Hera (2 page)

She should not have let that damn message
unsettle her so. She should have burned it, not kept it hidden
under her mattress.

She should have destroyed it once and for
all.

Movement caught her eye, snapping her
thoughts in half. She grabbed Sacmis’ shoulder, drawing a sharp
breath. “Drive closer to that cliff. I think I saw movement.”

She was not sure she’d seen it. Early
daylight reflected off the broken mirrors of the waves, torturing
her eyes. But it might be an illegal mortal boat, sailing around
the islands to set up fish traps or nets. Mortals were only allowed
on land, and to cross between the islands they had to use the
bridges or the official ferries. The sea was not theirs to
command.

The sea belonged to the Gultur. It was the
way things were since the Great War – a strict clause in the peace
treaty with the lesser mortals, and one of the security measures
taken by the Gultur administration.

As if there was somewhere the mortals could
escape to. As if there was anything beyond the Seven Islands.
Beyond, said the historical and the sacred writings, lay only the
great ocean.

If only her mother’s message did not hint at
other, far more complicated and all too unpleasant things.

“Are you sure? I see nothing there.” And yet
Sacmis obeyed, veering toward the steep coast. The cliffs towered
over them, sparkling wet with crags and projections. Seagulls
flapped off their roosting places, and a sea eagle rose a dark
shadow outlined on the light blue of the sky. Waves crashed against
the rock formations, carving them into sharp pinnacles and round
wheels. Shoals of silver fish jumped out of the water and dove back
in like sprays of bullets.

No movement. Hera surreptitiously rubbed her
eyes, wondering if she had imagined it, but had to admit that
nothing suspect appeared to be there. She really was out of sorts.
“Turn around. Head north again.”

Sacmis chewed on her lower lip in what looked
like an attempt not to laugh. “Sure. Well, at least you’ll write in
your report that I obeyed without a single question, will you
not?”

Sacmis’ record of obedience was not the best
and they both knew it. It was this defiance that had first endeared
her to Hera. Not many Gultur seemed inclined to oppose authority in
any way.

“We shall see.” Hera grinned as they headed
again north, the exhilaration of her first patrol finally catching
up with her. Dakron exhaust fumes filled her nostrils as the
wavebreaker accelerated, passing outside the dark expanses
interspersed with lights that were the towns of Priene, Thuri and
Elatia. Breath catching in her throat, Hera watched the coast
markers until they passed the beacon of Gortyn, her mother’s words
forgotten for a moment.

In all their training patrols, they had never
gone that far north. This coastline stretch was completely new to
her. They sped by enormous pillars jutting out of the deep sea like
towers. In the distance to her far right, something glinted and
moved.

“A whale!” Sacmis whooped. “We have to report
it to the HQ. Red meat!”

The gray-black whale, a humpback, large as a
Gultur fishing vessel, blew a jet of water, then dove underwater,
her tail giving them a final wave before it sank. Hera’s mind
stalled for a moment, the open sea, the whale’s tail, the jutting
pillars and the silhouette of the island of Kukno blanketed in a
fine haze filling her eyes and thoughts.

Freedom
. She had never felt so free
before. As if she could speed away into the blue and disappear
forever, never again returning to the Bone Tower or the
headquarters in Dakru City. As if she could avoid facing her
growing sense of unease and distrust – of the system, of her race,
of the accepted truth.

As if.
She shook her head, exasperated
with herself.
What has gotten into you now?

To their left, the coast sank lower, the
cliffs replaced by deep coves where brackish water spilled from the
central stream that crossed Dakru City to the marshes and
eventually out into the sea.

“Steer farther to the right,” Hera commanded.
The area was brimming with fish, thanks to the nutrients spilling
into the water, and great nets were stretched all along the marsh
front. They could not get too close, or else they might snag the
boat.

Sacmis did as told, raising an eyebrow as if
to say she knew this already, but Hera ignored her and turned her
gaze back to the coast, scanning it. Illegal fishermen normally
avoided this area because, in spite of the amount of fish, it was
routinely patrolled. But you never knew to what lengths mortals
might go for a taste of free fish or to sell their catch on the
black market. Her fingers caressed the handle of her longgun,
peeking out of its holster at her hip.

