Chapter 5

After her third Mai Tai, Lasa began to realize that they were definitely not fruit drinks.

"Did you just give me alcohol?" she asked, idly wondering why the room was spinning.

Zacharias shrugged and sipped at his second martini. "How would you know? You don't know what alcohol tastes like."

"I do so. It tastes like, like, like that. It's like Mai Tais. Can I have another?"

He looked concerned, or maybe not. She couldn't seem to focus on him for more than a second. "I don't think so. You'd hate me in the morning. Oh, hey, you're already going to hate me in the morning."

After a few minutes of silence, during which Lasa mused on all things pretty and pink, she said, "You got me drunk."

"Sure did."

"I don't drink."

"You do now."

"It's hot in here."

"Let's go outside."

Lasa almost fell out of her chair, and managed somehow to stagger out of the restaurant. Zacharias followed moments later, after paying for their meal.

"I like being drunk," Lasa decided finally, and skipped down the sidewalk to prove it.

"Wait, wait," Zacharias whimpered, trying to imitate her movements. "I can't do that, I can't do that, you wait for me..."

Lasa stopped a block away and danced from foot to foot until he caught up. His pale skin was flushed, his eyes bright. His pupils had dilated so that there was only the slightest rim of light brown iris showing around the edges.

"You know what?" she said suddenly. "You really are attractive."

"See, that would be the Mai Tais talking," Zacharias told her. "You don't like me."

"Oh, you're okay. You're funny and you're nice when it suits you and, and, and your hair is really pretty at night and, and I rather like your eyes."

Zacharias laughed. It was the first real laugh she'd ever heard from him, like silver bells and purple silk. Purple. Snicker. No need to wonder anymore, his laugh has solved the mystery. About...what? Although she wasn't sure how anything could sound like purple silk. Well, maybe it could sound like purple silk would sound when it rustled, except that wasn't really how his laugh sounded. And really, his normal voice was like silk, so that wasn't a particularly good description of his laugh, was it?

"We should do this more often," she said, smiling brightly at him.

"Your brothers are going to kill me." He pouted. "And then what will become of me?"

"They won't kill you," Lasa said dismissively. "Maybe Joseph will, but Alex and Shem won't because...because...okay, so they will."

Zacharias stared at her shoes, then said suddenly, "Your sneakers don't match your eyes. You can't wear those. You are a walking fashion disaster."

"I like my shoes," Lasa said. "And my eyes. You can't have either."

Zacharias smiled deviously, then tackled her. In her attempt to break her fall, which worked except for a scrape on her hand, she forgot to protect her shoes, and Zacharias managed to steal one. He scrambled back to his feet, cradling the shoe in one arm.

"That's not nice," Lasa admonished. "Help me up."

"No, no," he said, blinking. "That would be...evil plot...t'get it back. No no no."

Lasa got to her feet, swaying slightly. "We are...so very drunk."

"No kidding."

"Give me my shoe."

"Never. I am the master of the shoe. It belongs to me now. Hee hee."

"Did you just say 'hee hee'?"

"Hee hee hee." Zacharias smiled beatifically.

The moon wasn't out yet, and the only light came from shop windows, turning his hair to silver and his eyes to burnt gold. Before she knew exactly what she was doing, Lasa leaned forward and kissed him.

She saw his eyes flicker shut, and closed her own. She felt his hands on her arms, steadying her, and tentatively traced his lips with her tongue. That irritating lock of hair that was always in his eyes brushed against Lasa's forehead, and it was soft and smelled like raspberries.

Suddenly, he pushed her away. Her head bumped up against a wall, and she opened her eyes to gaze at him. She wondered what it was about alcohol that made people go completely mad and steal shoes and laugh and kiss and then stop.

"No," Zacharias said breathlessly. "Las, no. You're drunk. This is like taking advantage. I don't - Lasa - we can't do this."

"You're drunk too." She wrested her shoe from him and hopped around frantically in an attempt to put it on.

