Dead reckoning, p.15
Dead Reckoning, page 15
She hooked her arm into mine. “Nyomi would be proud of you.”
— CHAPTER NINETEEN —
We found Ulysses and Blue near the edge of the jungle. The first mate had managed to sit up, at least, though his skin was pale and his eyes sunken. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in days.
“Does that parcel mean success?” he asked, his voice cracking. “Or has your ancestor cast you away with a small consolation prize?”
“We did it!” I said happily, to a round of smiles. Even Blue looked satisfied. Imbibwe clacked her jaws together and made a tooting sound.
We sat in a circle in the cool grass, and I regaled them with the story of how Nicolette and I had bravely and cleverly beaten Lucifus Vardallian’s ancient trial. The three we’d left behind listened intently, clearly in awe at our treasure hunting prowess. I’ve not had many prouder moments.
“Let’s wait to open it until we get back to the Black Yonnix,” Ulysses suggested with a wave toward the parcel. “My father would appreciate that.”
“Works for me,” I replied. Captain Lagash had been an important part of the journey so far. It felt right to show him that courtesy.
Blue turned up his nose in the first mate’s general direction. “You can’t stand, and I’m sure not dragging you all the way back to the beach.”
“Rest here,” Imbibwe said. “I will see to it that you’re safe until morning. Perhaps then your friend will be strong enough to travel.”
That seemed like a good idea to all of us. Though I wasn’t as exhausted as Ulysses, I sure felt tired all of a sudden. The hard ground turned out to be all the bedding any of us needed.
I was out almost immediately. As I slept, I dreamed. I was seated at the head of a long table in an extravagant dining room trimmed in gold leaf and extravagant silks. The table was covered in food and drink, lit by candles burning atop fine silver candelabras. My friends were all there, and the room was full of laughter and song as they ate, drank, and made merry. They wore elegant clothes and all the expensive jewelry they could carry. In the corners of the room, great chests overflowing with glittering coins told me all I needed to know: we’d succeeded in defeating Lucifus Vardallian’s trials and recovering his treasure.
The pirates toasted my name. Nicolette took my hand and we danced the night away, surrounded by the strangers and criminals who had become our family.
Your Highness, I must say that I still regret waking up from that one.
In the morning, I sat up and stretched. The sky was blue and peppered with just a few puffy white clouds. The sun was warm. I felt rested and revived, ready to return to the ship, celebrate our victory, and move on to the next trial.
“Hey, boyo,” Blue said, patting me on the shoulder. “Notice anything missing?”
The parcel. I’d fallen asleep with it in my arms. There was no sign of it.
Ulysses, back on his feet and looking as refreshed as he could look in those days, pointed toward the jungle. “Imbibwe left us a path back to the village, through the thorns. Not sure what choice we’ve got but to take it.”
Nicolette knelt beside me. “There was magic involved. It got all of us. Don’t blame yourself for this.”
I nodded and accepted the first mate’s hand so he could pull me up. I kept quiet, not trusting myself to speak. The way I felt that morning…I hadn’t felt so terrible since Rocher had taken both my grandfather and the journal. The situations were far too similar to be ignored. I worried that I was doomed to a life of having things snatched away from me.
I suppose I wasn’t wrong.
The first mate beckoned us toward him. “Come close, friends, we know this jungle has ears.” He wasn’t satisfied until we were basically all on top of each other, his arms draped around my and Nicolette’s shoulders. He spoke in a tone just above a whisper. “When last we saw this bugger, she thought I was down and out. Let’s not disavow her of that notion ’til it’s advantageous for our side, right?”
A round of nods ratified his proposed plan. We didn’t have much else at our disposal.
“Good, then,” Ulysses said. “Friend Kensey, you’re my crutch today. Nicolette, be ready with that crossbow. Blue, when things go to pot, cue up that little ditty that summoned all those terrible spirits back in Vastille. I’d bet my left leg more than one poor fellow’s died a horrifying and dramatic death in this place.”
