Brightstorm

by Vashti Hardy

Welby turned to give Arthur the one-eyebrow raise.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sneak up,” he said.

  “Really?” Welby’s eyebrow arched even higher.

  “Here, Arthur. What can you see?” Harriet handed him the binoscope and pointed to an area below.

  “There’s someone, I think they’re waving, but they look distressed, and … Harriet, I don’t know if I’m seeing what you are, but I don’t think they’ve got any legs.”

  “Take the ship down,” Harriet called across the deck.

  They began a rapid descent, and landed the Aurora in the sand a short distance from the figure.

  The whole crew rushed to the edge.

  “We can’t stop here long,” Forbes said, shaking his head. “The sand will play havoc with the engines and we need to make sure we can take off again.”

  “Have some compassion, Forbes,” said Felicity. “We’ll just help this poor soul, and take him to the Citadel. We won’t be long.”

  Now they were close, Arthur could see that the poor man was not legless, but he was trapped in the sand from the chest down.

  “Lower the gangplank!” Harriet ordered.

  Deckhand Barnes wound the great cog and the plank began extending towards the sand. Arthur stood poised – the poor man looked terribly distressed. Before the plank reached the ground, Arthur had run down and was belting towards him.

  “Stop!” Harriet yelled. “I think it’s quicksand!”

  Arthur halted just as his feet slopped into the gluey mixture. They began sinking, and he just managed to hop backwards. The rest of the crew disembarked the Aurora and rushed to join him on the sand just short of the danger. The man yelled in a foreign language and flailed around frantically. He began sinking even deeper. Arthur went to take a step and reach towards him, but Maudie pulled him back and glared at him.

  “But he’s going to drown in the sand, Maud! We can’t just watch him.”

  “You’ll be stuck too, if you’re not careful, then we’ll have two people in trouble.”

  Harriet began calling out in what sounded like the same language as the man’s and making gestures with her arms and legs.

  The man began following her instructions. He pulled his chest forward and, after a while of wriggling as Harriet continued shouting out instructions in the foreign language, his legs lifted behind him. The man’s eyes looked panicked and kept flitting about. As he crawled towards the edge and was pulled free by deckhands Keene and Forsythe, something caught Arthur’s eye on the sand dune behind.

  A figure dressed from head to toe in sandy robes, rose from the dune before them, throwing off the beige blanket which had concealed him.

  Arthur pointed. “Hey!” he called.

  Then Gilly shouted, “Over there!” as another rose to the left, then another and another.

  There was a strange moment of frozen bewilderment as the crew watched the figures rise, then Felicity shouted, “We’ve been tricked!”

  There was a clunk behind and Arthur turned to see a stranger on the deck, furiously winding the cog to pull back the gangplank. “Someone’s on the ship!”

  “Maudie, you’re fastest – come with me! Hold the rest at bay, crew!” Harriet called as she rushed back towards the Aurora with Maudie. “Whatever you do, don’t let those men make it to the ship!”

  Arthur’s heart pounded in his ears as he attempted a tally of the bandits heading towards them from the dune. The numbers seemed quite even, but the assailants held weapons.

  He looked over his shoulder to see Maudie reach the gangplank, closely followed by Harriet. They pulled themselves up, but the figure on deck grabbed a broom and began jibing it so that they couldn’t go any further. Harriet was shouting at him in the strange language.

  The gang from the dune stalked nearer, spreading wide like a big net about to enclose them. Arthur spun around looking for anything that might help.

  “Don’t you have any weapons?” he said to Welby.

  “Harriet doesn’t believe in them.”

  Arthur let out a groan of disbelief.

  “Neither do I,” Welby added.

  The glint of light reflected off what looked like a curved sword in one of the gang’s hands.

  “Trust us, Arthur.”

  “I have a weapon,” Felicity said, brandishing her lucky spoon. “I told you a storm was coming. These feet are never wrong.”

  “I was hoping you meant the rainy sort.”

  Beside Felicity, Gilly rolled up his sleeves to reveal his not-very-ample muscles. It wasn’t looking good.

