Arabesque: A Wings Companion

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"We can't do anything if we can't find them," Tamani said to Lenore after Rowen left for Scazio the next morning. He unrolled the bathymetric chart that the cashier at the boating shop had assured him would be extremely helpful for his "upcoming deep-sea scuba trip," but he wasn't nearly so optimistic about its usefulness.

Lenore leaned over the parchment, squinting at the densely-packed, multicolored lines. "Does this mean something to you?"

"Sadly, no. But I was hoping between the two of us we could figure it out."

"Well," Lenore said, peering at the right bottom corner. "Judging by the writing over here, it's upside-down."

Tamani blew out a noisy breath and roughly spun the map until the key was legible. "Of course it is. I've studied human culture for decades—lived among them for almost fifteen years. Why do I still feel so ignorant?"

"Because you can't read an obviously complex map?" Lenore waved an arm obliquely at the empty air surrounding the balcony. "I bet almost no one out there could do it, either."

Tamani grinned. It was funny, and not a little sad, how much talking to Lenore felt like chatting with Shar. He cleared his throat. "I was hoping to mark off the places we've been and check for any obvious places to look next."

"Is it easier to read the map here than it would be on the boat? I don't understand why we're not heading out there right now."

Tamani sighed. "We've kept Shawn out of school for week already. If I felt like we were making progress, maybe ... but no. We can try again over the weekend."

"But we told his ... teacher, or whoever—"

"Yes, but we can't let him get behind. He actually needs his education to succeed in his future."

"Truly?" Lenore asked.

"It's different here."

"Clearly." She shrugged. "We could use someone else."

"We could, but that has its own drawbacks. Plus, I only have a few bottles of the salt potion left. I've got to make a trip up to Orick—to Avalon, really—to get more." He leaned over the map again. "I'm just not sure it's worth it. I knew it was a bit of a long shot, but I'm starting to get the idea that calling it a long shot was wildly optimistic."

"Surely it's just a matter of time."

"Time is something I'm not sure we have."

"I mean—before they attack."

"That's what we're trying to prevent," Tamani said, unsure what Lenore was getting at.

She peered at him steadily. "Wouldn't them attacking be of benefit? Then we'd know exactly where they were."

Tamani shook his head. "Their methods have been evolving—escalating. I'd like to stop them before they can escalate things further. Besides, if we're not already nearby when it happens, we might not be able to get there in time to be useful. We'd need to ... I don't know, take a helicopter right from the top of this building." He paused. "Though I guess that's within the realm of possibility."

"So it's in everyone's best interest to go on the offensive before they can strike again."

"Ideally, yes. But we can't do anything until we locate them, and they're hiding in a substance that covers seventy percent of the earth, that neither of us can even enter." He flopped down on the chaise. "Forget a seedpod in a stack of acorns, it's like finding a grain of salt on a sandy beach, in the dark."