Deep Waters

told you, Hayden was my friend and my teacher. He helped me establish Far Seas."
    "I see. Just what kind of company is Far Seas?"
    "A consulting firm."
    Charity crossed her arms beneath her breasts. "What kind of consulting?"
    "I provide contacts, connections, and advice for business people who deal in Rim trade." He probably should have made that past tense, he thought. He wondered if he would ever again return to his former line of work. For some reason, he doubted it. Along with everything else in his life these days, it seemed to be drifting farther and farther away from him.
    "Whispering Waters Cove is not exactly a thriving outpost of Pacific Rim business."
    He smiled slightly. "No, it's not."
    "So what are you doing here?"
    "You're a very suspicious woman, Charity."
    "I think I have reason to be suspicious under the circumstances. A short while ago, I made the mistake of assuming that you were one of us here on the pier and that we would all be going up against Far Seas together."
    "I warned you that when one studies an opponent's reflection in a pool of water, one should take care to ensure that the water is very, very clear."
    "Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time. Forget the double-talk. When I want philosophy, I'll go to Ted."
    "Ted?"
    "Ted Jenner. He has that little shop called Ted's Instant Philosophy T-Shirts next to the carousel. You must have seen it."
    Elias recalled the racks of T-shirts billowing in the breeze at the end of the pier. The shirts all bore various legends and slogans that ranged from the clever to the crude. "I've noticed it."
    "I should hope so. You walk by it every day. The least you could do, by the way, is drop in and intro duce yourself to your fellow shopkeepers." I've just met you," he pointed out.
    She raised her eyes toward the ceiling in an expression of acute disgust. "Never mind. Let's get back to more pressing issues. What's your excuse for failing to tell me the truth about yourself while I was explaining the lease situation here at the pier?"
    "You never asked."
    She threw up her hands. "How was I supposed to know that you were Far Seas?"
    "The degree of clarity of the water makes no difference if one does not ask the right questions about the image that is reflected on the surface."
    She gave him a fulminating look. "Skip the mumbo-jumbo and get to the point. If you are who you say you are, then tell me the truth. What do you intend to do about the pier leases?"
    "Renew them at the present rates when they come due in September."
    Charity's mouth fell open, revealing neat, small white teeth. She closed it swiftly. "Why would you do that now that I've told you about the town council's plans to use Crazy Otis Landing as the centerpiece for the new, improved Whispering Waters Cove?"
    "I don't know."
    "I beg your pardon?"
    Elias shrugged. "I don't have an answer to your question. That's one of the reasons I came here to Whispering Waters Cove. To get some answers."
    To get a clear answer, a man had to ask a clear question. And he was not able to do that. Every time he looked into the water to see his own true face, he caught only glimpses of a badly distorted reflection.
    Elias rolled smoothly out of the last of the series of ancient exercises Hayden Stone had taught him. The deceptively effortless movements formed a pattern known as Tal Kek Chara. They represented the physical expression of the ancient philosophy in which Hay den had been a master. Tal Kek Chara was a state in which mind and body were balanced in a flow of energy for which water was a metaphor.
    The coiled length of leather anchored to Elias's wrist represented the philosophy, and it was named for it. Tal Kek Chara was a weapon as well as a way of living.
    As Elias ended the pattern, the leather thong un furled as if it were an extension of his arm. It whipped around the branch of a nearby tree with enough force to chain the limb but not enough to snap it in two. Control was everything in Tal Kek Chara.
    Elias straightened and retrieved the supple strip of leather. He took a few seconds to assess the effects of the routine he had just completed. He was breathing deeply but not hard. The light breeze off the waters of the cove was already drying the perspiration on his bare shoulders. It had been a solid workout, but he had not exhausted himself. That was as it should be. Excess in anything, including exercise, was a violation of the basic principle of Tal Kek Chara.
    Automatically, he snugged the leather