  Two of the bandits suddenly broke into a run, scooting around the quicksand and flanking the crew on either side. One charged towards Felicity and Gilly. Felicity yelled and swung her lucky spoon in defence, striking the knife from his hands. But Arthur didn’t see any more, as in a flash the other bandit was heading his way. Arthur braced, but Welby stepped in front of him, and in what Arthur could only describe as a bizarre series of arm twists and leg lunges, he’d disarmed the man and had him down on the floor, the man’s own knife pressed to his throat.

  Arthur looked behind him to the Aurora, desperate to see if Maudie was all right. To Arthur’s relief, Harriet had somehow jumped on to the ship and was now wrestling with the man at the cog. There was a crack as Harriet hit the man and he fell to the deck.

  Distracted, Arthur had forgotten the man they’d saved. Two hands grasped Arthur’s shoulders and flung him into the quicksand. In his terror, he struggled and threw himself around, but the more he tried to get free the more it sucked him in. Everywhere he looked, the crew was busy wrestling and fighting with the attackers. Arthur was alone in the sand, sinking, trying with every inch of his body not to panic, and failing. His iron arm had yanked upward in the fall and rested on the quicksand, but he knew it wasn’t enough to stop him sinking. Each time he tried to lift a leg up, the suction pulled it back in. And not only that, the crew were losing – the attackers now had Barnes, Forbes, Cranken, Gilly, Forsythe and Keene on the ground, surrendered at knifepoint. Now Meriwether, Dr Quirke, Wordle, Hurley and Felicity were outnumbered and one bandit had taken her lucky spoon and was laughing. A shadow passed above and Parthena released a great screech. She flew towards Arthur but he shouted to her to stay back. He couldn’t risk her landing in the quicksand.

  Thinking it couldn’t get worse, a swathe of movement caught his eye on the dune top – a group of figures on horseback appeared. Arthur knew the crew’s fate was sealed. It was all going to end in disaster and they’d barely reached halfway.

  Arthur was now sunk up to his chest. The more he fought it, the more it pulled him in. He closed his eyes as the sound of horse’s hooves thumping against the sand surrounded him.

  CHAPTER 16

  CITADEL KINGS

  More figures on horseback galloped down the sand dune. But instead of cries of distress from the crew, there were cheers.

  Arthur opened his eyes to see a grey-bearded man, wearing a bell-shaped hat with a band of thick fur around the rim, staring down at him.

  “Be calm,” the man said in Lontonian. “The way out is to pull your legs to the surface. Don’t fight it. Control your breathing, try to manoeuvre your chest forward.”

  The man’s voice was calming, and as Arthur followed what he was told, his legs eased upward.

  “That’s it, keep going.”

  As he pushed his chest down, his legs rose, then a little more, until they were almost free.

  “Now try to monkey-crawl your way a little, then we can pull you out.”

  Soon, arms grabbed him and he was back on firm ground, although the gloopy mixture clung to his clothes and his boots felt heavy as lead.

  Maudie rushed over. “Arty, what the clanking cogs happened to you?”

  “I fell.” He glared at the bandit from the quicksand who was being tied up.

  “King Temur! Your timing is impeccable!” Harriet called as she approached.

  The man who had helped Arthur gave a nod. A
rthur’s eyes widened – he’d been saved by a king! He was mesmerized by the elaborate gold embroidery of King Temur’s rich red robes.

  Another man, dressed similarly, jumped from his horse.

  “King Batzorig!” Harriet said. She clasped his hands and kissed him on both cheeks.

  “I’ve told you a hundred times, just call me Batzorig!” His smile was the warmest Arthur had seen, snuggled inside his grey pointed beard.

  Arthur and Maudie had never met a king, let alone two together. They stood there, not knowing whether to bow.

  “Temur is still so serious, I see,” Harriet said to Batzorig, loud enough for the other king to hear, but with a grin on her face.

  Temur kissed her on each cheek. “One of us must take our kingly duties seriously, or nothing would get done and the Citadel would be chaos.”

  Batzorig laughed. “Done? Why must something always be done?”

  “Because rogues like this are always ready to cause imbalance.” Temur directed his men in tying up and searching the remaining bandits, while the crew of the Aurora were checked by Dr Quirke for any injuries.

