The Bird and The Dragon

12-343 Shibasa

One of the boat’s oarlocks made a squeaking noise with each rowing when it moved along Shibasa’s countless lamplit waterways. Jonathan felt his irritation building up as Miss Ohanu rambled about the wines she had acquired. Jonathan didn’t want to listen to mechanical whining or a single word about the grape varieties, he only wanted to return to his kids and be done with this wasted trip.

“Put some water into that cursed oar-holder! That squeaking wakes the behemoths from their slumber,” he barked interrupting Miss Ohanu.

“Bird, there is no need to be so angry,” Miss Ohanu rebuked. “Hennerson was not the man you were searching for, but you will eventually find that Jenet of yours.”

The rower glimpsed her customers and decided to do as ordered; she took water with a bailer and poured it into the oarlocks. Shibasa’s channels were formed when the sea flooded the ancient architecture, and more were constructed later. They enabled fluent traffic in the city built on the islands in the Shallow Sea, on the ruins dating to the end of the world.

The boat was in a channel where grey stone alternated with hard, shiny off-white material of the past. Chunks of the light material were used in Shibasan buildings as they covered the sea bottom in different colors. The material was resistant to nature, but moldable with heat.

Other boats moved in the same channel transporting people and goods. Shibasa was a center for trade on the products from the reefs. The isles lured people looking for work and searching for their fame and fortune. The rich ones traveled there for the beautiful beaches, continual parties, and loose legislation. Boutiques and spas sold hope and dreams based on the glory of the past world; drugs and treatments whispered to activate the sleeping genes and cleanse the body from the curses of ash.

Ohanu had landed here after escaping Haven. She had successfully claimed her territory among the established businesses. The woman and her enterprises bloomed in Shibasa and the war between Khem and Haven had only made her richer. Miss Ohanu had not mentioned if the warning Jonathan had sent via Jadeia had found her or if unruly visitors had asked her about Lund the poet or the Bird. On experience, Jonathan knew she archived such details to be used when they were the most valuable.

Jonathan had reluctantly put on his old identity to visit Miss Ohanu in search of Jenet of Ardara. The same trip served to check Cassine’s case. His tracks had led to Shibasa, to a ‘house with seashell decorations in Sepia Street’. The report had been pathetic and its way to Sandau had taken ridiculously long. Jonathan assumed that the entertainment available in Shibasa was to be blamed for both defects.

The said entertainment was why a morning lost in a fruitless search bugged Jonathan. He had brought his three youngest children with him and even if they had Pakhui to watch over them, Jonathan didn’t want to let the kids explore the city and its lures.

“Jenet may have disappeared anywhere. It was wishful thinking to imagine that the first try would have succeeded,” the man said.

“You have always been lucky, Ikanji,” Ohanu answered patting Jonathan’s hand. From the outside, she looked pristine, but the years had slowly worked their decay inside her head.

“The Bird,” Jonathan reminded her.

“Of course. You just look so much like your father. You know, we once had this boat trip…”

“Don’t tell me more,” Jonathan said. He had accepted Ikanji’s death, but it still hurt and Ohanu seemed to sense it.

“Has something happened?”

“He died.”

Ohanu’s gaze lingered in the water and the usually vivid woman was untypically motionless.

“My sympathy to you. He was a magnificent man, intelligent, passionate, and determined. How was his end?” Ohanu held Jonathan’s hands gently like a hatchling bird. “I ask because I once talked with him about dying. We were almost of the same age and at some point you become aware of your mortality. Ikanji said he wanted to die while trying something new, stretching the limits of his capabilities.”

“That’s what he did.”

The crystals glued to the woman’s artfully lacquered nails glittered when she caressed his hand to comfort, but Jonathan couldn’t say if she comforted him or herself.

“A matrix was involved. An ainadu…” Jonathan started.

“I know the basics, Bird.”

“Right. He was murdered and my sister was used as a tool in the scheme. They ceased to exist, and it took weeks to clean their remains from the grand piano.” Jonathan reached for a light tone, but his smile wavered unlike any expression ever seen on the Bird’s face.

Ohanu softened her voice. ”My condolences again. I knew you had a sister, but I never met her. Did she act purposefully?”

“She disagreed with Father, but Jesrade would never have…no, she didn’t know what she did. Jessea was seven years my junior, but she was close to me,” Jonathan said quietly. He would have given anything to change places with his sister; to summon Jesrade back to life, to let her continue the work to turn her dreams into reality. He was unable to believe Jesrade had intended to kill.

“Oh, Bird. You have lost too much. I see it still hurts. Do you want to talk about it?”

Jonathan shrugged his head. There was not much to say, even less of it safe to be voiced aloud in here. “How did you meet my father?”

“The first time I saw him was when the ainadu arrived in Khem. I was a palace servant, rushing to ready a room for this alien general. I remember Ikanji standing in the room, his clothes dirty with salt and his travels, his hair tangled and unwashed, dark rings around his eyes but he still looked like a winner. He smiled at me and pointed things so I would tell their names. He was embracing the change already then.” Ohanu took a handkerchief and patted her eyes.

