Maelstrom

CHAPTER 19

THE VOLCANO PUFFED again, and this time the smoke billowed from it. The people on shore bounced around a bit with the trembling of their steeply pitched perch.

As Murel turned from them, she heard Ke-ola's voice raised above the others as he began the volcano-birthing chant he had taught them only a few weeks ago, though it seemed a lifetime.

Murel flipped over and started swimming away. A wall of tooth-studded snouts faced her.

Hel-lo, little seal-girl. Got any more tidbits for us? the leader taunted.

Get on with you, you great bloodthirsty lot, she told them. You're wanted elsewhere.

She wondered if even Puna knew how nastily sharks could laugh when they wished. But she dived under them and sped on out to sea.

Da? Where are you? she asked mentally while sending out her sonar signal.

Dead ahead, darlin', but much as I hate to lose track of you again, I think it best for the sake of time if we split up to search for the orcas. If I find them, I'll call out to you and then I want you to return to the volcano to help with the rescue. If you find them, do the same.

Right, she said.

She struck off to the east, where the whales had headed after delivering Aunty and her to shore. They could be most of the way to the south by now.

Murel River Seal, wait! Sky called.

Sky, what took you so long?

Wise otters wait until Manos have other things to do than eat otters before getting into the water, he told her. The Mano people are riding Manos, the hurt people are riding the copter. Only the people of the river seals are on the volcano still. I would have the sea otter cousins help them but they do not trust the Manos.

Neither do I. The Honus would help but I don't trust the Manos not to bite our people off their backs.

Manos are not good rememberers, not like otters, Sky said.

It was grand having him swim with her again, but she missed Ronan. How did you get out of the city before it left, Sky?

Very easy. The walls went away and I saw the beaming place so I slid out and swam fast before the whirling caught me. Otters can swim very fast when they have to.

I wish brothers could do the same, Murel said.

After we save everyone else, we will save Ronan, Murel. It is what river seals and sky otters do, saving others.

Except Jeel, Murel thought mournfully. This river seal wasn't fast enough to save the alien kid. I wish I hadn't been so cocky. If Kushtaka had gone out with enough of her people they might have scared the Manos away.

Or the Manos would have had a bigger feed, Sky said. Manos do not fear.

Out of the minds of otters, she thought softly, or one in particular, the first comfort she'd had since Jeel's death. I wonder if Ronan is afraid.

Deep sea otters will not harm Ronan, Sky said. They are not people to harm others.

I was under the same impression, but since they took Ronan, I have to wonder. I have a feeling they did it to harm our family.

Not real harm, Sky contended with surprising conviction. Not the kind that opens skin or makes dead.

Harm enough, she insisted. But I'll find him if I have to search the galaxy.

Searching the sea is closer, Sky said.

Right now we're searching for orcas, she told Sky. While they thought-talked, she emitted her sonar signals at regular intervals.

Orcas! she sent out, a mental call. Bitfin! Boss! We have a situation here. Your help is needed again. My father and Petaybee will be very grateful if you'd show up right away.

Orcas, Sky called in a different direction. This is me, the sky otter, calling you too, reminding you that otters taste terrible but can show you where there are great shoals of herring!

Murel felt like adding, And sharks. Really yummy sharks. The kind you said you like to eat. Puna's people wouldn't like it if their aumakuas got gobbled by whales the first time they went to sea, so she supposed it was very bad of her. If Petaybee was going to mellow the sharks, as Ro had suggested, she wished that particular adaptation would happen in double-quick time.

Someone is coming who is not whales, Sky said at the same moment her sonar picked up several creatures heading toward them. Sky was right. These were not whales. Not unless they were midgets. They were about her size, maybe, or a little larger.

Hey you, solo seal! a mental call reached her. What are you doing, calling for killer whales? You get caught in somebody's net too long and damage your head? It's not healthy calling orcas. They eat seals. We ought to know.

They would, of course. These were the regular kind of seals. They swam up to her and Sky, who backpaddled until he was hiding under her flipper. Then she remembered that when she first met him, he thought seals ate otters.

What you got there, pup? one of the new seals said. Lunch? That's too much for a young one like you. You should share. Otters are delicious.

Not sky otters, she said. They taste awful. Besides, this one is a family member.

I don't know how to break this to you, pup, but otters of any kind are not related to seals of any kind.

Ah, she said, remembering the superior tone of some distant dialogue from an ancient vid. But this is not just any seal you're dealing with when you deal with me.

I am Murel Monster Slayer Maddock-Shongili, a selkie and Petaybean shepherd seal. When this didn't get an immediate reaction, she added hopefully, I don't suppose you lot have seen my brother Ronan Born for Water anywhere around here in the last few hours, have you?

A female ventured close enough to sniff at her. She does smell funny, Rork.

Then there's the business with the uneaten otter, another one said. Unsealy, that is.

No, wait, a third said. I remember. It was a long time ago-she ought to be an adult by now, but I remember when Murel Monster Slayer and her brother were born.

Their father is a selkie too and their grandfather before him.

Murel wanted to protest that her grandfather had been the scientist who made his son into a selkie, which was what Da and Aunty always said, but she didn't want to contradict this seal who believed her and seemed to be on her side and was also maybe older and wiser than the rest of the lot.

We were living closer to the coast back then and all of us felt it, the older seal continued. Somebody new and exciting had entered the world. Someone to be a leader among us, maybe, or at least a protector.