"Not so drunk as you."

"But Zac..."

He pushed that wayward strand of silver-blond hair back, and said, "Never call me Zac. I'll go get your brothers. They can drag you back to the hotel."

As he walked away, Lasa leaned against the wall, feeling suddenly dizzy. Zac. Why had she called him that? She knew he hated it. And she must have really annoyed him to make him leave her out here alone in her condition.

She could still feel that light pressure of his lips on hers, and suddenly felt guilty.

We're supposed to be saving the world, she thought miserably. Not doing this.

Though she was unclear on what exactly "this" was.

* * *

Zacharias stalked down the street, not exactly sure where he was going. He had no idea where the hotel was. In fact, he had no idea where anything was.

He wasn't really all that drunk, and yet he had so easily fallen into her trap. She was obviously just trying to humiliate him. There was no way, just no way, that she actually liked him like that.

And no way did he like her like that.

He hadn't expected her to fall for the "Mai Tais are non-alcoholic" ploy. Honestly, they were pink. Never trust anything pink. That was a good rule. So was the rule "Never shoot to kill, only to incapacitate."

And when you're meant to be guarding someone, never ever ever leave them alone under any circumstances.

Oh, no.

Zacharias spun around and ran back toward the street where he'd left Lasa.

* * *

Lasa had by this time run into an alley to throw up. She wasn't having fun being drunk anymore; in fact, now she just felt ill.

There was a tall, brawny man in the alley, but she ignored him. He seemed quite busy sharpening some knives.

"Hey kid," he said suddenly. "Could you come over here?"

Lasa wasn't stupid. She remembered that there was a murderer on the loose. She glanced up warily. "For what?"

"Oh, nothing really. It's just that I don't read well. I can give you a few pennies to read the paper to me."

She walked toward him slowly, and held out her hand for his newspaper. It was yesterday's, and so covered in dirt it was hard to read.

"Which part?"

"Oh, the bit about wanted persons."

There were several notices in the paper, and she read them out without thinking.

"Two runaway Wavespeakers from the North Carolina Aqueous Guild. Both sixteen years of age. The female has long, brown hair and blue eyes, five foot three, weighs...oh..."

"Sounds rather like you," the man said calmly. "What's the reward?"

"Five...hundred...dollars..."

She dropped the paper and backed away from him. He stood and idly tested the knife on his palm. She couldn't see much of anything, and tripped over a chair with three legs.

"Runaway Wavespeaker, eh?" he asked. "Well, they must really want you back, if the news got all the way to Oregon. Where's your little friend?"

He moved faster than she would have believed possible, shoved her up against the wall with the knife at her throat. "On the other hand, why should I find him? I've got you, the Justice Guildhall is just up the road..."

"Yes, but I'm in the way, aren't I? Oops."

Lasa didn't dare turn her head, but immediately recognized Zacharias' icy tone.

"Are you her little runaway friend?" the man snarled.

"Oh, I don't know. I might be."

The man waved his knife in a vaguely threatening manner. "I won't hesitate to kill you."

Something clicked in the darkness, and Zacharias replied, "Hey, what do you know. Knives aren't ranged weapons."

There was a loud crack, and the man screamed and let go of Lasa. She stumbled toward Zacharias, who caught hold of her arm and thrust her out onto the sidewalk, keeping something silvery trained on the screaming man.

"And unless I'm mistaken," Zacharias said calmly, "you're in too much pain to fight me, anyway. Good night."

He dragged Lasa down the street. It was ten minutes before she managed, "What did you do to him?" Ten minutes is an awfully long time when walking. Remember she is both drunk and considerably shocked.

"I shot his hand."

"With a gun?"

"Let me think about that...hmm...yes."

"You have a gun?"

