by Martha Wells
“It’s not useless,” Moon said. “You’re just mad because you got woken up for nothing.”
Chime’s irritated spine flick showed that was accurate. Balm said, “Maybe you didn’t hear anything because it didn’t mean us any harm.”
“No, that’s not it.” Chime looked up at the sky. “You have to remember, it’s not like what a mentor can do. Mentors can scry things that pertain to us, that are going to affect us at some point. The things I hear are usually useless.”
Balm nudged him. “Except when they’re not.”
Rorra and Callumkal came out of the doorway below. They flinched when Chime swung down to land on the deck near them, and he said, “Sorry.”
Moon climbed down after him, Balm following. As Jade approached, Callumkal said, “What was it?”
“I couldn’t tell.” She looked at Balm and Moon.
Balm lifted her spines in a helpless shrug. “Maybe a cloudwalker, but I’m really not certain.”
Merit was equally baffled. “There was nothing I could recognize.”
Stone came strolling back from the rail. They all looked hopefully at him and he said, “I have no idea.”
“Not a cloudwalker?” Moon asked.
Stone shook his head, turning to look toward the horizon again. “Cloudwalkers don’t come down this far just to look at a groundling flying boat, especially in the dark. At night they drift on the upper currents and sleep.”
Chime said, “Maybe we woke it up and it was curious.”
Exasperated, Stone said, “It went straight away, not up. And it went because it scented us. That’s not a cloudwalker or any other kind of upper air skyling.”
Callumkal said, reluctantly, “Well, it did no harm. Whatever it was, perhaps it was just curious.”
Jade moved her spines, then, remembering Callumkal couldn’t read that as agreement, said, “Probably.”
Callumkal stepped back inside, though Rorra stayed on the deck and walked out to the railing to look into the dark, the wind pulling at her robe. Jade asked Merit, “Can you scry about this?”
Merit nodded. “I’ll do it tonight.”
By dawn, Callumkal reported that they were within the boundaries of the sel-Selatra, and should be drawing near a sea-mount soon. Moon, Chime, and Delin went up into the bow for the first glimpse of it, though the clouds had come in and mist obscured much of the view.
Delin was cranky because no one had woken him to not see the nighttime visitor. “Next time, you must tell me,” he insisted. “It could have been an entirely new species, or new to our studies, glimpsed for the first time.”
“It might have smashed the boat and eaten us all,” Chime pointed out. “Or it might have just been a cloudwalker. Merit’s augury wasn’t much help.”
Merit had reported the results of his efforts earlier that morning. “I saw a hive floating on the water,” he had told Jade.
Waiting for the results in their cabin, Moon had fallen asleep again and was still lying curled on the bunk next to Jade. For a moment, he thought he was still asleep, but everyone else seemed to have heard it, too. Jade said, “You saw a what?”
Merit thumped down on the deck and sighed, and rubbed his face. “I know. It doesn’t make any sense. I’m beginning to think you should have brought Thistle instead. I haven’t gotten anything since we started.”
Bramble gave him a shove to the shoulder. “We have a ways to go yet. You still have time to try.”
“Just tell me about the hive,” Jade said patiently.
Merit shook his head, resigned. “It was big, and it was floating on the water. This sea, somewhere. That’s all I saw.”
Moon sat up on one elbow. Stone, sitting on the floor with Balm and Bramble, was staring thoughtfully at a wall. Moon asked, “Have you ever seen anything like that?”
“That’s what I was trying to remember.” Stone grimaced. “No, I don’t think so. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”
Jade tapped her claws. “Maybe it will make sense later.” She told Merit, “It’s all right, Merit. Try to get some rest.”
Merit had wandered off with Bramble, a little reassured. Later, Moon had talked to Chime about it, who had offered the opinion that a hive floating on the sea was too odd an image to be entirely random. But there was no telling what it meant.
Now, standing out on the bow, Moon spotted something in the distance. It was a long straight shape rising out of the mist. “I think that’s it.”
