Repairs were also under way on Grallion. The pilot brought us back to our original position and anchored us there. I heard that the collision with Magorran pushed us nearly ten miles over the ocean. It was important that Grallion return to its home because that’s where the underwater farm was.
I tried talking to Spader a few times, but he didn’t want company or conversation. I understood, but I also knew he shouldn’t be totally alone. It was sad. The loss of his father changed him. He went from being a total extrovert to spending all of his time alone. This wasn’t good, so one night I got two bottles of sniggers from Grolo’s and paid him a visit.
When I knocked on his door, Spader didn’t answer. But I knew he was in there so I let myself in. I found him lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. By the rank smell in there, I guessed he hadn’t showered much in the past few days. I didn’t say anything though, I just walked in and pressed the bottle of sniggers into his hands.
“Hobey-ho,” I said.
Spader looked up at me and for a moment I didn’t think he recognized me. His mind was miles away. But then he focused and smiled. He took the sniggers, too.
“Strange days, Pendragon, my friend,” he said as he sat up.
“Yeah, strange days,” I answered, and we both took a drink of sniggers. It tasted good. I don’t think sniggers had alcohol in it, like beer. But it definitely had a sparkle, and that was good.
“What were you thinking about?” I asked.
Of course I knew he was thinking about his dad, but it was as good a way as any to start a conversation. Spader lifted his other hand and I saw that he was holding the piece of green paper with the round symbol. He waved it at me as if to say: “I’m thinking about this.”
“Any idea what it means?” I asked.
“Not a clue,” he answered. “But I know who might.”
“Who?”
“My mum. She’s a teacher. Sweetest lady in the world and twice as bright. I gotta get back there… tell her about Dad.”
Spader closed his eyes. I wasn’t sure if he was going to cry, but I looked away just in case. Things were about to get even worse for him. Here he was faced with the horrible task of telling his mother that her husband, his father, was dead. But there was more. There was the whole Traveler thing. When Spader went back to Panger City to find his mother, was she going to be there? Now that he had become the Traveler from Cloral, was she going to disappear the same as my family? Was he going to losebothof his parents? I felt like I had to say something to start getting his mind around the Traveler concept.
“Spader,” I said cautiously. “There’s something you should know.”
Spader looked at me. His eyes were red. He wanted words of comfort from me, but I had none to give. As I sat there looking at him, I realized I had no idea of what to say. I needed to explain something that I didn’t fully understand myself. Talk about the blind leading the blind.
“What, Pendragon?” he asked.
As I opened my mouth to say… I don’t know what, Uncle Press entered the apartment. Whoa, big relief. He had bailed me out big time.
“I have news,” he said. “About Magorran.”
Spader and I both sat up in anticipation. We had been waiting for information for days. But one look at Uncle Press told me that it wasn’t going to be good news. He looked nervous, and maybe even a little bit angry.
“Let’s have it then,” prodded Spader.
Uncle Press took a chair and sat opposite us. He spoke softly and clearly so we understood completely.
“The medical team made their report,” he began. “They examined and tested every one of the victims.”
“How many?” I asked.
“Two hundred and twenty.”
Though I knew the number was going to be high, it was still a shock to hear it. Uncle Press let that information sink in, then continued.
“The test results came back exactly the same on each and every one of them.” He took a breath and said, “They were all poisoned.”
The news hit me like a hammer to the head.
“H-How?” I blurted out. “How can that many people be poisoned?”
“They aren’t sure, but they think it may have had something to do with a shipment of rice. It was bad, and they all ate it.”
“What do you meanbad!”demanded Spader.
“They don’t know,” answered Uncle Press, trying to stay calm. “They can’t tell. They said it was unlike anything they’d seen before.”
Spader jumped to his feet and started to pace. “Bad rice? How can people die because of bad rice?”
“It gets worse,” added Uncle Press. “The agronomers are afraid it may not be the only case. If there’s a problem with the food supply, then what happened on Magorran is just the tip of the iceberg.”
My thoughts immediately went back to the argument I witnessed between the two agronomers on Grallion. They knew something was wrong. The horrible reality was slowly beginning to sink in. Cloral was a territory covered by water. People relied on farmers to grow food both on the habitats and underwater. If something was poisoning the food supply, it would be beyond disaster. Compared to this, bubonic plague would seem like a nasty cold going around.
There could be only one reason for this…
Saint Dane. This had his stamp all over it. If the food supply went bad, there would be chaos throughout the territory, no question about it.
“We don’t know the extent of the problem. Maybe it was a one-time thing and they caught it,” Uncle Press said calmly.
“Not in time to save my father,” snapped Spader. There was anger in his eyes. He wanted someone to blame for his father’s death. Uncle Press and I knew who it might be, but now was not the time to share it.
It was late, so we left Spader alone. Uncle Press and I went home to form a plan. The next day was the memorial service for the victims on Magorran. We decided that after the ceremony we would join with Spader, get a boat, and travel to Panger City to find Spader’s mom. The only clue we had to go on to start tracking down Saint Dane was the strange symbol that Spader’s dad left him, and Panger City was as good a place to start looking as any. With that plan in place, we tried to get some sleep.
I barely slept all night. The thought of territorywide famine made it a little hard to have sweet dreams. There were too many thoughts banging around in my head, so I decided to finish my journal to you. Writing always makes me sleepy, and this time was no different. I got as far as telling you that Magorran and Grallion had collided, and couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. So I rolled up the pages and sent them on to you. It wasn’t until the next morning that I realized what a cliffhanger I had written. Again, sorry.
I laid back down on my bunk and finally got a few z’s. But soon the sun was brightening the sky on a new day, the day we would leave Grallion.
The memorial service was scheduled for shortly after sunrise. I didn’t know what to expect, but it turned out to be a pretty emotional moment. It took place on the stern of the habitat, away from the destruction up front. Everyone on Grallion was there. We stayed with the farm workers, the vators, who pretty much kept together in one large group. The aquaneers were lined up along the stern, shoulder to shoulder, in full dress uniform. Spader was among them. It had to be tough for him to stand there, but he did it. Good man.
The pilot of Grallion, a leathery-looking gray-haired guy named Quinnick, led the ceremony. I won’t write down all that was said, but as you can imagine, it was pretty intense. He spoke about the dedication of those who serve others, and the harsh reality that all life must one day come to an end. He spoke glowingly of the crew and workers of Magorran, and about how they would never be forgotten.
Then an aquaneer stepped forward and began to play an instrument that looked to be made from a large piece of coral. It was a wind instrument, and though it seemed pretty crude, the sound it made was sweet, like an oboe. The tune he played was haunting and sad. It was a fitting send-off to the poor people of Magorran.