"I'm not speaking to you anymore." Not just in this area, but you seem to have lapsed back into your speaking-verbs-are-evil thing. Not that you ever really lapsed out. Terry Pratchett uses "said" all the time, and look how popular he is! *knows, as have read Night Watch twice since we bought it...*

She continued her attempts to pry answers from him, but he didn't speak again until they were outside the hotel. He paused, and made a point of not looking at her as he said, "A couple of aspirin tonight before bed will work better than a dozen tomorrow."

"You are a very bad man," she said with some conviction.

"A bad man who just saved you from certain, um, capture."

"Whatever. Good night, Zacharias."

"Mm."

* * *

Lasa had an awful headache the next morning, but figured that it could have been worse.

She had very few memories of the night before, except that she was mad at Zacharias about something. Or he was mad at her. Oh, it didn't matter, she was going to kill him anyway.

"You got me drunk!" she shrieked as soon as he appeared at her door.

"You enjoyed it, don't deny it," he said icily.

"I did not! You despicable, evil, lying little person!"

"Stop yelling, I have a headache."

"So do I! And I will not stop yelling! You are without a doubt the single most vicious, cold blooded person in the entire hotel!"

Ysranna sailed out of the room she was sharing with Lasa, a little stuffed frog balanced on her head. "No he isn't. I am."

Despite herself, Lasa was interested. "Really? Why?" Here you go again. Having action rather than verbs is preferable.

"I," Ysranna said in tones of righteousness, "have named this stuffed animal God. I am now off to make oblique references to it and drive Joseph insane."

"Fine, but he got me drunk," Lasa muttered.

"He got me drunk, too. It's not so bad. I mean, except for the hangover. And the feeling that whatever you did last night, everyone else remembers it but you."

Lasa followed Ysranna down to the dining room. She wasn't very hungry, and only took three slices of bacon from the buffet line. Ysranna filled her plate with eggs, sausage, and syrup, and then floated over to the table where Joseph and Erion were already sitting.

"God is near," Ysranna said solemnly, and began eating.

The jokes only got worse as breakfast wore on. Lasa thoroughly enjoyed the looks on Joseph's and Erion's faces, especially after Ysranna's announcement that she and Joseph would have joint custody of God, who would stay with Joseph every other weekend.

"Izzy's gone mad," Joseph whimpered.

Roger joined them a few minutes later, clutching a paper. "Another murder," he said dully. "The peacemen are stumped. We won't be getting out of here anytime soon."

"It's nearly October," Lasa moaned. "We have to get going. I want to be back home before it starts snowing. I hate traveling in winter."

"You hate winter in general."

Lasa rubbed her temples. "And I hate Zacharias. I hate him, I hate him."

"Oh, I don't know," Ysranna said carelessly. "He did pick up God for me when I dropped him, remember?"

"Stop it!" Joseph cried. "You're driving me insane!"

Ysranna smiled with satisfaction. "My work here is done."

"That's it," Lasa said, standing up. "I can't take this anymore. We are leaving tonight."

This revelation was met with silence. Then Erion said, "How?"

"I have a plan," Lasa said shortly. "It is cunning and you'll all hate it. But I think it just might work."

* * *

Two girls stepped onto the pier at precisely nine o'clock that night. The taller was blonde and cold, while the smaller was vividly redheaded and chattered excitedly.

The peaceman patrolling the area wandered over to them. "The docks are closed, ladies," he said.

The redhead giggled. "Oh, we know. It's just that we're thinking of buying a boat, but our boyfriends don't want us to because it's not the sort of thing women do, so we're here because they're sleeping and won't know we're here, and all we want is a tour of one of the boats. Like, that one." She pointed at the Wavedancer.

"First of all, there's no one to show you around," the peaceman said. "Second, that boat is privately owned. Third - "

"Third," a voice said from behind him, "you could really use a third eye on the back of your head." There came the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked.

The peaceman slowly raised his hands above his head. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Well," the blonde girl said sweetly, "we'd really like a tour of that boat. Bye-bye."