“What?” Chime squinted into the distance. “Oh, there.”
Moon pointed for Delin, who wouldn’t be able to see it yet. “Keep looking that way.”
After a time, the shape sharpened and Moon could make out that it looked like a tower, unbelievably tall. The top would be some distance above the flying boat when it passed by. But not so tall that Raksura couldn’t fly up to it, unless the wind up there was much worse than at this level. After a time, Delin said, “Ah, I see it.”
As the day went by and the boat drew closer, Moon made out more detail. The sides weren’t smooth as they had looked from a distance, but rough and craggy. Vegetation clung to pockets and ledges, and it looked like there might be some on top, though it was hard to see from this angle. He couldn’t see the base, since the mist was obscuring the surface of the sea at its feet.
He felt Jade behind him and looked to see her and Balm walking up the deck. He asked her, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
Jade’s spines lifted, her gaze on the sea-mount. “Let’s take a look.”
“Are you sure you will be safe?” Vendoin asked, standing at the rail and worriedly regarding the sea-mount. Callumkal had confirmed that the top of the sea-mount was too high for the flying boat or the Kishan’s flying packs.
“If the wind is too strong, we’ll come back down,” Jade told her.
Moon was already shifted and perched on the railing, ready to go with the warriors. The Arbora and Delin were lined up to watch, Jade having told them that they had to stay behind, at least until she decided how dangerous it was. All three of them had protested this decision and there was a general air of disgruntlement hanging over the deck. Even some of the Kishan crew seemed envious. Esankel the navigator said, “See if you can make out any islands to the south. I want to verify our maps.”
Stone was staying behind as well, leaning on the rail with the others. It was Jade’s order that they never left the Arbora alone on the boat, if there was any way to avoid it.
Moon asked him, “You sure you don’t want to see it? We could send the warriors back and then you could come up.”
Stone shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve seen one before. And somebody has to stay down here and keep an eye on the boat.”
“So you’re just tired?” Moon said.
Stone pushed him off the railing. Moon let himself fall past the boat and then spread his wings, catching the air and testing the wind as he circled. Above him, Jade leapt off the boat and snapped her wings out, the warriors falling into the air after her.
Moon flapped to catch up and they flew toward the sea-mount. Jade led them in a broad circle around it, partly to examine the sides at closer range, partly feeling out the winds.
It helped that the currents weren’t particularly strong today, though Moon wouldn’t have wanted to try to land on the side of the sea-mount. Or he wouldn’t have wanted one of the smaller warriors to try it. He thought he and Jade, and certainly Stone, might be strong enough to ride the current up to the wall of rock and catch hold without losing control. Taking off, however, might be tricky.
The rocky walls were covered with random blue and gray streaks, probably mineral veins uncovered by years of wind and rain. The rock was also riddled with little holes, which might possibly be signs of some form of life, though Moon didn’t see any movement and couldn’t scent anything but the sea wind. The mist had cleared somewhat and he could see the bottom now, or at least the point where the rocky tower plunged into the sea. There were tumbled rocks aro
und it and what looked like the meandering lines of reefs, visible through the clear shallow water. There was nowhere for a water boat to land, and nothing that looked like it had been intentionally constructed.
Jade started to spiral upward toward the top, and he tilted his wings to follow her.
They went up and up, until Moon could glance back and look down at the flying boat, small in the distance. Finally they reached the top and circled above it. The space was flat and a few hundred paces across, with a small jungle of vegetation, mostly ferny plants and grasses, low bushes, and some fruit vines. Moon couldn’t see or scent anything besides plant life. The wind was strong across the top but there was nothing to smash into, so Jade curved around and dropped down to land.
Moon dropped onto the soft grass beside her and folded his wings. A cloud of startled insects with glassy, brightly-colored wings shot out of the bushes and streamed away into the undergrowth. The warriors all landed around them, though Chime stumbled forward in the high wind. He was a much better flier now than when Moon had first met him, but not being born with wings had its disadvantages.