The coast looked clear. Gultur fisheries
officers in their yellow uniforms were checking the nets in small
dinghies. They waved at them. Hera raised her hand in salute.

That was it. Her first official patrol. Her
chest swelled with pride. She glanced aside with a ridiculously
wide grin to see Sacmis, hands on the wheel, looking as serious as
was humanly possible.

It was only funny if you knew Sacmis and
could imagine what must be going through her head. Hera sighed and
rolled her eyes.

As they passed the marshy coast, new cliffs
rose from the waves. More pinnacles broke the surface of the sea,
some taller, some shorter, some pointy and some flat at the top.
They gleamed like metal. Birds roosted on their summits.

‘
The islands are not what they seem,’
had read her mother’s words in a neat, small handwriting.
‘Projections rise around them, shooting out of the
sea...’

“Hera, dolphins!” Sacmis slowed the
wavebreaker and laughed out loud. “Look!”

At least a dozen of the sleek, dark gray
creatures somersaulted in the air before plunging back into the
sea.

“I’m diving in with them.” Sacmis unbuckled
her belt and threw it aside before Hera had even registered her
words.

“What? Sacmis!”

But the headstrong girl never listened to
her. Hera grabbed Sacmis’ arm and tugged. “No way. Stop.”

Sacmis scowled. “You’re no fun. Hey, wait a
moment...” She shook her arm free of Hera’s hold and leaned over,
shading her eyes with her hand. “Is that a boat?”

“Where?” Hera pushed Sacmis back to see.
Something black rocked with the waves under the shadow of the
cliff. Her throat closed with excitement and nervousness. Her first
patrol and she would stop an illegal fisherman. That would be
glorious.

Swallowing hard, she drew her longgun.
“Drive.”

“Will you kill the bastard, Hera?” Sacmis’
voice trembled with eagerness and Hera glanced at her to find her
smiling.

Hera swallowed hard.

“Only if he resists.” But her heart leaped in
her chest, trying to break free, as words ingrained into her memory
echoed in her ears.
‘Like killing a rabid dog
,
’
her
trainer had intoned as she had pointed her gun at the target.
‘Like cleaning up the world a little from contagious filth
.
Mortals have no compassion, no higher emotions, no conscience –
only rage and madness.
Do not hesitate. Pull the
trigger.’

Her forefinger touched the trigger.

‘
Mortals are subhuman,’
she thought
she heard Commander Nekut’s voice explain, her tone clinical and
detached.
‘Their race has not followed our evolution. Sooner or
later, they shall die out, as is their destiny. We obey
destiny,
hatha
.’

Hera took a deep breath and drew her finger
back from the trigger. The Gultur had been changed by Regina, a
powerful parasite that had created a race of women only. Stronger,
able to see in the dark and hear the faintest sounds, able to
reproduce on their own. Cruel and bloodthirsty, thriving on
death.

A race to inherit the world.

As they approached, the small boat came into
focus. It was made of broken up
nepheline
parts and old
streetcar wheels. A man and a child crouched on its surface. They
remained still as the wavebreaker neared them, their faces looming
white with fear even from the distance.

Hera gathered her courage. “You are hereby
accused of illegal fishing. The sea belongs to the Gultur.” When
they did not move, she clicked the safety off her gun. “Jump!” she
shouted at them. That was the standard punishment for being caught
offshore, their only chance to live, and suddenly she realized that
she hoped they’d take it. “Jump now, damn you!”

The man and the child did not seem to hear
her, huddled together, just staring back. Hera cursed under her
breath. The child let out a high wail, like an angry cat. Hera’s
hand on the longgun trembled. She had never shot anyone before, any
living person, let alone a child. Could she do it?

“Hera.” Sacmis hissed. “They have not obeyed.
Shoot them.”

Hera licked her dry lips. “Kill the engine.”
Sacmis shrugged and the boat powered down, rocking with the waves.
Hera stood and aimed her gun. “Jump off your boat now,” she called
out, “or I’ll shoot you.”

“Don’t shoot!” The man’s voice carried on the
salty breeze, weaving with the voice of the wind like a thin
ribbon. “Please, don’t shoot.”

“Jump!”

“I can’t swim. Neither can he.” The man
pointed at the child. “Please, we need fish to eat and to buy
medicine. Please.”

