The Seadragon's Daughter (21 page)
Read The Seadragon's Daughter Online
Authors: Alan F. Troop
We circle the small island once, the waters clear and shallow on three sides, dark blue and deep on the eastern side. After repeating our circuit a second time, we stop, floating just off shore, both of us sucking air into our blowholes, our sides heaving from our long sprint.
I search the waters around us, looking for the first sign of a dorsal fin approaching, listening for the first telltale whistle or click.
“Where to now?”
I mindspeak.
“Where to now?”
I mindspeak.
“Mowdar said to look for two large rocks sticking up from the sand by the edge of the island. We have to go through them to find the entrance to Dryndl’s Tomb. Look around. Do you see any large rocks sticking up?”
Raising partway out of the water, balancing on my tail, I study the island and find nothing.
“Are you sure you have the right island?”
I mindspeak.
“Are you sure you have the right island?”
I mindspeak.
“Undrae! I am a Pelk. We do not lose our way!”
Water breaks fifteen yards ahead of me. A blast of air follows as a dolphin clears its blowhole. Three more blasts follow—all four beasts positioned between us and the island. Lorrel and I both dive, racing toward the bottom, trying to pass under them.
“We don’t have to stay in the water,”
I mindspeak.
“We can change shape and go up on the island. After dark, I could fly us to your srrynn.”
I mindspeak.
“We can change shape and go up on the island. After dark, I could fly us to your srrynn.”
“Only if everything else fails,”
Lorrel mindspeaks.
“Mowdar wants me to bring something from the tomb. It would be best to find the rocks.”
Lorrel mindspeaks.
“Mowdar wants me to bring something from the tomb. It would be best to find the rocks.”
We manage to pass under the four beasts before they react and dive. I follow Lorrel as she speeds ahead, the Pelk girl rising to the surface to circle the island and search. But instead of swimming on the surface I stay below, watching in case one of the dolphins threatens to catch up to her.
By the time we reach the dark blue waters of the deep side, two dolphins race into sight from the other direction, and two appear behind us. Rather than speeding after Lorrel all four dive toward me.
Flipping over, diving, I mindspeak,
“Lorrel! They’re after me! Go ashore before they can turn on you next.”
“Lorrel! They’re after me! Go ashore before they can turn on you next.”
I plummet downward, the water turning cold, rushing past me, pressure building around me. The four dolphins click and whistle behind me, their sounds still far away but drawing a little bit closer every few seconds.
“I’m coming,”
Lorrel mindspeaks.
“Swim toward the island! We may find a hiding place there.”
Lorrel mindspeaks.
“Swim toward the island! We may find a hiding place there.”
“So we can run out of air and suffocate while we hide?”
I mindspeak. But I angle toward the island, staring at the sheer drop its stone side makes, from the surface to the sandy bottom somewhere below.
I mindspeak. But I angle toward the island, staring at the sheer drop its stone side makes, from the surface to the sandy bottom somewhere below.
The light dims the further I dive, until all goes dark around me. Without using my clicks and hearing to see, I would be blind. I swim on, the clicks and whistles of the beasts behind me continuing to draw near.
Finally, my clicks rebound almost instantly, showing me I’ve neared bottom. I level off, scraping my underbelly on the sand as I shoot toward the island’s stone wall. I hear/see two large rocks jutting from the sand toward my right and gasp. Altering course toward them, I mindspeak,
“I found your rocks!”
“I found your rocks!”
“Swim through them!”
I race between the two rocks, a hole in the sheer stone wall suddenly looming before me. Shooting into the hole, I find myself in a large, circular, stone chamber. As I circle it without finding an exit anywhere on its walls, one dolphin after another slips into the chamber and begins circling me.
Each one seems larger than the next, none of them less than ten feet long. I consider shifting to my natural form—my deadliest. But I realize if I do so, I’ll lose all ability to see in this dark water. Just shifting my mouth would prevent my jaw from receiving the reflected clicks that now make up my sight.
The four dolphins continue to circle, spreading themselves out until they have me surrounded on all sides. The largest of them lets out a whistle and they rush toward me.
With no choice but to stay and fight or to swim upward, I shoot up with a kick of my tail. But I find the stone dome of the cavern after only thirty yards. With four angry dolphins hot behind me, I scrape along the ceiling, looking, searching for any possible advantage.
The lead dolphin bites down on my left fluke. I rip it away from him and kick away, my blood seeping into the cold water. Kicking frantically, trying to leave him behind, I almost shoot past the crevice.
It’s barely six feet wide. I have no idea where it leads, but I slip into it and follow it upward. The lead dolphin trails just behind me, closing in and biting my poor fluke once again. But this time, in a closed place, with no danger of more than one creature attacking, I shift my good fluke into a leg and lash back at him with my rear talons.
