Mariah Mundi and the Ship of Fools (12 page)

‘He is now in the care of the Bureau of Antiquities – what harm can he come to?’ Charity asked.

‘He swore an oath, just like me. If that old codger says one word –’ He stopped and looked at Cody. ‘Bob Cody solemnly swears to speak not of our endeavours on pain of death. Remember that, Bob?’

Cody nodded as if he knew a curse would strike him there and then.

‘Don’t fear him,’ said Mariah. ‘You’ll be safe with us.’

‘Of that I can assure you, Cody. You will not see this man again – he can’t harm you,’ Charity said.

‘Wherever, however, whenever …’ lilted Brogan as if he sang a rhyme in a baby’s ear. ‘Your death waits …’

‘I’m old enough for that,’ Cody said as he straightened his back. ‘I’ll tell you what you want – but not here, not in front of that man …’

‘Then we shall take you both to see Captain Tharakan,’
Charity replied. ‘Mariah, you take Mr Cody and I will escort our delightful friend.’

Brogan didn’t wait. He smashed Mariah with his manacled hands and as he did so he grabbed the pistol. Then he turned and fired at Cody, striking him in the chest. The man fell to the floor as Brogan jumped at Charity, knocking him out of the way.

‘I’ll get him – stay with Cody,’ Charity shouted as he gave chase.

‘Leave me boy,’ Cody said. ‘Tell Charity that they want the ship – don’t be fooled by the gold … Quickly, go … Stop Brogan for me.’ He used his last breath to speak these words.

Mariah gave chase. He could hear Charity far ahead of him. The sound of pistol shots echoed in the steaming gloom. He saw Charity look back just as Mariah got to a steam elevator.

‘Steam elevator!’ Charity shouted to him. ‘Boat Deck 11.’

Mariah knew what he had to do. He pushed the button for the lift. It rattled down and down with a gushing of steam. Mariah could feel the ship adjust its bearing. The Zane Generator whirred even louder and the vapour blasts flustered through the thick conduits that ran in the bilges beneath his feet. The elevator rattled to a halt and the door slid open. He pressed the button for Deck 11 and counted as the elevator shot upwards.

It took just thirteen seconds for the elevator to reach Deck 11. Mariah was still inside the crew area. The passages here were smaller, unpainted, and stank of cabbage and cold tea. There was the odour too of wood oil – it would be painted on every railing and door in the dark of the night by unseen labourers. They would paint and wax, polish the brass and scrub the deck, and no one but the moon would see them. At first light they would vanish like the night mist.

Mariah took the outer door where the staircase from below
opened out to a lifeboat deck. He wondered how Charity knew he should come to that place. Then he saw it – the hanging strap of a lifeboat cover that flapped in the wind. The bolts that held the lifeboat in place had fallen from their mountings and gently rolled back and forth on the deck. Someone had prepared the lifeboat ready to launch.

Mariah looked out to sea. Near to the horizon he could see a pillar of smoke from the
Ketos
far ahead of them. On the deck above, several passengers looked through binoculars to the distant ship. They didn’t seem to notice Mariah on the crew deck.

Mariah waited. The door flew open. Brogan leapt outside and ran towards the lifeboat. Charity quickly followed.

‘It’s no use, Mr Brogan – you will never get from the ship,’ he shouted.

Brogan didn’t listen. He climbed the gantry and onto the boat. Mariah went to pursue.

‘One more step, Captain Charity, and I will shoot the boy,’ Brogan spat.

‘Stay back, Mariah,’ Charity said.

Brogan laughed as he unhooked the craft and began to spin the windlass.

‘We are too far from land, Mr Brogan – it’s madness.’

‘Death on board or death at sea – this way I’ll have a chance,’ he replied.

‘It’s not about the gold, but the ship,’ Mariah shouted. ‘Cody told me everything before he died.’

‘Too late for you both – you won’t see midnight,’ Brogan said as he spun the handle faster and the lifeboat dropped another deck. ‘I’ve been paid well, Captain Charity.’

The windlass stopped suddenly fifty feet above the water. The boat tipped at the stern and Brogan was cast from the lifeboat like a Jonah. He fell to the water far below. The sound of the Zane Generator covered his screams.

As Mariah turned to look at Charity there, on the deck above him, was Madame Zane. She was without her usual smile. Her face scowled at him as she threw a fur wrap around her shoulders. When he looked again, she was gone.

