nutritious, and she gathered more to take back to the cave and cook for dinner. She hoped the sea man had understood her, and searched for Chanter.
Chanter became aware that something tugged at him, making the coral that held him creak. The sudden, unknown stimulation made him jerk away, breaking the strange hold. A cold hand grasped his wrist again and pulled, and the coral cracked, but held. The sea, with its endless washing and surging, had wedged him far into the rocks, and coral had grown around him. He opened his eyes, but the gold blurred the images of soft blue light, dark coral and seaweed. Something flashed silver nearby, and the tugging on his arm strengthened. He pulled back in an instinctive, muddled reaction, and flashes of pain came from his torso. More confused now, he retreated from the strangeness of his senseless surroundings and relaxed.
The pulling continued, first on his arms, then his legs. For a while it stopped, allowing him to sink back into the peacefulness of unknowing, the gentle washing of the sea and the brushing of weeds against his skin.
The tugging returned with renewed vigour and strength, other hands joining the task. He opened his eyes. Blurred silver shapes surrounded him, and he reacted to the abuse with savage jerks that banged his head against the rocks and threw off his attackers. The stimulation dragged him slightly from the fog that clouded his mind, and he became aware of his coral prison crumbling. Tiny creatures scuttled for cover as their homes broke. Pain flared in his back, and the blueness around him became tinged with brown.
Buoyancy returned as he drifted partially free of the rocks that had trapped him in their cold embrace for so long. A leg held him back, and his attackers concentrated on the limb, twisting and pulling. More pain shot from his ankle, but the silver flashes persisted. They tugged and twisted, turning him over to try to free him. Swinging limply in their grasp, he stared at the blurred world that moved around as it had not done for a long time. In their efforts to free his leg, his attackers paid little attention to the rest of him, and his face hit the seabed. He closed his eyes as his collision kicked up a cloud of sand. Masses of matted blackness covered his face when he opened them again, strands of pink and brown mixed with it.
The silver flashes seemed to have a great deal of difficulty freeing his ankle, and slime engulfed the offending limb. The silver flashes gripped him with many hands and pulled mightily. Some slipped and drifted past, returning to renew their hold. The pain in his ankle made him jerk and kick. The silver flashes hung on, and the water cushioned his mindless reactions to a harmless flopping. With a burning pain, his foot slid free, and he shot from his attackers' grip to drift away on the current. The silver flashes caught up and took hold of him again, pulling him through the water.
Now that the pain and tugging had ceased, the water's soothing flow lulled him back into his deep fog. He closed his eyes to block out the blurred world that the collar denied him.
Talsy sat on the beach and tossed coral pebbles into the sea. The midday sun warmed her back and the sea wind chilled her front. She lay back and gazed at the clouds that drifted past, changing shape as they did. The wind blew over her and the sun warmed her more. Gulls wheeled and mewed high above, riding the wind on narrow wings. She envied their freedom, longing to fly like they did. The breakers' pounding died away to a soft swishing as the tide ebbed, revealing white sand sprinkled with seaweed and shells.
Sitting up, she scanned the beach with idle eyes, and a movement caught her attention. A man rose from the sea and moved towards the beach, pulling something. She wondered who he was. The object he dragged looked like another man, his head swathed in black hair and seaweed. Curious, she rose to her feet. The sun glinted on silver skin, and her heart leapt. Talsy ran along the beach, the soft sand dragging at her feet.
The sea man dragged his burden up the beach and dumped it on the sand. The matted black shape lay still as the sea man looked up and down the beach before he spotted her floundering towards him. Water dripped from his ridge nose and pointed chin. When she reached him, he stepped aside, and she stumbled past to fall to her knees beside his prize.
She cried, 'Chanter!'
Talsy hesitated, her hands hovering over the Mujar. A film of green slime covered him, and patches of barnacles crusted his hands and knees, as well as the tattered remnants of his vest and leggings. The sea's action had worn away his clothes until little remained but a few strings. With eager, trembling hands, she parted his matted hair and pushed it back from his face.
Chapter Thirteen
Chanter lay quite still, his eyes closed, seaweed-tangled hair was wrapped around his neck. Barnacles clung to his forehead and crusted his nostrils. She parted his hair to reveal the gleam of gold around his neck and turned the collar until she found the simple clasp that held it together. With trembling hands, she unclipped it and pulled it off.
Chanter's eyes opened, and he drew in a great gasp. His first reaction was violently defensive, as it had been in her father's cabin. He sat up and pushed her away. She caught herself on her hands and waited while he stared at her, recognition dawning in his eyes. Talsy blinked away her tears, her heart bursting with unspeakable joy.
'Chanter…'
Her throat closed and her eyes overflowed. His slight smile was all she needed to release her from the constraints of shyness and uncertainty. Talsy threw her arms around him, a huge lump blocking her throat. His cold skin warmed and his hands rose to stroke her hair. Clasping her shoulders, he held her away and studied her.
'Talsy.' He smiled again. 'My little clan.'
She gulped as he wiped away a tear, rubbing it between his fingers.
'You weep for me?'
She wailed, 'I thought I'd never find you!'
Chanter cocked his head just like the sea man, his eyes intent. 'And this brought you sorrow?'
Talsy nodded, wiped her nose and averted her eyes. Her massive guilt tempered her joy at seeing him again, and fresh tears coursed down her cheeks. He pulled her into his arms and held her, his action speaking volumes of acceptance and forgiveness that washed away her shame. She knew that no rebuke or accusation would ever pass his lips, and the balm of his unsullied compassion filled her with a warm tide of solace.
Chanter released her and looked around at a world newly brought into focus. He shied away from the golden collar beside him, and Talsy picked it up and hurled it into the sea with a vicious flick of her wrist. Sensing another presence, he turned to face a sherlon. Talsy wiped her eyes and glanced shyly at the silver-skinned being. The sea man bowed and signalled in the silent, complicated speech of his kind.
The Lowman female, he said, had informed him of a Mujar in the sea, and he had called his people to aid in finding and freeing Chanter. He apologised that they had not noticed him before, but the foul metal had disguised his presence.
Chanter signed a reply with graceful gestures that were second nature to a Mujar. He communicated his understanding of the sherlons' inability and informed him of the great joy his release had brought.
The sherlon made a series of slow, ritual gestures of acceptance and gladness at Chanter's recovery and offered gratitude for the Lowman female's aid.
Chanter signalled acceptance and farewell, and the sherlon mirrored the gesture before striding down the beach to dive into the sea.
Chanter gazed around, revelling in his freedom and the wonder of the sunlit beach. The scents, sounds and sensations charged him with happiness, and he longed to leap into the air and frolic amid the fluffy clouds to celebrate his return to the land of Life. The wind made him shiver with delight and the warm sand reassured him with its gritty firmness.
Now was not the time to indulge in wild celebrations, however. He owed his freedom to the young Lowman girl who clung to his hand, sniffing and brushing tears from her cheeks. Cupping her chin, he lifted her face and gazed into her eyes. A tremulous smile curved her lips as he studied her with a puzzled frown.
He bowed his head. 'Gratitude.'
'Oh, Chanter!' She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him again. 'How could I leave you trapped at the bottom of the sea? Thank god the sea man found you and brought you to shore.'
'Yet only you could take off the collar,' he said. 'And you told the sherlon to search for me. It is to you that the debt is owed, and I must pay it.'
