by N E Riggs
Luei said, “Many people. All the courtiers and most of the hunters. At least one thousand people total.”
Rolan and Hue shared a look, and David winced from where he listened. That was an awful lot of people to worry about. Did the king expect them to investigate every single one of them? They weren’t detectives, and that would take forever.
“Are the vodyanois even capable of understanding speech?” Hue asked.
“Clearly.” Palop sneered. “We can take care of the vodyanois on our own, but the traitor will be harder to find. That is why I called you here.” He stepped closer to Rolan, his stance aggressive. “You cannot appear to be looking for a traitor, or they may stop. Your Sword Priests must still accompany my hunters while you set a trap for the traitor.”
“Our search will take some time then, Your Majesty,” Rolan said. “I don’t have that many men.”
Palop waved a hand. “Set a trap, as I said, so that you do not have to question people. I don’t care how you do it, just find the traitor!” He tugged the crown back on his head and strode from the room. He left silence in his wake.
After a minute or so, Luei said, “Forgive my father. He’s had so much to worry about. There is a traitor, though. You must believe that.”
“I do believe that,” Rolan said. “If your father was correct, then that makes the most sense. I have no idea how he thinks we can find a traitor if he cannot.” He ran a hand through his hair, making the short curls stand on end. “We don’t know the people of Atlantis. We don’t know the area. Do you have any ideas?”
Luei looked at his maps. “We live close to the sea. There are many places a person could go to find a vodyanoi. How they got a vodyanoi to talk with them, rather than kill them, I can’t imagine.” He shook his head.
Hue narrowed his eyes. “Perhaps, if other people are talking with vodyanois, then we should too.”
“You think we should try to capture one?” Rolan asked.
“Why not?” Hue said, looking eager. “We will learn whether they truly can understand human speech. Perhaps it will even know who the traitor is, or where they go to pass on information.”
Rolan nodded after a moment. “It’s as good a start as any.” He turned to Luei. “We’ll need nets and ropes. Can you get some for us?”
“Of course,” Luei said. “The hunters will be leaving early tomorrow morning, heading for this area.” He pointed to the upper right corner of the map. Hue had put more marks on that area of the map than anywhere else. “I will have them ready for you.”
“Thank you,” Rolan said. Luei hurried out, leaving his maps and notes behind. Rolan turned to the Sword Priests. “It’s night already here, and we’ll have a long day tomorrow. Get to sleep.”
Obediently, the Sword Priests took off their weapons and heavy jackets and life preservers and climbed into bed. The walls still gave off their faint glow, so David pulled the blankets up over his head. He couldn’t sleep, since it wasn’t night yet Pardis-time. He kept his eyes open, watching from under the blanket as Rolan and Hue discussed things in front of the map. Eventually, he turned over to lie on his belly and closed his eyes. It took a long time for sleep to come, as he kept imagining cold, scaly hands dragging him under the water.
4
Drowning in Vodyanois
When Hue roused the division, David felt like he hadn’t slept at all. He groaned, rubbing his eyes and wishing for coffee. As he pulled his jacket and life preserver on, his movements were slow and sluggish. He slapped his cheeks a few times, trying to wake himself up. He’d need to be alert.
By the time they reached the canoes, he felt somewhat conscious. This time, they were taking two people to a canoe, since the ropes and nets took up a fair bit of space and so they could spread out more. They had to borrow extras canoes from the Atlanteans, but there were plenty to go around. Conal firmly pulled David into the same canoe as himself, pretending not to see Niam’s hurt look.
The air was crisp and cold as they rowed out of Atlantis, waking David up further. The mist seemed heavier than it had been yesterday. David could only see the four closest canoes. And now I have to worry about getting lost too, he thought darkly. He had his com pad with him, safely zipped in a pocket, and the ear piece attached to his temple. He could call for help if he needed to – he’d been assured the com pads worked, so long as the both ends of the call were on the same world.
