Orville Mouse and the Puzzle of the Capricious Shadows (Orville Wellington Mouse Book 3)

by Tom Hoffman

  Sophia’s eyes were drooping, her head resting against the cockpit door as Proto’s voice droned on, merging with the hum of the ship’s wings.

  Orville was listening absently to Proto’s story while scanning the broad sea ahead. It was a glorious day for flying, not a cloud in the sky and barely a ripple on the water. Orville squinted, focusing on an area of the sea several miles distant with a peculiar red hue to it.

  “What in the world is that? Why is the sea red?”

  He twisted the dial on his goggles, magnifying his vision. “That’s weird.” Not only was a large irregular shaped section of the sea red, but it was filled with towering waves and stormy windblown whitecaps.

  “Sophia, wake up! There’s something strange going on ahead of us.”

  Sophia was instantly alert, her eyes on the tumultuous red sea. “What is that?”

  Orville shook his head. “I don’t know, I’m going to fly over it to see what’s causing the waves. Maybe it’s an underwater volcano or something. It’s not windy at all.”

  “I don’t think there are any active volcanoes in this area. You’d better be careful, I’m getting a bad feeling.”

  Orville slowed the ship down, cautiously approaching the peculiar stretch of sea. “It doesn’t look too scary. The water is all red and there’s lots of waves, but I don’t really see anything that– wait, look over there! That ship just came out of nowhere!”

  Proto poked his head forward to get a glimpse of the ship. “It’s an enormous three masted sailing ship, fully rigged with thirteen sails. Curious that such an archaic vessel would be roaming the Vesarak.”

  “I’m going to fly over it and get a good look. This is amazing, I’ve never actually seen a three masted sailing ship, just pictures of them in books.”

  “Orville, wait, I don’t think you should–“

  Sophia’s warning came too late. Orville had crossed into the red stormy sea. Later, when he described it to his papa, he said it felt like a giant hand had grabbed their ship and flung it across the sky. The furious maelstrom they entered rocked the ship wildly, twisting and spinning it as they careened through the sky above the stormy sea. Orville shrieked, popping up a sphere of defense around the tumbling craft.

  Sophia cried out, “Everyone hold on!”

  “We’re going down!” Orville screeched in terror as a furious blast of wind flipped the Dragonfly over and sent it shooting toward the churning red waves, flashing scant yards above the great three masted sailing ship. He grabbed the right stick and pulled it back, simultaneously jamming the left stick forward. The Dragonfly righted itself and began to gain altitude, blasting across the border of the violent red sea, once again above the calm waters of the Vesarak.

  Orville drew in a deep breath. They were safe. “Whoa! What was that? Where did that wind come from?” He looked behind them, his eyes on the tempestuous sea raging behind them.

  Sophia’s eyes were wide. “Did you see it? Did you see the ship?”

  “I didn’t get a chance, I was trying to keep us from going into the sea. Did you get a good look at it?”

  “I saw sailors on the deck, some of them up in the rigging.”

  “Were they old fashioned sailing mice? What kind of clothes were they wearing?”

  “They weren’t mice. They were nothing at all like mice. They were tall, with shiny blue bodies, and they had four arms.”

  Orville stared at Sophia. “What? Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure, we were only twenty feet above the masts when we passed over the ship. I could see their eyes. They had orange eyes.”

  “Who do you think they were?”

  Proto poked his head between the seats. “I believe we just witnessed a rather dramatic confirmation of your hypothesis regarding overlapping worlds. The section of red sea we passed through was not of our world, but was a portion of another world which is now overlapping ours. It could be Tectar, but it could also be any one of a thousand other worlds.”

  “That has to be it. Master Marloh was right, more sections of the worlds are beginning to overlap.”

  Sophia’s face was grim. “The overlapping process will accelerate rapidly as the Void grows smaller. We have to get to Tectar before that red sea spreads across our world.”

  Orville jammed the right stick forward, the duplonium motors responding with a deep roar. The Dragonfly flashed through the sky toward the Isle of the Serpent.

  Chapter 13

  Isle of the Serpent

  “I see it!” Sophia pointed to a dark speck on the horizon, a barely visible island.

