by Martha Wells
Ember took them far enough up the central well to make the point, then swung over a balcony and into a passage that led to a back stairwell. He shifted to his groundling form and explained, “I want to give them time to get the seating area ready.”
Shade shifted as well. “Oh, right.” Following Ember up the steps, he added, “I’ve never been to another court before.”
“I hadn’t either, before I came here,” Ember told him. “I’m from Emerald Twilight.”
“Oh.” Shade hesitated again, then asked, “The warriors said Moon and the others went off with groundlings because your mentors think Fell will come here.”
“Yes, that’s what happened.” They reached the top of the landing, the one with the life-sized carving of warriors in flight, twisting up the wall to the next level, but Ember was too distracted to point it out. “Aura said your mentors saw the same thing, Fell attacking the Reaches?”
“Yes,” Shade said. “And right before your warriors arrived, we had a shared dream, just like the one described in Jade’s letter. Except the Fell weren’t at Opal Night, they were coming from the east, attacking all the courts on this side of the Reaches.”
Ember stopped, turning to stare at him. “Really?”
Shade nodded. His brow creased in worry, and his oddly pale skin was flushed. Their gazes met for a long moment. Ember felt a chill wind its way up his spine. He was suddenly glad Malachite had come here. He said, “We haven’t heard from our other allies yet, but . . .”
“We can’t be the only courts this has happened to,” Shade said. “There must be others. Lithe—she’s the mentor with us—said the visions might be spreading slowly, because the other courts aren’t as close to what’s happening as we are.”
Ember turned and started up the stairs again, considering it. “Lithe needs to talk to Heart, and our other mentors.” As they walked, he told Shade about the Kishan flying boat and what Delin had said, which carried them up to the consorts’ level and to the now carefully arranged seating area outside his bower, and through the first cup of tea. Having something substantive to talk about made the whole situation less awkward. After the second cup, Shade paused as if to gather his courage, and asked, “Did Pearl not want to let us in?”
“Pearl . . .” Ember tried to think of a way to explain it. Pearl was always gentle with him, though with the rest of the court she had good days and bad days. He didn’t think she had ever really recovered from her consort Rain’s premature death, and it had seemed to make a lot of things hard for her. “Pearl often thinks things are difficult, and you have to show her that they really aren’t.”
Shade seemed to understand. “So you made the decision to let us in for her. Is she going to mind?”
“No,” Ember confessed. “If I handle it right, she’ll think it was her idea, sort of.” It was hard to explain. Pearl could make decisions all day when lives were at stake; it was only when they weren’t that she had trouble. This complicated question of etiquette and the future of part-Fell Raksura in the Reaches was absolutely the kind of decision she hated. But now that it was made, he thought Pearl would find it much easier to go along on the path Ember had nudged her toward.
By the time Floret came down the passage, Shade seemed at ease and Ember was certain he had made the right decision. It was a relief to have another consort to talk all this over with.
Floret said, “Ember, Pearl wants you to come to the queens’ hall now.” She smiled at Shade, and Ember remembered they had actually met before, that she was one of the warriors who had been at Opal Night with Jade and Moon. “Malachite’s there too.”
“How is it—Are they—?” Shade tried to ask.
“It’s going pretty well,” Floret assured him. “Much better than before.”
Ember led the way to the steps down to the passage that led through to the queens’ hall, and he and Shade made what Ember considered to be a very decorous and correct entrance. Ember liked and admired Moon a great deal, but he wasn’t very good at entrances. He entered formal meetings looking either like a captive dragged there against his will or like he was coming to murder someone.
Pearl and Malachite were now seated, facing each other over the court’s best blue glazed tea set, a few warriors arrayed around them. Malachite had the mentor Lithe with her, and someone had had the forethought to summon Heart and Bone to sit with Pearl. Arbora tended to be a calming presence anyway, and Bone disliked conflict almost as much as Pearl, but he was much better at defusing it.
As Ember and Shade took seats on the cushions left for them, and the introductions were made, Ember had a chance to get a close look at Malachite.
She was bigger than Pearl, clearly more physically powerful, and her scales were a green so dark it was almost black. There was light gray scarring across her scales, concealing what should be the second color of her webbing. Her only jewelry was silver and crystal sheaths on her claws. Ember thought she looked like a very fine ceramic bowl that had been broken and repaired with silver in the cracks, to make it stronger.
Continuing the conversation, Pearl said to Malachite, “Staying the night would be more sensible. It’s almost twilight and you’ll have to stop and camp anyway.”
As opaque as the queen carved into the wall above Pearl’s head, Malachite said, “Perhaps you’re right.”
It was ridiculous to embark on another long flight now when you had the chance to leave rested and fed in the morning. Malachite and Pearl both knew that; they were just doing an elaborate dance of politeness and respect.
Malachite twitched one spine. It wasn’t a nervous gesture, but Ember couldn’t read it. He could see Heart and some of the warriors betraying little twitches of anxiety. Ember understood; Malachite was by far the most intimidating queen he had ever seen, and at close range the effect was even more daunting. He had no trouble believing she was Moon’s birthqueen. She said, “And it will give me the chance to see the new royal clutch.”
