Their first full day in New Zealand had been spent not doing much of anything. Jules figured he could wait until his father and Millington were ready to conduct the expedition to find the banded sea krait in order to go surfing. He wasn't too thrilled about the fact that it could be a few days, as his father needed time to train in diving and Millington needed time to set up a suitable enclosure for the krait. That night, when they returned to their hotel room, Moffitt took his shower first, while Jules sat on the edge of his bed with a book. When Moffitt left the bathroom, he let out a contented sigh. "The water is quite pleasant," he said. "Heated up without much delay."
"Then I guess I'll get a shower next," Jules said.
"I was thinking about calling your mother, just to let her know how we're doing. Would you like me to wait for you so you can talk to her?"
Jules shrugged. "Sure." He gathered up his nightclothes and went into the bathroom. His father had been right about the shower being pleasant, but the whole time Jules was in the shower, he started wondering what his mother would say if he told her he was going to try surfing. She'll probably assume it's too dangerous. She's had that mentality ever since the magpie prophecy. Maybe it'll be best not to say anything… but if she asks what I'm doing, I don't want to lie. His mind was still stuck on that thought as he got out of the shower and dried himself off. When he went back out into their room, he still hadn't come to a conclusion.
Once Jules was seated on the bed again, Moffitt picked up the phone to call home. "Hello, Vanora," he said with a smile blooming across his face. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"
"No, love, I just woke up about a half-hour ago," Vanora said. "It's good to hear your voice."
"It's good to hear yours, too. I've been missing you."
"I miss you, too. How are you?"
"Really feeling the jet lag. It's slowly getting better, though. The tea here is good."
"Of course. You have to have your tea."
"Indeed, I do. It's quite nice here. No snow. It's wonderful. Pleasantly warm, too."
"That must be nice."
"It is. I wish you were here with me."
Hearing his parents talk so lovingly and fondly to each other made Jules wish that Antheia had come on the trip with him. He found himself daydreaming about her, then reached over to take his wallet from his nightstand, and opened it to look at some of the photographs that had been taken of him and Antheia together. He gave a quiet sigh, wishing there was a way he could see her more often throughout the year. The last time they had seen each other was Christmas. Getting to see her and be with her had made holidays much more enjoyable than they already were—Christmas especially, as they could frequently steal kisses under the mistletoe. Well, as often as they could. Their parents certainly enjoyed the mistletoe, too.
"How's Jules?" Vanora asked.
Jules's ears pricked when he heard his mother say his name, and he braced himself for the possibility of her asking about what he was doing. He bit his tongue, trying not to make his nervousness obvious.
"He's taking the jet lag better than I am," Moffitt replied. "We haven't done anything apart from visit Millington's friend at the University of Auckland."
"So, you haven't found that krait yet?" Vanora asked.
"No, not yet. I'm going to receive a bit of diving training, and then we're going to head out west to Port Waikato to start searching for her."
"Alright. You actually are going to be diving."
"Yes, darling."
"Please, be careful, love."
"I will. My question is whether they make wetsuits tight enough for me."
Vanora sighed. "It's bad enough you're thousands of miles away from home. Now you're thousands of miles away from home and doing something dangerous."
Oh, this isn't going to be good for me if this is her reaction to Dad going scuba diving, Jules thought.
Moffitt worked his jaw, looking like he was trying to think of a good response. "Darling, if you think this is bad, you should've seen what I was doing during the war."
"I know what you did during the war," Vanora said. "We didn't know each other back then. I don't even know if you'd be more careful with some of the things you did back then if we knew each other."
"That's a good question. I don't know, either."
"Jack—"
"I'm going to be careful, darling. I promise. I'm being trained by professionals."
"Still—"
"It'll be alright. I'll keep you in mind every second."
"Well, at least focus on what you're doing, love."
"I will."
"Is Jules doing this with you?"
"No. He's expressed an interest in surfing, though."
Jules cursed inwardly. Oh, here we go—
"Absolutely not. No. He's not doing that," Vanora snapped.
Now it was Moffitt's turn to sigh. "Darling—"
"No, Jack." Vanora's voice was firm. "I'm not having both of you doing something dangerous while I'm thousands of miles away from you. What are you going to tell me next? Anah's going rock-climbing?"
