The Curse of the Ice Serpent

by Jon Mayhew

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CAPTURED

  ‘Tie him up until I decide what to do with him,’ Blizzard said, pointing at Borys.

  Two marines, hulking and grim-faced, hurried forward and began binding ropes around Borys’s wrists.

  Dakkar watched as Tingenek, who had fallen down in the confusion, crawled across the floor on all fours, straight into the legs of a marine. Tingenek looked up, gave a simpering grin then crawled back to his chair, holding his wrists out for binding.

  ‘I must protest, sir,’ Borys began.

  ‘You can protest all you want,’ Blizzard said mildly. ‘I’m not going to gag you. Now, Dakkar, suppose you tell me about these two and why you’re here without Count Oginski?’

  Something tightened in Dakkar’s chest and rose into his throat. He wanted to scream out but he choked the emotion down. ‘O-Oginski is … dead,’ he stammered and looked at Blizzard’s feet.

  Blizzard grabbed a chair and lowered himself on to it as he absorbed the news. ‘Dead? How? When? You must tell me everything!’

  Ignoring Borys’s anguished face, Dakkar told him the whole story, pausing every now and then to swallow hard or catch his breath to avoid crying. Georgia took over for him sometimes when the details became too hard to relate.

  When the tale was over, Blizzard spent a long while scratching the surface of the table with his hook.

  ‘He was a great man,’ he said at last. ‘I’ll miss him. He did our country a great service.’ Blizzard stopped and fixed Dakkar with his steely blue eyes. ‘He taught you well, Dakkar. You must be worthy of him …’

  ‘I will,’ Dakkar said through gritted teeth.

  The room fell quiet as they all thought on Oginski.

  Finally, Borys broke the silence. ‘So what brings the great Commander Blizzard to these frozen parts?’ he said, as if he were conversing over the dining table and not bound hand and foot.

  ‘The usual,’ Blizzard said, matching Borys’s tone. ‘Reports of strange beasts attacking ships, of activity to the north, movement of men and ships, strange lights in the mountains. We tried to take HMS Slaughter round the north coast but there were too many icebergs – an unusual number, I’d say. All factors that point to the presence of one of the Oginski brothers! Or maybe two …’

  ‘I’m not the one you want,’ Borys said. ‘It’s my brother Tomasz we must stop.’

  ‘If you think for one minute that I would join forces with you then you’re deluded,’ Blizzard said coldly. ‘Once I realised we couldn’t get to the northern mountains by sea, I prepared for an expedition across the central ice of this barren land. We leave at first light. I would trust Dakkar and Georgia with my life. You, however, will remain under guard until I’ve decided what to do with you.’

  ‘I think we should give him a chance, commander,’ Dakkar said, glancing at Borys.

  ‘If you had said you were certain we could trust him, Dakkar, I’d cut him free immediately,’ Blizzard said with a faint smile. ‘But you have a trace of doubt in your voice. No. He will remain here on HMS Slaughter with a small guard. We’ll take the bulk of the marines and this man – Tingenek, is it? He can lead us to the Heart of Vulcan. From there we’ll decide what to do.’

  ‘Tomasz will find you and destroy you first,’ Borys spat. ‘Let me come with you – I can help!’

  ‘Take him away,’ Blizzard said to the marines guarding him.

  Dakkar watched Borys being marched out of the room.

  ‘Dakkar, Georgia, don’t let them do this!’ Borys pleaded as he passed them.

  Dakkar pursed his lips and looked away.

  The cries disappeared outside and Blizzard settled back into his chair. He raised his hooked hand.

  ‘Do you approve?’ He grinned.

  ‘A flesh and blood hand would be better but, yes, it looks fearsome enough,’ Dakkar said with a weak smile. Earlier in the year Blizzard had lost his hand and lower arm to a dinosaur ridden by a Cryptos guard at the Battle of Waterloo.

  ‘I’m surprised that you’re serving again so quickly,’ Georgia added.

  ‘I can’t say that I’ve fully recovered but these Oginski brothers don’t wait for any man,’ Blizzard muttered. ‘I couldn’t rest knowing they were still at large. Even while we were searching for him back in April, Marek Oginski completed his brother Kazmer’s work and blew up Mount Tambora in the East Indies. Thousands of people died in the volcanic explosion and more perished in the tidal wave that followed. The next twelve months will see the sun blotted out by tons of volcanic ash. Famine will stalk the world, people will starve, there will be riots and revolutions in the major nations – just the right climate for Cryptos to flourish!’

