Dolphin Knight

by Robert T. Jeschonek

  *****

  As day after day crept by with no sign of Seek, Cryssa lost all appetite and stopped sleeping. All that she could do was sit and stare out at the gate in the rock wall, imagining tragic fates that could have befallen Seek and blaming herself for his departure.

  Eventually, she became weak from the lack of food and rest. She felt as if she were in a daze, not quite awake and not quite asleep, her sense of the world around her fading in and out unpredictably as a dream.

  Often, when people talked to her, she heard a buzzing sound instead of their voices. When someone touched her, she felt it only distantly, as if she were wrapped in layers of fur.

  The few times she got up from her blanket, she felt stiff and sluggish. She stumbled in the soft sand, and when she fell, she lay for a long time before she could summon the strength to get up again.

  Finally, one night, she didn't get up at all. She fell in the sand a few steps from the blanket, and she couldn't even manage to haul herself to her knees. Instead of fighting anymore, Cryssa lay on her side where she had dropped, eyes fixed as always on the gate in the rock wall.

  It was there that Grandpa Po found her when he came to the beach a short time later to check on her.

  He panicked when he saw her like that. Immediately, he hurried over to her, calling her name.

  Cryssa didn't move.

  "Cryssa!" said Grandpa Po as he fell to his knees beside her. "Cryssa!"

  Grandpa Po shook her shoulder, but she was limp. He rolled her onto her back, and she stared up at him with blank, glazed eyes.

  "You can't be dead!" said Grandpa Po, shaking her again. "Come on, Cryssa!"

  Cryssa heard his voice faintly, as if he were talking from far away. All that she saw of him was a shifting blur of white hair and beard.

  "Wake up, Cryssa!" said Grandpa Po. "Come on!"

  Cryssa felt herself fading, and she welcomed it. She felt so weak and exhausted, she only wanted to sleep.

  "Cryssa!" said Grandpa Po.

  She continued to gaze up at his blurred face, and then the blur began to darken. His distant voice became a buzz and then went silent. She barely felt it when he shook her again.

  And then, all of a sudden, something cut through the layers of darkness and silence and numbness. A sound.

  At first, she didn't know what it was. It leaped out at her, taking her by surprise. She had been drifting for so long in a place where all noise faded to silence that the sound was deafening to her.

  Then, she adjusted, and the burst of sound diminished. For the first time in days, her senses returned to normal.

  Suddenly, she realized that the sound was coming from the lagoon, and she knew what was causing it. She could hear it even from afar, even over Grandpa Po's cries.

  It was the sound of splashing.

  Cryssa had been staring blankly upward, but now she blinked. Her blurred vision came into focus, revealing Grandpa Po's distraught face looking down at her.

  "Cryssa!" he said, and this time his voice was filled with joy and relief instead of panic and despair. "Oh, you're alive! You're alive!"

  The splashing sound roared in Cryssa's ears. Though she was still terribly weak, she struggled to sit up.

  Grandpa Po touched her shoulder as if to ease her back down. "Don't move," he said softly. "Let me get help."

  Cryssa shook her head and pushed herself to a sitting position. She felt dizzy as she looked out over the water toward the gate in the rock wall.

  Sure enough, she had recognized the sound of another search party returning from the sea. By the light of the nearly full moon, she could see six Kee fins darting under the gate and into the lagoon.

  Right away, she could tell that something was different from every other time when a search party had come home. The Kee moved faster than usual across the lagoon, leaping and diving more often along the way. They whistled and chirped and chattered excitedly, though usually they returned in defeated silence.

  Squinting, Cryssa peered at the Kee, hoping for a glimpse of Seek, but they were too far away. She tried to get up, to move closer to the water, but she was too weak.

  "Is it him?" she said to Grandpa Po, her voice hoarse. "Is Seek here?"

  "We'll know soon," said Grandpa Po, watching as the search party raced toward the shore.

  The group of Kee glided into the shallows and stopped. Cryssa's Kee brother, Leed, was at the head of the party and first to talk.

  "We have news of Seek!" said Leed, raising his voice so Cryssa and Grandpa Po could hear him from across the beach. "We have heard that he is alive!"

