Water

Wave Seventy Two

A crowd of Scouts had gathered round Hali, Tal and Nerida. Hali was desperately trying to keep Firth from Naeco. When he saw Leira approaching, he stormed to her.
(You brought another Mer into our Nest?)
(Firth, just let me-)
Firth slapped Leira, and her head snapped to the side. She gasped, holding her hand to her cheek. Darya barrelled through the crowds. Leira saw Anahita nod to her, and relief spread across Darya’s face. Until she caught sight of Naeco.
(Who is that?) she hissed to Firth.
(Exactly what I’d like to know,) he shot back. They turned to Leira.
         
Leira’s mind raced as she tried to figure out what to tell them. She settled on the truth – or as much of it as she could give without compromising the Sources.
(He’s from another herd. They found me after I…) Leira hesitated, not wanting to remind Firth that she’d left the Nest without permission. (They found me. They steal Sources from other herds and-)
(Then why bring him here?) cried Firth. He reared up and punched the wall nearest to Naeco in his anger. Naeco’s eyes widened with shock and he began to struggle against Tal and Nerida’s grip. He paused, remembering himself and tried to goad Firth.
(Kill me then! You heard what she said – we steal Sources. We murder too. So kill me!)
         
Fire flashed in Naeco’s eyes and Firth responded to his challenge. He drew his tail up and smacked it down. Tal and Nerida pulled Naeco away and Firth’s tail crashed into the wall where they’d been. A cloud of dust flew into the water and Firth spat in irritation. Leira swam to him and put her hand on his chest.
(He wants you to kill him Firth; it’s how they steal Sources. I can’t explain it all to you, there isn’t time. But if he dies, so do we.) She looked at Naeco with regret. Naeco winked boldly back at her. Cringing, Leira turned back to Firth. He’d seen. Understanding flooded his face, and he sneered,
(What is he to you, Guardian, that you’re so desperate to save his life? Maybe there’s another reason you want him to live?) Leira paused. What was he to her?
(It doesn’t matter now,) she thought, answering her own question as much as Firth’s.
         
Darya’s thought projected crisply to them. (Well if we can’t kill him, what can we do?) Anahita replied quickly – she’d obviously been thinking about it.
(We imprison him, for now. Administer urchin venom so he can’t connect to us.)
(What, so he can use up our Sources and live with our Herd?) Firth joined in. Leira tuned out the argument. They were missing the point. A bigger threat loomed and they needed to know.
         
The projection stunned them all into stillness. It danced in the water, hovering before them. Leira made sure they were all watching as she showed her memory of the sphere. Of Arla hitting it and being thrown off it, stunned. Of a Black Tail being mutilated by the smaller sphere. And of the strange creatures that watched in silence as the violence had unfolded. It was Kai who thought first. He’d been watching quietly.
(Those creatures – were they sentient?)
(They were aware,) Leira replied, remembering the words that had been projected to her. (They wanted to hurt us. They knew what they were doing.)
(What can be done?) Leira realised Kai was still projecting to her, and was proud to be included. She’d been thinking about the spheres ever since she’d first seen them. She thought about the Black Tails, and how they’d wanted to destroy the creatures.
         
Taking a shaky breath, Leira thought. (It’s too big for one herd to take on. But if we could unite…) She looked at Naeco. He drew up his chin and looked at them defiantly.
(They’ll never agree to it! We don’t need another herd to help us fight our battles.)
(No, you just use other herds to steal from to keep you alive,) Leira replied dryly. She looked at Kai. (I think they’d agree to a treaty, if we approached them in the right way. We can give Naeco back to them as a gesture of our intent.)
(Give him back?) Firth was incredulous. (He knows where the Nest is, and you would just give him back?)
Leira sighed. (This is bigger than the Herd, Firth. That thing – that sphere – it’s poisoning the waters. It wants to kill us. Those creatures, they aren’t right. And they won’t stop.) As Leira thought it, she knew it was true.
         
One by one, the leaders nodded their heads. Leira looked out and saw how many Mer had gathered at the entrance to Anahita’s caverns. The water was awash with Mer from different clans, their tail colours flashing in the orb lights. Determination shone in their eyes. Leira cast out her mind and connected to the Herd. She felt their thoughts buzz through her mind and sensed their resolve. They wanted to live. They wanted to fight.
(We can search for other herds too,) she added. (Seek them out. Show them my memory – they’ll join us.)
         
(For now, we give the Black Tail the venom. Cut him off while we prepare to leave.) Leira was surprised to see that Dale had thought this. She remembered he’d been a friend of Eli’s. Her father used to say he was a great strategist. She smiled at his support, then turned to Naeco. She felt a pang of guilt that he was going to be punished because of her, but at least she’d managed to save his life. Perhaps, in time, their herds could unite and they could-
         
Her daydream was cut short by a sudden movement. Naeco had waited for a lapse in Tal and Nerida’s concentration. He jerked his arm from Tal’s grasp and reached for Hali. He pulled the dagger from her hand and slashed at the Mer holding his other arm. Nerida. Her face whitened as she held up her wrist. Naeco’s dagger had opened it and blood poured from her veins. She crumpled to the seabed, and Tal caught her in his arms. Her golden hair fell about her shoulders, and Tal brushed it softly from her face. He bent his face down and his lips loosely brushed hers. Wordlessly, a tear escaped from her eyes as she panted for breath. Two healers pushed Tal aside, armed with seamoss. He cried in agony as the light began to fade from Nerida’s eyes.
         
In the confusion, Naeco smiled darkly. Eyes trained on Leira, he held the dagger in the air.
(You were right,) he thought simply. (You never should have trusted me.) He brought the dagger down, and it quivered in his chest. For a moment, Leira thought no damage had been done. He continued to blink at her, and his chest rose and fell. Then, a trickle of dark blood fell from the dagger. Naeco floated to the ground. Leira rushed to him, and watched as his breaths came faster and faster and his gills strained. Without warning, his breaths stopped.
         
With a cry of anguish, Leira reached out her mind. She flung it desperately to the Source in Anahita’s home. Frantic, she searched the whispers it contained. And then she heard him.
(Naeco?)
(Leira?) His whisper filled her. She wanted to distract him, so he couldn’t project to the Warriors. She needed to find a way to use up his energy before he had a chance to reveal her Herd's location. She sensed his determination, and felt him slipping from her grasp as he sought to project to his Seer, to call his herd to him. Pushing past her distress, Leira wrapped her mind around his whisper and drew it to her. She felt it snaking its way out of the cavern. She looked and saw a cord of light weaving its way through the water. It tried to resist, but she was too powerful. It reached her. Leira scooped it into her hands, feeling Naeco’s soul burn her skin. She flew to where Nerida lay, her life almost ebbed away. Goodbye Naeco, she thought, as she pressed the ball of light to Nerida’s wrist. She pictured his soul giving life back to her friend. She pictured the wound closing and healing. She pictured her friend, healthy and well. And for one last time, she pictured Naeco.
         
Nerida’s eyes fluttered open. Leira felt for Naeco’s being, but sensed nothing. He was gone. She felt herself knocked out of the way, and saw Tal rush into Nerida’s arms. Firth snarled in distress and began to project, but Anahita stopped him. She gazed at him wordlessly and Leira knew the Seer was telling him what had happened. His next thought shook when he projected to them.
(Call a meeting of the Councils. Now.)
Shaken, Leira glanced at her tail. Detached, she realised it was almost pure white, with streaks of amethyst scales twining their way across it. It looked like crystal quartz. Leira tilted it in the orb light. She liked it.