Deluge
- Автор: Маккефри Энн, Скарборо Элизабет
- Серия: The Twins of Petaybee #3
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Научная фантастика
Электронная книга - «Deluge». Краткое содержание книги:
Meanwhile, the powerful and avaricious Company is making another attempt to take over the world of Petaybee for its resources, and the twins parents, Yana and Sean, along with the entire planet, must fight for the independence of their sentient world once and for all...
Me too, but I think the best thing, since Mabo is looking for us here, is for us to go back to the prison, Ronan said.
But what about the squid? And if that boat sees us again, the crew might get more curious.
I think the boat took care of the squid by at least diminishing their appetites. Besides, you said yourself that they have to stay down deep. We’ll just keep near the surface and we should be fine.
I saw some other offshore rocks closer in. If we can reach those, we can decide what to do next.
Murel was so weary and sore, she wasn’t sure she could make it all the way back to the prison. But following her brother, she slid beneath the waves.
I wish there were some other way, she complained.
What do you suggest? Ro’s voice carried a sarcastic edge to it. We don’t have arms and legs until we can dry out on land. We can hardly overpower that sentry as seals. Unless you think we could flop him down and flipper-slap him into submission?
No need to be mean. Who saved your blubber butt when you were stupid enough to get grabbed by the squid?
Saving blubber butts from squids went two ways, to the best of my recollection.
There has to be a way, she insisted. She felt even less cooperative than she had before Ronan made his smart remark. Then, as if inspired by her annoyance, she thought of something. We can’t attack him on the land, but we could in the water. Hands and legs are only an asset on land.
Unless the hands are holding a harpoon? Ronan suggested mulishly.
That’s where being smarter than the average seal comes in-er-handy, she replied. If he has one, once we get him in the water we can take it away from him. We can fight sharks, whales, and squids. One measly person shouldn’t be that hard. Here’s what we do-we’ll split up and one of us will attract his attention from the water. If he’s really after us, we should be able to lure him in. If not, the one attracting his attention will have to hold it and make a lot of splashing to cover for the other one climbing out onto the lower rocks, drying off, and getting the better of him.
Rrright. Then what?
Well, we find out what he’s doing on our rocks, for one, and keep him busy while we rest up enough to go somewhere else. For starters.
Ronan grunted. Brilliant.
Ro, I absolutely cannot make that swim again.
But you’ve enough fight left in you to take on a possibly armed human?
If I must.
Very well then, he caved unexpectedly. I’ll do the fancy swimming and you flop ashore once I’ve got his attention and either push or bump him into the water if he’s not gone for it already. Then I’ll take care of him.
See that you do, she said, her tartness hiding the gratitude she felt that he’d found a way to do the energetic bits. I don’t want to have to rescue you again.
No worries on that account, he said. In case anyone is watching from shore, you go ’round to the back so you can change without being seen. Let me know once you’re in position and I’ll start the show.
It wasn’t a bad plan. It almost worked. But the moment the person on the rocks spotted Ro, he raised a whistle to his lips and let out a long blast.
That doesn’t sound good, Ro said. Show cancelled. I think you’re going to have to go for that swim after all.
He dived again, but before Murel could beach herself, the watcher from the rocks dived too. Murel backflipped in the water and headed back to the portside to help Ronan. But long before she rounded the rocks she heard a motor roaring toward them and heard Ro cry, They’ve set nets! Swim out to sea, sis.
And leave you?
I’m caught! Get away. You can’t get caught too. You’re going to have to save my blubber butt again.
ZUZU WAS AN excellent swimmer, as cats went, but cats were not made for life in the sea. Sky capered around her, splashing, diving, and laughing with otter chittering and chattering, but the amusement value of his antics quickly dwindled.
She liked water, but this was far too much of a good thing.
This water is very warm, Sky told the cat. And there are many fish, but so far none with shells.
Merci for the information, but I have enjoyed enough of this water. I believe I will return now to the land.
But we only started swimming! Sky protested.
For otters this may be the beginning of swimming, but for cats, even a cat of aquatic inclinations such as moi, it is time for the swimming to end. Je suis fatigue, otter.”
Tired of swimming? Sky could scarcely see how that was possible. Maybe if you just sleep for a while.
Do not be ridiculous! I cannot sleep and swim at the same time!
You do not have to swim. Just wrap yourself in kelp to anchor yourself and float until you are rested.
Cats who float are deceased, otter.
You did not blow enough bubbles into your fur when you groomed, he chided.
I do not blow bubbles into my fur on any occasion whatsoever, she replied indignantly. Cats do not blow the bubbles, you comprehend.
I did not know that. No wonder more cats don’t live in the water. Okay then. Return to land. I must find the river seal children.
Zuzu turned her sodden and skinny corkscrew tail to him and began paddling in the opposite direction.
But nowhere did she see the land the otter claimed they had only just left.
She kept paddling, but land still hid itself from her. Her paws felt like anchors and her body sagged in the middle. Although the waves were neither high nor rough, water kept splashing into her face and she had to snort to clear her nose. Her tongue tasted of salt and her mouth was very dry. Her eyes also felt hot and dry. She grew so tired she could not think and could scarcely feel. And then a large series of waves began pounding against her and she could no longer keep her head above the water.
Adieu, otter! she thought, and felt herself sinking, drowning, and had visions of her lovely bed on the Piaf, of her food dish in the galley, of Adrienne waving her peacock feather for her to hunt, of cuddling in Adrienne’s arms and being stroked, of sleeping peacefully beside her friend. Of her battles with the prison rats with their sharp claws and teeth.
She had always won those battles, but suddenly she felt the teeth dig into her neck and carry her off- merde! The rat of death had come to claim her!
THE SLED CARRYING Yana arrived in Kilcoole just in time for Sean to meet it. As soon as he’d gotten his feet under him, he’d ducked into the cabin and took his and Yana’s beaded latchkay parkas and mukluks from the storage chest, and her best snow pants and an extra sweater and a change of thermal underwear. Belatedly he grabbed the fancy patterned mittens and hats Clodagh had knitted for the two of them with portraits of seals and track cats in black, white, gray, and beige curly-coat wool.
Soaked and frozen, Yana would be needing her layers. He could only hope her adaptation and acclimatization to Petaybee had reached the point where it would protect her from the worst effects of her dunking. He thought it would. Maybe the ice had thinned because of that new warm channel opened by the quake and that was why she fell in, but he suspected the channel had been opened to protect her from the worst effects of her polar plunge. The planet was certainly sentient enough to know that she was a valuable ally. As for himself, the dry suit kept him perfectly warm, but he didn’t want some inquisitive uniformed lad or lass to start wondering why he was dressed so differently from the others.
He handed Yana’s spare clothing to Aisling, who was hovering around the sled, unfastened the blankets bundling his wife into the basket, and lifted her out, then turned to Clodagh’s cabin. As he entered, the soldiers were being herded by the rifle-toting villagers into the longhouse.