Voyager of the Crown

by Melissa McShane

  “Are you going to be all right?” Zara asked.

  “I guess I have to be,” said Belinda. “Wish I’d exercised more this last year.” She hefted the makeshift bag containing what was left of their papayas and stretched.

  “I’ll carry that.” Theodore had come up behind them and now held out his hand for the bag.

  “That’s all right,” Belinda said.

  “No, it’s not. You have enough troubles, and my mam always says it’s a gentleman’s duty to help wherever he can.”

  It was the most Zara had ever heard the young man say. Belinda handed him the bag. Theodore nodded at them both, then walked away after Watson, who’d already started to move. “That was unexpected,” Belinda said.

  “We’d better get moving,” Zara said. Arjan and Cantara were a few paces ahead of them, Cantara still moving slowly, but Watson had either taken Zara’s advice to heart (unlikely) or was starting to feel the effects of the heat himself. In either case, Zara was glad not to have to keep up that punishing pace. She felt as if she’d sweated out every drop of water in her body—

  “We need water soon,” she called out.

  “I’m aware of that, Miss Farrell,” Watson said. “I’m looking for water right now. Unless you think you can do better?”

  Zara ground her teeth. “Not at all, Mister Watson, I’m sure you’ll be successful,” she replied. It was true, she had no idea where to look for water. And there was something else they needed, something simple but counterintuitive, that she’d read about once years ago and now couldn’t remember. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be anything crucial.

  They walked on through the undergrowth, just far enough under the trees to take advantage of their shade. The distant sounds of alien birdsong mingled with other cries Zara couldn’t put a name to. None of it was nearby, probably because they were all making so much noise they wouldn’t be able to hear a Karitian coming upon their little group even if he shouted a war cry at them. Though Karitians might not have war cries.

  She knew so little about them. Aside from their isolationism, she’d heard they never traded for Devices, though she didn’t know if that was because they didn’t use them or because they built their own and thought them superior. Someone had once told her they had a strict caste system, though not what its basis was, and a woman in a bar back in Umberan had told her Dineh-Karit was as rich in source as Tremontane, though Zara hadn’t taken that rumor seriously because the woman had never actually been to the southern continent. Supposition and guesses—not a good basis for drawing conclusions about an entire people.

  Watson suddenly turned and disappeared into the jungle. Zara hurried past the Zakharis to catch up. “What are you doing?” she demanded.

  “Following the scent of water,” Watson said. “Unless you’d like us to continue without it?”

  “We’re too spread out. Wait for the others to join us.”

  “I don’t recall inviting you to give me orders.”

  Zara turned and stalked away, back toward the end of the line. “Fool,” she muttered under her breath. How this man had ever risen to a position of authority stymied her.

  By the time she’d made sure the Zakharis and Belinda were together, Watson had moved only a short distance from the spot where Zara had confronted him. Just enough to look like he isn’t listening to me. “This way,” Watson said, and moved on.

  Beneath the trees, there was practically no undergrowth, and following Watson was easy. It was dark and cool beneath the high canopy, and the raucous birdsong was louder. Zara brought up the rear of the group, just in case. The jungle was strange and beautiful, with vines twining about the thick tree trunks and hanging low from the distant tree tops. She’d never seen so many shades of green in her life.

  High above, she saw movement, and tensed, but whatever it was moved on without hesitation. She had no idea what things lived in the jungle aside from the birds and no inclination to find out. Water, then more travel, and eventually they would reach Manachen…though what they’d find there was also an unknown. Suppose the Karitians didn’t believe their story? Watson was unconcerned about the possibility they’d find trouble there, but she already knew Watson was an idiot, so it was down to her to come up with a plan.

  Alfred’s mystery Device, nestled deep in her trouser pocket, rubbed the outside of her thigh, and she reached in to touch it. Its smooth surface was warm—well, that made sense, it was snug against her leg, but working Devices, ones with a strong motive force, were always warm to the touch. Zara didn’t dare take it out to look at it, even here at the end of the line, though now that the immediate crisis had passed, she had time to be curious. A Device carried by an agent of the Crown to a traders’ colony, but sought by pirates, if that’s what that Ghazarian woman was. She’d attacked the Emma Covington specifically to get Alfred’s Device, and that didn’t sound like typical pirate behavior. Not that she knew how pirates typically behaved. Even so, it was strange.

