by Tamara Moss
‘I’ll get the satchels out of the way,’ Bayani said.
‘Yamini?’ Xiang edged forward. Lintang still couldn’t see a thing.
There was another splash.
‘Xiang!’ Mei said.
‘Stupid … thing!’ Xiang cried. It sounded like she was fighting it off.
‘Just kill it,’ Eire said.
‘No!’
‘I am in charge, Xiang.’
‘I’m not killing it!’
Mei rushed forward. ‘I’ll help you.’
More splashing, more shouts.
Lintang felt her way forward. Her boots touched the edge of the water. Eire stood with her. There was another splash, so enormous it splattered Lintang with the foul-smelling swamp water.
‘Xiang!’ she cried. ‘Mei?’
No answer.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
‘Where did they go?’ That was Bayani, his voice pitched with fear.
Lintang wished she could see something. Why couldn’t she reach shika state?
Something grabbed her around the throat. Long, hard fingers, squeezing, cutting off her air. She pried at the fingers, but it was like trying to break stone. Her lungs shuddered for a breath she couldn’t take.
The clouds parted, and moonlight shone down. Lintang stared into the pale face of the yomannai. It stared back with empty eyes and a gaping mouth.
‘Bailosai!’ Mei clambered up from the swamp water and ran towards them. ‘Bailosai! Ko shif non!’
Blackness crept at the edge of Lintang’s vision.
‘Bailosai,’ Bayani whispered. He started for Lintang with all the satchels in his hands and said louder, ‘Bailosai!’
Eire shoved him aside and lifted the axe of her khwando to slice the dead walker in half, but the fingers suddenly loosened. Lintang crumpled, gasping for precious air.
There was a thunder of footsteps, a battle cry, and a heavy thud as Xiang clubbed the yomannai in the back of the head with the hilt of her sword. It fell to the ground. Xiang stood over it, dripping wet and panting. She prodded the mythie with her blade. It didn’t move.
‘That wasn’t so hard,’ she said.
Lintang still hadn’t recovered her breath to answer.
Yamini waded over to them from where the dead walker had dragged her, rubbing her bruised neck.
Xiang turned to Mei. ‘What did those words mean?’
‘To let Lintang go, and that there weren’t any dead here. It was a long shot, but I was hoping it might react to our native language.’ Mei frowned. ‘Funny that it listened to Bayani.’
Lintang climbed painfully to her feet. ‘Where is he?’ she wheezed.
He burst out of the swamp water, gasping. Lintang scowled when she remembered Eire had shoved him aside.
The sky was lightening. It was nearly dawn.
‘Is everyone all right?’ Kona and Pelita returned from their hiding spot in a patch of reeds.
‘More or less,’ Lintang muttered.
Bayani winced. ‘Er … not exactly.’
They turned to him. He pointed to the muddy water he’d fallen in. ‘The satchels are gone.’
‘The Curall!’ Xiang cried, and jumped back into the swamp, feeling around up to her elbows.
Everyone else got in, even Pelita. They searched and searched, but the mud was thick and deep. The sky grew brighter.
‘We cannot stay here,’ Eire said. ‘We must keep moving.’
Reluctantly, they climbed onto dry land.
‘How will we medicate the Disgraced God without any Curall?’ Xiang said.
Kona helped Pelita out of the water. ‘The governor must have some. No one travels through rural areas without it. We’ll steal them from him when we get there.’
‘And if we come across a mythie in the meantime?’
‘Run?’
Yamini spun to Bayani. ‘This is your fault!’
‘No, it’s not,’ Lintang said.
Yamini stalked towards him. ‘Yes, it is. Why are you here? In fact, why were you invited onto the Winda in the first place? Both you and Pelita are useless!’
‘Back off,’ Lintang said, jumping between them.
Yamini pointed an accusing finger at Bayani. ‘He lost our Curall. He’s slowing us down. He shouldn’t be here!’
Lintang opened her mouth, but rage blocked her words. The anger was a fire spreading across her body, tingling at her fingers, ringing in her ears. She had trained with Yamini every night since they’d started this journey, even though she’d been exhausted. And this was how Yamini repaid her? By attacking her best friend?