"Actually, snakes are quite adept at climbing rocks. As long as they can grip something with their ventral scales, they can—"
"Alright, bad statement! I don't know—skydiving!"
"Admittedly, Anah skydiving is quite a funny image."
Vanora sighed. "Jack, could you please listen?"
"I'm listening."
"I'm not sure you are. Look, I know you have to learn to scuba dive to help that krait. I'm willing to put up with that. But I'm not letting Jules surf. No. Just… no. Do you not remember what happened three years ago? We could have lost him! The magpies were bad enough. I'm not risking losing him again."
"Darling, you're being a bit overreactive."
"I'm being a bit overreactive?! I'm putting my foot down! It's not safe!"
"What do you want me to bloody do? Wrap him in bubble wrap before he goes off on his own into the world?"
"No! This is something we have control over. We can—"
"Vanora, Jules is going to be fine. Stifling him from doing things like this isn't good for him."
Vanora was quiet for a solid minute.
"He's going to be seventeen. We can't baby him. I'm sorry. I promise, he's going to be fine."
More silence.
"Vanora? Are you still there, darling?"
"It's… fine, Jack. Fine."
"No, it's not. Let's talk through this. I know where this is coming from. You're still trying to process what happened with his prophecy. I understand that. I know you still have nightmares about the gargoyle in the library, or trying to help Dietrich when Mahlah bit him. I know you don't want to see anything like that happen again. I don't want to see that happen again, either, but hiding Jules away isn't going to prepare him for anything."
Vanora went quiet again, then said, "Alright. Be careful, please. I really don't want anything to happen to either of you."
"Nothing will happen. We're both going to be careful."
"I trust you."
"Thank you." Moffitt breathed a sigh of his own. "Do you want to talk to Jules?"
"I would, please."
Moffitt looked over at where Jules was sitting up in bed. "Do you want to talk to your mother?"
In truth, Jules wasn't sure. Part of him was angry with his mother over her reaction to him wanting to try surfing, even though he had been expecting it. No "good for you," just "no, it's too dangerous." I defeated the fourteenth magpie and she still wants to treat me like a baby. He swallowed his annoyance. "Sure, I'll talk to her." He got off the bed and took the phone from his father, keeping his composure together. "Hi, Mum."
"Jules. How are you?" Vanora asked.
"Doing alright. Tired."
"Well, get plenty of sleep tonight, okay? You and your father."
"I'll try."
"Are you glad you went?"
"Ask me after I've been here a few days. It's too soon to tell."
Vanora sounded hesitant for a moment. "Jules, what made you decide you want to try surfing of all things?"
Jules sighed. "It's something new."
"Even though it's—"
"Mum, have you completely forgotten that I destroyed a magpie with a sword and a broken arm?"
Moffitt glared at him. "Easy, Jules."
"Sorry, Dad."
"No, I haven't forgotten. That's precisely why I'm concerned," Vanora said.
"Didn't we go through this rubbish last year when I started driving on my own?"
"It didn't help that you got into an accident the day after."
"That wasn't even my fault. The police said so, and Dad's car didn't need much in terms of repair."
"Fine. Jules, just… think about what you're doing."
"I already have. I'm not a baby anymore, and I wish you'd bloody stop trying to—"
"Alright, alright, that's enough." Moffitt beckoned for Jules to hand him the phone. "You both need to stop before either of you say something you'll regret." He sighed before saying into the phone. "Vanora, let's take some time to think about this—"
Jules heard his mother give a frustrated sigh before hanging up without so much as a "goodbye" or "I love you."
Moffitt stared at the phone for a moment before setting it down. He looked at Jules. "To be fair, this is partly my fault. I shouldn't have said anything. I know your mother best, and I should've anticipated that reaction."
"I thought of it, too, but she's the one who needs to bloody get over it," Jules muttered. "Being traumatized isn't an excuse to be a git."
Moffitt folded his arms over his chest. He drew in a breath before speaking. "You are right, though you could've worded yourself a bit better. I certainly wouldn't appreciate anyone telling me to just 'get over it' when it comes to the things I experienced. I doubt you would, either."
