Dolphin Way: Rise of the Guardians (27 page)

‘
Sky! What are you doing out here on your own, and what have you done to yourself?’

Before Sky could answer, the three guards appeared around the headland. When they saw the scouts with Sky they stopped, clearly not liking the odds any more. One called out, ‘Come back, little friend, we haven’t finished our games yet!’

Hunts Alone called back at them. ‘Where are your manners? Do you not give your signature calls when you meet strangers?’

The guard laughed, and then, his voice full of sarcasm, shouted, ‘I am so terribly sorry. Allow me to introduce us all. We are the Guardians. And now, we must leave our friend in your care and bid you farewell.’ Then they turned and swam back the way they had come, still laughing.

Hunts Alone looked shocked and turned back to Sky. ‘Guardians! I’m sorry Sky, but I’m going to have to report this. You are going to have to face the Council. They’ll have to decide what to do with you.’

Chapter 35

“
Test not my love so now

The depth of your love

Is hidden to me

By mirrored surface

Is there place for me to dive?

Seek not yet

To fathom mine”

- From the Arcturus’ Love Sonnets

Sky was summoned to a hastily convened Council meeting that same day. Hunts Alone escorted him across the by now strangely quiet bay to the meeting point. As they surfaced Sky saw that a storm was building in the west: great piles of cloud were building into enormous, threatening towers, their upper layers bubbling slowly ever higher then spreading out into the upper layers of the atmosphere in an ominous flat top. Below the clouds the sky was dark slate. One of the last clans from the Gathering was making an early start, moving off away from the clouds; making low leaps as they swam.

Hunts Alone led him to the meeting location which was close to a river mouth in the shallows. As they drew nearer, Sky saw seabirds diving into the water. There must be fish there he thought distractedly, then berated himself for thinking of such trivial things at such a time. As they approached the river mouth the water became cloudier, dirtied with sediments washed from the land. The colour was also different; more of a Shade of brown than blue; Sky recognised the Kruma as
Laxia
now:
new life
or
uncertainty.
And the murkiness of the water made this
Gid-ana
:
imminent
or
very close
. He wondered if the Council had chosen such a setting deliberately or if this was just coincidence.

Then Sky heard low voices up ahead. As he and Hunts Alone approached, the shape of the Council members became more distinct in the turbid water; waiting upright, their tails gently brushing the low sea grass as they swayed back and forth in the light swell. Hunts Alone stopped at a respectful distance, allowing Sky to move alone into the semi-circle. Silent Waters opened the session:

‘
The Council convenes to consider a reported transgression of the clan’s Code — namely the prohibition against any wilful contact with the so-called Guardians.’ She looked closely at Sky. ‘This is a very serious matter as you must know. The Council will ask you questions now to try and establish the facts. You must answer each question truthfully. Do not expand on your answers; just tell us the exact facts in each case.’ She turned to her left. ‘The Council recognises the respected Councillor Green Wave Falling. He will make enquiries on the Council’s behalf.’

The old dolphin moved forward stiffly, the missing tip of his dorsal fin giving him an odd outline in the dirty water.

‘
Touches The Sky, we have been told that members of the Guardians have been seen and they seemed to know you. Have you made contact with the Guardians?’

‘
Well, Jeii not exactly…’

‘
Do not address your replies to me, you are answering to the Council. And do not try to be evasive! Answer our questions yes or no. I shall ask you again, in simpler terms: have you seen members of the Guardians?’

‘
I must tell the Council that yes, I have.’

‘
Did they come across you by accident, or did you go to them?’

‘
I — I went to them, but I did not…’

‘
Answer the question! Did you speak to any of them?’

Sky remembered the battered youth, and his brief, plaintive conversation with him, ‘Yes, I did, just…’

Green Wave glared at him, ‘You test our patience! Any form of contact is forbidden, it makes no difference
what
you spoke about! Did you see the Guardian clan last night?’

‘
Yes.’

‘
Under what circumstances?’

‘
I witnessed a…a Guardian ritual.’

There was a stirring and exchange of glances among the Council members at this.

With a sinking heart, Sky saw how this was going to end. At least he had to try and warn them about what the Guardian leader had said: about something happening in the next few moons that would lead to Ka-Tse dominance.

‘
May it please the Council, I overheard them say something that may be of great…’

Green Wave’s eyes widened in anger, ‘Silence! You have said more than enough!’

He shook his head sadly and turned back to the Council. ‘This zeta regrets to report that the evidence is unequivocal. The Code has been broken. There can be no excuses for this youth.’ He went on, his voice rising with emotion as he spoke. ‘In recent days grave doubts have been raised concerning Touches The Sky’s integrity. I beg to remind the Council that he is no simple zeta either. He is not only a member of this clan; not only a Novice at the Academy; not only entrusted by this clan to act as the Voice of Youth; he even represented the Ka-Tse at a Grand Council Meeting! He can claim no ignorance of the law or the consequences of transgression!’ His voice sank to a more solemn tone: ‘There can be only one punishment for him and this zeta commends the Council to enact it immediately.’

Sky spoke in a clear voice. ‘This is not fair!’

Green Wave glared at him. ‘Must I have you removed?’

Silent Waters spoke, ‘With the Council’s permission, this zeta would like to ask a question.’

Green Wave spoke quietly, but was clearly agitated, ‘Whilst the Council has the highest respect for the Prime Mother’s perspicacity, this would be highly irregular. Tradition dictates that the accused has only one inquisitor.’

