‘Try the sea grint – it’s very filling,’ she said, pointing to a fat fish that vaguely resembled a pufferfish on Earth.
Arthur looked at her and then at the fish and then at her again.
‘Um, I think I’ll just have a bit of that blue stuff over there,’ he said, relieved to see the familiar porridge-like substance that they ate every day.
‘Nonsense,’ said the Captain, who was thoroughly enjoying himself, already digging in to each of the dishes in turn. ‘Arthur, Sky, come now – you too, Margot. If you try nothing else, at least have a piece of this one,’ he said, and lifted up the tray containing the long eel-like fish, flat on the bottom and rounded at the top. Without giving them a chance to decline, he cut several pieces off it and handed them out.
Arthur nodded by way of thanks and examined the turquoise fleshy morsel.
‘When in Rome, I guess,’ he heard Margot say. She popped a piece into her mouth, and Arthur waited to see what would happen next. But she just smiled and commented that it tasted pretty good, and carried on eating. Soon they were all busy sampling the different delicacies. Even the cat wanted to have a go, and he didn’t like fish.
After they had finished, the group found whatever space they could on the floor and made themselves comfortable. There was still time to kill before first light. Arthur lay down next to Sky and slept fitfully.
Just before dawn, Ama, who seemed not to have slept and was still in the same clothes, came and woke everyone.
‘I have a message for you, Char,’ she said, leaning over him as he sat up. ‘Gravis and his crew are on board the Strelkan and are awaiting your arrival.’ She leaned in closer and murmured, low but clearly enough to be heard by those nearby, ‘It is still not too late for you to find another way.’
Char looked first at the Major and then, for some reason, at Arthur.
‘Thank you for your concern, Ama, but time weighs heavily on us and we must achieve our objective before the Solarians become wise to it,’ he said.
‘Then you must go now before the town awakes and you are seen,’ she said.
Handing each of them a small parcel of food for their journey, as was the custom in Sa when bidding farewell to guests going on a long voyage, Ama said goodbye to each of them in turn as they passed through the doorway. As Arthur and Sky were about to leave, she laid her hands on their shoulders and stopped them. Gripping them both tightly, she stared for several seconds as if searching for something in their looks.
‘Dark are the skies that lie before you both,’ she said, fixing them each in turn with her stare. ‘Whilst you have each other, there is strength and cause to hope. Any more than this I cannot see. Go now. Time will reveal all… Go.’ Ama smiled tiredly and released them.
‘That was freaky,’ said Arthur once they were outside and hurrying to catch up with the others.
‘And some! But she was right,’ said Sky.
‘Does that mean you are going to stop ignoring me so much?’ He asked playfully.
‘Depends on your behaviour,’ she replied, thumping him on the arm.
The group headed swiftly through the changing streets of Sa. Most of the townspeople were still asleep, their windows dark in anticipation of the approaching dawn. They stole across the town square without a sound and out towards the waterfront and the docks. Arthur had half expected to see old fishing vessels like on Earth, tied up alongside rusting cranes and fishing nets. The port of Sa, though, looked nothing like Earth. There were no cranes or fishing nets. The ships looked utterly foreign. They lay low in the water, in many different shapes and sizes, but all sleek, like spacecraft that had been adapted for the sea.
Heavy snow had begun to fall after they had left the comfort of Ama’s home, and it had quickly blanketed the ground. Arthur could see movement on several of the ships in the harbour, one of which had seemingly just arrived, gliding several metres above the water before setting down alongside one of the smaller piers.
‘Look!’ He whispered to Sky. ‘That’s why they don’t look like ships we have on Earth – because they don’t just float, they fly!’ He pointed in the direction of the incoming ship.
‘They’re not very creative in their choice of colour schemes, though, are they,’ chimed in Margot beside them. ‘Silver, grey and black– not exactly a colour fest!’
Arthur and Sky looked at each other and then at her, wondering what she was on about.
‘The ships!’ She whispered. ‘I’m talking about the ships.’
‘Ah,’ they both answered in unison.
At the end of the longest of the piers in the harbour was a black ship, already tied up. As they approached, Arthur saw Gravis standing there, waiting to meet them.
‘Ah, I thought you had changed your mind, Char,’ he said, holding out his arm for Char to take. On Andarra it was the custom to greet people by taking hold of their forearm rather than their hand. ‘I thought maybe that old witch Ama had filled your head with stories of pirates and the like.’ Gravis grinned his twisted grin, which made him look even more sinister.
‘Hold your tongue, Gravis, I will not have you speak ill where it is not wanted.’
Gravis grunted and stood back, gesturing for them all to come aboard. Arthur counted at least a dozen crew members on deck, all holding plasma rifles. Some of them were paying attention to the group coming aboard while others faced off in different directions. At the front of the ship, a large plasma cannon stood unmanned and already covered in snow. At the back, a launcher containing a number of rockets was positioned in the middle of the deck.
‘She seems to be running heavily armed,’ observed the Major as they stepped onto the gangway.
