Mirrorwing called from the corridor. “Permit me to inspect the room.”
Melissa left while Mirrorwing entered and began sniffing.
After a few minutes, Melissa blurted, “What can you tell?”
“The fire that melted the resin board was neither an accident, nor the work of a Claw. A Claw would spray even flame across the surface, and the melting would be uniform. Instead, the surface is pitted with holes and drip trails. They used a blow torch.” Sniff, sniff. “Powered by a distillate of liosh.” Sniff. “Recently. The charcoal stream runs along the whole wall. Someone took rubbings. Ah, confirmation: a tiny scrap of paper.” Sniff. “The paper’s pressed from wood grown near Four Rivers.”
“A Hand?” said Shoroko. “To do this, they’d need to read Old Lissien. Who?”
Melissa said, “The Chinese. If they can communicate with Earth, they could have sent writing samples back for expert analysis. But why destroy the writing? Until Shoroko learned how to read it, no one else on Kibota could. They’d know that.”
“The barge,” said Shoroko. “It must be a crew member.”
“None were Chinese,” said Melissa. “It must be a wider conspiracy.”
Mirrorwing joined Melissa in the hall. “By the strength of the scent and the fact that he only erased part of the writing, the Hand was just here. We flew directly, so he arrived after us, snuck past Orokolga and knew we were looking for that room. Shoroko, you have writing materials. Copy everything. I’ll inform Orokolga to wait for you. We must find that man, for his purpose is clear.”
“What is he planning?” said Melissa.
“Isn’t it obvious?” said Mirrorwing. “He does not want that machine turned off, a machine which weakens us Claws. They want us to remain weak. They are planning an invasion.”
Melissa felt dizzy, lost her footing and fell. “Mirrorwing, I will stand with you and all of Kibota to resist them. My kind can be warlike and treacherous and I will have no part in helping them spoil your world the way they spoilt mine. But if a hot-tempered Claw leader hears of this, Hands already living here will be in danger. We must find a way to disable the transporter and the hlisskan-maker secretly.”
Mirrorwing scratched his silver beard. He leaned near Melissa, turned his head left and right and sniffed her. “I will comply, but if your plans fail, I’ll seek other assistance. The Whites are noble, and the Greens lack ambition but also ill-will toward Hands, so to them I will turn.”
“Agreed,” said Melissa. “Now how will we find our spy?”
Chapter 25: The Grand E-scent-ials of Happiness
A pril 15th. Forest east of Pentown.
While Melissa, Shoroko and Mirrorwing dug among the ruins, Olsurrodot arrived and conversed with Orokolga. When the three emerged, Mirrorwing took Olsurrodot to where he could get a good whiff of the Hand spy’s scent. Then Mirrorwing flew straight to the barge to examine the crew. Shoroko finished transcribing the writing, after which he and Orokolga took a direct route back to Pentown. That left Melissa and Olsurrodot to track the spy on foot. They set out after dark.
Melissa never trained her nose to be of much use. “I’ll fly ahead to see if I can spot him from the air, or hear movement. I’ll rejoin you in two hours if I’m unsuccessful.”
The wind’s caresses did her good. She drank from an early morning shower and soaked up moonlight. At every snapping twig and tumbling stone she dove, sending another nocturnal hunter heading for cover. At the appointed time, she flew back and homed in on the loudest sound. It was Olsurrodot. At least I can track him. Better wait for daylight.
“Do you still have the scent?” said Melissa. “I’m useless at this business.”
“It is good practice, and a useful skill to acquire. Do you know why the Silver Lissai were so adept at leadership? Migrata after migrata they kept their secret from the other klatches, until Silverthorn became enraptured with White Talon. He withheld nothing from her, which angered the other Silvers.”
“Are you saying they had a nose for leadership?”
“They could smell courage and cowardice, sincerity and deceit, and every other emotion. When you made your bargain with Mirrorwing, did he sniff you?”
“I thought it rude and weird.”
“Now he knows he can trust you.”
“He said the Silvers were betrayed. Their sense of smell must not be infallible.”
“Before their secret was revealed, it was.”
