Gareth and th Lost Island

by Patrick Mallard

  Deciding he wouldn’t be able to glean any more information out of the skull, Gareth had agreed to turn it over to Henry who said he had an idea of how to put it to good use. After a long conversation with the skull, which consisted of one jaw clack for yes and two for no, the chef and the ex-person came to an agreement. Again with the help of the tiny equipment shop in Izzy’s engine room, Henry fashioned a set of metal caps for the skull’s teeth. Their arrangement ended up benefiting both of the new business partners. The skull got to enjoy pretending to eat food again, and Henry got an automatic chopping machine.

  Thinking his friend’s attention was fully occupied with preparing the meal, Gareth slowly reached out his hand to grab a freshly peeled pignut. He wasn’t prepared for the sudden stinging in his hand as Henry slapped it with a spatula before returning to his cooking. “Ouch! What was that for?” Gareth exclaimed.

  Henry hooted and snorted his reply.

  “What do you mean you’re cutting me off because I’ve been eating too many pignuts? I haven’t had one in a couple of days,” Gareth argued.

  Henry paused long enough to stare at Gareth to see if he was lying. They had been friends long enough for him to know all of Gareth’s telltale signs when he lied. When Henry didn’t see Gareth’s cheek just under his right eye twitch, or the unconscious glance to the left, he knew his friend was telling him the truth. Henry blew air over his lips and hooted to Gareth.

  “Wait… you assumed whoever has been sneaking into the stores at night was me, because they were picking out things I liked and that everyone else on the ship avoids?” Gareth asked for clarification.

  Henry nodded his head, before he snarled and chuffed.

  “You’re right, I think we might have a problem,” he agreed.

  An hour later, the Glorious Dawn sat motionless a mile above the ocean below them. Pilot walked around the upper deck keeping a watch for pirates. The rest of the crew assembled in the cargo hold to search for the stowaway. They had even roused Sheldon and company from their usual in transit hibernation. The crew, minus Pilot, stood among the wooden crates piled on the metal reinforced wood floor.

  Elizabeth clenched her biological hand into a fist in frustration. “Alright everybody, we have searched the rest of the ship. If we have a stowaway, like Henry and the Professor suggest, they would have to be hiding in here,” she announced loudly. She hoped the stowaway would hear her, and give themselves up. “Sheldon, Tralnis, and I will search the port side. The Professor, Henry, and Izzy will search starboard,” she instructed.

  After a few minutes of fruitless searching, Gareth walked past a crate that was slightly off kilter from the others. Had the airship’s cargo master been a human, Gareth wouldn’t have thought anything of it. Their cargo master was an Ur however, an entire species that suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder. Sheldon would have made sure the edges of this crate would have lined up exactly with the one next to it. On closer inspection of the crate, Gareth saw that all but one nail in the lid had been removed, making it so the lid could pivot on the remaining nail. Given the relative small size of the crate, Gareth had a sinking feeling that he knew who their stowaway was.

  Gareth’s assumption was proved correct when he rotated the lid aside, and Teesh gave him an embarrassed, one handed wave of greeting. She was wearing the same threadbare robe she wore when she stole Izzy’s bag. “What gave me away?” Teesh asked softly.

  “Other than you, I’m the only other person on the ship who likes raw pignuts,” he replied.

  Teesh’s expression changed to one of incredulity. “Are you serious?” Teesh asked. Gareth nodded his head. “What a bunch of weirdos,” she muttered. Raw pignuts had a wonderfully sour taste that was ruined when they were cooked.

  “I agree completely. Why ruin a perfectly good pignut by cooking it?” Gareth laughed. He reached in, and grabbed Teesh’s hand with his functioning one to help her out of the crate. “Izzy, I found our stowaway,” he called out loudly.

  Izzy was the first to reach Gareth, and shook her head when she saw Teesh. “I have should have known,” she sighed.

  “Don’t be too hard on yourself, Izzy. Common sense isn’t always your strong suit,” Teesh replied. Izzy started to get offended until she saw the affectionate smile on Teesh’s face. Izzy again reverted back to being a younger girl, and stuck her tongue out at Teesh.

