Fire Island: Book 3 of The Chatterre Trilody (Chatterre Trilogy) (18 page)

Chapter 23

Understanding poured into Tem-aki's mind, then GEA-4 removed her hands and the mind-meld was abruptly over.

Tem-aki straightened. "Let us hope this update is enough to finally begin serious conversation."

"I will continue to monitor their speech patterns and add to the program."

"Thank you." She wiped her damp palms on her robe, then headed out the door to test her new vocabulary on Cameron. Tem-aki found him watching the group that had been making paper bags. To her surprise, instead of putting things in the bags, they were using string to tie a small candle onto each bag's open end. As she watched, the freckled one lit a candle, while another carefully held the bag open, so that the heat and smoke went into it.

Why in the world were they doing that?

As she watched, the bag seemed to fill out. Cameron nodded to the one holding the bag and he let go. There was a chorus of 'ohs' as the bag hovered in the air, then began to drift toward the sky.

Heat rose, while cold settled, so on the physics front, what she'd just watched made sense. But it certainly didn't make any logical sense. Why in the world did they want empty bags in the air?

Tem-aki moved next to Cameron, whose attention was on what she could only call a poor excuse for a balloon. Still, she had to admit that it did look rather pretty as it sailed out over the harbor-area.

When Cameron noticed her, he smiled. "Can you imagine when we release hundreds at midnight?"

She blinked, half surprised by his question and half because she had understood it. Apparently, GEA-4 had finally figured out the language.

Tem-aki smiled. "Beautiful."

Cameron looked like she had given him a medal. "I'm so glad you approve. At first, I wondered why you were not participating in making the decorations, then I realized that you were here to see how well we would do, not do it for us."

Tem-aki understood the words, be not his meaning. Who did he think she was? Did the women supervise the men on this world? Was that what Annosha did, when she came to visit? Tem-aki focused on the word decorations, which seemed to mean that all this activity was about creating ornamental things. On Guerreterre, that sort of thing was mainly used for special ceremonies, which made sense, and could explain what he had tried to explain to her using the old-fashioned maps. She cleared her throat and asked, "These are for dragon ridge?"

"Absolutely! And, I assure you that everything will be ready to take there by the end of the week."

She smiled and nodded. "This is very special?"

He took her hand and squeezed it. "You know it is and your presence makes it more so."

That was nice of him to say. And it felt nice to hold his hand, too. "Tell me about all your plans."

"Again?"

Ah, so he had told her, before. She'd suspected as much. "Yes, please, but while you do, can we walk by the water, or do you need to be here?"

He waved to the nice gray haired man. "Nolan you're in charge." He caressed her palm with his thumb. "I'm all yours."

She liked the sound of that so much that she couldn't help smiling, even though she knew he didn't mean it the way her daydreams wanted to take it. When they reached the top of the stairs, he let go of her fingers. Was that reluctance she had felt? Regardless, they both needed their hands to hold onto the rails, as they descended the steep steps.

They were silent while they went downward, but once they reached the sand and kicked off their sandals, his fingers found hers. "What do you want to know that requires such privacy?"

"I simply prefer to be here. But please tell me about your Summer Solstice Ceremony and why you go halfway across your island for this celebration."

"Don't you know?"

"I would prefer to hear what you think."

For a moment, Cameron seemed to be at a loss for words, then, as they slowly strolled along the still-wet sand, he began to speak. "As you know, we revere the dragons, partly because they represent fire." With his free hand, he gestured toward the cone-shaped mountain at the harbor entrance. "Fire built this island. Now, fire protects us when it burns out poisons and fire feeds us when we are hungry... Is there something you think we should worship instead?"

"Not at all. I just wanted to hear your thoughts in your own words."

"Do you worship fire?"

She blinked in surprise. "Not really."

"Dragons?"

She shook her head.

He stopped dead in his tracks. "Then what do you worship?"

Her gaze traveled across the harbor, to where the Sirocco was moored. "I don't know if worship is the correct word, but family is the most important thing to me."

"Family is a good thing." He seemed to be thinking hard. She waited, and after several moments he asked, "Do you not participate in the Solstice preparations because you believe our beliefs are wrong?"

"What is important to you is important to you, and that is good." She tilted her head to look up at him. "If something feels right in your heart, do you always ask others to confirm its value?"

"Others do not come from the creators."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Others do not come from the creators." She motioned him to continue. "Never before, in the entire history of my faction, have the creators sent an emissary, yet they sent you and GEA-4 to me while I was in the Protected Place. And, so there could be no mistake about who you were, you brought the lost Staff of Power." He raised his hand and touched her hair. "Of course, with your golden hair, I would have known."

"You think I'm a creator?" She shook her head. "I am as human as you are."

He paused for a moment, then shrugged. "At least you were sent by them."

If creators existed and one had sent her here, would he or she have explained it to her, or would they decide this was where she needed to be and send her plummeting through whatever she had fallen through to get her where they wanted her? She swallowed. "Tell me about how you got here."

"I was born here."

"Okay, tell me how your people got here." Had they, too felt as if the floor gave way beneath them and they were hurled through solid rock, only to land at the bottom of an unknown sea?

"Our history began on Solterre," he began.

Tem-aki felt her eyes widen in surprise to learn his people came from the same world hers had. "How long ago?"

"Summer Solstice is in ten days and that will mark the end of the thirteenth eighty-two-year cycle."

"So 1066 years."

"Since Draco Shakura and his followers came through the Star Bridge, yes." His eyes narrowed. "Are you testing me? It is well known that the end/beginning of a cycle is a particularly special time, but never have the creators sent an emissary before."