Yamini’s lip curled. ‘I know the truth. Lintang needs her little boyfriend, and Captain Shafira always bows to precious Lintang’s demands –’
Any restraint Lintang had snapped like fishing line. She snatched her sword from the ground and lunged at Yamini. Xiang was faster – she jumped in front and blocked Lintang’s blade with her own.
‘Control yourself!’ Xiang said sharply.
‘She’s out of line!’
‘You’re out of line.’ Xiang’s voice was fierce – fiercer than it had ever been. ‘Never raise your weapon against a crewmate!’
Lintang hesitated before reluctantly lowering her sword. The fire still raged in her chest. She glared at Yamini, who sneered back.
Xiang lowered her sword too. She turned to Yamini. ‘Captain Shafira asked Bayani to join us for a reason, even if you don’t know what that reason is. If you’re not happy with that, you’re welcome to leave the crew.’
Yamini said nothing.
Xiang took her silence as acceptance and returned her attention to Lintang. ‘You’re not going to reach shika state if you let your emotions get the better of you. Your anger isn’t helping anyone. Understand?’
Lintang glared at the ground.
‘Did you hear me, Lintang?’
It took a monumental effort to force out the ‘Yes’ Xiang was waiting for.
‘Good,’ Xiang said. ‘Now, I know we’re all tired and hungry and itchy –’ she scratched an insect bite on her ear ‘– but we need to work as a team. Show me good faith, you two. Shake.’
It was the worst thing in the world, clasping arms with Yamini in the traditional Vierzan manner. Yamini looked like she wanted to claw Lintang’s eyes out. Lintang felt the same way.
Pelita clapped politely.
There was a glow behind them, and the dead walker burst apart, replaced with its human self. He was a long man with silver hair all the way down his back and a tattoo of a scorpion with three heads. He was still unconscious. Mei drew closer as Kona wrapped the man in his coat. She let out a gasp. ‘This – This is Zinto!’
‘The Wandering Bird?’ Kona said.
Lintang studied the man’s face. ‘Didn’t your friend at the hish bar say Zinto was the lo fali-air?’
‘Yes,’ Mei said slowly. ‘She did.’ She stared at them with wide eyes. ‘Why did she lie?’
Eire wanted to leave Zinto behind, but Mei insisted they needed to find out the truth about what was going on, so they waited as the sun climbed higher for Zinto to wake up. Eire stalked away to hunt and came back with swamp rats and fish. They had finished eating when Zinto woke.
‘Careful,’ Mei said, helping him sit up. ‘How are you?’
He probed the back of his head with his long fingers. ‘Why does it feel like I’ve been hit with a mallet?’
‘That was my fault,’ Xiang said. ‘Sorry.’
Mei sat before Zinto. ‘Do you remember me? It’s Mei – from the circus.’
Zinto regarded her for a long time. Lintang was starting to think they’d damaged his mind with the blow when at last he said, ‘You left many years ago to travel with Captain Shafira of Allay.’
‘That’s right!’
‘What are you doing here?’ Zinto sounded cautious. Why? He should’ve been happy to be rescued by another Scorpalla member rather than a Vierzan.
Mei introduced the rest of the group and explain
ed about the lo fali-air.
Zinto looked towards the mountain. ‘The lo fali-air,’ he said softly.
Eire tossed the final ration of fish at him. ‘Eat. We must hurry.’
Lintang understood her urgency, but they couldn’t rush this poor man.
‘Can you tell us what happened?’ Mei said. ‘When did you become the yomannai?’
Zinto picked up the fish meat. ‘Not long ago. I had returned to Jafir to see my family, but I was caught before I could get to town. The vigil threw me into a secret underground prison. They’ve been experimenting on wandering rebels because we haven’t had the Curall.’
‘What?’ Bayani said in horror. ‘What were they doing?’
‘Playing around with extra stars. Do you know mythies are made from a second star, come down from Ytzuam? I saw the whole thing when I turned into the yomannai, like a vision sent from the Gods.’ He finished his small meal. ‘The Vierzans know this too, and they’re trying to use the situation to their advantage. They would bring category one mythies into the prison, kill them in front of us, and wait for the loose second star to turn us into mythies.’
There was a roar of outrage from the group. Lintang was shouting just as hard as the others. How dare the Vierzans? How dare they?
