Kaimana treaded water under the surface and marvelled at the taniwha. On land he had most resembled a large dog in appearance and movement, yet down here he was more like a seal, or an otter. His movements were graceful and effortless, and only needed small flicks of his legs and tail to propel him at great speed around the entire lagoon.
Kaimana found herself nervous when surfacing for air, worried that Rakau might disappear when she lost sight of him. She need not have been concerned. Soon Rakau drifted back, giving Kaimana that quizzical look he had given her earlier when he had knocked her down.
Kaimana did her best to shrug underwater, indicating her feet and legs. I can’t keep up with you with these, she was trying to tell him.
Apparently understanding her gestures, Rakau floated closer to Kaimana, rubbing his great back up against her. She finally allowed herself to touch his hide, and was not surprised to find that it reminded her of rough tree bark.
Rakau shoved up against her again, more urgently this time.
Are you trying to tell me something?
Another shove, and this time Rakau worked himself under Kaimana, pushing her head up to the surface. Fearful he was going to throw her out of the water, Kaimana grabbed on to Rakau’s hide. She had heard of orcas who played similar games with seals that they caught, although the antics of those predators was designed to split the seals’ bodies open and then feed on their innards.
Now wouldn’t be a good time for Rakau to make another mistake about his own strength, Kaimana thought, gripping his body tightly and holding herself against it.
This appeared to be exactly what Rakau had wanted, for as soon as he could feel Kaimana’s firm grip, he began to pick up speed in the water. Kaimana quickly realised the taniwha’s intention, and allowed herself another grin.
I’m riding a taniwha. This is… I never thought… I love it!
He started out gently enough, allowing Kaimana to remain above the surface. Rakau sped around the small lagoon, bobbing Kaimana lightly up and down, just enough so that she was soaked with spray. She responded with screams of excitement, daring to stroke the back of his head to show her appreciation. Soon he began to experiment, ducking Kaimana under the water for a short space of time. On the first occasion he tried this she had not expected it, and emerged choking and coughing. Kaimana could tell by his more subdued movements that Rakau thought he had done something wrong.
“I wasn’t ready. Again, again!”
She took a deep breath and they submerged. She felt the pressure of the sea water on her eyes, but Kaimana marvelled at how quickly they sped through that underwater world. Like any child of the Atoll, down here was no mystery to Kaimana, but bathed in moonlight and riding atop a taniwha it felt as though Kaimana had been transported into a dream, a world she did not quite belong in and yet relished every moment there.
She gave Rakau a brief squeeze to let him know she needed to take a breath, and he understood her straight away, rising up to the surface. Kaimana was surprised to see how far away from Nakoa’s island they had come in such a short space of time. She grew even more concerned to see where Rakau was headed.
He submerged under the water again, and Kaimana’s heart filled with fear. The cliff on the edge of the Atoll ring was now underneath her, and she was staring into the great gaping maw of the Inner Sea, those treacherous depths in the middle of the Atoll ring, in the centre of which Leinani’s volcano belched grey smoke.
Rakau did not seem to have any worries about the change of scenery, and pushed himself forwards and down into the black depths. The pressure of the deeper water squeezed at Kaimana’s head and she simultaneously screamed and let go of Rakau.
Kaimana floated in the black, shocked more by having entered the Inner Sea than by the pain in her ears. Rakau must have quickly realised something was wrong, as she felt his familiar rough body underneath, pushing her back to the surface.
Above the water, Kaimana sprawled gracelessly on the monster’s back, catching her breath and nursing her head. Rakau turned his head around, trying to catch a glimpse of Kaimana. She was surprised to hear a whining from him, which she recognised as a noise of concern.
“Sorry,” she said, stroking the monster’s back, “We’re not made to go that deep under the water. Also,” and at this Kaimana looked at the darkness beneath her and shuddered, “We stay away from the Inner Sea, this deep bit.”
Rakau whined again. Why?
