Part 9 (1/2)
”I am pleased to make your acquaintance,' Menolly said in slow formal tones, nodding her head at each smiling s.h.i.+pfish face in the circle.
”G'day, Nolly,' several chorused at her. She was unable to suppress laughter any longer. ”Nolly, has babbee inside.”
”My word! I know I'm big with child but how would they know?” she exclaimed, pausing in her attempt to get her awkward pregnant body arranged in a sitting position on the edge of the pier.
”They know or, as they put it, ”member” rather a lot about humans. ”Nolly! That's a fair nickname.”
”The dolphins may, but you may not,' she said sternly.
”What're you discussing?”
”I'm getting tomorrow's weather and a fish report, he told his sister.
”Really?”
”The dolphins have been very helpful over the past few weeks.
We've never had better hauls. They know exactly where schools are feeding and lead us right to them. My men are delighted since it means less time at sea as well as sufficient warnings on squalls.”
”Oh, yes, that would be helpful, wouldn't it?” Menolly made herself as comfortable on the hard planking as she could. ”Readis told me all about your dramatic rescue.
Alemi grinned. ”I don't think he's embroidered it much from the last time I heard him tell it. And it really happened, sister.
Only,' and he waved his hand at the raft and dolphins, ”Aramina would rather Readis forgot that adventure.”
”So Kitrin told me and now I know, I can divert him. ”Mina should have told me.”
Alemi shrugged. ”She's still recovering from the shock of your appearance, Master Harper sister dear.”
”Oh? She seems pleased ”Of course she is. Who wouldn't want a harper of your talent to teach their children?”
”Teach? Teach?” asked two s.h.i.+pfish.
”Oh, sorry, fell as,' Alemi said, turning back to the bottlenoses.
”Where were we? I teach them new words . . . or rather get them to remember them.”
”You? Teaching'?”
”C'mon, Menolly, I was Petiron's pet student until you came along.
”Oh, and you've sung to your new friends?”
”No,' Alemi refused to rise to her bait, ”you're the singer in the family. And the teacher!'
Menolly shot her brother a close look. Alemi had a teasing streak in him but he was quite sincere.
”Go on. You sang to the fire-lizards, why not to dolphins? I'll do the tenor line, if you'll sing something I know.
”Very well,' and she launched into one of the sea songs she had composed not long after she had walked the tables as a journeywoman. Alemi's well-placed voice joined immediately in harmony. After the first startled squees and clickings, her audience was silent. Beauty, Rocky and Diver appeared suddenly in the air, settling on pilings, eyes whirling fast with curiosity as they saw her audience.
”Zea zong, one of the s.h.i.+pfish said when the last notes died away. ”Nolly zing zea zong.” The sibilants were drawn out.
”Zeee, squeee zong,' another added and Menolly laughed.
”Sea song, you silly creatures. Sea, not ZEE.”
Then abruptly the s.h.i.+pfish began an intricate maneuver in and over the sea's surface, all the time squeeing ”ssseee song, scee song' and on several tones so that it was almost a chord to what she and Alemi had sung. Delighted at their antics and the apparent compliment, Menolly clapped her hands. Two s.h.i.+pfish splashed water with their flippers as if imitating her action.
”They are intelligent, ”Lemi. Do they mean to be funny?”
”Just look at their smiling faces. They're right rascals when they want to be,' Alemi said, hauling himself up off the float to sit beside her.
”Sing song, Nolly? Sing two song, Nolly?”
”All right, but settle down. You can't hear me when you're splas.h.i.+ng around like that.”
Beauty now a.s.sumed her usual perch on Menolly's shoulder, wrapping her tail about her neck, but being careful to place her talons on the fabric of the light top Menolly was wearing.
Menolly put up a caressing hand as she began one of the traditional ballads. Menolly was accustomed to respectful listeners but the attentiveness of these sea creatures was the most intense she had ever encountered. They listened with eye, body and whole being. They didn't even seem to breathe. Softly, in her ear, she heard Beauty begin her usual soft descant. The s.h.i.+pfish heard it, too, for their eyes turned slightly to her left and their grins, if anything, seemed to widen. Menolly had had many rare musical experiences with audiences but this surely was the most unique. She would have to tell Sebell all about it.
She would never forget this evening! From the expression on his face, she doubted Alemi would either.
Darkness came with the usual tropical immediacy and suddenly they were enclosed in the dark of full night, the attentive dolphin heads gleaming silvery in the light of Timor just rising over the sea.
”Thank you one and all,' Menolly said in a voice vibrant with grat.i.tude. ”I shall never forget meeting you.”
”Thank you, Nolly. Love men song.
”In this case it is a woman song,' Alemi said in wry correction.
Nolly song. Nolly song!” was the rejoinder.
”Diff'rent, better, best,' Afo added, ducking her head and flipping a spray at them with her nose in farewell.
Menolly and Alemi watched as the six plunged seaward, leaping and diving gracefully until they could no longer be seen.
”Well, that was much more than I could ever have antic.i.p.ated,' Menolly said as they walked slowly back toward the hold, Alemi holding the glow basket which he had learned to bring for the dark return walk. ”It's almost a shame, really.”
”What?”
”That there's all this fuss and industry over Thread when Aivas has so much more to offer us.
”What could be more important than getting rid of Thread forever?” Alemi asked, surprised by her comment. ”Interest in the dolphins is likely to be limited to my Hall and totally ignored by land dwellers. No, I'm glad to keep them as useful allies, like dragons or fire-lizards. They're far more intelligent than runner beasts, or even the canines, and are far more use to us than fire-lizards. Especially since they can communicate, verbally, rather than mentally the way dragons do or the limited range of fire-lizards.”
”No, let's not belittle fire-lizards, not to she who has ten and uses all. Does Master Idarolan know of these - ” she laughed, ”sea-dragons of yours?”