After another round of nods, we separated, except for Ulysses and me. The first mate leaned heavily on my shoulder, making me drag him toward the jungle.
“You could help me with this a little,” I grunted under my breath.
“Be a good crutch and keep appearances up,” Ulysses replied with a wink.
We paused before the path Imbibwe had left. The ferocious thorn bush lined both sides, looking like a pair of jaws waiting to snap shut.
“What if it’s a trap?” Blue asked nervously.
“What if it’s not, and we starve to death here because we’re afraid of a few prickly bushes?” Nicolette asked before she brazenly plodded forward. When the jungle didn’t eat her, the rest of us followed, Ulysses and I keeping the rear. Can’t say I was completely comfortable dragging the first mate up a magical path flanked by thorns the size of my hands, but I wasn’t about to turn back.
Once we were through the thorns, we encountered an even weirder sight that again gave us pause. Ahead, the sides of the trail were absolutely swarmed with makane.
And they were all staring at us.
“World Song, save me,” Blue gasped. “This is not at all what I thought hunting for treasure and glory entailed.”
Once again it was Nicolette who took the first step and spurred the rest of us on behind her. “If Imbibwe wanted to kill us, we’d be dead already. For now, she’s just trying to scare us.”
“Well, it’s working,” Blue replied. “Starving to death in a nice field might not be our worst possible fate.”
The makane swiveled on their pointy little legs to watch us as we passed. Those big, red eyes, in such large numbers, were more unsettling than anything we’d encountered in the Dreaming Lands or against Thranax. Chills ran up and down my spine despite the jungle humidity. Blue flinched every time one of the strange insects clacked its hideous jaws.
And yet, we were allowed to pass, and to enter the village. Imbibwe awaited us beside the central idol, flanked on either side by Lagoago and Timah. The rest of the Elei’i had gathered a few steps behind the trio. None of them looked happy to see us. There was no sign of Davanon or Rindge. I wasn’t sure whether that was good or bad.
I was relieved to spot Lucifus’s parcel on the ground at the weidt’s feet. I’d worried that maybe she had destroyed it, though I knew it was perhaps her greatest leverage over us for whatever bargain she might have in mind.
“Hello again!” Ulysses croaked, feigning a deep and powerful cough. He spat out a gob of saliva for extra effect. “Did we miss breakfast?”
“Shut your mouth!” Timah bellowed. The man shook as if about to explode, his cheeks darkening. “Defilers! After we greeted you as brothers and sisters and took you into our home, you dare to throw it all back in our faces? You are evil, evil creatures!”
Ulysses coughed and spat again, taking a moment to sway against me as if his strength were fading. Though I knew he was putting on a very convincing act, I wished it didn’t require so much discomfort on my part. “I’m sorry, friend, I don’t know what you speak of,” the first mate said weakly.
Timah translated this for Lagoago. The chief pointed at the idol. A round chunk the size of my head was missing from the carved wood, punched out about halfway up. The wound was covered in what appeared to be bright blue chalk. One of the idol’s four makane eyes was also caked with the substance.
“And when could we have done this?” Ulysses croaked. “We were with Imbibwe the whole time.”
“Not you!” Timah replied. “Your friends! The man in black and the mah’saiid.”
“Art lovers, both. Neither would ruin such a specimen.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but I wasn’t about to contradict Ulysses in front of the people that clearly wanted to kill us.
Imbibwe clacked her jaws threateningly. “You are lucky they did. I was going to just kill you and keep Lucifus’s treasure for my own. Now, I suppose I must bargain with those on your ship.”
Which very helpfully suggested that Rindge and Davanon had escaped—and that maybe they’d had good reason for what they’d done. They had stayed behind to speak with the Elei’i, after all. Perhaps they’d learned of Imbibwe’s impending treachery and taken out a little insurance policy.
Ulysses swayed again, this time nearly toppling me. “I assure you that there’s been some misunderstanding. We can sort all this out. You give us that parcel there, we’ll return your missing chunk of wood, and we can all part as friends.”