  Ahead, she heard Theodore swear, and it startled her so much she ran to catch up to the rest. Watson was standing at the edge of a shallow pool, little more than a puddle. The water was black and stank of rot. “We can’t drink that,” Theodore said.

  “Of course not,” Watson said, though he’d lost most of his certainty. “We’ll follow the stream that feeds it—”

  “No stream,” Arjan said. “Is nothing.”

  “I thirsty am,” Cantara said. Her voice was faint enough Zara almost couldn’t make out her words.

  “Then we’ll have to set off across country until we find a stream,” Watson said.

  “We’ll get lost if we do that,” said Zara.

  “I think we’re already lost,” said Belinda.

  “We’re not lost.” Watson stood straighter and made a visible attempt to regain his authority. “I know where we are. We just have to keep heading east.”

  “I think we should return to the coast,” Zara said.

  Watson sneered at her. “You don’t know how to navigate, Miss Farrell, I think we’ve already established that. If we follow you, we’ll no doubt end up traveling in circles.”

  “I think I know how to retrace the blindingly obvious path we made.” She forced herself to breathe slowly. Losing her temper would do no good.

  “We’re more likely to run across water if we continue east,” Watson said. “But if anyone wants to follow Miss Farrell, you’re welcome to.”

  Belinda looked at Zara and shrugged. Theodore looked as conflicted as he always did. Arjan helped Cantara stand and without a word began heading east. Watson smiled at Zara and hurried to get ahead of the two Eskandelics. Theodore, with another uncertain look at Zara, followed him a moment later.

  “We don’t have much choice, Rowena,” Belinda said. “I’ll go where you want, but I think it’s better we all stay together.”

  “It is,” Zara said, glaring at Watson’s retreating back, then setting off after him. “But he’s going to get someone killed, and the way our luck is running, it won’t be himself.”

  The overland route was at least cooler and easier terrain. Belinda wasn’t struggling nearly as much as she had been, which was a relief, and Zara could keep an eye on Cantara, who leaned heavily on Arjan and kept her injured arm close to her chest. They’d fallen into a pattern of gradually slowing their steps until Zara caught up to them, then walking more rapidly for about a minute before slowing again. Zara cursed Watson mentally. Those two wouldn’t be able to keep going much longer.

  She wiped sweat out of her eyes and blinked to clear her vision, then realized it wasn’t her eyes that were going dim, but the level of light reaching the jungle floor. “It’s getting dark,” she called out. She wouldn’t be surprised if Watson hadn’t even noticed.

  “We have plenty of light, Miss Farrell,” Watson said, but he slowed until all six of them were gathered close. “Finding shelter is now our main priority.”

  “And food,” Theodore said.

  “Do we need a fire?” Beli
nda said.

  “It’s not that cold, Miss Stouffer,” Watson said, so patronizingly he might as well have patted her head like he might an obedient child.

  “I was thinking of animals,” Belinda said, annoyed. “I know we haven’t seen any, but that doesn’t mean they won’t come out at night.”

  “Where are you going, Mister Zakhari?” Watson said. The young man had helped Cantara sit, then walked a few more steps in the direction they’d been going.

  “Water,” Arjan said. His chin was lifted as if he were straining to hear some distant sound. “Water—near.” He continued to walk, first slowly, as if feeling his way, then more rapidly. Watson cursed and followed him.

  Zara went to help Cantara stand, but Theodore was already there, helping her put her unbroken arm around his shoulders. Taking short steps to accommodate Cantara’s weakness, they followed the men and Belinda, who soon disappeared into the growing dusk. Zara did some inner cursing of her own. Why didn’t anyone realize how important it was they stay together? Even Arjan was being impatient now.