Again, he was back to the creator thing. Though Tem-aki's tongue itched to correct him, she also needed his help to find Larwin, and it seemed much more likely that he would do what she asked, if he continued to believe she was some sort of supernatural being. Though why something as powerful as a creator would need the help of a man, was a question she didn't think it was wise to ask. Tem-aki bit her tongue.

"We were forced to leave because the dragons, which we worshiped, had overpopulated Sanyima and this made it unstable."

Though she had never heard of Sanyima, the rest of his story sounded somewhat familiar. "And the ones who came here were dracos?" She went over to a big rock and sat down so she was looking out to sea.

"Our group was part of many faiths, but soon after coming through the magical portal, Shaka-uma, who you might call Khaleesi, followed." Cameron frowned. "When the other faiths tried to kill Shaka-uma and her mate, they fled and we followed."

"Your people followed dragons?" She asked, certain that she had misunderstood, but he nodded. Tem-aki was glad that she was already sitting down.

How many cultures, aside from Cameron's and Raine's didn't have the sense to run away from the toxic things? She could understand how Raine had become a dragon herder to harvest a resource, but she was still uncertain how their scientists had discovered that madrox had anything worth harvesting.

And now, Cameron was sitting next to her, looking and acting sensible, while telling her that his people had worshiped the things for over a millennium.

Tem-aki licked the salt from her lips and wondered what to say,

~o~

"If you believe that you can, it becomes possible," Larwin said, as he entered the kitchen. Though he looked sweaty and windblown, there was a bounce in his step. "Thunder and Raine believed we could build a boat to get to the coordinates, and we have."

"But you only began two days ago," Nimri said. While she was pleased that Larwin had apparently adopted one of her pet phrases, she wondered how they could have the project done so quickly. The first day all they had managed to do was make a plan and begin collecting things. Yesterday, they had assembled a floor over two old boats. And now the project was done?

Impossible.

Larwin nodded. "Once word got out about Tem-aki and the project, everyone pitched in. Last night, Reed and some others spent the entire night making the hulls water-tight and adding the mast, as well as a retractable keel and rudder." Nimri blinked rapidly and wondered what those things were. "This morning, when we got there, we could hardly believe how far they'd gotten. And if that wasn't great enough, a group from this side heard that Reed and some others had come over to help, so this side of the river decided they had to pitch in, too." He shook his head in wonder. "It was amazing! When I rounded the corner, the boat wasn't there. It was floating at the dock and a wall was being raised by one group and Raine was rigging Bryta's sail." He snagged an oatmeal-raisin cookie. Before popping it in his mouth, he added, "Now, all that needs doing is to load supplies, but somehow I suspect that might be done by morning, so we might be able to leave first thing."

"Nimri sat down with a thump. "Tomorrow?" She winced as she heard the tell-tale squeak of fear. "You leave tomorrow?"

He gave her a confused look. "Yes, I think we should be able to leave, tomorrow. So after dinner, we need to pack the things we'll need. Aside from bedding and at least one change of clothes, I think it would be wise to bring the skull and the staff. What do you think?"

"I think this sounds dangerous. And I'm not sure I want to go." Tears threatened to choke her. "I am also afraid not to go. Who will protect you, if I'm not there? But who will protect Mica if I leave him here?" A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Oh, honey!" Larwin said as he wrapped her in a hug. "I love you, too, but you don't need to choose between me and Mica. You both can come."

And have their entire family drown? Nightmare memories from her childhood, when her family had tried something similar – and lost – filled her mind. She cried harder. "I'm afraid."

"And you have every right to be." Larwin hugged her tight. "I am, too and I promise that if it looks too dangerous when we get to where the river becomes the ocean, I will turn back."

"Seriously? You promise?" She leaned back to look him in the eye.

Larwin solemnly nodded. "Cross my heart and hope-"

Nimri put her fingers over his mouth. "I don't know why you like that phrase, but please do not say it, especially when there is a very real possibility that you could drown."

He kissed her fingertips. "Bryta and Coral had begun packing the craft when I left. That's why I figure we can leave first thing in the morning."

"And you promise me that if I come and if it looks too dangerous when we get to the big water, we will come back." Larwin nodded. Nimri took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Okay, I will go to the big water before I decide." She wiped her eyes. "You really think it is safe to bring Mica?"

Larwin nodded. "Perhaps not if he was walking, and he could fall overboard, but this age, yes."

"If he was old enough to walk, he'd be old enough to know how to swim to shore, if the boat sank," Nimri said defensively. Her heart slammed against her ribs, as if it was a wild beast trying to break free of a trap.

"Rolf is not here to brew up a storm to attack us." He took her hand and traced her palm with his thumb. "What happened to your parents is past. Don't let it affect you."

"That is easy for you to say. You've had years and years of training that taught you how to handle all sorts of things." She sniffed.

"True, but I admit that I'm afraid of this. Guerreterre didn't have a lot of water, so while I love being able to swim, I'm also a little afraid, too."

"Seriously?" He nodded. Somehow, knowing she wasn't the only one with fears made it easier. "Fine, we'll protect each other."

"And we'll both protect Mica."

She wrapped her arms around him in a crushing hug. "If things go as well as Raine seems to think, we'll be able to rescue Tem-aki and that would be wonderful." Silently, she reminded herself to keep her thoughts positive. If I believe I can, it becomes possible. Surely, with the support of Larwin and Thunder, and the Staff of Power, they would be able to rescue Tem-aki, so she needed to begin thinking about how wonderful it would be for Larwin to have his sister nearby.