‘It is the law of the Spice Sea, Major,’ said Char. ‘The more armaments you have and the faster your ship, the better your chances of getting your cargo to where it needs to be going. Otherwise, you risk ending up spending eternity in the wasteland of doomed souls at the bottom of the sea.’
‘Well, that was most enlightening,’ said the Major drily.
Sky glanced at Arthur. ‘Doesn’t sound good, does it,’ she whispered. Arthur shook his head.
The group were shown through to a cabin area at the front. Arthur took off his pack and rifle and put them on the floor next to Sky’s, opening the top for the cat to get out. The two of them then went out on to the main deck, just below the mount for the plasma cannon. Arthur gazed towards Sa and its many tall towers. The town, already under a covering of snow, was starting to wake up. One by one, lights were coming on.
With a shudder, the ship’s engines roared into life. As the craft drew back from the pier, it rose effortlessly out of the water, blasting a huge cloud of spray below it. Once it was several metres above the surface, it turned sharply without any warning and headed out to sea. Arthur and Sky managed to grab hold of a railing at the very last moment before they were thrown overboard.
‘Bloody hell!’ shouted Arthur as the ship straightened up and passed smoothly between the harbour walls. ‘I thought we were done for!’
‘Gravis could have warned us about it!’ replied Sky angrily.
‘Oh, I don’t think Gravis cares one way or the other… I really do have a bad feeling about him,’ said Arthur. ‘Something doesn’t feel right.’
Judging it safe to let go of the railings, they ducked back into the cabin area where the others were. There the Major was deep in discussion with Char. Seeing Arthur enter, he called him over.
‘Thought we had lost you there, lad,’ smiled the Major. ‘For a moment it looked like the both of you were going for a swim.’
‘You weren’t the only one,’ said Arthur, sitting down.
‘Right – let’s get to it, then. According to Char, we’re going to be on this boat for the next few days. It’s been agreed that in order not to arouse suspicion, the ship will go about its normal business and won’t be making
a mad dash from one side of the sea to the other, as that’s likely to attract attention. Gravis and his crew will edge their way there and hopefully no one will be any the wiser. So, that’s the plan and the good news.’
‘And what’s the bad news?’
‘The bad news is that we’re going to have to stay cooped up out of sight from now on. So, no more going out on deck, even if and when we make port – understood?’
‘Yes,’ said Arthur groaning.
6
Char
Not long after they had left the port at Sa, the Strelkan glided through the entrance to the Spice Sea. The huge ceiling of ice which they had seen from the foothills the previous day arced over them like a gigantic never-ending dome. Arthur had expected it to be dark under the ice, but it wasn’t so at all. Luca had told them that powerful northern winds blew down from the mountains and out across the ice, dispersing the snow and stopping it from collecting there. The ice itself acted like a giant diffuser, making the light passing through it soft and even. Arthur stared up at the underside of it, at its enormous cracks and seams which gave it a rugged, mottled effect. The air seemed to sparkle.
A large tower marked the entrance to the sea. Built on a small island, it was tall and imposing; a golden dome at the top glowed in the soft light and gave the tower the feel of an ancient sentinel, ever watchful, ever ready for what the sea might bring. Arthur gazed from behind the cabin’s darkened glass at the guards on the fortified walls, eyeing them as their ship flew past them and into the open sea beyond. With the tower fading into the distance, Arthur changed places and found somewhere he could watch the sea ahead and the ever-changing colours and patterns of the ice roof above. The cat came and lay down next to him, for a while keeping one wary eye open before finally dozing off.
‘Keeper,’ came an unexpected voice, making him jump. It was Luca.
‘Keeper,’ she said again, ‘Char challenges you to face him in the Kerrenga arena.’
‘Me?’ He asked, opening his eyes and trying to shake the groggy feeling from his thoughts. He had fallen asleep without realising it. Luca smiled at him.
‘I am sorry to wake you, Keeper, but it is our custom for a victor of the arena to accept challenges from defeated or new challengers at the time of the challenger’s choosing,’ she said.
Arthur glanced across to where Char was sitting with several of his fighters. He stared back at him, his cold, pale eyes unwaveringly fixed on him.
‘I see… okay,’ said Arthur reluctantly, feeling that it would be worse to try to get out of it than accept the challenge.
Char grinned slyly as Arthur came over and sat down opposite him. Sava handed him a Karras and he attached it to the side of his head. Out of the corner of his eye he caught the Major and Captain Schmidt watching what was happening. The Major got up and walked over.
‘The lad has been challenged?’ He asked as he took a seat next to Arthur.
‘If you mean the Keeper, then you are correct,’ growled Char.
‘And what is the challenge that you are making?’
Char fixed his gaze on the Major.
‘If the Keeper is victorious, then my men and I will take you to the gates to the Solarian base on the Northern Plateau.’
Arthur glanced at the Major. Captain Schmidt now got up and came closer, his rifle slung over his shoulder.
‘I thought that you were instructed to accompany us there. What has changed, Char, that you have not told us?’
‘Orders change, Major,’ he said smirking.
Arthur looked at Sava. She looked uncomfortable.
‘And what if the lad loses?’
‘When the boy loses, he will pass the Arnac to me.’
Arthur felt a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach.
