comes, swimming off into oblivion in your mother’s arms.
Chapter Eight
Poison and Alliance
Carragheen’s Pool
The pinpricks of light hurt my eyes and I resisted opening them.
Death should be more peaceful than this.
But they persisted, and cool hands followed, trying to pry open my eyelids. I batted futilely at the disturbance, but my hands moved only inches.
Ran help me, I wasn’t dead, but I was even sicker than last time. And very, very confused. Where was I, and how did I get from there, the place I’d died, to here?
A familiar, sweet-as-honey voice laughed at my efforts but even through the laughter I could hear the sadness. “Ransha, you are back with us.” And then, sensing my futile efforts to speak, the voice switched to telepathy. It’s me, Lecanora. You are safe. At Carragheen’s Pool.
I’d forgotten that the Princess had been trained in herbs and healing.
She lay cool fingers on my aching eyes and over my screaming ears. I remembered my manners. Thank you.
That very un-Princess like snort again. It’s your own mother you should thank. I told you not to follow him.
I tried to open my eyes, but Lecanora stopped me with her cool hands. Don’t, Ransha. You are very sick. Wait a while. Don’t talk, try not to move.
Then I heard Mom’s voice, close. Rania, I’m here. Lecanora came for me, but I was already coming to find you.
My brain blinked and buzzed. How did you know where to look for me?
Mom patted my hair. I could find you anywhere.
My stomach fluttered and the question was out before I could fathom why concern about his wellbeing was so high up on the list of things torturing my injured mind. Carragheen?
Mom patted me again, even more softly this time. No-one knows, he disappeared.
Just like a man, I thought privately. A lying, cheating man.
Where was he going to when that thing struck me?
Was he responsible, for me, for this?
My heart rapped an angry drumbeat against my chest while my mind stuggled to make sense of it all. But if he wasn’t responsible, then he was probably dead, and if he was dead, it was definitely my fault. He might have been a louse, but he didn’t deserve to die because I got him caught up in this. I still wasn’t sure if this was just a dream. How did you save me, Mama?
She squeezed my hand. I sang to you. I arrived just as you were going down, it can’t have been more than a few seconds that it had you in its grasp. I was so scared. I’m sure if it had been any longer…
Get outta here. You sang to me? Now let’s get this straight. There’s this thing, right? And it’s so freaky and surreal that it knocks me down with its first squeak, some secret sonar weapon thingy. And you just sing to me, and it all goes away?
She laughed, and then I knew it for sure. I really was still alive. Well, it wasn’t quite that easy. It was a special song, a concentration of all my love and hope for you, with a dash of fear and anger thrown in. I don’t even know why I did it. The singing, I mean. It just welled out of me. I’m not sure I could do it again, honestly. But I saw you hurting, and it just came out of me. It seemed to protect me, from the sound. From the other song. And it let me get to you, help you.
My brain ached as it tried to connect. So that’s it? All we do is sing to fight this thing?
I don’t think so. I could feel the fear and uncertainty from Lecanora.
Mom agreed. No. Lecanora is right. I couldn’t have held it off long. I could feel its strength building. Growing. My song would not have been enough. It was just enough to stop it from affecting me for a little while, and to get you away.
Wow, this was some head trip. Go figure, Mom to the rescue. So what now?
Mom was in command of this little shebang. You rest.
Here?
She tutted gently. Yes, here. It was the closest safe place we could get you to.
Close, yeah. But safe? This could be the lion’s den. Or maybe the wolf’s den.
And I remembered. I had gone down near the cave thing. But what about what I had felt before that, skimming over the city? There was something here. Something was wrong here.