  She began to hear a sighing sound, like wind over stone, that turned into rushing water. Lots of rushing water. Then she smelled it, beautifully fresh and clean and cool, cutting across the muggy green funk of the jungle. Eventually, she saw Arjan and Belinda and Watson, their bodies partly obscured by the vines draping the nearest trees, and with slightly guilty impatience she left Theodore and Cantara and hurried forward to see what they’d found.

  The others stood at the top of a steep bank, below which flowed a river wider than any she’d seen before, wider than the Snow River at the peak of its icy floodwaters. A little island, barely more than a sliver of land with a few bushes growing on it, lay about two-thirds of the way to the other bank. The river was mostly in shade at this time of day, but it still reflected the clear, cloudless blue of the sky, with white foam where the river met the bank. It smelled so good Zara almost wanted to dive into it, but it was moving fast enough that would be fatal.

  “What is this?” Arjan said to Watson.

  “Ah,” said Watson. “Well, obviously—”

  Arjan grabbed him by the lapels of his coat and shook him, hard. “This the Amgeli is not,” he roared. “This the Kulnius is!”

  “Let go of me, you idiot,” Watson said, grabbing Arjan’s hands and trying to break his grip. “Of course it’s not—”

  “I know something of Dineh-Karit’s geography,” Arjan said in remarkably fluent Tremontanese. “The Amgeli much wider is. You have taken us the wrong way!”

  “The wrong way?” Zara said.

  Arjan shoved Watson, who staggered but managed to stay on his feet. “We landed east of Manachen as you said,” he told Zara. “We should have walked west to reach the Amgeli River, where Manachen is. Instead we far from Manachen and far from civilization are. My Cantara cannot endure more of this. You have killed us all!” He turned on Watson again, raising a fist. Watson brought up his fists to defend himself. Briefly Zara entertained a fantasy about Arjan beating Watson to bloody pulp, then dismissed it.

  “That’s enough,” she said in a cold, cutting voice. “Fighting won’t solve this problem. Arjan, step away now.”

  Arjan, his fist still raised, took a step back, then looked at Zara as if he wasn’t sure why he’d done it.

  “That’s right,” Watson said. “I’m still the leader and you’d better respect that. If not for me, you wouldn’t have escaped the ship.”

  “Because you hid in the longboat,” Arjan said. “You a coward are.”

  “What good would my dying have done anyone? There was no way to help.”

  “You could have directed the sailors to flee the ship,” Zara said. “You could have saved more people. Wasn’t that your responsibility?”

  “Miss Farrell, I don’t answer to you, and I expect you to keep your opinions to yourself!”

  “Please let’s not fight,” Belinda said. She looked as if she were near collapse. “Where do we go now?”

  Zara took a calming breath and flexed her fingers, which had begun to cramp from being closed so tightly into fists. “Well, Mister Watson? Where do we go?”

  Watson’s eyes widened. He’d probably expected her to taunt him. Well, that was still an option if he didn’t respond to her manipulation, but she didn’t have time to make a play for the leadership of their group right then. She went on, not giving him time to interrupt. “We found water as you said we would. Arjan says this is the Kulnius. This at least gives us some idea of where we are. Where should we go next?”

  “We should not follow him,” Arjan said. “He is a fool.”

  I completely agree. “Unfortunately, he’s the only one of us who can keep us on the right path, navigating by the sun and stars. Where next, Mister Watson?”

  “I—ah,” Watson said. “We should…if we follow the Kulnius south, we will find where it diverges from the Amgeli. Then we go north, following the Amgeli, until we reach the city.”

  “Karitians don’t like northerners,” Belinda said. “What makes you think they’ll be happy to see us?”

  “We don’t have much choice at this point, Belinda,” Zara said. “We should at least follow the river far enough to find a place where we can get water.”

  “Of course,” Watson said. Zara wished she’d let Arjan hit him. “Let’s move on.”

  Arjan took the sagging Cantara from Theodore. “I following you am not,” he said. “We go alongside.” Zara didn’t bother concealing a smile from Watson, who glared at her before moving off down the river bank.