"Do you inconvenience people with your problems?"
"I did for a long time, remember? With all of my issues with guilt?"
Jules nodded, suddenly feeling bad about what he said.
"You're not helping your mother by dismissing her, but I'm also not saying that you're wrong in what you feel. You both have pretty strong feelings about this, which why I said that you need to stop and take some time to think about things."
"I guess that makes sense." Jules sighed. "Am I still going to be able to try surfing?"
"Yes. I'm not going to stop you. I trust you to make good decisions and not do anything reckless."
"Thanks."
"You'll have Anah with you."
"Okay. I'll listen to her."
"Good."
"I would be very upset if you did not listen to me," Anah said.
"We know," Moffitt and Jules said at the same time.
After some herbal tea to help with sleep, Jules lay in bed for a while, trying to get to sleep, but also thinking about his argument with his mother. He wondered if maybe trying surfing was a bad idea, but reminded himself that he couldn't stop something just because his mother didn't like it. As he said earlier, she had a similar reaction to him driving on his own, and he was determined to keep trying, even with the minor collision he had. He looked over at his father, wondering if he was still awake. When he saw both Moffitt and Anah were sound asleep, Jules gave a quiet sigh, and turned onto his left side, facing the windows. He tried to think of other things, happier things, but to no avail.
He was tempted to call Antheia, but a quick check of the timezone difference said that it was only three in the morning in Wyoming. On one hand, he doubted Troy would mind, but Jules didn't want to be waking people for no good reason. He pondered calling Dietrich, as it was a much better time to be doing so in Germany, but was pretty sure Dietrich was working. It was too early where Hitch and Tully were to be calling them as well. With all that in mind, he continued to lay awake. He fell asleep eventually, but didn't feel his sleep was particularly restful.
Moffitt was up before him, and hadn't bothered waking Jules. He was sitting up in bed, petting Anah while reading. When he noticed his son was awake, Moffitt said quietly, "Good morning."
"'Morning," Jules said while stretching. "What time is it?"
"Almost eight. I've been up for about a half-hour. You didn't sleep well last night, did you?"
"What gives you that idea?" Jules asked.
"You were tossing and turning a lot."
"I was thinking about my argument with Mum."
"Ah."
"I started wondering if I should just give up on the idea of surfing, but I don't think I should."
"No. Not if it's something you really want to do."
"This is like what happened with driving last year."
"Not entirely. Driving is something you should learn. Surfing really isn't. I understand why you want to try, though. It's not very often that you get opportunities like this."
"No, it's not."
Moffitt closed his book and picked up Anah before getting out of bed. He ruffled Jules's hair. "Your mother is proud of you, and so am I. More than you might realize. Like I said yesterday, I trust you to be careful with this. Most importantly, have fun, alright?"
"I will." At least, I hope so.
Moffitt's mind kept shifting to his wife and son arguing while being fitted into his scuba gear. His mind stopped wandering once the bulky full-face mask was secured to him. The feeling of the mask was tight, but not constricting. He drew in a deep breath at first, then gradually got himself to breathe normally. Once he confirmed to his instructors that he could breathe easily, he was able to get into the massive pool within the depths of the university reserved for training a wide variety of occupations and fields that required the knowledge of scuba diving.
Even though this was probably the only time in his life he would ever go scuba diving, Moffitt was expected to pay attention during each lesson over the next several days. That wasn't difficult, though his concerns about Vanora and Jules crept in at random times. The longer he trained, the more he began to enjoy the sensation of being underwater. He even had the chance to swim alongside a captive pelagic sea snake and converse with it underwater. The people training him had all been taught to never go near sea snakes, and they watched with a blend of curiosity, awe, and mild disturbance while he was stroking and holding the snake.
The night before they were to head out to Port Waikato to meet up with Conwyn and his own team, Millington took Moffitt, Jules, and Anah out to dinner at a restaurant overlooking the Māngere Inlet, on the western side of the city. There was a lot of talk and laughter between Moffitt and Millington for a little while, then Moffitt noticed how quiet Jules had been. He waited until Millington got up before looking at Jules. "Is everything alright?" Moffitt asked.
