Chapter Sixteen — Part 4

“Looks more like a flute to me.” It was a piece of bamboo with a bunch of holes in it, the tube in question but a foot shorter than the boy who had given it to me was.

“It’s a bamboo flute — from an Earth country called Asia, where Jupe was first found. You blow across this cut point at the top, and use your fingers to make music. The clue is that it belonged to Jupe. It should still work, but it’s changed, and that means that Jupe’s changed.”

“I’ve never seen bamboo with such a glossy metal sheen to it. Who’s Jupe?”

“Jupe was sent from Earth by Governor Ringbreaker to save the Scandivats from extinction. Only we think he was killed. But his flute’s in one piece, so maybe he is too. It was abandoned near the colony. He’d never leave his flute behind. Jupe loved his flute. He believed it had magic powers.”

“Maybe Jupe replaced it with another instrument.”

“If he did then he’s no longer the Jupe I knew. This was a gift from his best friend.” Squire Lucas said.

“Great, one more thing to help me on my way.”

The boy was excited now, and he snuggled close to me. “Yes, it will help you. I’m sure of it. Level was a smart man. Are you pleased with me?”

“Yes, I’m pleased.”

The boy’s face split into an incredible smile, and I fluffed his already unruly hair. Without saying good-bye, Squire Lucas vanished from the ship. I instantly missed his presence.

“It just doesn’t make sense. If Jupe died in the impact, this flute shouldn’t have survived. It looks pretty fragile. But it’s changed somehow.”

Kotian looked at the flute. “It’s been through a lot. But if Jupe is alive, why would he leave the flute behind?”

Unable to answer, I tested it, and with a little practice I was actually playing a simple tune. It was a strange flute, with one hole on the back and four up front. The four up front were spread out so far that I had to play them with my first fingers and pinkies, and I had to stretch my hands to reach them all. Sure enough, the flute worked at my prompting. We breached Otherspace and continued on our course, and I stretched my wings, before letting them settle around me.

“Maybe the flute reflects Jupe’s condition.” I said, after some consideration. “If so then Jupe has changed a great deal. From the wear on the holes, he must have played this flute all day almost every day.”

“A most fascinating linguistic device,” Captain Reed said. “The problem is, you don’t know what you’re playing, and so your attempt at speaking in the tonal language has created a beautiful babble song for Hunter babies.”

“You mean, if I played this just right, I could talk to you.” I said.

“The scale is the one used in Scandivat communication. I’m certain I could teach you to talk to us.”

“Where’s Fluff when you need him most?” I said, old fears rising.

“Pounding his Elfin Princess, I imagine.” Tiffany giggled.

I scowled at her, and she put a slim hand over her smiling lips.

I returned my attention to Captain Reed. “It’s just that I’m not very smart. I mean, I barely passed Angelic. I couldn’t express multilinear verbs to save my life — and that was in my native language. Fluff is the language authority. He can learn anything that has to do with words.”

“Fluff isn’t here — and you’re the only student I have. I’m no Teacher, either. I’m a Hunter. We’ll both grow stronger from this experience.”

I looked at Captain Reed and he at me. His eyes were unblinking, and his voice unyielding.

“All right,” I said. “Just don’t eat me if I blow a note wrong.”

In response Captain Reed laughed. At the time it sounded nothing like a laugh — only later would I learn the mirth behind the tones.

For a year I practiced, and struggled, and was constantly being spoken to only in Scandivat by everybody. There was no reprieve from the Scandivat Language during my lesson hours. Persimmon, the little traitor ship of mine, used her universal translator to trap everybody’s words and convert them to the fluid language of the Scandivat race. I couldn’t even answer in my native tongue; I had to use the flute. It turned my Galactic Standard into Yiddish — nobody on board could understand me without the flute.

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