, d’you like it?’

Yana leaned down over. ‘Can I have a look?’

Becq passed the doll carefully across.

‘Yes, that’s really good. The stitching’s very tidy. How long did it take you to make?’ ‘Oh, I’ve been making it for a couple of months before we came over. I’ve made a few before, but none as good as this one.’

‘Yes, it’s good.’ Yana paused. ‘You know, it kind of reminds me of Manolin.’ She examined the doll further. ‘Yeah, now I mention it, it looks quite a lot like him.’

Becq said, ‘Can I have it back, please, it’s not finished yet.’

‘Sorry, of course.’ Yana handed the doll to Becq who placed it on her lap. She could see that Yana frowned stared at her as she placed the doll with care into the bag.

You could hear the sea fizzing against the fringes of the lagoon, the gentle rhythm of the water against the stilts underneath the hut. Birds called out from the forest. She walked to the doorway, leaving Becq sitting on the floor. The volcano was fading into the darkness of the night and the fires that were on the beach. Through the sounds of the forest she could hear children laughing, saw their tiny brown bodies lit up as they danced around a fire.

‘Come on, Becq. We should be on the beach having fun.’ Yana sighed, rubbing her abdomen.

‘Are you okay?’ Becq said.

‘Yeah, I think I’m not used to the food or something.’

* * *

Santiago’s team huddled around the fire, watching a native turning a hog on a spit. The local man wore only a loin cloth, but it was the foreigners who felt embarrassed. A crowd of natives stood yards away, watching them. Children looked out from behind their mothers’ bare legs, the firelight warming their faces.

The doctor sat within the newcomers’ circle, chewing meat. He briefed Santiago. ‘The people that watch you have been here as long as they can remember. They descended from a naval vessel, which was wrecked upon the reef. There were about five women on board that came from a place that I never really understood when they talked about it. Needless to say, five women amongst fifty or so men meant that they were in demand. That was several generations ago, round about the rebellion against science. The sailors weren’t ruffians though, no. They were scholars and academics-scientists fleeing persecution. Deemed as immoral, they decided not to try and leave for the mainland, but set up their own little bit of paradise.’

Manolin nodded, gnawing a hunk of hog, which had been roasted in herbs.

Santiago sat on a palm mat, with his hands clasped over his knees. ‘Makes sense. There’s plenty to keep them going here. And that would explain why they speak the same language.’

‘Indeed. It’s been easy to get along since I came here.’

‘Yes, I’ve been meaning to ask. Why did you come here?’

‘For the ichthyocentaurs, originally. Plus I was caught up in some trouble about ten years ago.’

‘What trouble was that then?’

The doctor placed the meat he was chewing onto a bamboo plate. ‘Ten years ago was the time when a mayor resurrected one of the ancient technologies, the ones that were outlawed in their time. Well, I got caught up in helping her, and, needless to say, when the shit hit the fan, I left, because the trouble went right down to the street level gangs and whatnot. When the mob decide to take things into hand, it’s advisable not to be there. There was nothing left in Escha, so I decided to follow up a line of research with the ichthyocentaurs. Sure there was some risk, but it was easier than sticking around.’

‘Ah, yes, I’ve heard that these little beasties know a secret or two,’ Santiago said. His eye followed a native girl as she walked past the fire and towards the sea.

‘I’ll say they do,’ the doctor said. ‘Know much ethnobotany?’

‘That’s Manny’s department,’ Santiago said. He slapped Manolin on the back. The younger man coughed out a strip of pork.

‘Splendid!’ The doctor turned to Manolin as he looked to where the piece of meat had landed. ‘You’ll love these things then.’ ‘Why’s that?’ Manolin asked. ‘The ichthyocentaurs know how to use every plant on this island, so they never get ill. It’s why they’ve survived for so long here. If you get a headache, then there are three things in that forest that will stop it. If one of them has a stomach ulcer, then there is a bark of a palm tree that needs to be chewed. They’re in superb health, which probably explains why this lot-’ he indicated the natives ‘-don’t suffer much illness either. They’ve lived alongside the creatures for so long, but none of them know what plants do what. It’s the ichthyocentaurs who know all the secrets.’

Manolin said, ‘I’d love to see some of this tomorrow.’

‘Oh, you will,’ the doctor said. ‘You’ll want to spend as long as you can on this island.’ He smirked. The fire crackled and the waves encroached. The smell of pork lingered.

Santiago’s gaze travelled to the lagoon, where two women were shifting a small boat onto the land. He could see their muscled bodies rub together as they struggled with the weight. Once on the sand, they brushed each other down. They were some way away, and there was only the moon to illuminate the scene, but he swore that they lingered long on each touch. They seemed sensual as they brushed sand off of one another’s arm. Maybe it was his mind playing tricks. Maybe it was the weather and good food. Maybe it was because he was, simply, a dirty old man-he would freely admit it-but he watched them, following them running, hand in hand, towards the forest then disappearing into the darkness behind the huts.

‘I can see you wouldn’t want to leave a place like this,’ Jefry said.

‘You like the island then?’ the doctor asked.