‘I
DON’T see why we should give in to them,’ Captain Tharakan protested earnestly to the Marquis DeFeaux as the steam elevator opened on Deck 13.

‘We give in to them because they will blow up the ship,’ DeFeaux replied. Close by him stood Casper Vikash.

‘And you let the Bureau of Antiquities take control of the security of my ship,’ Tharakan shouted, his eyes bulging with anger.

‘Your ship? Your ship?’ DeFeaux asked. ‘You are the man who just steers the
Triton
. It was my money, my time, my energy – not yours.’

‘But the gold is not yours – you cannot just give it away,’ Tharakan answered back.

‘Under the circumstances the Marquis can give it to whom he wants,’ Charity said as he stepped from the elevator, followed by Mariah Mundi.

‘It is the prize money for the race, money I was promised a share in if I won. You cannot give away my fortune,’ Tharakan said, ignoring Charity.

‘If it is the money that worries you, I will pay you from my
own purse,’ DeFeaux said as he banged the long mahogany table that stretched out before him. ‘The
Ketos
is still ahead of us. Lorenzo Zane is having trouble keeping the engine at full power. There is a bomb on the ship and all you worry about is the money?’

‘Is the gold in the lifeboat?’ Charity asked as he sat at the table and looked about the panelled room.

‘They are loading the last ingots as we speak,’ said Casper Vikash as his fingers traced the scars on his face.

‘Then we should do what they want. I have searched the ship and found nothing,’ Charity replied.

‘And Sachnasun – what have you done with him? He is missing,’ Tharakan snarled angrily, leaning towards Charity.

‘We met with some opposition. I have not seen your Third Officer since I was locked in an airtight room and nearly drowned,’ Charity replied. ‘I have some questions I would like to ask him myself.’

‘Then that explains what they found in Eduardo’s cage?’ DeFeaux asked with a raised eyebrow.

‘Sadly, that was a twist of fate. The man tried to kill Mariah and the tiger killed him … And before you ask, there is a slight problem with a lifeboat on Deck 11 and a body in Locker 17, Deck 1.’

‘You killed my crew?’ Tharakan demanded.

‘For some reason they appeared to have a strong desire to kill both Mariah and myself,’ Charity replied as DeFeaux walked from the table and looked out of the window towards the horizon.

Casper Vikash took a step to follow.

‘If you chose your crew wisely,’ he said to Tharakan, ‘then Charity might not have to resort to such methods. He is only protecting Mariah Mundi as they do the bidding of the Bureau of Antiquities.’

‘I didn’t. Lorenzo Zane chose them for me. Every man on this ship was hand-picked by him. I had no say in the matter,’ Tharakan snapped in reply.

‘Only because they had worked on the ship in Greenland and had taken part in the sea trials,’ DeFeaux said, turning to face him.

‘Then we should ask Lorenzo Zane how he came to have so many trained assassins in one place at one time. I have never known so many military men with the desire to become sailors.’ Charity laughed as he spoke.

‘What more do you know of these men?’ asked Casper Vikash.

‘I see from the scars on your face that you are a man prepared to lay down your life for your master?’ asked Charity.

‘I am,’ Vikash replied.

‘Then so were the men we encountered today. Before they died they talked about an oath, sworn under the threat of a curse should it ever be broken. One of them was even prepared to die before giving away the secrets to us,’ Charity went on. ‘These are not common thieves – they are loyal servants of an unknown master. Their intent is to destroy this ship and steal the gold.’

‘Then who can we trust?’ Vikash asked.

‘Perhaps, my dear Vikash, the only people we can trust are in this room,’ Charity replied as he looked at each man in turn.

The ship gave a sudden jolt and trembled in the water. It shook the dark wood panelling and rattled the gold chandeliers.

‘It is the generator – there is a problem with the force of the water,’ said Tharakan.

‘And Lorenzo Zane?’ Charity asked.

‘He has spent the entire voyage in the engine room. He eats there, sleeps there and refuses to come out,’ Tharakan replied.

‘Then Mariah and I shall pay him a visit,’ Charity said as Mariah stood by the elevator door and kept silent.

‘Impossible,’ muttered Tharakan. ‘His guards will not let you in through the door. I went myself and was told to leave immediately – how dare they speak like that to the captain of the ship?’

‘These guards, who are they?’ Charity asked.

