Between the two breakwaters, from about the middle of each, a league-long causeway of stone had been built, with five gaps for the entry and exit of ships. The central gap was now open and the other four had been bridged by small boats tied together. All the gaps had once been covered by bridges which could be raised and lowered via a system of wheels and levers. The burnt and broken remains of those bridges and their mechanisms could still be seen around some of the gaps.
The effect of the breakwaters and the causeway was to create an inner harbour and an outer harbour. Jetties stretched from both sides of the causeway and many large barges were tied up at the jetties. Hosts of soldiers were moving along the tops of the breakwaters and onto the causeway from both sides to board or load supplies onto the barges. Vessels were also berthed along the shore, but these were smaller because the water was not as deep; the circus barges had docked along the shore when they arrived at Belspire.
When they had come to the end of the tunnel, after descending to pass under the harbour, Pel led them up a steep and very narrow spiral staircase to a broad space which was less than half a fathome from floor to ceiling. There were horizontal slits all around and, as they crawled around the wall, they could see across the inner and outer harbours. The walls were about twenty fingers thick, so the slits were deep enough to conceal the room from anyone on the causeway five fathomes below. The shore and causeway were lit up by beacons and the barges in the harbours were bristling with lanterns. No sails had yet been raised to obstruct their view of the harbours, but some barges were already in the river, heading west, and some of those had raised sails to take advantage of the mountain breeze. A few other barges were being towed into the river current by longboats.
“This is a secret spy room,” Pel whispered. “It was installed at the beginning of the last war before the enemy reached this area. It did not help to save Belspire then; yet it might redeem itself by helping us now. The lookout above us guards the central gap in the causeway, so the enemy will have guards on duty there. I have brought you here because it will be easier for me to explain my plan when you can see the harbour and our rescue ship.”
Pel then explained how he proposed that they escape from Belspire. What he had referred to as their ‘rescue ship’ turned out to be a large barge tied up just below them in the outer harbour. It was already overcrowded with infantry along with stowed tents, weapons and supplies. There were many similar barges lining the docks. Pel had chosen the one nearest the tunnel exit.
“All these barges have been built simply and in a great hurry. Nevertheless, they are fit for the river, thanks to the skill of Shipwright General Karldros. Few could have organised the construction of two hundred barges like this in just a few weeks. They were built all up and down the river using identical numbered parts. That made it easier for me because I could study their construction from any one of them and get to work on our chosen barge as soon as the weather deck was finished. This is the second time that Karldros has done me a favour, although he is unaware of this one.”
“Where are the circus barges that were tied up by the shore?” Memwin asked.
“While I was working below deck, I overheard soldiers chatting about the circus, just as its barges passed by on their way back down the river. The circus is under new management because the owner has been arrested and all his property confiscated. I don’t know why or what happened to him, but arrest and confiscation is very common in Krar these days.”
Pel heard that the owner had been boiled slowly in oil, a landward substitute for the better known maritime versions of slow death. However, he wanted Blan and Memwin to concentrate on the immediate problem of getting aboard their barge. It would not be easy, especially for Memwin. He intended to tell them the full story after they were all safe in Port Fandabbin, if that was to be their destiny.
107
When Shipwright General Karldros had inspected the docks four weeks earlier he had been impressed by the fact that a submarine concrete floor underlay each berth in the outer harbour. This was, in fact, part of a system built by the people of Belspire centuries ago to enable them to convert each berth into a dry dock for the repair and maintenance of their ships. Most of the system had been wrecked in the last war, wantonly and without much attempt being made to discover the secrets of the port. Karldros would have liked to investigate the system and rebuild the walls and gates needed to convert the berths into dry docks, but he did not have the time. He decided that the surviving underwater floors would support scaffolding and that would speed up the assembly of the barges above the waterline, so he ordered that the hulls be assembled on the beach east of the port and then floated to the outer harbour berths for completion. Once completed, the first batch of barges would be towed to smaller berths in the inner harbour. The barge that Pel had chosen was from the last batch and would sail directly from its outer harbour berth. This was adjacent to the watchtower, and its submarine concrete floor was somewhat different from those of the other berths in that it could be directly accessed from the underground tunnel system.
Pel led Blan and Memwin down the spiral stairway to where they had entered it from the tunnel, and then down a further six fathoms to a small, round doorway into a concrete-walled chamber, four paces square and two fathomes in height. While Pel closed and locked the plug-like door behind them, Blan and Memwin inspected the weird object that dominated the chamber. It was a container in the shape of a beehive with a curiously shaped top. It was made of timbers bound together with rope and sealed with resin. It stood slightly more than a fathome higher than the carriage on which it sat and it was about two paces wide. Its carriage consisted of four wagon wheels and two axles fitted to a strong wooden frame which allowed entry to the vessel from beneath.
“Before you ask, I made this from a longboat, a wagon and some other bits and pieces I stole from our hosts. The ballast is rubble I found in the tunnels, and some iron catapult shot.”
