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from your old clan. And he was not the only one to escape. He said that a few others survived too.’
    ‘ What happened to them?’
    ‘ He said they went separate ways, too few to make a clan. But he knew that a couple of them had been angry at what happened — were in despair. He had heard that they turned to those abominations that we do not even speak of. They joined the Guardians.’
    Sky suddenly felt very cold. ‘Why are you telling me this, Prime Mother?’
    She looked up towards the surface for a moment and closed her eyes, then looked directly back at Sky, her eyes piercing. As if trying to read his thoughts; see inside his mind; find the truth.
    ‘ He said that one of them was your father, Sky.’

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 5
     
    “ I love you for what you are
    Though your heart bears scars
    From life’s harsh tempests
    I would not wish it unblemished
    Each wound carved your strength
    Suffering gave you wisdom
    These flaws make you perfect”
    - From the Arcturus Love Sonnets
     
     
    Fades Into Dusk made her way through the bustle of the clan towards the eastern end of the bay. She kept to the edge of the groups of dolphins who were variously talking, telling stories to the young or preparing for a night hunt. As she reached the coral headland at the edge of the bay she waited, pretending to search among the sand patches for hidden fish as the perimeter patrol went by. Once she judged it was clear, she slipped around the headland and set off parallel to the coast, relaxing as she distanced herself from the clan. The sun was dropping below the low dunes on the land, a great red disc. The few strands of cirrus cloud were turning a deep purple and the sea was darkening. Once she was sure she had slipped away unseen she began to sing to herself as she swam and occasionally leapt from the water, sometimes spinning quickly in mid-flight as she loved to do.
    She kept swimming for hours, while the water gradually turned first to velvet black then slowly lightened again as the bright white moon rose; almost a complete disc. Soon she did not even need to use her echolocation to navigate and used only occasional bursts of sound to look ahead. Eventually, after several hours swimming she reached the steep sandy shelf with the familiar, distinctive rocky arch protruding from it. The moon was almost at its zenith so she was just on time. She could feel her pulse quickening. Because she was excited to be here? Or because it was wrong? She made her signature call: ‘It is I, Fades Into Dusk!’
    There was no answer.
    Storm Before Darkness was not here yet. Or not coming? He had missed two of their meetings before and had always had excuses about emergencies that had come up that needed his attention. Rationally, she knew that it was likely that there would be such demands on his time given his responsibilities, but both times she had dreaded that it must mean he was tired of her and was bored with meeting her. He seemed so different from all the males in her clan. He was obviously admired by his followers, and he had such clarity of vision. There was no vagueness about him, he knew exactly what he wanted to achieve in the world. She found that very attractive. She also found what he wanted to achieve rather frightening, but that was exciting in a way too.
    Everything she had learned at the clan told her that what Storm Before Darkness and these others said was wrong, and when she was listening to Cloud Passing or Silent Waters speaking she was almost convinced again that it was wrong. But when Storm spoke and became impassioned she was swept along by the precision and ruthlessness of his arguments. When she heard him she doubted the Way; doubted it could help them any more.
    She called out again, ‘It is I, Fades Into Dusk!’
    Silence.
    She remembered when she had first met him. She was with two other females from the clan on their way back from a hunting trip. They heard the voices of some other dolphins calling to