So what is she doing calling those orcas back to eat us again? Rork demanded.

I need them to help my mum and some other people stranded at the foot of the volcano, Murel explained. Even where they swam now the stench of the sulfur was sickeningly strong. Looking back, she saw the black smoke billowing into the air, a hint of red at its base.

We could help, the elder said.

I wish I could say that would work, she said, but there are sharks in these waters now and they'd eat you and maybe some of my people too. No, we need the killer whales. They say they eat sharks, so they're not afraid of them.

They'll eat you too, the elder said.

No. They tried it and almost managed. Only the aliens-deep sea otters-saved me, and then Da talked to them-the whales I mean, not the deep sea otters-and so when the aliens kidnapped my brother after I couldn't save the leader's son and my aunt Sinead almost drowned, the whales saved us both to sort of say they were sorry.

The seals seemed to be trying to untangle the threads of her story.

Then the elder spoke again. Well, if you really need orcas, you're going about it the wrong way. Follow us.

Where?

Back to the reef, of course. The whales know they're not supposed to eat you, but nobody told them they can't eat us. Only we need to be where we can escape from them while you explain your problem.

Their new reef was on the southern side of the volcano, formed by an earlier series of undersea chimneys that had gone dormant but sported new colonies of life forms on their surface. The southern lip of the volcano met up with the bottom of the reef, partially cupping a beautiful blue-green pool.

Our private tub, the female, named Sorka, told them.

Right, the elder said. Now, you keep quiet, Murel, and let us do the calling.

Pork, you get into the pool and call for help because you've, uh- Caught my flipper in a crack when the reef moved? Pork asked. She might have been large, but she wasn't slow.

That will work. The rest of us will make a big fuss over how you are too large, fat, and juicy for us to free. If the orcas are anywhere at all close they won't be able to resist trying their luck. Once they get within range, Murel can tell them what she wants while you beach yourself on the reef.

Pork assumed her position and began barking something to the effect of, Oh, dear!

Oh silly me! I've caught my flipper in this rift in the rock and I can't free myself.

Someone get me out of here!

Poor Pork, the other seals cried over and over, and, She's stuck.

Get her out, others barked.

Oh, she is too big and fat to move far enough to get at the fin! two others barked back.

No, no, be careful! You'll hurt me. My flesh is very tender, Pork complained.

They carried on that way for quite a long time, getting more and more into their act.

Bring me something to eat! Pork called. I feel weak. A seal of my size needs lots of fish to keep up her strength.

We are growing weak too, Pork, too weak to feed you. So weak that if an entire pod of orcas came to eat us, we could barely escape.

Orcas! Oh no, not orcas! Save me! Save me!

They were enjoying themselves so much, hamming it up, or maybe Porking it up was a better way to put it, that they weren't paying attention to their surroundings any longer.

Murel had never met full-time seals before and was surprised at how smart they were and how much fun they had. She and Sky sat up on the rocks, the waves washing over them often enough to keep her in seal form. The two of them watched the seals' antics, while also watching for the orcas. Sky suddenly stood on his hind feet and said, Hah! Black fins, seals. Black fins are coming.

The seals practically flew out of the water and up onto the rocks, even Pork.

Murel wiggled her way through them to the edge of the reef. She didn't want to get into the water yet, not until she was sure they recognized her and remembered that she was off-limits as a food item. Orcas, hello! she called. It's me, Murel. I need your help again.

We heard. That poor little seal is stuck in the rocks and she's too large, fat, and luscious for you and her little friends to help her?

No, she's fine now and they're all back up on the rocks.

Everyone? So fast? The game hasn't even started!

Well, there's another game my father and I need your help with.

What is it now?

Some people are stranded on the edge of the volcano and it's been rumbling. There are fishing boats coming but they're very slow. Could you carry a few people out to them?

We could do that. We'd be happy to carry some of those seals too.

Yeah, Bitfin said, carry them in our bellies!

The seals started barking insults and taunts.

The volcano belched a cloud of smoke bigger than it was. Please hurry, Murel said.

Okay, but tell the seal side of your family not to worry. We'll be back.

Murderers! the seals shouted.

Don't go into the water with them now, Murel, the elder told her. They're ready to eat seals. I wouldn't trust them.

They eat otters too, Sky told her. Those are otter-eating whales. He did not seem happy. Some of the seals were regarding him in the same way the whales had been regarding them.

Murel waited until the orcas were heading toward the north side of the volcano before sliding into the water, Sky close behind her.

Thanks, seals, she told them. You were great. There's one more thing…

It doesn't involve more whales or sharks, does it? the elder asked. Because we can use a rest.

No, it's about my brother. Did any of you happen to see that odd-looking city near the volcano?

We've seen it. It's always been there, Pork said. It's where the deep sea otters live.

Well, it's not there now and my brother is inside of it. If you see it anywhere else or hear reports about someone else seeing it, please tell me. I think they have to live near volcanoes. So if there are other active ones in the sea right now, they may have moved there.

Near the fjord the humans call Perfect Fjord there are more sea chimneys, the elder told her. Maybe they moved there.

Thanks, she said. As soon as we get everyone else to safety, we'll check it out.

The sea otter cousins will look too, Murel, Sky told her. They will like to find a new place with giant white clams and no sharks.