by Vashti Hardy
“How peculiar,” said Felicity. She picked some up and sniffed.
“There are fourteen seats,” Arthur said, picking up the one closest to him and placing it upright. He scoured the table – one place didn’t have a bowl.
Felicity brushed a layer of dusty ice off the work surface with her finger. “The galley was all cleared up. Perhaps they were eating something from the stores?”
“Well, I say we take a look around the rest of the ship then sleep on it. There are bunks below – they’re frosted, but it’ll be better than being outside. We can’t risk lighting the fires or the Victorious will see us,” said Harriet, moving to the door.
“The fuel stores!” Arthur said suddenly.
Maudie said. “What do you think we’ll find there?”
“Think about it: if the Brightstorm crew did steal the fuel from the Victorious, they would have excess amounts in their hold.”
“Good thinking, Arthur,” Harriet said. “The Victorious crew never said anything about taking fuel from this ship before heading back. But … what if what we find matches their story? Are you prepared for that?”
“He wouldn’t have done it,” Arthur said.
“Then let’s go and see.”
Felicity paused at the work surface, sniffing something.
Maudie huffed. “Come on, I hardly think it matters what their last pudding was, Felicity.”
But Felicity turned, wide-eyed. “Actually, I think it matters quite a lot, twinnies. There’s a tingling in my toes and a smell to this food that I don’t like. There’s a tinge of something bitter, masked well by sweetness, but if my instinct serves me, I’d say there’s something strange.”
“Are you suggesting foul play?” Harriet said.
Arthur’s whole body tensed.
“I can’t be sure, but…”
Arthur and Maudie looked at each other. “Do you think they were poisoned?”
“Perhaps, but surely not by their own cook?” said Felicity.
“I doubt it, but evidence as to who did it will be difficult to come by. Take what’s left with us. Maybe Gilly will be able to identify what plant was used, or we may be able to test it back in Lontown,” said Harriet. “Let’s search the rest of the ship and take a look at those fuel stores.”
They worked their way down through the ship, which revealed nothing further, then moved on to the fuel stores at the bottom.
The sides of the ship were crushed in with the pressure of the surrounding ice, but they could still see instantly that the fuel stores were completely empty.
Arthur felt a weight lift from his chest. Dad hadn’t stolen any fuel. “So, someone else stole it from the Victorious in the Second Continent or…”
“Or Eudora Vane and her crew made up the story,” said Maudie.
Harriet took some photographs for evidence. “If any fuel was stolen, I’d say it was stolen from here.”
Tired and cold, they moved to the bunk room, gathered as many blankets and quilts as they could find and piled them on top of themselves. The others fell asleep while Arthur wrote the day’s events in his expedition log. Eventually he shut the book and blew out the candle. The soft sleeping breaths of the others were loud in the night, chuffing into the freezing air. His thoughts rolled around in his brain as he lay on his icy bed, feeling cold to the core.
“I can’t sleep,” Maudie whispered.
“Me neither.”
“I can’t believe the cook would have poisoned them.”
“That’s because the cook didn’t.”
“Well, who else would’ve been cooking for them? I heard Harriet say to Felicity that it could be the fourteenth – the missing person.”
“But think about it, Maud – that theory makes no sense. What motive would someone have to kill their own crew and ruin their chances of getting back? And then bother to go and bury them all?”
“Yes, there is that, I suppose.”
And then Arthur realized. He sat bolt upright.
“What is it?” Maudie whispered.
“The fourteenth – the missing grave, it’s Dad. I know for certain he wasn’t one of the thirteen poisoned.”
“How could you possibly know? You’re just saying that because you’re hoping he’s alive. Wait … you’re not thinking it was him?”
“Of course not, don’t be so daft! But I know he didn’t eat the pudding – the empty space with only a cup was his.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“Dad was allergic to eggs, like me. He was always so careful about what he ate. It looked cake-like, so he wouldn’t have eaten the pudding.”
Maudie paused for a long time. “Genius, Arty!”
“And I still think it was Eudora Vane.”
“But she was on another ship.”
“Think about it – if they reached here at around the same time they would have a short time to prepare for the next stage on foot. Eudora could have come to visit – a friendly gesture before they set off to race to the Polaris. Maybe she poisoned the crew to stop them going any further or to get a head start through the mountain. But whether she intended to kill them or not, she made up the beast story to cover her tracks, paid her crew to keep quiet, and came back to Lontown after it went wrong.”
Maudie remained quiet for a while. “All right, that makes perfect sense – except to convict her in Lontown, we need proof, and we still don’t know what happened to Dad.”
“That’s why we’re going across to the Victorious. Right now.”
CHAPTER 23
THE PLAN
Arthur pushed back the layers of quilts and swung his feet as soundlessly as possible out of the bunk.
“What do you think we’ll find?” Maudie whispered.
“Some evidence that Eudora Vane is behind this, that she sent the poisoned cakes over. We’ve found Dad’s ship, but it doesn’t add up to anything that could work in court. We need further evidence, and this is our last chance to find out more. We need to make sure we’ve done everything we can. Unless we have more proof, she’ll get away with it.”
