Jack and the Giants Read online

  Kasmar picked up on this as swiftly as I did. “You are not like us, Azael,” he said. “Even if you were a seal, you would not be the same. We hate the boats and men on general principle and caution; you hate them seriously, from your immediate experience. I don’t blame you; in fact I wish you success in abolishing them, if it is remotely possible. But you can’t hope to accomplish your purpose by associating with us. You must strike out on your own. Maybe there are others in the sea who are closer to your passion, like the whales who are being destroyed by the men, or the squid who get eaten by them. You must search them out, if there are any of your frame of mind. I fear there are not, but you must find out for yourself.”

  His words confirmed my own thoughts. “Then I think I must leave you,” I said with regret. “To search out others of my emotional persuasion, if they exist.”

  “I fear you must,” he agreed. “You are now a healthy dolphin and strong swimmer; you are ready to quest alone. But if you seek and fail, you will still be welcome to return and swim with us.”

  I was not sure of that. “I think the others are growing tired of me.”

  “Perhaps. But I am not. I thought to rescue you as an orphaned child, but you are my closest associate in terms of attitude, of intellect, of mission in life, and I enjoy your company. You have become my friend. I can’t even aspire to abolish the human kind; I am simply too old and weak. But you will be coming into your prime, and maybe you have a chance. I urge you to go for it, though I will be lonely without you.”

  That support, again, uplifted me. “Oh Kasmar, I love you,” I said, and kissed him on the snout.

  “Go, girl, before I become embarrassingly maudlin.”

  I went, appreciating the sentiment, because it applied to me as well.

  First I did what I should have before: I sought a pod of dolphins we knew were in the area. Maybe I could join them, and enlist them in my mission. They surely were suffering losses too, as the predatory boats and nets plied their dreadful trade. Only my joy of association with Kasmar had restrained me before.

  It did not take long to locate them, for they were moving into the territory my original pod had occupied. I whistled a greeting.

  And got a rude reaction. “Go away!” the elder member of the pod whistled in return.

  “But I came in friendship, to—”

  Two young males detached from the pod and swam toward me, whistling hostility. I did not know what they intended, but feared it would not be pleasant. I fled, swimming with my utmost velocity. The males were larger than I, and swam well, but they did not know this territory the way I did. I looped around the coral reef, ducked under an overhang, and shot through an odd current that would carry my scent trail in the wrong direction. So I lost them, and escaped.

  Then I paused to consider, chagrined. What had just happened? I had approached the pod in friendship, but they had never given me a chance. They had driven me away without even trying to get to know me. How could that be?

  How could my own kind be less welcoming than the seals? This was shocking and appalling. I had never even imagined such a reaction.

  Slowly I realized that they were a foreign pod, moving into an unfamiliar place, and they distrusted all strangers. Maybe they had brushed with the humans, so were on edge because of the danger. They trusted only their own, and did not want to share. Probably the elders in my original pod had known of them, and known to stay clear. I, in my innocence, had not. But now I did.

  Oh yes, I did.

  Dolfin Tayle

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  About the Authors:

  Piers Anthony is one of the world’s most prolific and popular authors. His fantasy Xanth novels have been read and loved by millions of readers around the world, and have been on the New York Times Best Seller list twenty-one times. Although Piers is mostly known for fantasy and science fiction, he has written several novels in other genres as well, including historical fiction, martial arts, and horror. Piers lives with his wife in a secluded woods hidden deep in Central Florida. Please visit him at www.hipiers.com for a complete list of his fiction and non-fiction and to read his monthly newsletter.

  J.R. Rain is an ex-private investigator who now writes full-time. He lives in a small house on a small island with his small dog, Sadie, who has more energy than Robin Williams. Please visit him at www.jrrain.com.