‘The Arnac will not work for you,’ he said.
‘If they work for me, if they don’t work for me – this is not my interest in them.’
‘Then why do you want them so badly?’
‘My reasons are my own, Keeper. Now, do you agree my terms?’
‘Where is the honour in beating this boy!’ asked the Major angrily.
Char and a few of his fighters laughed.
‘This boy, as you call him, has shown his worth in this arena before. There is no dishonour, Major, in my challenge!’ growled Char, the smile disappearing from his face.
Sky and Margot had also come over. Only Yan, who was busy tinkering with something, seemed oblivious to what was unfolding in the cabin.
‘And if the boy refuses?’ demanded the Major.
‘Do you really want to find out, Major?’
Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur noticed several of Char’s men subtly activating their rifles as the Major continued to question Char’s motives for the sudden demands and threats.
‘I’ll do it!’ Arthur announced, fearing what was about to happen next. ‘But you must promise, Char, that you will keep your word to help us if I win!’
Char bowed his head but said nothing.
‘Give me a Karras,’ demanded the Major.
‘And me!’ said Sky.
Unlike the previous occasion, this time the game would be fought solely between Arthur and Char. Everyone else put on their Karras so that they could watch. Before they started, the Major took Arthur to one side.
‘I am sorry, lad, that you find yourself in this position. It is a big responsibility to carry.’
‘It’s okay, Major,’ said Arthur nervously. ‘This is like what he did the first time.’
‘And you beat him, as I remember.’
‘Yes,’ nodded Arthur, ‘I did.’
‘Then have faith in yourself, lad.’
Arthur nodded again and took his position facing Char. He could feel himself trembling. A tense silence fell on the group, broken only by the humming of the engines in the background.
‘Let the first game help you to remember how to play, Keeper – let it not be said that I was not gracious in advance of my victory,’ sneered Char, much to the amusement of many of his fighters.
‘Enough! We begin!’ He bellowed as the three-dimensional arena appeared before Arthur’s eyes. In the far top corner, Char’s symbol glowed in the centre of his maze, whilst at the same time his attacking symbol charged towards Arthur’s. Unprepared, Arthur tried to remember what he’d done last time to stop him, but it was all too little, too late. Char broke through the maze with ease, and before Arthur had had a chance to pick up his sword to defend his symbol, Char had defeated him effortlessly.
Char fell about laughing, his callous, hollow laugh filling the cabin. ‘You are going to have to do better, Keeper! You have had your practice – now we play for real!’
Arthur turned towards Sky.
‘It’s okay,’ she said. ‘You can do it. Try to remember what you did last time – what did you do?’
‘I don’t know. I just felt that I suddenly understood what to do… I didn’t have to think about it.’
‘Then don’t think about it now!’
‘Don’t think about it,’ he mumbled to himself as he turned and once again faced Char. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
‘Closing your eyes will not help you see better!’ mocked Char. Then, without a word, Arthur opened his eyes and tapped the side of his Karras. The three-dimensional arena appeared in front of him. Char did the same and his symbols glowed on the grid. Without waiting, Char charged straight towards Arthur’s maze, but this time Arthur was ready for him, instinctively blocking him each time he tried to find a way through.
‘Come on, lad!’ called out the Major enthusiastically as Arthur countered and began to fight his way through Char’s maze. He could hear Char cursing him as he made it through a gate just before it slammed shut on him – he was beginning to get the upper hand. Char had stopped trying to get through to th
e inner part of his maze. Now he was fully focused on trying to keep Arthur out of his. There were murmurs from his fighters as Arthur slipped through the passageways into the inner chamber. Picking up the Sword of Challengers, Arthur came face to face with Char, who was standing between him and his symbol.
‘You are full of surprises, Keeper!’ He said maliciously, raising his sword and beckoning him to come forward.
Char swung his sword at Arthur and, without understanding where or how he’d learned to do it, Arthur jumped above the full height of Char’s swing and brought his own sword down upon him, cleaving Char’s virtual head in two. For several moments after that, there was utter silence in the cabin. A look of shock was etched on everyone’s faces. Even Arthur himself felt bemused by what he had just been able to do. Char’s stunned face quickly grew dark with rage.
‘You fought well, Keeper,’ growled Char angrily, refusing to make eye contact with him. ‘Sadly for you, your victory will be short-lived… very short-lived.’ Char stood up, as did several of his men, each of them raising their rifles towards Arthur and the other members of the Earth group. ‘Now you will enjoy this little surprise that I have planned for you!’
‘What are you doing, Char?’ asked the Major, reaching quickly for his weapon.
‘Not so fast, Major!’ shouted Char, firing a warning shot into the floor next to him. ‘I suggest that none of you move if you want to see how this day ends!’
The Major raised his hands. The others followed suit. Arthur looked at Luca as he raised his hands. She was shocked by what was happening.
‘All of this because he lost?’ said Margot, raising her voice so that she would be heard.
‘Silence! There will be no words spoken by any of you!’
Char made them sit down on the far side of the cabin as Gravis entered the room with several of his crew.
Arthur and the Andarran Rescue Page 8