At that moment, Cora gave a loud groan. Her eyelids flickered open, showing the whites of her eyes. The life systems supporting her went crazy. The whole room transformed itself into a frenzy of movement as the medical team tried to re-stabilise her.
“We’re losing her,” one of the nurses said.
“Do we have your permission?” Dr Goodwin asked. “We need to act now and put your mother under before she has another attack.”
“Isn’t that dangerous? No, I won’t let you do it.”
Doctor Goodwin gave Skylark a firm look. Like Hoki, he was brutal. “It’s your mother’s only chance. If you want her to live, consent. If you don’t … Either way, it’s your call.”
Was this what Hoki had meant about being between a rock and a hard place? Things were moving too quickly. But Skylark had to make a decision fast.
“If I do consent, will you be able to wake her up?”
“With your mother in a controlled sleep we’ll have a better chance of sorting out what the drugs she took are doing to her. Right now, they’re working on all her life-support systems and putting pressure on her heart.”
This wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair at all. Skylark closed her eyes, hoped she was doing the right thing and made the call.
“Okay, I give my consent. Do it.”
After that, putting Cora into a deep sleep didn’t take long. When she saw how peacefully her mother rested, Skylark’s distress fell away. She stroked Cora’s hair. “In all the world, it’s just you and me,” she said.
Then it happened. A thought popped into Skylark’s head. One minute it was there, next minute it had gone. Her mouth dropped open and she looked across at Hoki.
“You’ve known all along, haven’t you?” she said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hoki answered, puzzled.
“The two events — the ripped sky and Cora’s coma — are related. Saving one will save the other.”
Skylark had reached the threshold. She stepped over it.
“Don’t you understand? Mum’s not going to come out of this. Not unless I go back in Time to ask the landbirds to forgive her for burning down their sacred tree.”
Chapter Seven
Kaa. Kaa.
The light was waning fast. Kawanatanga exhorted his troops to redouble their efforts. But every time they spilled air and closed wings to dive through the ripped sky, the old hen or the male chick who had arrived to help her let loose with the shotguns — and the formations broke up in terror.
“Kaa-kaa. Advance, you cowards.”
The sun was beginning to set. The moment it went down, the ripped sky disappeared before Kawanatanga’s very eyes.
Thwarted, Kawanatanga screamed his rage at his seabird army. “We will have to return tomorrow.” He turned away, flicking a wingtip, and at this signal the seabirds followed him down and out of Manu Valley.
Below him Kawanatanga saw a car returning from Tuapa. It was being driven by the other hen, the one with the withered claw, and in the passenger seat was the chick.
“She is still a threat to us,” he said to Karoro and Toroa. “Remain behind and keep watch on her.” Then he realised that unlike the two old hens, Skylark was not under the Lord Tane’s protection. He placed a bounty on Skylark. “Any gull who brings back her eyes will be richly rewarded.”
Kawanatanga could not contain his elation. He swooped down on the car. Flying level with it, he taunted Skylark with a message:
I’d watch my back if I were you.
“You have to do what?” Bella asked, when Skylark outlined her thoughts to her at dinner that evening.
“Don’t you see?” Skylark answered. “It makes perfect sense. My mother transgressed a Maori tapu and needs to be forgiven for it.”
“And you know tapu,” Hoki insisted. “You know how sacred the paepae was. You know that when a tapu is broken it must be put right.”
Bella looked darkly at Hoki. She had prepared a meal of bacon bones and puha. She banged the serving bowls down on the table and blessed the food. “We give thanks for the kai we share tonight. We also ask for rescue from the lame-brained ideas of a young girl who doesn’t know any better, and from a certain old lady who is egging her on. Amen.”
Hoki gave a gasp of anger, but Bella compressed her lips and began to dish out.
“You should be ashamed of yourself, Sister,” Bella continued. “Why are you encouraging Skylark to even think of such a thing?”
Stung, Skylark sprang to her own defence. “I’ve come to this understanding by myself,” she said. “And don’t think I am doing it for you and Hoki, either. If I don’t go, my mother won’t revive. The only ones who can give her forgiveness happen to be the Runanga a Manu.”
“It’s a crackpot idea,” Bella said. “It’s preposterous, and I won’t have a bar of it. Now let’s just forget the whole thing and eat. I’ve been looking forward to my dinner.”
Skylark was firm. “If I get there before the seabirds from the present arrive, I can tell the runanga they’re coming. That should make up for what Mum did.”
“Are you crazy or something!” Bella asked. “Just how do you think you can do that? It’s not like flying to Auckland. You‘re talking about doing the impossible. Where’s your time machine! Porangi, that’s what you are.” Bella looked at Hoki, expecting her to come around and help her out. But all Hoki said was:
“Sister, Skylark has divined the pattern and the part she has to play in it.”
Bella reached over the table and rapped Hoki on the head. “Knock, knock, is anybody home? You’re unbelievable, Hoki dear. I know we’re looking for a solution to our problem but this one is really dopey.”
“Oh, get over yourself, Bella,” Skylark interjected, not caring whether she was being rude or not. “Whether you like it is of no concern to me. I’ll save Mum, and while I’m at it fulfil your prophecy. I could kill two birds with one stone, right?”
Hoki winced. “Skylark, please watch your language.”
“All I want you two to do is figure how to get me back there,” Skylark persisted.
“I refuse to be a part of this,” Bella said, pushing her plate away. “And thank you both so much for spoiling my appetite.”
Skylark looked squarely at Hoki. “Looks like it’s up to you then,” she said.
After dinner Hoki made up the spare bed for Skylark. She was so cross with Bella that she didn’t help with the dishes and instead rocked and rocked on the old chair on the verandah. She looked up at the dark sky and into the immensity of the universe. Her mind was open and thoughts were whirling around in it.
“An answer to Skylark’s question must be found,” Hoki said to herself. “But where?”
All around, she heard the forest whispering, sneezing, seething. There was something so ecstatic about the night world, something slightly dangerous which thrilled her. People were so ignorant to think that everything went to sleep at night; the night forest was as alive as the day world.
Hoki heard Bella grumbling through the house, going from room to room and switching off the lights — including the verandah one. Bella was like that sometimes: grumpy, petty and mean. Sighing to herself, Hoki reached for her walking sticks. Making as much noise as possible, she clattered her way to the bathroom. There, she dropped the soap, scrubbing brush and nail scissors as she washed; then she got into her dressing gown. On the way to her room she stopped at Bella’s closed door and opened it. The interior was dark, but she knew that Bella was sitting up in the bed, glaring at her.