Pilgrims Read online

  “Her?” Blake asked. “Ashrays are female?”

  Dr. Mangot waved a weak hand, as if swatting at spider webs. “They love the night, you know.” From sweating a moment ago, she was now shivering.

  Captain Bulmer put a blanket over her shoulders and shrugged at the others. She’d already had her medicines, so there was nothing to do for her, except keep her company and let her rant.

  “Anyway,” Dr. Mangot went on. “I saw her shimmering in the water. And she spoke to me.”

  “In English or in Ashray?” Captain Bulmer joked.

  Dr. Mangot merely looked at him in pity. “Doesn’t matter. I would’ve understood either one. Anyway, she told me that I was a true daughter of Aberforth Hills, and I should devote myself to her.” She stopped. “And since that day—” She took a big gulp of air. “—that city is my true love.” Her voice dribbled to a whisper. “Only Aberforth Hills. Will I see her again?” Her voice took on a forlorn air.

  Jake thought of the magical city in the North Sea and was instantly nostalgic, too. It was Em’s heritage, not his, but he wanted to share it with her. He thought of how fragile Em had looked, pale and tired. Would they ever see Aberforth Hills again? Would he ever see Em again?

  Captain Bulmer patted Dr. Mangot’s arm. “It’s OK, Bea. You’ll see her again. Soon. Just sleep and get well.”

  She turned her back to the rest and seemed calmer after the story. Jake realized they were all tightly wound. Nerves. Dr. Mangot didn’t sound any crazier than he felt. Everyone was worried: would they ever see Earth again?

  Hunting Starfish

  Getting ready to dive that night, Jake made sure the nets were in good shape while Blake checked his marine flashlight batteries. They were weak. He’d brought about four dozen extras, but after diving every night for a week, he only had six left, enough to refill his flashlights two more times.

  Jake shrugged. “Weak light or not, you’ll have to use it until it gives out totally.”

  “I guess,” Blake said uncertainly. “But it’s a pain to go topside to change batteries.”

  “I’ve got a backup,” Jake said. He rummaged in his equipment bag and pulled out his unused marine flashlight. It had been a last-minute addition, and he hadn’t even turned it on yet.

  “Thanks,” Blake said. He hooked it onto his belt pack and turned to check his scuba gear. The compressor had been running all day, refilling the scuba tanks.

  Jake hoped this would be their last dive. They desperately needed to find something tonight.

  At dusk, they cast off the sailboat, heading away from the brilliant sunset that stained the western sky. There was no wind that evening, so Captain Bulmer had to use some of their scarce fuel to motor outside the bay. There they caught a slight breeze, so he shut down the engine.

  In the sudden quiet, Jake heard the cry of a marine bird and looked up. Wings tucked in tight, it dove, striking the water with huge talons, and coming up with something in its mouth.

  Majestic.

  It was the only word to describe the bird. The bird spread its huge wingspan, floating on the winds. Jake’s heart ached, knowing that soon he’d be one of the last people in the universe to ever see such a magnificent sight. Rison held so many wonders that he’d never seen, would never see. The impending tragedy was beyond words.

  Two days. Maybe a week. Everything would be gone.

  And amidst that heavy grief, they had to focus on one elusive species of starfish. It seemed ironic somehow. Instead, he wanted to embrace everything about Rison and store it up in his heart. But he’d never know even a fraction of a whole planet teeming with life.

  That starfish, though, meant life to Em and the Phoke. They had to succeed tonight.

  Dr. Mangot leaned against the cabin, dozing. She’d insisted on coming and not being left behind.

  “I don’t want to be alone when the world ends,” she had whispered.

  Of course, Captain Bulmer had carried her aboard and made her as comfortable as he could.

  Blake hunched over his scuba gear, double checking everything. Utz and Jake sat in the bow, staring at the shadowed islands in front of them. They’d learned that the female umjaadi starfish congregated between the first and second islands. Nearby, they would search deep pools where the ocean floor dropped into darkness. If they were going to find the male starfish, it would be in the depths of that inky sea. Or so they hoped.

