Shadow Waters Read online

  ‘I’m not just passing the time,’ Paki said. ‘I’m trying to save Hoheria.’

  ‘Yeah, mate, and good on you for that. I don’t think I’d have the bottle to drown myself.’

  Paki turned to Wilf. ‘Am I ready yet?’

  ‘One more night. Keep clearing your head. Give the flame a better chance to work properly. And make sure your broken arm’s strapped to your side. You won’t want that flapping around.’

  When Paki was once more cross-legged on his cushion, his breathing slow and even, Wilf and Sean made themselves comfortable on the porch.

  ‘He’s not nearly ready, y’know,’ Wilf said. ‘The flame’s there but it’s only patchy and he’s not really sure yet how to use it. It’s kind of sink or swim.’

  Sean looked at Wilf. ‘You wouldn’t care to rephrase that?’

  ‘No, not really. That’s exactly how it is. We don’t have the time to bring out his abilities with weeks of teaching and gentle exercises. I’ve got a feeling Hoheria needs help right now, and Paki’s the best chance we’ve got. Unpleasant as it sounds, we have to push him into extreme circumstances and see if that adds the final lesson.’

  ‘You don’t sound too certain.’

  ‘I’m not. We might lose both of them.’

  ‘Why don’t you go with Paki? You know the score. You might make all the difference.’

  ‘I’m an old bugger. I’m pretty sure my heart wouldn’t take the strain of another drowning. It nearly finished me last time. I was months recovering.’ Wilf looked at Sean. ‘And I’m scared. But you’re right. I know I should go, I’ve known since I met Kevin. It feels like I’ve been building up to this. I’m just not sure yet, and that’s probably enough to kill me.’

  ‘Give us a hand with this old stove,’ Sean said to Kevin. ‘We’ll stick it in the stern.’ He turned to Wilf. ‘You made your mind up yet, Uncle?’

  Wilf tightened his jaw. ‘I don’t have any choice. I couldn’t live with myself if I stayed behind.’ He smiled at Paki. ‘Guess we’ll have to look after each other.’

  Paki stowed the rope he was coiling one-handed in the bottom of the boat. ‘Glad you’re coming. I think I’d be a bit lost by myself.’

  Kevin stepped up to Paki. ‘I owe you big-time for this, brother.’

  ‘That’ll be the day. Family. You’d do the same for me. You’d be doing it for Hoheria if you could.’

  He turned to Cheryl, standing nearby. ‘You know I have to do this.’ She nodded. Tears gathered in her eyes. ‘But I’ve got every intention of coming back.’ He embraced Cheryl. ‘I love you too much not to.’

  Cheryl snuffled, pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve, dabbed ineffectually at her eyes. ‘Tell me, not the top of my head, you great big bastard.’

  Sean lifted his arms and undid something at the back of his neck. He pulled the manaia from inside his clothing and held it out to Paki.

  ‘Put this on, bro,’ he said. ‘I’ve got an idea Tinirau will make himself known to you when you need him.’ He tied the kiekie thong at the back of Paki’s neck and tucked the bone carving inside his swanny, patting it like a solicitous parent.

  Sean and Kevin stood knee-deep in the water. Kevin held the prow of the dinghy. Paki released Cheryl from their last-minute embrace and turned to them.

  ‘Let’s get going then, while I’ve still got the nerve.’ He and Wilf helped push the boat out into deeper water and all four hopped in. Sean started rowing. Neither Wilf nor Paki looked back. They both kept their eyes fixed firmly on the centre of the lagoon, five hundred metres away, the distance shortening rapidly as Sean rowed. Kevin sat in the bow, not sure where to look.

  ‘This is about the spot,’ Sean said as he stopped rowing and shipped the oars. ‘The deepest part of the estuary.’ Wilf picked up one end of the rope and lifted an eyebrow at Paki, who nodded. Deftly the old man tied their left ankles together and looped the other end of the rope through the top of the old gas stove. Paki gulped. Beads of sweat stood out on his forehead.

  ‘Side each,’ said Wilf after he’d jerked the knots tight. The two men pulled the stove up so it was sitting balanced on the boat’s transom.

