All Will Be Whale
“Awhale?” Ji-hwan shouts.
They’re taking it about as well as I anticipated.
“That’s what Cannon said in his text. Malcolm knows a blue whale shifter who can take us to where we need to go.”
“And we’re going to, what, ride on its back?” Jackal asks. His tone is more teasing than anything, but I still chew my bottom lip.
“Um, not exactly. We’re going to go in his mouth.”
They begin a debate as to how likely that is to end up with us perishing inside a whale, but I can hardly keep my eyes open.
“Rest, love. I’ll wake you when we get to the docks,” Jackal promises.
Starla’s already letting out soft snores across the vehicle. I’m back where I belong, and I have my friends, mate, and Pickles.
I let myself take a short nap.
When Jackal wakes me up, the horizon is bright and morning is beginning.
“Almost to the docks,” he tells me. “We took a pretty circuitous path to lose a few tails the councilman managed to sic on us, but we’ve been clear for hours now.”
The weekend is catching up with me. I’m still tired, and I’ll be happy to sleep once we’re in the water. Even on a whale’s tongue.
We park at the docks, taking the remaining bags that the guys brought from Zyra’s out of the trunk. Most of our fancy dresses are lost to Councilman Taylor’s manor, but I’m not sorry to be rid of them. They’re tied to the events of the estate.
Zyra, Starla, and I can do another shopping day for something more enjoyable in the future. Perhaps we can visit Camille’s café again. I’d love to bring the woman a gift in thanks for her help.
“My sister said to visit again, anytime,” Jackal tells me.
He’s starting to read my expressions as well as Starla.
“I’d be happy for a do-over,” I confess.
Starla is awake and moving, but she’s fiddling with her hands.
“My father won’t give up. He’ll send more people to follow us. He’s not going to take this well, you know.”
Exos looks murderous, cracking his knuckles.
“You saw to your end of the deal. No one will be taking you back anywhere you don’t want to go,” he promises.
He appears to have plenty of pent-up aggression after the past few days of watching Starla acquiesce to her father’s demands.
The witch smiles up at him, placing a hand on his forearm.
“My valiant knight,” she says. “Don’t forget. He’ll be after Leena as well. He won’t want family relations to fall through just because Claude didn’t get his plaything.”
Now, it’s Jackal’s turn to glower.
“Both your ancestors deserve to have a rock dropped on their heads,” he says. “Utter sheep’s shit, the both of them. Landing you on either side of a curse that caused this kind of calamity.”
“I heartily agree, although we’ve missed our chance to confront either, given they’ve been dead for decades. We’ll simply have to settle with righting their wrongs,” I say.
He lets out a breath, reaching for my hand.
“We’ll do anything necessary to make sure that happens. But, gods, a whale?”
“We’ve already had gods involved; the whale is up next,” Starla quips with a laugh. “Speaking of which, where is Feral?”
“No doubt well away from the councilman’s estate by now, and back to doing whatever it is a god does,” Jackal says.
I’m sure he has quite a few things to occupy his time, and I’ll have to think of an appropriate way to thank the deity.
“Does anyone know if gods like gift baskets?” I wonder aloud.
We scan the docks, but unsurprisingly, I don’t see a whale bobbing in the shallow waters.
“Let me give Malcolm a call,” I say, pulling my cell phone from the bust of my dress. It’s early, but there are already multiple people milling around, and we’re drawing attention.
Even if Councilman Taylor doesn’t find us before we leave, he’ll probably be able to trace us to the docks. Two women in wedding dresses will stand out.
Malcolm picks up the call.
“Leena! Make it all right? Cannon and I are ready to fly out there if you need backup.”
I smile as I hear the bite in the leopard seal shifter’s voice.
He’s practically part of the family, and the protectiveness goes both ways.
If anything happened to Cannon and him, I’d go wherever was needed.
But Grammy said to trust our instincts, and mine are telling me we need to keep moving at the moment instead of waiting for reinforcements.
Which is saying something, since my intrusive thoughts have been yelling that everyone is probably going to drown inside a whale.
“Thank you, Malcolm, but I think we need to stay on the move for now. Your friend is ready?”
“All set. Don’t worry about a fee. Firstly, he owes me one. And secondly, Cannon and I paid him. Who knew a dating app could be so lucrative? Adulting, huh?”
His voice is cheery, and I sincerely hope that the two of them are using some of those funds to enjoy themselves.
“We’re also investing in some cybersecurity-related courses to further our careers and make sure we can keep our users safe,” he says, as if he can guess what I’m thinking.
I shake my head.
My little brother and his significant other, responsible adults.
“I’m really proud of you guys. Which I know may sound odd since I’m not your big sister. But I am.”
“Thanks, Leen,” he says, using my brother’s nickname for me. If I don’t miss my mark, his voice sounds choked on the other end. I may have struck an emotional chord. “That means a lot. I didn’t really have a strong tie to other people before meeting Cannon—and then the rest of you.”
Just like Ji-hwan, and Keegan. We’ve formed our own little family of outcasts or misfits or just people who aren’t great at making deep connections beyond the surface level.
