Read Online Dolphin Way: Rise of the Guardians by Mark Caney - Free Book Online
Authors: Mark Caney
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is true, then you are also at risk. Therefore you must tell no one of this. And I will tell only those that absolutely must know. I know what you are thinking, Sky. You are not worthy, there must be others in the clan, and so on. It is what I would expect you to say. But you will have to trust my judgment more. And I believe you are the best one to take on this task. Please accept it.’
Feeling he was diving into a dark pool of unknown depth, Sky tried to keep his voice steady as he replied, ‘Very well, Jeii. Thank you for honouring me so.’
‘ Good. Oh, and one other thing. When the day comes for my Darkening Dive, I was hoping that I might ask something of you.’
‘ Anything Jeii, you don’t have to ask.’
‘ Well, you have always had a fine singing voice Sky. I wondered if you might sing me a particular song that day.’
Sky smiled sadly at him. ‘Of course, Jeii. I shall sing it with all my heart.’
Chapter 8
“ Feed them hard truths as you would feed them
a sour meal — in small bites”
- The ‘Seer’ Stone Eyes (13,222 -13,264 post Great Alluvium)
She was alone again in the warm tropical night, gliding through a velvet sea to her forbidden lover. The swell lazily lifted and fell about her, casually tossing breakers onto the nearby shore. Dusk could hear each one drawing itself up — like, she imagined, some huge eel: dragging a mouthful of coral fragments, shells and sand into its jaws before idly lunging forward and spewing it back onto the steep shelf of the beach.
Although the full moon would come up later, for now it was very dark; yet the starlight alone was enough to allow her to clearly make out the white beach whenever she leapt from the water. She leapt often that night. She leapt for the sheer joy of it. She leapt to see the stream of bright phosphorescence she created as she fell back into the welcoming water. She leapt to admire the beauty of the night sky.
Dusk took a special pleasure in looking at the sky. Of course, like all dolphins she used the stars as her calendar, clock and compass; but she had studied them in much greater detail than most during her apprenticeship as a Starwriter. She enjoyed being able to name almost every point of light she saw. On this perfectly clear night, the most distant white cloudy belt of stars stretched in a band from one horizon to the other, marking the edge of the galaxy in which Ocean floated. Dusk even made out one of the “New Stars” — strange, tiny points of lights moving swiftly across the sky. They were not stars at all of course, but their origin was mysterious. The Starwriters’ meticulously kept records showed that they were a recent phenomenon: only in the last fifty years or so had they started to appear. There were various theories about them, including some that Dusk considered far fetched, like that they contained visitors from the stars who orbited Ocean in great shining, water filled orbs. She thought that the more likely explanation was that they were connected somehow to the Walkers, but what their purpose might be no one knew.
She arrived at the rock arch where they usually met. She was just on time, with the upper edge of the moon beginning to appear above the sea surface. Soon the whole disc was up, painted a dirty orange colour by the sand and dust blown from the land. She made her signature call: ‘It is I, Fades Into Dusk!’
Silence. She hated it when she was here alone, calling into the night; not knowing what the silence meant. She always tortured herself with possibilities.
He was not coming.
He did not even remember — she was so unimportant to him.
He was with someone else.
He was dead.
He wanted to end it.
She tried to imagine how she would act to each scenario if it was true. She tried to work out which one was worse.
She watched the moon rise by the height of its own diameter nine times. As she counted each one she called again. The oppressive silence of the
Feeling he was diving into a dark pool of unknown depth, Sky tried to keep his voice steady as he replied, ‘Very well, Jeii. Thank you for honouring me so.’
‘ Good. Oh, and one other thing. When the day comes for my Darkening Dive, I was hoping that I might ask something of you.’
‘ Anything Jeii, you don’t have to ask.’
‘ Well, you have always had a fine singing voice Sky. I wondered if you might sing me a particular song that day.’
Sky smiled sadly at him. ‘Of course, Jeii. I shall sing it with all my heart.’
Chapter 8
“ Feed them hard truths as you would feed them
a sour meal — in small bites”
- The ‘Seer’ Stone Eyes (13,222 -13,264 post Great Alluvium)
She was alone again in the warm tropical night, gliding through a velvet sea to her forbidden lover. The swell lazily lifted and fell about her, casually tossing breakers onto the nearby shore. Dusk could hear each one drawing itself up — like, she imagined, some huge eel: dragging a mouthful of coral fragments, shells and sand into its jaws before idly lunging forward and spewing it back onto the steep shelf of the beach.
Although the full moon would come up later, for now it was very dark; yet the starlight alone was enough to allow her to clearly make out the white beach whenever she leapt from the water. She leapt often that night. She leapt for the sheer joy of it. She leapt to see the stream of bright phosphorescence she created as she fell back into the welcoming water. She leapt to admire the beauty of the night sky.
Dusk took a special pleasure in looking at the sky. Of course, like all dolphins she used the stars as her calendar, clock and compass; but she had studied them in much greater detail than most during her apprenticeship as a Starwriter. She enjoyed being able to name almost every point of light she saw. On this perfectly clear night, the most distant white cloudy belt of stars stretched in a band from one horizon to the other, marking the edge of the galaxy in which Ocean floated. Dusk even made out one of the “New Stars” — strange, tiny points of lights moving swiftly across the sky. They were not stars at all of course, but their origin was mysterious. The Starwriters’ meticulously kept records showed that they were a recent phenomenon: only in the last fifty years or so had they started to appear. There were various theories about them, including some that Dusk considered far fetched, like that they contained visitors from the stars who orbited Ocean in great shining, water filled orbs. She thought that the more likely explanation was that they were connected somehow to the Walkers, but what their purpose might be no one knew.
She arrived at the rock arch where they usually met. She was just on time, with the upper edge of the moon beginning to appear above the sea surface. Soon the whole disc was up, painted a dirty orange colour by the sand and dust blown from the land. She made her signature call: ‘It is I, Fades Into Dusk!’
Silence. She hated it when she was here alone, calling into the night; not knowing what the silence meant. She always tortured herself with possibilities.
He was not coming.
He did not even remember — she was so unimportant to him.
He was with someone else.
He was dead.
He wanted to end it.
She tried to imagine how she would act to each scenario if it was true. She tried to work out which one was worse.
She watched the moon rise by the height of its own diameter nine times. As she counted each one she called again. The oppressive silence of the
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