Taniwha's Tear (10 page)

They had passed the afternoon together, just drifting about, watching the crowds and staying in the shade. Just before sunset, the three boys took turns jumping off the rail bridge into the river, a jump of around five metres that gave a satisfying splash when they hit the surface.

Lena sat with them but refused to jump. ‘When you’ve spent as much on cosmetics as I have, you’d not want them washed off in a muddy river,’ she told them crossly when Riki badgered her to jump. Cassandra was under a
tree on the riverbank, typing into her laptop and talking to herself.

‘She’s weird,’ said Damien, ‘but strangely cute.’

‘If you think she’s cute, you’re as kooky as she is,’ Lena told him. ‘She drives me up the wall. Her dad does my dad’s business IT work and they knew each other at varsity or something. She’s a bore and I have to spend every summer with her. Hey, Mat, this sun’s too bright, I’m gonna burn. Let’s go sit in the shade.’

She led him away to one of the other palm trees, while the boys smirked after them, and sat him down facing her. There was no one else about, just Cassandra typing furiously beneath the next tree, gnawing her lower lip. The boys were swimming and fooling around.

‘Now, show me what you can do,’ she exhorted him.

Mat looked up into her intensely blue eyes and felt like he was on unsteady ground.
If I’m too good, it might drive her away. Too weak, she won’t be interested.
He quietly stilled his mind, as Pania had laboriously trained him to do, and reached within himself. He pulled a little vortex of wind into his palm and let it spin there like a mini-tornado. Lena sucked in her breath. Quickly he turned it to water, then dirt, then flame, then winked it out.

‘You’re good,’ she whispered, her voice a little awestruck, a little humble.

He ducked his head. ‘Now you.’

She looked at him helplessly. ‘I’ve never tried to do anything like that. All I can do is…Slap yourself!’

Before he could blink, his right hand flashed and
smacked himself on his cheek. He yelped and clutched his hand, his cheek throbbing. His eyes watered, and he blinked at her furiously.

Her eyes were filled with an almost savage triumph, but an instant later her face was a mask of concern. She reached out and stroked his cheek. ‘Sorry, sorry…that was a dumb demonstration…Are you okay?’

‘Sure,’ he responded uncertainly. His mind replayed the instant. ‘Do it again.’

‘No, I’m not sure it works if you’re prepared, so I—Thump the ground!’

His fist was bunched and halfway towards the turf when he caught himself.
Ah, so that’s how she did it…
He looked up, almost preparing to do the same back when he caught the slightly disappointed look in her eyes. ‘Hey, I was ready that time,’ he told her placatingly.
Okay, I won’t get caught like that again…

‘It usually still works though,’ she said flatly.

He thought he’d better change the subject. He closed his eyes, focused his mind, and reached out.
Hey, can you hear me?
he sent. He sensed a stunned and frightened instant, and then something like a massive fly-swat hammered his consciousness. ‘Ow!’ He swayed dizzily.

‘Omigod, was that you? Did you speak…like into my head? Omigod, you HAVE to show me that!’ Lena’s face was a picture of incredulous desire. ‘You have to!’

Mat was still dazed. ‘Yeah, not if you do that to me each time.’ Pania had said something about learning to shield himself, but they’d not got on to that yet. Learning
to speak mind to mind had been hard enough, and he couldn’t sustain it for more than a few seconds.

‘How did you learn that?’ Lena demanded.

‘Um, I had help.’

‘Help? Someone taught you? But how? Who? You said—’

‘Pania showed me. Pania of the Reef. In Napier.’

Lena’s face twisted with scorn. ‘Pania? But she’s a myth. Come on, Mat, play fair. Who really taught you?’

‘Pania,’ he maintained. ‘It was—’

Her face turned angry. ‘You take me seriously, kiddo! Don’t fob me off with fairy stories.’

‘I’m not, I’m serious.’ He glanced up. Riki and Damien were walking towards them, and they had only seconds alone remaining. ‘I’m totally serious. Whatever you think is real and unreal, unthink it. Everything is possible. Everything.’

‘My God, you are serious…’ Lena looked skyward, her hands trembling slightly. Suddenly she threw her arms about him and hugged him. He could feel her heart thumping against his chest. ‘This is too much. This is amazing. I am so glad I met you.’ She pulled away slightly. ‘You and me, Mat. We’re going to do so much together.’

Riki coughed. They looked around guiltily to where Damien was whistling in mock oblivion, and Cassandra was goggling at them over the rim of her laptop.

‘Hey, bro,’ Riki said apologetically. ‘What say we go see if we can get one of the pubs to serve us?’

Mat looked at Lena, who nodded vociferously. ‘Yeah, I wanna celebrate,’ she whispered. ‘I feel like partying.’