“Shoot them, Hera.” Sacmis nudged her thigh.
“They all say that. Come on.”

“I am not sure—”

“Well, I am.” Sacmis’ gray eyes were hard.
“They’d not hesitate for a second to kill you, and you know it,
Hera. Remember all the atrocities they committed against us during
the War, and even before that. You saw the footage, the photos; you
know they have no compassion.”

True, she’d seen the footage and the photos
of the mortals’ crimes, and yet Hera could not do it.
They did
not start the War...
“No.”

Sacmis scowled, then got up and reached for
the gun. “Listen, give me that. I’ll shoot them for you.”

“Sacmis, no.”

Her friend rolled her eyes and grabbed the
barrel of the longgun. “You’re a
hatha
but you are not above
the law. Why should you give the orders when you—”

Hera shoved her with the handle, and for a
moment all she could see were Sacmis’ widening eyes as the other
Gultur stumbled backward.

Then Sacmis fell overboard without a sound,
arms flailing. Gasping, Hera reached out to catch her, but it was
too late. Sacmis dropped into the heaving sea.

Hera leaned over the side, all air leaving
her lungs, her heart booming. “Sacmis!”

Sacmis surfaced a few meters from the boat,
coughing. A dolphin approached her, nudged her with its snout and
she yelped. A wave lifted her and then another, taking her farther
away from the wavebreaker.

“Dammit,” Hera said with feeling. “Dammit to
the five hells.”

“She’ll die!” The man’s shout brought Hera’s
gaze back to them. “Get her back up on the boat. I’m telling you,
she’ll die!”

“What are you talking about?” Hera took aim
again, annoyed at her own indecision, at having her command
disobeyed and at losing control.
Screw her
. Sacmis could
swim, so she’d have to wait to be rescued. “She is just fine.”

“No, she isn’t. The waves are carrying her to
the black pillar. It’s too damn dangerous. Bring her back.”

Sacmis was right; the man would do anything
to distract her. Hera growled softly. If he had a gun, she’d be
dead by now, and it was about time she made up her mind and
followed through with her training.

She caressed the trigger. “You have to the
count of three to jump,” she shouted. “One, two—”

“Don’t shoot my boy!” The man raised his
hands and stepped back, all blood draining from his face. “I’ll
jump. Just don’t shoot him.” And he fell back into the sea, sucked
into the waves. The child wailed again, crouched on the raft, a
hand reaching out to his father. Hera could not swallow past a lump
in her throat. She had to shoot this child. That was the law.

Why could she not do it?

Why did the law not offer another option but
insisted on death?

“Hera!” Sacmis’ voice sounded faint.

Hera whirled about, rocking the boat and
lowering her gun. She grabbed the backrest of her seat not to
topple over. “What?”

“There is something here!” Sacmis called.

“Come back!” Hera drew in another breath to
shout, and saw Sacmis swimming toward the black pillar. The
dolphins had scattered. “Dammit, come back. Sacmis!”

Fear mingled with guilt. If anything happened
to Sacmis, it would have been Hera’s fault – for hesitating, for
not pulling the trigger, not shooting when she ought to.

The man gave a hoarse cry, distracting her.
His dark head rose and fell amid the cresting waves. He was
drowning, Hera knew, sinking into the cold sea, and his child cried
like a dying animal, his thin voice a death lament.

Hera’s heart tried to pound its way out of
her chest.
Sobek! Why does this have to happen to me?

Then again, did this not happen to many
Gultur who patrolled the coast? Finding illegals and dealing with
them, facing unexpected situations?

Pull yourself together
. The real
question was why she was so reluctant to enforce the law and kill
as she had vowed to do every single day since she’d started her
training.

The man gave another hoarse cry, more faint
this time, and she swore softly under her breath.

“Hold on!” Gritting her teeth, she clicked
the safety back on, laid the gun across her seat and jumped into
the sea.

The cold hit her like a punch, but it helped
clear her head. She twisted in the murky water, and dark strands
from her loosened braid floated before her eyes like tentacles from
some monstrous creature. She surfaced with a sputter, hair
streaming over her face. Locating the man, she dived under the
waves and swam toward him, reaching him just as he went under
again.