Strange Attractors (47 page)

She nodded. ‘Just give me a moment to change.’

‘Of course. I’ll…’

She peeled her singlet off and dropped her sarong before he could finish his sentence or avert his eyes. By the time she’d buttoned her leggings and vest, he realised he was still staring.

‘Close your mouth, Grayson.’ She laughed, strapping
on her sword. ‘It’s nothing you’ve not seen plenty of, with your line of work.’

He stiffened, looking past her to the window. ‘I…’

Can you keep up?

He frowned, realising she’d gone, slipping right past him and out the door, Fynn behind her. He followed, boots clipping over the cobbles. She was stretching in the centre of the plaza, arms high over her head. The grounds were empty, the sunrise turning everything rose-gold. Most of the residents would only just be getting to sleep.

Or trying to sleep.

A voice filled his mind again; her voice, he realised, sweet and warm. Fynn barked, snapping him out of the daydream. ‘How do you do that?’ he asked her.

She laughed. ‘I’m Lupin; you’re receptive. How can I not?’

He shook his head. He was on unfamiliar ground with this young woman. She reminded him of Rosette, and something else he couldn’t quite recall.

And if you’re worried about spies, we best play it safe. We can make out to be heading for the gates, checking the land for damage from that last quake.

‘Quake?’

A sizeable one ripped through here two days ago. Where’ve you been?

He shut his eyes. ‘Elsewhere.’ He cleared his throat, speaking over her head. ‘We’ll check for damage, out to the gates and surrounds.’

And halfway there I’ll switch and run the fence line. Fynn can stick with you. I’ll be waiting at the gates.

‘That’s ambitious.’

That’s Lupin.

She was proud of her heritage and confident in her abilities. He liked it.

‘So many crows,’ he said as they crested the rise, the entrance gates visible on the horizon.

‘They’re seeking refuge.’

‘It must be getting worse out there.’ He shaded his eyes against the sun, straining to see in the distance. The sky was full of ash and the haze prevented any view of life beyond the plains. ‘We’ll need to check on Half Moon Bay. They could need help.’

‘Half Moon Bay isn’t the only other place left on Earth, you know,’ Maluka said. She looked over her shoulder. ‘Cover your eyes.’

He had barely time to shut them before the sand stung his arms and face. When he looked again he saw a rust-brown she wolf running away, her coat turning to gold in the morning light. She shot towards the fence line, dust billowing. Fynn darted after her, spinning back on his heels to stick with Grayson. She must have set him the task—sniff his way to the gates and let them know if he identified an intruder. Grayson walked on, letting his thoughts settle to the bottom of his mind. In the trees the crows rasped their eerie language, joined by the chatter of jay birds and plovers.

Plovers? That’s not right.
He squinted at the birds. Some dropped to the ground in front of him, their stilt-like legs pacing in the hot sand, a staccato
kerr kick ki
blasting from their yellow beaks like miniature horns. ‘What are you doing here, you crazy birds? The ocean’s that way.’

The yellow-wattled plovers were one of the few sea birds that had survived the algal blooms and sea devils. Many were missing a foot or a leg, but they’d migrated to the silt-covered mudflats that spread across the once fertile ground of the San Joaquin Valley. What brought them this far from the coast
both baffled and worried him. They best check on Half Moon Bay soon.

He took a swig from his canteen and jogged the rest of the way to the gate, Fynn nose to the ground. When they reached the apple trees, Maluka was back in human form. She was sprawled out beneath the branches, her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling in rapid succession.

‘Have a good run?’

‘I did,’ she said, opening her eyes. She pushed Fynn away when he tried to lick her face.
And not unproductive either.
The young dog sat at attention.

Grayson picked two apples and handed her one. ‘Let’s hear it.’

She polished the green fruit on her vest and took a bite, the juice running down her chin. He looked away.
Too much like Rosette.

She straightened her spine, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. ‘You’ll want to get over that, Grayson.’

‘Pardon me?’

‘I’m Maluka, no one else, and I’ll not walk on eggshells because you’ve been hurt.’

He shined his apple on his sleeve, watching her face. She didn’t avert her eyes. ‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘Nor will I.’ He bit into the crisp fruit, the sugary taste melting on his tongue. ‘Tell me what you found?’

