Dolphin Way: Rise of the Guardians (14 page)

Sky had forgotten that Last To Speak was Bellatrix’s father. He remembered how aggressive he had been to him when the rumours had started about Sky’s father. ‘Do you think he’ll do anything about it?’

‘
I hope not. He might try and twist things to make you look bad. I guess we can only wait and see.’

Muddy tried to comfort him. ‘Sky, these things happen. The younger ones can black out suddenly sometimes. That’s why they have to make their first deeper dives under supervision. You did the right thing: you saw her problem and you brought her up. Everything was fine in the end.’

‘
But I didn’t see her fast enough. I wasn’t concentrating properly. If I had been, I might have seen the signs and…’

Dusk interrupted him gently. ‘Sky, you are always so hard on yourself. How did the lesson end up? Did they learn anything about the Shades?’

‘
Well, they are a bright group, especially little Lost In Moonlight. But the Shades foretold gloomy events, and she seems to take them very seriously’.

‘
What did they say?’

‘
Essentially, that there would be some kind of important meeting followed by conflict with everything set on a background of decay or danger.’

‘
Danger!’ Dusk said. ‘Well, that fits with what happened to Born and Wakes. And the meeting would be the Gathering, and the conflict might be the debates about the lack of food and why it’s happening.’

Muddy broke in: ‘That’s what the Guardians are using to recruit new members to them. That the Za-Hana or the Xenthos are stealing our food and we have to take action against them; even kill if need be.’

‘
That will do!’ A stern voice broke in. The Novices spun around to see an elderly dolphin behind them staring at them icily. Both his voice and his stiff posture carried authority. His body carried a number of old scars but, most noticeably, the tip of his dorsal fin was missing from an old wound, making it look oddly stunted.

‘
Greetings, Green Wave Falling-Jeii,’ they intoned penitently.

‘
Greetings, class. It seems your minds are far
too
open. Guardians! Killing! Muddy River Mouth, do you learn nothing! You know very well that the Way expressly forbids the killing of other creatures except for food, and that therefore includes the Za-Hana and the Xenthos. They may not be of our species or speak our tongue, but they are still zetii. They breathe air as we do and their tails parallel the sea surface as ours do. This is sacrilege!’

Muddy looked crestfallen.

‘
But I was only repeating what others have said, Green Wave Falling-Jeii.’

‘
Which
others precisely?’ Green Wave demanded pedantically, his eyes burning.

‘
Well, um, North Wind said it openly just a few days ago.’

‘
And North Wind would do well to take his ideas to some other clan before he suffers banishment from this one! There is a zeta heading for exile if ever I saw one.’

He glared at them all.

‘
May I remind you that you are supposedly Novices seeking oneness with Ocean! You cannot deviate from the Way in any detail: it has been our path throughout history and it forbids such thoughts. I am particularly surprised at you taking part in this, Deneb Rising. What would Silent Waters say?’

‘
My mother has always encouraged free thought, Jeii,’ Deneb answered, meeting his disapproving stare with a steady gaze.

‘
Does she now? Well, there will be a chance for all of you to express your free thoughts later today. You will all come with me to meet the Prime Mother and explain yourselves this half postnoon! Now, we move on to our lesson for today. The mind must control the body; only then can it control itself! We will begin with cardiac control. You will dive to the seabed below us and I will begin to count. Synchronise your heartbeats with my voice. I will slow my counting and you are to keep your heartbeats in pace. Take a breath and join me at the bottom. No one surfaces without my permission. Let us see if we can expunge these base thoughts with a little suffering.’

Chapter 16

“
To be remembered as great we must recognise when to begin the new and when to end the old.”

- The ‘Seer’ Stone Eyes (13,222 -13,264 post Great Alluvium)

They approached the still form of the elderly dolphin that lay on a small patch of seagrass. Green Wave signalled the four Novices to wait by a rocky outcrop that protruded from the sand close by. He moved closer to her and sank to the seabed a little way from her, apparently to wait for her to end her meditation.

Sky watched her carefully. Silent Waters was the nearest thing to a mother he had had for most of his life but he still shared much of the reverence that most of the clan had for her. Now she was lying motionless on the grass, her half-closed eyes fixed on a small hole under an isolated rock. Sky could just make out that there was a small octopus at the entrance of the hole, its eyes fixed on hers. Green Wave continued to wait respectfully.

A single Parrotfish approached the outcrop beside the four Novices, its brilliant blue and green body flashing brightly against the dull brown of the rock. It eyed their still forms warily and seemed to decide that they were no threat at present. The Parrotfish inspected the desultory coral cover of the rock and selected one section of low growth. It darted forward and snapped off some stony coral polyps with a loud crunch. Fragments of limestone rained down from it as it continued its patrol of the rock.

At last Silent Waters roused herself slightly and spoke. Sky, who was the nearest of the four Novices, could just hear her.

‘
Greetings, Green Wave Falling.’

‘
Greetings, Prime Mother. Were you about to eat?’

‘
No, not at all; I do not eat these creatures, they remind me too much of some of our fellows.’

Green Wave nodded slightly, as though he was unsure as to whether or not this may be a joke. She continued on, her gaze still fixed on the octopus.

‘
They are clearly highly
intelligent, yet each one has no thoughts beyond the survival of itself and perhaps its young. No concerns for conservation of Ocean’s resources, no concept of the Right to Life, of ethical behaviour. Why do we alone carry these burdens?’

‘
We act in accordance of the Way,’ he replied stiffly, ‘The zetii were chosen to act as guardians of Ocean.’

‘
Ah, yes, guardians. But not
the
Guardians.’