The two girls quickly shoved him into the water, then ran for the Wavedancer. The boy with the gun blew the peaceman a kiss, and followed. After refusing to answer Lasa's question about the gun, is he really so willing to let the others see it? No, she forced him into it by yelling, very loudly, in front of everyone. Perhaps I should write that in somewhere.

* * *

"Nice acting, Ysranna," Monica said.

Lasa gave them a fleeting grin before returning her attention to steering the boat away from shore. "We'll go out until they can't see us," she said, "then make for a port south of here. We'll buy provisions there and then head for Isla de Costoso. Can everyone last without food until tomorrow?"

"I guess," Roger said unhappily.

The others headed belowdeck, but Roger remained. He leaned against the railing beside the wheel, and stared at Lasa. "We never talk anymore."

Lasa concentrated on avoiding rocks. "We're talking now."

"This whole thing seems kind of unreal." Roger turned and gazed out at the wide ocean. "We're wanted, probably under suspicion of murder after that escape episode, and we attacked a peaceman."

"We didn't," Lasa said. "Zac did." Zac threatened him. Monica and Ysranna attacked him. Yes, but Lasa likes them, whereas she is constantly angry with Zac. And she wasn't there, how would she know exactly who did what? Anyway, I added something about that awhile ago...I'll dig out that draft later...

"Did he really get you drunk yesterday?"

"Sadly, yes." She sighed. "I didn't know that Mai Tais were alcoholic, and I've never tasted alcohol before, so I had no idea until I was thoroughly drunk."

"Oh, you poor dear," Roger said dryly. "Because being drunk is so horrible compared to, oh, stealing a boat."

"It's ours, we didn't steal it. Would you rather be back in Pacific City with a killer stalking the streets?"

Roger sighed and ran a hand through his hair, making it stand on end. "I'd rather be in North Carolina," he said softly. "I'd rather still have a future." Whinge, whinge, whinge. His choice to come along. Yes, he does whine a lot, doesn't he? And he's obviously having second thoughts.

* * *

They docked in Newport around noon the next day. It took three hours to buy the provisions they needed, and they intended to take off for Isla de Costoso at four o'clock.

However, the docks were closed down by the time they arrived, laden with packages.

Lasa tracked down an Aqueous Guildmember. "Why?" she asked frantically. "We don't have time, we have to go - "

"There's a storm coming," the Guildmember said coldly. "Which you would know if you civilians had any idea how the world works."

"You know," Roger said when they had checked into a hotel, "we really should have been able to tell that a storm was coming. Skies dark off to the west, wind blowing off the ocean..."

"We didn't learn much about weather prediction," Lasa muttered. "We left before that lesson. Even if we somehow snuck aboard the boat, it's really risky to go out in a storm."

Zacharias fidgeted, then burst out, "I think we can't wait until the storm is over."

Joseph raised his eyebrows. "Oh, really? And why not?"

"Well, I mean, it's September 25. That's, like, almost October. I really think we ought to get to that island before October."

"Okay, then," Joseph said, "I hereby move that we stay here until October 1, because I don't trust him."

Alex, Shem, and Ysranna weren't listening. Lasa, while trying to figure out what to answer, heard Alex say, "And then I stapled everything he owned to the ceiling."

"You're so vengeful," Ysranna cooed. "Has anyone seen God lately?"

Joseph howled in rage. "Stop talking about God! Who is God? Why, Izzy, why?"

Zacharias waved his arms frantically. "Hello, back to me? Let's go, we can make it to Isla de Costoso before the storm hits."

"Probably not," Roger told the spy. "We're the Wavespeakers here, trust us." They didn't even know what Wavespeakers do till a few days ago. I know. So do they.

Zacharias stalked off into the hotel gift shop. Lasa watched him go, then turned her attention to her brothers and Ysranna.

"I maintain that he overreacted," Shem said in a dignified manner.

