I unplug the headphones and pull a wire from one of the machines, then plug it into the loquisonus.
‘Why?’ Ralph demands. ‘What for?’
‘I’m transferring a previous echolocation recording of social calls back on to the loquisonus,’ I say.
That part is true. I press the tiny black buttons on the big machines, scanning the screen for the recording I labelledSnake Maiden. Then I send it to the loquisonus machine, followed by another I recorded a few weeks ago. Heart thumping, I sit back down in front of the loquisonus andglance at Ralph. He’s staring at me intently. A bead of sweat trickles down my back.
‘Now I’m going to play a part of one of the recordings,’ I say.
I flick the switch frominputtooutputlike I did the day I called to Chumana in the forest.
‘I’m going to pretend to be a dragon, to see if any of the ones spotted nearby will interact with me. I like to call it the art of interception.’ I give him a level gaze. ‘I bet you’d be good at that.’
A self-absorbed smile plays on his lips. I may just have bought myself some time.
I hitplay. I can’t hear them, but I know Chumana’s calls are being converted back to their original frequency and hitting the air, which is no longer obstructed by sonar blockers.
Snake.
Maiden.
I count the seconds, enough for the first calls, then hitrewindand play them again.
Snake.
Maiden.
And again.
Snake.
Maiden.
‘I don’t hear anything,’ Ralph says, tapping on the speaker.
‘The speaker, or headphones, plays incoming calls converted at an audible frequency for humans,’ I say. ‘But the output calls are emitted through vibrations in the air, imperceptible to the human ear.’
Ralph leans forward eagerly as I press another button. I wonder how Dr Seymour would have further developed the loquisonus machines had she got the chance. I imagine a smaller device, with a button for each individual echolocation call, or several devices designed to speak different dialects.
I press the button again, flicking back to the other recording. It’s a call from weeks ago, when some of the patrol dragons were discussing protocol for an attack. Is the word recognised universally, or am I about to use a call that belongs to a dialect? I’m willing to bet it’s universal.
I hitplay.
Attack.
Ralph stares, his face a picture of confusion. I flick back and forth between the two recordings, hittingplay,pauseandrewindas fast as my fingers can move.
Snake.
Maiden.
Attack.
Attack.
Attack.
‘All right, that’s enough,’ Ralph says, pulling the loquisonus machine towards him. ‘What did you say?’