Bleeting shrill whistles, the creature falls back. I ignore its pain and continue to rise.
“Lorrel? Where are you?”
I mindspeak.
“Lorrel? Where are you?”
I mindspeak.
“Just past the rocks. Where are you . . . and they?”
“I found a crevice in the chamber ceiling. It seems to go up. I think the dolphins are still in the chamber—though one of them’s probably pretty unhappy right now.”
“You should come to Dryndl’s Tomb any moment.”
With no dolphins in pursuit I become aware of the tightness building in my lungs.
“I hope so,”
I mindspeak.
“How much longer can the dolphins hold their breath?”
“I hope so,”
I mindspeak.
“How much longer can the dolphins hold their breath?”
“They cannot go more than about fifteen minutes between breaths. You should be able to go longer.”
“I think I did,”
I mindspeak.
I mindspeak.
“Just go a little further. I am sure all will be well for you. But I am not sure how to join you. . . .”
My head breaks clear of the water and I let out a blast of air, clearing my blowhole, sucking dank cave air in.
“I just made it up to the tomb. I’m going to swim back down. I’ll call for you to join me in the chamber when I do. You have a while until you run out of air, don’t you?”
“I just made it up to the tomb. I’m going to swim back down. I’ll call for you to join me in the chamber when I do. You have a while until you run out of air, don’t you?”
“I was the last to dive.”
“Good,”
I mindspeak.
“They have to start feeling a need for air pretty soon.”
I mindspeak.
“They have to start feeling a need for air pretty soon.”
Taking one last breath, I dive down the crevice, racing for the bottom as quickly as my flippers and flukes can carry me. Calling out to Lorrel,
“Now!”
I burst into the chamber, ramming the largest dolphin in his side, biting his flukes as he writhes in agony.
“Now!”
I burst into the chamber, ramming the largest dolphin in his side, biting his flukes as he writhes in agony.
Another dolphin shoots toward me, and Lorrel slams into it, leaving the stunned creature and biting another. The fourth dolphin turns and streaks out of the chamber, toward the open ocean. I wheel and ram the Pelk girl’s first target, the beast shuddering from the impact and swimming away slowly toward the chamber entrance.
With only one healthy dolphin left, I mindspeak,
“Go find the crevice!”
and turn, rushing at the creature. But, either low on air or unsure it can win, it turns and flees too.
“Go find the crevice!”
and turn, rushing at the creature. But, either low on air or unsure it can win, it turns and flees too.
Just the large dolphin remains, its body twitching on the chamber floor. I consider finishing it, but my lungs have already begun to ache for fresh air. Leaving it to die, I speed upward to the crevice and climb until I burst from the water. My sides heaving, my heart still racing, I clear my blowhole and suck in deeps breaths of cave air.
“Do you still find dolphins so lovable?”
Lorrel mindspeaks.
Lorrel mindspeaks.
I look up from the water. Already in her natural form, the Pelk girl has begun pouring phosphorescent powder into a glowpool, a green glow growing, chasing the dark from the small cavern.
“I find I like fighting them even less than I like eating them,”
I mindspeak.
I mindspeak.
Lorrel trills out a laugh.
“It appears to me you do both equally well. Mowdar will be pleased.”
“It appears to me you do both equally well. Mowdar will be pleased.”
“Mowdar’s opinion means nothing to me.”
“Undrae, take care. It will go better for you if he respects you.”
“What will go better?”
I mindspeak.
I mindspeak.
She shakes her head.
“Come join me. This is another safehold. We have dried fish stored here. Change form, eat and rest. We are not far from home. You will have all your questions answered soon.”
“Come join me. This is another safehold. We have dried fish stored here. Change form, eat and rest. We are not far from home. You will have all your questions answered soon.”
My wounds ache, as do my lungs and my empty stomach. I yearn to be done with this, to be home, to rest in my bed, not on a pile of seaweed in a cold, dank cave.
“Not soon enough,”
I mindspeak.
“Not soon enough,”
I mindspeak.
22
This time I accept when Lorrel offers me a dried slab of fish. This time I offer no objection when she sits next to me, so close that her haunch warms mine. After all, I’ve allowed the Pelk girl to penetrate my consciousness. How can I object to such a small, innocent physical thing as our sides touching after such intimacy?
Besides, Caya DeLaSangre and Miami, Chloe and my children, seem so far away, so long ago. I count the days and shake my head. Only three have passed, and the fourth still has many hours until it ends. Chloe won’t even be back from Morgan’s Hole for days more.
I frown, wonder how I’ve come to feel so distant from my family in such a short time. Focusing my mind on my wife, I picture her and our children until I finally ache for their company again.
