The Simmering Seas

by Frank Kennedy

  The ground beneath her feet wobbled. The beauty of the promontory began to dissemble.

  Kara remembered the tuxedo. Sanhae. The great celebration. His words. His warning. And then, Lang pivoting into the shadows.

  “You walked away from me,” she whispered.

  He rushed over to the table, which twisted in the fading light.

  “Listen carefully, Sister. These other men … did you ever hear them speak of the Splinter?”

  His eyes weren’t the same. It was as if a digital mask fell away. He wasn’t her brother. Not the one she remembered.

  “You died,” Kara whispered.

  “No, I’m right here. Kara, did they speak of the Splinter?”

  She tried the tea again. No flavor. No warmth.

  “Splinter. I don’t know what that is.”

  He leaned back as if to judge her veracity. Lang nodded.

  “What else can you tell me of your plan?”

  “There is no more. I’ll wait to hear from them. Oh, yes. Did you know one of them is immortal?”

  “I beg your pardon. A Hokki who can’t die?”

  “No. He’s Earth-born.”

  “Another Randall.”

  “No. Different. He was … he was …”

  The light dissipated, and the memories returned.

  The scandal about the body found on the northern coast. Washed up onshore two days after Sanhae. Three years ago.

  The endless grief. The mind-numbing silence. And Lang’s final message committed to memory.

  “I’m leaving now,” she said. “Answer me this, Brother. Why did you do it? Why did you take your own life?”

  Though the shadows thickened, Kara saw enough of his features to recognize a man perplexed by her question.

  “You’re mistaken,” Lang said. He laid a finger over her lips and drew to within a hair’s breadth. “I never died. I was never there.”

  “What are you saying, Lang?”

  The night fell and the whiff of almonds and sweet wine vanished.

  Kara looked around but saw emptiness. She was neither along the promontory nor back in her cell. She did, however, feel stiff again. A surge of stomach acid pained her chest.

  The air was colder. Vague echoes sounded like the voices of …

  Wait. Honorable Mother and Father? Is that Dae?

  I’m over here. Can’t you see me?

  She cleared her mind of fear and listened. Their words were disjointed but made sense.

  “..ton Cortez. …n Chua. …een Sun. …ngarden. …ubmarine.”

  “When?” A third voice was clearer, yet it wasn’t in the room. “Too late to warn. Will try …”

  “…ind them. …ack the submarine. …o one can leave.”

  No more.

  Kara settled beneath a soft warm blanket and left the world.

  She next became aware of living when birds sang outside an open window and morning light shone through. She awoke refreshed.

  In her own bed.

  For an instant, nothing of consequence registered – until she saw Chi-Qua sitting in the corner fidgeting. Her best friend came running.

  “You’re back,” Chi-Qua said. “I wasn’t sure. I …”

  “What’s wrong, Chi?”

  The personal aide swallowed hard. “I thought they might kill you.”

  Kara laughed. “What? Who? What are you talking …?”

  “Your parents. They were discussing it with the Tarons last night.”

  “Wait. What?”

  She sat up when the memories returned in a single dump.

  “It’s all gone wrong, Kara. We went too far. I’m sorry.”

  34

  K ARA STUMBLED OUT OF BED, HER head swooning. Chi-Qua caught her but said she needed to move slowly. The aide selected suitable clothes. Casual; not fit for work. But this was … Daselin? A workday. Kara only had three left before the wedding. No, no. She sorted the turbulence inside her mind and squared the picture in front of her with what happened the day before.

  “I was on Mangum,” she said, as Chi-Qua helped her dress. “Geo and Alli were making their pitch. I left with Chin Sun Tyce. We were talking about … something.”

  “Here,” Chi-Qua said, handing over a pair of shoes. “You’ll sort it after a nice breakfast. I think …”

  The turbulence settled. Icy clarity followed.

  “Mother, Father, Dae. She said I should have stayed inside the narrows. She said I never listen.” Kara grabbed the back of her neck. “Someone came from behind. It must have been Chin Sun. I …”

  The last piece slipped into place. She glared into Chi-Qua’s eyes, which bore her guilt by shifting away and down.