  Cryssa's heart pounded.

  "What do you mean, you've heard this?" Grandpa Po said sternly. "You didn't see him for yourselves?"

  Leed whipped his snout back and forth. "No," he said. "We didn't see him. Someone told us that he lives. They told us where to find him."

  "Then why didn't you find him and bring him back?" said Grandpa Po.

  "We can't go there alone," said Leed. "We have to take her with us." He bobbed his snout in Cryssa's direction.

  "Me?" Cryssa said weakly, frowning.

  "I don't understand," said Grandpa Po. "Where is Seek?"

  "Shark Island," said Leed.

  "What?" said Grandpa Po, his voice rising with shock and disbelief.

  "We encountered a pack of sharks and riders on the open sea," said Leed. "Instead of attacking us, one of the Sharkites gave us a message. He said that he had found Seek, who was badly injured, and he had taken him to Shark Island. He said that as a gesture of good will, he will return Seek to us...but only if Raka comes to get him."

  Cryssa shivered at the mention of her former name. "The one who gave you the message," she said. "Did he tell you his name?"

  Leed bobbed his snout up and down. "Bey," he said. "The rider said that his name was Bey."

  *****

  Chapter Thirty

  Cryssa's first impulse, when she heard of Seek's whereabouts, was to go to Shark Island immediately. So long had she waited and worried that now that she knew he was alive, she could think only of racing to his side.

  Instead, she passed out in her grandpa's arms. She was so weakened by lack of food and sleep that she simply collapsed.

  When she finally woke from a dark, dreamless sleep, she saw daylight streaming through the window of Grandpa Po's house. She saw her mother's Kee pendant hanging on the wall at the foot of her sleeping mat. Turning her head, she saw Grandpa Po kneeling beside her, smiling down at her.

  "Hello, sleepyhead," he said softly, stroking her hair. "Welcome back."

  Cryssa's eyes were sore, and she reached up to rub them with her fingertips. She felt sluggish and achy from head to toe, and her mind was thick with fog.

  "You slept for a very long time," said Grandpa Po. "I was starting to worry that you wouldn't wake up."

  Cryssa yawned deeply. "How long did I sleep?" she said.

  "Almost two days," said Grandpa Po.

  Two days. As the words sank in, the fog started to clear from Cryssa's mind. Memories began to filter through the misty murk that had settled over her while she slept.

  She remembered the night on the beach and how she had fallen in the sand. She remembered Grandpa Po shaking her and calling her name. She remembered the sound of splashing that had revived her. She remembered Leed telling her something important.

  And then she remembered what it was.

  As it all came back to her, Cryssa's eyes widened. She rolled over on her side and pushed herself up to a sitting position with a grunt.

  "You should've woken me up," she said.

  "You needed rest," said Grandpa Po. "You were terribly sick."

  "What if it's too late now?" said Cryssa. "What if Seek's already dead?"

  Grandpa Po touched her shoulder and stared grimly into her eyes. "You were nearly dead yourself," he said. "You couldn't have done anything for him."

  Cryssa stared back at him, ready to complain some more...then realized that he was
right. She remembered going numb and fading away, sinking into silence and darkness and cold.

  "Is there any more news?" she said.

  "None," said Grandpa Po. "We've even sent teams of knights to Shark Island, but they've all been turned away without a word."

  Cryssa shook her head briskly, trying unsuccessfully to clear the remaining fog. "So it's up to me," she said. "They'll only turn Seek over to me."

  "If," said Grandpa Po.

  "If what?"

  Grandpa Po raised an index finger. "If they have him at all," he said, and then he raised another finger. "If they have him and he's still alive." He raised another finger. "If they intend to let him go."

  "He's alive," said Cryssa. "I know he is. And the Sharkites will turn him over to me."

  Suddenly, a wave of dizziness rolled through her. She leaned forward, catching her head in her hands, and closed her eyes. Though she thought that she had wasted enough time being sick, she realized that she had not yet fully recovered.

  Without a word, Grandpa Po rose and hobbled over to the little table in the corner of the room. He returned with a cup of water and handed it to her.

  "Here," he said. "This will help. You need lots of water now."