Sky thought Green Wave Falling looked uncomfortable at this, but he continued, his voice in a low tone. Sky could still make out what was said though. ‘The so-called Guardians are an abomination of course. They are corrupt and flout the laws of the Way.’

‘
Laws? What about the spirit of it?’ She raised herself from the seabed and turned to look at him full on. He shifted slightly under her clear, quizzical gaze.

‘
I do not concern myself with trying to divine the spirit of the Way,’ he replied evasively. ‘The histories we have provide clear enough guidance’.

Silent Waters replied, but as she did so the Parrotfish took two more mouthfuls of coral with loud crunches. Sky stared at it in annoyance and only heard her completing her point:

‘…
have never seen Ocean as sick as we see her now. Forces beyond all experience are at work. Perhaps new interpretations should be considered. You know that some will be saying as much at the Gathering.’

‘
The Way has served the Ka-Tse and other zeta species well through the millennia,’ Green Wave replied obstinately. ‘We cannot deviate from its teachings.’

‘
I am not suggesting deviation,’ she smiled, ‘but we must listen to these new ideas and consider the
spirit
of the Way as well as the histories. The Way did not spring into being instantly. The first guidance was created by the wise zetii of the ancient times and over the ages other wise zetii supplemented that knowledge, adding more interpretations and advice. Just because words are ancient does not make them infallible. The wise ones of old could not foresee every possibility, nor should we presume that the ancients had a monopoly on wisdom. The ones who monitor such things for us…’

Another explosive crunch beside Sky’s head drowned her out. In exasperation, Sky opened his eyes wide at the Parrotfish and made a small snapping gesture at it. The little fish darted away but then stopped. Somehow it seemed to sense that Sky could not move at present. It came back to its feeding spot, and, while eyeing Sky, took another loud bite. Sky could not help but imagine it had a smug expression in its eye as it did so.

Green Wave had apparently redirected the conversation in the meantime, and was now talking about the Novices.

‘…
your son amongst them, talking about heretical things, even zeta killing zeta.’

‘
Indeed? And what did you do?’

‘
I castigated them of course. It is wholly inappropriate for them to be speaking that way, especially your son. He may well be leading the clan one day!’

‘
Perhaps there may be value in talking to them about it. In my experience, true belief comes from understanding, not received dogma. I see you have brought them here, let me speak to them.’

She swam over to the Novices accompanied by a stern faced Green Wave Falling.

‘
First, let me say how sad I was to learn of Wakes Softly’s death. We are trying to find out what happened, of course, and if we learn more we will tell you. I am deeply disturbed that we have had two seemingly unnatural deaths so close together, and if you think of anything that might explain them you must tell me at once. But now you are here because your teacher tells me that you have made statements that contradicted the tenets of the Way. Muddy River Mouth, is this true?’

‘
Prime Mother, we were only discussing the things that everyone speaks about these days: the lack of hunting and why it is happening. I just repeated what they say the Guardians believe.’

Green Wave snorted. ‘You see Prime Mother! Shameless! Advocating their beliefs is forbidden!’

She nodded slightly towards him. ‘Yes, thank you for reminding us of what is forbidden, Green Wave Falling-
Jeii
. And it seems to me that the key expression here is advocating. Agreeing with the ideas of the Guardians may be a reason for exile but discussing them is not. Do you agree with them, Muddy?’

‘
Absolutely not, Prime Mother!’

‘
I am glad to hear it.’ She looked each of the others in the eye. Deneb looked back steadily; Dusk smiled slightly and looked away. She last looked at Sky. He found it hard to hold that look; it seemed to see straight through the lens of his eye and into the back reaches of his mind. He wondered if Cloud Passing would have told her about his experience with the Guardians. Then she spoke again. ‘Your first lesson tomorrow should take the form of a debate, I think. Each of you can explain one of the tenets of Guardian belief as you understand them and defend it as best you can. The others can apply counter arguments. Green Wave Falling will act as moderator.’

Green Wave Falling said nothing, but Sky thought he looked deeply unhappy with this outcome. Silent Waters changed the subject: ‘It is useful that you are here in another respect though. A Council Meeting is about to begin. I have received a nomination for a replacement Voice which I have accepted. Councillor Green Wave Falling: Touches The Sky is our new Voice of Youth.’

The older dolphin bowed slightly to Sky, and murmured something that might have been congratulations or welcome, or perhaps something else completely. His eyes looked cold and hostile to Sky.

Silent Waters dismissed the other three Novices, and led Sky a short distance to where the Council meeting was to be held. Green Wave trailed behind them. Sky stayed parallel to her as she swam and made brief excursions to the surface. He listened attentively as she briefed him about his role at the meetings. This seemed simple enough; most of her guidance related to the proper etiquette to be observed when addressing other Council members, what to do if he wished to speak and so on. However, for the time being, Sky resolved to say nothing unless he was asked.

They reached the appointed place and almost immediately Cloud Passing and five other elderly dolphins approached, making their signature calls.

After an exchange of pleasantries, including a special welcome to Sky, they formed a rough circle at the seabed, each of them upright with their tails brushing the swaying sea grass. Silent Waters declared the meeting open, slipping into the traditional dialogue style of a Council meeting.

‘
The Council considers a request from the Voice of the Others. The Council recognises the respected Councillor Cloud Passing.’

Cloud Passing, long-time holder of the post of Voice of the Others, moved to the centre of the circle, ‘This zeta gives thanks to the Council for their consideration and reports that the Voice of the Others wishes to invite an ambassador of the Xenthos to speak to the Grand Council at the coming Gathering.’ He backed into the circle circumference again.

Green Wave Falling raised his head slightly. Silent Waters nodded imperceptibly and he entered the circle.