  “You said my parents and the Tarons were discussing whether to kill me last night. How do you know this, Chi? Why were you allowed into the room?”

  “I … I was eavesdropping.”

  “No, Chi. It was you. It was you all along, wasn’t it?”

  Her smile was half-baked, her tears waiting to fall.

  “Kara, you don’t understand. It’s not what you think.”

  “You gave me up. All of us. You were the only other one who knew the plan.”

  Chi-Qua fell to her knees. “No. I mean … yes. But not the way you think. Your parents, they already knew about High Cannon. They were preparing to leave when they confronted me.”

  “What did you tell them?”

  “No more than usual. I …”

  There it was. Her heart breaking, Kara resisted the urge to lash out.

  “How long have you been spying for them?”

  “I don’t spy. Every few weeks, your Honorable Mother calls me to account for your activities. I say very little. Just enough to keep her satisfied and to hold onto my job. I protect you.”

  “That’s what you call it? Protection?”

  “Yes. You’re my best friend. Kara, I didn’t say anything about what we’ve done the past few days. Meeting with Hamilton Cortez. Lan Chua. Ryllen Jee. The submarine. None of it. But this time they knew.”

  “How, if not from you?”

  Chi-Qua no longer tried to hold back the tears.

  “From what I could deduce, they received a call from High Cannon. The woman you were meeting voiced concerns. She learned about the search of customs records. And there was something else. Kara, when you arranged the meeting, did you ask her questions about Lang?”

  Oh, damn.

  “I did.”

  “That worried them the most. Kara, you must have been getting close to whatever Lang wanted to warn you about.”

  “So, they flew to High Cannon … why? They could have stopped me from leaving Nantou.”

  “I think they wanted to know how far you’d go. The rest of it? You’ll have to ask them. I was confined to my room all night. Jo-Ta Pai knocked on my door before dawn. He said your Honorable Mother demanded I stay with you until you woke.”

  “Fine. You’ve done your duty. Now you can leave. Don’t come back in here. Not today. Not ever.”

  Chi-Qua wiped her tears and stiffened her shoulders.

  “I protected you, Kara. You have no idea what I sacrificed. They wanted to kill you. I told you all along this was too big for us.”

  “For you, Chi. Not me. Get out.”

  “Face it, Kara. You tried but you lost. Be glad you’re alive. Marry Ya-Li and live a happy life.”

  “And what of the others?”

  “You mean Cortez, and the terrorists, and Ryllen Jee? They’re killers. They won’t be missed.”

  “What are you saying? Do you …?”

  “Don’t know. Don’t care. Neither should you.”

  Chi-Qua stormed out, leaving the bedroom door wide open. Across the hall, Jo-Ta Pai, the strapping guard who apparently never left his duty station, looked in without expression, his hands cupped at his waist. Kara made up her mind and confronted the guard.

  “Am I a prisoner here?”

  “No, Honored Miss Syung. But I am ordered to call ahead. Your Hono
rable Mother asks for no surprises.”

  “Where is she? Still in bed?”

  “No. She intended to spend the morning inside her parlor.”

  “And the others?”

  “Your Honorable Father and Brother left before dawn.”

  “Where?”

  “That information is not within my purview.”

  She didn’t wait for the guard to call ahead. Instead, Kara roiled herself into the raging attack dog her mother spent twenty years trying to suppress. She compiled her accusations in one column and arranged her fears in another. Either way, she intended to make mince of Li-Ann Syung. She flung open the parlor’s double doors and did not give her mother a chance to look up before shouting:

  “You wanted to kill me? You actually wanted to kill me?”

  Li-Ann, snug on the triple-cushioned floral couch, set her Tachtron reader aside and groaned.

  “There you are. Right on cue, more or less.”

  “You and the Tarons talked about killing me? For what?”

  “Oh, Kara. Do shut up.” Li-Ann grabbed tea off the side table. “Now you’ve devolved into histrionics. For the record, I never advocated for your death, but I also didn’t have the final say.”

