Changelings
- Автор: Маккефри Энн, Скарборо Элизабет
- Серия: The Twins of Petaybee #1
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Научная фантастика
Электронная книга - «Changelings». Краткое содержание книги:
CHANGELINGS
They are Ronan Born for Water Shongili and Murel Monster Slayer Shongili. Twin brother and sister. Children of Yana and Sean. Children of Petaybee. As such, theirs is a destiny deeply intertwined with the sentient planet that is their home. For Ronan and Murel are more than human. Like their father, each can transform into a seal and converse telepathically with the planet’s creatures–such as the friendly otter whose life they save one day from a pack of ravenous wolves.
But the twins’ bravery has unforeseen results when a visiting scientist witnesses their startling metamorphosis and becomes obsessed with their capture. To protect their children, Sean and Yana send them to stay with a powerful family friend on an orbiting space station. But no one realizes that Ronan and Murel hunger to discover the origins of their shape-shifting talent–and that their search for knowledge will place them squarely in the path of peril.
Meanwhile, Petaybee is changing–and much faster than an ordinary planet’s natural evolution. It appears that portions of the sea are heating up and a landmass is suddenly rising from the depths. To investigate the startling occurrence, Sean heads out to the open water in his seal form. But the newly unstable region holds untold mysteries–and the potential for disaster.
The sun, having disappeared for half an hour or so, once more swung around on the horizon until it was over the ocean. Of course, nobody on the boat could actually see it, but they knew that it had because the rays shined through the shroud hanging over the ocean and dyed it brilliant scarlet, fuchsia, and tangerine.
Almost as if the sun's rising soothed the volcano's temper, the rumbling quieted and the seas became comparatively calm. With the yacht's motor out, the loudest noises were the tinkering and swearing that could be heard clearly from the engine room. The twins and their parents loosened their lines enough that the twins could turn around and give their father huge hugs.
"You took that business of being hero twins seriously, didn't you, kids?" he asked aloud.
"Your mum says it was you who came to fetch me from what I can only presume was almost a watery grave."
"Much as we'd like to take credit for that, Da, it was actually Sky-"
"Sky?"
"Otter. Now that he's ridden to your rescue in a helicopter, he is a sky otter instead of merely a river otter, so we've given him an appropriate name and he likes it."
"It is more original than Otto or something of the sort," Da agreed. "And it was good of him to come along. River otters do not go to sea, as a rule."
"So he's told us. But in your case he made an exception. And it's a good thing he did," Murel said. "He's the one who, uh-found where you were for sure."
"But you two got me out? How did I survive?"
"There seemed to be air pockets or something-maybe the volcano created a kind of grotto with an air tube to the surface?"
"Which, providentially for me, did not turn into a lava tube? Petaybee was being extremely thoughtful there."
"Pity that mood didn't continue," Mum said.
Lookit Ke-ola, Ronan told Murel while their parents were discussing Petaybee's moods.
Ke-ola stood on deck staring straight out at the tip of the cone, becoming slightly visible above the water at times, when the steam wafted up and away from the rim. His expression was thoughtful. A dome bulged in the cone like an egg about to hatch. Although the volcano was quiet for the moment, once more they could feel the pressure building.
"Whatcha think, Ke-ola?" Murel asked.
"I was just thinking about my twenty nieces and twenty-five nephews," he said.
"Are you worried you will never see them again?" she asked sympathetically. At least she and Ronan were back home with their parents and their friends, even if it only meant they wouldn't die alone. Not a happy thought. Murel choked up in spite of herself. She didn't want to die, but the dome inside the crater was bright red and pulsing.
Sky was puzzled. Is there not enough water here for you?
We were thinking of our families, Sky. Ke-ola was remembering his relatives who are not here.
He has -many?
Hundreds, like you.
Many Ke-olas. Good. Honu likes Ke-ola. Sky otters like Honu. Sky looked over the side, where Honu was swimming back and forth beside the yacht.
Johnny Green returned from belowdecks and reported to Marmie.
"How long?" she asked.
