She said, “The malghaste said . . . they had a tapu against killing anything, any form of life. I thought the lichen couldn’t be destroyed . . .”
“But the lichen is not a species! It is only an evil alliance. It is an alga that lives in the sea, a fungus that grows in the mountains, it is only on the desert of Mahahm that they grow together. Only there.”
“Awhero said there’s a great store of the stuff in a buried house outside Mahahm-qum,” she murmured, feeling a momentary panic.
“Where you will go now, for we have brought you to that place.” She turned in the water, staring upward to the shattered glimmer of the surface, seeing it darken in a long, heavy line which moved slowly across the light.
“Observe,” said the voice in her mind. “The power of the sea. That power will come when you call it. It will go where you will it. You have seen the evil. You will summon the remedy. You will explain the result.”
At Terceth’s order, the Frangian vessel had sailed back and forth along the western shore near the standing stone, looking for Genevieve. After two days, Terceth had lost patience and had had everyone, including the Frangians and their ship, moved north from the standing stone to the vicinity of Mahahm-qum, where the Aresians had their camp. The camp had grown larger, for all the Aresians on Haven had assembled there within the past few days. The great battleships had landed on the sand and stood there now, those of the warlords, those of the brothers Ygdale-son, and that of the Chieftain as well. Some of the officers had billeted themselves in houses inside the wall, from which the Mahahmbi had been evicted, and the rest were bivouacked in tents outside the city walls.
Dunnel and two of his Trackers had remained on the Frangian ship, which was anchored just offshore, and it was they who first saw Genevieve as she leapt straight up from the water, an arrow silvered with the sea, carrying the child in the curl of her arm. She landed lightly on the deck, on her feet, to the open-mouthed amazement of the crew.
When the two Trackers shook off their stupefication and started for her, a tentacle came across the railing, dragged them overboard and left them thrashing in the water alongside.
“Pull them out,” Genevieve said cheerfully to Dunnel. “And don’t let any others of your men make the same mistake. I have come with a message for the warriors from Ares. If you interfere, the sea creatures will make a breakfast of you.”
“We bow before the Whatever,” cried the Captain, falling to his knees. “Nothing shall interfere with the Whatever.”
Dunnel pulled his thoroughly frightened men aboard and made no further attempt on Genevieve. Since the episode at the standing stone, he and Terceth had discovered they shared the same doubts. Both of their were now convinced it was a mistake for Ares to have invaded Haven. Genevieve seemingly read his mind.
“Dunnel. That’s your name, isn’t it?”
He nodded.
“Where is Terceth Ygdaleson? And the others of his family?”
He pointed to the cluster of tents around the ships. “The tallest ones, he said uncomfortably. “With the most banners.”
“And the Prince and the Marshal?”
“There. With them.”
She smiled at him and at the ship’s captain. “Dunnel, if you are fond of these men of yours, and you, Captain, if your crew is fond of life stay here.”
“Where, lady?” murmured Dunnel.
Here, on this ship. How long would it take you to sail to the east side of that nearest island?” She pointed north to the first island of the Stone Trail. She had seen it from the air, a rocky peak with a curved deepwater bay on its eastern side.
“Not long, lady. An hour or so.”
“Remember that, and wait here for word from me.”
They put out a little boat to take her to shore, and as they neared the pebbly beach, old Awhero came wading hip-deep into the sea. She reached for the child with a cooing noise and an armful of dry clothing.