  Finally, Captain Bulmer dropped anchor and everyone except Dr. Mangot dove. Jake let his dive pull him deep and deeper. His catch bag hung at his waist, and he carried a net. But he also had on gloves so he could grab at a starfish if needed and not get stung.

  The murky water was like diving through his own desperation.

  Unable to see anything, he turned skyward and found Blake who was flashing his light around and moving slowly. Reluctantly, Jake made himself slow down and stay level with Blake. He was methodical and wouldn’t go deeper until he was ready. The waters were warm, comforting. Jake could stay down all night, so it was Blake’s scuba gear that would limit this search.

  Jake guessed they were about sixty feet deep when Blake’s flashlight suddenly went dark. A moment later, a stronger light flashed on. Blake was switching to Jake’s marine flashlight. But the light was strange. Blake must’ve accidentally put it on ultraviolet or UV mode. He shone the light into the depths, and suddenly Jake saw three blue streaks of light flashing at him.

  The UV light was reflecting from a fish! Why hadn’t they thought of this? On Earth, scientists often used ultraviolet light to show things not visible with the naked eye. What else would they see?

  Jake excitedly wrote on his slate: UV!

  Blake nodded and pointed downward. Quickly, they kicked deeper.

  There. A wheel made of five green lights. Was it an octopus-like creature or—a starfish? Excited, Jake dashed forward, and with gloved hands, he grabbed the creature and shoved it into his catch bag. It was likely a starfish, but in the dark, he couldn’t tell if it was what they needed. They’d have to go topside to figure it out.

  Then, below him, he felt a rush of hot water, and a red glow suddenly appeared. A new magma vent had exploded beneath them, creating an opening for magma to flow. As predicted, the planet’s mantle was cracking.

  Jake turned and grabbed Blake’s arm and pointed upward. The magma would heat the water quickly here. But Blake pointed to his watch: he had to decompress.

  Jake’s heart squeezed, nervous about how big the vent would get and how fast. They couldn’t rush the decompression; he’d learned that on Earth when he dove with a variety of naval officers from around the world. Captain Meryl Puentes developed Decompression Sickness, and the last he’d heard, was still unable to walk.

  Quickly, Blake kicked upward to his next decompression level and stopped. He set his timer, and they waited.

  And waited.

  The red smear below them spread, magma pouring into the ocean below. Through his gills, Jake smelled sulfur. Desperately, he tried to think of other things, to speed up the time, to get Dad to safety. But they had to wait.

  And wait.

  And wait.

  Finally, Blake’s alarm vibrated, and they could move upward to the next level. Below, the red haze had spread to cover half of Jake’s vision. However, it seemed to have slowed. Or maybe Jake’s sense of time was distorted. What if it suddenly broke through with a huge column of magma? Without thinking, Jake pulled his feet up and hugged his knees.

  Silly! he thought. Getting my toes two feet higher isn’t going to matter. Yet somehow, it felt marginally safer.

  In the dark, it was impossible to see if Blake was anxious or calm. He waited, and that’s all Jake knew. No sense in using flashlight batteries just to watch each other trying to control a panic. The others were already top side, and Captain Bulmer would have the anchor up and sails ready to go when they arrived.

  Finally, Blake’s watch vibrated. Briefly, he flashed the light down toward the rising magma.
/>   Blake’s face glowed eerily in the UV light. Behind his mask, Blake’s eyes were wide with a barely controlled panic.

  Hurry, Jake wanted to scream. We need to get out!

  Jake glanced down at the magma again. There, just below them were dozens of flashing lights, reflections from Blake’s UV light. Jake recognized the green wheel that meant the tips of a starfish were lit up. He wanted to dash down, grab several and dash back up. But Blake was already kicking upward as fast as he could.

  Jake shook his catch bag. He still had one starfish and he wasn’t even sure it was an umjaadi, much less a male umjaadi. Reluctantly, he turned away from the starfish who were rising in a vain attempt to escape the spreading magma. They might not get away, but Jake could. He mokwa his legs and surged upward. From behind, he shoved Blake while Captain Bulmer tugged from above. Blake clambered awkwardly over the ship’s hull and fell onto the decking.

