Arcene: The Island (15 page)

Best not to think about it. Even if the water remained calm they would still be carefully inspecting, cleaning and repairing in the middle of winter, when the wind tried to push them into the blue and the platforms rocked wildly. This was why it was paramount safety was the first consideration, and she had to stay calm and focused to ensure that the first day went perfectly.

With a deep breath, and 111 flashing in her mind, she began the first day of The Inspection. It would be a long one.

Look at them, you'd think they'd never done this before.

Every member of the Inspectors had been with her since the beginning. It was the way it worked, so they should be completely professional by now, or at least know what they were supposed to be doing, but, as usual, it was a shambles unless somebody stepped in and give direct and clear instruction.

Talia busied herself with organizing the crews, split people off into work groups she knew from experience functioned best — the strongest in charge of the ropes used for raising and lowering those with the best head for heights and the hardiest stomachs. In other words, those on the outside.

It was interesting how the dynamics changed over the years, the men exercising with all manner of heavy objects whenever they could so they would be better suited to having the job of hauling others up and down. The chance to work from the relative safety of The Island rather than be the lighter workers better suited to nimbly moving from platform to rope, performing the cleaning duties and repairs with nothing below but the blue making their exercise regime more than worth it.

Bunch of macho show-offs. She smiled at the men, felt sorry for the women as they were always the ones doing the most dangerous of work. Not that she had ever lost anyone on her Tour, something that filled her with pride no matter that by rights that was exactly how the work should be done.

After an hour of interminable fussing, and question after question, not to mention bickering about who was doing what and why couldn't they start later, and on and on, the work was finally ready to begin.

Each Inspection Team Leader was free to direct the work how they saw fit — a learning experience in leadership and problem solving — and Talia had found the absolute best approach was to get the most difficult work out of the way first. This meant the most dangerous jobs.

It was best performed when the blue was at its kindest, leaving them to do the easy top passes around The Island as the weather worsened. That way they could rest easier, do work that required the least effort when they were all almost exhausted, and knew that the most terrifying parts of the job were well behind them.

As Leader, Talia had no choice but to accompany the Inspectors for the first few days. It was an unspoken rule, and apart from anything else she needed to ensure they did everything as instructed. It meant supervision.

Without further delay, the ropes were checked and surface anchors double then triple-checked. The men nodded they were ready, the huge, ancient gears manned. Talia nodded in return and she and her crew watched as the well-muscled men, already stripped down to the waist even though it wasn't really the done thing but sometimes exceptions had to be made, gripped the handles tightly and slowly the cogs turned.

The platform lowered until The Island's beautiful surface was lost, replaced with concrete.

Here we go again.

Got any Food?

Talia hung upside down with her ankles tied together and another rope around her middle — safety first. She lifted an arm behind her back and gave the thumbs-up signal. Slowly, she descended. This was the absolute worst bit, so she insisted it be done first. Eleven others, coincidence? were in similar positions at other struts.

Once the bases were cleared it would be a quick rest then on to the next. It usually took a few weeks to get them all done. It was scary, dirty, tiring work, but once it was over everything else always felt easy in comparison.

She swayed a little, so made the motion with her hand to slow her descent. Her weight dragged the rope to stillness. Another hand signal. Lowered. So it continued. Talia hated this so much she kept her eyes closed apart from a quick glance to ensure she didn't knock her head on the pillar, always staring just at the pillar, never at the blue. If she couldn't see it she could pretend it wasn't there. Almost

"Ow!" Talia knocked against the barnacle-encrusted support and opened her eyes. She tucked her chin in and stared up at the men in charge of the rope on the platform. What was wrong with them? She'd just got a little knock, that was all. Why were they so terrified? And why had they stopped lowering her? Was she there, as low as she could go without being dunked?

They really do look petrified. Maybe they think I'll scold them for the knock on my head.

