“Oh no,” he groaned. “It’s her. Lecanora’s the second one. This is what I saw. Exactly as I saw it. I had it the wrong way around. Imogen was the first. Lecanora is the second.”
I saw the truth of what he was saying.
But while I felt our minds straining and pawing at the edges of the vision, neither of us could pull back the veil sufficiently to see where they were being kept.
And then it was gone.
It took us a few minutes to center ourselves back in the moment once the feeling dissipated. Once we did, we were both as one mind.
“I have to go back,” I said. And Carragheen nodded.
“Yes,” he agreed. “To the cave. I don’t know if that’s where they are being kept. Imogen, and now Lecanora. But it’s really the only lead we’ve got.”
“No,” I said. “You’re not coming.”
He looked dark and closed as he whispered into my mind. Oh yes I am.
I was blunt. “No. Because I’m grateful for what you just did—”
More than that. Impressed as hell. Blown away. Suddenly not alone.
“But I don’t trust you. And I don’t want you there.”
I watched him watching me. Then I felt him, inside my mind, feeling around.
You’re lying, he said. On both counts.
As he stood to push off, I knew he was right. But I wasn’t going to tell him so.
He shot me one last look, then Mom was suddenly with us. How is it mothers always have a spidey sense for when you’re going to do something they’d rather you didn’t?
Do they implant you with radar at birth?
I was about to spin some line when I looked over at Mom and realized she was bringing news. “What is it? Lecanora?”
I could tell she had something she wanted to say to us. She was shifting uncomfortably in the water. Unusual for her, usually so graceful and light. I went to her, and touched her face.
“Rania, there’s something I think you both should know. About Kraken.”
I could see the torment in her eyes, and I knew she was thinking now was the moment to unburden herself about her affair with the High Priest. I wanted to meet her where she was, wherever it was, but I just couldn’t allow it. We’d taken too much time already. We needed to go. “Mom, it’s okay. Whatever happened, we’ll talk about it later.”
I saw Mom’s eyes widen as she registered that I was following her drift.
“No, you don’t understand. There are things that may be important.”
I caught Mom’s shoulders. “Unless you’re sure that they are important right now, unless you are sure that we must hear them now, I think we should go. We have delayed enough.”
Mom nodded, and touched my hair. “Later, then. Find her, Rania, but please, by the Goddess Mother, take care of yourself as you do. I couldn’t bear to lose you too.”
Before I had time to take in what Mom was saying, there was another interruption. The Gai-ga-lan again, Meegost.
“What is it, friend?” I felt my voice shake as I asked him.
“I have news of the Queen. She has decided to address the nation. In the Eye of the Goddess, and by tele-pad throughout the city. Very soon. She wants everyone there.”
“Do we know what she plans to say?” Mom frowned as she questioned him.
He shook his head. “She has not said, no.”
As he went, Mom answered the question in our minds.
“I think she will tell them about Imogen, and what was done. And about Lecanora.”
Oh jeez. I felt my heart deflate. The Aegiran equivalent of a prime time TV appeal from the family. Great. Now we’d have every fish with half a clue on the case, messing around with any real clues. “Oh no,” I groaned.
“I don’t know, Rania,” Mom sighed. “I think the Queen might be doing this to make peace. With her community and her ancestors. I think she feels a great responsibility for what has been done, like she cannot make right with her people, and get her daughter back, until she fixes this. And I think she’s right.”
Trust the old mothers to stick together. Okay, time to split, regardless of what Imd was doing. I needed to find Lecanora.
“Well, I’m not going,” I insisted.
I made ready to head for the cave. Carragheen was with me and this time I didn’t even think about protesting. Even Mom wasn’t telling me to stay. In fact, no-one was arguing with me, even though I could tell