  “Right on schedule.” Orville adjusted the ship’s course slightly. “It won’t be long now.”

  Twenty minutes later the adventurers were circling high above the Isle of the Serpent.

  “Haukesworth was right, it does look like a snake. That end is narrow, like the tail, and the other end looks like the head.”

  Proto scanned the island. “Most of the island appears to be covered with dense jungle, clearly it supports life.”

  Orville knew what was coming next.

  “I’m curious as to what sort of creatures would live on such a remote island? In such an isolated environment I suppose they would have to become excellent hunters, quite fearsome, I should imagine.”

  Orville nodded, poking Sophia’s arm. “Probably have lots of poisonous fangs and claws, that sort of thing.”

  Proto rubbed his silver hands together. “Oh, dear, do you really think so? We should probably land before it gets dark. Who knows what sort of nocturnal predators may be skulking about.”

  Sophia snickered, and Orville was about to laugh when he realized Proto might be right, there could be deadly creatures inhabiting the mysterious island.

  “I see a clearing near the head of the snake. I’m going to land there. We can set up camp, have dinner, and get a good night’s sleep. In the morning we’ll get up with the sun and search for the cave.”

  Proto put down a small booklet he had been reading. “Low tide is just before noon tomorrow, which means we’ll have approximately two hours to safely search the cave before the tides rushes in and drowns us.”

  “Thanks, I feel better now.” Orville was hovering the ship a hundred feet above the island, surveying the landing area.

  “What are you looking for?”

  “Just getting a feel for the terrain.”

  “You’re looking for Proto’s scary creatures, aren’t you?” Sophia whacked Orville on the arm.

  “Even if I was doing that, there’s no harm in being cautious. I don’t want to land in a giant pit of carnivorous centipedes or something.”

  “Take us down, nervous ninny, I’m starving and I’m tired of flying.”

  “Fine.” Orville frowned, but set the ship down in the wide sandy clearing. Proto hopped out, scanning the area.

  “Nothing untoward so far. I hear tropical birds squawking, but no roaring or growling or slithering.”

  “Cheer up, I’m sure we’ll find hordes of dreadful creatures on Tectar.” Orville jumped down onto the white sand. “Let’s set up camp on that hill. We’ll have a good view of the island and the sea. We can have a nice relaxing dinner and watch the sun go down.”

  Sophia smiled brightly. “Now you’re talking. That sounds like a lovely idea. This is turning out to be a rather pleasant adventure. Orville, in your honor I will shape a delicious snapberry pie for dessert, and I’ll save at least one small piece for you.” Sophia gave a cackling laugh.

  “Very funny. This must be Pick on Orville Day. Let’s head up the hill. I’ll shapes tents and sleeping bags in case it gets chilly after dark.”

  The sunset was glorious, far exceeding their expectations, and Proto had prepared a delicious dinner over a roaring campfire, after which they had tasty snapberry pie. The three adventurers warmed themselves by the fire, making their plans for the following day.

  Once Sophia and Orville were safely snuggled in their sleeping bags, Proto took a stroll down t
o the white sandy beach running around the island. A brilliant yellow moon had risen, casting its sparkling reflection across the Vesarak. Proto gazed up at the glowing orb. “Quite lovely indeed. It’s curious how a gigantic ball of rock flying through dark space can be transformed into a thing of glowing ethereal beauty simply with the addition of a little sunlight.” Proto stopped abruptly, his silver ears rotating. “What in the world is that crunching sound? It’s coming from the direction of the campsite. I’d better check.”

  Proto ran back to the camp and found Sophia and Orville still sleeping soundly. “Odd, I was certain I heard something. Perhaps it came from farther down the island.”

  He trekked down the hill toward the clearing where they had landed the Dragonfly, stopping short. The crunching, grinding sound had started up again. He crept forward, peering through the trees, flipping on his enhanced night vision system, quickly spotting the source of the mysterious sound. “Oh dear, this is most unfortunate, Sophia and Orville are not going to like this even one tiny little bit.”