“You never told your part in that story. Did you follow them to the north?”

“Only to the landing site. I got a place in the maintenance unit, but when Khem betrayed the agreement, I left. I was seventeen and the wrongfulness was unbearable. It took a few decades until I met Ikanji again.” Ohanu chuckled. “You know, he sold himself as a slave to experience the concept on a personal level.”

“I have heard about it, with those exact words.”

“He had his way of speaking. I took him under my wing when Stolram’s human experiments were canceled. Ikanji became one of my star performers and it took some time before I recognized him. I eventually proposed to him, but he declined. He is the only man ever to turn me down.” Ohanu laughed softly at the memory.

“I knew about his brief stardom; you showed me the painting. But I didn’t know you used to be so close. I am so sorry Miss Ohanu.”

“That painting…was it packed when we left…Oh yes, he was a great actor, just like you. Tonight, I’ll open an extraordinarily expensive bottle for his memory.” Ohanu removed her hand from Jonathan’s hold. “And consider yourself to be invited for dinner. It is not good to brood alone.”

”Thank you, but I can’t leave the kids.”

“That handsome blonde seemed to be sufficiently suspicious to keep a few teenagers under control. You can bring them to my house. I’ll arrange them a tour to the theater.”

Jonathan estimated the situation. He was very protective in some issues and Miss Ohanu’s interpretation of age-appropriate, healthy, and safe was questionable, as Jonathan knew from personal experience.

“Dear Bird, I promise it will include only wigs, stage sets, and pretty dresses. Nothing salacious, no intoxicants, only respectable people,” Ohanu said following his trail of thought.

Liida and Tiago loved the idea of visiting backstage and followed Andraka eagerly. Andraka was a tall, bony, and androgynous person, who had held a position in Ohanu’s board since Viper’s days. Most called him by name, but he had answered 17-year-old Jonathan’s questions to be ‘a man, but you puppy will call me Miss Ohanu’s butler’. He knew the ainadu language and talked it fluently with nasal tones.

Andraka knew everything worth knowing about Miss Ohanu’s entertainment enterprises; he knew the actors and customers and their preferences to the last dirty detail, knew who to bribe, who sold and bought items, and how much glowing powder could be safely added to the number 4 hair paint for Dawn Queen’s appearance. Jonathan had always gotten along with Andraka and trusted the man on practical items. Still, Jonathan continued addressing him with the title given at the first meeting, even if Andraka had later asked him to use his name. In return, Andraka kept on calling Jonathan Puppy.

Jonathan was lounging in Miss Ohanu’s hall, his feet on the arm of a chair covered in golden velvet, holding a glass. With Ohanu he automatically reverted to the Birds’ mannerisms.

“I can’t believe you eventually became a dad.” miss Ohanu said.

“It was not my decision,” Jonathan confessed when three persons entered the room.

“My lovely surprise guests!” miss Ohanu exclaimed and greeted the newcomers. “You already know the navigator, but dear Bladewater promised to bring interesting company and she has phenomenally honored her promise. Welcome!”

“Bladewater!” Jonathan set his glass down and hugged the woman. Over two years had passed since their last meeting, but the navigator hadn’t changed, even her loose-fitting, peach-colored shirt Jonathan had seen earlier. The woman returned the hug and for a while, Jonathan felt the touch snapping the broken pieces of his heart back in their places.

The two other guests grounded Jonathan soon enough, for he knew them both. The dark-haired young man with an ugly scar starting from his brow and disappearing to his hair was Stephanem Veringe and Jonathan was annoyed that he was still following the navigator. The other guest was well over two meters tall, dark, and not a hairstyle or a nicely cut suit masked Esrau.

“My journeyman Jiir Gattesund and my good friend mister Esrau Frenk. Miss Ohanu, you have certainly heard about and…” Bladewater gave the introductions but stopped at Jonathan, letting the man choose his identity.

“Jonathan Byrd,” he shook hands with Esrau like meeting him for the first time. Nocturna recognized him but didn’t mention it.

Ohanu’s servant served drinks. She was a graceful woman in a white, sleeveless dress and barefoot.

“Is Jiir a talent like you?” Ohanu asked Bladewater.

“No, he has more ambition. He has proclaimed his will to captain a ship one day.”

Jiir nodded. His left eye was motionless, the accident that scarred him had paralyzed part of his face. “Bladewater has decided to craft me into a navigator first.”

“What about you, Esrau? Are you also into flying?” Ohanu continued guiding her guests to sit down.

“Who isn’t,” the nocturna agreed. “Bladewater has the most interesting visions on the solutions to return to the orbit.”

“They used to be unripe whimsies until our discussions refined them towards realism,” Bladewater said, as usual meaning what the words implied. She didn’t play humble on purpose.

“So fascinating. What is your specialty, Esrau?”

“The history,” the tall man said, and Jonathan got the impression he was not lying. He glanced to Bladewater who was sitting next to him and noticed the woman was observing him.

“You look terrible, Bird. What has happened?” Bladewater whispered.

“I had some family issues, but don’t worry. It all is getting better now,” Jonathan said smiling, feeling genuine relaxation for the first time in a while.