Then River, so distracted he forgot to sound sullen, said, “Oh, look!”
He was staring toward the west. Moon followed his gaze, and saw the ocean.
It was still some distance away, but the line where the crystal blue of the shallow sea suddenly turned deep indigo was clear to see. That dark water stretched forever, until it met the clouds on the horizon.
There was silence while everyone absorbed the sight. Then Root said, “I don’t see any giant sealings.”
Since Stone wasn’t here, Moon gave Root a shove to the head. Root grinned and ducked.
Jade settled her spines, and turned away from the view with some reluctance. “Everyone take a look around the sea-mount now. Be careful.”
“Uh, what are we looking for?” Song asked.
Jade lifted her spines in a shrug. “Forerunners. Foundation builders. Fell. Anything that makes us think this is something other than a strange skinny mountain.”
The others spread out, and Moon started on a circuit around, poking into the undergrowth and brush. After a short time they met back in the middle, and Jade asked, not hopefully, “Anything?”
Everyone moved their spines in a negative. Moon hadn’t raised anything but insects; he felt lucky he wasn’t wearing his groundling skin.
“There’s no sign anyone built it.” Chime sounded disappointed. He kicked absently at a clump of grass. “Or used it for anything.”
“Esankel was right about the islands to the south,” Song put in, “but that’s all there is to see.”
There might be some sign of occupation under the plants but most of them seemed to be growing right out of cracks in the rock. Moon had to agree; if there had been anything here it was long gone, or buried in the stone where they couldn’t find it.
“Why would anyone want to build something like this?” Briar asked, turning to look around again. “What would it be for?”
“Same reasons groundlings build towers on land,” Moon said.
Briar had very little prior experience with groundlings, except for the Kishan on this boat and meeting Delin’s wind-ship crew. “What are those reasons?”
“As a resting spot, for long flights across the sea?” Balm suggested.
“That’s a thought,” Jade agreed.
“Or for signaling, maybe.” Moon was thinking of signal lights for groundling ships, or the flares that the Golden Islanders used. “If there was a light up here, flying boats and water boats could use it to help navigate.”
“Why do they need help navigating?” Briar clearly found the notion baffling.
“Groundlings don’t always know where south is, like we do,” Chime told her. “At least the Golden Islanders don’t.”
Briar took in that information with a startled expression. Balm said to Jade, “Should we get back?”
“Might as well.” Jade hissed out a sigh. “At least it broke up the day.”
Catching the wind from the top was easy, and they managed to get into the air without incident. They cleared the tower and dropped down to land on the deck of the flying boat. A hopeful group of Arbora, Kishan, and one Golden Islander immediately surrounded them. Stone was there too, but he was leaning back against the railing, not looking particularly hopeful. The Kish-Jandera must have been staring into the wind, trying to see the Raksura, because their milky inner eyelids were all half-closed.
“Nothing,” Jade said, before anyone could demand information. “Just plants and bugs.”
“Well,” Callumkal said, trying to conceal disappointment. “It was worth a try. And still, now we know what the top of a sea-mount looks like, or at least this variety of sea-mount. If you would be good enough to give me an exact description—”
“Chime can do that,” Jade told him. “He can write it for you in Altanic, then you can ask us questions.”
Delin took out his drawing book. “I can make a sketch from your descriptions. Here, Balm and Briar, while your memories are fresh . . .”
This seemed to improve Callumkal’s mood a great deal. He said, “That would be excellent. I’ll go and get my writing materials.”
As Callumkal went to the hatchway and the other Kishan dispersed in disappointment,Jade said, “I was really hoping we’d find something.”
Moon wasn’t sure what that something would be, but Chime said, “Something to prove we’re right about the city or wrong about it. So we can stop wondering.”
“It won’t be long now.” Delin shielded his eyes to look into the distance. “Soon I think we will know.”