Pearl tilted her head slightly, obviously trying to think of a way to deny or postpone this perfectly reasonable request. Ember sighed. Maybe it wasn’t so much of a dance as it was a fight. Finally Pearl said, grudgingly, “Of course.”
Then Bone intervened with, “Do you plan to try to join the Golden Islanders? Niran and Diar are Delin’s descendants, and I think they would welcome you.”
Malachite turned her attention to him. One of the others might have quailed a little under that intense regard, but Bone weathered it without a twitch. It was impossible to tell if Malachite was aware of the effect of her presence. She said, “It’s the best solution. The map shows a route from island to island, presumably the way the Fell managed it, but going directly will be faster.”
Ember looked at Shade, startled. The mention of the Fell was a reminder of how dangerous this trip would be. “Surely you’re not going—Are you returning to your court after this? Or you could stay here until Malachite returns.”
Ember knew Pearl would have words with him for issuing the invitation without speaking to her first, but half-Fell or not, Shade was a consort, a young inexperienced one, as unlike Moon as Ember was, and he should not be taken into such a situation.
Malachite’s attention fell on Ember. His skin twitched involuntarily, his mouth went dry, and he dropped his gaze to the teapot. Then she said, “Shade, it’s your decision.”
Shade seemed pleased by the invitation, but he said, “No, thank you, I have to go. It’s something I have to make myself do.”
Malachite tilted her head back toward Pearl. “The augury suggests that none of us have a choice in this.”
“That has not escaped me,” Pearl said, dryly, her spines conveying disgruntled resignation. “Now I assume your mentor will wish to consult with ours about the possibility of Fell attack.”
Malachite set her tea cup aside, her claws clinking on the delicate ceramic. “First I want to speak of precautions.”
Pearl’s spines tilted suspiciously. “What sort of precautions?”
Malachite said, “I have two hundred warriors I can spare for the defense of the Reaches. I’d like to bring them here.”
The flying boat traveled over open sea for the next stretch of days, passing only the occasional uninhabited island, and only a few flying island fragments. Callumkal had explained that the winds tended to blow them inland.
Moon passed the time by teaching the warriors how to fish on the wing. Then they came within sight of a set of sandbars where the skeleton of a sea creature so large it could have eaten the flying boat whole lay scattered. The water was clear and shallow enough that they saw the ribs and vertebrae and jaw hinge on the sea floor. It made Moon think of the giant waterlings of the freshwater sea. A small group of sealings played among the bones and paused to watch the flying boat pass overhead with no alarm.
Callumkal said that according to the map, the shelf of land the sea was on curved inward here, and they were skirting the edge of the ocean. That if they went straight into the wind they would eventually reach it and see the spot where the shallows dropped away into the deeps. The creature must have died there and been pushed up into the sea by the current. Moon found it tempting to fly in that direction, just to see what the ocean looked like. But they were going to see it anyway, when they got past the archipelagos.
The weather had been good for flying, another temptation. They passed through a light rain shower one day, but the rest of the time it was sunny with clouds forming ever-changing white mountains in the distance. Moon, Jade, Stone, and the warriors took flights off the deck to stretch their wings and scout ahead a little. Stone had spent enough time on Golden Islander flying boats to be adept at the trick of jumping off before shifting, and of shifting back to groundling some distance above the deck as he came in to land.
Interactions with the crew had been quiet, but there had been no hostility. Moon saw Stone and Magrim, still recovering from his broken ribs, sitting and talking near the bow. Vendoin came to sit with the Raksura and Delin in the evenings, and often Callumkal appeared. Kalam was there every night, obviously feeling more comfortable with them now after his outing with Moon and Stone.
One night, everyone was thinking of the approaching sel-Selatra and the first sight of the ocean. They were sitting on the floor of the common room on their deck, listening to Delin tell a story of the Golden Islanders’ explorations, drinking tea made on one of the ship’s hearths. These were square boxes with a layer of thin stone in the bottom that never got hot, with a block of plant material in it that emitted heat, and a metal frame above it where pots could be placed. It wasn’t that different from a Raksuran hearth with heating stones.
Delin was seated on a cushion, taking notes as he talked, with the Arbora and Kalam gathered around him and warriors sprawled on the floor in whatever position seemed comfortable. Moon leaned against Jade, with Chime on one side and Balm on the other. Except for the green walls and the faint sense of movement, they might have been back in the teachers’ hall at Indigo Cloud.
Then Bramble asked, “Does anything live in the ocean? Anything different than in the sea? Besides fish and giant sea creatures, I mean. Are there ocean sealings?”
Still writing, Delin said, “I don’t know. We know of ships that cross it, or have crossed it, but I have never traveled quite so far. Our ships are more vulnerable to weather than this one.” He looked up at Stone, sitting across from the hearth. “Have you?”
Kalam, and Vendoin, who sat at the outer edge of the group, looked at Stone in surprise. Stone said, “Once or twice.”
Jade sighed. “What were you doing at the ocean?”
“I got curious,” Stone told her. Moon could understand that. If he had Stone’s wingspan and stamina, he might go visit some interesting places too.
