The Doldrums and the Helmsley Curse

by Nicholas Gannon

  The girl opened a small door behind the table and motioned for them to follow her.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Oliver whispered.

  “Your grandparents were pretty serious about us staying in the Grand Hall,” Adélaïde agreed.

  “Do hurry!” the girl called.

  Archer took one last look at his grandparents, who were still surrounded, before leading Oliver and Adélaïde out. He had to find Benjamin.

  ♦ GREEN BEHIND THE EARS ♦

  The noise from the Grand Hall faded as the girl led them deeper and deeper into the Society. Archer lost all sense of direction. There were too many corridors, and the wood moldings and cold marble floors often changed.

  “My name is Darby, by the way,” the girl said as they clomped up a wooden staircase. “Sorry about Fledger. He’s annoying, isn’t he?”

  “He doesn’t like Archer’s grandparents very much,” Adélaïde said.

  Darby shook her head. “But that’s not surprising. Fledger’s parents are in President Birthwhistle’s order—the Order of Magellan.”

  “The order of what?” Oliver asked.

  “Magellan. You know, Ferdinand Magellan—the first explorer to circumnavigate the earth? Anyway, my parents have a saying, ‘Order of Magellans are all potential felons.’”

  “But what’s an order?” Archer asked.

  “A group of explorers who work together. My parents are with your grandparents in the Order of Orion. You might have seen them in the crowd that greeted you.” Darby glanced sideways at him. “They don’t believe any of it, by the way. What’s being said about your grandparents, I mean. I know there’s more to it, but they won’t tell me. Do you know what happened?”

  While Archer was glad to hear this, he didn’t think it was a good idea to tell Darby what he suspected. He shook his head and pointed to a patch on her sweater. It was a crest—a leaping goat with striped horns that said SOCIETY GREENHORN.

  “What does Greenhorn mean?” he asked.

  “You don’t know very much about anything, do you?” Darby replied, blinking at him. “Greenhorn means you’re new at something. I’m a Greenhorn. And everyone you saw at the table is one too. We’re students of the Society. Our parents are explorers.”

  “What do you do?” Adélaïde asked. “Is it exciting?”

  Darby smiled as though she thought the answer should be obvious. “If you’re interested in learning how to sail ships and fly airplanes and survive in a jungle for ten days with no supplies, then yes, you might find being a Greenhorn exciting. But there are things like History of Exploration, which I find very boring. I’d rather my hands be covered in dirt than paper cuts.”

  Darby had been staring at Adélaïde’s wooden leg while speaking.

  “A lamppost fell on me,” Adélaïde explained.

  Darby pinched her lips in disappointment. “You should work on that story. Explorers always embellish their adventures.”

  “You could tell people a crocodile ate it,” Oliver suggested with a smile.

  “That’s much better!” Darby said.

  Archer and Adélaïde stifled their laughs and followed her around a corner.

  “There are a few ways to get into the Greenhouse,” Darby continued, leading them toward an elevator. “But this is my personal favorite. I’d come with you, but I can’t get written up again.” She opened the gate and watched them enter. “Go to the sixth floor. The Greenhouse doors will be straight ahead of you. I think you’ll find Benjamin in the lab. It’s his second home. It’s in the back right corner.”

  They thanked Darby, and she scurried back down the hall. Adélaïde shut the gate, and Archer pushed up on the lever.

  “Did you know about Greenhorns?” she asked as they ascended.

  Archer had no idea. Was that why his mother had wanted to keep his grandparents away? Had she wanted time to ensure he’d have no interest in being one?

  “I wonder if my father was a Greenhorn,” he said, but then remembered his father once telling him he’d never had much interest in such things.

  Archer stopped the elevator on the sixth floor, and Oliver opened the gate. Straight ahead were two large doors. An ornate title above them read GREENHOUSE AND LAB.

  ♦ WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? ♦

  The trio’s eyes were as wide as could be. Ivy dripped from the ceiling, which was an arched network of steel beams and glass panes. The starry sky glittered through the glass, and they would have been able to see the canals of Barrow’s Bay all around had the greenhouse not been teeming with twining plants and twisted trees. It was like Benjamin’s desk at Raven Wood. Except bigger. Much bigger. It was a jungle. They stood on a metal platform overlooking it all.

