The Finger of God: a Thalassia novel

by Patrick McClafferty

  Dolores made choking sounds when she opened the leather pouch. “Yes.” She said in a small voice. “This will be fine.”

  “Good.” Hedric took the pouch back and tied the ends shut. “Medin, will you please hold this for us?” The leather purse flickered and disappeared.

  “Certainly, Hedric.”

  The Captain took a deep breath. “And who exactly are we picking up?”

  “You will be picking up nine women, Captain.” There was a subtle note of laughter in Selene’s voice, and Hedric didn’t know why. It bothered him. “When will you be able to sail?”

  “Three more days. Two to finish repairs and one to load cargo. According to the charts it will take us about two weeks to reach New Orleans, provided we don’t have any trouble.”

  Rhiannon frowned, and gave her thick red braid a tug of aggravation. “We would prefer if you left sooner.” The Captain frowned. “But we’ll take what we can get.” Rhiannon’s violet eyes swept over the four in front of her. “Have a safe voyage.” The goddesses were gone.

  Hedric stood up, all trace of relaxation gone. “Bloody drama queens!” He fumed. “They could have just asked us, but no, they made a silly production out of it.” He was still glowering when Lexi put a calming hand on his arm. The young man shut his eyes and took a deep breath. “Well, we might as well have lunch while we’re here.” He gave Alexandra a slow wink. “Medin, would there be any problem with having lunch in the observatory?” Next to him he heard Lexi gasp in surprise.

  “No, Hedric. Lunch in the observatory is no problem at all.”

  “Good. And if you would, set the table for six. I’d like to invite you and Thallia to dine with us. You can do that, can’t you? Eat, I mean. Taste food?”

  There was silence for several seconds. “You are an amazing man, sir. You even dine with the servants.”

  “Medin.” Hedric said, with a flare of anger. “You are NOT a servant. You run this moon, and you are my friend. I don’t command you.”

  “I understand, my friend.” The baritone voice whispered. “Lunch is served.”

  The circular table sat away from the center of the massive room, with a colossal crystal chandelier hanging suspended—by nothing. OverheadThalassias golden rings glittered in the bright sunlight.

  Next to Medin stood a woman of ageless beauty, her own sophistication and poise perfectly matching and complimenting Medin’s. Long auburn hair hung to her waist, and framed an unlined, ageless face. Her gray eyes were dark pools of wisdom.

  “Hedric, Alexandra, Captain Isenhart, and Doctor Welter.” Medin said with a disarming smile. “Welcome to the observatory.” He turned slightly. “I would like to introduce you to Thallia, Guardian of the Moon Elysium.”

  Hedric didn’t wait a moment, but stepped forward, hand out. “Thallia. It’s good to finally meet you in person.”

  The regal woman frowned for just a moment, then slowly expended her own hand to shake Hedric’s. “Medin told me that you treated him as an equal, but…” She shook her head. “I suppose I didn’t really believe him. In all the years since my creation, THIS is unique. This friendship thing.”

  “In time perhaps you too will be able to call me friend, once you get to know me.” Hedric said softly.

  Thallia laughed, a low melodious sound. “I know more about you and your family than you could imagine, Hedric Schwendau. I think that I would like to be your friend.” Her head turned. “And hers too, I think.” She murmured, looking directly at Alexandra. “Your minds are already meshed so closely it is difficult to tell them apart, and you haven’t even touched the…” Hedric shook his head slightly, and Thallia stopped. “I understand. I will say no more.”

  “Lunch is ready.” Medin pulled back a chair for Thallia, while Hedric performed the same service for Lexi and her mother. “The soup is fresh mushroom, the salmon in season, and the beef tender and rare. The salad is watercress. The bread and muffins are freshly baked.”

  Hedric smiled, thinking how inordinately proud Medin sounded of his minor handiwork. He watched the two lunar guardians eat their lunches, chewing each bite thoroughly, looks of sheer amazement crossing their faces. He couldn’t withhold his curiosity. “Medin, Thallia, is this the first meal you’ve EVER eaten?”