Kaimana smiled at the question she assumed he was asking. She thought for a moment, clinging to his back. “It’s dangerous, I suppose. It’s forbidden? We fear Leinani, the fire goddess, and this is the doorstep to her domain. Some of our people do come here, but through work and duty, not through choice. We have many bad stories about the Inner Sea.”
With that Rakau began to paddle back towards the war god’s island.
Exhausted from the experience, Kaimana and Rakau plodded back onto the shore, laughing together as they did so. Rakau slumped himself onto the dry beach, as Kaimana had seen many a dog lie beside a campfire. With a grin she decided to join him, daring to rest her head close to his. She listened to his deep breathing as she lay on her back and looked at the stars.
Has anyone ever had a night like this before? Playing with a taniwha - what an experience. This is the stuff great songs are made of. I’ll have to rid my face of this stupid grin before I meet with the others again.
“Please, stay here,” she said eventually, deciding she should leave now before she was missed back at camp. If she was lucky, nobody would have noticed she had been gone, or perhaps they might have assumed she had embarked on some dalliance with one of Nakoa’s warriors. That could certainly be the case - they did not know her well enough to assume otherwise.
“It’s not safe up there. You’re like a big target for them, a prize they’d love to try and take down.” Kaimana rested her hand on Rakau’s nose. “I couldn’t bear something happening to you. Not now after we’ve just met.”
Not when my spark is still lost.
Rakau gave a short grunt, and closed his eyes. Kaimana took this to mean that he agreed, and quietly chose to leave him, not wanting to disturb the monster as it slept. She glanced back once at the shape of Rakau resting in the moonlight. From this distance, he did indeed look like an extremely large tree trunk, or massive rock.
Hopefully none of Nakoa’s men will happen by before he withdraws into the water.
She walked back along the beach, towards the pier and the hill path up to the temple. As Kaimana stepped into the woods beyond the beach, a flash of jade caught her eye. Somebody was running through the trees, back towards the temple. The jade tattoos she had seen on the woman’s jaw left no doubt in Kaimana’s mind about who had been spying on her.
Eloni. But how much has she seen? And what’s she planning to do with what she knows?
Kaimana caught a glimpse of white as the distant figure turned to smirk, and then was gone.
The next day brought busyness and excitement. It was the day of the celebration, of a tribute to Nakoa and all he had given to the Atoll.
The Crescent Atoll was not a safe place to live. Dangers came from the sea and wind, from the animals that lived in the depths and on land. From the people themselves, sometimes, but rarely. There were a few tribes of cannibals on the Atoll, but the location of these were known well enough to be avoided. Some islands were ruled by chiefs who craved war, who would seek out neighbours to conquer and pillage. There were other oddities as well on the large ring of islands, particularly on the more remote islands of the Atoll ring. Rumours of bird worshippers who did not welcome outsiders to their ranks. Stranger tales still of men who travelled across the Outer Sea in large canoes. In particular, recent sightings of mouse men had been making their way through the villages, although Kaimana did not give these rumours much credence.
However, what was true was that her people had much to fear, whether or not the source of these fears actually existed. Nakoa’s temple was a plac
e of training for those who hinted at developing a warrior’s Knack. Once trained and bled under the war god’s watchful eye then these men could return to their homes to protect them, or could be bought or traded to other islands as commodities. Nakoa brought peace to the islands, or so his proponents claimed.
Kaimana had decided on the previous day that she did not like the warriors and their superior demeanour. This outlook did not much change on the day of the festival. Most were drunk by mid-morning, and had become violent or reckless. Aka’s drum had been stolen, only to turn up later with the skin battered and broken, useless. He wasted much time in scavenging a replacement, and was not happy with the quality of what he had found. Most of the women in the troupe had been leered at and propositioned ten times over, except for poor Poli who had been directly laughed at. As a young man, Tokoni had gotten the worst reception of all. Warriors in training, looking to prove themselves to their peers and to the women in the troupe, would eye him up fiercely, extending their tongues in mock challenge. By midday and the time of the celebration, he was white with fear. Kaimana was worried how this would affect Tokoni today, during the performance.