  Jake quickly climbed the ladder, and Captain Bulmer sprinted back to the bow to release the sails and handle the rudder. Fortunately, the breeze had picked up, and the sails caught the wind. Briskly, Captain Bulmer sailed away, keeping the sails as taut as possible.

  At the dock, they all tumbled out, anxious to get to the highest ground possible.

  Captain Bulmer tied up the sail boat and half carried Dr. Mangot up the cliff. Almost shaking with relief, Jake helped Blake take off his scuba gear. They both grabbed tanks and trotted up toward the resort. Halfway up, though, Blake had to stop and catch his breath.

  Jake stopped with him. He turned to stare back at the spot they’d left. Was it his imagination or was steam rising from that area?

  They turned and toiled up the slope, the scuba tanks banging at Jake’s legs. When they reached the top, he suddenly remembered his catch bag. He dropped the tanks with a thud and grabbed at the net bag. The strings caught. Quickly, he tugged and it unknotted, dropping the starfish into his hands.

  “Look!” he called. The others came from the resort’s porch to see what he had. “It’s an umjaadi male!”

  They crowded around and talked excitedly. They could leave and get off planet. A couple males would be better, but with one, they could go. But their elation fell away when they realized it was dead. It had been out of water too long.

  Jake cursed himself for not going back down and grabbing a dozen of them. Cursed himself for not checking the bag earlier and hanging it off the boat’s side where it would dangle in the water. Or grabbing a bucket of sea water to dunk it in.

  Now, they had to make at least one more dive. They had an easy means to find the male umjaadi by using the UV flashlight—if the batteries lasted. But the new vent had ruined that spot and probably killed off all the starfish. Only one day left to find what they needed to heal Em. He held his head and rocked. Only 24 hours before Swann would arrive with a space ship to evacuate them. They had to find another group of male starfish.

  Ultraviolet

  Everyone agreed that they’d dive again in the morning after a couple hours’ rest. With the UV lights, they hoped it wouldn’t matter what time of day they went.

  Even the dawn air shimmered with heat. Heavy smog from the volcanic eruptions worldwide had finally reached their remote location. Or maybe new volcanos had erupted in the ocean and were now tall enough to spew ash into the air. Either way, Jake struggled to breathe.

  “Find a kerchief or cloth to tie over your face. If it gets worse a wet cloth is even better,” Dr. Mangot suggested. She was sitting up drinking a cup of herbal tea. Her face was calmer and her voice stronger.

  She’s still weak, Jake thought. But she might be over the worst of the illness. Em relapsed easily, though, so she should take it easy.

  After some convincing from Captain Bulmer, she’d decided that a day sitting in the shade of the porch would be good for her. With a calmer mind, she didn’t panic about being left alone.

  From across the yard, Jake heard the air compressors switch off. He stopped by his room and tore one of his oldest shirts into strips. He tied one over his nose and mouth and went to help Blake with his scuba tanks.

  When they gathered by the top of the beach path, Jake passed out the other strips to Captain Bulmer and Utz, and they gratefully tied them in place. At the dock, they clambered onto the sail boat and cast off. The air was so still that Captain Bulmer had to start the motor. They had no extra fuel cans on board. They couldn’t go far. Fortunately, once they were out of the bay, they picked up wind, and Captain Bulmer switched off the engine.

  Meanwhile, Utz and Jake had been studying a map of the islands.

  “We’ve got to try farther out,” Utz said.

  Jake nodded and finally pointed to a nameless island to the east. The depth charts showed water at least as deep as where they dove yesterday. Maybe they’d get lucky. Utz nodded his agreement.

  Holding the cloth over his nose and mouth, Jake showed the map to Captain Bulmer. He nodded agreement, too, and changed course, heading directly east.

  The water was choppy, splashing over the boat’s bow.

  Captain Bulmer called, “We’re in more open seas here. Sure you want to go this way?”

  Utz shrugged. “It’s about the only option.”

  The boat was silent, everyone lost in his own thoughts. As the far island neared, Blake shrugged on his wet suit and zipped it up. By the time Captain Bulmer threw out an anchor, Blake was ready. He fell backwards off the side of the boat and disappeared into the dark waters.