"Too long, I'm afraid," he replied, shaking his head. "They're clogged as bad as if they'd been poured full of concrete. The lads are working as fast as they can but they'll be no match for Herself," and he nodded to the volcano. He turned to Marmie. "There's one lifeboat left. You and Pet, Yana and the kids-"
"Not us," Murel said. "We're better off as seals now that we're rested, right, Da?"
"Yes, but I'll be alongside the boat where your mother is."
"Mother isn't going in any lifeboat," Mum said. "There's room enough for Marmie, Ke-ola and the crew. Too many people depend on Marmie for her to be lost this way. She's been Petaybee's number one outside ally. You'll need her help."
"We'll need her help, luv."
"He's right, Yana. I'm the captain, not you. I'll go down with the bloody ship if anyone does,"
Johnny said.
"No, Johnny. Marmie needs you too… and I outrank you."
"Not anymore, you ridiculous baggage. Get in that boat, and that's an order."
"You can't talk to my wife that way, Johnny. I'll do it," Sean said. "Get into that boat, Yana, and stop being such ridiculous baggage. You're the mother of our children and they need you."
Meanwhile other sailors, more practical and less noble, had lowered the remaining lifeboat over the side and were climbing in. Pet Chan practically forced Marmie in along with the crewmen. Once Pet was seated, there was room for two more passengers.
"Not the way they need you," Mum argued with their father. "You understand them. You can all speak without words. I-"
"No time for this nonsense, Yana," Da said, and tried to lift and manhandle Mum over to the lifeboat. When he proved too weak to do it, Johnny scooped her up but she fought them both off.
"Hey, Mama," Ke-ola said, padding barefoot over to the three of them and separating the men from the twins' furious mother. "You don't gotta do it, lady. I'll go now. I know what has to be done. It's in the oldest chants. Your keikis need you, your man, your world."
"Petaybee does not seem highly attached to any of us just at the moment," Mum snapped, and turned on Ke-ola, her dark eyes flashing. "And where is it you think you're going, young man?"
"Ke-ola knows all this old stuff from when his people lived near volcanoes, Mum," Ronan told her.
"Yeah, I bet they had some really neat way of dealing with eruptions and stuff, didn't they, Ke-ola?" Murel asked.
"Yeah," he said. "That's right. Those old ones knew that if you were gonna have life, there had to be death so somebody had to give themselves to Pele-our volcano goddess. I'm not afraid. There's too many people where I come from anyway. I'll do it, then the volcano will quiet and you all can go home." He turned and walked to the rail, and in another fraction of a nanosecond would have slipped into the waves. Ronan and Murel exchanged looks and ran up beside him, stripping off their dry suits. He gave each of them a chagrined look. "Little bruthah, little sistah, you should understand!"
"Are you out of your mind?" Mum demanded. "Johnny, Sean, someone brain this child before he does something monumentally stupid."
"I don't care what your chants said, Ke-ola, if they told you to jump into a volcano, they were wrong," Murel told him. "I thought that was a good place you came from to begin with. Why would your volcano want anyone to jump into it?"
"Yeah, it's not hungry, for pity's sake," Ronan added. "It's trying to pump stuff out, not take stuff in. You'd just be polluting it. We'd have Ke-ola bits all over the nice new island Petaybee's trying to make. Honestly, I know it looks bad, Ke-ola, but nobody has to die here.
If anyone does, it will be an accident, and Petaybee, well, I think Petaybee will be really sorry. You were the one who said the planet wasn't angry, it was just giving birth and a little out of control."
Murel had a flash of insight. I think that's what Mum understands, maybe without knowing she does. She sort of knows what Petaybee's going through. It was hard enough for her to have twins. Think what it must be like to try to have an island. Ugh. I don't ever want to have any kids.
"I honestly think you misunderstood those chants, guy," Ronan said earnestly.
"That's what you think, do you, little bruthah?" Ke-ola asked with maybe a little of his old twinkle returning.
"It is. You're our friend, you know, partly because you were the one kid at school who kind of understood about Petaybee. I think you're supposed to live here, not die here."