The Lord of the Plains (54 page)

What did her voice sound like?

‘I have a list of submariners here. This
will go much slower if I have to call out names.’

‘We’re just waiting for you to shut up.’ A
submariner stepped forward, it was Vann’s captain. He looked
annoyed. ‘Do you have a name, gemeng?’

She looked at Garis Endis. Vann held his
breath. He needed to know this.

‘Riley.’ she said after a pause.

Her voice was curiously normal compared to
the rest of her.

A swarm of butterflies had just taken flight
inside of Vann.

Riley.

Garis’ eyes were back on Captain Turis.
‘Riley’s a part of your squad, isn’t she? You should treat her with
more respect.’

How could Garis speak when she was near?

Captain Turis gazed back at Garis. ‘All of
my subordinates are treated with respect, not that you would know
what that means.’

‘Hmph.’ Garis’ mouth curved up in a grim,
sarcastic smile. His eyes were hard with dislike. ‘Alright, Riley,
I have one request before you begin beating the shit out of
me.’

Surprised, she asked, ‘what is it?’

‘Just stay away from my face.’

There was some laughter from the
submariners. Some called out good naturedly, ‘oh, she’d improve it,
Captain!’, and, ‘can’t get any worse!’

Captain Turis’ eyes roved over the laughing
submariners. His face was blank.

Riley didn’t say a word. She just glided
over to Garis. In a swift sweep of her leg she knocked his legs
from under him. At the same time she grabbed him, controlling his
fall so he didn’t slam into the bricks.

Once he was on the ground Garis began
counting loudly. ‘One… two… three!’ He jumped up spritely.
‘pleasure fighting you, Riley.’ he shook her hand.

She looked stunned.

Vann suddenly wanted to fight her, for the
chance to shake her hand afterwards.

Would it feel human?

He didn’t know what would affect him more,
if it was a human hand or a hand as strange as it looked.

‘Ok, boys, let’s move this along!’ He called
as he disappeared into the throng of submariners. ‘We’ve all got
better things to be doing!’

The fights went quickly. Vann was riveted by
her, but a part of him also managed to be concerned for his fellow
submariners. That concern faded as he realised she wasn’t hurting
them. And that only made him want to get closer. She wasn’t
dangerous. She
looked
so unsettling,
inhuman
, but she
didn’t hurt them. Could something human live inside her? The more
he saw the more he wanted to know. Needed to know.

There was no other way he wanted to spend
his morning than watching her move. She was dizzyingly graceful. It
was like he’d never seen anything move before. He didn’t mind if
she did this all day.

How was it that no one else was gazing at
her like he was?

Then a submariner stepped forward with a
lightning rod.

Riley glanced at it. From the look on her
face she didn’t know what it was.

Vann felt uneasy. He had an urge to warn
her, but that was a submariner up there. He’d be using the low
settings. And could she be hurt, anyway?

Riley approached this submariner carefully.
She kept her eye on the dusky gold rod.

The submariner waited. He didn’t do anything
except watch.

Then suddenly Riley was moving quickly. She
was keeping out of reach of the rod though as she moved in to
finish the fight.

The submariner squeezed the handle.

Crackling white light tore across the open
space.

It collided with her.

Shock crossed her face. She stood
frozen.

Vann stared. Something chaotic and confused
was twisting painfully inside him. She felt it. She felt the
lightning rod. He needed to yell, stop it. However she looked, she
could
feel
.

The
implications
.

Before he could demand the submariner turn
the lightning rod off Riley moved. In two steps she was at the
submariner. She knocked his wrist so hard he dropped the rod. The
light disappeared.

She glared at him, her brows drawn down in
anger, her green eyes fierce. But in the same way as all the rest,
she beat him without hurting him.

When he was gone Riley shook her head, as if
shaking off water.

As if nothing had happened, Captain Turis
called for the next person to come forward.

And on and on. Until it was done.

‘Be out here tomorrow, same time. We do this
every day, until you learn. You are a disgrace to Coastside.’
Captain Turis announced.

‘Wait.’ Vann snapped. He stepped forward,
desire to touch her and anger at Captain Turis mingling in him.

‘Do you have something to say, submariner?’
Captain Turis demanded.

‘No, she just hasn’t beaten me up yet.’

Riley was looking at him. He felt her eyes
like two coals. He couldn’t look. If he looked he wouldn’t be able
to talk. Standing near her, stringing a sentence together
near
her.
That was enough.

‘You have a broken arm.’ Captain Turis said,
as if this was a joke he was tired of. ‘Injured submariners are
excused.’

‘Why does that matter? It’s not any more
ridiculous than anything else you have us doing.’

‘I’ll fight him.’ a voice piped up.

It was her.

His heart skipped a beat. His stomach was
doing acrobatics. What would she
feel
like?

‘He won’t be any easier than the
others.’

Captain Turis turned his gaze to the woman
standing beside him.

Slowly, for it was so hard, Vann turned to
look too.

Those green eyes were looking at him. All
thought fled from him.
Green…

‘No. Clearly he’s trying to make us look
like fools.’