  “What kind of—” Oliver ducked as a bright blue bird swooped over his head. “What is this place?”

  “It’s a greenhouse,” Adélaïde said.

  Oliver eyed her. “Thank you.”

  “Darby said the lab was in the back right corner,” Archer said, trying to swallow his astonishment.

  They couldn’t see the back, but they quietly spiraled down a metal stair to the humid greenhouse floor and set off. Leaves and vines brushed their cheeks as they wove through rusted metal troughs until Archer glimpsed a sparkle of copper through the green. He signaled to Oliver and Adélaïde. They crouched behind a trough, pushed aside leaves, and just as Darby had guessed, there was Benjamin, not even twenty feet away, standing on a stool in a cramped space filled with all sorts of equipment. Copper vats with tubes leading to dispensers, a giant orb set atop three stubby legs, and cabinets all around. Archer couldn’t tell if it resembled the Button Factory’s science lab or a place a madman tinkers.

  “What do we do now?” Adélaïde whispered as they watched Benjamin happily scrub the insides of a copper vat.

  Archer wasn’t sure exactly. It would have to be something along the lines of “Merry Christmas, Benjamin. Now tell me why your father tried to kill my grandparents.”

  “Archer. There’s . . . uh.”

  Oliver had backed away from the trough and was pointing a shaky finger at it. Something was moving inside. It wasn’t plants. In the dirt just below Adélaïde, insects were pouring out of a hole. Archer vaulted back as one shot into the air and latched onto Adélaïde’s neck.

  “GET IT OFF ME!” she shrieked, reeling.

  Archer swatted, and the bug flew off toward the ceiling.

  “Who’s there?”

  Insects were suddenly everywhere, springing from the hole like popping popcorn. Archer brushed three off his face. Oliver plucked one out of his ear. Adélaïde tripped, rushing to get away, and they all tumbled into the lab. Benjamin lost his balance and fell backward off the stool, smacking his head on the cool tiled floor.

  “Well, that was discreet,” Adélaïde said, flicking an insect from her dress.

  Oliver pulled another from her hair as they rushed to where Benjamin’s twiggy body lay sprawled like a tree that had been chopped down. They jostled his shoulders and called his name with no success. Oliver was about to dump a bucket of water on his head when Benjamin’s eyes shot open and immediately locked with Archer’s. Archer felt like he was seeing Benjamin for the first time.

  “You lied to me. Your father’s not a travel guide.”

  Benjamin sighed heavily as he sat up. “I’m sorry, Archer. But it wasn’t a complete lie. My father used to be Director of Transport.”

  “You knew my grandparents,” Archer continued, barely listening. “You knew me.”

  “I knew who you were the moment you walked into my room,” Benjamin admitted, rubbing the back of his head. “And I’ve been told my whole life to stay away from Helmsleys. But after our first week together, I knew you weren’t dangerous. And I liked you.”

  “But why didn’t you tell me who you were?” Archer asked. “You had to know I’d find out everything eventually.”

  “I didn’t want to be the one to tell you what had happened to your grandparents.
I knew it would make you miserable.”

  Archer frowned. “Yes, knowing your father tried to kill my grandparents has made things a little miserable.”

  Benjamin stared at him as though he’d just stuck a firework in his mouth and lit it.

  “Kill your grandparents?” he repeated, stumbling to his feet. “Who said my father tried to kill your grandparents?”

  “My grandfather. Isn’t that what you didn’t want to tell me? Isn’t that why you thought I’d hate you?”

  Benjamin shook his head slowly. Oliver and Adélaïde backed away.

  “Your grandfather told you my father tried to kill them?” Benjamin continued. “I mean, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. They were and probably still are completely paranoid.” He glanced over his shoulder after a loud clang. “Careful!”

  Oliver had brushed against a plant that dripped thick yellow goo and then bumped into a copper vat as he rubbed the goo from his sweater.