“You must have worked all hours, day and night,” Blan gasped in amazement as she was already guessing what might be in store for them. “It looks like a beehive. Are you sure it won’t tip over? Don’t answer! You are a Master Shipwright. Of course it won’t tip over.”
Pel smiled and indicated that Blan and Memwin should climb into the vessel. “I do name it Beehive. I have made these before, so I knew exactly what I needed and how to make it. The difficult part was altering the barge itself right underneath the feet of the enemy’s own shipwrights.”
“I can see from your expression that you have a lot of questions, Memwin, but the answers will become clear as we proceed,” Pel suggested.
“Where do the other doors lead, Pel?” Memwin pleaded, fascinated by the whole idea of tunnels and submarine features. There was another small plug-like door opposite the door by which they had entered; there was a dark passage beyond it. The outline of a large metal door could be seen on each of the adjacent walls. These large east and west doors were closed and surrounded with a strip of resinous substance, and next to each was a stopcock about a fathome above the floor.
“The southern door leads to an exit further out into the river,” Pel explained as he closed that door and secured it by drawing down a large lever which operated three bolts. “The big doors are to access the floors of the berths on either side where the people of Belspire used to service their warships. When the docks on either side were emptied of water, the doors could be left open. The Belspirans then built the secret tunnel system under the city and linked it to this chamber, perhaps with the intention of being able to sabotage enemy ships that might berth here should the city be overrun. We will use the east door because that is where our barge awaits us.”
Pel turned the stopcock next to the east door and a stream of water poured into the chamber. When it was knee deep, Blan helped Memwin up into Beehive.
“See, Memwin, there’s an inner frame for us to hold,” Blan said. It was very dark but the torch light outside reflected off the water sufficient
ly for Blan and Memwin to see that the inside of Beehive was honeycombed with supports, mostly suspending bags of ballast, but with just enough room for the three of them to squeeze in.
“Aren’t you coming in too, Blan?” Memwin asked.
“I will, just as soon as I’ve helped Pel push this thing out under the barge. You stay where you are. The pressure of the air inside the vessel will keep the water at bay.”
“Brace yourself, Blan!” Pel called as the water reached his chin. He then extinguished his torch and turned the stopcock to its full extent. The chamber rapidly filled.
Blan wondered where the chamber’s air was going. There must be an outlet somewhere in the ceiling, she guessed. In the last moments before the chamber filled, she suppressed a surge of panic, drew a deep breath, and dived down to where she guessed that Pel was already struggling to open the east door. It was now completely dark so it was well that she had memorized exactly where everything was. Between the two of them they managed to turn the door lever a quarter-circle and the door suddenly popped outward by a finger. Watery light seeped in as the door slowly moved further out and then slid back toward the causeway. Pel and Blan then both had to crawl under Beehive for air. The resinous smell might normally have been overpowering but, under these circumstances, Blan felt that the air now rushing into her was as sweet as any she had breathed.
Having filled their lungs, Blan and Pel began the arduous task of pushing Beehive out of the chamber. Above them, the light of beacons and lanterns found its way through the water and was just enough for them to see the shadows of two large hulls. The berth had been made for a large warship and now fitted two of the enemy’s barges side by side.
Blan felt very relieved when they were directly beneath the nearest barge, only to be disappointed when Pel touch her shoulder and brought his hand close enough to her eyes for her to see that he was pointing to the second barge. After another break to take air from inside Beehive and another gruelling push, they finally reached their destination. It was only twenty paces from the chamber, yet it could have been a mile the way Blan felt. They were both exhausted. When they next put their heads into Beehive for air, Blan could have laughed for joy, if she could get enough air for it, when Pel told her that they were in the correct position. She thought she might last just a little longer to see it through.
Memwin was also relieved. She was getting anxious about how long it was all taking. She did not like the feeling of being stuck somewhere beyond her own control.
Back in the water, Pel searched around to retrieve some cables he had left on the floor the previous day. Finding them, he tied one around himself and gave the other end to Blan. The other cables he used to connect Beehive to the bottom of the barge where he had previously installed cleats. Each time he tugged on Blan’s cable to indicate that he wanted to come down, she would haul him down; he was very tired and the work of diving down so often would have wasted too much energy.
At last Pel and Blan both crawled right inside Beehive. It was now almost completely dark, so Pel described what he was doing.
“I’m unlocking the carriage to set us adrift from it. Now I will start dropping bags of ballast one by one to let us rise slowly from the bottom. Each time I do this we will all haul on the cables to take up any slack. They are connected to the barge’s hull, fed through rings on the outside of Beehive, and then on to us. The process of dropping ballast and then hauling on the cables will guide us to the trapdoor I have built in the hull of the barge.”
They proceeded as Pel had suggested until they felt Beehive come to a halt against the barge. Then Blan heard Pel scrambling around at the bottom of the vessel.
