Woe reached the door first. She pressed down on the handle, but nothing happened. As we bunched up behind her, she tried again, and her thumb brushed a keypad. The light blinked twice, turning from white to green. The door slid downward, disappeared into the floor, and exposed a tunnel that ended in another doorway.
I bumped into Woe. “Go, and let’s hope the door closes behind us.” I stepped over the threshold, wanting to be the first man in. Booby traps were a threat, but we needed to get a move on.
I scanned the walls for a pad. “Do you see a pad anywhere? We have to close the entrance, and leave everything as it was before.”
“There,” Woe exclaimed, pointing to the identical print pad a yard down the hall.
She dashed to it and slammed her hand against it. The white light blinked twice, flashed green, then the door hissed closed behind us.
I urged them ahead to the next gate.
Woe located the pad, and, like it did for the other two, at her touch, the light turned green, granting us access. The wall in front of us split into two pieces, each side disappearing into the wall. We stepped into a box, swirling designs etched into the metal. It reminded me of an elevator.
When the entrance closed, the two parts sealed tightly enough that I couldn’t detect the seam. I experienced a moment of weightlessness, and the container started to move, shifting in an indeterminate direction.
Mara’s shoulders sagged. “Down,” she sighed. “We have to go down. That’s where the city is.”
“I wish there were windows,” Woe muttered through gritted teeth. She circled around the small square as several minutes ticked by.
“Are you going to be okay?”
Her teeth chattered. “If I have a meltdown, pick me up and carry me.”
At the bottom, the doors opened again, and we stepped out onto a platform that overlooked the city. Raishana covered several square miles.
Washed in a permanent twilight, myriad creatures traveled the coral footpaths, but eight-limbed cephalopods were the predominant race that surrounded us. A heavy mist hung in the air, and saltiness kissed my lips. The mustiness of the place overwhelmed everything else. It was as if we’d arrived in the basement of the universe.
From my vantage point, I couldn’t see the borders of the city, but the Librarian had filled me in before we’d left. Surrounded by dark waters, acres of ancient corral had been glassed in and turned into a city where the Raishanans could live on dry land.
I would have loved to spend days upon days there, but we had to hurry. We had to get out before they caught us where we weren’t supposed to be.
Scattered throughout the city, air-locked tubes allowed the inhabitants to enter and exit as they pleased. Some Raishanans spent their whole lives in the depths of their sea-covered planet, never interacting with any other race. Others preferred an urban way of life, building homes on the coral that were mostly submerged. They returned to their homes throughout their days to re-hydrate. Some even dabbled in the established hierarchy of the municipality or acted as ambassadors to other worlds. And, in at least one case, operated a train that ran between worlds and realms.
We started down a long ramp that ended at a Visitor’s Center.
I stopped a faded green cephalopod, his limbs tipped in orange. “Where might I find the Library or the hall of records?”
He gave me a confused look.
“Where would I go to find previous years of news?”
“English?” He leaned back on two of his appendages and crossed two others. Another stroked his chin while he waited for my answer.
I nodded.
His eyes brightened at the clarification. “Why, the News Minder will have what you need. She’s straight down the outer street for three blocks. Second door on the left. On Cirsumstreet.” His beak snapped as he pointed it out.
Mara stepped forward. “Anything else?”
He thought a moment. “The moonrise over the reef isn’t to be missed.” He paused. “If you have the time. Those that go to the archives rarely have recreation time to spend with us,” he added.
“Circumstreet?” I wanted to be sure we were headed in the correct direction.
“Aye, whale-man. It’s the one that runs on the outer edge of the town.”
I studied the whitened coral beneath my feet.
“It’s the one yer on already. It’s the loop that circles Raishana.” At that, he squished away, his suction cups grabbing and releasing as he went.
“How do you know I’m whalish?” That was unexpected.
“Easy enough to pick out your kind,” he answered over his shoulder, “when you’ve been around as long as I have.”
We watched him continue out of the Visitor’s Center and down the street, greeting others who bowed to him as he went. Who had helped us at the Visitor’s Center?
The way the other inhabitants behaved, he must be the town’s healer, mystic, Elder, or some other revered, official position.
A moment later, a different cephalopod took his place in the Visitor’s Center. “I apologize about my absence. How can I help you?”
We shared a look, and Woe shrugged. Then Mara scowled after the retreating cephalopod.
“We have what we need,” I said, and we moved back out into the foot traffic of Circumstreet.
We came to a series of buildings, each cave-like and carved into the tall overgrowth of coral. Raishanan writing that hung in an arc over the entrance declared something I couldn’t decipher.
“Do you think they’ll sound an alarm when they figure out we’ve gone? I hope we have some warning.” Woe asked, wiping moisture from her forehead. “That Fae seemed very interested in me.”
“I don’t think that was your imagination.” Mara slipped past Woe and into the building. “Your feathers are looking a bit peaked. Maybe you should take a rest once we get inside,” she added.
Woe gave Mara a dark look, then glanced back at me as though she expected me to intervene. Like every man who didn’t want to be attacked, I put my hands up in surrender. I didn’t understand quite why they didn’t get along. Woe stomped inside after Mara.