  Elizabeth was next to join them. Her displeasure was evident in her grim face, a face that already looked scary with her missing eye and burn scars. She had forgotten to oil her prosthetic arm for a couple of days, and it gave an ominous screech when she raised it to rest it on a nearby crate. Teesh took one look at the captain and let out a frightened, “Eeep!” as she moved to position Gareth between her and the scary one armed lady.

  Looking first at Gareth and then Izzy, Elizabeth demanded, “Would either of you two like to explain what in the hells is going on here?!”

  Izzy gestured towards Elizabeth with one hand and then to Teesh. “Captain Elizabeth Morgana, I would like to introduce you to Teesh…” she started to say but stopped when she realized she didn’t know Teesh’s last name.

  “It’s just Teesh. No family, so no last name,” Teesh stated.

  “Is this the child that stole your bag full of priceless artifacts?” Elizabeth asked.

  Gareth nodded his head yes, and never let go of Teesh’s hand. “Yes she is, but she’s also the person who led us to Tralnis’ cousin, and got us a much better deal than we would have on our own,” he replied.

  “Be that as it may, she is still a stowaway, and trade law is very clear on what to do with them. Since she is a child, I’ll have Pilot lower the ship to only a hundred feet or so before I toss the little street rat overboard,” Elizabeth decreed.

  Sheldon grumbled something that sounded like boulders rolling down a hill.

  “Do you have something to add, Sheldon?” Elizabeth asked with mock sweetness.

  “He said we’ll abide by whatever our most wise and noble captain decides,” the right eyestalk answered nervously.

  Gareth cleared his throat loudly. “Actually, that’s not at all what Sheldon said,” he challenged. When Elizabeth looked back over at him, he continued. “What Sheldon actually said was that he remembers a time not too long ago when he helped two injured, and frightened, girls in this very cargo bay,” he translated.

  Sheldon gave a relieved laugh that sounded like glass plates breaking. He had finally found someone who would translate what he really meant to say.

  The left eyestalk narrowed its one eye, and glared at Gareth. “Do you mind?! We’re trying to keep our food hole employed, bub!” it snarled.

  Izzy squeezed closer to Teesh, and took her other hand in hers. “I’m with Sheldon on this,” she informed her sister. “If you insist on going through with tossing Teesh overboard, I’ll call for a crew’s vote, and you know how Roehus feel about children,” she warned. “Besides, it’s not like we can’t put her to work. Every airship needs a good cabin boy,” she added.

  Elizabeth held up two fingers. “Two problems with that. The first is I have never wanted a cabin boy. The second is she can’t be a cabin boy… she’s a girl,” she pointed out.

  “So are you! That doesn’t seem to keep you from being a dick!” Teesh shot back, getting over her initial scare. Izzy had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the young girl using that sort of language. The angry red spreading over Elizabeth’s face only made it that much harder to keep from chuckling.

  Three symmetrical gouge marks were left on the crate next to Elizabeth, as she tightened her mechanical claw in anger… or at least that’s what she wanted everyone else to think. The little scamp’s attitude reminded her of herself at that age. There had been more than one occasion when her father had laughed himself sick when a young Elizabeth had told off one of their ship captains for referring to her as “just a little girl.” She pointed her mechanical hand at Izzy. “Until she pulls her own weight on this airship, cost
of her upkeep comes out of your share of the profits. You will be expected to feed her, water her, and make sure she gets plenty of exercise. Any accidents, on or below decks, will be your responsibility to clean up,” the Captain ordered.

  “I’m not some bloody pet!” Teesh shouted.

  Elizabeth gave Teesh a smile that was one part condescension and one part encouragement. “Prove it,” she challenged.

  Teesh was about to say something snarky back, when her eyes grew wide in shocked amazement. “MR. FUZZY BOTTOM!!!!!” she shouted, and bolted towards Henry. Before the Chim knew what was happening, he found a small human had wrapped her arms around him, and buried her face in his chest. Teesh came back to her senses, and took a self-conscious step backwards. “I’m… I’m sorry,” she stuttered. “Before my village was destroyed, and my parents were killed, I had a stuffed Chim doll that looked just like you. I would cuddle with it whenever I got frightened,” she tried to explain. “Sorry,” she muttered, her cheeks red with embarrassment. Tears she had been holding back for years came rushing out without her consent.