  “What did I do that was so horrifying anyone in either household thought I should be murdered?”

  Her mother sipped tea. Twice.

  “I told your Honorable Father not to leave me alone with you. He said I was thoroughly capable of tamping down your impertinence. Kara, do you know what it’s like to be your mother? The greatest challenge of my life.”

  “I don’t care about …”

  “You have always placed yourself at the center of the universe. Tradition is not good enough. Etiquette and protocol are as malleable as rubber bands. And sedition is an acceptable alternative. I allowed you to play your games so long as they did not threaten the family’s survival. I gave you latitude not permitted by my own Honorable Mother. And now, you have pushed us to the edge of a cliff. Tame your overinflated wrath and sit, you brazen coit.”

  As much as Kara prepared for the moment, Li-Ann came armed with bigger weapons. Kara took a second to regroup, but she did not sit.

  “Where are they? Father and Dae.”

  “Far away. Sorting matters.”

  “What matters?”

  “An incident. We should know its impact in a few hours.”

  “What incident?”

  Li-Ann smirked. “No. You’ve already done enough.”

  “What happened at High Cannon after I was … I can’t believe I’m saying it … after you drugged me? What about Geo and Alli?”

  “Sent on their way. They were told you were invited to stay overnight in the residential village to observe the Daselin rituals.”

  She thought of Ryllen, Ham, and the others who counted on Kara to provide them with a glidepath onto the island. The question almost escaped her lips, but she knew it was premature. Kara took a different tack with her mother.

  “Then let’s go straight to the heart of it,” she said. “What is happening on Mangum Island? How deeply is our family involved? What was so horrifying that Lang killed himself over it?”

  “Ah.” Li-Ann sighed. “Now you decide to ask. Did you ever consider we might have answered those questions before you stepped out of line?”

  “No.”

  “You would have been correct, but you also wouldn’t have created such a fragile moment. Kara, the only reason you live is because of how you answered our questions last night. One question in particular.”

  Kara thought she dreamt of Lang last night. Something about a long walk, a hot tea with cream, and a tuxedo he wore on Sanhae. But the details eluded her.

  “The drug. What did you give me? A truth serum?”

  “Oh, please. No one has used truth serums in a hundred years. But this chemical does create an interesting dynamic with memories. A lasting benefit of our association with the Chancellors.”

  “Oh. You mean the association we disavowed during refinery? The one you and Honorable Father conspired to slap on the Baeks to distract from your own guilt?”

  “You truly hate us.”

  “No, Mother. I don’t hate anyone in this household. But I’m not blind to what we are.”

  “Which is what?”

  “A family of criminals. How deep it goes, how far back, I don’t know. But we did not come by this,” she said, looking at walls of fine art, “without stealing off the backs of our people. We used the Chancellors to do it, and maybe they’re still involved. All I want, for the first time in my life, is the simple truth. Dae knows, and he’s terrified. Lang knew, and he couldn’t live with it. Do I need to beg, Mother?”

  Li-Ann uncrossed her legs.

  “No, but it would be a pleasant reminder of this household’s true hierarchy. Yes? And as for the truth: I’m tempted to say you couldn’t handle it. But I know better. You’d deconstruct it, repurpose it, and use it for maximum leverage. Sit, Kara. I have something you need to see. Perhaps this will provide context.”

  She grabbed her Tachtron reader and swiped a few times. The entertainment plate mounted to the viewing wall activated. An eighty-inch screen rose above it.

  “If you don’t sit, Daughter, the screen will remain gray.”

  Against her best judgment, Kara complied. The gray screen lit up with a scene she did not expect.

  It was a news report from Puratoon, the second largest metropolis on the continent. Fire. Emergency services. Desperate crowds. Shaky camera. These weren’t new images, and yet the date stamp on the video said it was seven hours old.

  “The latest riot,” Li-Ann said. “Resembles all the others, but this time a bomb cut through an orphanage.”