‘Oh yeah, I’d say. Everyone seems so peaceful here. It must be relaxing. Yana, maybe it would make you feel a little better?’ ‘What d’you mean by that?’ Yana said. ‘Well, you were feeling unwell on the boat. Now that you’re on dry land you might, you know, be a little happier.’

She grunted. ‘Nice for you to show an interest.’ She stood up, brushed sand from her skirt, stomped to the village. She stepped over Manolin’s legs, which were spread out, and she glanced at him, but Santiago noticed he looked away. He watched her walk to the huts, she pass a group of natives. She held her hand out in greeting.

Mr Calyban and Mr Soul stepped out of the trees behind. They were staying in huts in the forest and dined alone. They stood behind

DeBrelt’s crew.

‘Everything in check?’ Mr Calyban said.

‘Why don’t you do something useful and fuck off?’ Santiago said.

‘I’m sorry, what was that, Mr DeBrelt?’

‘I said why don’t you help yourselves to some pork?’

‘Thank you, but we’ve already eaten.’ They walked towards the lagoon, along the beach, their straw hats in their hands, the surf spitting at their feet. ‘So, Forb,’ Santiago said. ‘You said we need to protect ourselves tonight?’

‘Yes. Yes that’s true.’

‘What from, might I ask?’

‘Well, from the things that have murdered around sixty or so ichthyocentaur.’

‘Well, I think if we’re to help you, we need to know what we’re dealing with.’

‘True, true. Every week or so, up until I relocated the ichthyocentaurs to the side of the volcano, we lost about five of them. We don’t know what has killed them, just that the remains are found the next day with the hearts removed and their testes severed too.’

‘Testes? So it’s just males that are taken?’

‘Yes, only the males. I sent the message to you early on in the killings, because I knew, from what the natives told me, that it had happened before, a generation ago. I suspected they would go on and I wanted to preserve the race. So, knowing that only a scholar would know what they were, I asked for help.’

Santiago said, ‘You say you don’t know what is killing them?’

‘No. But they come from somewhere on the other side of the reef.’

Santiago’s eyes narrowed. ‘Deep sea?’

‘Possibly. You’d be surprised how close the nearest abyss is from here, Santiago. I’ve never known of such a formation, but the reef stretches for miles and marks the edge of what I think is the abyssal plain. I’ve never had the technology to know further. You don’t get many remnants from the past out here. To be honest, since the killings began, I’ve never had the nerve.’

Santiago nodded. ‘Luckily we’ve brought a decent submersible craft. Maybe it’s something we could investigate at a later stage.’

‘That’d be excellent if we could. Like I say, we don’t go past the reef. If you like I’ll give you a full tour of the island tomorrow. I’ll show you where the ichthyocentaurs now live.’

‘That’d be fantastic,’ Manolin said.

‘You’ll love them. You’ll never have seen a race use plants the way they do.’

Manolin said, ‘I’m looking forward to it.’

Santiago suspected that, for the first time since he had left Escha, Manolin had something to be excited about. Studying how tribes used plant matter was a major aspect of his life. His Doctorate was awarded, with Santiago’s assistance, of course, on the same subject. The young man stood up. ‘I think I’ll need to sleep then, if we’ll see these chaps tomorrow. ‘Night all.’ Manolin turned, sauntered to a raft, then pushed it out into the lagoon as the others watched on.

Santiago’s turned his attention to the two rumel.

‘That’s the first time I’ve seen him smile all year,’ Arth said, sprawling back and staring at the stars. ‘I think the little chap’ll come out of his shell on this island. He hasn’t got that terror of his causing him grief anymore. And this is the sort of territory he loves to study.’

‘Aye,’ Jefry said. ‘It’s good to love your work, even if nothing else loves you.’

‘Oh come now, Jefry. Shall I fetch my violin?’ Arth said.

‘I know, I know. But I can’t help think that I’ve done something to upset Yana. She’s never been like this with me before.’

‘Well, you can’t go blaming yourself,’ Arth said. ‘It’s natural to think so, but coming away to a foreign place can make people a little upset. Sort of homesick. People just get uncomfortable, and don’t forget, she’s been stuck on a boat for a good while.’

Jefry nodded.

‘Just stay cool,Jef, stay cool.’

Santiago stood up, said good night to the doctor, and meandered along the beach then to the lagoon. He picked up a pearl-white shell and skimmed it along the sheltered water that the lagoon was. The shell bounced four times off of the water before shooting over the edge and into the sea. A young native girl came tugged on his breeches.

‘Oh, hello,’ he said. ‘Aren’t you a pretty little thing? You’re going to break some hearts, I can tell.’ She looked up, frowned so he ruffled her hair. ‘So young, so young. To be so innocent. Arrahd, I wish I could be so innocent again.’

He spent the next half an hour teaching her to skim shells across the lagoon. Pretty soon she had spun a twelver, leaving Santiago wide eyed. After she had gone to sleep it was two hours before he had bettered her and felt he could retire to his hut with a fourteener.

After he pulled his raft up to the hut and had climbed in, he checked his belongings for a musket and kicked Manolin awake. ‘Here, you take first watch. Wake me in an hour.’

Fifteen

‘Well
,
this is pier nineteen,’ Menz said. ‘That must be it then.’

‘She’s a big one. Let’s take a look on board,’ Yayle said.