by Geonn Cannon
“Thank you, Bert.”
“Sure,” he said. “She came up out of the hatch with the rifle. I didn’t think you saw her.”
Beatrice said, “I did not.”
He remained crouched next to her on the deck. “I didn’t know it was another lady.”
“Is that a problem?”
“No, no. Not a problem at all. I’ve just never seen so many dangerous women in one place.”
Beatrice said, “Spend enough time with Dorothy Boone...” She took out the gun she’d been given and checked to make sure it had been loaded. “What’s the range on this thing?”
“Not as much as you’re going to need.”
“I’ll need one of your long arms.”
He rose up enough that he could see the submarine below. “She’s not in sight. But stay low.”
Beatrice moved in a crouched position, staying close to the wall. The chain rattled and swung against the hull as the golems began climbing unchecked. More gunfire from the ship, and then something clanged against the railing. Beatrice thought it was just a poorly-aimed shot until Bert shouted for her attention. She looked back and saw two metal hooks attached to the rail.
“She’s put up a ladder.”
Beatrice growled. She summoned more energy and pushed it toward the hooks, trying to lift them up and off the rail. They had just started to lift when Virago’s hand closed on the railing and she began hauling herself aboard.
“Damn it.” Beatrice urged Bert to go on. “Protect the submersible at all costs. She can’t be allowed to take control of it or this ship.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be dealing with her.”
Bert hurried off as Beatrice got to her feet.
Virago was dressed in a white blouse under a heavy maroon coat. A pair of gun belts crossed her hips to form an X. Her wind caught her hair and lifted it up, exposing her neck in a way that Beatrice found particularly exploitable. Virago grinned wickedly as she shed the coat and tossed it aside.
“You must be Beatrice Sek. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You’re the woman who hurt Lady Boone.” She curled her hands into fists and cracked her knuckles. “I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.”
Virago hissed and lunged forward. Beatrice dropped into a crouch, slapped her hands on the deck, and gave herself enough of a magical bounce to achieve a five-foot vertical jump. She swung out her leg to kick Virago across the chin. The other woman stopped short, grabbed Beatrice’s foot, and pulled. They both tumbled, but Virago was the first to recover.
“I don’t often get the opportunity for an evenly-matched fight,” Virago said. “I’ve been quite looking forward to this.”
“I hope I don’t disappoint.”
Near the stern she could hear the shouting of crewmembers; the golems were starting to get aboard. Virago held her arms out to either side, fingers spread so that Beatrice could see the yellow-orange energy sparking between them even in the sunlight. She mimicked Virago’s stance and demonstrated the crackling blue light of her own power.
“That’s a lovely color on you,” Virago said.
“Let’s see how it looks on you.”
They lashed out at the same time, both with their right arms, and the energy met and twisted together at the halfway point. Beatrice was weak from using the golems as a shooting gallery, but she could sense she was the stronger of the two. Virago also seemed aware of her shortcomings. The cocky grin left her face and she brought up her other hand to increase her output. Beatrice backed up a step as the orange energy doubled in strength.
“Not bad,” Virago said. “Where did Dorothy find you?”
“Don’t bother looking. I’m one of a kind.”
She raised her own hand but, instead of strengthening her attack, she aimed a small burst at the foot Virago was resting her weight on. She stumbled and her energy dissipated. Beatrice ran forward and brought her energy down like a club to flatten her opponent to the deck. Virago fell flat, arms splayed out to either side as Beatrice landed on top of her. She scrambled to reposition herself so she could straddle Virago’s hips and pin her arms.
“You’ve made it this far,” Beatrice said, “so I’m sure Lady Boone won’t mind revealing what she found on the seabed. But you’re going to be held in the brig. When we get back to--”
The punch took her completely by surprise, knocking her to one side so forcefully that only the railing kept her from continuing over the edge into the water. She ended up on her stomach and pushed herself up onto her knees as the golem closed his hand around her throat and hauled her up. Her feet dangled and her head felt like it would snap off the top of her spine, but she managed to cup her hands around the golem’s head. She sent a burst of power between her palms and turned its head to pulp. Without the life to give it strength, she was able to pry its fat fingers from her throat and dropped back to the deck.
