The Neptune Challenge Read online

  “All right.” He drops his hand and takes a deep breath. “If you survived a voyage from San Diego up the Western Collective to Canada, you can probably survive a few hours out there in the strait. You three hurry and get your travel gear, but you’re going to take two of our best Sea Rangers with you. They know the waters around here.”

  I sigh in relief, and the dolphins whisk us back to the dorm caves. Within minutes, Thom, Tobin, and I are ready with seapacks and spearguns, and we meet up with Janni and Rohan, the two Sea Rangers my dad chose to accompany us. Rohan, a quiet Indian boy, nods to Tobin. They’re already friends because Rohan is a medic, too.

  :I need to inspect your spearguns and seapacks before we cross the perimeter,: Janni announces abruptly.

  Thom, Tobin, and I glance at one another. Does she really think we don’t know how to take care of our equipment? James might not have time for this! Biting back a protest, I hand her my speargun.

  She looks it over. :These bands will need to be changed soon.:

  :But not yet,: I say.

  :Not yet,: she admits grudgingly and moves on to my seapack. What is up with her? Just as Janni finishes inspecting all of our gear, my dad approaches us. Beside him is Vival, the stern-faced woman in charge of the Sea Ranger program.

  “Because Janni knows these waters best, I’m placing her in command of this expedition.” Vival speaks to us through a transmitter in her dive mask. Neither she nor my dad is a telepath.

  “But, Nere,” my dad adds through his own transmitter, “you’re in charge of dolphin communications and their search. I want you to save James, but you can’t risk getting caught and revealing the existence of this colony to the Western Collective, the Canadians, or anyone else. Good luck.”

  He swims forward to give me a hug. I try to hug him back, but it’s hard to embrace someone wearing a wet suit, a dive belt, and an oxygen tank. I give Janni a sideways glance afterward. She doesn’t look happy about my father’s orders.

  :You guys ready?: she asks. We nod, and she signals a Safety Harbor dolphin to give her a tow. We pair up with our own dolphins, and soon we’re speeding toward the shimmering silver wall of bubbles that stretches across the narrow mouth of Safety Harbor. That wall protects the entire colony from sharks, other predators, and scavenger fish. As we cross it, all I can see are bubbles, and they tickle my face and hands.

  Then we’re through the wall and heading west. Drawing in a deep breath, I realize this is the first time I’ve been outside the perimeter since we arrived at Safety Harbor a week ago. I tighten my grip on my speargun and look around carefully for any sign of danger. Visibility is good today, which means we can see almost forty feet ahead through the clear green water. A small school of mackerel flows past us, sunlight glinting on their stripes and silver scales. We pass a tall yellow-brown forest of kelp, and I almost smile when I spot several harbor seals watching us curiously out of their big, dark eyes.

  As we travel swiftly below the surface, I relay to Rohan and Janni everything James told me about his location.

  :It sounds like he’s probably near Tegan Island,: Janni says. :That has a big rock spike on its south end. We’ll start our search there.:

  A few minutes later, the dolphins sense a ship. My heart beats faster as we scatter and dive deep to avoid sonar detection. Luckily, the ship continues up the strait without slowing, but soon we encounter three more ships traveling together in a convoy, and we have to dive and hide again.

  After we turn to avoid a fifth ship, Janni shakes her head. :I’ve never seen this much boat traffic out here.:

  :At least they don’t seem to be hunting us for a change,: Rohan points out with a serious smile.

  I try to reach out to James, but he doesn’t respond to my mental calls. His range is so limited, I’m surprised he reached me in the first place. But sometimes when telepaths are desperate, they can broadcast their thoughts more strongly. Tobin must sense how worried I am, because he and Mali move up beside me.

  :Hey, we’ll find your brother, and he’ll be okay,: Tobin reassures me.

  :I hope you’re right. James can be a real pain sometimes, but he’s the only brother I’ve got.:

  :Why didn’t he come north when you did? All you’ve ever really told me about James is that his Neptune transformation failed.:

  I choose my words carefully. James has some secrets I can’t ever tell. :It didn’t completely fail. He had some strong telepathic abilities he inherited from my mother, and the transformation intensified those. The problem is, his ability to shield didn’t switch on. So James hears every thought of every person near him, all the time.:

  :Being around other people must drive him crazy after a few hours.:

  :That’s why he was happier living all by himself out in the Channel Islands.:

  :That still had to get pretty lonely after a while,: Tobin says, shaking his head.

