Peter stood at the door of the bridal hut, ushering the women inside.
"Can you please ask Mayra to come out and speak with me?" He asked the last one in line. She nodded a little knowingly at him, which made him sigh.
If the girl insinuated anything romantic at Mayra, it would be that much more difficult to get her to come out and talk to him.
"Mayra! Are you in there?" He called after a few moments.
The same girl reappeared. "She says she's not feeling well."
"Tell her Cora needs her." Peter insisted. The girl looked skeptical, but complied.
Peter tapped his foot impatiently. Mayra was about as stubborn as anyone he knew, but Cora had sent for them, and he wasn't about to let the Commodore's wife know that Mayra wasn't coming because of a childish tantrum.
The door opened again slightly, and Mayra peeked out.
"Peter if this is—"
"It's about Brenna. They caught her," He quickly whispered before she could close the door in his face.
Her eyes widened and she slipped out and closed the door behind her.
He took her arm and they walked out of earshot of the guards, who were still watching him curiously.
"Who caught her? Is she back here?" Mayra leaned close, apparently forgetting for a moment that she was avoiding Peter.
"No, she's been taken to Klain. They'll decide what to do with her there." He replied.
"Then why does Cora want to see me about it?" She drew back from him, tugging her arm away.
"Cora wants to see you about something else. Come along," Peter began walking quickly, forcing her to follow.
"About what?" She asked, trotting alongside him with doubt in her voice.
"Fishing," He responded vaguely, inciting her curiosity.
"What? What do I know about fishing?" Mayra tried to keep up with his long strides.
"Not a thing. Riley told Cora she didn't need to ask your advice, but she insisted," That was true. Riley didn't think the land-dwellers would have anything in particular to contribute, but Cora thought Mayra's knowledge of herbs might be relevant somehow.
"Riley's probably right this time, as much as it pains me to admit it. Why in the world would she want to consult with me about fishing?" She asked.
"Did you figure out any more about the fishing-net herbs after Jimmy left?" Peter asked.
"Not much. Why?"
"It seems the net that got cut off and sank is causing a disturbance."
"You're being incredibly vague on purpose and I don't appreciate it." Mayra chided.
"Well, you're following me, so it's working." He grinned.
"Hmph. What kind of disturbance?" She rolled her eyes.
"Nothing much, just a giant gathering of every animal and fish in the sea in one giant swirling mass of blood and gore, devouring each other as they're driven mad, leaving nothing in the rest of the ocean for the Cetoans to catch."
Mayra stopped in her tracks. "Are you serious?"
"That's what I'm told. Of course, Riley exaggerates sometimes. I bet Cora will have more detail on the matter." He assured her.
Her steps quickened, and he lengthened his strides, though not by much.
When they reached Cora's hut, the conversation was a brief one.
"I don't think there are herbs to help with such a thing," Mayra said, "but, I might have another plan."
"I can tell by the look on your face that it's a terrible one," Riley's eyebrows rose.
"That's very possible," Mayra shrugged. "But how will you make fun of it if you never hear it?"
"Good point, Sis. Continue." He grinned.
"Is the main issue how to retrieve it from the ocean, or how to get close enough to it?" Mayra asked. Cora took a deep breath.
"There is no way to get near enough to the site. Whales, giant squid, swordfish, all manner of sea creatures writhe within the area around where the nets were cut. The fishing shortages in other areas have steadily worsened. It is carnage as the predators eat the prey indiscriminately. The entire area has turned red with blood." Cora shook her head.
Peter grimaced at the bleak mental picture the words created.
"But, if you can get close enough, do you have a method to retrieve it?" Mayra pressed.
"Not foolproof, but there are methods for retrieving lost nets." Cora squinted.
"All right," Mayra smiled. "Here's what I'm thinking…"
________________
Caspian calmly stared at the Council as they bickered. Was this the way Klain's government always functioned? He looked over at the General, who gave him a mildly amused glance as if reading his thoughts.
King Duncan looked to be biting his tongue as the Peacekeeper rattled on about how more resources were needed for investigating who might be following the Void.
"How many resources do you want? And how would you investigate? Question every person in Klain, and trust that they are telling the truth? Torture them until they admit it? Harass every person in our world?" The Provider snapped.
"We should start with that Rhone prisoner, Brenna. She's the most likely one we know of to be following the Void. Besides, that is, our esteemed guest's brother," The Peacekeeper shot a look toward Caspian.
"Edmar is being tracked down and captured. You know this already, and yet you make me waste time reminding you." Caspian said, growing bored.
The room fell silent a moment, and he resisted the urge to cringe. Apparently diplomacy was not one of his skills.
From the middle of the room, Finn snickered, and all eyes turned to her.
"Thank you, Caspian, for reminding us all how precious time is. In that vein, I would like to quickly make my own two points and then get back to my children." She smiled at the Council.
"Please proceed," The Judge told her.
"Firstly, I would like to report that the little girl slept soundly last night, free of the nightmares of the Void. On the way here this morning I stopped to visit Lysander and Dierdre, and discovered that he, also, was able to escape the influence on his dreams. I believe this tentatively confirms my theory that Klain has some measure of protection against the Void's direct influence." She smiled brightly at the group.
They murmured amongst themselves in response, but Caspian was watching his cousin's wife as she addressed the men in power. He was still quite nervous in front of them, though he was on fairly equal terms as a foreign dignitary.
Her confidence must come from another source.
"Secondly, I would like to offer my help with the moles, such as it is." She declared.
That got everyone's attention, but the Treasurer spoke first.
"How would you do so?" He asked.
"You'll remember the wolf repellant we used in the battle against the Rhone," Finn glanced with a slight grimace at her Father-in-law, though he was looking down.
"Of course," The General leaned forward.
"Well, although the one who gave me the recipe called it 'wolf repellant', he often vaguely or incompletely labels things. I think we should at least give it a try, if you're willing. If it doesn't work as is, I think I understand the recipe well enough to attempt to modify it." She sounded less certain of the last part, but Caspian couldn't fault her for the idea.
"I took the liberty of making some after breakfast this morning." She produced a bag from the satchel at her side. "It's not enough to cover the tunnels, by quite a wide margin, but more can be made."
"Fascinating theory," The Treasurer leaned forward. "General, this substance worked well for you in the past?"
"It was what kept the wolves out of the city after the Void breached the wall," The General confirmed.
Caspian pursed his lips. He should study more about this battle. It sounded complex and intense. Hopefully Ceto would never be at war with either of these peoples, but it is best to know information about your allies as well as your enemies.
"And will you take it down into the tunnels for dispersion?" The Treasurer turned back to Finn, who paled considerably.
"Forgive me," She said, "but I'm afraid I do not have the fortitude to brave those tunnels once more after nearly being eternally entombed the last time."
"Perfectly understandable," King Duncan interjected on behalf of his daughter-in-law.
"Indeed. We thank you for your suggestion. The mole attacks are at least daily, so I will have this sent to the excavators as a test. If it keeps them safe and the creatures at bay, we will ask that you arrange for much more to be made." The Treasurer smiled at her gratefully.
"I will take my leave, unless I'm needed further," Finn gave a little curtsy.
"We appreciate your contributions to our nation," The Judge nodded in dismissal.
The woman smiled at the gathering, nodded at Duncan and turned to leave. As she passed Caspian on her way out, she smiled at him and spoke so softly he almost missed the two words she bestowed on him.
"Have fun!"