They all separated to get changed, after setting a rendezvous in town. Mat and the boys dried off at Mat’s hotel room. His parents were out somewhere wine-tasting, according to the note they’d left. Mat put on his most mature-looking clothes: a collared shirt and some chinos.

They went to the Irish bar on Reads Quay beside the bridge, which was full of tourists seeking refuge from the blazing sun. They only had to wait a couple of minutes before the two girls appeared, Lena swaying in a summer dress, and Cassandra in jeans and a tank-top. They huddled into a corner of the bar and tried to work out how to get served, as none of them was eighteen.

‘I should order the drinks, I’m tallest,’ said Damien.

‘Yeah, but your whiskers make you look fourteen,’ Riki retorted with a grin. ‘It should be me.’

‘I’ll do it,’ Lena put in. ‘I can pass as twenty.’

Cassandra stood up. ‘Actually, I’ll do it.’ She blinked owlishly around the group. ‘What do you want?’

‘You?’ guffawed Damien.

She fixed him with a cold stare, magnified several times by her glasses. ‘Yeah, why not?’ She pulled out a small plastic card and looked at it. ‘I’m twenty-two, apparently.’ She flashed some kind of ID that looked very official. ‘Got it through this Asian website I found. Ha!’

Riki looked skeptical. ‘But you’re local, right? Won’t
they know you’re younger than that?’

Cassandra shrugged. ‘Of course they know me. I go to school with half the staff here. This is Gisborne, guys. The card is just so’s they have an excuse if the cops come in.’

‘Well, instead of all that hassle, why don’ I order, then?’ said a deep drawling voice. DJ Sassman appeared behind Lena, patting her arm and grinning about him. The big bodyguard type was at his shoulder, like a movable mountain. ‘Beers all round?’

‘Sure,’ beamed Lena, while the others nodded. Mat felt that disquiet inside again, seeing the man’s hand on Lena’s shoulder.

‘This here’s Dwayne,’ Sassman indicated the big man. ‘He used to be a marine, but don’ try an’ talk to him because he don’ have much to say. Dwayne, let’s be havin’ those beers.’

Dwayne nodded slowly, his face flat and unfriendly. His buzzcut head was above every man in the bar as he shouldered his way through the crowd.

Sassman turned to them all and gave a wide smile. Introductions were made, and notes compared on the festival details. But his eyes were always on Lena, which made Mat nervous. The beers arrived, and tasted divine after the sapping heat of the day. Soon they were all laughing, and anticipating the concert. Sassman even produced another backstage pass for Cassandra when he realised she would be the only one of the group left out in the main crowd.

When the beers were finished, Sassman offered them
drinks at his hotel. ‘I know y’all ain’t s’posed to be in here, y’know. So why don’ we return to the straight and narrow, and have the next round at my place?’

Lena agreed for them, and they rose as one and fought their way out. As they left, a stocky figure caught Mat’s eye and raised a tankard to him in silent salute as he brushed past. With a quiver he recognised Captain Read, dressed in modern clothing.

‘Jus’ keepin’ an eye on things on this side, lad,’ the captain murmured. ‘An’ the beer’s better. Get yer’self home now, an’ there’s no harm done.’ Then he was past and lost amidst the press of bodies about the bar.

They meandered down the river to one of the tall hotel blocks that lined the riverbanks, next door to the one where Mat and his parents were staying. Cassandra wouldn’t go up, saying—with a meaningful eye on Lena—that they were expected for dinner at home, but the blonde girl ignored her. Damien offered to walk Cassandra home, explaining he had to be home for dinner too. Cassandra agreed with visible reluctance. ‘They’ll end up in love,’ Riki sniggered to Mat as the two left.

‘It’s possible,’ Lena put in. ‘They’re both kinda odd.’

Mat found her comment vaguely condescending. ‘I think they’re both cool,’ he responded defensively. He could see Riki felt the same way. Lena just shrugged, and let Sassman guide her to the lifts. She moved like a princess, in Mat’s eyes. He felt suddenly awkward and uneducated.

Sassman took them up in a big lift to a penthouse suite
overlooking the marina. Plush but elegant furnishings greeted them, and the tiny fridge was crammed with beer and mixers. They sank into the sofas, as Sassman put some music on, which sounded like it came from an ambient-techno compilation.

Mat made sure he was sitting beside Lena, but the conversation mostly went past him. Sassman asked Lena about Auckland and where she lived, and places where Mat had never been to. He didn’t like the way she simpered for the musician, but felt helpless to butt in without appearing gauche. He looked at Riki for help, but his friend was looking vague, as if he had sunstroke or something. All the while the big ex-marine, Dwayne, sat in the corner, straight-backed, watching them with narrowed eyes.

