by Ros Baxter
‘Okay then, big boy,’ Rania spat, leaning forward a little in her chair. ‘I…we…sorry, Lecanora and me, we…went through a lot to bring that goddamn medicine to you. And don’t get me wrong, I’d do it again… a thousand times over. But it was hard. And looky here, I’m real super glad it’s working for you, but I think you might have just upheld your end of the bargain and focused on getting some rest and letting it do its work before you leap out of bed like Super-freakin’-man and get in the car to come home. The staff back there almost had a freakin’ fit. What the hell were you thinking?’
Doug slammed his foot to the floor and pulled the car to the shoulder, unfastening his seatbelt and spinning in his seat in one fluid movement. ‘You want to know what I was thinking, Ms Thing?’ His voice was clipped and low. ‘I was thinking I’d been dead, and now I was alive.’ He shook his head. ‘I’m cured, Sheriff. I’ve got no idea how that magic potion of yours did it, but it did.’ He stabbed a finger at Rania. ‘And I know from that look on your face there’s a whole truckload more going down that you’re not telling me. And you know what? Whatever the hell it is, it’s not your own private battle anymore. You don’t get to own it.’
This time he jabbed a finger in Lecanora’s direction. ‘And I also know for damn sure this one’s mixed up in it too, and—’ He took a breath. ‘I know I’ve got a part to play, too. I saw it.’
‘Saw it?’ Rania was going for cocky, but Lecanora knew Doug’s words had disturbed her.
‘When I was out cold,’ Doug said, ‘I saw her.’ He pointed again at Lecanora. ‘And me. And—’
‘And?’ Rania’s tone was arch, but she was smiling.
Lecanora struggled to keep up.
‘And… stuff,’ Doug said, easing the car back out onto the road.
Lecanora studied the man’s face as he spoke, his jaw working like he was chewing glass.
‘That damn thing near killed me, and caused me five thousand kinds of pain while it was at it. Damnit, Sheriff, I’ve been fucked up pretty bad in some pretty nasty places in my life. And that hell was the worst I’ve ever been through. If you think you’re keeping me all safe and contained in some hospital bed to drink soup through some freakin’ straw and play nicey-nicey, well honey, you’ve got another thing coming. Wherever you’re going, I’m there. Whatever you’re doin’, I’m in it. And this time…’ He slowed down the last point, as though he wanted to make sure it stuck. Lecanora closed her eyes and felt herself hypnotized by the lazy gravel of his voice. ‘…this time I’m getting some goddamn answers so I can be properly prepared.’
He flicked a look across at Lecanora. ‘Outta town, my ass.’ Then he coughed and turned back to her. ‘Sorry, honey, no offence to you and sorry for the language.’
And with that, he pumped the gas, re-fixed his seatbelt and swung back out onto the road.
Lecanora was left almost panting at the way the man put his words together.
Rania slumped back into her seat and shot a thought into Lecanora’s brain. Now that is what you call having the last word, Princess. And you thought I was bad.
Lecanora touched Doug softly on the knee, wondering if he would explode at the contact. ‘Yep?’ His jaw was clenched so tightly he could barely get the word out.
‘I think I would quite like to have that chat now.’
* * *
It was raining heavily as they pulled out onto the motorway towards Williamstown. Rania was talking again, but Lecanora knew her well enough to know that she was fragile, even after all the time they had spent apart in the last thirteen years.
Doug and Larry rode up front, and Rania and Lunia rode in the back with Lecanora. Lecanora considered that the seating arrangement was very lucky, because while she had been ‘chatting’ to Doug after his outburst, listening to those serrated tones scrape along her awareness like the hair of a bristle-ray, she had become so fascinated by him she would have to work hard not to crawl across the seat and attempt to mate with him. She made a mental note to ask Rania later, when they were alone, how such subjects were best broached on The Land.
‘Okay,’ Rania was saying. ‘So it’s a simple distract and talk, okay?’
Larry laughed from the front. ‘Not so simple, honey,’ he said. ‘The woman is going to be president. We’re not even going to get close to her.’
‘Yes, we will,’ Lunia said, stopping all questions with that quiet, authoritative way of hers. ‘I can get us in there. I don’t know her, not personally, but I know enough who do.’