"Fine. Why?" Jules replied.
"You're quiet."
"Have nothing to say."
"Alright." Moffitt thought for a moment. "Are you looking forward to tomorrow?"
"I'm looking forward to not being cooped up in the bloody hotel room or wandering aimlessly around the university all day."
"I know. I'm sorry about that. Can't learn to scuba dive in a day. It takes several—and more for the most serious of people looking to learn how to dive. They gave me a simplified lesson because the nature of this mission is quite unusual."
Jules looked down at his food, picking at it absently.
"You're still thinking about what your mother said a few days ago."
"Yeah. How did you—"
"Because I am, too."
Jules sighed heavily. "I don't want to be fighting with her. It's the same rubbish we went through during the magpie prophecy, and with driving."
"I know. I don't want to see you fighting, either. Besides, it's not like she can do anything to you. She's not going to punish you for something like this."
"No, but it's going to make her feel like we're not taking any of her concerns seriously. You said a few days ago that dismissing her isn't going to help, and I feel like that's what I'd be doing if I go surfing."
Moffitt shook his head. "That shouldn't stop you from doing things that you really want to do. You're not trying to hurt anyone. You understand the risks that come with this, and you've proven yourself to be very responsible and mature time and time again. Besides, if I thought there was a problem with you doing this, I'd have told you when you suggested surfing"
"That's true. You would have."
"My suggestion is to stop worrying about it. Use your common sense when you're out on the beach. Pay attention to what other people are doing."
Jules nodded.
"This is something you should also keep in mind if and when the time comes that you're living with Antheia. A relationship goes both ways. You can't sacrifice everything that makes you happy just to please her, and vice versa. You'll both wind up unhappy."
"I know." Jules looked up from his dish. "Alright. I'll go."
"Good."
The following morning, Moffitt, Anah, and Jules were up a little earlier than usual in order to meet Millington and acquire their rental vehicle. The drive to Port Waikato was well over an hour and a half, and while riding in a hot car for that long, Moffitt was relieved to have found a place that was hot in January that wasn't North Africa. Then again, he preferred it to the cold and the slushy roads back home in Britain. He stopped thinking about the heat when they arrived in the small, coastal town. It looked quiet and serene, and he hoped he would get the chance to explore it himself. It looks like the kind of place I could take Vanora if I ever come back.
They stopped near Sunset Beach to drop Jules and Anah off. Moffitt could only imagine just how pretty a sunset would look there, so he planned to be at the beach for at least one evening before he had to return to Britain. Before Millington could drive away, Moffitt rolled down his window to speak to Jules. "I'm not sure how long we'll be, but we should be back in the afternoon, alright?"
"Okay, Dad," Jules said. "Thanks."
"You have money?"
"Yeah."
"Anah?"
"Yes, dear?" Anah said from Jules's shoulders.
"Watch out for him, but you have fun, too."
"I certainly will, dear."
"Thank you. Alright, we'll see you in a few hours." Moffitt rolled up the window, and sat back, rubbing his face as Millington drove out of the parking lot. "I have faith in him."
"He'll be fine," Millington said. "Don't worry so much. I thought you dealt with that a few years ago."
"He's my son—and my only child, period. Of course I'm going to worry." Moffitt was quiet for a moment. He looked out the window at the expanse of beach next to him, and could see Jules walking on the sand with Anah. There were a handful of other people elsewhere, but Jules stayed on his own. Moffitt faced forward, sighing. "I trust Anah to give good advice."
"Does Anah know how to surf?"
"No, but… that's funny to imagine. A surfing snake."
Millington grinned. "It is." His grin faded. "I know your wife hasn't helped the situation, but it is true that surfing can be dangerous for someone without experience—well, it can be dangerous even for professionals. Jules really should be talking to some of the locals."
"I tried to mention that before we left this morning."
"Yes, but did you emphasize it?"
"No, not really. I know how shy Jules is."
"Telling him to talk to the locals is not the same as babying him. This is for his own safety."
"Sometimes, I don't know what the difference is anymore. I don't want Jules to have to learn things the hard way."
"He does still have Anah with him. I'm sure she can talk some sense into him if he needs it."
"I hope so."