  I try to reach out to James again a few minutes later.

  :Nere?: I hear him reply, but his mental touch is much fainter than before.

  :We’re coming, but is there some way you can mark your boat? I don’t want to risk swimming up to the wrong one and having someone spot us.:

  :Th-thought of that already. Look for a gray dinghy with the motor hanging below it. Since it conked, I’m using it as a sea anchor.:

  :Where are you now?:

  :N-not sure. Think I’ve drifted a long way from that island.:

  :Hang in there. We are going to find you.:

  Quickly, I relay to my human companions what James just told me. When we reach the island, we risk surfacing, but there’s no sign of James’s dinghy. I choke back a sob. The wind is picking up, and it could have pushed his light little boat miles from here by now.

  We duck back under the waves. Janni pulls out a chart and calmly assigns each of us an area to search while my dolphins swim around us in circles, squeaking and whistling in their excitement.

  :we will start soon?: Sokya asks me repeatedly. The pod loves to look for people. Her brother, Densil, who is much more steady and thoughtful than Sokya, swims up beside me.

  :we will find your brother in time,: he promises. :I will be happy to see him again.:

  :Thanks, Densil,: I say, leaning into him for comfort. :I know you’ll find him, and he’ll be glad to see you, too.: But will my brother be okay?

  The moment Janni finishes our assignments, I divide the dolphins into teams and send them off to search with their human partners. Mariah tows me while Laki races ahead of us, using her ability to echolocate to search the seas ahead for any sign of a small boat. The minutes tick by like hours, and James still doesn’t respond to my calls. What if he’s bleeding to death at this very moment? I’ve already lost my mother; I can’t lose James, too.

  Finally, an endless half hour later, Sokya contacts me, and she sounds very pleased with herself. :we found the boat. my team wins!:

  :NICE JOB, SOKYA,: I reply to my enthusiastic dolphin friend. :I’ll give you lots of fresh squid when we get back to Safety Harbor.:

  I contact Rohan, who’s working with Sokya’s team. :Have you found my brother?:

  :The dolphins located a small boat with an outboard dangling below it. I’m surfacing to check it out.:

  I’m certain enough that Sokya and Rohan have found the right boat to ask Mariah and Laki to take me to it. What if Rohan’s too late to help James, I can’t help wondering as we race through the sea.

  :James is still alive,: Rohan finally reports to all of us. :He’s dehydrated, he has a nasty gash on his arm, and he has a fever. I’m guessing he’s been adrift for a while without water.:

  :Is he going to be okay?: I ask, fighting to keep my mental voice steady.

  :I think we can get him fixed up, but it’s a good thing the dolphins found him when they did. Janni, we’re maybe a quarter of a mile from Gull Island.:

  :There’s a small cove along its southern side,: Janni replies. :If we can beach his boat there, the Marine Guard is less likely to spot it
.:

  The moment my dolphins and I reach the dinghy, I head straight for the ladder on its stern. Mali and Ricca are swimming nearby, which means Tobin must already be here.

  I scramble to the top of the ladder. Both Rohan and Tobin are kneeling beside James, and tears sting my eyes as I gaze at my unconscious big brother. Tobin is gently cutting away a bloody, filthy bandage on his arm, and Rohan is setting up an IV. Beneath his bristling beard, James’s skin is gray, and his lips are dry and blistered. He’s even thinner than he was when I saw him several weeks ago.

  Tobin glances at me. “I know he doesn’t look great, but I think he’s gonna make it.”

  “He must be strong to have hung on this long,” Rohan adds encouragingly.

  I so want to help, but I’m afraid I’ll just get in their way. “Guess I’ll leave you guys to it.”

  Feeling useless, I climb down the ladder. Janni and Thom are both beneath the boat now.

  :We need to get the dinghy over to the island before the Marine Guard finds it,: Janni says. :It’s time to put the dolphins to work again.:

  Grateful for something to do, I pull two dolphin towlines from our seapacks. The lines are knotted into a series of loops, and with Thom’s help, I tie them both to the bow of the dinghy. While we uncoil the towlines, Tobin slips back into the water and Janni cuts the line to James’s broken motor.

