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.Not faraway, a small village on stilts could be seen.Every home had a boat or two tied up to a dock.Janice grinned. Yeah, it is.We do have larger cities on the more solid landmasses, but even those arecrisscrossed by canals and smaller waterways.We re a very water oriented people.Before he could answer, there was an eerie muffled hooting sound, and a sleek head broke the surfaceof the water.Eric stared.The creature was large, yet there was something elusively ethereal about it.Thehead and face were human-like, though the nose and mouth resembled that of a bottle-nosed dolphinonly smaller.A short dorsal fin ran along the middle of its skull and ended at the base of its neck.Itsbody put Eric in mind of a manta ray.While it had shoulders and arms, attached were wide sail-likesheets that flowed down the length of its body.Pearly colors ran over its skin, seeming to twinkle andswirl in the light. Holy shit, Eric muttered under his breath and the creature turned its eyes to him.Large eyes, dark andgentle and filled with a kind of eternal innocence.It shook Eric to his core. Do you see what I mean? Janice asked softly.Several more of the creatures broke the surface of the water near their leader. I do.Will it let me touch it? It might help me to communicate with it. Put your hand in the water.Eric gave her a wide-eyed look. Are you sure? He won t hurt you.Tentatively, Eric bent and slipped his hand into the water.With a slight flip of one fin, the Eluran slidcloser.Softly, slowly, it lowered its chin into Eric s hand.Eric took a deep breath as a wave of peaceslid over him.He fell into the soft encompassing darkness of the Eluran s eyes.Closing his own eyes, helet himself join with the Eluran s emotions, then tried to shape the feelings into a silent conversation.Picturing a waterway as best he could with his limited knowledge, Eric then populated the clearwaterway with growth, seeing the passageway close while projecting a questioning feel to the image.His mind was immediately inundated with feelings of sorrow and pain, a feeling of loss so deep it broughttears to his eyes.He fought to bring the emotions under control and again sent feelings of puzzlement,curiosity and question.An image suddenly appeared in his mind.A boat, liquid being spilled over theside, the water s creatures rushing away from the poison, some making it, others dying before it spreadand dissipated.Eric opened his eyes, meeting the enigmatic gaze of the Eluran.He sent understanding, thanks andreassurance.The Eluran fluttered his fins and hooted softly.The sounds were echoed by his companions.Backing slowly away, it dove deep, the others with it, only to reappear seconds later.Fins wrapped tight around their bodies, they spun up and out of the water like veiled tops enwrapped ingossamer raiment.Suddenly, they spread their sail-like fins and resembling birds in flight, they soaredover the boat.The breeze and their own momentum carried them over and away until they pulled theirfins in tight and dove straight down, leaving barely a ripple in the water.Eric looked at Janice with a wide and wondering grin on his face. That was the most amazing thing I veever seen.I wish you could have felt what I did. Was he able to tell you anything? Yeah.Do the letters E and S followed by Co.mean anything to you? Edgewood and Sands Co.I knew it! I knew those sneaky bastards were poisoning the waters! How do we prove it? That s just it.You just proved it.You re the mate of a Maleri.The reputation of the Maleri is rocksolid and incorruptible.If you pass the mental images on of what you ve seen to your mates and theyswear on it in a deposition, Edgewood and Sands are finished. Just like that? The Maleri are that powerful?Janice nodded. That s a lot of power for one small group. I know.That s why I think it s such a shame that they re endangering their reputation for monetarygain. Before I ll believe that, I want to talk to Grey and Seth. I ll take you back. Without another word, she started the boat and they returned to the dock.Eric didn t have to wait long to speak with his mates.They were there on the dock, along with ChaseKaldor, the Maleri security officer Eric had met on the balcony of the Amiston Hotel.They wereapparently arguing with the owner of one of the docked boats. How can you follow them when you don t know where they ve gone? In case you haven t noticed,water don t hold footprints.You ve never been here before, have you? the man asked reasonably.Seth opened his mouth to argue when the sound of Janice s returning boat caught his attention.With agrin, Eric leapt up on the dock and in no time was engulfed in the embrace of his two lovers. You re really all right, Grey breathed, hugging him hard. I told you I was.Grey released him and turned him over to Seth. We had to see for ourselves, Seth explained and againEric was hugged so tightly he found it hard to breathe.It was a feeling he enjoyed.When he was released, he looked up to see Chase snapping restraints around Janice s slim wrists. Waita minute.What are you doing? he asked, striding down the dock to where they waited. This woman kidnapped you.That happens to be a very serious offense, Chase told him. There were mitigating circumstances and I m not pressing charges. Are you sure that s wise? I think you ll agree with me when you hear what she has to say. He paused and looked at the threeMaleri. Especially if what she tells me about how the Maleri accept their commissions isn t true. What are you talking about? Seth asked, giving Eric and then Janice a puzzled frown. Let s find a comfortable place to sit.I need something to drink and this hopefully will come as a shock.At least it will if you re the kind of men I think you are, Eric explained. I m hooked.Unshackle the woman, Chase.She probably knows the best place to go, Grey reasoned.With the restraints removed, Janice smiled, rubbing her wrists in relief. Right this way, gentlemen.An hour later, three puzzled, angry Maleri were holding a council of war. That s not the way it ssupposed to be, Chase told Eric and Janice. Yes, our services are used to bring benefits to our planet,but not to the exclusion of helping those who can t afford to pay.That was never our agreement.We resupposed to be informed of each and every petition for help. Apparently, Belthola s High Council has taken it into their heads to change the rules without informingyou guys, Eric pointed out. The High Council is in for a shake-up, Chase announced and rose. You three ready to go home?We ve got work to do.Everyone rose from the table.Janice held her hand out to Eric. Thank you.I m sorry we started out onthe wrong foot.I wish I could repay you. Your fee is paid, Grey informed her. You let us know what s been going on behind our backs [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]