Sebastian laughed at that. 'I fought like a very clumsy hero who had luck on his side,' he said. 'Not to mention a gigantic kelfer.'
'You can thank Captain Donovan for getting you to the boat,' Jenna told Cornelius. 'That ship went down so fast at the end, it's a wonder you weren't lost along with everything . . .' Her eyes widened in realization and she turned to stare at the spot where the Marauder had vanished, where now there was nothing more than a swirl in the water and a few motley pieces of wreckage bobbing forlornly in the waves. 'The treasure!' she gasped. 'I forgot all about it. It must have been somewhere aboard the Marauder!'
'Oh no.' The words came to Sebastian's lips automatically, and yet he said them with no real trace of regret. After all, they had hung onto the most precious thing of all: their lives. He didn't bother to tell Jenna that he'd actually seen the packs lying on a table in the captain's cabin.
'Well, that's just typical, isn't it!' complained Max. 'That just puts the ruddy cap on it! We go all that way, struggle through the worst odds, face the most terrible dangers . . . and for what? Our wonderful treasure ends up lying at the bottom of the sea.'
Sebastian shrugged. 'Well, Max, that's the way it goes. You win some, you lose some.'
'Oh no, I'm not going to be reasonable about this. I was owed a share in that treasure and I earned it as much as any of you. Have you any idea how many fresh, ripe pommers I could have bought with that kind of money?'
'I'll buy you some pommers,' said Sebastian. 'As soon as we get back to land.' He looked at Jenna. 'Forget about the treasure,' he advised her. 'It's gone where we can never reach it. And besides, we know where there's plenty more, don't we?'
Cornelius moaned softly. 'Grant me one favour,' he murmured. 'Let's wait a little while before we go looking again. To tell you the truth, I could do with a bit of a rest.' He closed his eyes and slipped back into unconsciousness.
'Yes, go ahead, sleep,' muttered Max. 'I probably won't sleep for a month! All that lovely treasure, gone. It's enough to make you want to spit!' And he stomped off along the deck with a sour expression on his face, muttering angrily to himself.
Sebastian got to his feet, and he and Jenna walked to the ship's rail. She was still watching the spot where the Marauder had vanished, as if hoping against hope that the treasure would come floating to the surface again.
Sebastian put an arm around her shoulders. 'What are you thinking about?' he asked her.
'I'm wondering how I'm going to explain to the crew that they're not getting paid for this trip,' she said glumly. She turned and fixed him with a soulful look. 'And I'm thinking that even if I'm not rich, I've still got my ship and my crew . . .'
'And me,' he prompted her. 'Don't forget me.'
She laughed. 'How could I do that?' she said and she hugged him close. There was a long moment in which Sebastian found himself thinking that he had found exactly what he was looking for; that he would never need to go adventuring again.
Then Jenna stepped away from him and turned to shout to her crew. 'All right, boys, let's rig those sails. We're heading home.'
The crew ran to carry out her orders. Willing hands heaved on ropes, canvas flapped in the gathering breeze, and in a short while the sails were billowing full and the Sea Witch was gathering speed, leaving the scene of devastation behind.
It was a long journey back to Ramalat, but an uneventful one.
CHAPTER 40
THADDEUS PEEL
Sebastian stared across the tavern table at Jenna. He couldn't believe what she'd just told him.
'Two moons?' he said. 'The trip's going to take two whole moons? You are joking, I hope.'
She shook her head sadly. 'No, I'm deadly serious. Sebastian, I really don't have any choice. My crew are patient men, but if they don't get paid soon, I'll have a mutiny on my hands.'
They had been back in Ramalat a matter of days; time enough for them to get to know each other better; time enough for Cornelius to be able to limp around the place without too much trouble; and time enough for Max to eat his way through a massive number of pommers. So when Jenna had asked Sebastian to meet her at the Spyglass Inn, he had expected to laugh and drink a couple of tankards of ale and not much else. But she informed him straight away of her plans. She had signed a contract to carry a cargo of cloth right round the coast to the southern shores of Mendip. The trip was a long one and she would be away for at least two moons. Fifty-four days. It seemed like a lifetime.
'It's not as though you didn't expect something like this,' she reminded him. 'We talked about it before, remember?'
'Well, yes, but I hardly expected it to be for so long.'
She frowned. 'I know it's a long trip, but it's a fairly easy one and it will pay good money. Two hundred gold crowns. I'll be able to give the crew all their back wages and have a healthy bit put by to tide us over. And . . . well, it's not as if you're bringing in any money, is it?'
He gave her a reproachful look. 'That's not fair,' he said. 'You know I've been trying to find something.'
'Maybe . . .' She glanced at him warily. 'Maybe you could go back to your old jester's act. I'm sure you'd find the odd booking.'