The Sword Priests were mixed up amongst the hunters, who stared at the nets and ropes in confusion but didn’t say anything that David could hear. They rowed slowly, so it was over an hour later when they reached the hunting grounds. Smalls bits of old construction poked up here too, though the buildings were crumbling and so covered with sea refuse that David couldn’t make out what they might have once looked like. Sometimes, the hunters would pull their canoes alongside the buildings and hop out on top of them to look around.
It was unnaturally quiet, the only sound the soft waves hitting the buildings and canoes. No one spoke, and there were no birds. Even the ocean was calm, with barely any waves at all. David shivered and held his oar more tightly. It felt like he was in a horror movie, just waiting for the serial killer to strike. Which wasn’t that far from the truth.
He studied the waters, looking for anything moving down there. He sometimes saw vague shadows that might have been a monster, but nothing clear. Some of the other Sword Priests had cast out their nets a few times, but apart from a few fish, they caught nothing interesting.
Then suddenly a cry came from David’s left. He whirled, holding the oar out before him like a weapon. He squinted through the heavy fog but still couldn’t see anything. More cries came, and a loud thwack as something struck something else.
“What is it?” Rolan’s voice carried loudly across the waters, sharp and firm.
“A hand came out of the water,” came another voice. David vaguely recognized it, but couldn’t say who it was. He still didn’t know most of his fellow Sword Priests. “We couldn’t grab it in time.”
“Is everyone okay?” Rolan asked, his voice now closer to the other one.
“Yes, sir.”
“Keep hunting then, and be on your guard.”
David swallowed and turned back to the water. There was at least one vodyanoi nearby, maybe more. There were a lot of them, though, so maybe the vodyanois would leave, to try and find easier pickings elsewhere.
The canoes drifted further apart, spreading out and trying to present targets of themselves to the vodyanois. The fog slowly starting lifting, though it didn’t go away entirely. David and Conal rowed further, till they could barely see the nearest canoe.
“Do you see anything?” Conal asked after a few minutes.
“I don’t think so.” David shook his head. “I hope not.”
“Yeah,” Conal said. He reached up to fiddle with his oxygen mask where it was strapped to his shoulder. David wanted to suggest they put them in advance, but didn’t. Conal looked nervous enough already.
Time dragged on, and the sun rose higher in the sky. It seemed to take an awfully long time, and David wondered how long it had really been. His stomach rumbled – he’d only had time for a single ration bar before climbing into the canoe and that had been hours ago. It was warmer now too, and he flexed his fingers around the oar. They’d been numb most of the morning.
It had to be close to noon when another canoe appeared, moving quickly. David and Conal rowed nearer and saw Hue with another Sword Priest. He was grinning broadly. “We caught one,” he called to them and the next canoe over. “Head back to Atlantis.”
David sighed, a tension he hadn’t noticed in his shoulders melting away. He and Conal started rowing back and soon joined with the other canoes. An hour and a half later they were back in Atlantis. David climbed quickly out of the canoe. He’d never seen so happy to feel solid ground beneath his feet.
They reached the large room with all the beds and stopped at the entrance, staring. The other Sword Priests were staring too
, which made David feel a little better.
On a chair near the maps, a vodyanoi sat, tied up firmly. It threw its head around, thrashing its arms and legs as best it could. The ropes had been tied firmly, so it couldn’t get away. Even though it was out of the water, it didn’t seem to have any trouble breathing, but it did have a mouth and nose. David eyed the scaly skin with distaste and hoped he wouldn’t have to touch it.
Rolan stood beside it, his arms crossed over his chest, dispassionately watching its struggles to free itself. “Do you understand me?” he asked. The vodyanoi let out a harsh cry, fighting harder against its bonds. Rolan grabbed its face and held it, forcing the vodyanoi to look at him. “Do you understand me?” he asked again.
The vodyanoi hissed and spit but didn’t make any sounds that sounded like language to David. “Just another dumb creature,” Hue said, coming to stand on the other side of the vodyanoi.
“Maybe not,” Rolan said. “It could just be using a language we’re never heard. Take it to Bantong and put a translator on it. Maybe that will help.” Hue nodded. He motioned three Sword Priests over. Together, they lifted the vodyanoi – chair and all – and carried it out of the room.