  “Sorry,” he said, steadying the vat. “But that plant, it’s not poisonous, is it?”

  Benjamin shook his head and pointed through the back windows. Across an outdoor courtyard, buried in snow, stood a much smaller greenhouse.

  “Poisonous plants are kept in Greenhouse Four.”

  “I’m confused,” Archer said, grabbing Benjamin’s arm. “What were you talking about then? What didn’t you want to tell me?”

  There was another clang. The door to the metal platform had opened and slammed shut, but they couldn’t see who had entered. Benjamin flashed Archer a panicked look as footsteps clanked down the metal steps.

  “How did you know I was here? How did you find me?”

  “A girl named Darby brought us,” Adélaïde explained. “She was with the other Greenhorns.”

  “Those rats! I’ll bet they told on me.”

  “Do you know who that is?” Oliver asked. “Are we in trouble?”

  “I think it’s Malmurna,” Benjamin said. “She’s in charge of Greenhorns. She’ll write me up if she finds me here by myself. Follow me. I know somewhere she won’t find us.”

  ♦ OBSERVATORY INSIGHTS ♦

  They ducked through a door at the back of the lab, which led to a narrow passageway crammed with pipes that were spitting steam. There were so many stairs that Archer guessed Benjamin was leading them near the roof. He was right. Benjamin opened another door, and they stepped out onto a causeway overlooking the entire Society.

  “That’s the Observatory,” Benjamin said, pointing to a round stone structure set apart from the main building.

  “And that’s a long way to fall,” Oliver added, staring over the side of the causeway at the frozen canal far below.

  As they crossed and wound their way up icy steps to the top of the Observatory, Benjamin explained that it was one of the largest in the world, but aside from teaching basic astronomy to Greenhorns, it wasn’t used anymore.

  “Rosewood got too big. It gives off too much light.”

  The whole of Rosewood, shrouded in snow, spread out below them. The Button Factory smokestacks; ships docking and departing Rosewood Port; the maze of canals and warehouses. But Archer would have enjoyed the view more under different circumstances.

  “Someone’s down there,” Adélaïde said, pointing to the poisonous Greenhouse Four, which lit up like a lantern.

  “Malmurna knows I love the Greenhouses.” Benjamin sighed, peering down. “I’m in trouble. But I have to set the record straight.” He put his back to the railing and stared at Archer. “My father didn’t try to kill anyone. You’re not going to like it, but I’ll tell you what’s really going on.”

  Adélaïde and Oliver moved closer to Archer.

  “Your grandparents and my father have never liked each other, Archer. Their orders have always been at odds. Did your grandparents tell you what was happening before they disappeared?”

  Archer didn’t respond.

  “I didn’t think so,” Benjamin said. “It was terrible. Your grandfather tried to banish the Society’s greatest botanist—a man named Wigstan Spinler. He’s in my father’s order. My father thinks I could become as talented a botanist as him. Mr. Spinler thinks so, too.”

  “Why did my grandfather try to banish him?” Archer asked warily.

  “That’s just it,” Benjamin said. “Your grandfather wouldn’t say why. Mr. Spinler had done his research in private for many years. When he revealed it to the Society, everyone marveled. He’s famous here, and he should be. Mr. Spinler uses plants to do the impossible.”

  Archer thought of the crate of jars his grandfather had showed him. Using Doxical Powder to change someone’s personality sounded impossible. What could the other jars do?

  “Your grandfather was jealous,” Benjamin continued. “And my father got worried—especially for his order. Mr. Spinler was only the beginning. Your grandparents had a list, Archer. They were planning to purge the Society of any member who got more attention than they did. They completely lost it.”

  “But they didn’t banish Mr. Spinler?” Adélaïde asked, her head tilted.

  “No. Thanks to my father,” Benjamin said. “He led an effort to oust Archer’s grandfather from the presidency before anything could happen. And he had a lot of support. Your grandparents knew it, Archer. That’s when they vanished. We think your grandfather didn’t want the shame of being thrown out of office. It’s only ever happened once before.”

  Archer was certain this couldn’t be right. No one had told him any of this. Had his father known? Or his mother?