Virago rushed her and slammed into her from behind. Beatrice couldn’t aim properly over her shoulder and had no defense as she was slammed face-first into the wall. Once there, however, she twisted in Virago’s grip and punched her hard across the face. Close-quarters magic was too risky; they both didn’t want to accidentally get hit by their own energies. Virago punched Beatrice in the stomach, and Beatrice grabbed a handful of Virago’s hair to pull her head back.
“Not bad for an old woman,” Beatrice said.
Virago laughed. “The cockiness of youth. I knew I could count on it to rear its ugly head.”
Beatrice could hear the sounds of fighting from all over the ship. Someone’s scream was cut off in a sudden and alarming choke. She swept her arms out to break Virago’s hold and simultaneously threw her head forward. Virago tried to duck out of the way, but Beatrice’s forehead cracked on her chin. Both women cried out in pain, but the move had served its purpose. Virago stumbled back just enough to let Beatrice get free. She grabbed the knife from her belt and slashed at Virago’s midsection. Virago saw the flash of light on the blade and retreated further to avoid it.
“Do you think you can hold us off forever? Do you think you can fight us all while protecting your very vulnerable friends down below? One word from me, and that submarine will dive with a singular purpose. It will find and destroy the submersible Trafalgar and Boone are in. All it would require is a small puncture. The sea would do the rest. They’d be crushed by the pressure in a matter of seconds.”
“If they die, my life’s work would become your slow and painful torture until you finally pass away of old age. And as you draw your last peaceful breath, I will plunge a blade into your heart.”
Virago laughed. “Oh, Beatrice Sek, I do like you. It’s a shame we’re meeting as enemies.” She grabbed the blade of Beatrice’s knife and squeezed. Blood rose up between her fingers as she reached out with her other hand to grab the lapel of Beatrice’s shirt. She pulled her forward and their bodies slammed together. Beatrice stiffened, very aware of the wickedly sharp blade between them. It was a hard weight against her abdomen, held there by Virago’s body.
“Go on,” Virago said. “No magic, no scheming, just two women holding a knife. Are you strong enough? Eh? Go on, then. End me. End me, and my golems die as well.”
They were both straining to get control of the knife. Virago’s other hand was still gripping Beatrice’s shirt, but Beatrice’s left hand was free. She slipped it into her pocket and pulled out something long, thin, and metallic. She held it out to the side and let the ring on one end dangle from her finger. The glint of sunlight on the slender spike drew Virago’s eye, but her hold on the knife didn’t waver.
“What is that?” she laughed. “Go ahead and stab me with it. It would be a minor irritation at best.”
“Sure,” Beatrice said as she let the pin drop to the deck. It was a struggle to speak while counting in her head. “You never saw one of these in Ireland, did you? Germans used them in the War. Called them Kugelhandgranates.” She pulled the ball from her pocke
t. It looked armored, with a checkerboard of small black squares. Beatrice reached “three” in her countdown and tossed the grenade straight up. Virago’s eyes widened with fright and she retreated immediately. Beatrice also retreated as the weapon tumbled back down.
It exploded in the place they had just been standing, high enough to avoid serious damage to the ship but low enough that it would have killed either of them if they’d still been standing there. As it was, the explosion made Beatrice lose her footing. She fell hard and landed flat on the deck. Her ears were ringing and she was battered, weak from using too much magic too quickly, but she managed to stand. She stumbled and reached out to the wall for balance as she turned around to see how Virago had fared. The smoke was still clearing, but she could see her opponent standing on shaky legs just on the other side of the blast zone. Her face was bloody; apparently she’d hit her head when she fell. Beatrice considered that a win.
“You want to play with fire? So be it.”