The two soon arrived at a small, remote pier several miles north of Port Waikato. Moffitt looked around the quiet landscape, and decided to psychically check if the sea krait was nearby. He listened to the static in his head for a moment, trying to see if he could pick up the krait's presence. Nothing. He stopped before the static became painful, and kept following Millington down to the pier. A small boat and a handful of researchers, led by Conwyn, were waiting.
"Good morning!" Conwyn called. "Hope I didn't get you two up too early."
"No, not at all," Millington replied. "We're ready to find this krait and get her someplace safe."
"I can already say she's not here," Moffitt said.
"Well, that's a shame," Conwyn replied. "It would've been nice to have this over quickly."
"Agreed," Millington said. "We'll just have to sail around until Moffitt can sense her."
Conwyn looked around before stepping closer to the two Englishmen. "A few people in my department have expressed that this is largely… against convention, and have brought up that there are a number of tools we could be using. Some have even expressed that since this krait has already bitten people and proved itself to be a nuisance, it should be…" Conwyn hesitated, "—put out of its misery."
A cold knot tightened in Moffitt's stomach. "No." He shook his head. "We're not doing that.
"Trust me, Doctor, I don't want to see this krait destroyed, either."
"I highly doubt tools will help us find the krait faster," Millington said. "Moffitt's way is at least diplomatic."
"This would certainly be my first time negotiating with wildlife in such a manner," Conwyn replied. "Frankly, I'm curious to see this in action." He looked at Moffitt. "Alright. Get your wetsuit on, and let's head out."
Between the thick New Zealand accent of the shopkeeper and Jules's overall lack of knowledge on surfing, it was no wonder that Jules still felt confused on what he was doing while walking out onto the beach with a freshly purchased surfboard tucked under one arm and a folded umbrella in the other. He set up the umbrella and a towel, and watched Anah slither onto the towel, wearing her hat and carrying a magazine telekinetically.
"Are you sure you are going to be alright, dear?" Anah asked. "I do think it would be a good idea you find and talk to someone who knows what they are doing."
"I'll be fine, Anah," Jules said. "I want to do this."
"I know, but would you not rather do it right? And safely?"
"I'll be alright. Besides, the waves aren't that bad."
Anah sighed. "Just stay where I can see you. That is all I ask." She stretched to her full length in front of the magazine.
Jules pulled off his shirt and set it by Anah on the towel before walking out to the water with his board. I don't have to do anything fancy. Just be mindful of what's around me. Stay on the board and try not to have a wipeout. When the water was deep enough, Jules lay on the board on his stomach, and began swimming out to slightly deeper water. He drew in a breath when he saw the first wave beginning to form. Okay… Just gotta get myself standing before it comes… Jules scrambled to stand on the board, but accidentally put too much weight on one side and tipped himself into the water. The surfboard was shoved away from him. All at once, his senses were assaulted with seawater. He dared not open his mouth or his eyes as he was violently thrust back to shore. All he could hear were the bubbles and ocean waves pounding against him.
The water receded almost as quickly as it had come, and Jules felt the sun on his wet back. His surfboard washed up next to him, and he pulled himself out of the sand to grab the board before it was dragged back out to sea. He coughed after trying to breathe again, then grimaced at the vilely salty taste of the water.
"Are you okay, dear?" Anah called.
"Yeah, I'm alright!" Jules gave her a thumbs-up, then stood with his board. His dark hair was now plastered to his head, and he moved it from his forehead before turning to head back out into the water. I can do this. Just have to keep trying. He set the board on the water and climbed on, waiting patiently for the next wave to come. In the corner of his right eye, he could see a group of young men and women, either his age or a little older, waiting for waves of their own. Two of the women on the beach were looking in his direction, and one even tried flashing a smile at him. Jules didn't acknowledge it, focusing on swimming out to meet a wave approaching the shore. It was a much stronger and taller wave than the one before. This time, Jules paid more attention to where he put his feet when he was ready to stand. He also knew he had to be quick. One swift, fluid movement.