  “Did they steal from you, Harriet?” Batzorig asked.

  “No, but I think they were after the sky-ship.”

  “So, this is the fine ship you’ve been planning for so long?” Temur said, raising his eyebrows and giving a nod and smile of approval. “She is … unusual looking, but she has a definite charm and interest to her shape.” One of Temur’s men handed him a pouch. “What’s this? Enough silver to feed a village for a year. They seem remarkably rich for bandits, and I believe they are your First Continent coins.” He passed one to Harriet.

  Harriet examined them. “Yes, they are. How strange.”

  “Perhaps someone did not want you to proceed. Maybe their intention was personal?” said Batzorig.

  Arthur looked to Maudie – could it be the same person who tried to stop them reaching the Aurora in Lontown? Or could it be one of the other ships?

  “Come to the Citadel. You will be quite safe there – we will question these crooks,” said Temur.

  Harriet nodded. “Thank you. We were on our way there, of course.”

  “Now we will see which is faster: your fine ship, the…?”

  “The Aurora,” Harriet said proudly.

  “The Aurora, or my beautiful Altan.” Batzorig laughed and mounted the horse beside him. Its coat was shiny as sweet chestnuts and its mane plaited with gold thread. It observed them with intelligent eyes. Batzorig whispered close to its ear and the horse neighed approvingly.

  Definitely sapient, Arthur thought.

  *

  After washing Arthur in what little water they could spare, Maudie insisted on cleaning and polishing his arm to a high sheen while the crew of the Aurora took off again, chasing King Batzorig and King Temur, who galloped across the diminishing sand dunes, to where green patches gave way to crop fields and then a strange rocky formation rising above the plains. As they drew closer, Arthur saw it was a great city built on the rock. It was magnificent – as though its monumental structures of engraved walls, elegant rooftops and ornate columns had grown from the stone.

  As the Aurora descended, people rushed along the jetty. Harriet threw a rope towards them, and soon the ship was anchored, and the gangplank lowered. The crew were greeted by crowds dressed in long robes and frocks of crimson red, sunrise gold, sapphire blue and the green of spring grass. Most people wore hats or headdresses that were heavily embroidered or trimmed with dangling beads.

  A smiling and pink-cheeked child ran towards Arthur, bearing a bright green scarf made of a shiny material. She looped it around his neck and said something in the language Arthur did not understand, then giggled.

  Batzorig and Temur greeted them.

  “I do believe the power of four legs is still better than these machines!” Batzorig laughed, although Arthur knew that Harriet had been going slower than she could have.

  “And you’ve developed the water technology since we last met? There wasn’t a trace of smoke in the air as you flew – most remarkable and, as pitch wasn’t on the advance supply list, we hoped it would be true,” said Temur.

  “No need for pitch and she flies like a dream. She’s built from within my home – it was the best way to keep it secret.”

  “The perfect cover from prying eyes!” Batzorig clapped his hands excitedly.

  “Indeed. If we could trouble you to refill our water while we’re here?”

  “Of course, the wells of the Citadel are never dry.” Batzorig gestured to a great fountain sparkling in the sun.

  Then they led the crew to a great stone hall, carpeted by colourful rugs, with silver platters filled with exotic-looking fruits, colourful dishes of grain and vegetables, plump dumplings and rich sauces.

  The crew sat on the rugs and scooped the food into small dishes and ate with their hands.

  “So, your competitors didn’t know your ship existed?” said Temur to Harriet.

  “No, and a good job too. Other explorer families showed a great interest in the race to South Polaris. But each one dropped out as time went on, suddenly coming into more wealth or facing mysterious problems with their ships.”

  “Bought off or sabotaged?” said Batzorig.

  Harriet shrugged. “Who can say?”

  “Can we not persuade you to forget this challenge and stay here? We have everything you could ever want: fine food, fresh springs, the best company – what is the point of always exploring anyway?” said Batzorig.

  “Indeed, it is a mystery to me,” said Temur. “Besides, there are reasons people do not live in Moz Gazar: a sea that would swallow you for breakfast.”