Virago crouched and held her arms out with her hands cupped as if she was planning to lift something heavy. Beatrice felt the entire ship sway underneath them and her panic surged. The tendons on Virago’s neck stood out like steel rebar, veins rising to the surface across her face as she lifted what seemed like an impossible weight. Something crashed against the side of the Cervantes and Beatrice realized too late it was a wall of water.
The wave retracted, but a sweep of Virago’s arm brought it back around. It was just like a child creating ripples in the bathtub but on a massive scale. Beatrice summoned what energy she could and shot it across the deck like an arrow. She hit Virago center-mass and knocked her off her feet, but the damage had already been done. The wave Virago had been manipulating had no option but to follow gravity. Beatrice turned and ran for the nearest doorway.
“Tidal wave!” she shouted, unsure of how else she could warn the crew of what was about to happen. She reached the door just as the water crashed aboard. She was hit hard enough to be knocked off her feet, but then the wave caught her and carried her along with it. Beatrice hit walls, doorways, the ceiling, and finally was tossed like a forgotten toy onto the ground.
She struggled to rise, but fighting back against Virago combined with the wave and destroying the golems had taken everything out of her. She collapsed on the deck and let the water wash over her as a physical manifestation of her fading consciousness.
Chapter Nineteen
The instrument panels went dark. It was only thirty seconds before they came back to life, but Dorothy doubted she or Trafalgar breathed during that half-minute. She swallowed her panic and leaned forward in her seat to look up at the surface. The submarine hung near the Cervantes, and she could see what looked like dismembered corpses floating in the water all around. She reported to Trafalgar what she’d seen as she returned to her seat.
“Good lord. They may require our assistance.”
“Or surfacing now could be a distraction that leads to Virago gaining the upper hand.”
Trafalgar said, “What’s to say she doesn’t have it already? We could be the distraction Beatrice is hoping for.”
Dorothy considered their options. “How deep are we?”
“Six hundred meters,” Trafalgar said. “Two-thirds of the way down. We’re going to continue on.”
Dorothy said, “You’re not putting it up to a vote?”
Trafalgar said, “You can’t vote. Choosing between your grandmother’s legacy, and saving the woman you love? Whichever decision you make, you’ll regret not taking the other option. Both are valid, both have their pros and cons, and you’d never be satisfied no matter what eventually happens. So I’m taking the choice out of your hands.”
“Thank you,” Dorothy said softly.
“Of course. You would do the same for me. Besides, the Cervantes crew has dealt with pirates before, and Beatrice can handle whatever Virago throws at her.”
Dorothy nodded. “Of course you’re right.”
Her anxiety wouldn’t be easily quieted, so she focused on what they were seeing outside the glass. The depths in this area had fluctuated so wildly on the maps but she truly hadn’t expected anything quite so mountainous. Schools of fish that appeared black in the submersible’s lights swarmed around them, bumping up against the glass before letting the current sweep them up and over the curved dome of the ship. They had to adjust their course several times to avoid alighting on a plateau, continuing deeper into the sea. Soon the teal waters gave way to blue and then violet. The streaks of sunlight grew thinner and their visibility diminished with each meter.
“Eight hundred meters,” Trafalgar said softly, her tone giving the moment its proper reverence. The ship groaned and strained around them as if in response to her comment. They both scanned for evidence of leakage but found nothing alarming.
“Beginning to regret your decision?” Dorothy asked.
Trafalgar said, “Absolutely not.”
Dorothy smiled and looked at her instruments. The radar pinged on a system of caves below them. They had seen other caves on the descent, yawning mouths in the side of cliffs and scattered across the foothills of mountains they had left hundreds of meters above them. These opening, however, seemed to extend further into the rock. She reached out to the controls and angled one of the lights to shine into the opening when they were near to it.
“What is it?” Trafalgar asked.
“I don’t see the back wall. It could be a tunnel.”
Trafalgar shrugged. “I suppose...”
“How far are we?”
“Eight sixty.”
“So we have a bit of leeway on the tether. We could pause the descent and use the engine to scoot over, see what’s in there.”