He found it funny that he was used to riding something he didn't have complete control over. Horses had minds of their own. There was always a chance they wouldn't listen, for one reason for another. A surfboard was an inanimate object that Jules had complete control over. Then again, he didn't have control over the wave, but the wave still wasn't a living, breathing thing. It had a pattern. It was, to some degree, predictable, but it still carried the same danger of seriously injuring Jules if it decided to throw him from the board.
It took a moment for Jules to realize he had gotten himself standing on the board. He smiled to himself, then remembered he needed to focus so he didn't fall off. He managed to turn the board, but had trouble gaining balance, frantically waving his arms in a vain attempt to stabilize himself. He was unsure of what to do with the board, so he was throwing himself around awkwardly. How he hadn't fallen at this point remained a mystery.
Jules kept flinching from the spray of salty seawater, so he didn't see that he was rapidly approaching one of the surfers from the group of people down the beach from where Anah was set up. A second later, he collided with a young man with reddish brown hair, knocking them both into the water. They scrambled to regain their footing and untangle from each other. Once they were both standing, Jules was face-to-face with the man he collided with. The man's face was nearly as red as parts of his hair. He didn't seem to care that he was a few inches shorter than Jules, as he grabbed Jules by the shoulder and roughly pulled him back toward the beach.
"You've got some nerve pulling a stunt like that!" the man shouted. He kept one hand on Jules's shoulder, and his other hand was balled into a fist. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you?!"
"Hey, I didn't even see you there!" Jules tried to shove the man away. "It was an accident!"
"Right. Why'd you even bother coming here if you're not going to have any respect for anything or anyone! You're absolutely clueless, you—" The man kept trying to get in Jules's face, shouting various profanities and accusing Jules of all degrees of stupidity for both crashing and for trying to ride a wave while someone else was surfing, something Jules didn't even know was wrong in surfing.
Jules looked over his shoulder once, wanting to call out to Anah. She could handle this just by her presence alone. His heart was pounding faster and harder when he realized that he wouldn't be able to walk away from this without fighting. He didn't want to fight. He had no experience fighting except for the magpies, but with no choice, Jules figured he would do what he had to.
His attempt to push the man away for a second time only made his attacker angrier. The man held up both fists. "Oh, no! I'm not done with you! You wanna hiding?!"
Jules wasn't sure what that meant, and he certainly wasn't going to bother asking. He tried to think back to some of the tips that his father, the other Rats, and Dietrich had taught him over the years. They had all taught him to use his natural strengths and build to his advantage, but Jules still felt unprepared, and scared that he could get seriously hurt. So don't let yourself get hurt. Remember what Dad taught you. Strike fast, like a snake— A split second passed before Jules pulled back and drove his fist into the man's face, catching his right eye. He stepped back, watching the lighter-haired man reel, holding his face. Jules kept his fists up, uncertain if that would deter the man from trying to keep fighting. He wished his father was there. But he's not. You have to handle this on your own.
The man's right eye was swollen shut now. He glared at Jules, and spat another round of profanities before moving to punch him. He stopped, staring at something past Jules. "What the—"
Jules turned to see Anah rapidly slithering over to him. She threw off her hat, flaring her hood and charging at his attacker. He fell backward, and Anah stopped, glaring at him with her hood still out and her mouth open, sheathes pulled back from her fangs.
"Anah, don't!" Jules barked.
"What is that? Your pet?" the man said.
"Not exactly. I'd suggest you stay where you are unless you want her to bite you, and the only person I know with antivenom isn't available right now."
"I'm not dealing with this kind of disrespect on my own beach."
"You don't own the beach," a man with dark blond hair said. "I saw everything. It was definitely an accident. He's a Brit, probably a tourist, and probably never surfed a day in his life. Let him go. This isn't worth getting upset over."
His friend scoffed. "Yeah, I'm just going to let this son-of-bitch go. Right. I'll teach him a lesson and then he can go crying home to his mummy."
Jules glanced at Anah before getting back into a fighting stance, hoping she didn't actually bite anyone. He spotted the blond man walking over to stop his companion, but before Jules could strike the man he had collided with, the air rushed from his lungs and stars burst across his vision as he was swiftly sucker-punched in the stomach. Jules sank to the sand, struggling to breathe, and tried to put his hands up to shield his face before his attacker could get on top of him.