“But shouldn’t we wake Harriet and Felicity and come up with a plan?”
“Of course not. Harriet has already ruled out going anywhere near the Victorious. They won’t agree to going. We’ll be back before they wake – they’ll never know.”
“But…”
“We’re wasting time, come on.” Parthena was sleeping on the end of Arthur’s bunk. She opened one eye. “Stay here,” Arthur whispered.
Arthur took Harriet’s camera, then hurried on to the deck closely followed by Maudie.
Outside, Tuyok was waiting for them. “You may walk softly, but your thoughts were loud enough to wake me.”
“Please don’t try to stop us.”
“I see you are determined, so I’m here to offer my help.”
Arthur and Maudie rode Tuyok across the snow plain on the outskirts of the lake towards the Victorious. The night was deathly still and quiet, apart from the creaks and groans of the frozen lake, and two young explorers on a great wolf, outlined in moonlight, riding across the expanse of night.
They reached the Victorious.
“Thank you,” Arthur thought, climbing down with Maudie.
“I will wait for you,” Tuyok said.
They crept across the snow and towards the great hulk of wood and metal. Silently they climbed up the side ladder, and tiptoed across deck to the hatch.
Maudie found the catch and, with a careful click, it released. “She wouldn’t suspect anyone would be mad enough to break in,” she whispered.
The sickly sweet waft of perfume wafted through the hatch. They both froze but it was silent inside.
“We’ve definitely got the right ship,” Arthur said, swallowing to stop a sneeze. They started down the steps.
Maudie grabbed his arm. “Wait – how do we know which room to try?”
“Exploring in the Third Age – chapter fifteen. The basic layout of sky-ships is
pretty much the same across all families. The sleeping quarters and stores will be on the lowest deck, galley and dining port side, the library and captain’s room starboard.”
Maudie stared at him for a moment, impressed. Then she said, “OK, let’s start in the captain’s room – if there’s anything to be found, that’s where it’ll be.”
“My thoughts precisely.”
When they were sure all was still silent, they lit a candle to see their way, then continued down the steps into a hallway lavishly decorated with carved wooden panels. Arthur ran his fingers across twines and roses. “It’s part of the Vane explorer symbol,” he whispered.
Maudie curled her nostril and stuck out her tongue. “Vile explorers, more like.”
On the right-hand side, the first door was huge, with a large crystal doorknob. The letters EV were carved elegantly into the wood. Arthur put his ear close to the door to check for any noises beyond. He turned the handle. Inside, the floor felt soft underfoot. A pink fur rug was laid out at the entrance and in the middle of the room stood a glass table with diamonds imbedded in the edges.
“Her initials are engraved on everything, Arty. It’s as though she wants to put her stamp on the entire Wide.” Maudie picked up a pink paperweight with “EV” engraved in fancy letters. A teacup and saucer was laid out next to it, also embossed with EV, even the little silver teaspoon.
Maudie ran her hand across the bookshelves. “Maybe she has a book on poisons – that could be evidence, right?”
“Good thinking – you search them and I’ll see what’s in these boxes.” They were of all shapes and sizes, pink pearl, crystal, silver. He carefully placed the candle on the shelf and opened the nearest to him. It was full of tiny pink shells, the next was full of pearls, another with a pungent pink spice which smelt the same as her perfume. He stifled another sneeze and put the lid on.
“Oh, look, here’s one on toxic plants. Maybe she made notes in it or something.”
“Hm?” Arthur opened a small silver box. What was inside halted him – he stared for a moment. It was a silver locket. His hand reached for the locket around his neck. It was still there. “Maud, this locket looks just like Dad’s – it even has VE inscribed, not EV?”
“She would’ve probably had the engraver killed for that mistake.”
“No, I think it’s meant to be like that.” He traced his fingers across the silver engraving. The V and the E were delicately entwined so that the line of the V wound three times around the stem of the E. “Maudie, it’s identical. There must have been two – one for Violetta and one for Ernest. The cheek of the woman, she must have stolen it from Dad.” He took the matching locket and looped it around his neck.
Maudie let out a gasp that made him look up. “You won’t believe this!”
“You’ve found an engineering book you haven’t read?” he whispered sarcastically.
“This is not a time for jokes, Arty.”
She smiled and turned the large volume around. “I do believe we have all the evidence we need. Who’s the genius now?” she crowed.
Inside, the pages were glued together into a solid piece with a central rectangular cavity that held a set of finely crafted drawers. The fronts were covered with coloured paper and fitted with carved frames and silver knobs. Handwritten paper labels gave the names of different poisonous plants – castor oil, valerian, thorn apple and deadly nightshade.
“Look!” Maudie unfolded a piece of paper. It was a handwritten recipe for cakes, with calculations and quantities of nightshade added in a different ink.
Excitement rippled through him. “It must have been her. Let’s take a photograph and get out of here. Lay it out on the table beside the initialled casket. Here, place the candle there for light.”
“And we’ll tell the police where this is when we’re all back in Lontown, and let her try to explain it away!”
Arthur laid the book on the table and Maudie took a photograph.