  “Oh, for all the rings! How many dead?”

  “The fire you see in the background used to be the orphanage. They specialized in children under six.”

  Kara felt sick. “It’s getting worse, Mother. The cities are tearing themselves apart. No jobs. The food supply is inadequate, and the seamasters hold it over them by charging outrageous prices for simple products like Kohlna mash. We’re responsible. You do know that. Yes?”

  “No, the bomber is responsible, but I take your point. We are definitely in a privileged position.”

  “It’s horrifying. Why are you showing me that?”

  “Because, Daughter, very soon that is going to end.”

  “End? How?”

  “We’re going to save them. The seamasters will save the continent from ruin.”

  Li-Ann disengaged the entertainment plate.

  “You say we are a family of criminals. True, we are not without transgressions. But Daughter, we have worked very hard to save Hokkaido. And now, we stand on the edge of a miracle. A chance to remake Hokkaido into the global paradise it was when our ancestors arrived. Two billion people will hail the seamasters as their saviors.”

  Kara thought her mother’s tone danced between hopeful and messianic. As much as she craved the truth, Kara feared this one.

  “What? How? Their land is dying. It’s …”

  “Going to heal. When it does, Hokkaido will emerge with a new face and new opportunities. And the seamasters? We will be more than Hokkis who catch fish for a living. We will have the leverage to move this world out of isolation to a revered position among the Collectorate.”

  “The Collectorate is dead. You sound like a Chancellor.”

  Li-Ann produced a wistful smile. “Learn from the best.”

  “You’re talking madness. The Kye-Do rings have been spreading acenomite on the continent for generations. The land can’t just heal. Unless you’ve found …”

  “A solution. Yes, Daughter. We have a solution. An end to the acenomite problem.”

  “Which is?”

  “No more rings.”

  Kara stifled a laugh. “Right. No more rings.”

  “No more rings, Daughter. The Kye-Do rings will be removed. The acenomite poisoning will end. The land will heal, f
aster than anyone imagined. Within three years, farm yields will increase a thousand-fold. Agriculture will reshape the economy. The cities will have stability.”

  “You talk in fantasies, Mother. Every engineering proposal to remove the rings or mitigate their impact has been deemed impractical, far too expensive, or too complicated. It would take at least fifty years to collect and remove all those rocks.”

  “For small thinkers, yes. Or, we can excise our problem in three days, give or take.”

  “I’m right. You are living in a fantasy world, Mother. Three days?”

  Li-Ann ignored the jab and returned to her tea. Her eyes twinkled with a certainty Kara latched onto. Either her Mother had gone around the bend or had reason to believe a miracle was at hand.

  “The announcement will be made in a few weeks’ time, if the schedule holds. If last night’s incident does not create an obstacle. And if you decide to stay within the narrows and abandon your crusade.”

  “What announcement, Mother?”

  “A new future for Hokkaido. The end of the rings and a new status among civilized worlds. By then, you will be Kara Syung Taron, and the final pieces will be set in place.”

  “In place for what?”

  “Promises were made. A new alliance will be created. And the Syungs and Tarons will stand at the forefront.”

  “What promises? To whom? What alliance? What does this have to do with Mangum Island? Why is the truth so hard for you to admit?”

  “It’s not. Your Honorable Father and I have been talking about it for years. Dae knows. Lang knew. Our family, along with many others, have spent most of our capital investing in it. But you haven’t earned our trust, and your stunt put everything at risk. I will not share details until you earn them.”

  Li-Ann cut a cold, waxen figure. Inflexible, unbreakable. Kara didn’t want to back down, but she also recognized the moment as one she experienced hundreds of times before. Her mother scripted every response, anticipated every question, and knew when to pull the chair out from underneath.

  “If you can’t trust your daughter,” Kara said, “then you don’t trust the Hokki people. If this plan is so magnificent, why all the secrecy? Unless, of course, you’re as frightened as Dae is. Or Lang was. You think it will be glorious, but you suspect it might be a disaster. What can possibly remove the rings in three days?”