  ‘Good luck, you two,’ said Sean. Kevin was speechless, looking at the two men. Paki’s mouth worked as words struggled to come out. Wilf nodded, and turned to Paki.

  ‘You ready?’

  Sean and Kevin watched Paki get hold of himself, breathe in, and check the knots. He looked up at Wilf. ‘Ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s do it.’

  Together they heaved the stove over the stern and, as the rope uncoiled rapidly with the sinking weight, threw themselves backwards into the water. The rope tightened, and they vanished from sight.

  14

  Burst of Agony

  She had hit the water beneath the Kahuika Bridge with a mighty splash, the sound of Jim’s rifle shot still ringing in her ears. The impact knocked all the air out of her. Reflex and instinct made her fight to breathe in, but she was two metres underwater and an inner voice screamed, Don’t!

  She couldn’t help herself. She tried to pull in more air but there wasn’t any, only cold, green river water. First she gagged and then she choked. Don’t panic! urged the voice, but when she tried to swim upwards and her limbs wouldn’t obey she started to lose her focus. Then she panicked. Her body began to spasm. She clawed at her own mouth, desperate for air, but all that came was more water.

  She could feel herself losing consciousness. Everything around her turned dim and dark. She couldn’t fight any more. Her eyes rolled up in her head and, unable to do anything else, she stopped struggling. As she relaxed, her body opened up and the water flooded in, filling her lungs and drowning her. At first, as her consciousness faded, everything went black and her mind shrank. So this is what it’s like, she thought. What’s the big deal?

  But even that thought vanished, leaving her hanging in a blank emptiness.

  After a while, she realised that she was still aware. The darkness had gone. She felt like she’d come home. She belonged in this place. Everything was fuzzy and unfocussed.

  The water was warm. Warm, and everything glowed with a pale green light. It bore her up and carried her. Where? Where was she going? Who was she? What was she doing here? Was she dead?

  I drowned, she thought.

  Maybe she was meant to be here.

  She tried moving, kicking her legs, waggling her arms. There, that’s better, she thought. She could go where she wanted. But it was strange. She shouldn’t be able to breathe. She decided to just keep going. See what happens.

  I must be dead, she thought.

  She could taste the water, feel it deep inside her. She could feel herself breathing it in her nose and out of her mouth.

  Hoheria. The name kept popping into her head. Who?

  She had fallen. What off? What into? She swam around a tree stuck in the ground, fearing its ensnaring branches.

  The water changed. She could taste salt. The bottom wasn’t so soft either. Sand. Sand and pebbles. Everything was swirling, too. Clouds of mud. Lots of little fish. Some of them were coming up to her, nibbling. They tickled. She had to brush them away. They sparkled and shone. They were like birds. What are birds? she thought. They swim in the sky. Where’s the sky?

  She felt something pulling her, something in her head. She had to turn away from the swirling mud and all the little fish. Down past the rocks. Things with teeth watched her. She smiled at them. They were scared. They moved back into their holes. It was a long way up to the light. Easier to stay down here.

  Swim, said this urge in her head. Just keep swimming.

  Water crashed all around her. She was pulled this way and that, lifted up and driven down. Trapped. Swimming through bubbles, then solid water. Dizzy. It was all breaking waves and swirling sand. She was pounded down and sucked backwards. She couldn’t swim against this. But she saw a channel, got glimpses of it, deep and calm. Fish were swimming along. If she could get out of this rushing water, she could follow
it.

  It was calm, fish swimming, sand and shells on the bottom, and rocks with seaweed growing on them. It felt like she was in the right place. But what was that up ahead? The water was deeper, dark, and a darker mass loomed.

  It was a hill. Black and rocky, covered in spiky peaks. And so ugly. Why was she drawn to it? Everything else was beautiful – the soft green light, the silvery fish, the big bronze seaweed leaves. But not that dark place. Something bad was happening there – she could feel it, and she could feel it pulling her, too. Perhaps she’d better have a closer look. She didn’t want to, but she couldn’t help herself.

  She was frightened. The pull was coming from there, but it was pushing her away too. She really didn’t want to be where she was. What did it want with her? What was in there? She was close enough now to see holes in the hill. Some of them were black shadows, some of them were letting out a cold light. Fish were swimming past the holes, but not very many were going in. There was a fish. She knew what it was. One of the ngākoikoi, a pigfish, a rock-cod. She remembered trying to eat one once. Too bony. When was that? Where was she?