‘I’m real sorry Mrs Aqualina,’ Doug said, and Lecanora heard again the affection Doug had for her mother. ‘I know you’re real good, and I damn sure know you’re the best mayor I ever saw, but you weren’t able to get the meeting with her through a straight request, even with your contacts, so what makes you think—’
Rania interrupted him. ‘We only had a day,’ she said. ‘They offered us a meet, just not ‘til next week. ‘It can’t wait that long.’
‘How long do we have?’ Doug asked, his voice tight. ‘Or does that fall into the category of things Doug’s not allowed to know, too?’
As Doug asked the question, Lecanora heard him swear thickly. The wheels screeched as he swerved to the other side of the road. Lecanora found herself flung almost into Lunia’s lap.
‘What is it?’ Rania’s hand was on her weapon immediately as she unbuckled and ripped open her door, but both Larry and Doug were faster even than she was.
‘Stay with Mom and Lecanora,’ Rania panted, pulling on Larry’s arm and dragging him back into the car as she began running towards the front of the vehicle where Doug was silhouetted in the headlights. Lecanora strained her eyes to see what was in front of the car, what had caused Doug to swerve. She watched as Rania and Doug carried something back to the car between them—a large shape. As the door opened, and the shape came out of the light it became clear what it was.
A man.
Or rather, a merman. An Aegiran.
He was naked and unconscious, his strong brown body young in the way of her home, but his face revealing itself older than one would expect.
And Lecanora would have known him anywhere.
‘Telmei,’ she squeaked, running her hands over his chest and looking for signs of life. ‘I don’t understand. Telmei?’ She turned to Rania and Doug. ‘Where was he?’
‘Well, sweetheart,’ Doug purred, sounding like he’d had just about enough for one day. ‘Your man here was lying on the road. Or maybe, more accurately, in the road. See that dip up ahead?’ He pointed to the place where the headlights met the road, and a shiny black spot revealed itself. ‘And see this rain? Well, that trough is filled with water. And your man was floating in it.’
As he finished speaking, Telmei gasped loudly, dragging in several ragged breaths and issuing a high-pitched note as his eyes rolled back in his head.
‘Jesus,’ Doug exploded, clapping his hands to his ears. ‘What the hell is that? Can someone make him stop?’
Lecanora drew back her hand and slapped the man swiftly across his cheek. ‘Telmei,’ she said, speaking as low and evenly as she could. ‘You are here, now and you can stop singing.’
‘Singing?’ Doug’s voice cracked as he said the word. ‘That’s what you call that god-awful noise?’
The man’s eyes opened, and they were so pale Lecanora felt her skin prickle.
‘Princess,’ the man said. ‘Your mother sent me…to tell you…you must be careful.’
Lecanora groped for speech as the implications sunk in. He had hydroported to her. This man, this most loyal of Aegirans, had hydroported to this muddy puddle on this dark highway at the exact instant she was arriving. The peril and precision of it shook her to the core.
Yep, Rania said, into her brain. He’s a lot better at hyrdoporting than you, babe. Or me, for that matter. But then, he is a herald, so, you know, it’s kind of an occupational requirement.
Lecanora ignored her. ‘Telmei,’ she said, as clearly and imperiously as
she could. ‘Should I come home now? Does she need me now?’
The man’s eyes opened and closed, the pupils alternating between light blue, green and white. ‘No,’ he yelled. ‘You must do what you came for. But you must not waste any time. Manos…’ He trailed off.
Lecanora slapped him again and Doug whistled. ‘Jeez, sister, give the guy a chance, he’s trying.’
Lecanora tuned in to Doug. ‘I am not punishing him, Doug. He is lost; parts of him are still scattered. I am helping him to focus.’
Doug muttered something under his breath that Lecanora was sure sounded something like, ‘Didn’t anyone tell the girl men aren’t so great at focusing?’
Lecanora turned back to Telmei. ‘Friend,’ she commanded. ‘Telmei. What? What about Manos?’
The man made a sick gurgling sound and spit ran from his mouth. ‘Oh no,’ Doug cursed, watching the spit run from the man’s mouth. ‘My vehicles never end up in good shape when I hang out with the sheriff.’
‘Manos is coming,’ Telmei said.
* * *
‘He’s a sorcerer?’ Lecanora did not know this Land man Doug very well, but she could tell he was feeling skeptical. They were sitting in a strange all-night eating house, hunkered over a small booth table, talking in whispered tones.