“Will the translator help?” David asked. He reached up and touched the translator that still sat on his temple. He’d forgotten it was there. “Come to think of it, how are we speaking with the Atlanteans?”
“Atlantis is an old ally – they speak the same language. Bantonan is a common language. You have to go somewhere pretty remote to not find it,” Conal said.
David wondered if Bantonan sounded like any Earth languages. He’d never actually heard it spoken. Of course, he only spoke English and might not recognize another language. “The translators are pretty amazing, though. You’ve been in sync almost the whole time I’ve known you, and I can read stuff too. How does it work?”
Conal shrugged. “The first one was built by Aeons. It affects your brain, apparently. I’m not much good with technology so I don’t really know. It does take a few days to completely sink in, and it only works one way, which is why all the Lost Priests wear them. Most Swords Priests too, just in case.”
“Will it work on the vodyanoi?”
“I don’t know. It’s designed for humans, not monsters.” Then Conal twitched and scowled. “Oh, don’t tell me he was the one to catch it,” he said, exasperated.
David followed his gaze to see Bellon standing a short distance away from Rolan. He stood very straight and tall, a proud smirk on his face. His uniform was dripping all over the ground. Beside him stood another Sword Priest, whom David only vaguely knew and who was also wet.
Even as they watched, Rolan nodded to Bellon and the other Sword Priest. “Good job catching the vodyanoi,” he said, which make Conal grind his teeth. Bellon puffed his chest out further and grinned, and the other Sword Priest smiled broadly.
The Atlantean hunters went back out later in the day, and Rolan took the Sword Priests with them. They were fishing this time, but vodyanois might show up again. The nets they’d planned to use for the vodyanois worked even better for fishing, and soon David and Conal’s canoe was filled to overflowing with fish and they had to head back to Atlantis. Even better, there had been no more vodyanoi attacks while they were fishing. David smiled and enjoyed the trip back.
Waiting for them after dinner - which they had with Palop, his court, and the hunters and which consisted mainly of sashimi, thought David was sure the locals wouldn’t call it that - was one of the Sword Priests that had returned to Bantong with Hue. “Any progress?” Rolan asked.
The Sword Priest nodded. “Took a while, but the vodyanoi started to talk. Vicar Teot is still questioning it. He says it might take a day. The vodyanoi doesn’t talk very good.”
“Then we shall hunt more down while we wait.” To the entire division Rolan said, “Rest now. We have another early morning tomorrow.”
David flopped down on his bed. He wondered how exactly they were going to hunt the vodyanois. The waters were so dark it was hard to see them. Well, he’d find out in the morning. He rolled over and buried his head in the pillow. That night, he had only one nightmare about drowning.
He was more awake than he’d been the previous morning. Once again they traveled two to a canoe. This time they brought no nets or ropes. “Fire your agitators into the water,” Rolan said before they left. “Don’t wait until you see a vodyanoi. You won’t hit something every time, but that’s fine. Use the stun setting. If any vodyanois rise to the surface, finish them off.”
Beside him, Luei frowned. “You will kill many fish that way too,” he said. “What will we eat?”
Rolan shrugged. “We’ll bring the fish back with us. When we know more about the vodyanois, we can try more efficient methods.”
Luei looked like he might argue more, but he silently got into a canoe with one of the other hunters. They rowed straight north this time. There were fewer buildings here, but David saw actual rocks for a change. A handful of seagulls nested amongst the rocks, and he smiled at them. He wondered if there was land anywhere on this world beyond these few rocks. He hadn’t seen any on Luei’s maps.
They rowed for two hours before spreading out. It seemed strange to just shoot blindly into the water, but that was what Rolan had ordered. David mentally shrugged, set his agitator to stun, and started shooting into the sea. Conal fired off the other side of the canoe. They rowed about slowly, trying to cover as wide an area as they could. Lots of dead or unconscious fish rose up the surface of the water, and they dragged them into the canoe to bring back. Unlike the fish they’d caught yesterday with nets, these fish stank and were already half-cooked. David tried to keep his face pointed away from the pile of fish in the canoe; anything to make the smell seem less.