  Whoa, what was that coming out of the hill? Look at the mouth on it! All the teeth! It was snapping up the ngākoikoi. Swimming past her. It hadn’t seen her. She stilled. She knew what it was. A shark. She would be hurt if she messed with it. She let it go. They weren’t very bright, were they? Just big killing machines. Kill and eat anything. She hoped that there weren’t too many inside that hill.

  She was close enough to see in one of the holes. There was a huge open space, full of things swimming around. Some of them were fish, like sharks. They were just circling, looking for food. Moray eels were lurking in crevices in the rocky sides. She could see their heads. Some of the fish had sharp teeth. They all looked hungry. There were shadowy things too. She couldn’t quite see what they were.

  One of the shadows moved towards her. The fish shied away from it. She couldn’t see it properly. At first she thought it was another fish, then it looked like a human, swimming like a fish. It was covered in fine seaweed, like long hair. It had a face like a human, arms and legs. It was looking at her. It came right up!

  This is creepy, she thought. It was talking in her head, thoughts that made sense. ‘Haere mai ki te kāinga nei,’ it was saying. ‘Ko Meremere ahau.’ Come into the village? I’m Meremere? The creature was shimmering and rippling, like it was made of light. It felt horrid, like she didn’t want it to touch her, but it was beautiful. She could see scales shining through the seaweed. Its eyes were big and emerald green. It had shiny white teeth, pointed like a shark’s. How could she talk back? Could she just think the words? Was she talking already?

  ‘Yes, you are,’ Meremere said. ‘You got here quickly. We’ve been waiting for you’

  Fish were swimming around them. She was trying to make out whether Meremere was male or female when his hand shot out and grabbed a pākirikiri swimming by. Lunch, she thought, but Meremere didn’t eat the small fish with the yellow rings around its eyes. He didn’t even look at it, he was too busy looking at her. He just tore the fish in half.

  There was a little cloud of blood and guts in the water and a barracouta swooped in and gulped the remains.

  She felt a burst of agony from the little fish and could feel something from Meremere too, a sort of passing pleasure, a little flash of enjoyment. It was awful. What caused that? Surely it didn’t come when he hurt the fish? He – he felt male – picked up her thought.

  ‘That’s how we live,’ he said. ‘Feelings, not flesh.’ She was horrified. Meremere felt her revulsion. She saw his eyes grow wider. He gulped and swallowed.

  ‘This is better than we thought,’ he said. ‘You’re very welcome here.’

  More of the shadows were coming, rippling as they swam. They were all around her. She was afraid, and they could feel it. They loved it. She tried to cut off the fear, but she couldn’t. The more she tried, the hungrier they got. They were feeding off her. They were making her feel afraid, then sucking up the feeling. What were they going to do to her?

  They made her come to this place. They called to her as soon as they felt her in the water. One of them told her. They didn’t understand how she could live down here. What did they mean? And who were they? Why did they seem familiar?

  They were crowding in close and were in her head like a swarm of wasps, crawling over everything. Wasps? What were they? One of them opened his mouth and leered at her. His teeth were pointed, like a shark’s. Pointed teeth? Where had she seen that? Ponaturi. That’s who they were. And she was right in their lair. They could do what they liked with her.

  She was in the middle of this space, floating in the water. The Ponaturi were drifting around the walls. They were hard to see. Two sharks were swimming round and round. Every time she moved they darted at her, their mouths open, their teeth gleaming, their eyes hooded like they were about to attack. She was scared. The Ponaturi loved it. She could see some of them gasping with pleasure, drinking in her fear. What could she do? How could she get away?

  She could feel herself getting weaker. They must be able to feel it too. They were withdrawing from her. She could pick up Meremere’s message to the others. Give her a chance to recover, he was saying. We went to a lot of trouble to get her here. Let’s not use her up all at once. Use her up? What did that mean? It didn’t sound good. But she was too weak to get away. They’d stop her. One of those sharks would get her. Maybe they were going to do that anyway, just let one of them tear her apart and eat her. That’d be a feast for them. Be the end of her, too.