He shook his head. 'There's no way I'll try that again. I already told you, I'm just not cut out to be a jester. No, my plan is to raise enough money to finance another trip to the treasure cave.'
'Oh, Sebastian, I don't know – it nearly killed us all last time!'
'Yes, but this time we'd do it right. But we'd need to equip ourselves properly, and of course that takes money. Big money.'
Jenna sighed. 'It always comes down to that in the end,' she observed. 'I thought Cornelius was hatching some kind of scheme to raise the finance.'
Sebastian shrugged. 'Well, yes, he did say he wanted to introduce me to somebody. I'm supposed to meet up with him in a café later on. Only I'm not sure I'm in the mood now, you giving me that news and everything.'
'Don't be such a baby!' She studied him for a moment. 'I suppose . . . you could always come with me,' she said.
But he knew from the sound of her voice that this really wasn't a serious option. He would only be in her way. And besides, he wasn't cut out to be a sailor. After his last trip across the sea he had pretty much decided to cross that off his 'to do' list.
'I don't think so,' he said. 'Sailing isn't for me. I've gone right off water after that close brush with the kelfers. It's just . . . well, how am I supposed to occupy myself while you're gone?'
'Oh, you'll think of something. Besides' – she fluttered her eyelashes at him – 'I've heard that absence makes the heart grow fonder.'
'Not possible, in my case.' He reached out and placed a hand on hers. 'When will you leave?'
She gave him a sheepish look. 'In three days,' she said.
'Oh . . . perfect.' He scowled at her. 'I suppose I should be grateful you've given me this much notice. It's a wonder I didn't wake up and find a note pinned to the door. Gone south. Back in two moons.'
She laughed and lifted her tankard. 'Oh come on, don't be such a misery! The time will fly by, you'll see. And who knows, maybe we'll use whatever money is left from my trip to start our treasure-hunting fund.'
He lifted his own tankard and drank dutifully, but the ale seemed to have lost its flavour and he found himself wondering how he was going to pass the time till she was home again.
He found Cornelius sitting at one of the tables of the outdoor café, opposite a prosperous-looking merchant in richly embroidered robes. Max, who had been assigned to help Cornelius get around while he was recovering from his wound, was tethered to a rail a short distance away from the two men. He was quite clearly eavesdropping on their conversation. Sebastian sidled up to the buffalope and murmured in his ear.
'What's it all about?' he asked.
'What's it always about?' grunted Max disapprovingly. 'Pipe dreams and nonsense.' He snorted. 'Plus, of course, the prospect of some cash.'
Sebastian thought about that. Maybe if he came up with
enough gold, he could finance the trip to the treasure cave himself, and be waiting for Jenna with a fortune in gold and precious jewels. 'Who's the stiff in the fancy robes?' he whispered.
Max made a face. 'His name's Thaddeus Peel. A Berundian oil merchant. Aren't they always the ones with the fat wallets?'
Sebastian smothered a smile. Max had always had a dim view of Berundians. True, one had overcharged them for oil on the road to Keladon, but such a deep-seated dislike must have had more foundation than that. He told himself that he really must ask Max about that some time. But for the moment there were more pressing matters.
'Is he going to fund our expedition?' he asked Max.
'Don't think so. I gather he has an agenda of his own.'
At that moment Cornelius glanced up and saw Sebastian. 'Ah, here's the fellow I was telling you about!' he roared. 'Sebastian, don't stand there skulking. Come over and meet Thaddeus!'
Sebastian gave Max a wary look, but he went obligingly over and shook the fat, beringed finger that the merchant held out to him.
'Mr Darke,' said Thaddeus in a soft but deep voice. 'Captain Drummel has been singing your praises. He was just telling me how you beat that rascal Trencherman in bloody hand-to-hand combat.'
'Was he now?' Sebastian took a seat at the table and Cornelius poured him a goblet of wine. 'And did he tell you how lucky I was to survive?'
'Luck had nothing to do with it!' roared Cornelius, slapping Sebastian on the shoulder and nearly making him spill his wine. 'He's too modest, Mr Peel! You'll not find a more intrepid adventurer anywhere in Ramalat, I can assure you. Why, in these parts he's known as Sebastian Darke, Prince of Explorers! He'd be the perfect choice to lead your expedition.'
'Expedition?' Sebastian brightened a little. 'Then you are interested in our treasure hunt?'
Cornelius shook his head. 'I told Thaddeus all about the treasure. And he admitted he might be prepared to fund us another time.'
'Another time? But—'
'But for now he has a different quest in mind.'
'Oh yes?' Sebastian looked at the merchant, puzzled and slightly annoyed. 'What would that be?'