  Jake shrugged and dove in after him. He zipped his legs together and kicked downward toward Blake’s flashlight. The water was murkier than ever, a sign that the underwater magma flows were polluting the water. Jake realized that he was holding his arms out from his body so his gills would get more water flow. It was hard to breathe. He kicked harder and tapped Blake’s shoulder.

  Jake reached for Blake’s slate that hung from his waist belt. He wrote: “Can’t breathe. Must go up.”

  Blake’s eyes widened. He nodded.

  “You come up, too!” Jake wrote.

  Blake shook his head. “Need that starfish.”

  “Alone?” Jake wrote.

  Blake wrote back. “I’m fine.”

  Reluctantly, Jake nodded. He kicked upward, feeling faint now, struggling to breathe. With relief, he popped his head above the water and gulped air. Captain Bulmer and Utz sat on the side of the boat about to jump in.

  “You OK?” Utz asked.

  Jake breathed deeply again, glad that he could breathe in air or water. “No. Water’s too polluted. Can’t breathe. Blake says he’s OK with his scuba gear, so he’s looking alone.”

  “I’ll go,” Captain Bulmer said. “I don’t actually breathe underwater. I just hold my breath for about thirty minutes.”

  “Thanks,” Jake said. “I didn’t want him down there alone.”

  With a nod, Captain Bulmer dove into the water.

  Utz helped Jake pull out onto the sail boat’s deck.

  “Ironic,” Utz said. “The Earthlings can swim our seas, and we can’t.”

  It should’ve been easy, Jake raged to himself. They knew the type of waters where the male starfish lived. They had the UV lights to make them visible. Captain Bulmer, Utz and Jake should’ve been able to stay underwater for as long as it took to find the male starfish.

  But the waters of Rison—at least here in the Jewel Islands—were now poisoned for Risonians. If the ash and magma had poisoned the waters here, it was probably wide-spread. He could only imagine the panic in the underwater cities. They’d have to evacuate to land. But would they? They were going to die soon, no matter what they did. The deep sorrow rose again, threatening to overwhelm him.

  I can’t think about that, Jake told himself. He only had energy to think about getting the starfish that might cure Em. Later, there would be time to mourn.

  Into the Depths

  Blake carefully controlled his breathing, setting up a slow, regular rhythm that would conserve the air in his tanks. His light di
dn’t penetrate far in the murk. He hovered and switched to UV light. Someone tapped his shoulder.

  Blake spun around and nodded when he recognized Captain Bulmer.

  Captain Bulmer wrote on his slate: I can only stay down about 30 minutes. We need to search fast.

  Blake nodded and flashed his UV light in an arc. Nothing.

  They kicked along together, watching the sweep of UV light, hoping for the six-legged star. Nothing.

  Perhaps the pollution had killed them all and they’d never find a male.

  Suddenly, there was a flash of something, off to Blake’s right side. Sweeping the UV light, Blake turned. Before him was a dark mass with tentacles that lit up. Not a starfish, Blake realized. Whatever it was, it was massive.

  Blake switched the light off, plunging them into darkness. He dared not turn it on again.

  I’m not scared, he told himself. Just cautious of the unknown.

  Captain Bulmer and Blake hung suspended, not moving, for several minutes before Captain Bulmer tapped Blake’s hand in a signal to try the light again.

  The creature had moved on. But they had to be careful, or the UV light would attract other marine life. They wanted to attract the right marine life, the umjaadi male starfish. Blake shrugged. They had to risk it. He just wished he had a good Earth-made harpoon as protection. When they’d swum with Utz and Jake, he hadn’t worried because this was their ocean and they’d know when to worry. Without the Risonians, the unknown loomed larger.

  Still, Blake had always pursued the unknown. He’d always wanted to find that next species to study. Just not now. Not when they only had 24 hours at the most to find the umjaadi and get out of here.

  They were circumnavigating the tiny island, and on the northern side, they ran into a patch of seaweed that grew upwards, reaching for the skies overhead. It was shallower here, so normally, they’d get some filtered light. Instead, Blake had to keep his flashlight on, using up even more battery power. The umjaadi wouldn’t be in this shallow area, so they quickly swam on. The currents were rougher on the west side because the currents flowed west to east here. That meant it wasn’t protected enough for the umjaadi’s habitat.