  Medin looked slightly embarrassed. “This is the first. I’ve always followed simple cooking subroutines when preparing meals. I have, however sampled one or two drinks.”

  “You don’t have any cookbooks in your memory?”

  “No, Hedric, I don…” He stopped in mid-sentence. “I’m accessing an old Earth database. It seems that I do have cookbooks. Millions in fact.” He made a noise Hedric could only interpret as a chuckle. “How about that?”

  Hedric stood up, since all the others seemed to be finished with their meals now. “I think that we should probably go now, Medin. Thank you for lunch.”

  The older man smiled. “Thank you for the company, Hedric, and for the friendship. I suspect that Thallia and I will be experimenting with cookbooks in the future.”

  The young man laughed aloud. “Remember, my friend. Taste is subjective. Something you like Thallia might not like. Something that the two of you like might not be acceptable by humans.”

  Medin frowned. “I’ll remember that. Would returning to the Captain’s office be acceptable?”

  “That would be just fine. Thank you.”

  Captain Isenhart’s eyes were slightly glazed as she sat down at her desk. The doctor had stumbled out immediately after their arrival back at the Fleece, and now Lexi sat relaxed on the Captain’s bed.

  “So tell me, Captain, did we get enough to pay for our trip to New Orleans?”

  Dolores blinked. “Pay?” She seemed to be rolling the word around on her tongue. “Pay? What you conned out of the goddesses would buy a brand new ship three times over. One we could cross the ocean with. All we have to do is to survive to reach New Boston.”

  There was a flutter in the pit of his stomach.

  The engine room telegraph chimed, and moved to FULL AHEAD. Hedric rang it back, pushing the handle on the transmission all the way up. The big engine slowed for a moment, then picked up speed. The young chief engineer could hear the whine of the transmission gears, and the thunder of the side-wheels seemed to shake the old boat.

  Every day it was the same: engines to FULL AHEAD at first light, and there they stayed until twilight, when the ship’s speed was reduced to HALF AHEAD. It stayed at the slower speed all night, with two lookouts in the bow, armed with Hedric’s harpoons. The first three nights had been quiet, but the third night one lookout sighted heavy ripples headed for the side of the Fleece. A well thrown harpoon had brought a shrill shriek from something, and whatever was causing the ripples veered off sharply, searching for easier prey. None of the crew slept much the remainder of that night.

  Ten days out of Memphis they came on the wreckage of another boat. Although they searched for an hour, not one survivor was found. What the sailors found most disturbing was the fact that there were no bodies in the wreckage; just floating planks and woodwork that appeared strangely chewed. Five days later, as the sun was just touching the horizon, they arrived in New Orleans.

  Actually located on the Ohio River, New Orleans was one hundred miles east from the Mississippi River. They had been sailing for months now, and had barely covered a third of the length of the mighty Mississippi. To travel the river from north to south and back, the Captain had told him would take two full years. Pangea was truly an immense continent.

  A sprawling ungainly city, New Orleans wasn’t quite deserted. With three thousand people where once there had been ten, the residents still needed food and supplies, and Captain Isenhart sold the cargo that had been destined for New Boston wisely. Terrified warehouse owners were willing to part with valuable cargoes for half the normal price, just to be able to show some return on their money. The Golden Fleece was the first trader to show up in a month. With the cargo sold and a new cargo for New Boston loade
d, the Golden Fleece waited for her passengers.

  “Tad, wake up!” Someone was shaking him, and he muttered a curse. “Wake up, Tad. The Captain wants to see you, right now.”

  He groaned. “Did you tell her that I worked all night on a piston sleeve, and only got to bed two hours ago?”

  “I did.” Young Doander Feltz looked flustered. “She said to get your ass to her office now. I think you’re in trouble, again.”

  “Shit!” Hedric mumbled, searching under his bed for his shoes. Now what? “All right, Doander. Lead on.” He stumbled out of the room, wondering which possible ass-chewing he was due, and frowned. It all seemed so déjà vu.

  The young apprentice engineer knocked on the Captain’s door. “The chief engineer is here, ma’am. Just as you asked.”