Alex glared at his brother. "You put the bag of popcorn in the microwave upside down and I got a concussion when it exploded. I don't think that I overreacted."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault. That bag so did not say 'This Side Up.'"

* * *

The storm broke shortly after sunset. Winds at thirty five miles per hour tore through the streets, and thunder shattered all hope of sleep that night; thus, when morning arrived, cloudy and bearing the promise of more rain, they decided not to chance the journey to Isla de Costoso.

"I'd really rather have a full night's sleep before we, you know, save the country and all," Lasa told Zacharias, who seemed rather jumpy about something.

It was not until September 29 that the clouds cleared, and even then they were forced to wait another day, because there was heavy damage to the docks, and until they were repaired, no one could leave by boat.

By the time the docks were declared open, clouds were rolling in again. However, Zacharias insisted that they could make it to Isla de Costoso before anything untoward happened. "It's twenty miles out," he pleaded.

"And nearly sixty miles to the south," Lasa pointed out. "Why, precisely, do you want to get to Isla de Costoso before October first?"

"I can't tell you," the spy mumbled.

Reluctantly, Lasa agreed that perhaps they could get to the island before the storm broke. Anyway, clouds didn't always mean storms, and she'd been out in storms before. Like on the day she'd met him.

The day everything had changed.

They were perhaps halfway to the island when Lasa felt the first raindrop strike her arm. She shivered and turned the wheel over to Roger.

Zacharias clambered onto deck. "Your brothers are fighting, and God has apparently run away," he said. "Joseph is unhappy, Ysranna is giggling madly, and I am sick of all of them."

"You shouldn't be up here," Lasa said. "You'll fall overboard, and you still can't swim."

"Oh, relax," Roger said. "This is just rain, not a thunderstorm. No one is going to fall overboard."

Joseph suddenly ran up the stairs from below, clutching God in his hand. "It must die," he said wildly, dashing over to the railing.

"Don't kill God," Ysranna wailed, chasing after him.

"You can't be on deck without life jackets!" Lasa shrieked.

Joseph waved the stuffed frog over the ocean, glaring at Ysranna. "This thing is destroying our friendship!"

"Oh, it is not."

Zacharias thought for a moment, made a decision, and said, "Hey, Joseph. When I said I'd respect you in the morning, I lied."

Joseph turned his head to stare at Zacharias. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Zacharias blew Joseph a kiss and wandered toward the stairs. "Be seeing you, lover."

Joseph forgot all about the frog and lunged at Zacharias. Lasa winced and looked away; she really had no interest in watching Joseph make mincemeat of the fragile, evil spy.

Thus, she was unclear on what happened until Ysranna joined her at the railing a few minutes later, cradling the frog in her hands. "You know what," she said with dawning realization, "I think that Zacharias might not be completely lost."

"He deliberately incited Joseph to violence," Lasa moaned.

"To save God." Ysranna sighed. "He's going to die, of course."

Lasa stared at the stuffed frog. "He said that to save a stuffed animal from drowning?" she said in awe. "He is such an idiot."

Ysranna smiled happily. "But he's an adorable idiot."

Lasa regarded the priestess with heavy suspicion. "You don't have a crush on him, do you?"

"Oh, no. I'm not insane, you know. Just startled."

* * *

They were forced to stop at a small seaside village for medical attention. Joseph ended up with a gash on his forehead, and apart from multiple bruises, Zacharias had somehow sprained his wrist.

"Men are completely mad," Lasa said, shaking her head. There wasn't a hospital in the village, just half a dozen doctors and a clinic. "I mean, Zac is so certain that we have to get to Isla de Costoso before tomorrow, and he goes and does something like this."

Ysranna sighed, staring down at God. "This thing is more trouble than it's worth."

Erion stared at her in utter amazement. "It took a fistfight for you to notice that?"

"Here," she said, handing the frog to him. "You won't misuse God."

Erion eyed the stuffed animal suspiciously. "Is it evil?"