“What was it like?” Bramble persisted.
“Empty, mostly.” Stone’s expression was thoughtful. “Just wind and water in every direction. The scent is different from these seas. You can’t smell land at all.”
Chime leaned forward, propping an elbow on Moon’s hip. “Was anything living there? That you could see?”
“Skylings, mostly,” Stone said. “Like the upper air skylings we see over the Reaches, and over mountain ranges. But the swarms that these skylings feed on sometimes fly down and land on the water, and the skylings follow them and dip down and scoop them off the surface.”
“Are there sealings?” Merit asked.
“I didn’t see any. I did see shapes in the water. Big shapes.”
“How big? As big as that skeleton we saw?” Root asked.
“Bigger than that,” Stone said. “Shadows longer and wider than skylings, moving below the surface.”
Everyone absorbed that in silence for a moment. Past Stone, Moon saw Rorra, standing in the doorway, listening. She caught his eye and stepped away to vanish down the corridor, the faint thump of her heavy boots on the soft material fading slowly.
Then Vendoin said, “Well, you shall all see for yourselves soon.”
Later that night, Moon woke with Bramble leaning over him. “Jade, River thought he heard something.”
“Like what?” Jade asked, instantly awake. Moon felt her shift to her winged form, the change in the heat and shape of her body as she uncoiled from around him.
“Something big, moving through the air outside.”
Moon sat up. “Is it—” He had started to ask if it was Stone, taking advantage of a clear night to stretch his wings, but Stone stood beside the window, head tilted to listen. River still crouched by the door for his turn at guard, and the others were stirring. Balm stepped over Merit to stand beside the bed.
“Can anyone hear it now? Stone?” Jade asked.
After a moment, Stone nodded. “He’s right.”
Moon saw River’s tense posture relax a little. If anyone else had mistaken a wind shear for a wingbeat in the middle of the night, it would have been cause for some teasing and complaint and forgotten by the time everyone fell back asleep. Moon wasn’t sure if River making that mistake would have been any different, but River evidently thought so.
Jade climbed over Moon and out of the bed. Moon rolled out after her and grabbed his clothes from the shelf overhead. Even if he had to shift, he wanted to have them with him. Jade said, “Chime, Merit?”
Merit replied first, “I’m not having a vision.” Somewhat testily, he added, “And yes, before anyone mentions it, I know that’s not unusual.” Merit’s augury had continued to be uninformative, and it was bothering him more than it was anyone else.
Chime hesitated. “I don’t hear anything. Not just with my ears, I mean—”
“I know what you mean,” Jade told him.
That’s a relief, Moon thought, rapidly tying the drawstring on his pants. Though it could still be Fell, since with the strong wind the Fell stench would be hard to scent. Or it could just be a gigantic predator.
Everyone was awake now, scrambling out of the way as Jade stepped across to the doorway. She said, “Balm, Moon, Chime, Stone, with me. The rest of you stay here for now.”
Bramble said, urgently, “Jade, Delin went back to his room.”
Jade paused in the doorway. “I want a warrior within arm’s reach of each Arbora. And Delin.”
Moon followed her down the corridor. She was already thinking ahead to what they would do if something attacked the flying boat. Moon hoped that wouldn’t happen. And he hoped Callumkal had those flying packs for all the groundlings on the crew.
Jade reached the stairwell and started up. Moon shifted to follow her, flowing up the steps. He scented Rorra before he saw her, and heard her say, “What—”
As he reached the top of the stairs Rorra stood in the open common area there. She was dressed in a loose sleeping robe and her boots, wide-eyed and startled. Jade paused to tell her, “Something big flew past the boat.”
“Something—” she repeated blankly, then comprehension dawned. She turned and strode down the passage toward the steering cabin.
After a moment, his vision cleared and he saw the sweep of stars overhead, the blend of indigo and violet in the sky, blotted out in a few places by clouds. And one of the clouds was moving. He whispered, “There it is.”
Chime, clinging to the ridge below him, said, “Oh, it is big.”
Below, Stone went to the railing and Jade and Merit toward the bow. Balm scaled the lower end of the ridge, heading for the other side of the boat. Moon tasted the air deeply, sorting out the scents of saltwater, sand, the flying boat, a trace of rotting fish from some distant island or sandbar. He caught the scent of the intruder then, musky and metallic and strange. He tracked the shape as it circled the boat. It curved downwind, then abruptly veered away. It dipped to pass under the boat and then shot out toward the sea.
Moon watched it streak away into the night, until the dark shape vanished into the horizon. He waited, his spines tense, but it didn’t reappear. The night felt empty again, untenanted except for the boat itself.
Jade stood on the bow railing. She hopped lightly down and started down the deck with Merit. Balm climbed up to join Moon, asking, “Did you see it?”
Moon said, “I saw it, I couldn’t tell what it was. Could you?”
She dropped her spines in a negative. “I thought it was shaped like a cloudwalker. But that could have been my imagination.”
Clearly annoyed, Chime said, “I didn’t hear a thing. This is one of those times my useless ability is even more useless than usual.”