‘From Greenland – they have been working on the project for almost five years. They are committed to the task,’ DeFeaux interrupted.

‘Sachnasun?’ asked Mariah.

‘Sachnasun,’ replied Tharakan.

‘The one thing every assassin has had in common is that they were put on this ship by Lorenzo Zane,’ Charity said.

‘Very well,’ said DeFeaux as he returned to the table and smudged the thick wax with his finger. ‘I think it is time to speak with Lorenzo Zane.’

‘Tell me, Lyon. The Great Race – will the
Triton
win?’ Charity asked.

‘If the generator cannot be fixed, then the ship will not win and Zane’s reputation will be ruined,’ DeFeaux replied.

Tharakan looked out of the window of the room at the distant
Ketos
. The
Bicameralist
hovered in the sky to the south of the ship. He appeared to be thinking deeply.

‘Strange weather for this time of year,’ he said, changing the conversation like a sailboat tack. ‘I don’t think I have ever known such calm water. It is like the Arctic just before the water is about to freeze.’

‘I too noticed that. Perhaps it is the conditions that affect the Zane Generator,’ The Marquis said as he looked uncomfortably around the room.

‘Tell me, Lyon, do you have access to the
Bicameralist
?’ Charity asked.

‘For what purpose?’ he replied, wondering why he should be asked such a question.

‘I noticed that it communicated with the ship via means of light. Is it possible for the skyship to land on the
Triton
?’ said Charity. He got up from the table and crossed the room.

‘It is very possible and in certain circumstances could be arranged immediately,’ Vikash said uncomfortably before DeFeaux could speak. ‘You cannot have one of the richest men in the world at the mercy of the Atlantic without an exit route.’

‘On a day such as this I would be more in danger on the pond in St James’s Park.’ Charity laughed. ‘Apart from the bomb hidden in the ship, our only peril would be to be struck by a demented seabird.’

‘How can you laugh at such a thing? We could be blown into oblivion and it is not a thought I like to hold in my mind,’ Tharakan growled.

‘Oblivion is not a place I intend to go. I cannot believe in such an empty situation and I do not think we shall be blown up. The Marquis will ensure that the gold leaves the ship and we will continue to search for the bomb. Mariah and I will supervise the launch of the vessel with the gold at midnight. I suggest we keep the ransom a secret. I am sure that we will be watched if we are not already.’ Charity smiled at the Marquis and then turned to leave. He walked towards the elevator and before he reached Mariah, he turned momentarily. ‘I suggest we all carry on as normal. With so many deaths on the ship we do not want the guests to become worried.’

‘I am glad I have your confidence, Captain Charity. After all, we shall sleep safe in our beds knowing the Bureau of Antiquities is protecting us,’ Tharakan said sarcastically as he yawned.

‘And sleep we shall – what a good idea,’ Charity replied as he and Mariah walked through the door and along the elegant passageway.

‘Do you really think the ship is safe?’ Mariah asked as they neared the apartment given to them by the Marquis.

‘We are sailing to hell, Mariah. Whoever is after the gold could blow up the ship as soon as it is delivered. That way there would be no witnesses. We have to find the bomb,’ said Charity.

‘But Cody said it was not about the gold,’ replied Mariah.

‘I fear that Lorenzo Zane has something to do with this. The
Triton
is not how it should be. If I were Zane and about to fail, I would have a plan to redeem myself.’ Charity wiped the tiredness from his eyes. ‘The consequences of such a thought are beyond belief and I can presume that only a madman would do such a thing.’

‘Sink the ship if he thought it was going to lose the Great Race?’ asked Mariah.

‘Then his reputation would not be lost. If it were an act of sabotage, Lorenzo Zane could say it was a jealous rival who set out to destroy his invention.’

‘And with the skyship they would be ensured of a means of escape. Biba told me she had travelled on it from Greenland to Nova Scotia,’ Mariah replied as they reached the doorway to their apartment.

‘My thoughts too, Mariah, and best we keep them to ourselves,’ Charity said as he opened the mahogany doors to the room and stepped inside.

They both stopped, equally surprised to see Biba DeFeaux lounging on the sofa by the balcony. Spirals of incense swirled upwards from the table by the door, giving the room a fragrance of myrrh. The lace drapes had been pulled so that the net mellowed the harsh light of the afternoon sun.