  Cryssa lifted her head from her hands and reached for the cup. Her hand trembled as she moved the cup to her lips and took a drink. On its way down, the water soothed her parched mouth and tongue and eased the soreness in her throat.

  She had another drink, then lowered the cup. "Thank you," she said.

  "Finish it, and I'll get you some more," said Grandpa Po. When Cryssa had drained the cup and handed it to him, he refilled it from a pitcher on the table and gave the cup back to her. "Keep drinking," he said.

  Cryssa didn't need encouragement to have another sip. She felt as if she could down the whole pitcher and still want more.

  "Better?" said Grandpa Po.

  Cryssa nodded. The spinning in her head had slowed.

  "Why don't you lie back down while I fix you something to eat?" said Grandpa Po.

  Cryssa started to protest, then changed her mind and settled back on the sleeping mat. The truth was, though she was in a hurry to get to Seek, she still felt so weak and sluggish that lying down a bit longer seemed like a good idea.

  "I hope Seek's all right," she said as she stared at the ceiling. "Bey said he was badly hurt."

  Grandpa Po was mashing breadfruit and bananas in a bowl on the table. "I wonder how Bey knew who Seek was when he found him?" he said. "Why wouldn't he think Seek was just another grayfish for the dinner table?"

  "Maybe Seek told him who he was," said Cryssa. She held back her other answer--that Bey might have recognized Seek after meeting him on his secret visit to the

  island--because Grandpa Po didn't yet know that Bey had been there.

  When Grandpa Po had finished mashing and mixing the fruit, he added some coconut milk and brought the bowl to Cryssa. Her dizziness had passed, and she was able to sit up and accept the food from him.

  "Thank you," she said.

  "Eat up," said Grandpa Po. "You need to build up your strength."

  When Cryssa smelled the food, her stomach growled. Digging in with the wooden spoon he had given her, she quickly slurped up the sweet, fruity porridge. When she had finished, he gave her more water to drink.

  "Now get some more rest," said Grandpa Po as he took away the empty bowl and cup. "It's the best thing you can do right now."

  "I've already rested too much," said Cryssa. "I have to get going now."

  As she threw off the blanket and rolled over, Grandpa Po hurried back to her. "Listen to me," he said. "You're not ready to go anywhere yet."

  "Seek needs me," said Cryssa, pushing up onto her hands and knees with great difficulty.

  "Please don't try to get up," said Grandpa Po. "You need time to recover."

  "Seek might not have any more time," said Cryssa. Dragging one leg forward, she managed to plant a foot on the floor. Clenching her teeth, she struggled to push herself up...but only got halfway and started to sway.

  With a sigh, Grandpa Po moved close and wrapped an arm around her back. He slipped a hand under each of her arms and gave her the extra lift she needed to stand.

  "Thanks," she said. "I'm going to the lagoon now. I'll ask Leed to take me to Shark Island."

  "You should think about it first," said Grandpa Po. "It could be very dangerous."

  Cryssa shook her head. "Bey won't let anything happen to me."

  "Maybe," said Grandpa Po. "And maybe not. What if he's lying?"

  "I trust Bey," said Cryssa. "He helped me escape. He saved my life."

  "I understand," said Grandpa Po, "but Bey might not be in control of this situation. Somebody else might be telling him what to say."

  "No," said Cryssa. "I believe him."

  Grandpa Po sighed. "I have a question for you," he said. "If Bey is telling the truth and has only the best intentions, why didn't he just bring Seek back to us? Why is he insisting that you come to retrieve him?"

  Cryssa shrugged.

  "Think about it," said Grandpa Po. "Doesn't it seem like a trap?"

  "It's not a trap," said Cryssa.

  "What better way to capture the future queen of the Sylva and Kee?" said Grandpa Po.

  "It's not like that," said Cryssa. "It has nothing to do with my being queen."

  "Maybe," said Grandpa Po. "And maybe not."

  Frustrated by Grandpa Po's stubborn refusal to accept what she was telling him, Cryssa blurted out the next words without thinking. "It's because he loves me!" she said. "He wants me to come to Shark Island because he loves me!"