“You’ll be lucky if you leave here in one piece,” Imbibwe replied. “Maybe I’ll take a chunk out of you the way your crewmates took a chunk out of my idol.”
“Your tone saddens me. Friend Blue, perhaps you might lighten the mood with a jaunty tune? I am sure you know one perfectly suited to this situation.”
“Aye, that I do,” the marii replied. Rather than reach for his fiddle, Blue began to whistle, his tone high and light. The notes reminded me of birdsong. I couldn’t understand why he hadn’t gone for the dirge that summons the dead instead. Ulysses and Blue had clearly noticed something that changed the plan, and I’d missed it.
“Stop that at once!” Imbibwe hissed. “I know what you marii are capable of! Still your tongue, or I will have it cut out and fed to you!”
The marii stopped abruptly. He had only gotten through about a dozen notes. I hoped it would be enough, but nothing magical appeared to have been triggered—although I thought I heard a dull thud in the distance.
Ulysses suddenly dragged me backward a few steps. “I advise everyone to make a little room around that idol, as my friend’s lovely performance has activated the powder left behind by our intrepid engineer and transformed it into an unmissable target.”
Imbibwe’s jaws clacked. “What are you talking—”
A steady whistle sliced through the air, and then one of the Black Yonnix’s cannonballs smashed through Imbibwe’s idol, showering the area with shards and splinters. The weidt and her followers flinched away, shouting and screaming, and some headed for the shelter of their homes. Even the pirates and I ducked.
But then Ulysses’s weight was off my side, and he was darting forward to snatch up the now-undefended parcel.
“Follow me!” he shouted as he turned toward the jungle to our left, headed for a path that snaked down in a direction we hadn’t yet traveled.
None of us hesitated.
“Do you know where this leads?” Blue asked as we rushed onto the new trail.
“Away from the big scary bug thing and her cult friends!” Ulysses replied.
Unlike the trail we’d been using, this one charted a very straight course down a gentle hill and away from the Elei’i village—which was great for us, since that slow decline made it easier to flee without tripping and falling. The jungle quickly gave way to a bright green grassland with vegetation as tall as my hip. We ran single-file, wary of what might be lurking under that impenetrable cover.
In the distance, the sea glittered—and the Black Yonnix awaited. I spotted a single longboat headed for the pristine white beach at the bottom of the hill. Our salvation was in sight.
But so was our possible doom. We all turned to look over our shoulder at the mess of angry buzzes, hums, and clicks approaching from behind. A wave of makane, led by Imbibwe, burst out of the jungle. If they caught us, there was no doubt what they were going to do. The thought of being lunch for a swarm of giant insects spurred my legs to move faster.
Luckily, the makane are not particularly fast. They’re just not built for it; they hunt by relying on the element of surprise, as evidenced by the one that dropped out of the jungle canopy onto Tehenessey Blue. Gradually, they fell behind.
The horde of makane that burst out of their grassy hiding place by the edge of the beach, however, gave us reason to slow down.
“It’s only a couple dozen predatory bugs the size of small dogs,” Ulysses said merrily as he drew his cutlass. He tossed me the parcel. “Hold this, and try not to die.”
“Rindge!” Blue shrieked at the longboat. “Row faster, you worthless rutter!” The black-clad pirate working the oars replied with a rather impolite hand gesture easily recognizable even at that distance.
Nicolette’s crossbow thunk-ed as she sent a bolt careening into one of the insects blocking our way. “We’ll never fight our way out if we get pinned between the two swarms.”
“Should we run sideways?” I asked, my heart trying to beat out of my chest.
“I’m sure they’ve thought of that,” Ulysses grunted. “And there’s no way of telling what else lurks in that damn grass.”
The crossbow clicked as Nicolette loaded another bolt. “No way we get through that bunch ahead of us unscathed.”
“A few battle scars will make us all the more roguish and irresistible,” Ulysses insisted.
“You can lead the charge, then,” Nicolette replied as she sent another bolt careening into a makane’s eye.
“Aye,” Blue replied, his eyes wide. “The least handsome of us goes first!”
