“And I’m the brawn,” Bella continued.
“So Birdy is one of you?” Skylark said, before the story could make another loop.
“Yes,” Hoki answered. “But we haven’t seen her for years. Anyhow, Mum told us that the Apocrypha, the extra testament of the Great Book of Birds, is a northern tribal variant to ours. It was written by one of Birdy’s ancestresses, and that’s why it’s kept by her family and by Birdy in our generation.”
“She’s older than us,” Bella said. “But I got a postcard from her last Christmas, so she’s still alive. Trouble is, she lives up north at Parengarenga.”
“Way up there! That’s at the other end of the country.”
“Yes,” Hoki nodded. “If you want to see what’s in the Apocrypha you’ll have to go up there yourself.”
Skylark paused. “Let’s cut to the chase,” she said. “I know this is probably a stupid question, but you couldn’t text her to fax or email a copy to us?”
Hoki stared at Skylark with a look of horror. “No self-respecting handmaiden of Tane would ever stoop to such modern mumbo-jumbo!”
“I thought as much,” Skylark answered, “but one of these days, please put everything onto a floppy.” She had a second, suspicious, thought. “You’re not sending me on a wild goose chase, are you?”
“Well …” Bella pursed her lips. “I wouldn’t exactly say that Birdy is a goose.”
“The next question,” Hoki asked Bella at lunchtime, “is how does Skylark get to Parengarenga? It’s a day’s drive from here to the Picton ferry, and half a day by ferry to Wellington. She’ll be lucky if she can drive from Wellington up to Parengarenga in a day; more likely, it will take her a day and a night.”
“You’re right,” Bella nodded. “And we have another problem.” She pointed to Kawanatanga, Karoro and Toroa circling overhead. “I’ve been wondering why those big brutes are keeping a lookout. Now I know. Kawanatanga’s keeping his beady eyes on us. If Skylark leaves, he’ll suspect something. He knows she’s the one to watch.” Bella turned the problem over in her head. “There’s nothing else for it,” she said at last. “Skylark can’t go by herself. Someone will have to go with her.” She rolled her eyes and drummed her fingers on the table, waiting for Hoki to take the hint.
“Boy,” Hoki said, “you sure go straight to the point.”
“You know me, I don’t do subtle. It’s better that you go.”
“Because of my crippled leg you mean?”
“You know as well as I do,” Bella said, “that I’m stronger, I know more about shotguns than you do and it will be better if I stay here to stop the birds getting through.”
“But I’ve never set foot outside Tuapa. You and me, we’ve never spent a night away from each other.”
“This is no time to be sentimental,” Bella said. She pointed to the seabirds, giant waves coming in and over the top of them. “Their momentum is picking up. You’ve got to go with Skylark. It’ll make it safer and easier if there’s two to share the driving.”
Hoki bit her lip. “I feel as if I’m being bulldozed into this. Besides, you don’t even sound as if you’ll miss me.”
“I’ll miss you,” Bella insisted. “Anyhow, this was your own idea, wasn’t it? Who knows what problems might crop up on your way to Birdy’s. So there’s no option.” She was talking quickly. “Do you think you two can start tonight? Travelling fast, you could just catch the ferry tomorrow morning.”
“Will you really be able to manage?”
“I’ll be fine,” Bella said. “I’ll keep one of the shotguns. If things get worse, Arnie can help me. You’d better take the other shotgun with you. Just in case.”
By evening Skylark and Hoki were ready. Skylark was having an attack of the nerves and went around muttering to herself, “I can do this, I really can do this.”
As for Hoki, she was still reluctant. She had packed some food, drink and blankets into the car and stashed the shotgun and ammunition in the boot. But what really rankled was hearing Bella ring up Arnie and tell him to come to help her in the morning. “You can’t wait to get rid of me, can you,” Hoki said.
Just as they were ready to leave, Bella saw that Karoro and Toroa were still on patrol.
“How are you going to get out of Tuapa without being seen?” she asked.
“We’ve got it all worked out,” Skylark answered. “I need to say goodbye to Mum before I go, so the seabirds will think me and Hoki are just visiting her. By the time visiting hours are over, it’ll be pitch black. That’s when we’ll make our getaway. Our main problem will be when morning comes. We’ll be on the coast highway. It borders the sea and is in the seabirds’ territory. That’s when we’ll be most at risk. If the seabirds see us —”
“They won’t,” Bella assured her. “Now go, both of you, before I —” Her face was streaming with tears. She was trying to act tough, trying not to show Hoki that she really would miss her. She kissed Hoki and traced her face as if she would never see her again.
Hoki saw through it all. On the way down the valley, she found herself being troubled by Bella’s tears. The further she drove, the more worried she became. “My sister’s never been able to survive without me,” she muttered to Skylark. “She depends on me to make the breakfast. How’s she going to get on without me? I should never have agreed to leave her to deal with the seabirds by herself.”
“Then you should stay,” Skylark said. “I’ll go by myself. I’ll be okay.”
“With the seabirds trailing you?” Hoki answered. “I doubt it.” She pointed to Toroa and Karoro still shadowing them on their way to Tuapa. “Like you, Skylark, I’m also between the rock and the hard place.”
But not for nothing was Hoki the brains of the outfit. By the time she and Skylark had reached the town she had an idea:
“You go on in and see your mother. I need to fill up the car and then I have to see somebody. I’ll be back for you at closing time.”
Skylark followed the scent of roses along the corridor and up the lifts and, sure enough, at the end of the trail was Cora, surrounded by more flowers. Even Daddy darling had managed to remember to send something from him and Rhonda. And Lucas too.
Cora looked like Snow White lying on her funeral bier in the middle of the forest. Zac had given her a toxic apple; she had taken a bite. Now she lay waiting for the handsome prince to kiss her so that she could cough it up.
Skylark felt like crying. “Oh, Mum, why does there always have to be a handsome prince?” Then she heard somebody behind her, and turned to see Dr Goodwin. “How’s she doing, doctor?”
“We’re just going to have to wait and see. Her body and her mind need time to sort out what they need to do. Sometimes it’s better to let nature run its course.”
“When will you bring her out of her coma?”
“Once she stabilises and her life signs are out of the red, we’ll do it then.”
“When will that be?”
“Perhaps next week,” Dr Goodwin answered.
“I’m relying on you to do it,” Skylark said. “If you don’t, I’ll put you in a coma and, believe me, you won’t want to come back, because I’ll take that stethoscope around your neck and strangle you with it!”
Dr Goodwin took a step back, startled at Skylark’s outburst. Then he steadied himself and accepted Skylark’s challenge. “It should be successful. But just in case it isn’t, I’d better not wear my stethoscope, right?”
Skylark nodded. Next week. Time enough for her to do what she had to do and get back.
An hour later, a bell began to ring throughout the hospital to announce that visiting time was over. Hoki returned — and with her was Arnie.