The fog was much thinner today, so they strayed further from the other canoes. David had no idea if anyone else had killed any vodyanois. He and Conal hadn’t seen any. They were on the very far side of the group, the only sound the faint hum from their agitators.
David sighed hours later. “Maybe we should head that way,” he said, pointing. There was a large boulder not too far away. He saw a darker area on the left side and wondered if there might be a cave.
“Good as any,” Conal shrugged, rowing that way already.
As they got closer, David could tell that it was a cave, big enough for them to take the canoe into. He saw Conal bite his lip but they rowed that way anyway. They paused outside the cave; it was awfully dark inside. David pulled out his flashlight and shone it in, but still couldn’t see much: just dark, dank walls and lots of seaweed.
“I guess we should go inside,” he said.
“Yeah,” Conal said, his fingers white around his agitator.
They rowed in slowly, searching first the waters then the walls with their flashlights. David saw a few nests wedged into cracks in the walls, but nothing else of interest. He slowly relaxed. He’d been convinced they’d find a whole flock of vodyanois, just waiting for them, but there was nothing here. “Let’s head back,” he said, taking one last look around. “There’s no—”
If he hadn’t been turned sideways in the canoe, he’d have never seen it. A hand suddenly shot up out of the water, grabbing the side of the canoe and yanking. David started to scream, but it was cut off when he hit the water. He fired his agitator frantically, unable to see anything. He groped for his oxygen mask, but he couldn’t find it. Something wrapped around his neck, and he turned to see a vodyanoi swimming beside him, barely visible in the dark water. Its hair floated around its head in a lazy halo. It grinned, its pointy teeth bright in the dark. The hand on his neck was thin and clammy but terribly strong. David gripped it, trying to pull it away. He flipped his agitator to kill and shot the vodyanoi again and again. The bright red light of the agitator showed the vodyanoi’s clammy features, casting strange, pink shadows beyond it.
The vodyanoi twitched, its fingers tightening around his throat for a moment. Then it went limp. He kicked
hard, looking around for the surface. He was lucky; he could see the canoe and knew which way was up. He surfaced with a loud gasp, massaging his aching throat. He grabbed the side of the canoe and looked around. He’d lost his flashlight, and he could barely see. “Conal! Conal, are you there?”
There was no response. The body of the vodyanoi rose to the surface, bobbing face down. David swore, feeling for an oxygen mask that wasn’t there anymore. The vodyanoi must have ripped it away – or it fell off when he hit the water. He took a deep breath and dove under the water, searching for Conal. It was too dark to see, and he’d lost his flashlight too. He surfaced and switched his agitator to stun then went under a third time. He fired his agitator in every direction. On stun, it wouldn’t kill Conal, but it gave enough light to see.
He turned half way around before he saw something. He fired again. This time he could see a large form limp in the water. He swam quickly, firing constantly so he could see, aiming away from the form. It was definitely Conal, his pale hair clear in the murky waves. David grabbed him beneath the shoulders and kicked for the surface again.
Conal hung limp in his arms, not breathing. David swore again, pulling Conal towards the canoe. He draped Conal across it and pressed his ear to Conal’s chest. His heart was still beating. He quickly started doing CPR, which was awkward with him still in the water. After the fourth breath, Conal suddenly gasped.
David helped him turn over on his stomach as he gasped and coughed and spat up water. He’d lost his oxygen mask too, David noticed. “You saved me,” Conal finally managed, limp across the canoe.
“We were lucky,” David said, looking at the vodyanoi. He switched his agitator to kill and shot it again a few times, just to be sure. “It almost got me.”
“It grabbed me too,” Conal said. “I saw it grab my oxygen mask, and I managed to kick it away. I got turned around, and I lost my agitator.” He shuddered. “Thank you.”
David shook his head. “Let’s get out of here.” They turned the canoe right side up. Conal pulled himself inside first then helped David. They rowed quickly out of the cave, and David allowed himself a sigh when they were back outside. Even filtered through the fog, the sunlight felt magnificent.