  The dolphins must see this as another exciting game, because they all crowd around me eagerly, including some of the older and more mellow females in the pod like Kona and Mona.

  :I want to pull,: Sokya says imperiously.

  I choose six, including Sokya, Mona, Densil, and Kona, and they race to poke their beaks through the loops. I ask my friends to head straight for the entrance to the cove on the nearby island. With six strong dolphins pulling, the dinghy surges forward.

  :a boat comes,: Mariah warns me, :and it sounds like one of the fast ones with the dark bottom.:

  I swallow hard. She means it sounds like a cutter, the swift ships the Marine Guard uses for patrolling.

  Trying not to panic, I share Mariah’s warning with the rest.

  :Densil, Sokya,: I call to them. :You’ve got to pull faster. The Marine Guard may be coming.:

  :Whoa!: I hear Rohan’s startled exclamation as the dolphins surge forward. :It’s like there’s a real motor on this thing now.:

  The dolphins swim so rapidly, they are leaving Janni and the rest of us behind. I ask Mariah to send some of the pod back to tow us, too.

  :Rohan, if that boat spots us, you jump overboard,: I hear Janni call out. :There’s no point in both of you getting caught.:

  :Roger that.:

  I wish Rohan could stay with James, but I know the dolphins can pull the dinghy faster without his extra weight. :Mariah, is that ship heading for us?: I ask as I catch hold of Laki’s dorsal.

  :I do not know, but its engines are getting louder.:

  That’s not good.

  :I’m going topside to take a look,: Janni announces. She and her dolphin, Tosi, flash up to the surface.

  :The cutter is headed toward us,: Janni declares a minute later, :but its crew may not have seen the dinghy yet. We’ve gotta get it inside that cove.:

  Mariah contacts me. :if the rest of the pod pushes, they can make the little boat go faster.:

  :Mariah, you’re brilliant!:

  I relay her suggestion to Janni, Thom, and Tobin.

  :You trust the dolphins to get the dinghy to the cove and out of sight without us?: Janni asks. Tosi is towing her right next to me now, and I can see the doubt in Janni’s expression.

  :In a heartbeat. I know they can do this.:

  Janni hesitates for a long moment before she says, :Tell them all to push the boat. Rohan, jump overboard now,: she adds. :We gotta lighten the load.:

  The moment I let go of Laki’s dorsal, she darts away with Tosi to join the others pushing the dinghy. Rohan jumps into the water, and the five of us swim after the dolphins as fast as we can, kicking hard.

  Soon I hear the deep throb of the cutter’s engines in the distance and kick even harder. The throbbing grows louder and louder, but I still can’t see the ship when I glance back.

  :we have reached the cove,: Densil finally announces.

  :Can you pull the boat inside it now?: I ask him. :You’ve got to hide it from the people on the big ship.:

  :the mouth of the cove is narrow, and we will take your brother’s boat inside to a place where the people on the big ship will not see it,: he assures me.

  I’m panting and my legs are burning by the time we reach the mouth of the cove. The bass roar of the cutter’s engines fills my ears. We surface behind a rock spire covered with barnacles and peek around it. I clench my speargun tighter. The Marine Guard cutter is still speeding straight for us…but then it turns, and I relax my grip a little. The ship is definitely heading up the strait.

  “Whew. That was way too close,” Tobin says for all of us.

  We swim inside the cove. I blink in surprise when I see the dolphins have already beached the dinghy for us.

  Janni shakes her head and smiles at me for the first time all morning. “I have to admit, your dolphins are pretty amazing. I’ve been getting a little tired of hearing people say how cool it is that you can talk to them, but now I can see how useful that ability is on a mission.”

  I just have time to send Janni a quick smile in return before we’re mobbed by happy dolphins. :Nice job, you guys,: I tell Mariah, Densil, and Sokya, and I broadcast feelings of gratitude to the rest of the pod.

  :Please go feed and rest. I’ll call if we need your help again,: I tell my dolphin friends after we give them rubs.

  Sokya and Nika lead the rest out of the cove, showing off with a couple of spectacular leaps along the way.

  “Let’s really hide that dinghy now,” Janni says, getting back to business.

