The Voyage of the Minotaur

by Wesley Allison

  Terrence looked over at the nightstand—at the pitcher of water, now empty, and drinking glass, now lying on its side.

  “I had some water…earlier. Yesterday, I think.”

  “Bloody hell, Terrence. I can’t believe you’re doing this again.”

  “On a first name basis now, are we?” he asked.

  “Don’t give me that crap. Who took care of you last time?”

  “You’re not my sister.”

  “No,” she agreed. “And you’re not your sister either, so shut the hell up. Get some clothes on. I’m going to get some water.”

  Yuah picked up both the pitcher that had held drinking water, and the pitcher that matched the washbasin in the corner of the room and left the cabin. Terrence quickly moved the tiny blue bottle to the ammunition pouch of his pistol belt. The dressing maid returned after a few minutes with both pitchers full of water. She took the first and filled the glass from the nightstand, handing it to Terrence. The second pitcher she poured into the matching washbasin on its stand. Then she left once again. Terrence drank the water in the glass and then washed his face. Yuah entered again, this time with a plate containing a crumpet with jam and a glass of milk, both of which she handed to him.

  Terrence sat down and ate, though this made his stomach a bit upset. Yuah stood over him and watched as he downed every single bite. Then she pulled a small brown bottle from her pocket.

  “Lie on your back,” she ordered. “I nicked this from your sister.”

  She pulled the stopper from the bottle and poured a little bit of the liquid within into his right eye.

  “Ow, dammit! Are you trying to blind me?”

  “Shut up. This is a healing draught,” she said, pouring more into his other eye. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, asking if I’m trying to blind you, when you’re rubbing that crap into your eyeballs.”

  “What do you know about it?”

  “I know it all,” she said. “Go ahead. Ask me anything. White Opthalium. Visio. See Spice. Made from rare enchanted lotus blossoms and blue fungus from Southern Enclep, whipped together with a little bit of witch-doctor magic. All designed to take you away from your problems in the real world.”

  “How do you know all that?” Terrence sat up.

  “I did my research a long time ago. Someone had to take care of you, you know.”

  “Yes. I remember. So why did you take care of me… then, I mean?”

  “I had quite a big crush on you then, not that you ever noticed.”

  “Why would I notice? You were a skinny little kid.”

  “Yes, well…”

  “So why are you helping me now?” he asked. “Do you still have a crush on me?”

  “Don’t you wish? You’re important to this expedition. Whether you believe it or not, your sister needs you.”

  “Are you going to tell her about this?”

  “Are you kidding me?” asked Yuah. “She would be right pissed if she found out about this. Not to mention, half the colonists would want to pack it in if they found out you were off your trolley.”

  “You think I’m mad, then?”

  “Yes, I do,” she said.

  They sat in silence for a moment.

  “It doesn’t matter anyway,” he said. “I’m all out. I didn’t even realize we had left port. I was planning to go back and get more at the marketplace.”

  “That’s for the best then. Your sister wants to see you. She was trying to find you this morning and couldn’t. When I went to get her healing draught, I told her you had food poisoning, and wouldn’t be about for a few hours.”

  “Thanks,” said Terrence.

  “Come over to her cabin and I’ll draw you a bath. You need it. Then you can shave and have something more to eat and whatever else.”

  “What about Iolanthe?”

  “She was just leaving to go up to the observation deck and meet Lieutenant Staff. I doubt she’ll be down for hours. I think she’s going soft for him.”

  “Iolanthe? Don’t be stupid. She’ll never go soft for anyone.”

  Terrence gathered up his shaving kit, a freshly laundered set of clothes, and his spare boots and followed Yuah to his sister’s cabin, which was only a dozen yards away. Iolanthe’s cabin, which had once belonged to the captain, had its own bathroom with a small tub. Yuah filled the tub with hot soapy water and Terrence soaked in it while he shaved using his straight razor and a small handheld mirror. He had shaved on battlefields, and on trains, and once on the back of a horse, so he managed a close shave without cutting himself even once. He noticed in the mirror too, that his eyes were no longer the bloodshot mess they had been. He put on fresh underwear and a clean set of his tailor-made khaki jungle garb and stepped out of the bathroom to find his sister’s dressing maid awaiting him.