  Henry let out a soft snort, followed by a low hoot. He reached out one of his long, orange furred arms, and pulled the small human to him for another comforting hug. Teesh couldn’t resist, and threw her arms back around her childhood confidant come to life.

  Chapter 17

  The oppressive heat deep in the jungles of Chimia forced Gareth to make a difficult decision. While a gentleman wasn’t truly dressed without his jacket, it was just too damned hot to wear a wool coat. He ended up wearing the loosest fitting pair of trousers he owned, his knee high leather boots, and a long sleeved, button down shirt. He had considered wearing his sleeveless undershirt as his only shirt until Tralnis reminded him of the numerous blood thirsty insects that called Chimia home. The newest piece of clothing he owned was a leather tube like holster that he strapped to his right thigh. The holster had originally been made to hold one of the many tools Izzy owned. The strange black rod Gareth found in the underwater temple fit snugly into the holster and at a comfortable height to grab.

  Gareth looked over the railing at the lush green leaves of the treetops below the airship. They had flown as close to the coordinates as the jungle would allow, and would have to walk the rest of the way in. An anchor attached to an extra-long chain kept the Glorious Dawn from floating off. The lack of a nearby Leyline meant they were relying on their batteries and didn’t have energy to spare to keep them in one place.

  A bird with plumage in every color of the rainbow (and some Gareth had never seen before) landed on the railing near his hand to investigate the new source of shade above the trees. Satisfied that the giant, ugly, wooden bird wasn’t a threat, the jungle bird started to hop around the deck looking for food. It spied a bit of sandwich Tralnis had dropped the night before, and gave out a happy squawk. The bird quickly snatched up the tasty morsel, and flew off to its nest hidden somewhere in the immense juggle.

  After a few minutes, the rest of the crew, minus Sheldon who had gone back into hibernation, assembled on deck. Tralnis was decked out much like Gareth, and had his trusty medical bag slung over one shoulder. Henry was dressed in his usual kilt and vest, but had added a large brown backpack to his ensemble. Gareth was surprised to see that Elizabeth was dressed in a pair of brown cotton trousers and a long sleeved linen tunic. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail underneath a wide brimmed hat. Her sword and pistol were slung on her belt. Gareth looked over at Izzy, and saw she was dressed for the engine room instead of an expedition into the jungle.

  “I thought Izzy was coming with us,” Tralnis mentioned, noticing the way the sisters were dressed.

  “We may be part owners in the Glorious Dawn, but I am still the Captain. I reserve the right to select which of my crew participates in away teams,” Elizabeth stated.

  Gareth put his hand to his mouth to hide his words from Elizabeth. “Big sister ground you?” he teased Izzy. For her part, Izzy replied by playfully kicking him in the shin.

  Pretending not to have heard Gareth, Elizabeth pulled the pin that kept the hinged bit of railing on their port side from moving. With her mechanical arm, she lifted the railing out of the way. She bent down to make sure the rope ladder attached to the hull was still secure and not tangled up. With a quick kick, she sent the ladder over the side into the treetops. “Who wants to climb down first?” she asked.

  Tralnis and Elizabeth both looked at Henry who hooted something angrily.

  “What did he say?” Tralnis asked.

  Gareth was fighting to keep his laughter down. “He said something along the lines of ‘that’s just racist’,” he chuckled. Gareth walked over to the edge, sat down with his feet dangling over the long drop, and then turned around to face the airship. Careful of his freshly healed shoulder, he started the long, slow climb to the jungle floor below.

  Henry followed Gareth, with Captain Morgana following close behind. Tralnis went last, since he had to go the slowest due to his legs being much shorter than the others. When the Dwarf had his feet safely on the ground, he saw Gareth duck to avoid a rather large flying insect, and then utter a short word in a foreign language. “What was that, Gareth?” Tralnis asked.

  “It’s a Roehus word that translates into ‘atheist word to replace taking religious messiah’s name in vain’. Considering the size of that monster, I thought it was appropriate,” Gareth explained.

  Tralnis laughed at the naivety of his son. “If you think that wee bug was big, wait until you see a mongquito. Think mosquito, but ramped up to the size of a robin. A swarm of those bastards can drain every drop of blood in a person in less than a minute,” he told him.