The rope twisted and with it her body. She slowly spun around, facing away from the stanchion, and found herself staring into two upside down hazel eyes as large as the angry turbots she grew to hate eating over the years because they looked so damn depressed with life. But these eyes were far from depressed, they shone with mischief and intelligence. As she flapped about in a panic, and made urgent gestures to be lifted up, she felt a raspy tongue lick her forehead, run across the bridge of her nose and finish with a smack as it hit her mouth then her tongue, swallowing her scream as it escaped.

"Help, help! Get me up, get me up." Talia panicked and tried to bend double out of the way of the monstrous creature, but it kept coming at her as she spun in circles. Her fear caused her to sway, coming dangerously close to colliding with the concrete upright. Just missing, she gathered her pride and let her body relax a little. She rose, and with every revolution she uncovered a little more of the sight beneath her.

Then there was a voice. "Um, hello, do you have any food? Can we have a drink please?"

Woof.

It was a girl, and a... A dog! She'd heard all about dogs, seen pictures, but nobody had told her quite how large they were. But a girl, what was she doing here? Then it hit her: 111. This was her premonition, too much of a coincidence, this was the importance of the 111. But how?

Talia continued to swing, gave manic gestures to be pulled up to the platform faster, and as she rose away from the seemingly rather friendly dog and the lanky, stick thin girl, it hit her: it was one hundred and eleven years ago that she was born, it was also how long ago a visitor had come to The Island.

And what number had that visitor been? Yes, the hundred and tenth visitor since the Founders arrived and never left. Most came in the first few years, trying to get somewhere else, always ending up at The Island. Something to do with the tides changing because of crazy things those in panic did with their bombs, and with satellites falling into the ocean and the land, everything going haywire. But, over the decades, visitor numbers had lessened — this was the first human visitor since the day of her birth. 1.1.1.

What did it mean?

"Hey, where you going?" shouted the girl with silver hair. "You coming back?"

"Um, yes. Just, er, got to think for a minute."

"Oh, yeah, right. Good, Leel's quite heavy."

"Leel?"

"The dog." The girl pointed at the animal like maybe Talia had missed it. "I'm Arcene."

"I'm Talia," shouted Talia, as she was hauled up by the terrified men who then stared down along with Talia at the strange visitors to their home.

It won't be another average birthday, that's for sure.

The Summons

Talia ordered her Inspectors to return to the top as fast as possible while staying safe — the last thing she wanted now was an accident. This was momentous news. The first newcomer in over a century. It was too much of a coincidence for it to be this day and not mean anything. Heck, the presence of the girl was astonishing. Maybe not up there with her having been born, but it was certainly big. More, it was the single most important event in her whole life.

They moved from ladder to rope to platform. Taking it carefully, their strong, lithe bodies moving assuredly. Eventually, they made it back to the surface. Talia sent off two of the younger ones to give a message to the first Elder they saw. They had a habit of not showing themselves until lunch time, mornings spent in The Noise or on Island business from the comfort of their subterranean rooms.

It felt like a lifetime before the youngsters returned, out of breath and giddy with excitement. They'd told Elder Geon, who would tell Vorce, although she took some convincing and scolded them for playing a silly practical joke. Talia thanked them and told them to go wait respectfully until Vorce came. Reluctantly, they did as they were told, soon chattering animatedly about what a great day it was.

"Happy birthday Tal," said Erato, smiling up at her.

"Hey Erato, thanks." Talia looked at her friend suspiciously. "What you up to? Did you hear? I found a girl, and a dog. Can you believe it, a dog!?"

"What? When? Where?" Erato looked around but obviously saw nothing.

Where was Vorce? Why was he taking so long? It wasn't as if he was an ancient geriatric that never left the cloistered confines of his home — every day he walked at least a little of The Island, taking the fresh air. It was his "thing."

"They're still in the water. We're waiting for Vorce."

"No way. Really? What is she like? What does she look like? Is she scary? Oh, now this seems kind of lame." Erato held out a tiny figurine to Talia, intricately carved and beautiful. He shifted his eyes down as if worried she wouldn't approve.