Sassman leant in and looked at Lena closely in a way that made Mat suddenly nervous. ‘I need to have a proper talk with you, little lady.’ He turned to Riki, lifted his chin, and said just one word: ‘Sleep.’

Riki’s head fell back and his beer can fell from lifeless fingers. Mat gasped and half-rose. But Sassman turned on him, and raised his hand, his fingertips pointing at Mat’s forehead. ‘And you too. Sleep.’

Sleep…
the word resonated into his mind, echoing like the sound of a gong gently struck, tugging at him, pulling him down. He felt himself lurch dizzily, everything sway. Lena’s mouth opened, her face suddenly filled with consternation. Mat reached desperately inside himself, reached for his inner energies, and clung to them.

‘No,’ he gritted. ‘No.’

His head cleared suddenly. Sassman’s eyes widened. ‘Sleep!’ he commanded again, but this time Mat was ready and slapped the word aside, his left hand grabbing Lena’s arm protectively. He felt his spark, his power, flare inside him in retaliation, and he lashed out with it, like a whip. Sassman flinched, and cried out in surprise and pain, staggering backwards. The giant Dwayne leapt to his feet, his hands bunching. But Sassman straightened, reeling slightly.

‘No, Dwayne! Stop! I’m fine…’ He blinked twice, slowly. ‘I think…’ Then he looked at Mat more closely. ‘Well, well! I thought it was just the girl. But you’re one of us too!’

Lena looked at Mat with wide eyes. ‘What’s going on?’

Mat thought he understood. ‘Mister Sassman spotted you at the tourist office, when you tried to influence that ticket lady. That’s why he’s being all friendly. He’s like us too.’ Mat’s mind leapt to an uncomfortable conclusion. ‘Are you with Kyle? Or Venn?’

Sassman stiffened slightly, then laid open his hands, placatingly. ‘Neither, Mat. Neither. I won’t pretend I don’ know who you mean. I know, better than you, maybe. But I’m not with either of those makutu.’ He imbued the Maori word with considerable malice. Then his eyes narrowed again. ‘Mat…? Say, is your last name Douglas?’

Mat stared at him, trying to discern the man’s nature. But he didn’t know how to read the man at all. He nodded slowly. ‘Yeah, that’s right.’

‘The kid that brought Puarata down? Well, son of a gun! It’s a privilege to meet you, Mat Douglas. A massive privilege.’ Sassman beamed, seizing Mat’s hand in both of his and shaking it hard. ‘Not everyone with the sort of gifts that we’ve got worked for Puarata, Mat. Lots hid from him, or even worked against him. We’re all glad he’s dead.’ He looked at Dwayne, who still seemed poised for violent action. ‘Relax, man. These are good kids. They’re with us.’

‘Who is “us”?’ Mat demanded. He wanted to get Lena alone, and explain this without Sassman present.

Lena was looking from one to the other with a mystified face. ‘What’s he talking about, Mat? And what are you talking about? Who’s “Puarata”?’

‘We should go,’ Mat told her, his eyes still on Sassman. ‘We don’t know enough about him.’

Lena stamped her foot. ‘What’s going on?’

‘I can tell you,’ Sassman replied evenly. ‘Sit down, sit down. Have another drink. We’re all friends here.’

Mat’s cellphone rang. He pulled it out, cursing softly. It was his father. ‘Uh, hi, Dad.’

‘Where are you? Where’ve you been all day?’

‘Um, I’m just—’

‘Doesn’t matter. Get back here pronto, we’re going out to dinner in ten minutes.’

‘But—’

‘Ten minutes, son!’

‘Uh, okay.’ The phone went dead. Damn!

He looked at Sassman and Lena. ‘I’ve got to go.’

Sassman smiled. ‘Sure. No problem.’ He offered a hand. ‘We’re on the same side, Mat.’ Mat reluctantly took it. ‘I’m so proud to meet the slayer of Puarata. It’s a privilege, my man!’

‘It was Wiri that killed him,’ he mumbled in reply. He shook Riki awake. ‘Come on, man, we gotta go.’

Riki woke groggily, as if surfacing from far below the surface of a lake. ‘Uh, uh, what happened? Did I…? What…?’

‘You just fell asleep, man. Come on, it’s time to go.’ He looked at Lena. ‘Let’s go.’

Lena looked at him, and then back at Sassman. ‘I’m in no hurry. And I have a lot of questions.’ She looked at Sassman. ‘A whole lot of questions.’ Her eyes were painfully needy.

Mat gripped her arm. ‘We don’t know anything about him,’ he muttered in her ear. ‘You shouldn’t be alone with him.’