Behind the makane, a frothing at the edge of the sea caught my attention. “Hold on,” I said. “What in the name of Yuin is that?”
At first, it looked as if the ocean had solidified and begun crawling up the beach. The movement was alien and unsettling, clearly organic. I immediately thought of Thranax’s strange magic—but what was actually happening here?
Blue squinted, making use of his superior eyesight. “Those are crabs,” he said. “Millions and millions of crabs!”
The crustaceans quickly scuttled up the beach and ambushed the makane from behind. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a more unsettling sound; it was like a few hundred people chewing on something crispy, all with their mouths wide open as their jaws worked. One by one the makane disappeared underneath that wave of legs, claws, and chitin. Though they tried to defend themselves with their spiky legs and crushing jaws, their opponents were too numerous and too fast. The last makane almost escaped, but the crabs got to its legs, brought it down, and tore it to shreds.
Ulysses remembered our pursuers and glanced back over his shoulder. I did the same. The makane coming from the Eleni’i village were closing the gap.
“Well, my friends,” the first mate said, “would you rather we feed the horrific horde of crabs or the terrifying swarm of ugly bugs?”
“Neither,” Blue said, turning to Nicolette. “One bolt between the eyes, please.”
She cocked her head and pointed at the crabs. “They might be on our side.”
Though they continued their advance, the crustaceans had split into two groups, one on either side of the path. A single crab remained in the middle. It raised its claws and beckoned us forward.
“That little guy looks far too friendly to be trusted,” Blue said.
“It’s Thranax,” I replied, realization dawning. I touched the mark on my chest. “He’s seen everything. He knows we retrieved what Lucifus left behind.”
“So ol’ fish face wants the treasure too, eh?” the first mate said. “I don’t trust him, but I do trust a man’s greed.”
He took off at a run toward the crab horde and the beach beyond. The rest of us followed—although Blue clearly hung back, waiting to see if the rest of us tripped some sort of shuen trap.
We didn’t. The little creatures allowed us to pass between their split forces unmolested. Up close, their white shells were mottled with light blue that made them look like tiny legged pearls in the sunlight. Their jagged pincers, however, were no joke, and I almost felt bad for the makane they’d just shredded. Almost.
We reached the beach without incident, all warm smiles and relieved sighs. Rindge and the longboat were still several minutes away, so we turned back toward the interior of the island. The makane that had been pursuing us saw the crab horde coming and put up a better fight than their companions, but in the end, they were no match for hundreds if not thousands of ripping, tearing pincers. Their next battle won, the crabs continued onward into the jungle and disappeared from view.
I don’t know what became of Lagoago, Timah, or the other Elei’i. I hope they escaped Thranax’s attack; I tried to focus on that thought very strongly as we boarded the longboat, praying the shuen would hear it and spare those villagers who were on the wrong side of a battle between the Black Yonnix’s crew and a false and conniving god.
— CHAPTER TWENTY —
We were welcomed back to the Black Yonnix like conquering heroes returning to their homeland after routing the enemy. Despite our success and the approval of my crewmates, the knot in my stomach remained twisted. Thranax had shown his mysterious hand once more, and in doing so he’d proven to possess even more cards than I’d ever suspected might be part of the game.
The celebration was short-lived, as Captain Lagash ordered the ship underway after exchanging a few words with Ulysses. Those of us who’d gone ashore were treated to a hot meal and care for our various wounds and injuries. I kept an eye out for Davanon, desperate to ask him about what he’d done back in the village, but the mah’saiid remained hidden. There was no sign of Thaitheoir either, which I found even more suspicious. I felt anxious, and I kept Lucifus’s parcel close.
I lingered in the stern for a bit, standing behind the pilot box and watching the island grow smaller behind us as we sailed away. If we were going to be pursued by enemies new or old, I wanted to see it. Nothing moved on or near the island but a few seabirds drifting in the sky. After all we’d been through, that scene felt anticlimactic. I suppose I should have been relieved, but the relative peace and safety only made me worry about what might try to puncture that bubble next.