Melissa stopped walking. “Are you blaming White Talon?”
Olsurrodot lowered his head and looked away. “White Talon had other suitors. Jealous suitors. Many years ago one with excellent vision had a talent for reading lips. When younger, he also had loose lips.”
She pursued such questions no further. “I have my own olfactory problem. Shoroko thinks I stink. What do olissairn do to make themselves smell better?”
Olsurrodot’s eyes perked up. “Many things. The oils of the purple kekelnut and the sap of the resh vine combine to make a delicate scent.”
Dawn approached to caterwauls of “Koorah! Koorah!” from every direction. The trail led to a wide avenue between two rows of tall trees. Dark figures swung back and forth over their heads. As the sky brightened, Melissa discerned long hairy arms and longer tails leaping from branch to branch.
“However, this neighborhood is famed for a wild and entrancing perfume found nowhere else.” Olsurrodot stopped to join her as she watched the figures darting overhead. “Would you like to sample the Fabled Mist of Menagerie?”
Melissa’s eyes widened. “When it comes to teaching about contentment, you really know what a girl wants. Show me the mist.”
“Walk forward,” he said. “I will procure some from the Reekacheeks. It is best if you shut your eyes.”
Melissa stepped forward slowly, while Olsurrodot called to the animals above. “Koor, koor, koorah! Oro, orokora, koo koo!” Presently, a fine mist descended upon her, as dozens of the furry, monkey-like creatures danced over her head. After a few minutes, Olsurrodot said, “You can open your eyes.”
Opening her eyes was easy. The problem was opening her nostrils. “What? Aaa-choo!” When the sneezing stopped, and her eyes stopped tearing, and the burning sensation on her tongue subsided, she spun about. “What did you do? My sense of smell is numb from whatever stench you just doused me with. I can only imagine what…”
“Shhh!” said Olsurrodot, although it sounded more like a hiss. “The treatment is not complete. Close your eyes again.”
As if. The stinging made it hard to keep them open. Warmth surrounded her on all sides.
“I’m burning off the excess,” said Olsurrodot. “My flame will cause a chemical change in the reekacheek spray. You will see, or rather smell, a marvelous transformation.”
She lifted each paw in turn and inhaled. Then she bared her teeth in a grin. “Amazing! I’ve never smelled anything like it.” The rest of the journey she kept sniffing herself and purring.
Olsurrodot smiled, too. “Content?”
“Content.” She giggled to herself. Olsurrodot, the wicked warlock of the west. He has flying monkeys and he’s not afraid to use them.
After passing the reekacheek colony, they lost the spy’s scent. By late morning they rejoined the group on the docks by Lisstear Lake.
* * *
Shoroko and Orokolga plodded up to the barge as the crew loaded cargo for the return journey: barrels of fruit and sweetroot, nets of drying herbs, bolts of firesilk, tubs of fish on ice and wooden planks. Jessnee ran over, eager to study the schematics Shoroko transcribed.
Mirrorwing’s appearance on the docks had not gone unnoticed, and Shoroko saw a crowd of Hands pointing and whispering, but keeping their distance. The Claws focused not on Mirrorwing, but on Melissa. He knew the normal distance they stood from one another, and this wasn’t it. Mirrorwing snuffled more than usual, a Brown from the neighborhood acted all cozy, and Olsurrodot? If he leaned any closer, he’d be hugging her. As he approached, he heard the
words “never lovelier” and “radiant” bandied about. If Melissa’s eyes opened any wider, they’d fall out. Private conversation or not, he barged in.
“When do we push off?” said Shoroko.
Melissa turned to greet him, which sent her scent wafting in his direction. He’d been working hard for days not to betray any reaction to her odor, obviously a sore point with her which she couldn’t do anything about. I was wrong. She could do something about it. But this? His distracting thoughts and the overpowering olfactory assault produced exactly the reaction he’d fought to avoid. His hand flew up to cover his mouth, he coughed, and it didn’t take a Silver’s nasal lie detector to read him.