She chewed and swallowed. ‘I will, but you’re not going to like it.’

Rosette stood naked on the rocky outcropping, staring at the bottom of the gorge. She could do it. Her eardrums would blow out—no way around that—but it was worth the risk. The wounds would heal, the pain would pass. It didn’t matter, as long as she could
get to Passillo before La Makee.
Before Rall and her young apprentice
.

Maudi, I don’t like it. If you black out before you reach the surface, I don’t know if I can save you.

‘We’ve been over it. There’s no time to weave a rope long enough.’ She clutched a fistful of his neck fur. ‘I’ll be all right. It’s just like scallop diving in South Sea Cove.’

Scallop diving was never as deep as this.

‘You don’t know. You weren’t there.’

Was it this deep?

‘No. But it’s a lot like this, in theory.’

‘A lot like’ and ‘just like’ are not quite the same.

‘True.’ She shivered. ‘I’m getting my intention warmed up, Dray. I need to believe I can do it.’

You can, Maudi.

‘I think so too, thank you!’ She hoisted a rock. It was a quarter of her weight and had taken the afternoon to dig out of the field. Her biceps quivered as she pushed it high over her head. After three exaggerated breaths, she dove, throwing the weight in front of her and hanging on tight.

The water hit like an icy rain, chilling her skin while the blood drained from her extremities. Her ears cleared in a matter of seconds but she plummeted too fast to keep up with the building pressure. A searing pain shot through her head and she swallowed hard, ignoring the urge to drop the rock and shoot back to the surface. She clung tight and relaxed her body, soothing her hunger for air and the tearing pain in her eardrums. When she thought she would have to let go, her fingers losing their grip, unable to respond to her will, she clanked into the granite floor of the gorge, on top of the spell’s cairn. Keeping one hand on the weight, she tore at the rocks that sheltered the spell in its crystal vial.
I’ve got it, Dray. It’s in my hand.

Swim, Maudi. Surface. It’s been too long.

She clutched the vial, the same one she’d worn as a child, Bethsay’s child. She pushed the memories aside and kicked, her legs working in smooth, even strokes, the pain in her head slowly replaced with lassitude.

Dizzy, Dray. I’m…

Swim, Maudi! Don’t stop now. Kick. You’re nearly there.

She knew about shallow-water blackout. She’d seen Liam succumb when he and Jarrod challenged each other, competing for the largest catch in the scallop coves at the south end of Lister Bay. She bit her tongue hard, letting a few bubbles of air escape her lips. Old air, stale air. She had to breathe!

Her nose led and she watched the surface appear, a warping wall of sky blue filling her vision. It was close now. Light. The water suddenly warmer. Tingling. She smiled, more air bubbles escaping. They rose around her and she bit down on her tongue again to stay awake, the pain keeping her from gulping before she reached the surface.

The water felt almost hot to the touch at the very top. She saw a flash of movement, the strong strokes of her temple cat’s legs dog-paddling towards her. He clamped his jaws around her upper arm when she broke the surface, keeping her from slipping back under. She gasped, sucking in air and water at the same time. Rosette choked and sputtered while Drayco hauled her to the shore.

She yelled at the intensity of his jaws around her bicep, stopping only to gasp and cough. Her feet touched the bottom when they reached the bank and she crawled out of the gorge, collapsing in the mud between clumps of reeds, panting for breath. Warm
sticky fluid trickled from her ears. She rolled over on her side to throw up. Drayco stood over her, licking her face, and she clutched his neck with one hand, the other throbbing with pain.
Thank you, Drayco. You saved me.

Do you still have it? Did you hold onto Passillo?

She looked down at her hand, a tight fist, knuckles white. Slowly she relaxed her fingers, mud oozing out between them. In the palm of her hand was the vial, pulsing with a faint blue light.

We got it, Dray. Passillo is here with us. Jarrod is here with us. We are safe. The corridors are safe.

That’s a relief
, he said, stepping back a few feet before doing a full body shake. Water flung from him in arcs, his fur spiked like lava peaks.
You need to get warm, Maudi. You’re the colour of mould.

‘Nice comparison.’ She struggled to sit up. ‘Dray, you put tooth holes in my arm.’ Her hands went to her ears. ‘
Drayco?
Drayco!’