Lorrel nudges closer, pressing against me.
“You fight as well as any Pelk. I think I would have died before without your help,”
she mindspeaks.
“You fight as well as any Pelk. I think I would have died before without your help,”
she mindspeaks.
“I think you would have escaped to the island and waited for the dolphins to leave.”
She strokes her tail over mine, the underside of hers smooth and pleasant as it massages me.
“I gave you a compliment, Undrae. Accept it.”
“I gave you a compliment, Undrae. Accept it.”
“Sure,”
I mindspeak, my stomach full of dried fish, my body relaxing after our hours of tension and effort, the Pelk girl’s warmth joining with the rest to make me drowsy. I lean toward Lorrel, press slightly against her before I catch myself and pull back. Chloe, I think, Chloe. How I wish she were with me now.
I mindspeak, my stomach full of dried fish, my body relaxing after our hours of tension and effort, the Pelk girl’s warmth joining with the rest to make me drowsy. I lean toward Lorrel, press slightly against her before I catch myself and pull back. Chloe, I think, Chloe. How I wish she were with me now.
Lorrel nuzzles her snout against my shoulder.
“We cannot sleep now, Peter. We must go. Mowdar will be impatient if we stay here too long,”
she mindspeaks.
“I will make a nest for you tonight. You will be able to sleep long into morning.”
“We cannot sleep now, Peter. We must go. Mowdar will be impatient if we stay here too long,”
she mindspeaks.
“I will make a nest for you tonight. You will be able to sleep long into morning.”
I shake my head.
“In the morning I will want to leave as soon as possible.”
“In the morning I will want to leave as soon as possible.”
“Of course,”
she mindspeaks.
“Whatever you and Mowdar decide.”
she mindspeaks.
“Whatever you and Mowdar decide.”
Lorrel leads me away from the water to a dark passageway at the far side of the small cavern.
“Dryndl and his srrynn carved this passageway during the Great War. They cut an entire staircase out of the rock. This was the first Pelk safehold. Dryndl died defending it from the Undrae, and his srrynn entombed him somewhere in its walls. Mowdar says the staircase will lead us to another cavern where we will find our way out.”
“Dryndl and his srrynn carved this passageway during the Great War. They cut an entire staircase out of the rock. This was the first Pelk safehold. Dryndl died defending it from the Undrae, and his srrynn entombed him somewhere in its walls. Mowdar says the staircase will lead us to another cavern where we will find our way out.”
“Mowdar told you about the two rocks too, right?”
She looks at me and shakes her head.
“I have nothing to carry glowlight in, so follow me as best you can.”
“I have nothing to carry glowlight in, so follow me as best you can.”
After a few steps, we leave the green glow of the cavern behind us. I feel my way up each wide stone step, aware of Lorrel scuffling in front of me.
We reach another cavern after only a few minutes of climbing. Lorrel feels around until she finds supplies stacked on stone shelves. Once again she sprinkles phosphorescent powder into a small glowpool. She returns to the shelves, searches until she picks up a small package, wrapped in what looks like leather, about the size of a hardbound book.
“Good, this is what Mowdar wanted.”
“Good, this is what Mowdar wanted.”
“And it is?”
“I only know that I was to find something wrapped in dolphin hide. We use that to make things waterproof. I am sure Mowdar will explain what is inside.”
I laugh.
“He’s going to need a list to explain all the things you’ve promised.”
“He’s going to need a list to explain all the things you’ve promised.”
The Pelk girl ignores me.
“We can leave now,”
she mindspeaks, pointing to the far corner of the cavern, where water laps against the stone.
“That underwater passageway will take us to the outside. It will not be too much farther before we reach my srrynn’s hunting waters. Few dolphins venture there anymore. We will have no need to change from our natural forms.”
“We can leave now,”
she mindspeaks, pointing to the far corner of the cavern, where water laps against the stone.
“That underwater passageway will take us to the outside. It will not be too much farther before we reach my srrynn’s hunting waters. Few dolphins venture there anymore. We will have no need to change from our natural forms.”
Heaving a long sigh, I frown at the dark water. I want no more dampness, no more swimming underwater until my chest threatens to burst.
“Can’t we go another way?” I mindspeak.
“Can’t we go another way?” I mindspeak.
The Pelk girl shakes her head.
“There is no other way.”
“There is no other way.”
After the dark of the deep water and the caverns, I emerge from the passageway expecting night. Instead, we swim into water made warm and light by a late-afternoon sun. Lorrel swims toward the surface and I follow her, both of us skimming just under the surface, taking breaths when we please. She sets the pace, holding the package in her front claws, using her broad tail to propel her forward, swimming in a straight line toward the southern tip of Andros Island.
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