Marila leaned close, whispering to fight the echo. "Hurry," she said. "They're nervous up above. Something about a mist closing in. They're afraid it's black magic."
"We shouldn't be here," said Pazel. "Humans, I mean. It's not our coast."
"Pazel," said Neeps, "you're not still under that murth-girl's charm, are you?"
"Of course not!" said Pazel. Rope in hand, he dived. Klyst emerged from the weeds and all but tackled him.
"I thought you wouldn't come back," she said, clinging to his arm. "Who was that ugly, wicked girl?"
"Nobody," said Pazel, exasperated. "Klyst, you've got to let me have that Wolf. I swear all these men will leave the Coast as soon as they get it."
"And you'll leave with them."
"I have to, Klyst."
"Then I'll follow you. I'll follow your ship."
"This is nonsense!" said Pazel. "We're trying to stop a war! A huge war, do you understand? And that is much more important than you and your silly-"
But then he saw her tears oozing into the water again. Before he could find a word of comfort she broke down completely. "HOO-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOO!"
She tore out handfuls of hair, braided shells and all. Then she dived. Pazel gave chase, but it was like a kitten chasing a mountain lion. When at last he found her she was kneeling by the coral arch, tearing the orange worms from the rock and stuffing them one after another into her mouth. Their venom burned her lips, but she kept chewing, weeping all the while.
Pazel caught her by the waist and dragged her back from the arch. "Spit them out! Out!"
She put her hands over her ears.
"You heard me!"
Reproachfully she spat out the worms. "If you go I will die! I love you!"
"Tell me how to reverse the love-ripestry."
"You can't!"
"Is that true?"
She glared and glared. "You can. But it's not easy. And I'll kill myself before you do it!"
Defeated, he let her go. "Just show me the Wolf," he begged. "As soon as they have it we can sit down and talk."
"About getting married?"
"About anything you want."
She wiped her eyes and pointed into the arch. "We buried it here long ago. It attracts the worms, and other bad things."
"Right here?"
She nodded. "You can't dig it up, though. It would take you all day."
Pazel sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that. Well, I'll go and tell the others. We can dig in shifts, and maybe-"
"No," said Klyst. "No more humans."
"Why not?"
"They'll be killed," she said. "Very quickly. We start by using girls, but when that fails we have… other ways. Do you understand? My people won't wait much longer."
Pazel peered into the kelp forest. "Tell me what to do," he said.
Klyst paused, thoughtful. "Get ropes," she said at last. "All the ropes you have. The Wolf is very heavy. When you come back I will tell you more."
"What are you going to-"
"Go, land-boy Hurry."
She glanced up at the bathysphere. He watched her for another moment: there was something she did not want to say. But he had to trust her-what choice did he have?
"Wait for me here," he said, and rose.
He met the bathysphere just below the surface. At once he shouted to the Volpeks for more ropes. Neeps, Marila and Mintu watched him with looks of dread, but none of them said a word. Suspicious, the Volpeks threw him all the rope-ends they had.