Talia took the gift with both hands and nodded her gratitude. "Wow, thanks. This is incredible. I didn't know you'd got so good." She turned the warm wood over, no larger than her hand, but still an incredibly precious commodity. The detail was amazing. A fish complete with fins and scales. It even had eyes. Perfect.

"Do you really think so? I've been practicing. Glad you like it."

"Like it? I love it." Talia bent a little and kissed Erato right on the lips, right out in public and she didn't care. He deserved it, and why not?

"Talia!" Erato smiled and blushed almost as deeply as Talia, but he didn't move away or turn his eyes from hers. They shone like light bouncing off coral, pale green and deep as the sea, brighter than ever contrasting with his flushed cheeks.

There was a commotion at the entrance to The Island's interior. "Here comes Vorce. I'll tell you all about it later, if I get the chance." Talia pocketed the gift in her shorts and hurried over to Vorce and a large gathering of Elders.

Stay calm, keep it together. You found them, you deserve to be the one seen talking to Vorce. Like an equal.

"Ah, Talia, I believe you have made an interesting discovery? And congratulations, I believe today is your birthday."

"Thank you, Vorce. Yes, it is my one hundred and eleventh."
Will that mean anything to him?
Talia didn't have long to wait to see if it did.

"Hmm, really. Why was I not informed of this?" Vorce turned to an Elder, the man wilting under Vorce's steely stare. It could turn you into a gibbering wreck if you let it, or even if you didn't. Vorce was extremely powerful in The Noise, stronger than anyone else on The Island by a large margin. It was why, and how, he ruled.

"I, I, didn't realize," spluttered the man, the sycophant making Talia dislike him even more.

"Are you aware of the significance of this?" Vorce asked Talia. "The number is far from any normal number, Talia. Do you know how this number is linked to our guest below us in the blue?"

Talia stood tall, kept her arms loose by her sides, chin up, as she returned Vorce's intimidating gaze. "I am aware. She is the hundred and eleventh visitor."

"Not only that," said Vorce, rubbing at his chin, "but it was on the day you were born that our last visitor arrived. This is a day of many coincidences, is it not?" Talia was unsure if it was a question directed at her, or if Vorce was merely thinking out loud. He stood, eyes unfocused, fine black hair blowing in the warm summer breeze like seaweed drifting with the tide.

Talia watched as the perfectly straight, always clean and sweet smelling hair blew around his shoulders like it relished the light and came alive to dance in the open air. Was he about to speak again?

"Walk with me, Talia. The rest of you, wait here." Vorce dismissed them with a slight nod and stepped to Talia. He took her arm, and they walked away from the gathering crowd, everyone eager to see what Vorce would decide. There was no doubt this was a momentous day, one that would forever be tied to Talia, thanks not only to her find but the significance of the dates. A miracle.

As they walked to the edge of The Island, Talia tried to ignore the looks from others. Many would give all they owned to be so near to Vorce — he was close to a god for many, certainly the most important person in their lives by far.

He controlled every aspect of life for those under his rule, and most of the traditions and culture they knew were a direct result of him and the Founders, the small group of original members of The Island that were still alive and dominated everything from how people ate to who they partnered with. Everything.

There was no freedom, not really. It was merely that nobody knew any different, just accepted life for what it was, but Talia had always been rebellious, if not in her actions then in her thoughts. Nevertheless, she was walking in public with Vorce, for the first time as far as she could recall. There had been talks in his quarters, but never walking arm in arm. What a birthday! What next?

"Did you feel something different about today, Talia? Before your 'find' in the blue?" Vorce searched her face for clues, but he needn't have bothered. Talia would be truthful with him, there was no other way. Lies would be uncovered in an instant.

"Yes. The numbers have been boring a hole in my head for days. And today, when I got up, it was hard to think of anything else. It's like one, one, one is stamped on my forehead or something. It's weird."