Biba was dressed as a Mandarin and had painted her face with lines of kohl to slant the eyes. She fiddled nervously with a large diamond set in a gold necklace.

‘I wondered how long you would be,’ she said apologetically. ‘I came to say …’

‘Mad as cheese. Crazy as a buffarilla,’ muttered Charity as
he smiled benignly and walked into his room, slamming the door behind him.

‘Is he always like that?’ Biba asked as she stood on the sofa and bounced up and down.

‘Only when irate,’ Mariah replied as he looked at the long table laid out with cakes and steaming silver pots and China cups. ‘Is that chocolate?’ he asked.

‘Not only is it chocolate – it’s Belgian chocolate made by the inscrutable Mr Bonnet,’ she whispered, not wanting Charity to hear her. ‘I thought I could say sorry by bringing you something nice.’

‘Why do you act like that?’ he asked as he sat next to her and poured the rich dark liquid into a translucent cup.

‘I can’t help it. Not a single person ever says no to me … and you look like someone who will, just for the sake of it. My father believes me to be spoilt and says I must be indulged and my mother keeps out of the way. The only time we ever touched was when that dreaded polar bear tried to kill me. Even then she seemed more concerned for Vikash.’ Biba frowned as she slumped to the leather sofa. ‘Madame Zane cares more for me than she does.’

‘Do you know her well?’ Mariah asked.

‘It is planned that at some time in the future our families will come together. I have spent the summer with them and Lorenzo will be with us at Christmas,’ she said as she took a piece of cake and crumbled it in her fingers.

‘Then your life is planned for you,’ said Mariah.

‘Isn’t that how it is for everyone?’ Biba asked, astonished at the suggestion that it could be any other way. She stopped, realising that she was about to do what she had done before. Biba giggled and sipped from Mariah’s cup. ‘I have never met anyone like you before. There is something strange about you, Mariah Mundi.’

Mariah looked at her in the Mandarin suit and embroidered slippers. Biba smiled at him and screwed up her nose as if she were a rabbit sniffing the air.

‘What is Lorenzo’s father like?’ he asked in as matter-of-fact a way as he could.

‘Luscious,’ she replied. ‘Just like chocolate. I think everyone should be seen as something to eat. You remind me of a parsnip – bitter at first and then quite sweet.’

‘Do you know him well?’ said Mariah, thinking Charity was right in saying she was mad.

‘I saw much of him when we went to Greenland. He spent a lot of time talking to my mother. They share an interest in
Alcatorda
…’

Mariah didn’t know what she meant but smiled as if he did.

‘Why should anyone want to harm Lorenzo Zane?’ he asked.

Biba suddenly recoiled like a snake. It was as if she knew a secret that she couldn’t share with him. She put her hands over her eyes and sighed. Mariah waited for her to reply. The incense swirled about him like long dark fingers that dripped with strands of torn hair. Then the light in the room dimmed and darkness fell unexpectedly as a gigantic shadow fell across the window.

From outside, Mariah heard the grumbling of the
Bicamer
alist
’s engines. The skyship hovered above the
Triton
. Mariah went to the window, pulled back the lace and looked out. There, like a gigantic cloud, blotting out the southern sky was the airship. It was the closest it had ever been to the ship. Its vast, whale-like carcass hung in the air, and beneath it the long gondola stretched the length of the
Triton
. Underneath the rear of the ribbed gondola were the steam engines, suspended like church bells. They buzzed as the blades turned and the steam pistons churned. Like the spouting of a whale, a column of smoke blew from a funnel on top of the skyship.

‘Look Biba, have you ever seen such a thing?’ Mariah asked.

Biba didn’t move. She sat with her face in her hands as if in her mind’s eye she watched something far more fascinating.

‘It was her fault,’ she said softly. ‘If she hadn’t left me behind to go looking for razorbills then the bear would never have come for me … She tried to make out that she had nothing to do with it. They left me behind in the village – I went looking for them – they had set off across the bay. I tried to follow – no one told me about the polar bears.’

‘So you blame her?’ Mariah asked.

‘Why am I telling you this?’ she replied, as if her speaking were beyond her control.

‘We all have to tell someone. I know what it is like to be angry with your parents. You can’t expect them to be perfect. Mine put me in the Colonial School and went to Africa. They went missing – some say they are dead. I wish they had taken me with them – at least I would know what happened to them.’