‘
Nonetheless, this zeta begs the Council’s indulgence on this occasion.’

No one else objected, so she continued, ‘Touches The Sky, I sense that there is more that you have not told us. I will ask you but one question. Can you give us a good reason why you did this thing?’ Her eyes smiled reassuringly at him.

Sky thought desperately for a moment. There was a good reason — he went to find Dusk. But if he said that then she must suffer exile. Maybe after this she would leave the Guardians alone and come to her senses. This was her only chance. With his heart full of pain he slowly said, ‘I am so sorry Prime Mother…there was a good reason, I promise you…but no, I cannot say why.’

She closed her eyes for a long time, then opened them. She spoke slowly, her voice clear and cold. ‘The Council hereby banishes you from the Dune Coast Clan. Your office as a Voice is terminated. You will leave immediately. You will speak to no one. Your name is lost to us now. Your deeds are forgotten. You cannot be seen. We have no memory of you. You no longer exist.’ She turned and swam away from him; the other Councillors followed.

Sky was left alone in the swirling murk. He felt numb. All his friends were gone. He no longer existed. He had done his best to follow the Way and now he was alone. He surfaced for a moment, then turned and swam off towards the gathering storm.

In the bay a lone dolphin waited. She surfaced regularly, watching the passage of the sun. It was still just visible, not yet quite engulfed by the coming storm. She waited until she was sure that noon had passed. She made a final, high jump. For a brief moment, while she was at the apex of her flight, she thought she could see in the distance a single dolphin making low, travelling leaps from the water, heading towards the lightning on the horizon. She fell back into the water, paused for a moment, then turned and joined her waiting clan. They set off to the east, away from the storm.

Chapter 36

“
The noblest of gifts is one that is given knowing that it shall be received with no possibility for gratitude.”

- The creation anthologies

Fades Into Dusk returned to her clan still angry at what she had seen the previous night. She had been shocked when she had realised what was going to happen, then even more so when she became aware that she knew the dolphin who was to be punished — the young male who had been so flirtatious with her, Catches In Air. Afterwards, she had a terrible argument with Storm. She had said that she thought the punishment was barbaric and unnecessary. He had made his usual arguments about the need for the Ka-Tse to change; that the soft ways of the past were over, they must be strong to survive. He said that if there was one sick fish in the shoal, the shoal did not slow down to wait for it, or they would all die. Likewise, they could not permit one zeta to endanger all of the Guardians just because he was weak. She had ended up shouting at him and he had become very angry; frighteningly angry. He had brought his face close to hers and snapped his jaws in her face — for a moment, she had really thought that he was going to attack her — then he had got himself back under control. He had tried to change the subject, wanted to talk about Starwriters: had she met the Dreamweaver who had joined them? But she could not take any more and had left him there, his eyes once again full of dangerous anger.

She made a long detour on the way back to the clan, to give herself time to think. By the time she arrived there the sun was falling behind the clouds and a steady rain was falling. The wind was increasing too as the storm approached and the surface waves were growing in height. Breakers crashed against the shore, throwing white surf high in the air.

Under the water, in spite of the growing turbulence and the restless sand, the bay seemed strangely still; the last of the visiting clans had gone now. She found the members of her own clan milling about near the north west end. One of the first she recognised was Muddy and she gave her signature call. He replied and came towards her. He looked grave.

‘
Muddy, what’s wrong?’

Muddy replied, his voice low, ‘It’s Sky, haven’t you heard? He’s exiled.’

‘
Exiled! Why? What’s he done?’

He shook his head uncomprehendingly, ‘They’re saying that last night he was with the Guardians. Even witnessed one of their rituals!’

Dusk felt icy cold. It
must
have been the same thing she had seen, but how? Why would Sky be there? Did that mean that the Council knew that she had been with the Guardians?

Muddy moved alongside her comfortingly and stroked her side with his pectoral fin. ‘I know, we’re all shocked. I can’t imagine what made him do it. I won’t believe that Sky did this deliberately without some reason. He is just too…too
good
to get involved with those maniacs.’

‘
Did he give a reason?’

‘
No, Hunts Alone overheard his inquisition and apparently he wouldn’t say. It was quick, Hunts said. They questioned him and he hardly said a word. He said it was like he was trying to deliberately hold back something or protect someone. Now he’s gone.’

Dusk was reeling. ‘Gone?’ she murmured.

‘
Deneb was just here, he’s really upset and angry. He can’t believe that Sky would want to visit the Guardians either.’

She nodded, fearful again. ‘Where is Deneb?’

‘
You just missed him. Green Wave Falling has taken him off to the meeting place where Deneb has to wait for the Xenthos. Poor Deneb, he was really shocked by this, he really feels like he’s lost his brother.’

‘
Yes, yes of course. Look, Muddy, I want to be alone to think about this, it’s just too much…’ she paused, lost for words.

He smiled slightly. ‘I understand. We’ve all been hurt by it, he was such a good friend. And he was especially fond of you of course.’

She looked at him in surprise, ‘Me?’

‘
Oh, yes. Most of the clan thought you two must have gotten it together by now. He really admired you I think. Anyway, I’ll leave you alone. Just call me if I can help.’

He left her. She lay still, being rocked back and forth in the growing swell. Clouds of bubbles were driven under the water around her by the breaking waves above, but she did not see them. She just kept saying to herself over and over again, ‘What have I done? What have I done?’