  Batzorig continued, “Storms that could eat you for dinner, biting cold, fearsome bodul chona – you must be out of your minds!” He laughed.

  “Moz Gazar is what they call the Third Continent,” Harriet said, seeing Arthur’s confused expression. “The names we use are rather arrogant, putting ourselves first and letting everything else we discover in the Wide fall in behind us.”

  “And what’s bodul chona?” Arthur asked.

  Batzorig narrowed his eyes. “Legend says one of the largest creatures in the Wide lives in the great frozen forests of Moz Gazar – enormous creatures as cunning as humans. You would call them…” He looked to Temur for translation.

  “Great wolves.”

  Arthur’s stomach clenched.

  Temur shook his head and affectionately put a finger to Batzorig’s arm. “Hush, this talk is scaring them, Batzorig. Anyway, we need not travel to the ends of the earth to see the deadliest creatures in the world – they are all around us.”

  “Very true,” Harriet said.

  “It’s all right, Harrie – we’ve met enough of you mad explorers to know there’s no talking you out of going,” said Batzorig.

  “Thank you. We do appreciate your kind offer, but we must fly on into the night if we are to keep on schedule.”

  “Well, everything is prepared for you,” said Temur. He clapped his hands and servants were soon trooping through the room bearing bundles and baskets on their heads and in their arms: plush furs, exotic spices and powders, dried leathery meats and sweet, shrivelled fruits. “Load the supplies on to the sky-ship,” he ordered.

  Felicity wiggled her great feet from side to side, saying, “Bless my soul,” repeatedly. “The things we shall cook, Arthur Brightstorm!”

  “Brightstorm, you say?” Temur enquired fiercely.

  Arthur froze. Had they heard what the Lontown papers had reported, even in this distant land?

  Felicity put a protective arm around him and Maudie.

  “Yes – these are Ernest Brightstorm’s children,” Harriet said, indicating Maudie too.

  Temur’s frown melted into a warm smile and both he and Batzorig laughed.

  “And siblings of the sun and moon, I see more clearly, now you are not covered in sand,” Batzorig noted.

  “He means twins,” Harriet sai
d.

  “I call sun!” Maudie said, looking across and smiling widely at Arthur.

  “You met our father?” Arthur said.

  “Indeed, we last saw him on the way south many moon-cycles ago, and once before as a younger man. What a force of warmth and kindness he was, a fine example of the best of the First Continent,” Temur said.

  “We were sorry to hear of his passing.” Batzorig put his hand to Maudie’s cheek. “May I?”

  “Don’t be afraid; he likes to think he can see the inner person – it’s our Second Continent mysticism, you might say. Pay no mind to it,” said Temur.

  “Yet he is remarkably accurate,” Harriet nodded.

  Maudie smiled and Batzorig shut his eyes.

  “Ah, so much knowledge,” he gave an excited giggle, “and a great creator too. Oh yes, I see you will go far and push boundaries of technological discovery.” He opened his eyes. “Such a brain! You are welcome in our Citadel any time.”

  He shuffled towards Arthur, who wasn’t sure he wanted everything he felt inside to be exposed.

  Seeing him flinch back, Temur smiled at Arthur. “The boy doesn’t want it, Batzorig,” he said softly.

  But Batzorig waved him away and put a warm hand to Arthur’s cheek.

  “Ah, wild like a bird on the wing… but sad…” He was quiet for an uncomfortably long time. “Hmm, strange, I cannot quite see you yet. But perhaps you must see yourself first, before anyone else can.”

  Arthur felt deflated.

  “Ignore his peculiar ways,” Temur said. “We all walk our own road. Now, are you certain we cannot tempt you to refresh in the kingly quarters, a soft bed for the night?”

  Harriet smiled. “We appreciate the offer, but time is against us. This is a race to South Polaris and even a few more chimes may count against us. Did the Victorious pass this way?”

  “Indeed, not two days ago. And another ship, the Fire-Bird was not far behind. They bought quantities of food but will have to stop off in the southern mines for their pitch. We have all but eradicated pitch from the city with the new water systems in place,” Temur said proudly.

  “They’ll pay a hefty sum from those crooks,” said Batzorig.