Trafalgar hesitated. “What possible value could that have?”
“Inscriptions, artifacts, road signs. If there is a civilization to be found on the sea floor, we might find evidence here.”
“I suppose it could be worth a quick look. But we shouldn’t waste too much time. We have no idea what is happening on the ship, and I don’t want to be a hundred meters into a cave if they start reeling us back in.”
“Understood.”
Dorothy guided the ship over, holding her breath as the lights filled the opening with a pale shine. Creatures unaccustomed to such bright lights swarmed out of the cave’s mouth. Dorothy was grateful that Trafalgar had the foresight to pick up the camera and snap off a few shots. The sea life wasn’t their primary goal, but she knew it would be considered valuable information to someone. She paused on the threshold of the cave and moved again to the edge of her seat, leaning close to the glass to see as much as possible.
She so was focused on the walls and the arch that made up the opening that Trafalgar had to say her name twice to get her attention.
“What is that?”
Trafalgar was pointing deeper into the cavern, toward the curved roof. At first it appeared to be a flat silver object affixed to the rock, but when Dorothy tilted her head to the side she could see that it was rippling slightly with the current.
“That’s... not possible,” she said.
“An underwater cavern?” Trafalgar said. “Not so unbelievable.”
Dorothy chewed her bottom lip and stared at the mysterious spot. “It might be nothing.”
Trafalgar looked at the instruments. “Huey said that if we wanted to make a quick excursion, it should be possible. The suits will protect us from the pressure for a short amount of time.”
“Even at this depth? It would crush us like a dry leaf if we opened the door. Or... if that is a cavern, then would the pressure in the cave be low enough to survive?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea,” Trafalgar said. “Huey was more concerned in teaching us how the suits work than the mechanics of ocean pressures. None of us really believed we would have cause to leave the submersible. But either way, these suits have an internal mechanism that keep us at a safe level. It might become uncomfortable, but we’ll surviv
e.”
Dorothy said, “I’m not certain the reward would be worth the risk.” But her hands were shaking. She wanted to know what was on the other side of that pool.
Trafalgar turned on a radar screen and sent out a ping to determine how far away the pool was. “Fifteen meters. The suits will protect us for a trip that short. We open the hatch, swim out, poke our heads above the surface, and swim back. Huey showed you how to drain the ship if we were forced to open the hatch, right?”
“We’re not being forced, we’re choosing to,” Dorothy said in a distracted monotone.
Trafalgar picked up her helmet and turned it in her hands until it was aligned properly. “I believe this is precisely what your grandmother was searching for. You can either come with me now, or you can look in six months when your brain has refused to let you sleep until you know what’s on the other side of that pool. Put on your helmet, Lady Boone.”
Dorothy did as she was told. They were able to make the connections on their own masks but, just to be safe, they turned and checked each other. Confident that everything was proper, Trafalgar twisted a key and opened two nozzles at the bottom of the compartment. A controlled flow of sea water began rising around their feet. Dorothy looked back at Ignacio’s case, the one that supposedly carried everything they would need on this expedition.
“It will be difficult to carry both that and the camera,” Trafalgar said.
“Right. If we need it, we can come back to the ship. The camera is more important.”
Trafalgar nodded and sat patiently until the compartment was full. The mechanisms were all protected from the water, though Dorothy couldn’t quite understand how. Huey had put her fears at ease by spilling an entire cup of water over the console. “I don’t know how, either,” he admitted, “all I got to know is that it does.”
A blue light came on, and Trafalgar reached over her head to open the hatch. As she was hauling herself out, Dorothy entered a code that would lock the submersible’s commands until they returned. It would be a disaster if they came back to find it had been reeled back to the ship without them aboard. She pushed up out of her seat and drifting out through the hatch. Trafalgar was standing on the curved edge, one hand against the stone wall to keep herself steady as she waited for Dorothy to follow her. Their suits had a pressure gauge on the wrist that would alert them of imminent failure, but neither was even close to the red.