Three days of their verbal sniping certainly wouldn’t have been enjoyable—yet another reason why we couldn’t wait for the official approval. When it came down to it, it would be easier to ask for forgiveness than beg for permission.
I followed but lagged behind. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be in the middle of a catfight, I just decided to observe the inhabitants coming and going. It helped to become familiar with a place. In a crowd of blue Raishanans, I glimpsed a khaki flutter and a trace of seafoam skin. Squinting at the mass, I waited for another hint.
“What are you doing?” Mara asked. Her voice came from directly behind me.
My heart tripped in my chest, but I didn’t visibly startle. I hadn’t heard her creep up. “Ocular investigation,” I said.
“Ah. Searching,” she said. She stopped inches from me.
Her nearness distracted me, and I worked to refocus on the on-coming group, but the curve of her hip beneath my hand brought her bare skin to my mind.
My surveillance wouldn’t be worth much. As I suspected, the Raishanans passed us without a hint of anything suspicious in their minds. She took my hand, tracing the lines on my palm. When her fingertips grazed mine, I couldn’t think straight.
I took her arm. Anything to stop her attention to my hand. “Shall we stroll?”
“Of course,” she murmured.
Nearby, Woe already spoke to a Raishanan female that had skin the color of midnight. The majority of her tentacles had been swept to one side of her head in Medusa curls.
“Green with orange tips?” the woman rasped as we approached.
At Woe’s nod, her beak snapped with laughter, and her dark eyes flashed. “He’s the Brew Master.”
Woe’s face twisted in confusion. “Brew Master?”
“Of course. In our society, it is an honorable position to obtain. The Brew Master selflessl
y serves his countrymen by serving strong drink from behind the bar. He is the Brew Master.”
“Ah,” she said, obviously still somewhat confused.
I chuckled and patted Mara’s hand. How appropriate. A bartender could be as good as a healer sometimes.
The pair turned toward me. “Lev, this is the News Minder.”
The News Minder’s eyes widened. Without so much as an attempt to hide it, she lifted a tentacle in the space between Mara and myself, effectively muscling Mara out of the way so she could take her place. Mara squeaked, and her face flushed.
“Lev, is it?” She moved a tentacle around me, her suction cups made soft kissing noises along the back of my neck. “I’ve always wanted to meet a whale shifter. I’ve read some amazing things about your kind.” She led me toward a seating area. “My name is unpronounceable in your language, but you can call me anything you want, sweetling.”
“Thank you, madam,” I said, glancing back to a scowling Mara.
“Your friends can join us, if they’d like,” she said, drawing me even closer. Her tentacles seemed like a thousand touches over my skin.
We stopped in front of a bench similar to the ones in the terminal. Woe and Mara trailed behind.
She situated herself over one end and patted the seat at the other. “Tell me what you’re looking for.”
I bowed and took the spot beside her. “First, I must say, I’ve never met a cephalopod with such a lovely beak before.”
Maybe she liked whales, or maybe she liked humans. I didn’t really care why she was agreeable, but if a little flattery greased the wheels and got us back to New Haven City faster, information about my family in hand, I was willing to use it.
I leaned toward her. “We’re looking for old news from your city.”
“You’re in luck.” She preened from the beak compliment. “I know where to look.”
I pointed to Mara. “My Mer-friend is searching for her family.” Only a partial truth since I was searching for my family, also. But, I could uncover anything about Mara’s history, that would also be a win. “And Mer aren’t native to our city, so any incident might be remarkable.”
I touched her shoulder. “Have there been any odd Mer occurrences in Raishana?”
She batted her eyes, but the corners of her beak turned down. “I remember something like that a few years ago.” She wrapped a smaller tentacle around my wrist and jumped up, yanking me along after her. In her haste, I bumped against a small cabinet. With a crash, it fell to the ground.
A large stack of dog-eared paperbacks fell out, and the top copy skidded across the floor and came to rest at my feet. My mouth fell open. On the cover, a cephalopod and a half-shifted whale were locked in a passionate embrace. Similar activities were depicted on each of the volumes, each growing more and more… adult.
I was a grown man, long past blushing. Or so I thought.
That explained… a great deal about Raishana’s News Minder.
She froze and stiffened, before slowly turning. Her gaze followed mine. “Oh, dear,” she gasped. Still holding my wrist, she scooped the pile under a free arm and tossed them all underneath the bench. “Let me just clean up a little.”
I wasn’t quite sure what to say next.
“This way,” she said, tugging me behind her and down a short passageway.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Woe cover her mouth with both hands and double over, her shoulders shaking. An outraged Mara glowered, shooting daggers at the back of the News Minder’s head.
In the first room, she released me and pointed to stacks of newspapers. “These are the weekly editions from the last ten orbits. What you need will be in here,” she said. “Our papers are different than most. They’re made of sea-leather, a substance similar to human paper, but more durable. Also, each image is interactive and holographic. If you study something longer than thirty ticks, the column senses it and projects a three-dimensional version of the image above it.” She glanced around. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a few more things to put away.” She fanned her tentacles, curtsied, and rushed from the room.