Pelita was yelling too, but only random words like ‘Soup!’ and ‘Innkeeper!’ because she didn’t understand what was going on.
‘But why?’ Bayani said through the clamour. ‘What were they hoping to achieve?’
‘They were trying to make a lo fali-air.’
This time, the news was met with silence.
Lintang’s heart felt like it was drumming in her throat. She thought again of the monster, of its fiery eyes and reptilian tongue.
‘They couldn’t defeat the rebels with ordinary force,’ Zinto continued, ‘so they decided to use our own myths against us. They learned, throughout their experimenting, that people become a mythie they relate to. Dragons are those who love to hoard treasure. Common mermaids are playful, sea-loving folk.’
‘Pixies are naughty children!’ Pelita said.
Everyone was nodding. They had suspected as much.
‘Once the Vierzans worked that out, they went looking for a rebel who fit the brutal profile of the lo fali-air. Someone who didn’t care whether they killed citizens or vigil, as long as they were causing destruction. When the vigil found him, they turned him, and at last they had what they wanted. Governor Karnezis was there, ready to tether his star.’
‘That’s awful,’ Lintang said.
‘Soon after, I turned into a yomannai and managed to escape.’
Yamini narrowed her eyes. ‘What kind of person turns into a dead walker, anyway?’
‘The yomannai has a lot to do with death,’ Mei said, ‘which means it has a lot to do with Mratzi. The Scorpalla have always been connected with the harvester.’ She turned to Zinto. ‘But people think it’s you who turned into the lo fali-air.’
Zinto rubbed his beard. ‘That makes sense. They want to quash the rebellion, so they bring in a star-eating monster and tell people it’s actually a leader they’ve been rallying around for the entire post-war era.’
‘But how are they catching these rebels in the first place?’ Kona said. ‘Especially you. You’ve been roaming Kaneko Brown for over twenty years.’
‘People slow down in old age,’ Eire said. She had her arms crossed and was constantly checking the mountains.
Zinto smiled dryly. ‘I wish that was it. Unfortunately, we were betrayed.’
‘Betrayed?’ Xiang said. ‘By who? Who would turn on their own people like that?’
Zinto hesitated. ‘I’m sorry to tell you, Mei. But it was Qourees.’
Mei didn’t speak.
‘She’s been beaten down since you left,’ Zinto said. ‘She’s tired, and scared. The Vierzans taunted me while I was in my cell. They said they’ve known about Volant Reverie being a front for the Scorpalla for a long while. They’ve threatened to bring down all the circus people, and it’s only because Qourees is cooperating that they haven’t imprisoned every last one of them.’
Mei stared at the ground.
‘Oh no,’ Xiang said. ‘Mei, I’m sorry, but I think … I think Qourees is the reason the vigil knew Captain Shafira was coming.’
‘Yes,’ Mei said, heavily, as if making up her mind. ‘She is.’
Xiang blinked. ‘What …?’
‘Qourees sent me a message after we visited the circus, using one of her redbells,’ Mei said.
Lintang remembered the little bird she’d seen on the bridge before she’d come across the drowning man. So that’s why it had been there.
‘She explained about the Vierzans pressuring her to give up names of rebels,’ Mei said. ‘She’s had to make many terrible choices.’
Zinto shook his head sadly.
‘She turned in Captain Shafira,’ Yamini said, disgusted.
‘The Vierzans were already waiting for Captain Shafira to try to medicate the lo fali-air,’ Mei said. ‘They threatened Qourees. She was to inform them as soon as one of the Winda’s crew made contact with her, or her entire circus and its people would be destroyed.’
‘You could’ve told us!’ Lintang cried, outraged. ‘Or at least Captain Shafira. She should’ve been warned!’
‘Of course I warned her,’ Mei said. ‘I showed her the letter immediately.’
Xiang stood and paced. ‘Then why did she come to Jafir? Why didn’t she just send us here, and hide somewhere else? We could’ve medicated the mythie ourselves.’
‘I tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted,’ Mei said. ‘I can’t work it out. It’s one thing to face the prophecy, but to come here knowing the Vierzans were ready for her? Knowing she had no chance of survival?’ She watched Xiang, who was still pacing. ‘You understand her better than anyone. She chose to go to Hallaxa. Why would she do that?’