  “Get your ass in here, Swimming.” Hedric slid into the room, past the Captain’s towering figure, and slipped into a chair. Lexi was already seated on the bed, eyes wide. The Captain glared at the young man in the hallway. “Don’t you have something better to do, Apprentice Engineer Feltz, because if you don’t…”

  “Ah, I do, Captain. I just remembered.” The frightened face turned, and the boy bolted down the corridor.

  Captain Dolores Isenhart’s face was flushed and red, and for a moment Hedric thought it was anger.

  “Hedric, I know that you worked late, but our guests have arrived, and are asking to speak with you.”

  “Me?” Hedric rubbed his tired eyes.

  “Ladies, you can come out now.” The air in the small cabin was filled with the sound of a thousand deep-throated bumblebees, as nine small forms, very obviously female, lifted off from behind the desk and landed on the top, their impossibly sheer gossamer wings a blur of motion. The wings slowed, stopped, and one stepped forward.

  “You are the one they call Hedricschwendau?”

  The young man leaned forward for a better look at the speaker. “Yes.”

  The small flying creature, fairy he remembered the D’Tril calling them, stood just under one foot tall, had dark hair tied back with a small piece of twine. She wore a snug fitting body suit of a shiny green material, and across her back was a small bow and quiver full of arrows. At her hip rested a small knife.

  “We are here Hedricschwendau, to ask your help.”

  Hedric laughed, and the small serious face tightened. “Please call me Hedric. Hedricschwendau is a little cumbersome.”

  “Oh.” The face smoothed. “We were warned that human humor is hard to understand. We were told that you have a cure for the plague that is killing our kind. The D’Tril told us about it.”

  “A serum was created for humans, cats and D’Tril. Not for fairies.” He replied slowly. Her tiny shoulders slumped. “There may be a way, however. What is your name, little one?”

  “Captain Zanna, of the Royal Titanian Amazons.”

  “Well, Captain Zanna of the Royal Titanian Amazons, you are going to have to trust me. I will have to take you to the moon Medin, where Medin will create a serum from my blood for your people. It’s the best I can do on short notice.”

  Hedric grinned. “Medin, could you please bring me and my little companion to the medical bay? It seems as though we forgot to create a serum for them, too.”

  There was a flicker, and Hedric sat on a cold white table. Zanna was in the air with an angry buzz. “What is this place? How was I brought here?” Her knife was in her hand.

  “Oh settle down, Zanna. Medin, how about a serum?”

  “In a moment, Hedric.”

  “Who is that?” The shrill voice of the fairy almost screamed. Hedric sighed.

  “There. I will have to change your blood slightly. This may hurt, a bit.”

  “Go ahead, Medin.” His blood was on fire, searing through his veins. He could almost feel his heart crisping and his eyeballs boiling. The fire was over, and he was lying on the cold white floor, shaking uncontrollably as a vice appeared to be squeezing the life out of his body. “Gggrkkk!” His jaws seemed to be locked together, and there was the coppery taste of blood in his mouth.

  “That’s unusual.” Medin was saying somewhere. “Humans shouldn’t have such a violent reaction to…oh. We’re using Selene’s species as a base. Hmmm. There.” The vice stopped squeezing, and he took a deep lungful of air. “I’m sorry, Hedric. I’d forgotten that Thallia and I used Selene’s species as a base for your new bodies. The pain should be almost gone now.”

  Hedric wiped the tears from his eyes. “Ah, yeah. It’s gone.” Holding on to the white bed, he dragged himself to his feet. “Is the serum all set?”

  “Yes, Hedric, but I think you should give yourself time to rest before…”

  “The sooner I get this over with the sooner I can go to bed.”

  “Yes Hedric.” The AI actually sounded contrite.

  The eight fairies jumped when Hedric and Zanna arrived back in the Captain’s office.

  The small captain was looking at him oddly. “What now, human called Hedric?”

  Hedric held out a forefinger. “Stick my finger with your knife, and have a sip. The serum is in my blood. As soon as you absorb my blood, the serum will be in yours too.”