  Grandpa Po's eyes narrowed. "Really?" he said slowly. "When did he tell you this?"

  Cryssa hesitated. She was reluctant to tell Grandpa Po about Bey's visit to the cove, but now she felt compelled to explain how she knew of Bey's feelings. "The night the Sharkites came to the island," she said. "Bey was one of them."

  "I see," said Grandpa Po, nodding.

  "He said he loved me," said Cryssa, "and he wanted me to go to Shark Island with him. When I said that I wouldn't go, he told me he was coming back for me."

  Grandpa Po rubbed his bushy white beard. "Ah," he said thoughtfully. "So now you think that's why he's insisting you come for Seek."

  "Yes," said Cryssa. She felt a little sheepish now that the story was out, because she had kept it a secret from Grandpa Po...but at least he didn't seem to be interested in making her feel worse for concealing the truth.

  "So," said Grandpa Po, "perhaps Bey just wants to see you, and this seemed like a good opportunity."

  Cryssa nodded.

  Grandpa Po thought for a moment, staring off into space. Then, he scratched his head and returned his gaze to Cryssa. "How much do you think he loves you?" he said.

  Blushing, Cryssa looked away. "I don't know," she said.

  "Is it possible," said Grandpa Po, "that he might want you to stay with him for good?"

  Though Cryssa wanted to deny the possibility, the more that she thought about it, the less she could argue against it. On the night of his visit, Bey had seemed determined to take her back to Shark Island, which he had said was her home...and Cryssa had refused to go.

  Maybe, she thought, this was his way of getting her back there after all.

  "Yes," she said. "It's possible."

  Grandpa Po nodded. "Well," he said, "would you want to stay there with him?"

  "No," said Cryssa. "I care about him, but this is where I want to stay."

  "But Bey has Seek," said Grandpa Po.

  "I can't just leave him there," said Cryssa. "I have to go get him."

  "Even if you might not be able to come home?"

  The question had not occurred to her before, but Cryssa knew the answer immediately. "Yes," she said.

  For a long moment, Grandpa Po stood there, deep in thought. Finally, he shook his head sadly.

  "It's not a good idea," he said. "Either Bey wants you to stay with him beca
use he loves you, or the Sharkites want to take you hostage because you're our future queen. Either way, you might never leave Shark Island."

  "There's nothing else I can do," said Cryssa. "Seek's depending on me."

  "No," said Grandpa Po. "For the good of our people, I can't let you go." Then, he turned from her and walked across the room to the table.

  "You can't tell the queen what to do," Cryssa said calmly...though, in truth, she felt nervous as she said it. The words had come to her from nowhere, a last-ditch strategy to overcome his resistance. Now that they were out there, she worried about how Grandpa Po would react.

  Instead of getting angry, he turned to her with a sly smile and a twinkle in his eye. "Now wait a minute," he said. "I thought you didn't want anything to do with being queen."

  "I changed my mind," said Cryssa. "I'm ready now."

  "No you're not," Grandpa Po said with a chuckle. "You haven't finished your training yet. You haven't even taken a lesson in over a month."

  "You said you wanted me to be queen," said Cryssa. "Now I want to be queen."

  "But it's not that simple," said Grandpa Po. "The elders haven't given you their blessing yet. There hasn't been a crowning ceremony."

  "I'm the heir to the throne," said Cryssa. "I'm practically the queen already."

  "A queen doesn't leave her people if she thinks she might never come back," said Grandpa Po.

  Cryssa drew herself up and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm the queen," she said stiffly, "and I say I can do what I want."

  "And what you want is to go to Shark Island," said Grandpa Po.

  "Yes," said Cryssa.

  Grandpa Po grinned. "Well now," he said. "Congratulations."

  Cryssa frowned. Grandpa Po wasn't reacting the way she had expected. "Congratulations for what?" she said.

  Grandpa Po hobbled over to where Cryssa's Kee pendant hung from a peg in the wall. "For finally deciding you want to be queen," he said, lifting the pendant by its silver chain from the peg.

  "You mean you wanted me to do this?" said Cryssa, more confused than ever.

  "I knew you'd come around," said Grandpa Po. "Now come here. I have something for you."