Maudi, don’t shout. They’ll hear you in Corsanon.

‘Drayco! I can’t…I can’t…’ She pulled her hands back from her head, her fingertips bloody.
I can’t hear.
She looked at the clouds moving under the sun, the treetops swaying, the gorge water bubbling past. She surveyed the silence, her eyes returning to Drayco.
I’m deaf.

Grayson finished his apple, the sweet juice washing down the bile that rose in his throat. ‘Are you sure, Maluka? ASSIST?’

‘I’ve spent time in Half Moon Bay, remember? I was there when we stormed ASSIST. Their scent is all over the place. The boot prints, everything. They climbed the fence a league to the west. Three of them. Maybe a fourth. The tracks are crisscrossed.’

‘Behind the first knoll?’ He shooed away flies that were alighting on his apple core.

‘They were out of sight, but the scent is clear.’

Grayson shaded his eyes; the sun was baking the top of his head, even through the branches. ‘That means we’ve trackers among us?’ he asked. ‘Spies?’

‘We had. They’re gone now. The trail leads back, towards the coast. Three of them at least.’

‘There could be one among us still?’

‘Either that, or they didn’t survive.’

He searched the distance. ‘Trackers,’ he whispered. ‘ASSIST isn’t down after all.’

‘What are they, exactly? Scouts?’

‘ASSIST’s hunting squads.’

She cleared her throat. ‘What do they hunt?’

He reached for her hand, hauling her up. When she stood in front of him, he didn’t let go. ‘Originally they were after witches, techno-witches to be exact. Then they tracked Jarrod. Followed him to Gaela, too.’

‘And now? What are they after?’

‘I can’t be sure, Maluka, but it seems they’re after us.’

‘I’d say they’re not far from their goal then. What do we do?’

‘We wait.’

‘Wait, like nesting ducks? Ridiculous! I’ll not be…’

‘Easy. We wait for Kreshkali. She won’t be long.’

Maluka strode beside him, her fists clenched. ‘And if she doesn’t come?’

‘She will.’

‘How can you be so sure?’

‘Because I believe it is true. We aren’t going to let Earth go under!’

‘Go under?’ Maluka looked at the jagged red plains and the distant mountains like chimneys clogging the
skies with black dust. Sweat ran down her face. She blinked her eyes. ‘How can you be so sure it hasn’t already?’

‘Because we’re still here.’

Kreshkali towered above the cliffs of the North Seas, clinging onto the highest branch of a cypress. There she perched as the sun rose, checking the landscape with her falcon eyes. As if through a telescope, she could see fine details leagues away—the paper-thin ear of a mouse, backlit by the sun, red veins standing out like rivers in a map; a drop of amber trickling down the trunk of a distant pine; the flap of purple flags anchored to Temple Dumarka’s turrets. She watched for signs of being followed—particularly trackers in the woods. When she was convinced there were none, she waited a little longer before swooping down to the temple grounds, announcing herself with a high-pitched whistle.

Saphon met her on the steps, her temple cat, Noel, by her side. ‘How lovely of you to return so soon,’ she said, her arms outstretched. She kissed Kreshkali’s cheeks, one and then the other, and then her lips.

‘The pleasure is mine.’

‘Come. We’ll have morning tea and talk of the weather. I sense a storm is coming.’

‘It’s building, indeed. Your senses do not betray you.’

Corsanon still marches on us?

We have plans to turn them back.

Plans are fine but what happens if they break through?

That’s what I’ve come to discuss.

Saphon led her to the inner chambers. Mint tea and honey sat ready on the table, steam rising from the copper pot. A young woman brought them a loaf of nut bread, apple jam and cheese, setting out plates,
smiling as she worked. Saphon waved her away, serving Kreshkali herself.

‘Delicious,’ Kali said and explained her plan.

Saphon hadn’t taken a bite. Her hands shook slightly when she poured more tea.
What you suggest is extreme, perilous perhaps.

It is the only way to protect Temple Dumarka, and the felines, if Corsanon breaks through our defence.

How can you be certain it will succeed?

I can’t.
‘Are there any litters about?’ Kreshkali asked aloud. ‘I would dearly love to see the kittens.’

Saphon held her eyes.
You’ve none, have you? In your future? There are no more temple cats. I can see it in your face.