Lecanora nodded. ‘A very ancient, very evil sorcerer,’ she said, patting his hand. She felt empathy for him; she understood it was sometimes hard for human brains to comprehend the magical.
And, also, she liked touching him.
‘Look,’ he said, covering Lecanora’s cold hand with his warm dry one. ‘You sure do seem like a real nice girl, Lecanora.’
‘Princess Lecanora,’ Larry corrected him, looking like he, too, was having some trouble taking it all in, although Lecanora saw in his eyes that he had been to some different places than Doug had, and maybe seen some different things. Perhaps he was more open to this than Rania’s soldier of fortune?
‘Princess,’ Doug corrected himself, withdrawing his hand and looking as though he was working hard to uncurl it from the fist it seemed to naturally bunch into. ‘You seem like a nice girl.’
‘Woman,’ Lunia said, munching carefully on a small salad and patting Telmei’s back with her hand soothingly as he hunched over the steaming bowl of tomato soup.
‘Woman,’ Doug bit out. ‘Look, can everyone give me a minute here? I never claimed to be the king of protocol. Just let me get this out. My point is that you seem great and all; it’s just that this kinda story takes a little believing.’ He sighed. ‘Although, with the things I’ve seen lately, like Miss Muscles here.’ He pointed to Rania. ‘And her ma.’ This time he pointed to Lunia. ‘And then the things I’ve heard.’ He rubbed his ears. ‘Maybe it’s not so hard to believe after all.’
‘I understand,’ Lecanora said. ‘What else do you need to know?’
‘Okay,’ Doug said, pushing back his half-eaten pie and leaning back into his seat.
Rania snatched the pie up and began to scoop large mouthfuls in while he was preoccupied. She had been unusually quiet since Telmei had landed. Lecanora had tried to peek in her brain, but Rania had clanged the door shut. Lecanora had only caught a wisp of an image of Carragheen before Rania had closed down. That, and a whirling cloud of vermilion—the color of concern, of fear for a loved one. And the color of blood.
Rania was fretting about her lover.
Lecanora watched Rania demolish Doug’s pie and thought about her words, back at the house. Comfort food. Broken hearts, crises. She pushed her own pie closer to Rania as Doug began to speak again.
‘So Manos, the sorcerer, and Aegir, the god, faced off, right? And Aegir came off second best?’
Lecanora stiffened. ‘It was not like that,’ she said. ‘Manos took the billow maidens, Aegir’s daughters. Aegir had no choice. He was crippled in the fight.’
‘Okay, okay, of course.’ Doug covered her hand with his again. ‘I getcha Princess, sorry. No offence to your…grandpa?’
She smiled at him, feeling the warmth of his hand burn into hers. ‘Go on.’
‘Right. So Manos was supposed to never be able to find the place, right? The Atlantis place. Aegira?’ He said the name of her home fast and harsh, and Lecanora could not help but correct him. The story was important, sure, and he needed to know, but her home was important too.
‘Ae-gir-a,’ she said, slowing the name right down and emphasizing the rolled r. ‘It is my home. That is how you say it.’
Doug watched Lecanora’s mouth as she pronounced the word. And then watched it a little while longer, too.
‘Doug,’ Rania snapped. ‘Get with the freakin’ program. The girl’s got a hot mouth, she’s a freakin’ babe, we all get it. Where are you headin’ with this?’
Doug shook his head. ‘Er yeah, right. So how the hell did the bad guy—Manos—find Aegira again? And why now?’
‘It was Epaste,’ Lunia said, shaking her head as tears pooled in her eyes, ‘my old friend, and one of the Queen’s most trusted advisers. He believed Manos had repented, and could help the Queen and Aegira defend the children of the sea.’ She shook her head again, slowly. ‘It is hard to understand, Doug, without understanding Epaste. He was always such an idealist. The world is going mad, you see. You must know that, from the things you see here, in your…job.’
Doug paused a heartbeat, and then nodded.
‘The heat, the climate change, it’s changing how people relate. On The Land as well as in the deep Sea. The refugees are flooding in as wars wage between the deep Sea tribes. Some people want Aegira to close her doors, stay pure. Epaste, one of the Queen’s High Triad of advisors—’
‘Ex-advisor,’ Lecanora broke in, and she could hear the ice in her own voice.
