Salamaine's Curse (19 page)

But there was no waiting, no listening.

“It was all my idea!” Tom burst out. “I started the fight! Not them!”

Zaputo looked at Tom. “You?”

“Yes! Me! They were against the idea. They told me it was foolish and they were right.”

“No!” Porter shouted, but he was too late. Now that Tom had Zaputo's attention, he wasn't going to stop.

“Don't kill them,” Tom said. “It was all my idea.”

Zaputo studied him for a moment, then nodded. “So be it.”

Tom struggled to break free, but his movements only caused Zaputo's men to tighten their grip on his upper arms. As though witnessing events unfold from very far away, he watched as a crewman brought his blade to rest just above his heart. The razor-sharp tip of the sword pierced the thin cotton of his tee shirt.

He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the searing thrust of the blade.

“You are not the man you claim to be,” Mudge burst out. “The ruler of Aquat is said to be a man of honor. You're nothing but a murderer!”

Tom's eyes flew open. He stared at Mudge in horror as Zaputo's face darkened with fury.

Zaputo stopped. Turned. Looked at Mudge. “What did you say?”

“He didn't mean it!” Porter shouted. “He's confused! He doesn't know—”

“Silence!” roared Zaputo. He laid his fingertips on the blade and lowered it, turning the sword away from Tom's chest. Then he stepped toward Mudge. Softly he growled, “I would like to hear this child speak. This child who would dare to insult me in front of my crew.”

Porter shot Mudge a look of warning. A look which Mudge ignored.

“You fill your ship with human cargo. You earn your money selling the men, women, and children of Divino. Have you no pity?”

“Pity for the people of Divino?” Zaputo scoffed. The fiery bird riding on his shoulder let out a sharp
caw!
as though joining Zaputo in mocking Mudge's words. Zaputo slowly shook his head. “Let me show you how the people of Divino treat their brothers in Aquat.”

He lifted the thick gold chain he wore around his neck and reached for the ornate golden orb which dangled from the end. His fingers found a tiny, sensitive trigger. Like an over-sized locket, the orb sprang open to reveal a hollow interior. Nestled inside was a small, shriveled object that resembled a walnut shell. Zaputo removed it and held it between his thumb and forefinger.

“A mana seed,” Willa breathed, unable to keep the awe from her voice.

“It
was
a mana seed,” Zaputo corrected. “But no longer.” He rapped it against the ship's rail, producing the sharp, dry echo of hardened stone. “For centuries, my people were fed with the rich fruit of the mana tree. Our land was prosperous, lush, and beautiful. But one day the seed began to shrivel and die. There was no more fruit. No more food. My people starved. We turned to Divino for help, but they did nothing.
Nothing.
They would have let us starve to death.”

“But you didn't starve to death,” Porter interjected. “Divino must have helped you in some way.”

“Help?” Zaputo's eyes went black. “Your ruler, Keegan, gave me a choice. Use my fleet of ships to ferry his slaves, in return for barely enough food to keep my people from certain starvation, or watch them die. That was how Keegan helped me—by giving me a choice. Do his evil deeds or let my people die. I chose for the people of Aquat to live.”

Zaputo took a step back. He planted his legs wide and folded his arms across his broad chest, assuming a stance of contemptuous command. “You ask for pity? There is none. The people of Divino mean nothing to me.” He raised the mana seed and held it aloft. “As this seed hardened, so did the hearts of the people of Aquat.”

For a long moment there seemed to be nothing to say. Then Mudge spoke.

“You're wrong. Keegan does not use you. You allow yourself to be used. You are the captive here—Keegan's captive. Today is the day to break free. To choose not to do Keegan's bidding.”

Astonishment swept across the harsh lines of Zaputo's face. He gave a low rumble of laughter and glanced over his shoulder at his men. “Bold words for a small child. He chirps like a little bird, filling the air with his noise.”

His crewmen joined in the ridicule of Mudge. But as the laughter subsided, Tom noted that something about Zaputo had changed.

A moment ago he'd been ready to order his men to kill them all. Now a glimmer of interest showed in his dark eyes. He studied Mudge with an intensity that went beyond mere cutthroat desire to see him punished for the failed mutiny. A distant spark of recognition lurked in his gaze—a recognition of truth that somehow seemed to play in Mudge's favor.

As though sensing his advantage, Mudge pushed on. “Keegan's days of power are over. The tides have changed. There is a new ruler in Divino.”

Zaputo shrugged. “This news has already reached us. It means nothing. The next ruler of Divino will be as evil as Keegan. That will never change.”

“You're wrong. The new ruler of Divino will help your people.”