Woe and Mara appeared a moment later, each with wildly different expressions on their faces. Woe couldn’t look at me without snickering, while Mara looked like she wanted to slap someone… maybe me. They both must have heard everything the News Minder had said because they dove in hands first.
Mara might stay mad for a while. How long did Mer stay miffed?
I had the longevity of a shifter, so I could probably outlast her fury. Maybe I could upgrade our two seats to a sleeper compartment. The privacy might earn a smile out of her. At that thought, my outlook brightened, and I began my search in the leathery stacks.
We searched for several hours, hunting for any mention of a peculiar occurrence in Raishana. On the thirtieth index, I found what I was looking for.
Mer Found Unconscious, page Senca
The headline snagged my attention, and I turned to the corresponding page number. The date had been smudged by the ever-present humidity, but the translator went to work on the article. The report likely held the information we sought.
An image lifted off the page and turned slowly above it. The woman in the mugshot resembled Mara, but her face was badly swollen and bruised. I ran my hand through the holographic picture. Someone had hurt my Mara. Badly. I read on.
In the early hours of Moontide, a Mer female was found in the Octopine City with a note stitched to her coat. Local officials have remanded her to the medical house as they search for her family members. Anyone with information about this Mer or the whereabouts of her family, please contact your nearest local authority.
“What is a medical house?” I asked.
“A hospital,” Mara murmured, staring into the shadows beyond. Her hand rested at the base of her neck, and she ran her finger along her collar. Perhaps she was beginning to remember. “I don’t want to remember anymore,” she whispered. Her face drained of the little pigment she possessed.
I folded the paper over and replaced it on the shelf. “We’ve come this far, let’s see what else we can find.” We might find a husband or a family or… I recalled the image. An abuser who needed reckoning.
Mara backed away from me, her expression withdrawn, and she shook her head. “Let’s go, Lev. This place is too much. It’s confusing my memories.”
“Tell me.” I caught her arm to halt her escape. “Was that you?”
She nodded, staring at her toes. She looked every inch the beaten woman who had arrived at Jason’s church such a short time ago. Then she pulled her arm out of my grasp and hurried back to where Woe was waiting in the main lobby.
I tucked the paper under my arm, determined to ask the News Minder about the headline.
Once upstairs, we found Woe snuggled in a recliner with her eyes closed, and I decided to sneak up on her. Just as I got near enough to startle her, her eyes popped open and startled me instead.
“I’m not sleeping,” she said, climbing to her feet. “And you sneak around just about as well as I expect a whale to sneak.”
“You two head back to the exit,” I said. “I’ll return the paper to the News Minder personally, then I’ll be right behind you.”
At the office, I waited to speak until the News Minder noticed me. I showed her the article. “I wondered if you remembered when this happened.” I pointed to the images. “What happened to the Mer woman?”
“If I recall, in a later edition,” she moved a tentacle tip over the typeset, “the authorities returned her to Unseen Street according to the directions left on her lapel.” She suctioned the newspaper and placed it on a nearby shelf, filled with books and other periodicals. “They say an Octopus never forgets.” Her beak clicked, and her tentacles writhed together next to her cheek. “A Raishana maiden doesn’t either.”
I winked. “Neither does a whale, Madam.”
Her tentacles fluttered about.
“Thank you for your assistance.” I tipped my hat and
winked, sending her free arm fluttering about her middle. If I had been interested in a tentacled girlfriend, I suspected the News Minder might have been first in line.
“Oh, anytime you’re in town, you come back, Mr. Lev.” Alone. She didn’t say the word, but it hung in the air. “It was lovely to meet you. Maybe next time you could shift for me.” She gurgled after me.
Once outside, I didn’t look at Mara, but I could feel her gaze burning the back of my neck. I couldn’t say my ego didn’t enjoy the fluffing, though I doubted I could live up to the literature the News Minder preferred.
Woe and Mara started down the street. Mara strode along with a stiff gait, and she didn’t look at me when I caught up. She was more than a little unhappy. One more block and we were back at the elevator.
“Let me try something, Woe,” I said, catching her before she mashed her hand on the pad. She shrugged and stepped back. I pressed my hand to the pad. It blinked twice.
But it didn’t turn green, and the door didn’t open. I waved Mara over. She dropped her hand over the scanner. She got two blinks and nothing else.
“That’s weird,” Woe said. “Let me try.” She pressed her hand to the mechanism. It blinked twice and turned green. The seamless entrance split, and we stepped into the elevator.
My gaze settled on Mara. She stood in the corner, chewing on her fingernails.
It wasn’t just odd. It was nearly impossible that the Raishana security had been programmed for Woe, yet it was the case. Despite my misgivings, I ushered them inside.
Who could have known that Woe was coming? And how?
34
Moth to Flame
Mara
Woe waved her hand over the interface again. It blinked twice and turned green. The elevator door opened. A moment later it closed again, hiding us from the Raishanas.
She whirled on me, her finger extended. “How do you explain that? How?”
Lev shook his head, crossed his arms, and turned his glare on me, too. Every inch of him accused me and ripped out my heart at the same time. “What do you know about this, Mara?”
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