‘Yes.’ Lunia smiled. ‘You are right, child. Ex-advisor. Manos found him, when Epaste was out envoying, and he convinced him that he had changed, that he wanted to help. That he wanted to help Aegira avoid the prophesy.’
‘Aha,’ Doug said, slamming his hand down on the table. ‘And right there, that’s the other thing I just don’t get.’ He moved forward again and picked up his spoon automatically with one hand before bringing it down onto an empty plate, and looking accusingly at Rania. ‘The prophesy. The Three, who’re going to save the whole show. Who are they?’
Lecanora felt Rania freeze next to her. A silence stretched between them.
‘Rania is one,’ Lecanora said.
‘What?’ Doug turned to his ex-lover. ‘Holy cow, Sheriff. That’s big. Like, huge.’ He gave her an encouraging little shove. ‘I mean, I always knew you were some gal, but man.’ He turned back to Lecanora. ‘How do you know? You know, that she’s one of The Three?’
‘Oh you really don’t need to know that,’ Rania said, sounding very tired.
‘Okayyy.’ Doug rubbed his eyes and took a breath. ‘So. Back to Epaste. He’s in prison now, right?’
‘What?’ Lecanora’s heart dropped at his words. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Well,’ Doug said, toying with his sugar packet. ‘You said they caught him, right? So where’d they lock him up?’
‘They did not lock him up,’ Lecanora said, feeling her voice slow down and almost freeze in her throat as she responded to the ludicrous suggestion. ‘He is staying with my mother.’
‘The queen?’ Doug brought one hand down hard on the table. ‘He’s staying with the queen? The guy who caused all this trouble is hanging with the Queen?’
‘He needs love,’ Lecanora said, trying to find the word to explain this to this confusing creature who could be so soft and light in one moment, and so hard and forbidding in the next.
‘Think of it as rehabilitation,’ Rania said, finishing off Lecanora’s pie and looking at her mother for a few seconds until Lunia slid another plate towards her.
‘Hm,’ Doug said shortly, looking like he was thinking of it as sheer lunacy. ‘Which brings me to main thing I wanted to talk about. Reinforcements.’
‘Reinforcement
s?’ Lecanora again felt Rania stiffen beside her.
‘We’ve been told,’ he said. ‘Pretty clearly now, as I understand it. By the junkie, and the Dr Who dude here.’ He jerked his head at Telmei who was slurping his soup, and rubbed his eyes, taking a couple of deep breaths. ‘They both said it. There’s lots of ‘em. Here, on The Land. There, in Atlantis, or whatever the hell it’s called. Hunting you. You girls—’ He shot a quick look at Lunia. ‘Beg pardon, Mrs Aqualina, I mean, you women, you almost got killed once today. And now we’re off to see the next freakin’ president, and we’re not going to be anywhere near whatever in hell kind of protection old Mrs Tripe says Dirtwater provides for us.’ He rolled his eyes like he didn’t believe it for a second. ‘So we need some numbers. Not a lot, mind you. I always say a good small cadre is the most effective.’
Lecanora considered Doug carefully. He was ticking things off on his fingers as his brain sifted through their problem and how to fix it. ‘Doug,’ she said. ‘There is something that confuses me. What do you live at?’
‘Que?’ Doug shot an eyebrow skyward but smiled at her. ‘Whatcha mean, Princess?’
Lecanora shook her head, trying to remember the phrase. ‘I mean that Rania has told me about all the help you have given her. And I can see from your impressive musculature and your knowledge of strategy that you have had warrior training, but I am confused as to what you do to provide for yourself, and your family. What do you live at?’
‘She means how do you make a living,’ Rania said, licking sugar from her lips.
‘Yes,’ Lecanora said. ‘Are you a soldier?’
Doug shrugged, and his face shut down. ‘Of sorts,’ he said.
Lecanora waited. She was quite sure that she had asked a question, and that was most definitely not an answer.
‘Look, it’s kinda hard to explain,’ he said. ‘I used to be a conventional solider. Now I’m an—’
‘Unconventional solider,’ Rania finished for him, licking the crumbs from her fingers. ‘Sometimes people need soldiers off the grid, babe,’ she said.