  “That’s what I didn’t want to tell you,” Benjamin said. “I’m sorry, Archer, but your grandparents are nothing like what you hoped they’d be.”

  “But at Rosewood Station,” Archer said, shaking his head, “you told me I was going to hate you. Why?”

  Benjamin’s eyes fell to his boots. “It’s my father. He can’t allow your grandparents to return to the Society. They’ll put everyone in danger. They almost killed themselves, Archer. My father has to banish them, like your grandfather tried to do to Mr. Spinler. I found out in that letter I received. That’s why my father cut his trip short. That’s why he returned. There’s going to be a vote. Tonight.”

  “But your father’s not in Rosewood,” Archer said, turning to Oliver and Adélaïde, who were staring straight back at him. “Mr. Suplard said . . .”

  Benjamin peered up from his boots, shaking his head, genuinely sorry.

  “My father’s coming, Archer. Or maybe he’s already here.”

  CHAPTER

  SIX

  ♦ BITE BY BITE AND PIECE BY PIECE ♦

  Archer, Oliver, and Adélaïde dashed from the Observatory with reckless speed, not thinking of the frozen canal, which was only a quick stumble away. When they slid back inside the Society, they slowed almost to a crawl, wandering the top floors of the building without the slightest idea how to find their way back to the Grand Hall.

  “We need Darby,” Oliver said, peering down corridors for anything that looked familiar.

  Archer was trying to make sense of what Benjamin had told him.

  “If my grandparents tried to banish Wigstan Spinler, I’m sure they had a good reason,” he said, following Oliver past arched windows overlooking a lit courtyard.

  “And don’t you think it’s odd?” Adélaïde agreed. “The timing of everything? They disappeared before anything happened at all.”

  Archer hadn’t thought about that. “Mr. Birthwhistle was trying to stop my grandfather from banishing Mr. Spinler. That’s why the iceberg happened. How can Benjamin not see that?”

  “Others must know,” Oliver said, stomping down a wooden staircase lined with animal paintings. “Mr. Birthwhistle couldn’t have arranged the iceberg by himself, could he?” At the bottom, he pointed to a door. “That’s the one Darby led us through!”

  Archer rushed toward it, wanting desperately to get back to his grandparents. They shoved through and stumbled into a smartly furnished, fire-lit office. Definitely not t
he Grand Hall. Archer slumped and was about to turn, but froze. The office wasn’t empty. A man stood hunched over a desk in the corner—a man now glaring at them. The same man Archer had seen lurking outside his house. The crooked man.

  “What are you three doing in here?” he asked, stepping around the desk, the firelight casting deep shadows on his sunken face.

  “We’re looking for—” Archer stopped. The desk was in complete disarray, with all of the drawers hanging open. The crooked man had clearly been searching for something.

  “We’re looking for the Grand Hall,” Adélaïde explained.

  Oliver was silent. During their previous encounter at Strait of Magellan, the crooked man had threatened to cut out his tongue if he didn’t watch it in the future.

  The trio made for the door, but the crooked man threw himself in front of it.

  “What’s the hurry?” he asked, slamming it shut and forcing them back farther into the office. “It’s so lovely to see you again. Much has transpired since our last visit! I must tell you, I nearly laughed myself silly reading all about your failed expedition. I knew you wouldn’t make it to the port, of course. But I must say—not being able to get out of a museum?” The crooked man clicked his tongue. “Not the wunderkind your grandparents had hoped you’d be, are you?”

  “There were tigers,” Adélaïde said. “That made it a little difficult.”

  “Yes, you did have some luck with the tigers, didn’t you? And considering your grandparents are not what they once were, perhaps your antics impressed them? It’s a shame, but too much salty air drives even the best of them loopy.”

  “They’re not loopy,” Archer said, clenching his teeth. “Mr. Birthwhistle is lying.”

  The crooked man’s mocking grin disappeared.

  “That’s quite the accusation. Is that why you’re in here?” He stepped to the fireplace mantel, which was adorned with piranhas, and ran his silvery finger down the spine of one. “Do you know what this creature is?”

  “It’s a piranha,” Archer said.