  Elizabeth quickly walked over to Tralnis after overhearing their conversation. “What were you saying earlier about mixing up a bug repellant?” she inquired quickly.

  Tralnis motioned for Henry to turn around so he could get into the backpack. He pulled out four vials of a greenish yellow liquid. Handing out a vial to each of the others and keeping one for himself, Tralnis said, “Rub this onto any exposed skin. I know it smells a little off to us, but to a bug, this stuff smells like pure poison.”

  “Do I want to know what’s in this?” Elizabeth asked as she uncorked the vial in her hand.

  “Probably not,” Tralnis replied as he rubbed the fluid onto his skin. The others followed suit, and were quickly on their way through the dense jungle.

  Gareth stopped every few minutes to take a reading with a brass compass he had borrowed from Izzy to make sure they were going in the right direction. Every so often, he would point his arm to indicate they had gone slightly off course. After an hour of difficult hiking, they reached a small hill with a stone arch set into the middle of it. An ancient spiral staircase than ran down below the surface could be seen just past the arch.

  Henry took one look at the passageway into the bowels of Hadronus before he bowed to Tralnis, and snarled something in the Chim language.

  Tralnis shook his head, and held up his hand to stop a laughing Gareth. “Don’t bother to translate that. I’m pretty sure it was just as racist as saying a Chim likes climbing,” he muttered.

  Gareth walked up behind Henry, and opened up the backpack. He pulled out four tubes inscribed with the magical runes necessary for creating light. He twisted the end of his to align the final runes and light flowed from the other end. The others did the same, and made their way into the underground complex with Gareth taking the lead again.

  The stairway ended in a long tunnel where the walls were made of large stone blocks with intricate and lifelike carvings of various animals, both normal and mystical. The floor was a seemingly random pattern of different sized paving stones. Every eight feet or so, there were small gaps in the walls that ran from floor to ceiling. Of those, every other one had a perpendicular gap in the middle of the wall. The tunnel itself was symmetrical with the space between the walls and the space between the ceiling and floor ten feet apart.

  “Some of this
stonework looks Dwarvish,” Tralnis announced after he paused to look at one of the carvings. “Be careful, my ancestors were a paranoid lot. There’s likely to be all sort of traps down here,” he warned.

  Gareth nodded his head to acknowledge he heard Tralnis. Everyone looked in his direction when he yelled out, “Hey look, an Issian 50 Gelt piece!” Gareth simultaneously stepped forward and bent at the waist to pick up the ancient coin. As soon as he bent over and stepped on the trigger stone, a spinning blade swung out of the horizontal gap in the wall next to him. The blade whizzed harmlessly over his bent over frame, missing him by less than an inch. Gareth felt a slight breeze, and heard his companions take in a collective startled breath. He stood up, turned around, and took a step towards them. A second breeze blew down his shirt as a spinning blade swung out of the vertical gap in the wall, slicing through the space he had just vacated.

  Henry, Tralnis, and Elizabeth stood rooted in place, blinking as their brains tried to process how close to death Gareth had just come. He had somehow managed to avoid being killed twice in less than three seconds. Gareth cocked his head in confusion at the astonished expressions on the other three’s faces. “What? Do I have something on my clothes?” he asked, and turned around in a circle trying to look at the back of his shirt.

  “Do we tell him?” Elizabeth whispered only loud enough for Tralnis to hear.

  The Dwarf shook his head slowly. “No, he would never believe us anyway,” he replied just as softly. Raising his voice to a normal level, Tralnis called out, “Gareth lad, how about I take over, and look for those traps I talked about?”

  For slightly less than an hour, they crept slowly down the tunnel as Tralnis pointed out numerous traps. They all sighed a breath of relief when they reached a solid set of metal double doors. Above the door was an airshaft that angled sharply back the way they had come. The doors were divided into nine panels per door, with each panel engraved with scenes of people going about their daily lives. Above the engravings were more runes in the mysterious language. Aside from the engraving and runes, the doors were smooth with no sign of any way to open them. Gareth lifted his hand to the runes, and ran it along them as he translated out loud, “The key to open this door lies in the center of cooperation.”