  We take off our travel fins and stride from the water, the small round pebbles of a shingle beach crunching under our feet. I breathe out the last of the water in my lungs and try to ignore how heavy and awkward I always feel now on land. Rohan, Tobin, and I hurry to check on James, and I’m relieved to see he’s still breathing. As I untie the towlines, Janni searches for a good place to hide the boat. Eventually she chooses a spot behind a big boulder and a massive cedar tree, and Thom drags the dinghy up there all by himself.

  Then he glances up at the sky. “If we turn over the dinghy and prop it up, it would give your bro some shelter. Looks like it might rain soon.”

  “That sounds like a great idea,” I say.

  Carefully, we lift James and settle him on the beach. I bite my lip when I realize how hot his skin feels beneath my hands. Thom uses a couple of thick pieces of driftwood to prop up one end of the small boat. I stay right by James’s side, hoping he’ll wake soon.

  “If I cover the dinghy with branches, it would be harder to see,” Thom says to me.

  “Nere and I will help you,” Janni says shortly. I think she’s irritated that Thom keeps looking to me for orders, but for four long, dangerous weeks, I was his commander, and we’re both still getting used to someone else being in charge.

  Reluctantly, I leave James to gather some branches. By the time we’ve finished covering the dinghy and settled James under it, I’m panting and dizzy. Our lungs aren’t very efficient when we’re out of the water, so Thom, Janni, Tobin, and I head back to the sea to reoxygenate properly. Rohan stays behind with James, but Tobin promises to come relieve him shortly. Janni and I check in with Roni, a young marine biologist who is one of the few telepaths on Dad’s helper staff, and give her an update on our status.

  For the rest of the afternoon, we take turns keeping an eye on James. When it’s finally my turn to go up on the beach again, it’s raining lightly. I check the strait for boats, but it’s quiet for now. Beyond the strait to the north, tall hemlock and red cedar trees retreat in dark green waves to the rugged blue mountains beyond.

  I duck under the edge of t
he dinghy, and I’m relieved to see James is dry and his color’s a little better. Rohan and Tobin covered him with a blanket from their first aid supplies and tied his IV bag above his head. I’m glad he’s already getting fluids and antibiotics. I try to sit down quietly next to my big brother, but the shingle pebbles still rustle beneath me.

  His gray eyes flutter open and he manages a smile despite his blistered lips. “Hi, sis,” he says weakly. “I knew you and Mariah would find me.”

  “Actually, Sokya’s the one who found you, and she’s not ever going to let us forget that.”

  “Well, tell her thanks.” He pulls a water bottle close with his good arm and takes a small sip.

  “Dad’s going to send a boat for you when it’s dark. We’ll have you set up in the topside infirmary in no time. I’m so happy you’re finally here.” But I can’t help wondering why he’s here. Because he looks too tired to talk, I decide not to ask him that just yet.

  James sighs. “Remember, brat, I can hear most of your thoughts when you’re sitting this close to me, whether I want to or not. The Marine Guard found the Kestrel and sank her, so I lost my home. I figured I might as well come north and see if I could give Dad a hand, and I wanted to find out if you’d made it okay. I crewed for a black-market fisherman, and he got me as far as San Francisco. Then I joined a band of young smugglers heading north, but the Marine Guard caught us and sank us just south of Vancouver Island.”

  “Is that when you got hurt?”

  James shakes his head, but I see a shadow in his eyes. “It was bad, Nere. They cut those kids apart with solar rifles as they struggled to swim in the cold water. They didn’t manage to kill me because I dove deep and stayed down until they left.”

  “So your free diving saved you,” I say, swallowing a sudden lump in my throat. I don’t want to think about how close my big brother came to dying. Even before his failed Neptune transformation, James loved to dive long and deep without scuba gear, which wasn’t the safest hobby. His free diving used to drive my parents crazy.

  “Yeah, I guess it did.” A smile touches his eyes briefly, and then it fades. “Nere, you should know that losing the Kestrel wasn’t the only reason I came. It’s getting worse down south. The weather just keeps getting hotter and dryer, and most of this spring’s crops have already failed. This could be the start of the worst famine yet, and the Western Collective’s been forcing thousands of young people to join its army. A day ago, I found out why.”