Melissa’s facial expression ran through so many emotions in the next few seconds that he couldn’t count them. What began as gushing became blushing, then flushing, then a brief hushing before she turned on Olsurrodot. She brought her right paw up, extended her index claw and came a whisker’s breadth from slicing the elder White. “You tricked me!” A tear crossed his cheek. “No, worse, you made a pass at me! You knew that fragrance is irresistible to Claws and repulsive to Hands. White Talon rejected you and now you think you have a second chance with the same body. That was not what I had in mind when I asked you for help finding contentment!” She stomped off and took flight, hopefully in search of a good bath.
Mirrorwing put his paw on Olsurrodot’s shoulder. “You’re right, she’s just like the first White Talon.” Then he hopped on the barge to give Olsurrodot space. The Brown shook his head and flew off.
When Melissa returned, the barge was underway. No Claws spoke for a long time. Shoroko approached the captain at the wheel. “There was a red-headed fellow on the way up. Did he stay behind in Pentown?”
“He lives there. I know why you’re asking. I’ve known his family for going on three migrata. I stayed at his house while we were docked. He’s no spy.”
“Any other crew changes? Signs of a stowaway?”
“No. Can’t say I know all of them so well. But Mirrorwing checked them out. Your man traveled another way.”
On reaching the west end of the lake, Melissa snapped at the chance to tow the barge. With pent up anger, she flapped like a flock of rukhs was chomping at her tail. They sped along and made Wing Falls by mid-afternoon. While they operated the locks, Shoroko paced the length of the deck. Melissa was back, but he still smelled a whiff of reekacheek essence. He steeled himself to walk up to her and held his breath. No, that’ll set her off again. She sat facing away, so he cleared his throat. “I saw how you pulled us along, Melissa. I think that the ‘strength of ten’ was a lower limit.”
She remained still, so he walked around her. Sniff. Sniff. “Uh, I don’t know who you got your second opinion from, but you smell delightful.”
She swiveled her neck to avoid eye contact. “You’re just saying that.”
“No, I–” Shoroko froze. If she doesn’t smell like reekacheek, who does? He ran to the captain. “Sir, are all the crew still accounted for?”
The captain shrugged. “We’ve already been through this.”
“I think our spy doused himself in reekacheek spray to conceal his scent from Mirrorwing. Melissa’s all washed up, but the smell lingers.”
The captain assembled all hands. One was missing. “Anyone seen Orjay?”
“At lunch, an hour ago,” said one man.
They got a description: short curly black hair, average height, well built, strange tattoo on his arm of a man and woman on a two-wheeled vehicle.
“R.J.?” said Melissa. “That’s Ren Fa’s biker friend. Never liked that guy.” She looked at Jessnee. “I would’ve thought you would recognize him. You guys hung out together.”
“Short hair fooled me,” said Jessnee. “Always wore his mop down to his waist.”
The three Claws took to the air to search, two along the east side of the Bittersweet, and one along the west. They flew back at dusk, empty-handed.
“How many people are part of this?” said Melissa as they floated into Four Rivers near midnight. “I thought it was just a few Chinese, but these guys are all over the place, and now they’re spying on us. I’m sending word to Genereef. We need more eyes.”
Shoroko looked on as Melissa again took charge, debating with Jessnee whether they could build the necessary parts. Forget about swapping souls. Will I ever see you again?
* * *
After they disembarked, Mirrorwing drew Melissa aside to the middle of a field outside Hammerside’s north gate. “Olsurrodot may have behaved immaturely, but I was derelict, distracted by the same beauty. I should have noticed Orjay’s deceit. I’d be negligent again if I didn’t tell you what else my nose has discovered.”
Melissa pawed the ground. If Mirrorwing did not feel comfortable sharing this earlier, it could only mean one thing. She heard scurrying out in the field. Little heads popped up from holes in the ground, then disappeared. Melissa wanted to hide with them. “You suspect one of my companions of disloyalty.” She saw his head nod. “Jessnee.”
“So you suspect him, too. And yet…”
“He saved my life.”
“And?”
“We need an engineer.”
“And?”
“He wants Earth medicine for his family, and I can’t get it for him. These people can.”
“We fly an uncertain route.” Mirrorwing drew in a long breath.