Thaddeus Peel smiled and leaned back in his chair. 'Mr Darke,' he said, 'what do you know of the jungles of Mendip?'
'I know they cover the whole of the Southlands,' ventured Sebastian. 'A green wilderness as far as the eye can see, even from the highest vantage point. I know that few men have ventured far beyond its edge. And I have heard people tell fanciful stories of how they are inhabited by monsters—'
'Monsters?' said Max, his voice full of dread. 'W-what kind of monsters?'
Sebastian ignored him. 'Others say that the jungles are cursed and there are many who would not dream of setting foot there.'
'Oh, and a curse too. Lovely!' muttered Max.
Thaddeus Peel nodded. 'And among all those stories, Mr Darke, did you ever hear one about a mysterious lost city?'
Sebastian shook his head. 'I can't say that I did,' he admitted.
'Well, I have heard such stories, many times. Deep in the heart of the jungle, the legend says, lies a fabulous lost city belonging to a once-mighty empire, now fallen into ruin, but packed with treasures just waiting to be plundered. For some time now, the talk among the Brotherhood has been about the possibility of these stories being based on fact.'
'The Brotherhood?' echoed Sebastian.
'Yes. It's a society of successful and influential merchants, of which I am a founder member.' Thaddeus paused for a moment, looking at his beautifully manicured fingernails as though expecting his companions to congratulate him, but nobody said anything, so he continued. 'We have discussed this matter in great detail and have decided that an expedition must be mounted to ascertain the truth and bring back proof of the city's existence.'
'Hah!' said Max. 'And where would you hope to find anybody stupid enough to go on such a trip?'
There was a long uncomfortable silence. Thaddeus glared at the buffalope, clearly affronted by his interruption. 'Somebody should teach that impertinent beast to hold his tongue,' he muttered sourly.
Sebastian shrugged. 'I've been trying to do that for years,' he said. 'In the end I had to admit defeat. Bringing down a wicked king or an evil sea captain, that's one thing; persuading a cantankerous buffalope to accept his place in life is quite another.'
Thaddeus tried to force a smile, but it was clear that his feathers had been ruffled. He cleared his throat and took a mouthful of wine before continuing.
'Yes . . . well . . . naturally, such an expedition would be fraught with danger, no matter how intrepid its leader. That is why I and my fellow merchants are offering a king's ransom for anyone willing to undertake the challenge. And an even more handsome bonus should they return with proof of the fabled city's existence.'
'It would need to be a considerable amount to make me consider a journey like that,' said Sebastian.
Thaddeus nodded. He took another sip of his wine, leaving a couple of red crescents at the corners of his mouth. 'What would you say to five hundred gold crowns?' he asked. 'And another five for a successful conclusion?'
'Shadlog's teeth!' exclaimed Cornelius, then coughed self-consciously. 'That, er . . . would seem an appropriate amount for a mission like that,' he added. 'Yes, in that general region.'
'You are kidding, I hope!' said Max flatly. 'To put all our lives at risk in a dank, stinking jungle, the payoff should be at least ten thousand!'
Sebastian looked at him sharply. 'Max,' he said, 'I don't think—'
'Ten thousand?' mused Thaddeus. 'I don't think so. We might be persuaded to go to five thousand, but—'
'Six thousand,' said Max. 'But I don't know why we're even talking about it, because there's no way the young master would ever—' He broke off because he could see the dreamy look in Sebastian's eyes. 'Oh no,' he said. 'Tell me you're not actually considering this!'
But Sebastian was thinking. He was thinking that with that kind of money in his purse, the trip back to Captain Callinestra's cave was assured; and that Jenna might never have to go away to sea again.
'Very well,' said Thaddeus. 'Let's say three thousand up front and another three on your successful return. But we would require some pretty compelling evidence that the city really exists.'
'It's certainly a generous offer,' conceded Cornelius. 'But my friend and I will need to discuss it in detail. When would you require an answer?'
'I wouldn't wait around too long,' said Thaddeus matter-of-factly. 'There are plenty of other adventurers in this town who would doubtless take on the task for a lot less than you are asking. But . . . well, you come highly recommended, Mr Darke, and I feel our best hope of success lies with you. I trust you will accept our offer.' He drained the last of his wine and stood up. 'I have business to attend to. I will give you until sundown tomorrow to decide. Then I shall look elsewhere.' He nodded to Cornelius. 'Captain Drummel,' he said; and he turned and strode away, looking very full of himself.
'Typical Berundian,' muttered Max disdainfully. 'Thinks that money can cure any problem.'
'You're quite the businessman yourself,' Cornelius told him. 'You just talked up our fee by five thousand crowns without raising an eyebrow.'
Sebastian Darke: Prince of Pirates Page 29