Xiang turned to stare helplessly towards the mountains. ‘Honestly? I have no idea.’
Three days, three days, three days.
By midday, they reached the end of the swamp and entered the fringes of the forest. Red-, orange- and gold-leafed trees lined the skirts of the mountain range, their fallen leaves coating the forest floor like a fiery blanket. The air tasted earthy. The crew were finally at the foot of Mount Railin. Zinto had parted with them, determined to free the rebels still imprisoned.
As soon as the land became dry and firm beneath their feet and the party began to spread out more, Xiang slowed to wait for Lintang. ‘Let’s talk.’
It was colder beneath the trees. Lintang hugged herself, her breath curling from her mouth as steam. The ground started to slope upwards.
‘I don’t know why Captain Shafira came to Jafir, if that’s what you’re asking.’
‘No. I want to talk about your fight with Yamini. You’re better than that, Lintang.’
The words stung. ‘She shouldn’t have attacked Bayani like that. What she said –’
‘Was horrible, I agree. But she didn’t draw a weapon on you.’
Lintang pursed her lips.
‘I didn’t train you so you could stab the cabin girl.’
‘I wasn’t going to stab her,’ Lintang muttered. ‘Maybe just cut her a little.’
‘Lintang.’
Lintang sighed. ‘All right, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.’
‘Thank you.’
They walked in silence, listening to the insects and the occasional call of a bird. From behind them, Pelita laughed at something Kona was telling her.
Xiang started to speak again, but was cut off by a cry from Mei. They spun to find Mei catching Bayani as he fell. Lintang raced back to them. ‘Bayani? What happened? Are you hurt?’
Bayani’s face was smudged with tears. ‘I can’t,’ he said. ‘I can’t. I can’t keep going.’
Lintang took his hand. ‘Yes, you can. It’s only a few more days. We’re so close.’
Kona set Pelita down and knelt by th
em.
‘Come on, Bayani,’ Lintang said, but Kona touched her shoulder.
‘He’s exhausted,’ he said quietly.
Bayani sobbed. Pelita patted his head.
‘We’ll rest then,’ Lintang said. Even to her ears, she sounded desperate. ‘We’ll take a break. I’ll make Eire take a break.’
Kona shook his head. ‘People die this way. He’s walked as far as he can.’ He nodded to the slope. ‘And the trip only gets harder from here.’
‘I’m sorry, Lintang,’ Bayani said. ‘I’m so sorry.’
‘What is happening?’ Eire stormed back to them. ‘What is taking so long?’
Mei, who was still cradling Bayani, looked at her. ‘We need to stop.’
‘No.’ Eire drew her khwando. ‘If he cannot go further, he stays. The rest of us go.’
‘We’re not leaving him,’ Lintang said. ‘He got sick a couple of years ago and never properly recovered. He just needs some time.’
Eire jabbed the spear side of her khwando towards the mountain. ‘No time. We have three days.’
‘Maybe some of us can stay behind with him,’ Mei said.
‘No.’ Eire’s face was twisted in fury. ‘We need all warriors against mythie.’
‘We’re. Not. Leaving. Him,’ Lintang said through her teeth.
Eire pointed the spear at Lintang instead. ‘Get up.’
‘Eire,’ Xiang said.
‘Get up! We need you on the mountain!’
‘Why do you need Lintang?’ Pelita said curiously.
Mei, Kona and Xiang watched Eire.
‘Because she is good fighter,’ Eire said, lowering her khwando. ‘She is smart. And loyal.’
Lintang remained stubbornly where she was.
‘Lintang,’ Bayani said, voice cracking, ‘just go. I’ll be all right.’
‘No!’
‘And if Captain is stuck forever in shadow world because you were not there?’ Eire said. ‘What will you do?’
‘Eire,’ Xiang said again.
Eire shoved her spear beneath Lintang’s chin, forcing her to meet her glare. ‘You stay here, you doom Captain’s star.’
‘Lintang, go,’ Bayani moaned.
Lintang clenched her teeth so tightly her head started to ache. She loved Captain Shafira, but she would not –could not – stand up and walk away from her best friend.