‘Oh, you’re doing that fine yourselves.’
Vann snapped, his eyes yanked from Riley. He needed to look at
those eyes longer. ‘We know gemengs, Captain. We see them every day
in the subs and on patrols. This fighting doesn’t prove anything.
We already fight them. I broke my arm fighting them and lost seven
crew members. Fearing them doesn’t mean letting that the fear rule
you,
Captain
.’

The Captain’s face twitched. ‘And yet,’ he
said after a silence, ‘you behave in such depraved ways. Wasteful
behaviour that plays right into their hands. If you really
understood them you would not behave as you do. Drinking, wasting
resources, pointless copulation-’

Vann’s eyes widened in surprise. Then he
laughed.

There was nothing to do but laugh.

‘Get on a sub, captain. Maybe then you’ll
open your eyes.’

There was nothing else to say. So he turned
and walked away. All the time he was painfully aware of her
presence.

Vann spent the next few hours by the side
beach.

Zap Zap visited him here nearly every day.
After Vann had found out about the fish people bringing dead bodies
ashore he had asked Zap Zap if his people were bothered by dead
humans in the ocean.

Zap Zap had said they hadn’t really stopped
to check if they were alive, they had just tried to get everyone.
Perhaps the humans could fix them. They didn’t know. So they’d
collected everyone.

Vann had conveyed thanks on behalf of all of
Coastside.

Zap Zap had beamed and smiled, his tail
splashing. He’d thanked them in turn for killing Molk.

The ocean sparkled in the sun, and as he
looked out over the blue green water his thoughts drifted.

He wondered briefly about his mother. She
had gotten on a sub soon after he was born, after his father was
already gone. What had possessed her to do that? Leave her baby son
alone, with the other parent already dead?

This was a familiar thought. Today he moved
on quicker than usual. Those thoughts would not help his mood.

When Zap Zap appeared Vann considered asking
him what gemeng girls liked. But, his face turning red, he decided
against it. She wasn’t a fish person. He could try what usually
worked first.

What usually worked? How would his usual
approach work on someone like
that?

He stopped that train of thought. Stopped it
and stood up.

He couldn’t sit here thinking about her. It
was painful. He had to go talk to her.

He said his goodbyes to Zap Zap and headed
back to the blocks to find her.

He wandered around the block for half an
hour with no luck. Eventually he asked one of the dining hall
staff.

‘Eats in her room.’ the man shrugged. ‘Had a
little trouble with the boys here.’ and he grinned.

‘What sort of trouble?’ he demanded, his ire
rising. Who had given her trouble?!
How
could anything give
her trouble?

‘Ooh, all the boys were inviting her out to
dinner.’

‘Oh.’ Yes, Gavi had mentioned that. She’d
said no. To all of them. He felt a touch of unease. He stood frozen
for an instant. To her, we must all seem the same, came unbidden to
his mind. He killed that thought. He was a submariner. He would go
talk to her.

‘She might be in her room. The Astarians are
staying in the guest quarters.’

‘Thanks.’ Vann replied.

He had to stop himself from running all the
way there.

There weren’t that many rooms in the guest
quarters. As far as he knew, the Astarians were the only ones
staying there at the moment. He knocked on two doors before one
finally opened.

‘Hello.’ Riley said glaring at him
suspiciously. She only opened the door halfway.

She was so close. Vann couldn’t look away,
his eyes travelling over her features. An explosion had just gone
off in his head and blown all thought into next week.

Her eyes narrowed and her glare got even
darker as he stood there not saying anything.

‘Riley.’ he managed. Later, he might berate
himself for not saying anything better, but that required more
thoughts than he had at the moment.

‘Yes?’

‘A-are you ok?’ he finally managed.

Her frown became more confused than
suspicious. ‘Am I ok?’

‘The lightning rod. I know they hurt.’

‘Yes. Is that what it’s called?’ she seemed
almost curious.

That was enough to send his senses reeling.
She could be curious.
Her.

And he latched onto that. ‘Yes. Here.’ he
pulled his lightning rod from his belt and held it out. Then
remembering where he’d been he quickly retracted it and began
changing the settings.

Riley watched him.

‘Sorry,’ he said, feeling like a bumbling
idiot. ‘I was on the side beach. It was set to maximum. Ok,
here.’

‘Hmm,’ she picked it up carefully and held
it up. Her eyes were on it, not him. ‘How does it work?’

‘By squeezing or hitting something with
it.’

‘Are they very effective?’ she turned it
round, examining it closely.

He shrugged. ‘Depends against what. They
work against leapers.’

‘Leapers?’ her eyes were on him. They were
bright.

Tingling warmth was spreading through him.
Please let me know you
.

‘You can see them around the side beach
sometimes. They leap out of the water and attack you. You should
stay away from there.’ he added. His first impression that she
couldn’t possibly be harmed had been proven wrong by the lightning
rod.

‘What do they look like?’

‘Not much bigger than a human, big legs
though. Skinny. Slimy. Claws. There are pictures in the Blocks’
library and up at records. I could show you…’ he trailed off as
dark suspicion filled her eyes.

‘I could give you directions?’ he tried
again. That warmth was disappearing.

The suspicion lightened, but didn’t
disappear entirely. ‘No, thank you.’ she handed his lightning rod
back. ‘I’ll find it myself.’

‘Without directions?’ he asked,
bewildered.

‘I’ll find it.’ she repeated, glaring at him
before she began closing the door.