Beowulf's Children

"Supergrendels?" Chaka said. He gri

"Or stunted, stupid weak grendels," Jessica said.

"My God," Rachael Moscowitz said. "That's a horrible thought!"

"So we go find out," Jessica said. "And now's as good a time as any. A highland base with expeditions into the lowlands. Now. This year."

A swell of applause, and not only from the Second.

"Count me out." That too came from where the Second were seated, to be answered by catcalls. "Aww, poor baby-"

"Who staffs that base?" Zack had lost and knew it. "Who plans this expedition?"

"We can work that out," Jessica said. She looked meaningfully at Cadma

"But not our leadership," Zack said quietly. "That's plain enough."

"We want that too, unless your leadership means doing nothing without your orders."

"We just want you to be safe-"

"If you wanted to keep us safe, you could have stayed on Earth!"

Mary A

She didn't wait to be recognized, but no one said anything. Certainly Jessica wasn't going to interrupt her. "Why do you think it was safe on Earth?" Mary A

"Mom-"

"It wasn't," Mary A

There were murmurs of agreement from the First.

"Well, Mom, you make Earth sound more dangerous than the mainland."

"It was," Cadma

"It's still the end of the debate, amigo," Carlos said. "Jessica still wins."

"Yeah," Cadma

"What you mean ‘we,' paleface?"

"We've got some time, though," Cadma

Jessica thanked the audience and made her way back to her father. She quietly touched his shoulder. "Thanks, Dad. Mom."

Cadma

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Jessica-can you and Justin come up for di

"Not tonight," Jessica said apologetically. "This is going to be big news at Surf's Up. I think that I need to be out there tonight."

Sylvia looked up at Cadma

"Skeeter-based? Scouting out a location? A little preliminary work." He closed his eyes, musing. "Built it around the Robor vehicle. A fairly quick in-and-out. I would say no more than twelve hours, preparing for a much more thorough expedition in maybe a... month?"

Jessica nodded happily. "You're reading my mind, Dad."

"Plans will be on Cass by tomorrow morning. Okay?"

"Finest kind."

The meeting was breaking up. Jessica and her brother headed toward each other, hugged fiercely, and collected in a cluster with some of the other Second. They headed out the door together.

A hand smacked Cadma

As usual, the sheer size of the young man hit Cadma

Ernst. First casualty of the Grendels.

As such he should have felt a touch of nostalgia, of loss. Ernst had died because Cadma

And for a moment it felt as if Cadma

The full force of Tragon's personality was so strong that Cadma

"-you for backing us, Cadma

His smile was dazzling.

"I imagine that you'll be going over?"

"Wouldn't miss Grendel Scout initiation."

"Good," Cadma

"Not that Justin can't take care of the kids," Aaron said carefully.

"Well, good night, sir. Thanks again."

Aaron turned, but before he could walk away Ruth Moscowitz blocked his path. She stared up at him in admiration. Aaron paused and took her hand. "You look lovely tonight, Ruth."

She beamed. "I thought you were just brilliant."

He touched her right hand to his lips, winked at her, and strode off to rejoin his coterie. Ruth took her right hand in her left as if she wanted to wrap it in tissue paper.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Mary A

Sylvia chuckled. "He's a nice young man. I can understand what Jessica sees in him."

Mary A

"Sure."

Sylvia unwound herself from his arm, and headed off. "I want to check with Linda on her simulations. I'll be up to the Bluff later, all right?"

"No problem." The crowd was thi

"I... don't want to talk about it just now. Cad. Take me home."

Chapter 6

SURF'S UP

Friendship is Love without his wings!

GEORGE GORDON, LORD BYRON, Hours of Idleness

Justin brought the skeeter in for a last approach to Surf's Up. He'd skidded through the mountain passes. The land road would have added an extra five minutes to the trip. The thermals coming over the mountains could be a little hairy, but there were beacons in the pass, both visual and radio, so that it was just dangerous enough to be fun. There were unofficial records for three paths through the mountains under varying conditions: on visual, on radio, blind at midnight, fog, storm.

It kept the lords and ladies of Surf's Up busy, if not out of mischief. It also drove the adults crazy.

When he called in for landing he didn't just get the usual Cassandra go-ahead. He got an audio cha

He shot out of the pass at 120 kilometers per hour accelerating all the way, putting him well ahead of the other Seconds racing him back from the colony. Light flooded the beach from a huge flat vidscreen twenty meters square that showed a daylit mountain scene on the mainland. He took the last few meters skewing sideways, shot straight over Surf's Up and out over the ocean, where a little night action was under way.

Justin had viewed holograms from Hawaii; Malibu, California;

Australia; and other places supposed to have the best surf action on Earth. In Justin's expert opinion, Camelot Island beat them all. The water was cool but not cold, the waves rolled forever, and the surfing season lasted all year long.

Someone was riding his board in with a torch held aloft in one hand . ...o, now that he saw it more clearly, there were three of them, carrying horsemane gum torches that silvered the entire wave crest. Two girls and a guy, and one girl was Katya Martinez, lookin' good.