Dolphin Way: Rise of the Guardians (16 page)

Sky noticed that a few of the young dolphins around him seemed to be listening attentively and nodding as though they agreed with this rhetoric. He interrupted: ‘So, what would you have us do?’

North Wind turned to him. ‘Ah, yes, young Touches The Sky, our newest Voice. Now, you always seemed like a moderately intelligent young zeta; can’t you work it out? We can’t just float about like plankton, hoping the other zetii species will see reason. We have to make them understand that they
have
to comply. It’s no good asking them to please be nice! They are parasites in our range, they would eat
us
if they could!’

Sky went on, realising a cracked edge was entering his voice, ‘So we do what? Use force? Attack them? Kill them even? Like the Guardians want? What about the Way?’

North Wind gave a hollow laugh, evidently pleased that he was getting to Sky. ‘You expect me openly to countenance what the Guardians preach? I would have thought you — with your family connections — should know the penalties. To openly endorse their philosophies or make any contact with them means exile! Pah! They may be pariahs to us, but that does not mean that every thought they have is bad!’

He swam off in his awkward way before any of them had a chance to reply.

‘
I hate it when he does that!’ Sky exploded, ‘He always goes off just when he thinks he’s ahead in an argument; never lets you reply!’

Many of the dolphins were now discussing what had just taken place in low tones, the bubble art forgotten. Deneb signalled to Sky and Muddy that they should go, and they swam off towards the shallows, leaving the others behind.

Muddy broke the silence. ‘I don’t understand how he’s still here with the clan with the things he says. Not only that, but he even has a place on the Council!’

‘
Well,’ Deneb observed, ‘if you listen to him carefully, he never actually endorses the hardline stuff the Guardians propose.’

Sky looked doubtful. ‘Surely he must have spent time with them though, he sounds just like one.’

‘
How do you know Sky?’ asked Deneb archly, ‘I hope you haven’t been visiting them during your little expedition with Muddy?’

‘
No, I didn’t! But if Rain Ending doesn’t come with news about my father at the Gathering...’

‘
You’ll what?’

Sky shook his head and sped ahead, leaving Muddy and Deneb behind him.

Chapter 18

“
Ah, decisions in love

If it eases your spirit

Believe that you think with your mind

But your body dictates what you think about

And your heart decides what you do”

- The poet Jupiter by Regulas (9,467-9,491 post Great Alluvium)

Twenty-eight days later, just before the next full moon, Dusk was once again swimming through the night towards the familiar rock arch. This time Storm Before Darkness was waiting for her, but in the distance she could just make out the shapes of two more dolphins by the moonlight. They were still hovering in the background after she and Storm had made their greetings and, according to their habit, had begun to swim together along the steep, sandy slope.

‘
Do you have to have those big lugs following you around all the time?’

Storm glanced back at the hulking forms of the two followers, ‘Rock and Nightfall? They just want to protect me.’

‘
Protect you from what? I hate having them follow us around all the time.’

‘
Look, little one, there are many who fear what the Guardians represent and they might want to harm me — you too if they knew how important you are to me. And besides, they like doing this job; they think it’s an honour.’

‘
You could at least have someone interesting hanging around that I could talk to when you are busy,’ Dusk complained, ‘those two have the intellect of a sea cucumber — and that’s if you combine both their minds.’

Storm laughed. ‘Well they don’t get the job for being great conversationalists, but they are good fighters! Stay here a moment, and I’ll tell them to wait by the arch for us.’

She watched him go back to talk to them. Rock On Sand seemed to be objecting at first but they left after a few words. As they moved away into the darkness she thought she saw Sorrow After Nightfall give her a hard look. She found herself wondering how Storm knew they were such good fighters and why that mattered so much.

Storm approached her from behind and, dropping his pectoral fins, swam above her back, caressing her from tail to head, then turned in slow circles around her head, nuzzling her face with his.

‘
I missed you so much,’ he murmured, ‘you don’t know how much.’

‘
Well perhaps I missed you too,’ she said tartly, and swam quickly away into the shallows, leaving a stream of flickering phosphorescence in her wake. Storm followed her and easily caught up. He slipped above her and pushed her down with his body until they were almost swimming on the sand.

‘
Storm, get off!’ she said, trying to sound angry, but the feeling of his physical power over her gave her the same confusing mix of emotions.

‘
Stop swimming and I will!’

She stopped, but looked away from him. He swam again from her tail to her head, this time spiralling around her body, caressing her with his pectoral fins. It felt delicious but she tried to stay unmoved.

‘
You’re driving me crazy,’ Storm whispered to her, and this time her eyes smiled. ‘Ha!’ he cried, ‘she isn’t made of ice!’ He quickly somersaulted backwards over her head and disappeared behind her. In a moment though, he was under her, pressing his belly against hers.

She felt his need for her and a shock of hot desire ran through her body, but she peeled away from him and moved off a little way.

‘
Storm, no!’ she gasped, ‘you know my situation as a Novice! This is so unfair of you!’

‘
Who would know if you are celibate or not?’ he growled, ‘and anyway that finishes in just three moons!’

‘
No, and that’s it! Now let’s talk about something else.’

Storm was terse for a while, but started asking her about the Gathering which was to start the next evening. She answered distractedly, fighting with her own inner desires. Although she did want him in moments of passion, she had to admit to herself that it was a relief to have the excuse of being a final year Novice. Without it, would she take their relationship further? There was something that troubled her about Storm, but she could not say what.