  Proto crept forward through the trees for a better view, watching closely as the Dragonfly was dragged into the sea by a monstrously large dark blue speckled crab. The ship’s fuselage had been crushed beyond recognition by the beast’s titanic claws. Proto stepped into the clearing. “What do you think you’re doing? Put that ship down this instant!”

  The gargantuan crab paid no heed to Proto’s warning. Moments later the ship was gone, vanishing beneath the waves in a bubbling white froth.

  “Oh dear, this is going to make our return to Muridaan Falls most problematic.”

  “Proto! What’s all the hollering about? Is something wrong?” Orville dashed out from the trees, peering into the moonlit shadows. “Proto? What was all the– wait, where’s our ship? Where’s the Dragonfly??”

  Proto eyed Orville nervously. “There is a lovely full moon tonight, such a glorious shade of yellow, and look how its reflection sparkles like Nirriimian white crystals across the sea. Quite beautiful, wouldn’t you agree? Almost magical.”

  “Lovely. Where’s the ship, Proto?”

  “Might I suggest that you don’t go for a dip in the sea, no matter how enticing it appears beneath the soft moonlight?”

  “I’m not going to be mad at you. I just want to know what happened to our ship.”

  “I’m afraid a rather enormous blue crab crawled out of the sea, grabbed the Dragonfly with one claw, crushed it, and dragged it back into the sea.”

  “What?”

  “I’m afraid a rather enormous blue crab crawled out of the sea–”

  “Stop. You don’t need to repeat it, I was just having a hard time processing what you said.”

  Sophia darted out of the trees. “Where’s our ship??”

  Half an hour later Sophia and Orville were curled up in their sleeping bags next to a roaring campfire.

  “Can crabs climb hills?”

  Sophia groaned. “Quiet, I’m trying to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow. Proto is standing guard. If the crab comes back we can just climb a tree.”

  “Wait, did you hear something? A rustling sound?”

  “Go. To. Sleep.”

  “Fine, good night. You don’t have to be so crabby. Get it? Be so crabby?”

  Chapter 14

  The Cave You Fear

  “Proto, it’s not your fault the crab destroyed our ship. Besides, if you think about it, it doesn’t jeopardize our mission at all, because we can’t take the Dragonfly to Tectar, and we don’t want to risk coming back through the spectral doorway because of the tides. We really only needed the ship to get to the Isle of the Serpent.” Sophia slung her backpack onto her shoulder, giving Orville’s sleeping bag a substantial nudge with her foot. “Wake up sleepy bones, we have a cave to explore. Time and tide wait for no mouse.”

  Orville groaned, crawling out of his snuggly cocoon. He stood up, stretching his arms and yawning. “What’s for breakfast?”

  Sophia flicked her wrist and a snapberry muffin appeared in her paw. “One freshly shaped snapberry muffin. Eat it on the way to the cave, we’re on a tight schedule. Proto, you said you found the cave?”

  “Quite so. Last night while I was patrolling the beaches keeping a wary eye out for monstrous crabs, I explored the section of the island which represents the serpent’s eye, the cave’s location according to Haukesworth Mouse. The cave I discovered is not a natural formation, and appears to be extremely old.”

  Orville converted their camping gear back to thought clouds and the trio of adventurers headed south toward the eye of the serpent, the lush tropical growth soon replaced by flat rocky terrain.

  “Where’s the cave? All I see is black jagged volcanic rock.”

  “It’s not so much a cave as it is a circular shaft descending into the earth.”

  “It goes down into the island? How far?”

  “I am uncertain, but there is a rather crude metal ladder bolted to the shaft wall.”

  “This is starting to sound a little creepy.”

  “It’s on the other side of this rise.”

  Orville clambered over the piles of shifting black rock, spotting a wide circular depression. He slipped and slid his way to the bottom, to a twelve foot wide circular hole in the ground. Creeping cautiously to the edge, he peered down into the darkness. “Creekers, it goes down really far. That ladder looks kind of rickety. Do you think it’s safe?”