Kaimana’s eyes were focussed, however, on Eloni. The woman had done nothing, said nothing all morning about what she had seen last night.
What’s she waiting for? Or maybe I’m wrong, and it wasn’t her I saw. I was so sure it was, but there’s no way Eloni would stay quiet about something that could affect my position in the troupe.
Not wanting to prompt Eloni into action, Kaimana was forced to watch the older woman, and wait.
When the time of the performance came, the troupe was led into the temple grounds. A small stage had been erected for the performers, and they all stood there, giving the marionette team time to prepare their equipment. Perched on a small stool, not requiring any preparation other than to warm up her fingers, Kaimana surveyed their audience. It was a sea of flesh and sweat, of garishly tattooed faces and a wave of testosterone that she could not abide.
I’m not going to enjoy this.
A horn sounded. To Kaimana’s surprise, the ruckus from the warriors stopped at once, and as a man they stood straight and tall, turning to their left, to the entrance at the western side of the courtyard. Through this doorway came Nakoa.
Kaimana had never seen a god before, but would have realised straight away that Nakoa was one. What struck her first about his appearance was the heavy woven armour that he wore. Most of the warriors Kaimana had seen wore light clothing. Many, like the trainees she and Eloni had encountered yesterday, favoured as little clothing as possible. Nakoa was a complete contrast. His body was covered in heavy armour, woven from tight threads of what seemed to be coconut hair, studded throughout with what Kaimana assumed were various shark teeth. In his hands he clutched the largest Kiribati Kaimana had ever seen. This was a cutting weapon favoured by the elite of the war god’s temple, a strong piece of wood whose edges are barbed with multiple rows of shark teeth filed to points. Kaimana had seen a few on her travels, but never one the size of Nakoa’s.
Finally, and most shockingly, was the fact that Nakoa had indeed the face of a pig. Kaimana should have expected this, of course, from the stories. However, as she had never met a god before, she had thought the stories were an exaggeration, or perhaps that the god would have facial tattoos that reminded people of a pig. No, Nakoa had a full boar snout, complete with tusks and brown, wiry hair. This snout peeked out from the god’s helmet, which appeared to be fashioned from the hardened skin of a blowfish.
Kaimana would have laughed if not for the fear that she was struck with upon seeing Nakoa. Despite his unusual features, there was no doubt from anyone in the room that this was the most dangerous creature they had ever met. Her taniwha, Rakau, was no longer top of that list. The way that Nakoa handled himself, and the way that many of his warriors shrunk back in fear at the sight of him, told Kaimana that even a great monster such as Rakau would meet his match if ever confronted by this god.
Fear took hold in Kaimana’s gut. What’ll happen if Rakau is found out? Please, Laka, goddess of dance and song, keep him in the water and out of sight.
Nakoa sat down on his throne and motioned for the performance to begin.
Despite their fear, despite how much they all felt like fish out of water, the troupe remained a collection of true Knacks, some of the most powerful performance Knacks that existed on the Atoll. They did not disappoint.
Aka had had much difficulty choosing what to perform for the war god. The most popular stories about Nakoa were those about his upbringing, particularly his early encounters with the goddess Leinani. However, these were definitely not appropriate to tell in his presence. Instead, Aka and Rawiri ended up making their own tale about Nakoa, about how he gathered together the warriors of the Atoll and fended off an invasion of taniwha from the Outer Sea. The subject of this tale made Kaimana shudder, as it was a last minute change, inspired by recent events in the troupes’ lives. The last thing that Kaimana wanted was a temple full of warriors foaming at the mouth for taniwha blood, but that is what the performers were brewing.