"I really doubt it."

It was an hour before Joseph and Zacharias emerged from the back room. The priest had a long bandage wrapped around his head, while Zacharias sported an Ace bandage and a sling, not to mention a black eye.

"I'm sorry, Joseph," the spy said contritely.

"If you ever mention anything of that sort again," Joseph warned, "I'll break your leg."

"Well, you're the one who tried to kill God."

"Argh," Joseph said.

"We," Zacharias said importantly, "have bonded over this unfortunate event. So now we're ready to dash on over to Isla de Costoso."

"We'll never make it before dark now," Lasa said. "So, we'll be staying here overnight."

"No no no," Zacharias said desperately. "We have to get to the island before tomorrow. Come on."

"I refuse to set foot aboard the Wavedancer until tomorrow morning," Lasa snapped. "You're being an idiot again, Zac. You - "

"Never call me Zac."

"We're not leaving, Zacharias. And that is final."

* * *

Lasa was true to her word, and they didn't get back on the Wavedancer until the next morning. It was a nice day; the clouds had moved on during the night, and showed no sign of returning.

"It's a good day to die," Zacharias said sadly. Hasn't he said this before? Just curious. Nope. I did a search. He hasn't said it ever.

"Shut up, Zacharias," Lasa replied absently.

They found the island that was probably the Isla de Costoso and beached the Wavedancer with surprising ease. No one mentioned the fact that Zacharias had his gun out; there was a distinct atmosphere of not being alone on the island. The beach was white sand, and several yards inland was a huge rock.

"Here's a thought," Zacharias said suddenly. "Let's go back to the mainland and dash out to New York to dismantle the computer, instead."

"Zacharias," Ysranna said in exasperation. "If you're not going to tell us why we shouldn't be here today, we're not about to - "

"That's why," he answered, waving the gun at the sky.

There was something up there, so far up it was merely a pinpoint of darkness. But it was growing rapidly larger, falling toward them...

Not falling. Flying.

"Did I ever tell you about the giant hawks they bioengineered in England ten years ago?" Zacharias asked. "The vicious ones that obey voice signals which, incidentally, I don't know?" Why, exactly, couldn't he tell them this? He hadn't decided until Pacific City to join them, and he was trying to hide the fact that he's a traitor. It did not work.

"Um," Lasa said. "You failed to mention it." There were two other flying creatures up there, she noticed now, all diving toward them, and now she saw enormous, feathery wings and the sun glinting off of claws.

"Well," he said. "They're why we shouldn't have come today. In fact, they're the reason none of us is leaving this island alive...I mean, unless you've got several large, pointy objects with you?"

The hawks were perhaps fifty feet above them now, and began circling.

"What are they waiting for?" Shem whispered. "Why don't they attack?"

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Joseph asked.

Zacharias suddenly bolted for the rock; one of the hawks screamed and flew after him. Ysranna yelped in terror and covered her mouth...

But, moments later, Zacharias disappeared, and the hawk narrowly missed crashing into the rock.

Lasa inched in the direction he had gone, trying not to attract attention from the hawks, and almost immediately saw what a low hill had kept from sight: there was a hole near the bottom of the rock, large enough to crawl into.

"Run!" she yelled, and scrambled into the cave.

Zacharias grabbed her arm and dragged her further in. The cave got larger as they went, and shortly they heard their friends scrabbling at the entrance. So eager to get into a dark cave, and so uncaring of whether their friends make it in after them...hmm... They aren't Zac's friends, and Las did tell them to run. What else could she realistically be expected to do?

"You're going to explain some stuff soon, right?" Lasa asked desperately.

"Yeah, yeah." There was light ahead; another hole. "We can get out this way, and get into the facility where they've got the weapon."

"Wait," Monica said. "Sound off, first."

They each declared their presence, except for one.

Lasa swore darkly. "Where's Joseph?"

At that moment, something outside screamed.

It wasn't a hawk.