  “They’re serving lunch on the aft deck now,” she said. “It might do you some good to get out in the fresh air. It might be good for some people to see you too.”

  They walked out onto the deck together and stood for a moment by the railing. The warmth of the sun on his skin reminded Terrence of the sun on his body in that other place—the place where Pantagria awaited him. Something startled him as it leapt up onto the railing next to him. Judging by the shocked squeak that Yuah let out, she was just as surprised as he was. Terrence thought at first that it was a sea bird or one of the large flying reptiles common in the skies above Greater Brechalon, but it was Zurfina’s small steel dragon.

  “Gawp!” it said.

  The steel dragon was a magnificent little creature. About four feet long from the tip of its snout to the small barb at the end of its tale, it was completely covered in scales that were perfectly meshed together. All four of its feet had grasping claws that enabled it to crouch on the railing and keep its balance despite the rolling sway of the ship. Its head was just as covered by its armor as any other part of its body, but it had the beginnings of horns growing from the top and sides of its face, though they looked less like horns than they did metal spikes. Something that Terrence had not noticed before was the dozen or so cat-like whiskers around the little dragon’s long, thin snout. Its wings, which were folded neatly on its back, were also covered with shiny steel scales, far too heavy to carry the creature in flight. They were however as beautiful as the rest of the beast. This would have been a terrifying monster indeed, had it been ten times its size, and had it not been wearing a baby bonnet.

  “Baby!” called a child’s voice and Zurfina’s young ward ran toward them.

  “Gawp!” The dragon said. It leaped over the railing of the ship, opening its wings and soaring into the sky, disproving Terrence’s assumption that the beast was too heavy to be supported by the air. It flew several hundred feet up, circled, and suddenly dived down into the sea.

  “Baby!” called the girl again, looking over the side at the waves.

  The dragon shot back out of the ocean and beat its wings forcefully until it once again reached the ship’s deck. It settled down about twenty feet away. Its sharp teeth now held a small silver fish with golden fins—Terrence thought it was a perch, though he was no fisherman. The large reptiles that roamed above the seas near home often scooped up fish from the ocean then maneuvered them into position so that they could swallow them whole. The little steel dragon again defied Terrence’s expectations, by setting the fish on deck, placing its front right foot on it, and then ripping off the fish’s head and chewing it before swallowing.

  The girl ran over and grabbed the dragon by the neck with her hands, and pressed her face to the side of its face. For its part, the dragon didn’t seem to mind. It simply pulled away, bent down, and took another bite of the fish. This time the soggy baby bonnet that the creature wore, slipped down over its eyes. The girl pulled it back into place and gave the dragon another hug.

  “Do you think that’s safe?” asked Yuah.

  Terrence grunted noncommittally. “Let’s go on back. I’m starving.”

  Leaving the little girl to fawn ov
er the dragon and the dragon to eat the last bit of remaining fish, Terrence and Yuah walked toward the rear of the ship. The sun was now nearing its zenith and the air was warm and humid. The ship swayed from side to side as it pushed through the relatively calm seas. More than a few people were coming out onto the deck to enjoy the sunshine, or to make their way back to the stern for their meals. Looking up, Terrence saw Suvir Kesi arm in arm with an attractive blond woman walking toward them.

  “Captain Dechantagne,” said Kesi, with his unusual accent. “Good to see you again. Have you met Miss Kilmurray?”

  “I have not until now had that pleasure,” Terrence said, reaching out to take her hand. “And you know Miss Korlann?”

  “Of course,” said Kesi. “Your father is doing quite a job.”

  “Thank you,” said Yuah.

  “Wizard Kesi,” said Terrence. “I need to speak to you in confidence about some expedition business. Yuah, would you mind taking a place in the queue for me?”