  Sophia studied the structure. “It’s covered with barnacles and seaweed but it looks sturdy enough. It’s a good thing Haukesworth warned us about the tide. At high tide the seawater would flood the bowl and pour down the shaft. We don’t want to be down there when that happens. Let’s go, we have another hour until the tide starts to rise, which gives us about two hours to find the doorway to Tectar.” Sophia stepped over to the ladder and began her descent into the mysterious eye of the snake.

  “It’s dark down here.” She flicked her wrist, creating a glowing orb of light. The brilliant sphere descended another fifty feet, revealing the floor of the shaft. “Not too much farther.”

  When they reached the bottom Sophia hopped off the ladder, followed by Orville and Proto.

  Orville eyed an arched black opening on the far side of the circular shaft. “I guess we go that way.” He did not sound entirely enthusiastic about the idea.

  Proto stepped ahead of him, flicking on his ear lights. “Ah, much better.” He strode through the opening into a massive rectangular underground cave, a good portion of it occupied by an irregular shaped pool of seawater with a great barnacle encrusted boulder sitting in the center.

  Orville peered out from behind Proto. “That’s kind of weird. Why would there be a big pond down here?”

  “A more correct term would be tide pool. After the high tide floods the cavern, most of the seawater drains off, but the depression in the cavern remains filled.”

  “Where does the water drain to?”

  “I am uncertain, possibly an underground river.”

  Sophia nodded. “That would explain it. There’s a door on other side of the tide pool. It must lead somewhere. Let’s go.”

  Orville was about to reply when he saw the boulder in the middle of the lake shudder. He gave a shriek, realizing what was happening. “Run for the door! Giant crab!” He pointed to the pool, watching as the massive crab rose up from the water, revealing two black beady eyes. Proto gaped at the creature’s gigantic claws.

  The trio of adventurers raced around the edge of the tide pool toward the doorway. The mammoth crustacean had spotted them, turning with a clanking, scraping sound. Sophia let out a yelp. “It’s coming after us!”

  The great beast scuttled out of the tide pool toward them, Orville and Sophia simultaneously popping up spheres of defense.

  Proto was the first to reach the heavy metallic door. “Oh dear, I do hate to be the bearer of unfortunate news, but it appears the door has been securely locked with a–”

  Orville screeched, “Out of the way!
” A brilliant blast of purple light shot out from his paw, hitting the rusted padlock. The lock vanished and Proto slammed the heavy door with his shoulder. It squealed open and they darted into the inky blackness beyond. Orville looked back just in time to see a huge blue claw reaching through the doorway. He grabbed Sophia, pulling her safely out of the crab’s reach.

  Proto eyed the massive claw, strangely mesmerized. “Quite fearsome, I must say.” He gave a curious grin and stepped toward the huge appendage, watching as it slowly opened. He could see the crab’s gigantic black eyes peering at him through the doorway. Proto stretched one arm out, touching the huge glistening claw. “This is called the dactylus, the part of the claw which moves up and down, and these are the razor sharp teeth of the claw… quite deadly I would imagine.” He ran his silver fingers along the white gleaming teeth.

  “Proto, what are you doing?”

  Three things happened in the blink of an eye. First, Proto jerked his hand back, second, the massive claw snapped shut with a dreadful crunching noise, and third, Orville gave a shriek and skittered backwards, tumbling into a dark shaft.

  “Orville!” Sophia dashed toward the rectangular opening.

  Orville’s voice rang out from below. “I’m okay! I had my sphere of defense up. You should see all the stuff down here. You might want to use the ladder though.”

  Sophia scrambled down to the room below, blinking up a bright sphere of light. “This is old tech, maybe pre-Anarkkian.”

  Proto slid down the ladder, still grinning from his close encounter with the gigantic crab. “Fascinating beast. You’re quite correct, this is pre-Anarkkian technology. Certainly less advanced than the Mintarians or Quintarian, but quite a marvel in its day. I’m uncertain precisely who may have constructed this complex. The seawater has taken a toll on the interior, but this appears to have once been a waypoint, something akin to a train station. Look at the rows of chairs bolted to the floor.”

  Proto strolled over to one of the chairs and took a seat. “It fits me quite well. Whoever built this must have been as tall as I am. This very well may have been an early creation of the Elders. It does have a vaguely familiar feel to it.”