Melissa knew she was being tested, and relented. “I still love him, but–”
“But Shoroko more. Will you delegate this decision to me? I will know when Jessnee becomes a liability, and what to do.”
“He wields growing influence among the Hands. The ramifications–”
“Will you?” The eyes focused on her had looked on as he was betrayed by his countrymen. The mouth that spoke had lamented the deaths of friends and family. The claws held forth had fought for seven years to escape a ghostly prison and dug him back from the grave. And the shoulders that carried him through it all were set in a determined stance. That was the Mirrorwing who was asking.
“Yes,” said Melissa.
He walked to the gate. She wept.
Melissa watched more furry heads duck to safety. The only hole big enough to hide in perched atop Embassy Hill, but that was no place to hide. It was a place where the cords of a long string of promises would tow her like a barge down to a stormy sea. She would arrive, but what cargo filled her holds?
Chapter 26: Walking on Eggshells
April 16th. Afternoon. East of the Caves of Blaze.
Her problems receded, because Melissa was flying, and flying was living. Before taking off, she visited The Sweet Breeze, Kibota's most celebrated parfumerie for Lissai, and procured its second most popular fragrance, Diplomacy, enjoyed by Hand and Claw alike. Today smell was not the sense causing her trouble; it was hearing. Migrating birds heading stone-ward filled the sky with deafening calls, and her mouth with feathers after each collision.
She was towing an oshtukamat as a gift to Blaze. The machine hung suspended from a balloon woven from firesilk, hot off the barge from Pentown. A special worm spun flame-retardant silk. A brief treatment of Lissai flame melted it into fabric impermeable to air. Hydrogen gas provided buoyancy, which meant singeing the witless birds in her path was off-limits.
Jessnee figured out how Melissa breathed fire without liosh just before she departed. The strange, ethereal plant that invaded her body when she breathed in that seed turned her wings into solar cells and performed hydrolysis on water. So long as she drank water and flew in sunlight, one of her body's liosh glands would fill with hydrogen and the other with enriched oxygen. She could exhale both, producing flame, or just one, as needed.
Burp. It also gave her horrible (and dangerous) gas.
With no word from K'Pinkelek, she'd taken it upon herself to fly northwest to Blaze. On reaching the grassy crags at the foothills of the Aliosha Mountains, she spotted smoke rising from the chimneys of the mining town of Borgash. Besides plenti
ful iron and copper ore, the neighborhood had the richest liosh seeps on Kibota. She sped past brick buildings housing the smelters, flinched at every spark spewing from the chimneys, and landed the balloon outside the fence surrounding the liosh storage tanks. She handed written instructions to the Hand in charge. "Councilman Jessnee is training operators. One should arrive in two days."
The manager surveyed the machine. "Fine workmanship. Thank you for delivering it personally, uh…"
"Melissa. May it bring your town prosperity and peace."
"Will you be staying the night, Lady Melissa?"
"No, I'm continuing to Blaze, to introduce myself to Hlissak Anspark."
He tried to hide a grimace. "Lofty K'fuur is in town. He leaves for Red Home shortly. Might I suggest accompanying him?"
Melissa bowed. "I will do as you suggest."
"What shall I do with the balloon?"
"Weigh it down with rocks and take your lady for a ride to the moon."
His grimace disappeared, and so did she.
* * *
Melissa didn't believe flying amidst winged cacophony could be a quiet affair, but with Lofty K'fuur leading the way, it was. She'd imagined objections, clever questions, or suspicious sniffing. Instead, when she located him at the town gate, he said, "Then we fly, if it is possible for you to follow one so slow." He displayed no curiosity toward her purpose, erected no barrier of protocol, and evinced no condescension toward her as not a "real" Lissai. He had played his part in sparing her life. She resolved to honor him when she met Anspark.
Near the mountains, the flocks thinned. To her left, a dusty cloud hugged the ground. When the cloud reached a break in the trees, she saw a herd of antelope-like creatures charging eastward. Minutes later, a smaller dust cloud ran the opposite direction. Separated from its herd, like me. Were she alone she'd have shooed it back.
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