  “I’ll join you,” said Miss Kilmurray, and the two women walked away.

  “Something your sister needs?” asked Kesi.

  “No, it’s something I need. I want you to find me some white visio.”

  “It would be easier to get you some blessudine.”

  “Just get me the white visio. And no questions asked.”

  “All right,” said the wizard. “I might know where I could find some onboard. It won’t be much, and don’t ask me how or where I get it.”

  “I don’t care where you get it or how. I just want you to get it, and no one is to know that I have it.”

  “Fine,” said Kesi. “I didn’t take you for a seer.”

  “Never mind. How soon can you get it to me?”

  “If I can get it, I’ll have it by tonight. Is that soon enough?”

  “Fine. Thanks.”

  Terrence left the wizard and followed the women. As they did three times each day, the expedition’s cooks had set up several tables and prepared huge quantities of food which they served to the passengers. Quite a few off-duty sailors took advantage of the offerings as well, which were well above the level of ordinary naval food. Terrence didn’t usually follow suit. He often went to dinner with his sister. At other times, he had food delivered to his room. And of course over the past several days, he hadn’t eaten at all. Yuah had already made her way through the line and brought him a plate piled high with golden fried fish and chips and a cold bottle of beer.

  “Oh, that’s ace!” said Terrence. “I haven’t had fish and chips since we left home.”

  “Don’t eat too fast,” said Yuah. “I don’t know how fried food is going to sit on the stomach of someone who’s been starving himself.”

  The fish was delicious, flakey and white, battered and fried in oil, and the chips were perfect. Neither upset Terrence’s stomach at all, but he found that he felt full long before he had eaten half of what Yuah had brought for him. He handed the plate back to her and she began eating what he had not.

  “Why didn’t you get yourself a plate?”

  “It’s more fun to share,” she said.

  “I’m really tired now,” said Terrence. “I think I need to go back to my cabin for a nap.”

  “That’s fine,” said Yuah. “But I’m going to come and get you up in two hours. I don’t want you wasting away in there.”

  “Yes, mother.”

  Terrence stood up. He noticed that a crowd of passengers was standing near the rail, talking loudly. Some were pointing at something over the side. Walking over to join them and to have a look for himself, Terrence saw a huge turtle paddling through the water. It was traveling in the same direction as the Minotaur, but would soon be left behind by the battleship. With the possible exception of a very large alligator or two, the turtle was the largest reptile he had ever seen. It was easily as big as a steam carriage, each of its four flippers as long as a man. Terrence watched it swim along the surface, no doubt enjoying the warming rays of the sun, until the ship had left it far behind.

  Making his way back to his cabin, Terrence kicked off his boots and washed his face and hands in the basin. He retrieved his tiny indigo bottle from his ammunition pouch and looked at it in the light. There was what looked distressingly like a single drop at the bottom. If Wizard Kesi couldn’t find him some more, there would barely be enough for a single dose. It would be another two weeks before they reached their final destination in Birmisia. Once there, it might be possible to procure a small amount. Black market items were usually available anywhere. The problem would be the price he told himself, even though a certain part of him knew that he would pay the price no matter what it was. He hid the bottle under his mattress and then lay down and went to sleep.

  He woke up with the strange sensation of something right above his face. Opening his eyes, he saw that it was Yuah. Her face was less than a foot above his. They stared at each other for a moment.

  “I thought I locked the door,” he said.

  “You did.”

  “And you’ve taken to breaking and entering?”

  “In this case. I had to make sure that you were all right.”

  “You mean that you had to make sure I wasn’t ‘seeing’,” he said.

  “Well….” She shrugged.

  “Are you going to be my nursemaid from now on, or just for the rest of the day?”

  “I haven’t decided yet.”

  “Well, what now?” asked Terrence.

  “Let’s walk around the deck for a while before dinner,” she said. “You can be my escort and everyone can start talking about us.”

  “See, I knew you still had a crush on me.”

  “I don’t have crushes on addicts.”

