Imorelda paced a half circle to face Tae, then sat. Only the tip of her tail kept twitching.*What do you mean?* *Mean?* Tae shrugged.*Isn't it obvious? If I attempt to interact with them but can't send or receive mind messages, they'll know I'm not one of them despite my brilliant disguise.* He adjusted the wig.
Imorelda stared. *Before they kill me, I'll try to send as much information to you as I can, assuming I can reach you.You take the information back to Matrinka and live the rest of your life with her.* Tae tried to look all innocence.*And all her cats, of course. Oh, and your own darling kittens.*
The hair stood up on Imorelda's back, and she hissed.*You don't have to curse me. I'm coming.* *If you insist.* Tae looked at the sky. A crescent moon hung, veiled behind a cottony network of clouds. At the horizon, a pink sky peeked through gossamer strands of blue.*For now, you can sit on my shoulders. Eventually, though, you'll have to stay hidden on their ship.* Tae tried to think of a safe place to put her, but he drew a blank. She made too big a bulge beneath his clothing, whether at the abdomen or back; and she would surely move and give herself away.*Can you do that?*
Imorelda licked a paw and used it to straighten her whiskers.*Can I do that?* Disgust radiated clearly through the words. If she had a speaking voice, she would certainly have mocked him.*A human asking a cat if she can hide. It's like me asking you if you can manage walking on your hind legs.* She turned her back on Tae again.*Cats have been the mistresses of stealth since long before humans existed. Cats twenty times my size would stalk and kill humans before they knew they were being hunted.* She snorted.*Can I hide?*
Tae had no idea where that information came from. He doubted cats had existed longer than humans, and he could not imagine one twenty times her size. Big as a pony. But Imorelda still had a worthwhile point.*Sorry, Mistress of Stealth. Just make sure you don't hide so well that I can't find you.* *You'll find me if I want you to find me.* Imorelda clambered delicately up Tae's chest and arms to spread herself across his shoulders.*I'm not going to get wet, am I?*
Sensing genuine concern in the question, Tae did not joke.*I'll do my best to keep you dry. Just, please, don't panic if you take a splash or two.*
Tae felt her shudder. Imorelda did not like water in general, but she had taken a particular dislike to the salty variety. Or, perhaps, it had more to do with the vastness of the ocean. He imagined tumbling off a merchant ship into the dark and icy depths, watching the ship glide away, oblivious to her loss. Surrounded by water; nothing to drink. A world of fish; nothing to eat. A man would die of exposure or thirst or drowning long before he could swim to shore or find another ship. To a cat, it had to seem the worst death of all.
Looking out for boats, Tae paddled toward the stern. The first edge of sun was just touching the horizon. The meeting had likely not started yet, but he hoped the generals had settled into closed quarters rather than standing on the deck gabbing in the cold morning breeze.*Imorelda, please. I need you to focus again.*
Tae received no reply. Apparently, Imorelda was already scanning, but the alsona were mentally silent. An idea came to him, based on his previous thoughts. He prodded the cat with a finger.
She looked at him.
Uncertain whether Imorelda was set on his mind level, or theirs, he spoke aloud. "Can you bring my mind speech to a place where only one man can 'hear' me?"
Imorelda gave no reply.
Just as Tae assumed she had not heard him, and prepared to repeat the question, she finally answered.*Maybe I could. If he was the nearest of them and away from the others.*
Tae would have liked a more definitive answer, but doubted one was possible. Aside from the elves, Imorelda, Matrinka, and himself, no one on the continent had any experience with mental communication. He supposed he could have gone to Tem'aree'ay for advice, but he doubted Griff 's elfin wife could have helped him much, if at all. Tae had already noticed significant differences between the alsona's mind conversation and the elves' khohlar.*Good enough, Imorelda. It won't ruin everything if more than one sailor hears me. It'll just make things a bit more difficult.* *You mean 'make the incredibly stupid a bit more impossible?'*
Tae smiled.*Exactly.* Then he became serious. His plan would require him to kill an innocent man, albeit an enemy, in cold blood. And, while fully justified by war, it still bothered him. Tae tried to shake the last modicum of guilt with the teachings of his father: "Thought is a man's greatest gift and also his most dangerous enemy. For, though it can save you from any situation, any situation, it can also paralyze you with fear or horror or guilt. Hesitation has killed many a killer and stolen many a thief."
No hesitation, Tae reminded himself. Bold and sure. Hoping Imorelda had gone back to scanning, he spoke to her directly. "Hang on. I'm going to need my hands to climb." Realizing the opening he had just given her, he clarified. "Try not to dig your claws through my neck veins, please. If I bleed to death, we're both plunging into the ocean."
Imorelda gave him a warning jab in the right shoulder but did not bother to reply.
Tae paddled flush to the lead ship's bow, but found nothing on which to hook his flotsam boat. He had no choice but to abandon it, and the pack with their remaining rations, which meant he would have to either find more debris or swim to shore. He believed he could make it, but Imorelda would have to balance on his back, despising and complaining every moment.
Tae nestled his fingers against the wood, pleased to find easy hand- and toeholds amid the barnacles and mollusks clinging to the sides. He moved quickly, concerned about putting his full weight on any bit for longer than an instant. Sailors cursed the job of cleaning the hull, but enough scraping broke even the most tenacious creatures free.
The hull curved outward, then inward, providing an uncomfortable shelf beneath the gunwale that allowed Tae a brief respite. He regrouped there, crouched below sight of the deck. The moon played through the riggings, turning the brown sails to iridescent bronze. When he craned his neck around the bulge above his shelf, Tae caught a glimpse of a sailor messing with the main sail shrouds. He found no one else in his line of vision.
Tae checked his pockets, already knowing what he ought to find. He always traveled light, more so when he could tumble into the ocean at any moment. Now, he carried the wig on his head, a knife, and a few coins seized from the two captured pirates. Those would give him an air of authenticity should he need it. His other pocket held a fist-sized gemstone that Matrinka had insisted he take. Tae knew the alsona would not allow him to buy his way out of anything; if they wanted the gem, they would simply kill him and take it. If they didn't, they would kill him and leave it. Either way, it did him no earthly good.
Yet, now, Tae found a purpose for it. He smiled, clutching it in his fist. "Imorelda, listen." *I'm here,* the cat said mournfully.*Where else could I be?*
Tae could feel the claws pressing through his clothing into his upper back.*Try to carry my voice just to that sailor near the main mast.*
Imorelda shifted position, and Tae lowered his center of gravity to keep from losing his balance.*I see one man. Near that rope tangle.*
Only Imorelda would see a perfectly woven ladderwork and consider it a "tangle." Tae knew they were probably looking at the same man. With the ships at anchor, the alsona only needed one sailor working at the mainsail before sunrise.
Tae nodded, still worried he might catch Imorelda in the wrong phase and accidentally broadcast conversations meant only for her. "If you're ready."
Imorelda loosened her claws long enough to pat his cheek in reply, then ratcheted them back into his flesh. *Man overboard!* Tae tried to put panic into his sending.*Help!*