Then something brushed past Arthur’s foot and scurried in front of him – he jolted and his arm bashed into the table, knocking the teacup. It rattled to the side. Maudie lunged for it but was too late. It smashed on the wooden floor. They looked at each other with eyes as round as the moon.
“It was only a rat, Arty! What’s the matter with you?” Maudie quickly blew out the candle and tugged him to the door.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it!”
“Let’s hope no one heard,” she said, glaring at him.
But as they reached the hallway a clonk sounded below and a sharp female voice called, “Who’s up there?”
With a panicked look, they ran for the stairs.
CHAPTER 24
EVIDENCE
Footsteps thundered below. They scrambled and slipped along the hallway in their panic to get away. Doors banged, followed by shouts and more feet running. Maudie led the way up the stairs and urged him on. Arthur gasped a cold breath of air as she yanked him on deck.
They ran to the side but couldn’t see the rope ladder. “Where is it?” he said, panicked. Then Arthur saw the glint of Tuyok’s eyes shining green in the dark further along. “Come on. It’s back here!”
Footsteps clattered up the steps.
“You go first, Maudie.”
“Not on your life. You go,” she snapped, pushing him forward.
Arthur swung his leg over the side when the unmistakable click of a gun being cocked froze him.
Slowly, they turned and winced at the bright light on them.
They recognized the sneering, slimy voice of Bartemaus Smethwyck. “Well, if it isn’t the Brightstorm twins,” he said as though their name was infected.
Eudora Vane appeared, pristine in pink silk pyjamas. A man followed behind and put a pink fur coat over Eudora’s shoulders. “What a surprise. If you’d wanted an invitation, you only needed to ask.” She ran a hand down Arthur’s cheek. “Now, what are you doing on my sky-ship?”
“Let us go,” Arthur said through gritted teeth.
“The theft of equipment and supplies, perhaps? Yet there is nothing in your hands. Or hand. How curious.”
Smethwyck lifted his gun.
“Perhaps there is no need for force, Smethwyck – they appear to be alone. Why not come down into the warmth – we can all still be friends.”
“We’re not going anywhere with you,” Maudie snapped and linked Arthur’s arm.
“You killed the crew of the Violetta,” Arthur said.
Madame Vane shook her head. “Poor, deluded boy. Losing your father has softened your brain. They were ravaged by wolves. It’s futile to doubt it.”
“There are thirteen graves in the forest.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“The crew were fourteen, but there are thirteen graves. What happened to my father?”
“You’re mistaken.”
“You poisoned the crew, Eudora.”
“Don’t be absurd.”
Maudie stepped beside him. “And we’ve got the evidence to prove it!”
“Probably not the best moment to say that,” Arthur whispered.
The muscles in Eudora’s face tightened and the mask fell away. She looked them up and down. “Your father was a disgrace. He didn’t understand his place; he thought he could force his way into explorer society, and he deserved everything he got.”
Arthur’s stomach churned with anger, but the gun was still pointed at them. Then he heard faint scratching on the side of the ship. He coughed loudly trying to cover up the noise.
“Smethwyck, take them below. Shoot if they try anything.”
Smethwyck waved the gun at them, indicating the direction in which they were to go.
Arthur exchanged a look with Maudie, trying to tell her not to move.
The scratching came again. The silver insect flying above Eudora turned to the noise.
“Whatever is it, Miptera?” Eudora said.
In a flash, Tuyok leapt on to the deck, his hug
e body shining white in the moonlight, batting away Miptera with his great paw. The crew jumped back as Tuyok’s hackles raised and he let out a great snarl. “I hear her thoughts. She means to kill you both if you go below.”
Smethwyck still had his gun on Arthur and Maudie, but his attention was on Tuyok.
“Snow is soft behind. I will distract them. Jump, cubs!”
Tuyok let out another vicious snarl and braced to attack. Arthur and Maudie ran for the back of the ship and leapt. With a thud, they tumbled across the snow.
The darkness filled with shouts and vicious growls.
“Tuyok!” Arthur shouted.
“Run, cubs!”
A single shot echoed into the night.
“Tuyok!”Arthur thought desperately. There was no reply.
They paused looking up at the Victorious. Arthur called again.
Maudie grabbed his arm. “There’s nothing we can do.”
Another shot sent snow skittering upward beside Arthur’s feet. They ran, slipping and falling in the snow. Shouts weren’t far behind.
“Faster, Arty!”
A black shape appeared, black paws hurtling towards them. It was Slartok.
“They killed him!” Arthur cried.
“Come – I will take you.”
A voice echoed through the night. “You can run, Brightstorms, but it’s hopeless! Your sky-ship is in pieces; you can’t get back. You won’t survive long, especially when winter sets in. If you think it’s cold now, you’re in for a treat!”
They climbed on to Slartok and charged back towards the Violetta.
As they reached it, Harriet stood on the deck, a candle lit, her expression confused and panicked. “We were woken by the thought-wolves howling and shots in the distance. What in all the continents has happened?”
Arthur and Maudie climbed up the bank of snow.
“You scared the life out of us!” Felicity said.
“We went to look for evidence,” Maudie said.