  ‘They never give up, do they? We foiled Kazmer’s plan to blow up another volcano in the South Atlantic only last year,’ Dakkar said. ‘Stopping Tomasz is all the more urgent!’

  ‘And so is rest!’ Blizzard said. ‘My men will assemble in a few hours. Until then, I suggest you try to get some sleep. We have two spare cabins on board HMS Slaughter – they’re at your disposal.’

  ‘Thank you, commander. I look forward to being on your ship again,’ Dakkar said, watching as the marines led the Inuit hunter out of the tavern. ‘I’d keep an eye on Tingenek. I don’t think he’s too keen on taking anyone to the Thermolith.’

  ‘We’ll keep him in the lap of luxury in the hold for now.’ Blizzard laughed. ‘Although I only trust his know­ledge because your friend Borys sought him out.’

  Blizzard led Dakkar and Georgia down the quay to where HMS Slaughter now rocked against the side, her three tall masts black against the darkening sky.

  A marine saluted as they crossed the gangplank to the main deck. Most of the crew lay down below catching some sleep before the expedition began so the deck stood virtually empty but for a few guards.

  ‘Get some rest now,’ Blizzard said at the door of the spare cabin, which lay to the stern on the middle deck. He gave them a salute and disappeared into the gloom.

  ‘I’ll try, commander,’ Dakkar muttered at the retreating figure, half crouching under the low ceiling.

  ‘What’re you up to, Dakkar?’ Georgia whispered, eyeing him suspiciously.

  ‘I want to talk to Borys,’ Dakkar said, his voice hushed. ‘Tingenek said something before Blizzard interrupted and I want to know what he meant.’

  ‘But how can we find him?’ Georgia said, looking around at the shadows that hid bales and boxes and barrels of supplies. ‘We never ended up imprisoned on this ship.’

  ‘No, but I was locked up on Blizzard’s first ship – the one you sank, remember?’ Dakkar said. Even in the semi-darkness, he could tell Georgia was blushing. ‘I spent several weeks on that ship and I don’t think the layout of this one will be much different.’

  ‘I thought they’d kidnapped my Uncle Robert. There was no loss of life in that sinking,’ Georgia muttered. ‘Anyway, what do you want to know?’

  ‘Tingenek mentioned metal and wheels,’ Dakkar said. ‘Why would Borys take so much equipment if he was only hiding the Heart of Vulcan in a hurry? It doesn’t make sense.’

  ‘That’s a fair point,’ Georgia said. ‘I’m coming with you though.’

  They crept through the mid deck. Row upon row of hammocks filled the space and they had to tiptoe past and creep under snoring sailors. More than once they brushed a dangling arm or foot, causing snorts and groans, but nobody woke.

  The darkness on the lower deck thickened and the smell of the sea and stale urine made them grimace and splutter. A guard dozed in the corner, cradling a rifle on his lap. In the flickering light of an oil lamp, Dakkar saw a bundle of skins that huddled in the corner, snoring.

  ‘Tingenek,’ Georgia whispered.

  ‘Quiet,’ Dakkar replied. ‘You’ll –’

  A flash of blinding light accompanied a roaring explosion that cut Dakkar’s words dead. He was thrown back, smacking painfully into the side of the hold. Water gushed around his feet.

  In
the dim light, Dakkar saw the guard lying dead and Borys, waist deep in water, with spiny blue arms wrapped around his body and neck, dragging him down.

  ‘Dakkar, help me,’ he gasped as his head broke the surface.

  Dakkar lunged forward but a spear thudded into the woodwork close to him. Borys gave a gargling scream and vanished beneath the water.

  Gunshots mingled with the shouts of men on the upper decks. Georgia pulled herself to her feet. Dakkar tried to get to Borys again but water rushing into the ship sent her lurching sideways – and Dakkar with her. More Qalupalik emerged from beneath the deepening water, brandishing spears and sharp daggers.

  ‘We’re under attack,’ Georgia said, gripping Dakkar’s arm. ‘And the ship is sinking!’

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  FLAMES IN THE NIGHT

  Freezing cold water swirled around Dakkar’s thighs now and the Qalupalik hissed, spears poised.

  ‘Why do they always seem to outnumber us?’ Georgia said, quietly edging towards the steps that had brought them down there. ‘Do you have a weapon?’