  15

  Anything You’re Feeling

  Paki held his breath as he sank, pulled down by the weight of the stove. He felt a sharp pain in his ears from the growing water pressure. What the hell had he agreed to? No way could he do this. Panic mounted. He’d have to undo the knots. Reaching below his feet, he grabbed the rope, and, oblivious to Wilf struggling beside him, began pulling himself close to the stove as it plummeted down through the green water.

  He was going to make it. He pulled them right next to the stove where it had landed on the sandy bottom. Frantically he fumbled for the knot on the stove top and began working at it. A fingernail peeled back as he tugged and wrenched. He didn’t even notice. His chest was hurting. He couldn’t hold his breath much longer. Beside him Wilf had stopped struggling. His eyes were closed. A bubble of air escaped from his open mouth and he hung in the water beside Paki. But the knot wouldn’t give. He’d pulled it too tight. Fuck it, he thought, what about my knife? He fumbled in his pocket, pulled out his red-handled Swiss Army knife, and holding it between his teeth managed to get it open. And dropped it. He couldn’t see it in the sand, covered in pebbles and shells. He started to grope for it, but suddenly the compulsion to breathe was overwhelming. Rationality fled and Paki started swimming upwards.

  He didn’t get far. Wilf’s body held him back. Paki tried to kick his legs, but they were tangled in the rope with one leg still tied to Wilf. He’d just started using his arm again when the need to breathe hit him like a loaded timber truck. He opened his mouth and gulped. Water poured in. He choked, convulsed, and gulped some more. Panic filled his body as the water filled his lungs. He made one last effort, but it was all too much. Everything went black, he passed out, and drowned.

  Wilf was the first to recover. Knowledge of who and where he was came slowly and he floated in the water, still tied to Paki. The sight of Paki’s island shirt, a tropical beach scene with coconut palms, jogged his memory, and by the time he’d untied their ankles he knew who he was and what they were doing. They were going to rescue Hoheria. How? As Wilf worked on the knot, Paki regained consciousness. Thank heavens. The meditation must have worked. But what were they to do now? Wilf could see the bewilderment, the disorientation, in Paki’s eyes. He imagined the panicky thoughts running through Paki’s head. What were they doing together, swimming near the old stove? Was this a dream? Was he dead? Wilf thought back to his confusion the fi
rst time this had happened. He reached for Paki and held their foreheads together.

  You’re Paki, he thought. We’ve got work to do. He watched a glimmer of intelligence return to the big man. Wilf’s chest hurt as he kept thinking of what they were doing and how they’d got there, a series of cinematic images he could see were getting through to Paki.

  Finally Paki was fully with him, both men looking around for a clue as to their next move. They soon found it. They were on the lip of a large, shallow depression, in the centre of which rose a black, rocky hill. They could see little glints of light from holes and crevices. Wilf pointed. Paki nodded. The two men started swimming through the clear green water towards the hill. They were further away than they realised and as they swam closer it grew till finally it towered above them, black and menacing.

  This is it, Paki thought at Wilf. She must be in here.

  A cold, pale light fell on them as they peered in one of the holes.

  There she is, Wilf was thinking to Paki, when they both felt a presence behind them.

  More people, came the thought. Good for us. A dozen shadowy figures swam about the two men. A large shark hovered like a sheepdog a few metres away. Paki recognised the creatures straight away. He saw the hāpuku-head monsters within the graceful elongated swimmers now surrounding them and his blood began to boil. He caught a warning from Wilf.

  Watch your thoughts. Stay calm. Paki checked himself. From out of an Old Time martial arts class came the memory of an instructor telling him that if he reacted, he could be controlled. But how could he handle this enemy?

  The shark herded them into one of the holes.

  Where’s the light coming from? Paki thought, before he saw the streaks of phosphorescence on the walls, at the same time as he saw Hoheria. She was floating in the water in the centre of the large chamber they had entered. The shark swam to her and nudged her. Paki saw one of her arms move feebly to fend the big fish away. He turned to Wilf who was taking in the scene. The Ponaturi had followed them inside and had joined others of their kind around the wall.