damaged.’
‘What is a regenerator?’
‘We can do and make many things your civilisations have not yet dreamed about.’
‘What sort of thing?’
‘Well, the vessel that carried us is able to project a hospitable environment around itself for a large distance.’
‘Hospitable to you, you mean?’
‘Yes. We need the darkness. It’s what we’ve come from.’
‘You mean your vessel caused the darkness around the island and the sea to rise. You broke apart a land once called Lapith.’
He stared out of the carriage window to the peaked spires of majestic Illi. ‘The sea suffered some displacement from our vessel’s mass, yes. Mainly, though, this area is volcanic and the crash exerted pressure on a fracture in the seabed. Some of what you called Lapith sank and Ixion was born.’
Naif did not exactly understand him. She knew nothing of seabeds and displacement and only a little about the nature of volcanoes, but her common sense told her this could be true.
‘So you are the ones who brought the darkness here and the changes to the sea? You made the Golden Spiral?’
‘Yes.’
‘Was your craft damaged beyond repair?’
‘Do you think we would not have left, little bat, if it was not? Your world is not what we wanted.’
‘Where does the vessel lie?’
Lenoir turned his gaze back to her. ‘You have many questions and yet you have not answered mine.’
‘These are my last and then you shall have what you need.’
‘Merpati is lost to us in the sea. All we know is that she is still there. While the darkness remains she has not deserted us.’
Merpati . The name Liam had overheard. No wonder they had wanted rid of him. She gave Lenoir a questioning look.
‘After the crash, we found our way to land. When the worst of the disruption had settled, we searched in all directions for her but the waters to the south-east of the island were too rough. Even the pirates would not sail there,’ said Lenoir.
‘What about the uthers then? Where is their place?’
‘They have a dam at the bottom tip of the crater. Not far from where the barge comes in.’
Naif pictured the map in her mind. The uthers’ dam must be north-west of the atoll. ‘But the waters where the barge lands are calm.’
‘It’s true,’ he said. ‘The passage we use to bring you in is sheltered by sand banks. Beyond that, though, the sea is wild and wilful.’
Naif felt a tingle of connection. ‘What if Brand has located your vessel and hidden the uther queen inside?’
Lenoir leaned forward. ‘Explain yourself.’
‘We found maps of the island made after your crash – as the darkness began to encroach. Ixion was much larger, a place called Lapith, as I said – but you caused parts to become submerged. There is one spot left that is above the sea but no longer joined; a tiny atoll beyond a reef. Perhaps that is not a sprig of land but your Merpati.’
‘Why do you think that?’
‘I’ve learned that Brand would come to Vank in secret and read these books. There were signs she’d been looking at a particular map of Ixion, showing an atoll that was not there before you came. We compared it to earlier maps.’
Lenoir’s jaw took on a grim set. ‘We should go to the uthers’ dam first. Ask one of them to accompany us to this atoll. If we find the uther queen we may need them to convince her we mean no harm.’
Naif looked at him solemnly. ‘Do you, Lenoir?’
‘I do not.’ He took Naif’s hand gently and brought it to his mouth. The lips he pressed to her skin spoke of something much greater than passion. ‘Our ways need to change, Naif, if we are to survive.’ He hesitated then, as if wishing to say more. Then he stiffened.
‘What is it?’ she whispered.
He slid down to his knees on the floor of the carriage. ‘Should I not be able to . . . should something prevent me . . . there are words I would say now.’
She waited, suddenly on edge. Something was wrong. Something had changed.
He licked her
‘What is a regenerator?’
‘We can do and make many things your civilisations have not yet dreamed about.’
‘What sort of thing?’
‘Well, the vessel that carried us is able to project a hospitable environment around itself for a large distance.’
‘Hospitable to you, you mean?’
‘Yes. We need the darkness. It’s what we’ve come from.’
‘You mean your vessel caused the darkness around the island and the sea to rise. You broke apart a land once called Lapith.’
He stared out of the carriage window to the peaked spires of majestic Illi. ‘The sea suffered some displacement from our vessel’s mass, yes. Mainly, though, this area is volcanic and the crash exerted pressure on a fracture in the seabed. Some of what you called Lapith sank and Ixion was born.’
Naif did not exactly understand him. She knew nothing of seabeds and displacement and only a little about the nature of volcanoes, but her common sense told her this could be true.
‘So you are the ones who brought the darkness here and the changes to the sea? You made the Golden Spiral?’
‘Yes.’
‘Was your craft damaged beyond repair?’
‘Do you think we would not have left, little bat, if it was not? Your world is not what we wanted.’
‘Where does the vessel lie?’
Lenoir turned his gaze back to her. ‘You have many questions and yet you have not answered mine.’
‘These are my last and then you shall have what you need.’
‘Merpati is lost to us in the sea. All we know is that she is still there. While the darkness remains she has not deserted us.’
Merpati . The name Liam had overheard. No wonder they had wanted rid of him. She gave Lenoir a questioning look.
‘After the crash, we found our way to land. When the worst of the disruption had settled, we searched in all directions for her but the waters to the south-east of the island were too rough. Even the pirates would not sail there,’ said Lenoir.
‘What about the uthers then? Where is their place?’
‘They have a dam at the bottom tip of the crater. Not far from where the barge comes in.’
Naif pictured the map in her mind. The uthers’ dam must be north-west of the atoll. ‘But the waters where the barge lands are calm.’
‘It’s true,’ he said. ‘The passage we use to bring you in is sheltered by sand banks. Beyond that, though, the sea is wild and wilful.’
Naif felt a tingle of connection. ‘What if Brand has located your vessel and hidden the uther queen inside?’
Lenoir leaned forward. ‘Explain yourself.’
‘We found maps of the island made after your crash – as the darkness began to encroach. Ixion was much larger, a place called Lapith, as I said – but you caused parts to become submerged. There is one spot left that is above the sea but no longer joined; a tiny atoll beyond a reef. Perhaps that is not a sprig of land but your Merpati.’
‘Why do you think that?’
‘I’ve learned that Brand would come to Vank in secret and read these books. There were signs she’d been looking at a particular map of Ixion, showing an atoll that was not there before you came. We compared it to earlier maps.’
Lenoir’s jaw took on a grim set. ‘We should go to the uthers’ dam first. Ask one of them to accompany us to this atoll. If we find the uther queen we may need them to convince her we mean no harm.’
Naif looked at him solemnly. ‘Do you, Lenoir?’
‘I do not.’ He took Naif’s hand gently and brought it to his mouth. The lips he pressed to her skin spoke of something much greater than passion. ‘Our ways need to change, Naif, if we are to survive.’ He hesitated then, as if wishing to say more. Then he stiffened.
‘What is it?’ she whispered.
He slid down to his knees on the floor of the carriage. ‘Should I not be able to . . . should something prevent me . . . there are words I would say now.’
She waited, suddenly on edge. Something was wrong. Something had changed.
He licked her
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