Speaking of which.
“How deep into the water are we going to need to go to find a whale? Should we be renting scuba gear?”
As a dive instructor, I’m comfortable with the idea to an extent. I can go without the gear at all. But I’m not looking forward to outfitting Starla and Ji-hwan, and I’m not fully convinced Exos wouldn’t sink like the rock he is if we end up somewhere that the waves affect his ability to fly.
Malcolm laughs.
“Oh, you won’t need that. He’ll meet you by the boats.”
He waits a beat and must decide that I’m not going to figure it out on my own.
“He’s a shifter, Leen. He’ll pick you all up as a human in his boat, and then once you’re out beyond prying eyes, he’ll hop off, shift, and you can climb aboard.”
I could slap myself. Of course we’re not traipsing into a whale’s open mouth from shore, or swimming into frigid waters in nothing but our skins.
This entire weekend has done a number on my mental faculties.
“That’s what I was going to tell you when you called. He’s waiting at one of the docks. His name is Thomas, and he’ll be wearing a captain’s hat so you can spot him.”
I find it very hard to believe that even without a hat we’d have a hard time spotting him in the crowd. He’s a whale shifter. Whales are huge. Many shifters are tall, so I can only imagine a whale shifter will tower over the crowd.
“Malcolm, is the guy we’re looking for—”
“Over here! Malcolm’s friends, yes? Welcome, welcome, welcome!” A man comes running up to us, arm waving frantically and a captain’s hat bouncing atop his head.
My mouth hangs open.
“Uh, Malcolm, I think we found him.”
Malcolm chuckles.
“Have fun. And remember, if you need us, don’t hesitate to call.”
He ends the call, and I pocket my cell phone.
“Thomas Graverly. Pleased to make your acquaintance,” the whale shifter says as he goes around the group, pumping hands enthusiastically.
He’s wearing a grin on his face that makes it look like his cheeks could split.
I enjoy Malcolm, but the leopard seal shifter has a resting expression that makes him look murderous. It’s tough to imagine him as chums with someone as overtly friendly as Thomas. Although he said Thomas owed him, so maybe the whale is just happy to be rid of a debt.
I know Starla’s relieved to be rid of hers, even if it’s done nothing but give us more complications. I’m already itching to unburden myself of the favor I owe Arloc.
“Glad to know you,” Jackal says as he’s having his hand nearly shaken off the end of his arm.
I cover my mouth to hide my laugh.
Then it’s my turn, and the whale reaches up and takes the hand over my mouth in both of his, shaking with enthusiasm.
“You must be Leena! Malcolm told me a bit about each of you so I could find you all right. Did you have a decent drive up? Not too many roadworks? Can be tricky with them constantly trying to improve the roads, eh? Much prefer the water, myself. Same for you, eh?”
He’s turning to greet Starla before I can answer.
Once he moves from her to Ji-hwan, Starla turns to me and whispers out the side of her mouth.
“He’s not what I expected.”
“I know what you mean.”
“This way, this way!” Thomas waves us toward the docks, and we follow him.
The whale shifter has springy, bouncy black curls under his weathered and greying captain’s hat. His eyes are a rainless sky blue, but the most notable feature about him might be that he’s just a smidge shorter than Starla.
Starla looks at me, and I’m betting our thoughts match.
“Never make assumptions. It just makes an ass of you and me,” she quips.
“Apparently.”
Thomas leads us to a sailboat.
“Thirty-footer. It’ll be a bit of a tight squeeze for all of us as we get out onto the water. Especially you,” he says to Exos.
The gargoyle looks at the boat and back to our host.
“I will keep my wings to myself,” he promises.
Thomas claps him on the back.
“Good lad! You might also have a tough time in the interior. Sorry about that in advance,” he tells Ji-hwan. The Were isn’t as massive as Exos but still taller than the rest of us.
Ji-hwan just inclines his head.
“It will be no problem. We appreciate your help.” The Were smiles at our captain, and Thomas whistles.
“Malcolm was right about you. Drop dead. You must drive people absolutely wild.”
Ji-hwan blinks, apparently not sure what to do with someone who, while not immune to his charm, is also not swayed into silliness by it.
I chuckle again, and he looks at me.
“I was not trying to seduce anyone. I just had my charm turned up enough for a good impression,” he insists.
“No need to try too hard! Any friend of Malcolm’s is a friend of mine,” the whale shifter says, apparently having overheard us.
“He saved me once. I’d gotten myself entangled in some netting.
Enchanted stuff, very bothersome. I was too far out and too deep to shift back safely.
It was carelessness on my part. I should have seen it.
Malcolm spotted me. Didn’t know me from a barnacle, but he swam up and offered his help.
Crikey, those sharp leopard seal teeth do come in handy—so long as you’re not a penguin, huh? ”
I can’t help smiling at how cheerful he is about his near-death ordeal.
“I would imagine,” I say.
The whale’s good mood appears to be spreading. Everyone is wearing a grin as we clamber aboard.