  The stab of pain was quick and sharp, and soon all nine fairies were lapping at his finger. Finally, Captain Zanna took out a small container and filled it with Hedric’s blood, handing it to one of the other fairies. “Take this back to Gwynnshallow Perilyn with Lunette, and then fly on to Ameliadale.” She looked at Hedric. “Those are our two cities, where virtually all of the fairies live.” She turned back to the first fairy. “Fly straight and true, Christalle, Lunette. The fate of our people is in your hands. I and the rest will travel on with this human.” The two fairies snapped out smart salutes, turned and flew out of the open porthole, and into the silvery dark of early morning. “There are things moving out of the Blight, Hedric.” Zanna’s small exquisite face was deadly serious.

  “They look like beetles, with claws and pincers, red?” She was nodding at each of his descriptions. “About as long as my foot?” She shook her head violently.

  “No. Bigger, much bigger. Some as big as you. Some as big as this…” She stopped, searching for the right word. “Vessel. Some bigger yet. Some things are worse.” She frowned, and wiggled her small fingers in the air.

  “Tentacles?” Hedric supplied at a guess.

  “Yes! Tentacles. Fast. Swat fairies and D’Tril out of the air. Some things throw thorns. Thorns as long as your arm. Some things swim.”

  “And where are these monsters headed, Captain Zanna?” He had a terrible sinking feeling.

  “Big man city in the north.” Dolores quickly unrolled a map, and Hedric put his finger on Dimsdale. Zanna shook her head. “No, bigger still!” She touched the map again. “Here.” Her dagger point was sitting on New Boston.

  Chapter 13

  If it hadn’t been for the looming sense of dread, the cruise north from the city of New Orleans would have been close to idyllic. The churn of the stately white side-wheels lent a hypnotic note to the hot humid air, and the Golden Fleece cut through the still river with hardly a ripple. Great dragonflies with jeweled wings wheeled iridescent circles above the surface of the water, while above the great shining rings of Thalassia, the sun beat down like a hammer on an anvil.

  Work in the engine room was a boiling agony, and Hedric cut the day shift manning to absolute minimum when he found young Doander passed out over the transmission controls. Simms turned out to be a sullen taciturn rock, unaffected by either heat or cold, or even friendship. The loss of all his shipmates on the ill-fated Albatross had hardened him to any form of companionship.

  Zanna, Desta, Evvie, Glykera, Ilona, Liriope and Rosalva. The small flying Amazons spent their days indoors while on their trip north, sleeping in a spare room. As soon as the sun set the boat moved closer to shore and they went scouting, two by two.

  One night Hedric awoke to find all the fairies standing on his small desk supporting one of their number. Liriop
e had been injured on her scouting by a thorn thrower, and now lay bleeding on the desk. Her blood was as red as his. Hedric bent closer, turning up his small oil lamp to give more light.

  “Where did this happen?” He asked softly, as he struggled to remove the flier’s snug uniform.

  “On the shore.” Zanna replied, carefully watching what he was doing to her squadmate. “Many thorn throwers watch boat. Boat go north. They follow.”

  Hedric groaned. “All right. Zanna, you cut this flying suit off Liriope. My fingers are too big and clumsy. I might hurt her.”

  “It is NOT allowed.” Zanna’s voice was indignant. “You are human and you are MALE!”

  “Do you want her to die?”

  Zanna’s face twisted in indecision. “No.” She admitted finally. “Liriope is my sister. I will undress her,” she agreed reluctantly. Her small knife came out and sliced through the green material like a hot knife through butter. Hedric blinked. The small fairy was an exquisitely beautiful creature, and it hurt him to see her lying on the desktop, pierced through with a thorn.

  “Medin!” Hedric whispered to the air. “What do I do? I’m afraid I’ll kill her if I remove the thorn, but if I don’t she’ll die.”

  “Have the others pick her up and put her onto your two open hands.”

  Hedric gave the order and the other six picked up the small body and draped it across his open palms. The beautiful iridescent wings of the small being were beginning to dull. “Now what?” He murmured.