  The river bank grew more shallow as the river wound in and out of the trees. The mysterious sounds grew louder, and as Zara kept glancing at the sky, gauging how much daylight they had left, she saw long-limbed creatures, pale against the dark canopy, swinging between the tree tops. Monkeys. She’d seen a few of them in the Umberan Zoo, but seeing them in their natural habitat took her breath away. There were so many of them—a family, a clan? She had no words for how they moved so gracefully, as if gravity was only something they’d heard about that didn’t apply to them.

  She stumbled, caught herself, and moved to catch up with the others. The river was flowing less swiftly now, and debris and logs swirled in its currents. Ahead, she saw some of the monkeys coming down to drink. They might never have seen humans before, judging by how carelessly close they came to their little group. What would it be like to hold one? Probably uncomfortable, as it climbed all over you and pulled your hair and screeched in your ear. They weren’t tame, after all.

  They were approaching a place where the river lapped against the shore, smoothly curving against it in a way that would carve out a deeper bank over years, maybe centuries. Watson ran ahead of the group—he probably wants to make a big show of discovering it—and squatted at the edge. “It’s perfectly safe to drink,” he said, as if they’d all been afraid it was poisoned.

  Theodore was near him, but hesitated, looking at Arjan, who was almost fully supporting Cantara and was moving slowly. Zara stopped and took a deep breath. She felt uneasy, and she took another deep breath and tried to figure out why. The birds were still arguing with each other in the canopy, but the monkeys’ cries were distant, almost too far away to hear. Zara looked upriver to where a family of monkeys drank. It was a rockier shore, and the water was less accessible, so why there and not where Watson knelt? “Mister Watson,” she began.

  “Miss Farrell, do you have yet another complaint? Did you want your water served in a tall glass with a chunk of ice?” Watson sat back on his heels and half-turned to look in her direction. “Or maybe—”

  The water erupted. Watson screamed as the biggest lizard Zara had ever seen, bigger even than the alligators at the Zoo, lunged at him and seized hold of his shoulder, dragging him into the river. The floating logs came alive and converged on the screaming Watson. Blood filled the water, almost black in the afternoon light. Zara drew in a great breath and shouted, “Run!”

  Chapter Five

&nb
sp; “Stay with the river!” Zara shouted, grabbing Belinda by one arm and Theodore by the other. Theodore tripped and fell. With strength born of terror Zara hauled him upright and forced him to keep running. The monkeys scattered, chittering at them angrily as they passed. Zara looked back to make sure Arjan was following. He had Cantara in his arms and was stumbling along, not looking back as the terrible screams cut off. Zara couldn’t think of anything but away, get away, but at some point her body, exhausted by the demands she’d made of it, gave out. She let go of Belinda and Theodore and sank to the jungle floor, breathing heavily. Beside her, she could hear the others doing the same. She closed her eyes and tried not to picture Watson’s torn body, his desperate face. Nothing you could do. It was too late for him when he knelt by the river.

  “What was that?” Theodore said. His voice was weak and breathy.

  “Caiman,” Arjan said. He sounded a good deal more hale than Theodore despite his double burden. “Though I have never seen one so large.”

  “It killed him,” Belinda said. She sounded as if she were in shock. Zara opened her eyes. Belinda had her hands clasped tightly in front of her and her rosy complexion was pale. “It killed him.”

  “Belinda, look at me. Look at me,” Zara said sharply, and Belinda turned her face in Zara’s direction. She wasn’t exactly looking at Zara, her eyes distant and unfocused, but it was good enough. “We’re safe now. Watson was stupid and it got him killed.”

  “How could he possibly have known? We’re just as stupid as he was. More, because I don’t know anything about surviving in the wild!”

  “We know to be more careful. It’s going to be all right, Belinda. Don’t be afraid.”

  Belinda nodded, but there were tears running down her face Zara was certain she wasn’t aware of. “Watson’s plan was sound, though,” Zara said. “Follow the river upstream. It will provide us with plenty of water. Then follow the Amgeli to the ocean. We’ll have to take the chance the Karitians won’t—” She stopped before she said kill us on sight. That was not a thought this group needed to entertain.