The statement was so at odds with the reality of their situation—vastly outnumbered and utterly defenseless—it was hard for Tom not to gawk at Mudge in disbelief.

Zaputo opened his mouth as though he was going to make another biting comment, but his words died in his throat as Mudge reached into his boot and withdrew the Sword of Five Kingdoms, its five black stones glistening in the morning sunlight.

“I tell you this as new ruler of Divino.”

Zaputo drew in a sharp breath. His men tensed, reaching for their weapons, but Zaputo stayed them off with a wave of his hand. He stepped forward, intently examining the blade. He glared at Mudge. “The Sword of Five Kingdoms,” he said. “What trickery is this?”

“No trickery,” Mudge replied. “Proof that I tell you the truth about Keegan. He has been defeated.”

Zaputo's brows narrowed. His voice rose. “And now you think you will use that sword to defeat me?”

“No,” Mudge answered. “No more battles. No more slave trade. Our people were once united. Our nations prospered. It can be so again, but only if we work together. We can help the people of Aquat. We will find another way to feed your people. Together we will rebuild your proud nation.”

Zaputo scratched his chin and regarded Mudge as though he were looking at an utterly confounding creature, a dog that could talk or a sheep that quacked. “Empty promises,” he muttered.

“Real promises,” Mudge countered. “But first we must rid both our lands of the scavengers. If they've reached Divino, they must be in Aquat as well.”

Although Zaputo didn't reply, the dark looks exchanged by his crew, coupled with their uncomfortable shuffling, was answer enough.

“We can destroy them all,” Porter cut in. “The Black Book of Pernicus will tell us how. The map we brought aboard, the map of the Cursed Souls Sea, leads us directly to it.”

Zaputo's lips curved upward in a cold smile. “The Black Book cannot be found. It has been missing for thousands of years.”

“We can find it,” Mudge said. “Just as we found this sword. The map you took from us leads to the book. But we'll need your help to reach it.”

Willa stepped forward. “You swore yesterday you would fight for your children,” she reminded Zaputo. “Now is the time to do so.”

Zaputo glared at Willa. Then he turned his dark stare on Tom, Porter, and Mudge.

Tom moved to stand beside Willa. “Everything you've heard is true—”

“Enough!” Zaputo bellowed. “I have heard enough! Now I will think on it.”

Tom went still, his pulse hammering in his ears as he waited for Zaputo to decide what to do.

Seconds stretched into what seemed like hours. Tom's senses intensified as the moment seemed to freeze in time. He was aware of the sharp morning breeze snapping the ruby sails overhead, the scent of gunpowder lingering in the air, the anxious shuffle of the captives as they awaited their own fates.

Finally, Zaputo nodded to his crew. “Bring me that map.”

Tom's relief was so great his knees nearly buckled. He glanced at his friends, watching as the color rushed back into Willa's ashen face and Porter dragged in a deep, shuddering breath. Mudge was the only one not obviously overcome with relief. Instead, he studied Zaputo with an expression that looked remarkably like approval.

“They will show you where the book can be found,” Mudge said, nodding to Tom and Porter.

Two of Zaputo's men dragged a table into place, as another retrieved the map and spread it open.

Tom positioned himself at the western edge of the map, while Porter took the eastern edge. Their gazes locked and they exchanged a nod. Wordlessly they brought their fingertips down to rest on the parchment. The map came to life, drawing gasps from Zaputo and his crew, as well as from the captives who watched from a few yards away.

Tom ignored them all, keeping his focus locked on the map. While the Cursed Souls Sea remained as violent as ever, and the Coral Canyon showed itself to be the only entrance into that agitated body of water, other things had changed. As they drew closer to the book, the map was somehow adjusting itself to reflect their journey.

The island city of Arx came into view in greater detail. To Tom, it looked as though he was viewing the crumbling remains of a great Roman metropolis, a city which must once have been a thriving center of trade. Within the ruins he recognized an open air amphitheater, a market square, courthouses, and other public buildings. The structures had been built of glistening terracotta stone, giving the whole scene a sparkling, fairytalelike glow.

His gaze moved to the tall, lighthouse-style fortress which jutted up on the northern end of the island. It was there that the Black Book of Pernicus was held. The enormous guards armed with scimitar swords he and Porter had seen earlier—men Tom now recognized as Zaputo's crew—no longer blocked the entrance. But that new advantage was cancelled by something far more difficult to overcome.

The island itself was composed of nearly solid vertical rock walls. There was only one spot on the entire island where a ship could reasonably gain access, a rocky beach a few hundred feet wide. A rocky beach where hordes of moaning, angry, hungry scavengers staggered.