She told him about the planned celebrations and who would be there. He was quite shocked to hear the news about Cloud Passing and also seemed very interested to hear about the ambassador who was coming to represent the clans of common dolphins.

‘
A Xenthos appearing at a Gathering?’ he said, ‘Has that ever happened before?’

‘
Yes, once, in 12,231,’ she said. ‘I had to unlock some data at dusk yesterday for the Council and that was one of the things I remember.’

‘
Over a thousand years ago!’ Storm exclaimed, ‘You Starwriters are amazing. Just how much have they stuffed in that pretty head of yours?’

‘
It feels like far too much, but maybe that is to do with all the studying at the Academy! I’m hoping it will get easier soon when I graduate, then at least I’ll only be using my subconscious for all this stuff.’

‘
And you really can’t recall any of it without an unlocking song?’

‘
No, I’ve told you this a hundred times! Just accept that you can’t imagine what it is like — you couldn’t do it as a male anyway. We can’t access any of it without the right unlocking song and the right cosmic arrangement. Can we talk about something else please?’

They carried on talking and swimming in the pale light for hours. Eventually they made their way back to the arch where the two bodyguards were waiting restlessly. The sky was becoming lighter so they quickly said their farewells and Dusk left.

Storm watched Dusk’s slim form disappear into the now blue-grey water.

‘
Kark-Du Storm Before Darkness?’
Rock On Sand said respectfully.

‘
Yes,’ said Storm distractedly.

‘
She is one of those Academy types isn’t she, Kark-Du? Must be clever I suppose.’

‘
Very. And a Starwriter too.’

‘
A Starwriter?’ Rock echoed dully, ‘Wasn’t that female who joined us a few moons back a Starwriter?’

‘
That’s right,’ Storm murmured, half to himself, ‘the first one to join us. And a Dreamweaver too.’

Rock began again, encouraged by his leader’s softer mood, ‘Kark-Du…,’ but Storm was back in the moment.

‘
Come on,’ he said brusquely, ‘we have a lot to do.’

He led them back the short distance to the region of coral heads that the Guardians were basing themselves from for the present. The sun was half above the horizon now and the shallowest water had a pinkish tinge.

As they neared the mass of dolphins, Storm’s second in command, Sharp Beak, made his signature call and approached them. His small wiry body looked odd in contrast to his over-large head. This was tipped with an unusually long rostrum that immediately revealed the source of his name.

‘
Greetings, Kark-Du, how was your rendezvous?’

‘
Pleasant enough,’ Storm replied. Then, to his bodyguards: ‘Rock, Nightfall, go and find something to eat. Meet me back here at half post-noon and bring the rest of the Inner Guard — I have something important to explain to them.’

As they left, Sharp Beak looked interested.

‘
Well, Kark-Du, you have lost a lot of sleep with your night-time meetings, I hope it has proven worthwhile.’

Storm’s eyes flicked towards him, betraying his annoyance. ‘She amuses me. And I think she is close to being converted to our beliefs. You know the value I place on her joining us.’

The smaller dolphin nodded, and picked his next words more carefully, cautious of angering his master. ‘Did she tell you anything new about the Gathering?’

‘
The only news to me was that Cloud Passing is to make a Darkening Dive at the Gathering.’

‘
I’ve heard of Cloud Passing.’

‘
He’s reputedly a zeta of high integrity who has reached the first level of consciousness — I wish I’d met him. Too bad for him, but good for us. He was a senior Aligner, and this gets him out of the way quicker than we could hope. Everything else she said was confirmation of what our source has already told me.’

‘
We are lucky to have such a well placed spy Kark-Du.’

Storm grunted. ‘It nearly all went wrong. That silly little female that followed him — she might have identified him and then we would have had to redo much of our work.’

‘
How did you find out who she was in the end?’

‘
Later, she had a chance meeting with our friend and hinted at what she thought she had seen. It seems it was too much for her conscience to accuse another without telling them first!’

‘
Ahh. So that’s why he led her to us.’

‘
Typical of his hypocrisy! He doesn’t want any zeta blood in his jaws, but he’s happy for us to do it for him.’

‘
Still, he has been very useful. Your plan seems to be going well, Kark-Du’

‘
I am encouraged. But everything must go perfectly if we are to accomplish our goals. The time is right to finally raise the Ka-Tse from lethargy. So many are growing frustrated with the old, soft interpretations of the Way. They are beginning to open their eyes to the hard facts. The Way is meant for the Ka-Tse alone, not these lesser zetii. They only need waking up to see that they have the power to dominate them. There is already plenty of mistrust; if we can just give them enough reason to hate them, the events we need to happen will take place naturally.’

‘
And we can move forward now, Kark Du?’

Storm narrowed his eyes. ‘Yes. We’ll soon have a chance to right the wrongs against our clan. I think one or two good zetii may have to make the ultimate sacrifice, but they will be remembered well for it in time. Thanks in part to their gift, the other Ka-Tse will soon learn that they are the rightful masters of Ocean and their children no longer need to go hungry. They will finally see why they have to stop these lesser creatures taking what is rightfully theirs.’

Chapter 19

“
Give your family and lovers the respect you give a stranger and you will always be loved.”

- Traditional

Dusk approached the headland at the east end of the clan’s bay as the day was just beginning. She leapt from the water from time to time and could now see signs of activity. The other bottlenose dolphin clans had begun to arrive in the last two days and the bay was getting crowded with them. Against the first rays of the new sun, there was evidence of their multitude in the distance, with many of the younger ones jumping from the golden water in their excitement. She stopped surfacing and held her breath for the final part of the approach to the headland so as not to arouse suspicion.