  “I don’t escort flat-chested bints,” he said. “And I’m not an addict.”

  “You’ll have to prove that to me,” she said. “And I’m not flat-chested, not really. Come on. Get your boots on and let’s go for a stroll.”

  Yuah continued to talk to herself while Terrence pulled on his boots. “Some people can get anything they want. Not me. I’m just the flat-chested dressing maid that keeps saving his life. He wouldn’t want to be seen with me though. I’m just another Zaeri that he wouldn’t give the time of day to.”

  “I didn’t say anything about you being a Zaeri,” he said. “You know that’s not important to me.”

  “It’s important to everyone.”

  “It’s not important to me. I learned a long time ago—Kafirite God or Zaeri God, he’s a heartless bastard.”

  They stepped outside and Terrence was surprised to find that the sun was going down. He had slept away the afternoon. Yuah slipped her arm into his, and they stood watching the great red ball that the sun had become fall behind the flat ocean horizon. It seemed to drop with incredible swiftness. Afterwards, they walked back and forth across the deck in the gathering darkness, and for the most part in silence.

  “Gawp!” came a sound from around the corner, between two lifeboats.

  “I have a feeling that little lizard is going to be trouble,” said Terrence.

  He and Yuah followed the sound and found the baby dragon sitting beside the body of a woman. It was licking at the pool of blood forming beside her. Terrence kicked the beast aside with his boot, and knelt down to examine the body.

  “It’s Miss Kilmurray,” he said. “She’s dead.”

  “Did the dragon kill her?” asked Yuah.

  “No. She’s been stabbed, repeatedly.

  Terrence stood up. He noticed the dragon was doing something strange. It was sniffing around the ground as though it was a bloodhound.

  “Wait right here,” he told Yuah, and raced back to his cabin to retrieve his revolvers. He checked both to see that they were loaded, and then strapped on his shoulder holsters. He jogged back to the scene of the murder to find Yuah, the body, and the dragon exactly where he had left them.

  “All right dragon, let’s see if you can hunt.”

  The dragon start
ed sniffing along the ground. It moved along as though it were following an invisible line across the deck.

  “Give me a couple of minutes,” he told Yuah, as he walked away following the small beast. “Then go report this to Lieutenant Staff.”

  Yuah nodded, and then added. “Be careful.”

  The steel dragon led Terrence into a nearby hatch, and then down a series of narrow staircases until they reached the lowest decks of the ship. The corridors were filled with steam and were dimly lit. The dragon continued on at a quickened pace, moving toward the stern section where the engines were located. Through a zigzag of hallways and cross-sections, Terrence tried to be as stealthy as possible. He thought it must be his imagination, but it seemed to him that the dragon was moving more stealthily as well. The hallway ended in one of the engine room compartments. Terrence didn’t know if it was the main engine room or one of the auxiliary rooms, but it was filled with huge machines, pumping and whistling and releasing steam from numerous vents.

  Hearing voices ahead, Terrence drew one of his revolvers and moved forward cautiously. The dragon slowed as the man moved forward and it took a position near his right foot, as though it knew how to heal like a dog. Terrence rounded one of the large boilers and saw someone through a cloud of escaping steam. Stepping through the steam, he found Professor Calliere’s assistant, Mr. Murty kneeling down beside a young girl. Terrence didn’t know the child; no doubt she was from one of the passenger families. Murty was pawing at the girl as he spoke to her.

  “This is a secret meeting place,” he said. “Don’t tell anybody about it.”

  “Hold it,” said Terrence, and Murty stood up. Terrence spoke to the girl. “Go to your cabin now. Never come down here again.”

  The girl skirted around Terrence and the dragon, more wary of the beast than of the man with the drawn pistol. Once past them, she ran away down the hall. A moment later she was gone. Terrence turned his attention back to Murty.

  “You’re a busy man this evening,” he said. “First Miss Kilmurray and now a little girl. I knew there was something wrong with you the first time I laid eyes on you. A deviant and a murderer.”