  ‘This,’ Dakkar said, wrenching the spear that had stuck in the plank next to him. It looked flimsy and useless in his fist but the sharp tip glimmered in the gloom. ‘When I say, make a dash for the steps …’

  Sensing they had the advantage, the Qalupalik edged forward, jabbing their spears at Dakkar. Then the water between the Qalupalik and Dakkar erupted in a startling explosion of seawater and fur.

  ‘Who woke me up?’ Tingenek bellowed and swung his fist in a wide arc in front of him.

  Fortunately Tingenek was facing the Qalupalik and three of them flew backward into the others. With a squeal of terror, the remaining creatures plunged under the water and into the darkness.

  ‘Borys!’ Dakkar shouted, jumping after them. But the water surged into the hold and he couldn’t see a body anywhere.

  ‘The Qalupalik took him,’ Tingenek said. ‘We must go up.’ He pointed to the stairs.

  Chaos gripped HMS Slaughter. Men scrambled to and fro as cries filled Dakkar’s ears, mingling with the crackling of rifle fire from the upper decks. Oil lamps hanging from the low ceiling swung crazily as the ship listed to one side, making the deck a tilted obstacle course of loose rope and rolling barrels.

  ‘Tomasz,’ Georgia shouted. ‘It’s got to be!’

  Another explosion rocked the ship, sending men stumbling into Dakkar. More gunfire spat up top as he rushed for the steps to the upper deck.

  The heat of flames scorched Dakkar’s cheeks as he popped his head out of the hatch on to the main deck. Burning sails flapped to the ground, igniting other canvas that lay stowed on deck. Fire had taken hold on the ship. All around him men shouted and hurried to the source of the fire with water buckets or tried to beat it with wet sheets of sail or tarpaulin. Men walked crab-like against the tilt of the deck, sloshing valuable water as they went.

  Other marines had formed ranks towards the stern of the ship and fired down on screeching Qalupalik, who hurled spears and small daggers.

  ‘Didn’t expect this kind of skulduggery,’ Blizzard said, seeing Dakkar. The pale man raised his pistol and fired, sending a Qalupalik tumbling from the rigging. ‘The blighters have wrecked my ship!’

  ‘Borys has gone,’ Dakkar panted. ‘They’ve taken him.’

  Another Qalupalik hurtled, screeching, across the uneven deck to hurl its spear, but a shot rang out. The Qalupalik fell, its blood pooling on the scrubbed planks.

  ‘Commander!’ A boy hurried past Dakkar, almost knocking him over. Blizzard had fallen and the boy helped him to his feet. A thin spear had pierced Blizzard’s thigh. He cursed as he grabbed it and pulled it steadily out, leaning heavily on the boy.

  ‘Well done, Fletcher,’ Blizzard said, examining the cruel point. ‘Good shooting, although you nearly took Prince Dakkar’s ear off.’

  ‘Sorry about that, mate,’ Fletcher said, turning to grin at Dakkar. Fletcher looked about Dakkar’s age, tanned by the salt and sun. His dirty mop of hair framed his mucky round face and almost hid his eyes.

  ‘I am Prince Dakkar of Bundelkhand,’ he murmured, eyeing Fletcher coldly. ‘Not your mate.’

  Gradually, the firing subsided as the Qalupalik fled, screeching into the night, plunging into the dark waters and vanishing with barely a ripple. Marines cursed and ran about, beating out the flames and tending to the wounded.

  ‘Don’t mind Dax,’ Georgia said, giving him an annoying, playful punch. ‘I’m Georgia Fulton.’ She extended a hand to shake but the boy took her fingers and bowed, then kissed the back of her hand.

  ‘The name’s Fletcher, miss,’ he said, giving a wink.

  ‘I know,’ Georgia said, reddening and snatching her hand away. ‘Fletcher what?’

  ‘Just Fletcher, miss,’ he said with a second bow. ‘Ship’s boy.’

  ‘Are we going to just stand around here exchanging pleasantries?’ Dakkar said, scowling. ‘Or are we going to get Commander Blizzard some medical attention?’

  ‘Hmm, I do seem to be losing a lot of blood,’ Blizzard said quite matter-of-factly. ‘Doctor!’

  A small man with spectacles and a bloody tunic came hurrying over. Blizzard sat on a barrel as the doctor cut away his trousers and poked at the wound.

  Dakkar looked away yet the sight of the scorched ship wasn’t much better. The marines had managed to quell the fire but many of the lines up to the burned sails hung charred and useless. The deck was blackened and many supplies had been lost.

  ‘It’ll take my men some time to repair this,’ Blizzard muttered through gritted teeth.