At the front of the stage, Tokoni and Poli acted out the main thrust of the story with their puppetry. With their Knacks in full flow, eyes were drawn directly towards the wooden puppets, ignoring the darkly clad players behind who moved them. Behind this action danced Rawiri’s girls, their movement becoming exciting when the story demanded it, but otherwise keeping in tune with Eloni’s music and Aka’s beats. The actual story itself was delivered by Mahina, his boy-like tones inspiring great devotion in all of Nakoa’s followers as they heard him chant of the rise of their great leader. For her part, Kaimana was responsible for background music, filling the gaps in Eloni’s song and complimenting her tune, much like the dancers complimented the puppets. She was pleased with how well things were going for the troupe, but she was all too aware of the phantom song in her mind, the one that had been taken from her, the one that she needed her spark back to finish.
I don’t think I’ll ever play my ocarina again without being haunted by it.
The first story finished and there was much applause. Nakoa himself did not move, but the rest of the warriors were free with their enthusiasm. Kaimana noticed that the robed members of the priesthood did not respond in the same way. Likely they were not happy with the invention of a completely new tale about their lord and master. This kind of forward thinking did not sit well with their type.
The applause continued to boom as Rawiri took to the stage to prepare his fire breathing routine. The men began to bang their feet and hands in rhythm, managing to conjure truly earth shaking vibrations when working in unison.
A wave of puzzlement rode across the gathered throng as the booming continued to get louder, much more violent a sound than was possible for the assembled warriors to make. The crowd stopped their applause, yet the earth continued to shake. Kaimana felt bile rise from her stomach.
An angry shout came from outside of the temple. This, finally, caused Nakoa himself to rise from his seat in reaction to the commotion.
It was at this point that the temple wall fell upon the war god.
No. No, please, don’t let this be happening.
Kaimana stood with her mouth hanging wide open as Rakau bounded through the gap in the wall. He walked over the bodies of fallen warriors and the broken wall that covered Nakoa and roared at the gathered crowd. Several spears already stuck out of his hide. He was angry.
At this moment Kaimana noticed a glint of white to her side, and turned to see Eloni grinning at her. She did not seem at all surprised to see the taniwha here. Almost as if she expected it.
You bitch. This is your doing.
A group of men - the trio that had addressed her last night, Kaimana quickly realised - charged at Rakau with only their bare hands to protect them. The massive taniwha snapped his jaws and they were gone. A turn of his head sent half a dozen other brave, foolish young men flying across the temple courty
ard, smashing their bones on the far wall.
Kaimana stood, transfixed. Last night had been so magical, swimming together. How could a creature capable of such affection murder with so little thought?
Rakau caught sight of Kaimana and leapt over to her. He ended his leap within reach of her and paused, looking at her quizzically.
Around her, Kaimana was aware of screaming. It was Poli, perhaps, or one or more of the dancers. She was also able to pick out Tokoni’s falsetto screech. Other, more assertive shouting was also taking place behind her, although Kaimana was well aware that nobody was rushing out to rescue her from this possible danger.
Kaimana felt betrayed. By Rakau, for slaughtering so many warriors so easily, and by the goddess Laka, for allowing this to happen when Kaimana was so close to finding her spark again.
“How… how could you?” she said, tears in her eyes.
Rakau turned to deliver a fatal snap to a group of spearmen who were attacking his tail, and then looked back at Kaimana with a puzzled expression.
What have I done wrong?
“How could you kill them? Look at how many you have killed.”
What Kaimana could only describe as a look of shock appeared to briefly flit over Rakau’s huge features.
At this moment, an authoritative command resulted in a barrage of about a dozen spears flying through the air to embed themselves in Rakau’s side. He turned to the attackers with a growl and leapt over them, raising himself up high to deliver the killing blow.
Then, at the crucial moment, he paused his front feet before they crushed the men and looked back to Kaimana, waiting.
“Run. Run from here,” she whispered.
Without another thought, Rakau lowered his paws gently, missing all of the attacking soldiers. He attempted to turn around and face the gap that he had originally created, knocking down another wall with his tail as he did so.
The Yarnsworld Collection: A fantasy boxset Page 30