“I am now closing the bottom trapdoor and sealing it with resin to keep the water out,” Pel explained. Later, after coming back up, he added, “I am now opening a trapdoor at the top. I can feel the fresh new timbers of the barge hull. I have already made alterations to bolt our vessel onto the barge.” Some timber pegs clattered down inside the vessel and the sound of other pegs being inserted could be heard. There was a cracking noise and the suggestion of faint light coming from above.
“I have opened our trapdoor into the barge,” Pel whispered. “It would be best to keep our voices down from now on. There is some light in our cabin which suggests that the floorboards above are not perfectly sealed, so we might be heard by someone above us.”
Pel climbed up into the barge. He soon had a small lantern casting a subdued light. He helped Memwin and then Blan to climb up into what he called their ‘cabin’. It was more spacious than Blan had expected. Pel had created a false bulkhead across a hold. The space was high enough for Blan to stand and five paces wide athwart ship. However, it was less than one pace deep fore-and-aft. Pel had already stocked some food and water there which was a welcome addition to the supplies they had brought with them.
“I had better close the door in the hull, just in case Beehive is damaged or broken off over shallows or rocks,” Pel whispered. “I’d like it to stay there for our escape but we can’t depend on it.”
There was a sudden crashing sound next door. Pel carefully removed a peg in the bulkhead. “Just cargo moving around,” he explained. Then they all felt movement as the barge was towed out of its berth and into the river current.
“Whoooooh…. We were only just in time,” Pel exhaled.
108
Southport-Polnet Confluence – 27th November
The elation that Blan, Pel and Memwin felt when the barge set off down the river was soon replaced by discomfort and boredom. Pel had unplugged three spy holes he had made to the adjacent hold, to let in more light and air; the light provided points of reference rather than a means of seeing much of their surroundings; the air became stale, despite the holes. At least Beehive had stayed attached, so they had been able to descend into it for their bodily functions. They could not talk freely lest they be heard above, and used touch signals for passing basic information like “going down to Beehive”.
Memwin was the most comfortable, being smallest (and having trained, in a manner of speaking, for confinement when she absconded from Proequa). Blan was the least comfortable, not merely because she was the largest of them, but also because she had less to occupy her and so had become anxious about her pregnancy. Despite her enquiring mind and interest in human anatomy, nutrition and medication, she had never seriously thought about being pregnant. It was something she had intended to look into should the need arise. Now she wished that she had a library to hand. Perhaps she could use Actio B to find someone to advise her, but she did not feel like advertising her condition yet. What if Control was wrong about it? She started to recall a few things she had heard or read. For example, she remembered that a likely gestation period would be thirty-eight weeks, but that was not much use to her at the moment.
*
The barge had not stopped since it left Belspire the night before last. However, Blan now felt something change: the movement of the barge, or perhaps the sound of the river. Pel’s whisper broke the silence.
“The barge is turning to shore. By my reckoning, we are close to where the Polnet meets the Southport. We are approaching the place where I rejoined Arnapa and the others on the way up to Belspire.”
“Do you think we’ll be here long?” Blan asked, already wondering if they might find some way of getting to dry land for a while; a respite from their confinement.
“They are in a hurry to get to the front line, so they won’t stop longer than necessary to take on food and maybe change the guard at the river port,” Pel supposed.
“Is there no way we can get out of here just for a little while?” Blan implored hopelessly.
“I’ll check how Beehive is holding out,” Pel offered sympathetically. “If we are tied up to a jetty, we might be able to hide under it and get a quick breath of fresh air, that is, if you are not worried about crocodiles, sharks, river snakes or other bothersome creatures.” He added the proviso hoping to discourage Memwin from going
out. In fact, he did not really think it wise for any of them to disembark until they were ready to abandon the barge altogether; they might not be able to return safely or in time.
Memwin’s face fell, although the others could not see it in the dark. Brave as she was, she did not wish to share the water with dangerous creatures, especially those with whom she could not reason.
“If you open the trapdoors for me, I’ll go outside first,” Blan suggested, determined to get some fresh air whatever the risk. “Light or dark, I’m more likely to hear danger before we see it.”
There was no arguing about it. Pel was aware of Blan’s exceptional hearing. He cautiously opened the trapdoor and was pleased to notice that Beehive was still dry, more or less. He felt his way down into the vessel. After reassuring Memwin that they would come back for her soon, Blan followed and Pel closed the trapdoor behind them. He then cautiously opened the lower door. Water and light both seeped in. Nearly a quarter of a fathome of water rose rapidly into the vessel, alarming them for a while. The light was sufficient to see that it was still day outside, and that the surprisingly clean and sandy bottom of the river was just half a fathome below the bottom of Beehive.
Blan was just about to step down through the lower trap door when a face appeared in the opening. The face was quickly followed by a small person who climbed straight into Beehive.
“You must be Blan,” the boy declared. “Spymaster General Arnapa said that you might be coming this way. I’m Captain Nellinu of the Southport Youth Spy Network, at your service.”
“Welcome to Beehive, but how did you know we were here?” Blan asked in amazement.
Grand Vizier of Krar Page 40