  A marine marched forward, pushing Tingenek before him. ‘Found this fella trying to sneak off the ship, sir,’ the marine said with a salute.

  ‘I was just checking that the gangplank was secure,’ Tingenek said, grinning.

  ‘Good man, Baines,’ Blizzard said, ignoring the Inuit and shifting uncomfortably as the doctor bandaged his leg.

  ‘The Qalupalik have taken Borys,’ Dakkar said quietly to Blizzard, ‘so Tingenek is the only one left who knows where the Heart of Vulcan is hidden.’

  ‘And if Tomasz has Borys then it’s an even deadlier race against time,’ Blizzard murmured. He fixed his eyes on the Inuit hunter. ‘Tingenek, you’re going to take us to the Thermolith by the quickest route possible.’

  ‘Ha-ha,’ Tingenek said, though he didn’t sound amused. ‘You’re a really funny man. Why would I take you? It is certain death.’ He waved an arm vaguely towards the dark shore. ‘The Qalupalik own the ice out there!’

  Blizzard raised his arm and brought the sharp hook close to Tingenek’s cheek. ‘Well, I’m here right now and I own this. Either you die on this deck or you take your chances out there with us. What’s it to be?’

  Tingenek licked his cracked lips and glanced from the side of the ship to Blizzard’s hook as if calculating his chances of running. Then his face spilt into a fawning grin and he opened his arms.

  ‘I see your point,’ he said, forcing a laugh. ‘I would be proud to lead you to the Heart of Vulcan!’

  ‘Excellent choice,’ Blizzard said, clapping him on the shoulder with his remaining hand. ‘Baines, put some loose bindings on this man’s hands and feet so he can’t run away. We haven’t a minute to waste.’

  ‘But … but …’ Tingenek stammered as Baines led him back down into the belly of the ship.

  ‘Dakkar, you go with Fletcher here,’ Blizzard said. ‘He’ll show you which supplies we need to bring down to the quayside.’

  ‘I’m sorry, commander, but you’re not going anywhere,’ the doctor said, polishing his glasses on his grubby shirt tails.

  ‘I beg your pardon?’ Blizzard said, blinking at the man.

  ‘Stand up,’ the doctor ordered.

  Blizzard tried to get to his feet and gave a yell of pain, plunging forward. Dakkar caught him and eased him back on to the barrel.

  ‘That spear did more damage than you think,’ the doctor said. ‘And you’re
still weak from losing that hand. You’d be a liability on the mission.’

  ‘Well, you could have put it a little more delicately, doctor,’ Blizzard said, swallowing down the pain and rubbing his leg. ‘I do take your point, however.’ He looked hard at Dakkar and then at Fletcher. ‘Dakkar, I’m going to have to rethink my plan,’ he said. ‘I need men to repair the ship and men to guard her but I do want to find this Thermolith. I can give you an escort of ten men led by Baines – do you think that will be enough?’

  ‘Georgia, Borys and I were going to find it with just Tingenek,’ Dakkar said. ‘Ten men will be more than enough.’

  ‘Very well,’ Blizzard said. ‘I think Mr Fletcher would be keen to accompany you too. But be aware that my men will only escort you to and from this cave. They won’t disobey orders and go off on some vengeance mission.’

  ‘That’s fine by me,’ Dakkar said. ‘We’ll find the cave and bring back the Heart of Vulcan – that’s all.’

  ‘Good,’ Blizzard said. He had begun to look paler, if that were possible, and Dakkar noticed a bead of sweat on his brow despite the cold. ‘Fletcher will show you where the supplies are, assuming they’re not all burned. Choose what you need and set off as soon as possible. There is no time to spare!’ He hobbled off to organise the marines, to his doctor’s despair.

  ‘Come on, Dax,’ Fletcher said with a sly smile. ‘I’ll show you the ropes!’

  ‘Dax?’ He stared at Georgia. ‘This is your fault! My name is Dakkar!’

  ‘My fault?’ Georgia said, perplexed.

  ‘Forgive me, your highness.’ Fletcher smirked, bowing with a flourish. ‘I’ll watch my manners in future.’

  Tingenek bustled forward, escorted by two of Blizzard’s marines.

  ‘This mission is foolish,’ he said to Dakkar. ‘Tomasz will send his Qalupalik and they will pick the meat off our frozen bones.’

  ‘Maybe, maybe not,’ Dakkar said. ‘But we’ll give him a good fight either way.’

  ‘You don’t understand,’ Tingenek said, shaking his head. ‘There are worse things than Qalupalik out on the ice. We’re doomed.’