By late the next day, they had seen six more similar sea-mounts in the distance, and according to the map were nearing another area of sparse islands. Moon was sunning himself on the flat top of the flying boat’s ridge, near the bow. Chime was a little further up the ridge from him, though at some point he had drifted off to sleep.
Moon was aware a few of the warriors were lying on the bow deck below, but he hadn’t paid much attention to them until he heard River say, “Did Jade say if we were going to check out any of the other sea-mounts? These should have even better views of the ocean.”
It was such an innocuous question, it took several moments for Moon to realize no one had answered it. He sat up on one elbow and looked down.
River lay a short distance from Balm and Briar. All three were in groundling form, the sun bringing out bronze and copper highlights in the brown of their skin, glinting off the bright colors of their clothes. They had all been bathing and washing clothing in the sea to save the boat’s stored water, with Stone to make sure no predators swam near, so they all still looked fairly presentable. River said, “Is it a secret, then?”
Still no response. Then River snarled to himself, flung himself to his feet, and stamped off down the deck.
Groaning under his breath, Moon rolled off the ridge and landed on the deck. Balm and Briar both twitched around to stare at him. Moon said, “Balm, can I talk to you?”
Balm exchanged a puzzled look with Briar, but got to her feet. Moon stepped back behind the cistern fastened to the side of the ridge, out of Briar’s earshot. He said, “What was that about with River?”
Balm sighed. She would obviously have preferred to say it was none of Moon’s business, but since he was the first consort, theoretically everything in the court was his business up until Pearl or Jade said it wasn’t. She said, “I don’t speak to River. He knows that.”
Moon frowned. “When did you stop speaking to him?”
“Since the Fell made me almost get everyone killed.” Balm’s brow furrowed, and she looked away. It was obviously still a painful memory. Especially since all Balm had ever been able to recall properly was the moment when Flower had discovered the Fell influence on her. She had never been sure when or where it had happened. “Since before we came to the Reaches.”
“Balm—” Moon tried to remember if he had ever seen Balm speak di
rectly to River in a way that wasn’t hostile, or not a general command to a group of warriors. “Does Jade know this?”
Balm bit her lip, considering it. “Probably . . . not.”
Moon controlled an exasperated hiss. “Why didn’t I know this?”
Balm’s expression said the answer was obvious. “Because you’d do this, talk to me about it. Or get angry. You’re just as bad as Stone, except you still care what we do.”
“I have to care because the others are following your lead.”
Balm bared her teeth briefly in frustration.
Bramble came down the deck, spotted them, and leaned in around the cistern, brows lifted in curiosity. “What are you doing?”
Hoping for rational help, Moon asked her, “Did you know Balm hasn’t spoken to River since before we got to the Reaches?”
Bramble regarded Balm in surprise, then rolled her eyes. “Warriors,” she said in disgust, and unhelpfully withdrew.
“Balm—” Moon wanted to say, you’re supposed to be the sensible one, but it didn’t seem entirely fair. Balm was the sensible one, but she was also entitled to her feelings about River. There was a reason so many warriors in the court had turned against him when Pearl had rejected him. River had even bullied Chime once, which Moon had dealt with by beating River nearly unconscious. After that River’s conflicts with Chime had all been verbal, and Chime usually won. “If you want to play those games in the court, I can’t stop you.” Moon could, probably, but it would start far more trouble than it would stop. “But you can’t do it here.”
“I’m not a fledgling, I know we can’t fight while we’re doing this.” She folded her arms uncomfortably. “I’ll be more polite.” At Moon’s expression, she added, “It’s not like I’m going to let him die, or anything.”
It was grudging, but Moon suspected that was as much as he was going to get. “I’d appreciate that.”
Balm hesitated. “Are you going to tell Jade?”
“Jade doesn’t want to know this.” Moon was pretty certain Jade already had enough to worry about. And if Jade had noticed and hadn’t already talked to Balm about it herself, it meant she didn’t want to discuss it and was hoping no one else had noticed. “I’ll ask Bramble not to say anything.”
